A2 LL

I expect that you will write a first draft of the 2500 word essay.

The top priority is to write a series of comparative analytical paragraphs.

The second priority is to write an introduction. You may find it easier writing this after you have written the comparative analytical paragraphs.

Read over the blog posts I've written on this task.

You may find some support by checking moodle and the AQA website.

IMPORTANT LINKS

I expect that you will have read all the poems from the Songs listed on this blog. Click here for a link to that list.

I expect that you have read The Rivals by the start of the next term. Read the play making notes and annotations making reference to the comparative topics listed elsewhere on this blog.

I expect you to have read the Introductions to the editions I've recommended on the two texts.

You must also read the background and context material I've directed you all to. Click here for a link to a really good document published by OCR on The Song. And click here for a similar document on The Rivals.

I also suggest you go to the OCR website a read over the past questions for F663. Click here for a link to the relevant pages on the website.

Another really important link is to the OCR website showing examples of F331 comparison essays. These essays do not address Sheridan and Blake but helpfully show the structure of comparison essays, the ways students write paragraphs and the way students integrate the variety of assessment objectives. Click here for this link. These essays include helpful commentaries by the examiner and also give an indication of grades.

AS LITERATURE - 2000 WORD ESSAY - DICKINSON LINK

The first draft essay is due in the week beginning 3 February  and the final deadline is 10 March.
Click here for a link to all the Emily Dickinson poems we will be studying after the 2000 word coursework has been completed.

AS LL- CHRISTMAS HOMEWORK

DEADLINE

This work should be handed in to me in class on Wednesday 9 January at 1.40.

TASKS

Reading Task - you do not need to hand in any written work for this task but bring your books in. I'd like to see your notes and annotations.

Complete reading Spies by Michael Frayn and make notes on the topics already posted on this blog. Click here for a link to the post.

You must answer one question below and spend no longer than 50 minutes answering the question.
 
We have discussed and planned the first question of the homework so it should not be a too difficult task for you to complete.

Question 1

Imagine a brief dialogue between Eunice and Blanche at the end of Scene Three where Blanche returns to Eunice’s after her conversation with Mitch. Stella has returned to the apartment with Stanley.

Give careful consideration to the language choices, form and style in order to convey a sense of a spontaneous dialogue between Eunice and Blanche. Also give a sense of the voices attitudes and assumptions of Blanche and Eunice.

Question 2

Imagine that as a result of Blanche’s meeting with Mitch in scene 9 a police officer comes to the apartment to see what the problem is. Write a brief dialogue between Blanche and the policeman where Blanche discusses some of the problems she is facing.

Give careful consideration to the language choices, form and style in order to convey a sense of a spontaneous dialogue between Blanche and the police officer. Also give a sense of the voices attitudes and assumptions of Blanche.

AS LITERATURE - 2000 COMPARATIVE PARAGRAPH

Here is a template structure for a comparative essay. It's a bit complicated so take some time to read this structure carefully. 

Each paragraph must contain two quotations - one from Spies and one from Equus. These quotations must be comparative or contrasting with each other.

Focus your comments on the similarities or differences between the different presentations of the topic between the texts.

See below for an example comparative paragraph

1 Make a point - a topic sentence
2 Expand on the point / Introduce the quotation
3 Quote a short phrase or word
4 Make between 2 and 4 comments on the quotation

Here are some comments you can make: Choose 2 - 4 of these per paragraph.

1 Comment on how the quotation supports the point you made in the topic sentence
2 Identify a key language, genre or literary feature used in the quotation
3 Comment on the purpose or the effect of the feature
4 Comment on the attitudes / tone / voice expressed in the quotation
5 Comment on the meaning or symbolic meaning of key words in the quotation
6 Make a contextual point - either refer to society or to criticism of the text
7 Make a theoretical perspective point

Write a bridge or connecting word or phrase and then

5 Introduce a quotation from the comparative text
6 Quote a short word or phrase
7 Make between 2 and 4 comments on the quotation

Here are some comments you can make:

1 Comment on how the quotation supports the point you made in the topic sentence
2 Identify a key language, genre or literary feature used in the quotation
3 Comment on the purpose or the effect of the feature
4 Comment on the attitudes / tone / voice expressed in the quotation
5 Comment on the meaning or symbolic meaning of key words in the quotation
6 Make a contextual point - either refer to society or to criticism of the text
7 Make a theoretical perspective point
8 Write a comparative or contrasting observation between the two texts.

AS LITERATURE - A 2000 WORD EXAMPLE COMPARATIVE PARAGRAPH

Below is a comparative analytical paragraph. The paragraph uses literary analytical frameworks and lingustic framesworks. However there are no references to the form of the poems here - just the language. As you read it try and identify the different parts of the paragraph structure. It is slightly different from the structure I've given in an earlier post.

One word of warning with this example. It is quite a long paragraph - about 250 words. I think you should aim to write 160 - 180 words per comparative paragraph.
Both Betjeman and Plath present horses in their poetry. In Pot Pourri Betjeman is horse riding. This is a symbol of upper class life style. In his poem we can imagine him riding to the home of the woman he loves 'over your boundary now, I wash my face in a bird bath' . Although on horseback he's not really interested in the horse at all. He's interested in where the horse can take him. The poem is a love poem. The two declarative statements above are addressed to his lover. This is done using the second person personal pronoun 'your'. The noun 'boundary' is interesting. He has not used a more practical lexis like fence or wall. Instead he uses a noun that suggests a large expansive property. It may even have sexual connotations. This is very different for Plath. For her, horses are powerful and elemental creatures that embody the power of nature. In the poem Ariel Plath too is riding a horse. She writes about the horese as 'God's lioness,/ How one we grow'. Here she relates the horse to 'God' this powerful emotive pronoun creates a shocking and vivid image in the mind of the reader. The noun 'lioness' conjures ideas of empowered female, wildness, uncontrollable power and energy. And in the line 'How one we grow', the horse embodies power and energy from the natural world that she herself seeks to draw from.

AS LITERATURE 2000 WORD CHRISTMAS HOMEWORK

DEADLINE

Homework is due for the class I share with Kay on Monday 6 January in class and for the class I share with Jerome on Thursday 9 January in class.

TASK

Similar to the work you have already done on topics and Equus, I now want you to write on the same three topics on the novel Spies - up to and including chapter 8. Identify key quotations to support the points you make. If you can make some comparative points between Equus and Spies, feel free to make them. This will be very helpful to you when it comes to writing the essay.

AS LITERATURE - EQUUS TOPICS SOME FEEDBACK

The play redefines sex. It elevates sex to the highest expression of what it is to be human. This definition of sex is in strong contrast to the two extreme views of sex presented by Alan's parents. For example, Dora's moral sex - a gift of God given to a husband and wife exclusively. And Frank's physical, shameful and voyeuristic sexual experience at the cinema. These two views of sex represent the contemporary way in which sex is perceived in society.

Alan presents another extreme. Sex as the meaning and purpose to life. He does not think this thought, he feels it. The intense pleasure he felt on Trojan at the beach was so strong he wants to live to experience that same pleasure again and again. He is prepared to sacrifice everything for that experience.

For Alan he is trying to recreate the intense pleasure he experienced on top of the horse on the beach. I think this experience took place before he began to masturbate. As a result the impact of this experience was so profound it affected hi sexual development, his expectations and attitudes and assumptions around sex. His father never spoke to Alan about sex. His mother told him a very one sided biased view of what sex is.

One key aspect of Alan's desire is based on self sacrifice. It is the horses willing subservience and suffering that Alan finds so exciting - we would call it erotic but it barely describes what he is experiencing. This willing self sacrifice is linked to Christ and is evidence of LOVE. Jesus love for humanity and the horse's service to humanity is evidence of love.

In this essay your task is to focus on comparing and contrasting abstract concepts between Equus and Spies. You are not required to analyse quotations in the same way as you have be doing for the 1000 word coursework essay. Although some marks are allocated to this analysis in this essay. Quotes should be used as evidence for the different ways themes are presented in the texts. The majority of marks are allocated to this treatment of the text.

AS LITERATURE - 1000 WORD UPDATE

The final 1000 word coursework essay deadline is 20 January.

The last opportunity to hand in a first draft essay to me is 13 December.

I will not be marking any drafts handed in after the end of this week unless there is a medical certificate or letter from a doctor.

The first draft essay deadline was the 29 November over 2 weeks ago.

The last feedback session for the group I share with Stephen will be Thursday
19 December and the last feedback session for the group I share with Jamie will be Friday 20 December.

The lesson with Stephen's group is cancelled this week. Therefore I will give these essays back on Monday for those students that have handed their essays in to me already.

I'm still waiting for essays from Fyela, Ben and Amber.

AS LL- PRODUCTION TASK

Imagine that Stella is writing a news letter to a close friend at the end of scene 4. Write the opening paragraphs of the letter.

Give careful consideration to the language choices, form and style in order to convey a sense of the Stella’s voice at this point in the play.

A2 LL - AN ESSAY STRUCTURE

A2 ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

ELLA 4 COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS THROUGH INDEPENDENT STUDY

AN ESSAY STRUCTURE

For this example I’ve imagined writing an essay on comparing the presentation of settings between Seamus Heaney’s Death of a Naturalist and Personal Helicon comparing with the short story An Encounter by James Joyce. I will use two extracts from An Encounter

STRUCTURE A

PARA	POEM / TEXT	POET / WRITER	ANALYSIS / COMPARISON
	Introduction
Para 1	Text 1 [Death of a Naturalist]	Poet 1 [Seamus Heaney]	Analysis of text 1 link to essay topic
Para 2	Text 1 [Death of a Naturalist]	Poet 1 [Seamus Heaney]	Analysis of text 1 to essay topic link to essay topic
Para 3	Text 1 [Death of a Naturalist]	Poet 1 [Seamus Heaney]	Analysis of text 1 link to essay topic
Para 4	Text 2 Extract 1 [An Encounter]	Writer 2 [James Joyce]	Analysis of text 2 and comparison with text 1 link to essay topic
Para 5	Text 2 Extract 1 [An Encounter]	Writer 2 [James Joyce]	Analysis of text 2 and comparison with text 1 link to essay topic
Para 6	Text 2 Extract 1 [An Encounter]	Writer 2 [James Joyce]	Analysis of text 2 and comparison with text 1 link to essay topic
Para 7	Text 3 [Personal Helicon]	Poet 1 [Seamus Heaney]	Analysis of text 3 and comparison with poem 2 link to essay topic
Para 8	Text 3 [Personal Helicon]	Poet 1 [Seamus Heaney]	Analysis of text 3 and comparison with text 2 link to essay topic
Para 9	Text 3 [Personal Helicon]	Poet 1 [Seamus Heaney]	Analysis of text 3 and comparison with text 2 link to essay topic
Para 10	Text 4 Extract 2 [An Encounter]	Writer 2 [James Joyce]	Analysis of text 4 and comparison with text 3 and 1 link to essay topic
Para 11	Text 4 Extract 2 [An Encounter]	Writer 2 [James Joyce]	Analysis of text 4 and comparison with text 3 and 1 link to essay topic
Para 12	Text 4 Extract 2 [An Encounter]	Writer 2 [James Joyce]	Analysis of text 4 and comparison with text 3 and 1 link to essay topic
	Conclusion

A2 LL - PREVIOUS FEEDBACK COMMENTS ON FIRST DRAFT ESSAYS

I found the contents of this post on a handout I gave out to students a few years ago. I thought it was a good handout so I've posted it to you.

After marking your draft essays I realised there were many similar points I was making on each essay. I suggest you read this handout in conjunction with your essay draft and edit it as soon as possible. You could work on your drafts before we meet for our one to one interview.

• To enable you to write an essay in the right amount of detail, you should answer the essay question with reference to either, two poems per poet or two poems from one poet and one short story or two episodes from two short stories from one author. Your essay must include the work of one poet.

• Remember to write a lot about a little. For every quotation you use try and write at least three relevant comments on the quotation. Your comments must draw from the literary and or linguistic frameworks. This includes commenting on grammar - verbs, nouns & adjectives - lexis, register – formal & formal, syntax – simple, compound and complex sentences, declarative, interrogative, exclamatory and instructional sentences – as well as imagery – metaphor, simile, personification, symbolism and sound techniques such as, rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, assonance & onomatopoeia. You can also refer to rhetorical devices such as, contrasting pairs, lists of three, direct address to the reader and repetition. You can also refer to the connotations or associations linked to key words. Remember to always comment on the effects of these techniques on the reader – us. Effects are usually emotional – anger or sympathy for example. Or techniques are used to create a strong impression; they make things stand out for us.

• When you are writing about poems refer to to the poetic voice or narrative voice of the poems. Don't write about Heaney or Plath. Avoid biographical details of the lives of the poets. But you can write about the poems as having an autobiographical feel to them.

• Remember this is a comparative essay. I think ideally you write about one text in a paragraph. Then using a link sentence write a comparative paragraph to your comparison text. For example you may refer to Heaney’s poetic voice of excitement and enjoyment in nature in one paragraph. And in a second paragraph write about the child character in the Dubliners short stories full of excitement and anticipation. Use a link sentence to connect the two paragraphs showing how one writer is either similar or different to the other. For some of you, you will need to rearrange some of your paragraphs.

• All essays should include a full, detailed and concise introduction. An introduction includes the title and writers you are going to use, write a brief summary of the plot of short stories and poems - where appropriate - or main subject or themes of more reflective poems. You should state what you intend to compare in your essays be specific, for example, Plath's settings are urban and domestic were as Heaney sets his poems in nature at first as exciting and then… . You could outline the main techniques the writers use to communicate their themes.

• Some of you try and communicate complex ideas in complicated sentences. But these can be confusing. Try and break ideas down into simpler sentences.

• Remember the paragraph structure of making a straightforward point, expand on the point in more specific detail to the writer you are about to examine, introduce a relevant quotation – by referring to the context of the quotation, -  a quotation should be a word or a phrase, it should prove the point you want to make and have at least three different comments you can write about it, comment on the quotation – drawing on literary and language frameworks and the effect on us as readers - see bullet point 2.

• Make sure there is a structure to your essay, introduction, main body and conclusion. Write the most important and significant points and comparisons first.

• Make sure you adopt a formal academic register. Avoid colloquial language, buzz words etc.

• Remember to comment on the genre you are writing about – poetry and or prose. Let the examiners know you know about the short story and poetry genres.

· Finally, keep your draft essay. It will need to be submitted with your final essay.

Hope you find this helpful

David

Tuesday 5.30 am

A2 LL - PLANNING SHEET

A2 ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

ELLA 4 COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS THROUGH INDEPENDENT STUDY

A PLANNING SHEET

Here is a TEMPLATE plan for your 2500 word essay.

PARA	[TOPIC SENTENCE] POINT	QUOTATION	COMMENTS	COMPARATIVE COMMENT
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13

A2 LL - COURSEWORK GUIDE

A2 ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

ELLA 4:  Comparative Analysis through Independent Study

THE COURSEWORK GUIDE

The requirements for the coursework:

·         You must compare TWO writers in your coursework essay.

·         ONE of these writers MUST be a poet.

·         You may choose to compare two different poets OR compare one poet’s writing with a prose fiction text (novel or short story) OR a play.  When discussing a poet’s writing you should aim to consider about 2 / 3 poems per poet; with prose fiction or a play aim to consider about 2 / 3 key extracts. (NB the aim is to write a close analytical comparison; you must write a lot about a little!)

·         You must write a minimum of 2000 and a maximum of 2500 words.

·         You must submit a FIRST DRAFT to your teacher who will then offer guidance and advice about how to develop and improve your essay on a 1 to 1 basis.  This will include annotations to your essay and a discussion.

·         You must then work independently on your FINAL DRAFT.  You may discuss an aspect of the texts you are comparing or an aspect of your essay with your teacher but there must be no further written feedback or advice.

·         Your final draft must be submitted with: 

1.      the essay with a signed coversheet

2.      the first draft with your teacher’s notes /advice

3.      copies of the texts discussed in the essay (this can be your annotated copies of poems) including photocopies of key extracts from fiction or play texts.

DEADLINES	DATE
Coursework essay title decided	w.b. 9 December 2013
Completed detailed essay plan, thesis, start drafting	w.b. 16 December 2013
Christmas Break
First draft essay deadline	by Fri 10  Jan 2014
First drafts returned and 1 to 1 appointments from	Between 17  – 24  Jan 2014
Coursework deadline	Thursday 13 February 2014

 

·         You MUST meet the deadline for the final draft. Late submissions will not be accepted without a medical certificate of illness or other exceptional circumstances notified by your parent / guardian.

·         PLAGIARISM: you must not copy anything from critical essays or study guides you may have read about your chosen writers. You sign a declaration that the essay is all your own work.  Coursework marks are cancelled if plagiarism is found by AQA.  If plagiarism is found in your essay before it is sent to AQA (by your own teacher or by others in the English team during moderation) you will have to rewrite your coursework essay in examination conditions with the English Section Manager; you will only have access to the texts and handwritten notes made in lessons.

 The ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVES FOR ELLA 4 COURSEWORK

AO1     select and apply relevant concepts and approaches from integrated linguistic study using appropriate terminology and accurate written expression.  (you need to be able to use appropriate specialist concepts and literary and linguistic terminology to write about literary texts AND write clearly, precisely and accurately.)                                                                                                  30 marks

AO3     use integrated approaches to explore relationships between texts, analysing and evaluating the significance of contextual factors in their production and reception.  (you need to evaluate and interpret texts using your linguistic and literary understanding AND compare texts - which might include some relevant social / cultural / historical contexts).                                                                                                                                            30 marks

Advice for successful coursework:

Title:  make sure that the title you decide on (with guidance from your teacher) begins with the words:  “Compare the ways in which …. “ and does not have too broad a focus for comparison.  A good title has a clear/ sharp focus for comparison:          

 e.g. “Compare the ways in which Heaney and Friel depict conflict in relationships in ‘Selected Poems’ and ‘Translations’.” 

 OR                                                                                                                                                                

 “Compare the ways in which Larkin and Blake portray urban and rural environments in their poetry.”

Introduction and Thesis:    You should name and introduce the key writers you will be analysing. Make sure you establish a clear and interesting thesis in the opening paragraph.  A ‘thesis’ here means a proposition (or key idea which links your chosen texts) which you intend to prove through your argument.  This will expand upon and explain the title.  You need to sustain a logical investigation of that thesis throughout the essay i.e. refer back to your title and thesis to build up your argument.

e.g. Both William Blake and Philip Larkin offer portrayals of both urban and rural life in their collections of poetry ‘Songs of Innocence and Experience’ and ‘The Whitsun Weddings’. Blake presents the clarity and continuity of rural lives as opposed to  Larkin’s view of the complexity of life and the powerlessness of individuals within large cities such as London or Hull.

Relevance:    Firstly, make sure the key theme of your thesis is properly illustrated by the texts you have chosen.  Then make sure to select a range of apt quotations to illustrate the points you wish to make to build your argument and support your original thesis. This will show clearly in your paragraph plan, which will show a series of key topics and the key evidence you will discuss

e.g.  (just 2 paragraphs here – you will need several!)

Key point	Evidence to analyse and discuss
Blake values dignity/ beauty of rural life   similar to Larkin sees nature offering inspiration /. Freedom / tranquillity	The Echoing Green: “the sun does arise etc  ......’  -  innocence / happiness.  “green”  “skylark” etc - Here: “unfenced, out of reach” ...  no restrictions / endless space
Blake – London as crowded and haunted contrasts with his Echoing Green	City – “sigh” and “curse” E. Green “laugh away care”

 Comparison:  you need to sustain a balanced comparison of the methods of the two writers and relate that clearly to the theme chosen. This means that you compare the texts throughout the essay – don’t write about them separately or one-by-one.                                                                                                         Sometimes it will be straightforward to link / compare an aspect of two texts in one paragraph.  At other times you may need to devote a whole paragraph or even two paragraphs to make some well-developed analytical points about one writer’s choice and use of language and their effects.  But you must regularly make comparative links between the texts you have chosen.

e.g. a paragraph which compares 2 writers:

Blake valued rural life and often writes of its dignity, as in the second poem from ‘Songs of Innocence and Experience’, ‘Echoing Green’.  He portrays the idea of innocence reflected in nature within the village with ‘The sun doth rise, And make happy the skies’ carrying strong connotations of life, happiness and prosperity.  Blake, as in many other works, adopts a simple style of writing in order to reflect his ideology that simple village life holds importance.  The poem continues to evoke the innocence of the natural environment through his diction such as ‘green’, ‘skylark’ and ‘bush’.  The image of villages welcoming ‘the spring’ transfers the season’s connotations of growth, life and rebirth to the villages themselves and sound imagery links the celebratory atmosphere and liveliness of the village: ‘Bells sing louder’ and ‘cheerful sound’ with the mood of nature.  Larkin presents a similar idea of nature offering inspiration and a chance to listen to your own voice in “Here” through his description of outer coastal areas. “Here is unfenced existence: Facing the sun, untalkative, out of reach.’ Larkin, unlike Blake, emphasises silence as accompanying freedom and tranquillity in nature. Larkin’s use of diction in ‘unfenced’ and ‘out of reach’ carry strong connotations of no restrictions and endless space which is mirrored in rural environments.

e.g. a paragraph which focuses on 1 writer:

Blake’s “London” employs natural imagery but portrays the city as crowded and haunted by using sound imagery such as ‘cry’, ‘sigh’ and ‘curse’ all of which suggest suffering.  However, there is no such suffering in “The Echoing Green” where ‘Old John with white hair, Does laugh way care, Sitting under the oak’. The symbolism of age and kinship in the oak and the white head convey dignity. John is retired and yet still part of the community.  Blake presents village as places of natural growth ‘Such were the joys / When we all, girls and boys / In our youth time were seen / On the echoing green” portrays children growing up, leading that same rural life and finally sitting ‘under the oak’ watching the next generation themselves.  This reinforces a sense of unchanging community through the generations, resisting the pressures of the ever changing materialistic city of ‘London’.  Blake’s repeated epithet of “On the Echoing Green” emphasises the importance of the ‘green’ to the community and its colour as a symbol of growth and life.

Use of Frameworks:  select from a range of literary and linguistic terms in order to analyse the texts and demonstrate how the writers have created their effects. (see above examples). YOU HAVE BEEN DOING THIS DURING YOUR CLASS STUDY OF ALL THE TEXTS!   It is important to plan to use a good range of analytical ‘tools’ – from exploring the ‘word’ level of the texts to the use of metaphor / symbolism. BUT do not treat this as a list to be ‘ticked off’. Every point made about linguistic / literary devices MUST BE DEVELOPED BY A DISCUSSION OF THE EFFECT  - IMAGES AND IDEAS CREATED.

Context:  you need to contextualise the material chosen intelligently. Contextual comment should have a direct bearing on the argument of the essay where the context has an important influence on the language choice of the writer.  You must avoid unnecessary biographical detail about the writers which adds little to show your understanding / analytical skill.