After reading Red
Queen, our group decided to take on the concept of power in the novel.
Power is displayed in many different ways throughout, and we wanted to explore
that idea. Each member of our group took on different aspects of power to
explore, from outright displays to undercurrents visible throughout the novel.
James created a Coat of Arms for the three most prominent
Silver families in the book. Having a coat of arms is one way to show each
house’s power, and demonstrate the strength of the family itself. The Coat of
Arms serves as an informational piece of sorts, as it describes some of the
characteristic of each family. He also made a list of blood donation
requirements based off of a list that is in use today. The requirements chosen
show a different, more subtle brand of power that begins to get at some of the
foundations of systematic oppression. This list acts as an argumentative piece
in the way that it proposes that one life is more valuable than another. James
also created a bumper sticker that proudly displays the conscription of a red
blood’s daughter. This bumper sticker shows the role that propaganda and
patriotism play in maintaining various power structures in society.
Kaila wrote an argument profile to demonstrate that the
novel is a Marxist reading. Red Queen
highlights how protest and revolution is bound to occur when there is a social
hierarchy and capitalist society oppressing the working class. The protest
signs were created to illustrate the ways the oppressed express their disdain
and outrage for those in power. A news article was created based on one of the
scenes in the novel when the Scarlet Guard bombed some of the government
buildings of the Silvers, which emphasizes the revolution and push back against
the Silvers.
Lorraine wrote out superlatives for the main characters, a
schedule for one of Mare’s days to show how the Silvers exerted control over
her, and jokes about some of the situations and characters in the novel.
Trever wrote an obituary for Tiberias Calore the Sixth the
king of Norta. The obituary is argumentative in nature and seeks to expose the
power struggles that exist within the text. Recipe cards were also created that demonstrate the values of each race in
the text. While these are values that are perhaps distinct to each race they
are also overlap in some ways. Each recipe card is written from the perspective
that one race is superior over the other. This allows the recipe cards to also
be argumentative in nature. A memory journal is also included that shows Mare’s
struggle with her old identity and her new found identity after her power is
discovered.
