IB ENGLISH CHRISTMAS READING & WORK

Over the Christmas holiday you should read Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber. We will be studying in class the following stories:

The Snow Child
The Bloody Chamber
The Tiger's Bride
The Eal-King
The Company of Wolves

In pairs you will give brief presentations on the following stories:

The Courtship of Mr. Lyon
Puss-in-Boots
The Lady of the House of Love
The Werewolf
Wolf-Alice

And you should also read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.


Remember that we read literature as students not as consumers.

Therefore as you read you must make notes and annotate the texts studied. You should consider making notes on some or all of the following topics:

• Identify important plot developments
• Note down the structure in the plot
• Comment on the narrative voice - who is speaking? What attitude do they have to main characters, the main events and the narrative perspective?
• What are the main themes in the story?
• Note the setting of the stories and the function of the settings
• Comment on writing techniques and the effect on the reader.

AS LL - STREETCAR OUTCOME QUESTIONS

Blanche becomes a patient in a mental hospital

Mitch's relationship with Blanche is destroyed

Stella gives birth to a baby boy

Stanley and Stella continue their married life together

Stanley escapes the crime of rape


Are these outcomes good or bad?

What reasons do you have for your answer?

Find quotations from the play to support your responses?

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.

A2 LL CUPCAKES QUESTION ON SLUTS I

Read the source material which follows and answer both questions:


Text A is from an article entitled [Sluts I]by [Katherine Whitehorn]

It was first published in [The Observer in 1963].

You are a [an advertising agent and have been commissioned to write an advertisment for a personal assistant]

Using the source material, write the text [of an  advertisment advertising the services for a personal organizer or assitant]

Your audience will consist of [young married women]


You should adapt the source material, using your own words as far as possible. Your text
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 advertisement
commenting 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 - SOME RESPONSES TO ISSUES RAISED IN DETAILED PLAN INTERVIEWS

First draft essay deadline

Mod 1 - Friday 9 January
Mod 2 - Thursday 8 January
Mod 6 - Tuesday 6 January

Below are a few comments in response to questions that have come up during the 1:1 discussions with students about detailed coursework essay plan.

Your essay must compare 2/3 poems from one poet with 2/3 poems or 2/3 extracts from a short story. You must not compare 3 poems from one poet.

Writing a detailed essay plan before term ends enables you to do the hard work of the essay before the holiday begins. It means you don't need to spend your holiday planning and writing. And you have the opportunity of having your ideas looked over with me. Then all you will need to concentrate on in the holiday is writing up your essay.

Writing a detailed plan takes ABOUT 4 - 8 hours to complete. This will depend on how well you know the texts.

Writing up the essay using a detailed plan will take ABOUT 2 - 4 hours to complete.

Writing a good analytical comparative coursework essay requires you to know the texts you are writing about very well. I suggest you read and re-read them paying close attention to the essay title and the sub-topics you will be comparing in your essay.

Each paragraph must engage with only one sub-topic and only one text. You do not need to compare all poems from one writer with all the poems from another writer.

Some sub-topics are quite complex and may require more than one comparative analytical paragraph.

Write between 2000 - 2500 word essay - excluding quotations. Writing below 2000 words the exam board may think you've not covered the essay topic fully or engaged with the texts in enough detail or depth. This may mean they will not award full marks. Writing over 2500 words the exam board will consider that you are disorganized - but will not penalise you.

Record the details of the research you have undertaken. Make a note of website addresses, titles and authors. For hard copies of books and articles, record titles, authors, publication dates, publishers and places of publication.

There are many comparative essay structures. Below is the one I recommend.

My recommended structure for your essay is as follows:

Introduction

• Define the main topic in the essay title. Identify and introduce the comparative sub-topics that will form the basis of your essay.
• Introduce the texts you will write about in your essay.
• Identify and introduce the main writing techniques that you will comment on in your essay.
• Perhaps comment on the writers you have chosen to write your essay on. 

Paragraph 1

• Write one topic sentence on one sub-topic. Refer to one text only - either one poem or one extract from a short story. Quote and then comment on the quotation. Show how the quote relates to the sub-topic and main topic of the essay. Identify language and literary techniques used in the essay. Then show how the quotation creates an effect on a generalized reader.

Paragraph 2

• Write a topic sentence on the same sub-topic as paragraph 1. Refer to one text only - either one poem or one extract from a short story. Quote and then comment on the quotation. Show how the quote relates to the sub-topic and main topic of the essay. Identify language and literary techniques used in the essay. Then show how the quotation creates an effect on a generalized reader.
• Then make one or two statements that either show similarities or differences between the text referred to in paragraph one.

Continue writing paired analytical comparative paragraphs as above until you have written about all the sub-topics. There may be about 6 - 8 sub-topics.

A2 LL - COURSEWORK DETAILED PLAN - A RESPONSE

Follow up detailed essay plan interviews will take place during the week beginning Monday 15 December

Mod 1 - 9.00 Friday 19 December
Mod 2 - 9.00 Thursday 18 December
Mod 6 - 9.00 Tuesday 16 December


I've been really pleased with the detailed essay plans I've seen during the interviews. And in most cases I've recommended that students that have completed these should go ahead and begin writing the essay. For these students it may be that they will finish their first draft essay in the last week of term.

However I've been disappointed with the amount of essay plans that have been completed. Writing a detailed essay plan usually takes between 4 - 8 hours to produce. Writing a plan is essential in producing a good coursework essay. Without a plan you are restricting your chances of getting a good grade in this unit.

And remember that the coursework is equal to 20% of your whole A Level grade. 

Click here for a link to an earlier post that explains how to write a detailed plan. Click here to see a pair of analytical comparative paragraphs.

There are other resources availaible to you if you need further help:

• Re-read the coursework guide given out at the beginning of the year. This contains a glossary and example paragraphs as well as good advice.
• Buy or borrow from the library a copy of the AQA A2 English Language and Literature A course book, published by Nelson Thornes.  Here is a link.

A2 LL - SOME KEY QUESTIONS IN ASSESSING COURSEWORK ESSAYS

Is the writing simple, concise, clear and accurate?


Does the student understand the essay title and does the essay focus on the essay topic? 


Does the student know and understand the poems and or short story being discussed?


Are the texts being discussed, analysed with reference to the essay topic? 


Is there meaningful, detailed comparisons being made between the two writer's?


Is there a range of language and literary techniques identified and commented on?


Does the student know the meanings of the language and literary terms being used?


Does the essay have a structure?


Is the essay presented appropriately with essay title and name of student?

A2 LL - CUPCAKES - FABULOUSLY FAT QUESTIONS

Read the source material which follows and answer both questions:

Text A is from an article entitled [Fabulously Fat]by [Erin Pizzey]
It was first published in [Cosmopolitan in 1980].

You have been [asked to contribute to a television documentary about weight. You are responsible for the section of the programme which presents the arguments in favour of being fat.]


Using the source material, write the [the beginning of this section, drawing from the whole text.]

Your audience will consist of [people concerned with weight issues]


You should adapt the source material, using your own words as far as possible. Your [text]
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 text
commenting 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 - CUPCAKES - FABULOUSLY FAT QUESTION

Read the source material which follows and answer both questions:

Text A is from an article entitled [Fabulously Fat] by [Erin Pizzey]
It was first published in [Cosmopolitan in 1980].

You are a [member of a feminist group and have been asked to write a flyer intended to discourage women from dieting and to give them confidence in themselves.]

Using the source material, write the text [of the flyer.]

Your audience will consist of [women intending to join a slimming course]
You should adapt the source material, using your own words as far as possible. Your [text]
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 text
commenting 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 - LESSONS 8 DECEMBER - 19 DECEMBER

Below is a table showing some of the lessons for the last week of term.

Mod 1

Monday 15 Dec - Preparation for timed work /  1:1's Cupcakes journals / coursework
Tuesday 16 Dec - Detailed essay plan 1:1's / Example essays follow up / Introductions / Conclusions / word counts / bibliography
Friday 19 Dec - Timed work / Murder mystery

Mod 2

Monday 15 Dec -  Cupcakes - Fabulously Fat
Wednesday 17 Dec - Timed work / Murder mystery
Thursday 18 Dec - Detailed essay plan 1:1's / Example essays follow up / Introductions / Conclusions / word counts / bibliography


Mod 6

Monday 8 Dec - Cupcakes - Fat is Ugly
Tuesday 9 Dec - Detailed essay plan 1:1's and example essays
Friday 12 Dec - Cupcakes - Fabulously Fat continued

Monday 15 Dec - Example essays / Introductions / Conclusions / word counts / bibliography
Tuesday 16 Dec - Detailed essay plan 1:1's  follow up / Example essays / Introductions / Conclusions / word counts / bibliography follow up
Friday 19 Dec - Timed work / Murder mystery

IB ENGLISH - SONNET PRESENTATIONS

Here is the list of students that will do their presentations next week on Friday 12 December

Diana - Michaelangelo - V & VI
Tristan - Frost
Martin - Shelly - Ozymandias
Natasha - Milton

Here is the list of students that will do their presentation on Monday 15 December

Nicolo - Dante - La Vita Nouva
Max - Rilke - 3
Marina - The Windhover

Here is the list of students that will do their presentation on Thursday 18 December

Janira - Michaelangelo - Dante
Sophie - St Vincent Millay - 'What lips my lips have kissed and where and why'
Lorenz - Larkin
Mathieu -

A2 LL DEFINITION OF KEY WORDS IN FAT IS UGLY BY ANGELA CARTER

Women's Lib - a movement directed towards the removal of attitudes and practices that preserve inequalities based upon the assumption that men are superior to women.

aesthetics - is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of art, beauty and taste, with the creation and appreciation of beauty.

Dandy - a man unduly concerned with looking stylish and fashionable.

Narcissism - excessive interest in or admiration of oneself and one's physical appearance.

Menarche - the first occurrence of menstruation.

Rubens - Sir Peter Paul. 1577–1640, Flemish painter, regarded as the greatest exponent of the Baroque: appointed (1609) painter to Archduke Albert of Austria, who gave him many commissions, artistic and diplomatic.

Renoir - Pierre Auguste (pjɛr oɡyst). 1841–1919, French painter. One of the initiators of impressionism, he broke away from the movement with his later paintings, esp his many nude studies, which are more formal compositions

Freudian - relating to or influenced by Sigmund Freud and his methods of psychoanalysis, especially with reference to the importance of sexuality in human behavior.

Amenorrhoea - an abnormal absence of menstruation

Moroseness - gloomily or sullenly ill-humoured, as a person or mood.

cadaver - a corpse

passive receptive - passive - not reacting visibly to something that might be expected to produce manifestations of an emotion or feeling. receptive having the quality of receiving, taking in, or admitting.

succubus - a demon in female form, said to have sexual intercourse with men in their sleep.

A2 LL - FAT IS UGLY - RECAST QUSTION

Read the source material which follows and answer both questions:

Text A is from an article entitled [Fat is Ugly]by [Angela Carter]
It was first published in the [New Society].
You are a [journalist]

Using the source material, write a short section [of a biography on Angela Carter]
Your audience will consist of [general members of the public]
You should adapt the source material, using your own words as far as possible. Your [biography]
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 text
commenting 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 - FAT IS UGLY - SOME GUIDE QUESTIONS

What do you think Carter means when she says thatWomen's Lib...helped' her to cope with her [own]...anorexia?

What do you understand as the main concerns for Women's Lib?
What did you find out about the history of the women's movement?
What do you think this idea might suggest about anorexia?

Carter sees anorexia as a 'fashionable' ailment for the seventies. It seems to be even motre common now. Why should this be?

What would you say are the main differences between the way anorexia is presented here and the way we tend to read/hear about it today?

Find the references in the text to physical states and experiences which are specifically feminine.

Why do you think these are linked with anorexia?

What  does the Aeneas reference add to the text, do you think?