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A2 LL - SLIMEBALLS QUESTION

Cupcakes and Kalashnikovs Eleanor Mills (Ed.)

Read the source material which follows and answer both questions 

Text A is from an article entitled [] by [Slimeballs Always Hate a Strong Woman by Julie Birchill]

It was first published in [The Times in 2004] 

You are [part of a Margret Thatcher support group or fan club who are raising money to build a Margret Thatcher memorial statue. You have been asked to write the text of a leaflet to  promoting this memorial and persuading people to donate money]

Using the source material, write the [text of the leflet]

Your audience will consist of [am general adult audience]

You should adapt the source material, using your own words as far as possible. Your [leaflet]

should be approximately 300 – 400 words in length.

In your adaptation you should:

• use language appropriately to address purpose and audience

• write accurately and coherently, applying relevant ideas and concepts.

(25 marks)

AND

Question 3

Write a commentary which explains the choices you made when writing your commentary must comment on the following:

• how language and form have been used to suit audience and purpose

• how vocabulary and other stylistic features have been used to shape meaning and

achieve particular effects.

 

You should aim to write about 150 – 250 words in this commentary.

 

(15 marks)

 

A2 LL - SLIMEBALLS CONTEXT LINKS

Here are some links to some of the contextual references in the article.

Margaret Thatcher

Miners' Strike

laissez faire

Cecil Parkinson

Jeremy Thorpe

Ronald Regan

Charles de Gaulle

Stephen Sondheim

I'm Still Here

Francois Metterrand

Marilyn Monroe

Caligula

mater dolorosa - the Virgin Mary sorrowing for the death of Christ, especially as a representation in art.

Taki The Spectator

Miss Havisham - a character from the novel Great Expectations by Charles Dicken's who after being jilted in marriage lives her life wearing her wedding dress in the wedding dinning room now full of rotten food and faded flowers. For her time has stopped.

A2 ENGLISH LITERATURE - KING LEAR STUDY DAY

Come to a KING LEAR study day.

On Friday 1st March 2013

At City Temple, Holborn Viaduct - Conference Room 1.

We'll meet students at 10.30 outside then venue.

The cost for the whole day is £19.50

Students should take the money to Finance and bring the receipt to the English Department

There will be 4 sessions in the day.

The first lecture starts at 11.00 - 11.45 - King Lear and the Nature of Shakespearian Tragedy.

The second lecture starts at 12.00 - 12.45 - King Lear and the Problem of Human Suffering

The third lecture starts at 1.45 - 2.30 - Kinds of Madness in King Lear

and the fourth lecture starts at 2.45 - 3.30 - The Poetry of King Lear

if you have any concerns or questions aboutn the trip please contact
janet.rees@rutc.ac.uk

IT IS VITAL THAT YOU RESPOND QUICKLY TO THIS OPPORTUNITY.

Click here for a link to the venue

A2 LL - RECASTING CLUSTER

A2 ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
ELLA 3 INTEGRATED ANALYSIS AND TEXT ADAPTATION
RECASTING TASK – CLUSTER from 25 February

Important and Iconic Women

TITLE	STUDENT NAMES	DATE
Poor Immortal Isadora
Jacqueline Kennedy
You Know I’m Not Everybody’s Cup of Tea
Slimeballs Always Hate a Strong Woman		26 February
Diana Regina

 

AS ENGLISH LITERATURE - HALF TERM BREAK

AS ENGLISH LITERATURE
LITERATURE 1800 – 1945
EMILY DICKINSON AND JANE EYRE – HALF TERM HOLIDAY

I know you have a lot to do in writing your 2000 word essay. However it is essential that you do not neglect Jane Eyre or Emily Dickinson poems.

Take some time to continue reading and annotating Jane Eyre. Also read and annotate the poems in the Dickinson anthology as well as research Dickinson’s life and works.

See you on Monday 25 February. Monday and Wednesday lessons will be Emily Dickinson lessons and Thursday and Friday lessons will be Jane Eyre lessons.

A2 LL COURSEWORK SUBMISSIONS UPDATE

Essays must be handed in on THURSDAY 14 FEBRUARY

in room 1D9 between midday - 1.30pm and 4.05 - 5.00pm

You should make sure you

 

• Submit your completed final essay

• with a completed and signed cover sheet

• with your name, title and page number on each sheet

• Put the word count at the end of the essay - excluding quotations

• include a copy of the poems/short stories you used to write the essay - annotated texts or photocopies are fine.

• You must submit the first draft essay - the one we discussed - include any feedback sheets you may have been given.

• also a bibliography as well as the title, author, publisher and date of publication of any other text used to help you write your essay. You should also include title of websites, website addresses, page name / number of any websites used. You should include my blog here. Click here to find out how to write a bibliography entry.

 

Late submissions will not be accepted and you will have failed this part of the course.

 

If you have been ill or experienced exceptional circumstances, a letter from a parent / guardian must be brought to Sue Elloy (Section Manager Room1D9) who may consider an extension.

IB ENG SL YR 1 - WIDE SARGASSO SEA - PLOT / STRUCTURE HOMEWORK

IB ENGLISH ST YEAR 1
OPTIONS
WIDE SARGASSO SEA – PLOT AND STRUCTURE

Due Friday 1^st March

	STATEMENTS	QUOTATIONS & COMMENTS
PART 1 Headline events
Narrative perspective
Literary features
PART 2 Headline events
Narrative perspective
Literary features
PART 3 Headline events
Narrative perspective
Literary features

AS ENGLISH LITERATURE 2000 WORD CHILDHOOD ESSAY FEEDBACK

AS ENGLISH LITERATURE
LITERATURE POST 1900 - 2000 WORD COMPARATIVE ESSAY
SPIES / EQUUS – CHILDHOOD ESSAY FEEDBACK

updated Wednesday 13 February & Friday 15 February - in bold

Here are some general feedback points I found while marking all 2000 word comparative essays

You must think really carefully about the topic you are writing about. Consider the definitions of the topic you have chosen. What are secrets – what are they in these texts? What is childhood – and who are the main children in the texts? How are they presented?

 

You do not have to analyse language in the same way as you did for the 1000 word essay. Instead show how a topic is presented and compare or contrast it with the second text.

 

Use short simple sentences to communicate your ideas rather than long complex ones.

 

As part of your essay introduction you should give a concise and detailed summary of the action of the play or novel. You will need to introduce quotations you use showing briefly where in the novel or play the quotation comes. Context within the novel or play

 

It’s also a good idea to refer to the historical context of the text in the introduction but try and refer to it elsewhere.

One contextual point I think will be very useful to refer to in all your essays regarding Equus and the explicit sexual content and language is the reference to the publication of Lady Chaterely’s Lover written by D.H. Lawrence and the trial that followed under the Obscene Publications Act 1959. Check out the details here and here and then scroll down to the trial.

Here are some specific feedback points I found while marking the childhood essays

In the presentation of childhood you should focus on Alan and Stephen. Alan is about 17. Stephen is about 11. Both boys are presented as innocent, not part of the adult world. Both boys are looking for escape from family and parents – embarrassment for Stephen / too dominating – for Alan. Both boys have little or no experience of girls – Barbara Berill for Stephen / Gill for Alan. The boys are isolated – Stephen’s friendship with Keith / Alan has no friends. The boys feel trapped. The boys are trying to do manly things – catch a German spy for Stephen / have sex with a girl for Alan. The boys don’t have much power or control.

Escape is a really significant feature for both Alan and Stephen – both seek escape from the dull routine world of family and school – Stephen and family and work – Alan. Stephen wants adventure and excitement. Stephen is trying to recapture a single moment in childhood that seemed to give his life meaning and purpose.

Rigid structures are a good way of looking at childhood for Stephen and Alan. Stephen’s life is dominated by school, Keith’s friendship, doing what is right, class and status. Alan’s life is dominated by the dull routine of work and strong opinionated and dominating parents.

ALAN

·       Alan is over 17 years old – not a 11 or 12 year old as Stephen is. Therefore you should emphasise the differences between these two ages.

·      Alan is presented as a child in the way he is naive and innocent about girls, seems childlike because he’s not very educated, he has had a sheltered up-bringing, he is dominated by two powerful parents – his mother is a devout Christian, his father is an atheist – and probably a socialist.

·       Probably the most obvious presentation of Alan as a child is in his relationship with Dysart. He is like a stroppy teenager in the consulting room, he is rude, turns up late, is really provocative and challenging, uncommunicative. And Dysart treats him like a child. Dysart is like a parent in fact. He rewards Alan, he punishes him, he encourages him, he wants to make Alan better. Alan trusts him. If I was writing an essay on childhood I’d make a lot of these points. Dysart pretends to Alan and Alan believes what Dysart tells him. There are very clear paragraphs here. Write them!

Following on from these early scenes in the play you could then examine the scene with Alan on the beach with Trojan. Here is Alan a child aged 6. How is he presented here? How do Dora and Frank treat Alan in this scene.

Alan's nakedness in the whole stables scene can be seen as a symbol. He is vulnerable, exposed, innocent, fragile, weak, frightened - like a child? Gill's nakedness is different. She is confident, at ease with herself, she is seductive and sexy.

STEPHEN

·       Stephen is trying to act like an adult. He is trying to do the right thing – catch a German spy. He is trying to contribute to the war effort. However his intentions get mixed up with being a child. He gets bored easily. It is a bit like play. It is a bit like work. If they were serious about their suspicions they would call the police.

 

AS ENGLISH LITERATURE 2000 WORD SECRETS ESSAY FEEDBACK

AS ENGLISH LITERATURE
LITERATURE POST 1900 – 2000 WORD COMPARATIVE ESSAY
SPIES / EQUUS – SECRETS ESSAY

Updated Wednesday 13 February and Friday 15 February – in bold

 

Here are some general feedback points I found while marking all 2000 word comparative essays

You must think really carefully about the topic you are writing about. Consider the definitions of the topic you have chosen. What are secrets – what are they in these texts? What is childhood – and who are the main children in the texts? How are they presented?

You do not have to analyse language in the same way as you did for the 1000 word essay. Instead show how a topic is presented and compare or contrast it with the second text.

Use short simple sentences to communicate your ideas rather than long complex ones.

As part of your essay introduction you should give a concise and detailed summary of the action of the play or novel. You will need to introduce quotations you use showing briefly where in the novel or play the quotation comes. Context within the novel or play

It’s also a good idea to refer to the historical context of the text in the introduction but try and refer to it elsewhere.
 

One contextual point I think will be very useful to refer to in all your essays regarding Equus and the explicit sexual content and language is the reference to the publication of Lady Chaterely’s Lover written by D.H. Lawrence and the trial that followed under the Obscene Publications Act 1959. Check out the details here and here and then scroll down to the trial.

Here are some specific feedback points I found while marking the secrets essays

Define in a detailed, clear, concise and full way what the key secret in both Equus and Spies. In Equus Alan’s secret is his religion. This has evolved from a mixture of his experience on the beach with Trojan when he was younger – Stephen’s age? And his mother’s strong Christian influence on him. In Spies the secrets are threefold. Firstly Uncle Peter’s desertion from the RAF. If he is caught he will be charged with desertion and probably executed. Secondly Aunty Dee and Mrs Hayward’s secret of looking after Uncle Peter – this is made more complex by the love that Uncle Peter feels for Mrs Hayward and possibly returned by Mrs Hayward. And thirdly Stephen’s secret mission with Keith to uncover Mrs Hayward as a German spy. This is made more complex by Mrs Hayward’s recruiting of Stephen to directly help Uncle Peter.

It is clear that the world we are introduced to in Spies and that of Equus is full of secrets. There are many layers of secrets some of these are interconnected. I think it’s a good idea to mention this in your introductions but I don’t think you can focus on these secondary secrets because there is enough material in Alan’s secrets and Stephen’s secrets. Secondary secrets include Frank’s trip to the cinema in Equus, Barbara’s revelation that her mother has a boyfriend in Spies.

writing about the exposure of the secrets is a good approach. In Alan’s case his exposed secrets enable him to find peace and healing. Hester reminds us of this several times. I don’t think the secrets in Spies are exposed. Peter dies and the authorities may suspect he has had help but this does not form part of the scope of the novel. Stephen may speculate but there is no evidence.

Alan is not trying to start a new religion. Religion is Dysart’s word for it. Alan is just trying to recapture an intense and pleasurable experience that is so powerful he wants to repeat it again and again. That experience is so different from the dull, mundane and boring everyday life he leads. This experience gives his life meaning and purpose.

Why does Alan blind six horses? He blinds them because they have watched Alan trying to have sex with Gill. He feels so ashamed and humiliated by his failed encounter with Gill he wants to blot out and erase that experience. He wants to keep it a secret. He tells her not to tell anyone. He has also betrayed Equus, perhaps he wants to destroy Equus’s influence on his life. He realises and wants to make love to Gill and Equus – the horses - are stopping him he has become so affected by Equus.

Consider that the men in Equus have secrets - Dysart and what he thinks about the work he does. Refer to the dream he has. He only tells Hester. He confesses to her. However in Spies it is the women that have the core secrets. Mrs Hayward and Auntie Dee keep the secret about Uncle Peter. Its the men and boys who want to discover these secrets. Mr Hayward, the policeman and the two boys all want to know what Mrs Hayward and Auntie Dee know.

AS ENGLISH LITERATURE - 2000 WORD STORY TELLING FEEDBACK

AS ENGLISH LITERATURE
LITERATURE POST 1900 - 2000 WORD COMPARATIVE ESSAY
SPIES / EQUUS – STORY TELLING ESSAY FEEDBACK

updated Friday 14 February - in bold

Here are some general feedback points I found while marking all 2000 word comparative essays

You must think really carefully about the topic you are writing about. Consider the definitions of the topic you have chosen. What are secrets – what are they in these texts? What is childhood – and who are the main children in the texts? How are they presented?

You do not have to analyse language in the same way as you did for the 1000 word essay. Instead show how a topic is presented and compare or contrast it with the second text.

Use short simple sentences to communicate your ideas rather than long complex ones.

As part of your essay introduction you should give a concise and detailed summary of the action of the play or novel. You will need to introduce quotations you use showing briefly where in the novel or play the quotation comes. Context within the novel or play

It’s also a good idea to refer to the historical context of the text in the introduction but try and refer to it elsewhere.

One contextual point I think will be very useful to refer to in all your essays regarding Equus and the explicit sexual content and language is the reference to the publication of Lady Chaterely’s Lover written by D.H. Lawrence and the trial that followed under the Obscene Publications Act 1959. Check out the details here and here, then scroll down to the trial.

 

Here are some specific feedback points I found while marking the storytelling essays

In this question you have an opportunity to write about genre. Specifically the genre of theatre and the genre of novel writing. There are so many dramatic and novelistic features you can write about. I've gone through each of these in the feedback sessions I've had with you.

AS ENGLISH LITERATURE - 2000 WORD ESSAY FEEDBACK SCHEDULE

AS ENGLISH LITERATURE

LITERATURE POST 1900

2000 WORD COMPARATIVE COURSEWORK – FEEDBACK SESSIONS

 Monday 11 February from 10.15

Nayna

Nana

Mary

Kim

Taran

 Wednesday 13 February from 9.00

Charley

Ajmeer

Olly

Hugo

Bethany

 Thursday 14 February from 10.15

Alys

Rron

Philomena

 Friday 15 February from 3.05

Tom

Harkaran to be confirmed

Freya

Noah