By
Mariama Bah
Subject: HL English Year 1
Candidate Number: 000213XXX
School: International School of Kenya Word Count: 1316
Reflective Statement: Perfume Perfume by Patrick Süskind, exposed me to a series of literary texts, themes and ideas. It also opened me to a variety of cultural developments that happened throughout the book. Through the interactive oral I gained a better understanding of the historical context and Parisian lifestyle. When reading I had superficial knowledge and I never really analyzed the periodical moment that the book was set in. The presentation helped me broaden my understanding of the French lifestyle by explaining the streets of Paris and the lack of sanitation. I now understand the importance of where Grenouille was born and the significance it holds; but then I also found myself astonished of the extreme conditions humans could endure and call everyday life. The fact that the author chose to set the book in that time period, where Paris was at its filthiest, and decided that the main character shall be born with the gift of scent. This fact gave me an interpretation of the author’s choice in location. It was also through this interactive oral that I got a stronger grasp of the connections between Grenouille and the other gifted abominables that were mentioned in the beginning of the novel. When initially reading the book, I lost the real connections of the characters. It was through the interactive oral that I made the vital connections between Grenouille and Marquis de Sade and the others that were mention as well. These historical figures were also known for their terrible acts against humanity. As the group described each of them, I was thoroughly interested because I was surprised by some of the horrific things some of
Cited: Süskind, Patrick. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. Trans. John E. Woods. New York: Vintage, 1986. Print. ere different components to his depiction of innocence and the end goal, the others were merely components to the overall