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Discuss the idea of authorial intrusion in Broken April. Are there any particular viewpoints the author seems to sympathise with? How do you know? Is Kadare leading your opinion about the kanun one way or another?

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Please post your thematic statements here!

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Please post your thematic statements here!

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Kadare has detailedly narrated each character's thoughts when they see the different phenomena on the Northern Plateau, which has contrasted and shown their different views on the same topic, implying their unhealthy relationship.

An important point is their completely opposite attitude toward the “Mark of Death” and the Albanian culture that it represents, this has been mainly shown through Kadare’s use of language in narrating their language and thoughts. He has first narrated Diana's words of shouting “How terrible” that the words “had escaped her”, this is showing Diana’s truly sympathetic attitude towards the poor people who are being harmed by this cruel Albanian culture. However, when Bessian heard Diana’s language, he quickly distorted Diana’s words as “tragically beautiful”, it is not only shown that Bessian as a husband doesn’t respect his partner’s thoughts, but also shows that he as an Albanian can’t feel sympathy for the people who’s being harmed. Through the use of language, a contrast is shown between their attitudes, and it has emphasized how the local Albanians is losing sympathy and respect towards deaths and others’ lives.

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Chapter 3 writing response (Anna + Alicia) 

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Chapter 3 writing response (Anna + Alicia) 

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Kadare utilises literary devices such as lexical choices and oxymorons to

Choice of sentence length --> Bessian's long, passionate speeches and facial expressions in " ... eyes shone with the deep brilliance that bursts out after unbearable waiting" juxtaposes Diana's short and abrupt sentences, illustrating the way Diana does not firmly agree with his romanticisation of the Kanun

Omnipresent narrator --> Portray Diana and Bessian's contradicting inner thoughts.

Lexical choices --> Diana's thoughts are filled with words with dark and negative connotations (e.g. "grim" , "endless wasteland", "how horrible" ) , juxtaposing Bessian's use of words such as "beautiful", which posses positive connotations

Oxymoron --> After Diana describes the black ribbon, a symbol of death as "terrible", Bessian instead twists the word into "tragically beautiful", illustrating his romanticisation of the Kanun in contrast to Diana's realism

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Link to our class document!

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Explain the connection between Gjorg and Diana as it emerges in this chapter.

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Explain the connection between Gjorg and Diana as it emerges in this chapter.

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What does the reader discover about the Kulla of Orosh and those who live there in this chapter?

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What does the reader discover about the Kulla of Orosh and those who live there in this chapter?

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In what ways does this chapter suggest that, to Bessian, the world is almost like a theatrical show? What is the significance of this implication?

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In what ways does this chapter suggest that, to Bessian, the world is almost like a theatrical show? What is the significance of this implication?

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Bessian and Diana witness the resolution of a border dispute. In what way do their reactions to this event compare and contrast?

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Bessian and Diana witness the resolution of a border dispute. In what way do their reactions to this event compare and contrast?

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Describe the relationship between the two (characters). Does it seem warm? What kind of a couple are they? Can you sense any tension between them?

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Describe the relationship between the two (characters). Does it seem warm? What kind of a couple are they? Can you sense any tension between them?

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Are certain characters connected to certain settings?  What happens when characters move from 'their setting' to a different one?

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How does the writer evoke setting in the text? (ie. types of language and or techniques, mood, etc...)

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What are the smaller, more specific settings used in the text?  List them in order of significance; share your list with others and see where you agree and disagree.

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Does this broad setting change?  If so, when and how does it change?

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What is the broad social and historical setting of the text?  How precise can you be and how important is this to the novel as a whole?

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p14 “The funeral took place…” - p17 “don that blood-stained mask.”

Write down any relevant quotes here!

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p8 “Just as he had done…” - p12 “name plumbed the depths of life..”

Write down any relevant quotes here!

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Answer your group's questions by adding commentary and media to the post. As an added challenge, do not use Wikipedia! Try to gather information from other websites, news, maps, images, media, video, anything!

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Answer your group's questions by adding commentary and media to the post. As an added challenge, do not use Wikipedia! Try to gather information from other websites, news, maps, images, media, video, anything!

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What is the Kanun and how does it affect families in Albania? Can you think of or find any other cultures who maintain similar practices?

The Kanun is a set of Albanian customary laws that have been upheld for the past five centuries. There are multiple versions of the Kanun, but Shtjefën Gjeçovi wrote the first one and was named after Lekë Dukagjini.

The most well-known and controversial rule of the Kanun is the vengeance rule, where the victims' family is obligated to murder one of the killer's family. This leads to long-lasting blood feuds until all men from both families have been killed off (women are usually not considered worthy targets, only producers of offspring).

This mainly affects the men of the families, as they either resort to staying inside their homes or leaving the country. Moreover, the implications of leaving may be the children growing up without a father figure.

Some studies relate the concepts of 'faith', 'honor', 'blood', 'revenge', 'food', and 'guest' in the Homeric Age with Kanun since they are sharing similar concepts in the Albanian Tribal Society.

The traditional practice of "Honor Killing" in Europe is quite similar to Kanun. Since some parts of them are both taking the tradition of "murdering" as an honor to follow, and the beliefs/religions are being seemed as the main causes in both traditions.

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What is clan culture? What are some cultures that have (or had) clans? Decide what are advantages and disadvantages to clan culture and give examples where possible.

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Group 3: Albanian cultures and tradition (Ethan, Jan)

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Group 3: Albanian cultures and tradition (Ethan, Jan)

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Find out about what makes Albania unique. Use a variety of media and connect them to this post.

Albania
- Parts of Albania abide by the Kanun - a cultural practice that has been passed down verbally from generation to generation
- Individuals live by the Code of Honor and the Code of Hospitality
- The Code of Hospitality ensures that the guest will be shown the highest respect by being offered a seat at the head of the table
- 'Besa', meaning 'oath', or to keep a code of honor. It is one of the most important manners of conduct for Albanians. It is their moral testimony; it dictates how they conduct themselves.

The golden eagle was used as the national symbol for Albania, as the symbol represents courage, heroism, bravery and freedom

- The 'besa' is a value inherited by ancestors. If you disobey these rules, you will be viewed as a societal outcast.

- It dictates all of Albanian culture - from blood feud killings, how to treat friends and family. It dictates the most minute and insignificant parts of Albanian culture.

- Vengeance killing - nature of cyclical murders shows how barbaric, behind, and callous this piece of Albanian culture is.

https://diplomatonline.com/mag/2010/09/understanding-besa-the-albanian-code-of-honour/

Albanian culture

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Group 2: What's Albania all about? (Jerry, Haoyuan)

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Group 2: What's Albania all about? (Jerry, Haoyuan)

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Albania’s history consists of being conquered by many civilizations in the past, such as: Greeks, Roman, etc…. Albania was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in the late 14th century until 1912 when Albania declared independence following the Ottomans defeat in the Balkan Wars. Albania was then conquered by Italy and it had been under German occupation. After WWII ended, Albania became a communist country from 1976-1992; in the height of the cold war. Though in 1992, during the period of “the fall of communism”, the communist government fell, and Albania’s then re-established as a republic.

Traditional Albania society was based on tribal groups, each one led by a clan chieftain. Under the communist control, this clan system largely disappeared from Albania, but the patriarchal families characteristic of the Albania are still very strong in the society

Before World War II, theirs was a mostly semi-feudal society. while a small group of large landowners controlled about two-thirds of the land.

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Who is he? What is his writing style? Where is he from? When is his era? Why (did he write Broken April)?

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Ismail Kadare is an Albanian novelist, playwright, and poet from the 1930s, born right before the 2nd world war. He is a well-established and respected writer having won countless awards and even being nominated for 15 Nobel prizes in the field of literature. Fun fact, he was actually asked to become the consensual president by the major political parties of Albania in the 1990s but has since declined the offer.

Kadare uses a variety of literary genres and devices as a way to convey a synthesis of tragedy and grotesque, including allegory, satire, historical distancing, and mythology.

Kadare created Broken April to highlight major flaws within the outdated Albanian culture is still ruled by the Kanun. Much of the work is devoted to investigating the Kanun's influence on towns and individuals caught up in its dreadful traditions of retribution and bloodshed.