In-class essay...

Hi everyone,


Following on with the question from today, remember there are new links in the tab on the right.

Also, if you haven't already done so, have a look through this link from Shmoop to consider further thoughts on themes from the text.

If you'd like to begin tomorrow with a short in-class discussion, then bring questions you'd like to ask!  Otherwise we'll just get straight into it.

Enjoy.


- Marcus

Passage based approaches

Step one is ticking all the boxes for your planning.  As far as that approach goes, I'm calling it "squeezing an accordion".

First and foremost, identify the key concerns of the question.  If you don't know what the task is asking, you will have difficulty responding to it!  For our accordion analogy, this is like figuring out the keys to press before squeezing.

Then do this:
1.  Start 'overview'.

• What is the main point of it?  What happens here, and what happens as a result of this moment?
• What is the excerpt's importance / place in the overall text?
• What is the overall tone?

2.  Narrow your focus - Identify contributing factors.  What built this into what it is?
   a) Think of the structure of the passage - what are its main elements?

• Example - Description.  Dialogue.  Thoughts.  Setting.

   b) Consider conflict & tension.

• Who is present?
• What are the major moments of conflict in this passage, and what is the progression of conflict within the scene?
• What caused these conflicts?  (Language, tone, action, description, etc)

   c) Before & After

• What happens directly before and directly after this passage?
• Have we seen a situation like this before?  Will we again?
• If the event does repeat, what is different about it?  What is the same?  What does this suggest?

   d) X-factors

• These are stand-out aspects of the text that are unique in some way.  It might include shifts in time, narrator voice, a particular contrast, or some other anomaly.

Anything that you isolate, remember that it is only useful for your essay if it is relevant to the key concerns of the question.


3.   Widen focus again - gain perspective!
   a) What is the symbolism / message we may derive from applying the following?

• Consider context - historical & modern
• Consider reader / audience response
• Possible interpretations / moments of ambiguity
• Think about critical comments; then evaluate how well you think they apply.

I admit, this is a lot to juggle.  Still, even if it is not always occurring to us to ask ourselves these questions, I bet right now you're able to answer most or all of them without breaking too much of a sweat.  At the very least, you can think of what areas of study you'd need to brush up on to make your answer!

Most of this should be stuff you figure out through annotation.  Once you've got all this, the next step is to put your thoughts into written form.

The Essay Itself-

• Start with your overview comment.
• Select your best evidence.
• Order your points so they flow logically toward the symbolism / message you discerned.
• Journey your reader to your conclusion; YOU are in your head, but you're the only person there.

Further writing tips:

1. Pray.
2. Breathe.
3. Accuracy in grammar is your friend; so are full and complete sentences.
4. Avoid vague / open-ended statements.  Have a point.  Make it.
5. Never repeat.
6. Never repeat.
7. Repeating is not useful.
8. Saying the same thing in different words does not assist; it antagonises your audience.
9. If you keep discussing the same material or referring to an earlier point, it will not add to your marks.
10. Finally, under no circumstances should you employ repetition.  It just makes you sound silly.

I trust this makes sense.  Hope the long post wasn't too much of a bother.


- T. Marcus

House of Mirth - bonus round!

Hi ladies,



I figured we'd do at least one more House of Mirth essay while we slam into Antony & Cleopatra.  So here it is.


In what ways and with what effects does the novel deal with freedom and reputation?


LOTS to look into there.  Have fun.



- T. Marcus

Next essay - House of Mirth

Hi girls,


I thought it would be rude, having just given you Antony & Cleopatra a few days ago, to turn around and demand an essay on it.

That being the case, we have another one to round out our expression on The House of Mirth.  Take these seriously; you need to know how to respond to the novel text, as it is our only one!

• Pay particular attention to the sections of our course book that deal with answering passage-based questions.
• Remember to construct an argument: make an overall judgement of what is being expressed, relate it to how this is a commentary on social groups, and on society as a whole.
• Be a lawyer; have multiple sources of evidence, and do not leave stones unturned in the provided passage.
• Use the advice from the Examiner Report.

And away we go.  :)


Read the following passage, starting near the bottom of page 140:
   From the line "He paused, flushed by his diatribe..."
   To the end line at the bottom of page 141, "...and the angry streaks on Trenor's face might have been raised by an actual lash."

Comment closely on the presentation of the confrontation in the passage.


See me if you have any questions!


- T. Marcus

Term 2! Yay!!

Hi girls,


Your essay task, due Wednesday, is:

In what ways and with what effects does Wharton present the uncivilisation of manners?


Be planning!  We will discuss planning this upcoming week.


As for the Examiner Report-

Major concerns of Paper 3:

• Make sure you can assess the effects of poet's techniques.
• Know the genre of your poems, as well as the usual conventions/techniques of each genre
• Be able to comment on the effects, tones and most frequent focuses of each genre
• Notice the sounds - alliterative and assonant.  Harsh?  Melodic?  Smooth?  'Sing-song'?
• Internal rhyme and content/narrator; the combination of these may create the feeling of an additional layer to the song (if it is lyrical / pastoral poetry), very like a harmony.  What is the function of harmony in a song?
• When considering theme, consider at the levels of character, yet also at the varying levels of society: values, morals, status, power, religion, relationship, and of course any moral lessons, or any contextual links to the author's life.
• In wider essay questions, consider the relevance of the quote/statement/question as it would apply to different stages of the book.
• Passage responses should include awareness of character motive/desire.
• In passage responses, evaluate the language & sentence structure.

Major concerns of Paper 4:

• In passage-based, avoid 'line-by-line' commentary; structure a logical argument that journeys your readers to your overall observation through close critical analysis.
• In passage-based, deal with the whole passage.
• Recognise which material is directly relevant and which material is best used as supporting / secondary evidence - stay focused on the concerns of the question!
• Stay focused on language, structure and form. Think about syntax and author choices, and remember to explain effects rather than simply identifying techniques.
• Be controlled; you won't be able to say everything, so choose your best points and make sure you're being strategic about structuring your response.
• Be clear.  Journey the reader.
• Know what / where / or who the main concerns of the text revolves around.

This is what stood out to me upon my first reading.  You may have found more!  In either case, how are we addressing these in our writing?

Apply that to your planning for the next essay!

Have fun,


- T. Marcus

Study break - essay, and Examiner report pdf

Hi ladies,


Your essay task is below, but I want to explain how to read the examiner report. (In link to the right)

The report covers several regions throughout the world, so the first code (9695) is the AS English Literature paper code and the next (31) is broken down as paper 3, region 1.  Therefore, reports on 9695/31, 9695/32 and 9695/33 are all good reading for us.  Eventually we'll also want to read the reports for 9695/41, 42, etc., but we haven't covered any of that as yet.

Last year's novel was A Passage to India, so there won't be any specific notes on The House of Mirth. Still, we can see what the head examiner had to say about student approaches to tasks.  In all cases, whether poetry or prose, question (a) is a wider essay question and question (b) is passage-based.  Take note accordingly to how the examiner critiqued students in either question set.  Be ready to ask me about anything you didn't understand when we return in Term 2.

Essay task for study break:

"The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth"

Discuss the importance of this passage from Ecclesiastes, from which the book takes its title, to Wharton's presentation of New York society.

Remember that your overview observations will still require plenty of specific quotes.  Using these helps focus our analyses.  Slow down, be patient, address the question.  Consider what the author uses, not simply how the story progresses.

Have fun!

- T. Marcus

Wharton and links

So we know Edith Wharton wrote her book originally as a series of entries for a magazine known as Scribner's.  Here is what Wiki will tell you about the magazine, and here is the digital copy of its articles.  (Wharton's entries featured in 1905 from January to November, so scan the 4th link down) (Oddly, the book itself was printed a month earlier, on 14th October 1905.  Go figure.)

Off to the side I've added some further links to study notes on House of Mirth, along with a great downloadable PDF on "Lily's dilemma: Opposing principles in the House of Mirth".  Look at online or download and print as you see fit.  :)

- T. Marcus