Moving from Literature to English?

[diam0nds]

Hi 

This year I've done Units 1 & 2 literature but I think (still not 100%) I'm going to do English next year instead, I was just wondering if there's any big disadvantages?

I've never written a language analysis before so I guess that doesn't help, but I've looked at some examples on here I think I could pick it up, I just don't know what you're supposed to write in the introduction & conclusion 

Oh and I don't understand what context writing is, I've looked at examples on here as well and I understand that your school gets a context and you get given a prompt and choose a style etc but I don't see how you can relate the texts to it...can you just write a normal essay?? that probably sounds so dumb lol

[jane1234]

I did Unit 1 Literature last year, but really didn't like it so I moved back to regular English for Unit 2.

The change isn't a huge deal (although it will be a bit more going into Unit 3 from Unit 2 Lit), you just have to learn to adapt to a few different styles of writing. I wrote my first language analysis and first text response in the end of year exam, and didn't do too badly. I only lost marks due to structural issues, as I wrote my text response more in the passage/lit analysis way than the convential essay format.

You kind of have to move back in a sense to year 10 english, and review the TEEL structure and any context/LA you might have done. However, obviously you have to use more sophisticated language and ideas. It's almost advantage doing a little bit of Literature, as you learn to really analyse language, concerns and the context of the text being studied moreso than in English. So bring forward the more complex ideas, but retain a simpler style of writing.

Language analysis is pretty easy to learn. Like I said, I only wrote one last year (and had no idea what I was doing) so I only really learnt how to write them at the start of this year. Same goes for context, you just have to experiment with a few different styles (essay, persuasive speech, story etc) to find the one that suits you, but after you learn how to implement ideas from the prompt into your writing you should be fine.

I'd just practice a bit over the summer, especially LA and Context, maybe post a few essays up here for other people to mark them and get you used to the different structures. You'll probably find English is a hell of a lot easier than Lit... I know I did. Good luck!

EDIT: Intro is VERY formulaic in language analysis, just need to include background info, author, date, where it was published, type of persuasive piece (editorial, opinion, letter etc), target audience, main contention and sometimes overall tone/s of the piece.

It depends what style you do in context how you include the text. Essays can mention the text explicitly, though only using to support your ideas rather than centering your ideas around the text. Stories, articles, letters etc mention the text implicitly in some way. You may decide to use characters from the text in your story, or you may "interview" one of the characters for an article.

Whatever you do, don't make up a story and say that Person X was in the middle of a conflict, so he read a page of <set text> and felt so much better. Kind of tacky...

[diam0nds]

Thank you! That helped a lot, my midyear Lit exam was actually just a normal text response essay, we haven't been taught how to do a passage analysis/how to write a 'lit style' essay...public school/bad teacher haha

The structure/simpler style of writing does sound much more easier and appealing than Lit haha

Will definitely have a go at some LA over the holidays

[VivaTequila]

I did accelerated English in Year 10, and moved through to literature, so I had some practise with Language Analysis (albeit to a year 10 standard).

This year, my school strongly coerced me into doing Literature AND English, not one or the other, and I tell you what... You won't regret it.

English(es) are compulsory as part of you're primary four, so if you've done Lit (which is very hard to do well in), then it's a very good idea to switch to English in order to play it safe if you're not exactly a prodigy. However, if you aren't too bad, and you aren't wanting to kill yourself in Lit, I VERY HIGHLY RECCOMEND YOU DO BOTH.

I've gone from not having done English 1/2 to being ranked 6 out of perhaps 150 students at my new school. Literature helps English so much if you do it, especially in Units 3/4 and with a good teacher. It's practically written my Creating and Presenting essays for me, and Reading and Responding becomes so much easier when you can analyse the texts with the practise you get in Lit.

Please do both - you won't regret it! If you flunk one exam, you have the other to fall back on! Guarantee yourself a second chance, and a stronger English mark on the whole.

[diam0nds]

Yeah it probably would be good to do both but I really don't like English that much so I don't think I could handle doing 2 haha and I don't know what other subject to drop :S

[VivaTequila]

I know I'm just one person and almost nobody is out there to back me up (because few students study both Literature and English), but I REALLY strongly recommend that you reconsider. I didn't like the Englishs last year, especially after finishing Literature 1/2. But for a compulsory, and rather crucial subject, you should consider backing your ass up by doing two.

If you flunk your exam, which really isn't hard to do, your score will go down the drain.

Ask more people, especially people who have done both English and Literature, and weight their opinion equally with the whole cohort who have only done English or only done Literature.

I can't speak highly enough of doing both, and I know that it is going to be redundant to get through to you, but please do reconsider. I swear to you that you can't regret doing both. English piggy-backs off Literature so much...

[diam0nds]

Hmm I kind of do want to do both, I've really enjoyed Lit this year but I know it's so hard to do well in 3/4 and because I haven't done English 1/2 I might not do so well in 3/4, and it would be good having that back up but I wouldn't know which other subject to drop and I don't really think I could handle 2 English's when it's probably my weakest D:

[VivaTequila]

Hmm I kind of do want to do both, I've really enjoyed Lit this year but I know it's so hard to do well in 3/4 and because I haven't done English 1/2 I might not do so well in 3/4, and it would be good having that back up but I wouldn't know which other subject to drop and I don't really think I could handle 2 English's when it's probably my weakest D:

I'm glad that you're reconsidering! Believe me, I didn't love literature at the end of last year and I wasn't very good at it either. Despite this, it will give a voluble boost to your English marks, and believe me, with even a crap Lit teacher doing two Englishes is the best.

As a science person, I was going to do Biology 3/4 without doing 1/2, having done Chemistry and Physics 1/2 already. I dropped Bio for a second English, and I don't regret it for a second. Three mid-years would have sucked if I had done Bio. Instead, two was ideal. Similarly, the Englishs had a lot of common ground, so instead of having Physics, Chem and Bio piggyback off eachother with nothing to help English, I now had English and Lit to help each other, and Physics and Chem to help each other.

Play smart with your subjects. Even if you don't enjoy something completely, do it if it'll get you a better score, if you value a better score.

Don't take this with little thought, I have you're best interests at heart because I want to inspire people to take the fantastic path of two Englishs. Please do more research and ask those who have done both if they recommend doing both, because you will find very few who would have hated Literature enough to not recommend it, and fewer who would say that it didn't boost their English mark considerably.

[RossiJ]

I did accelerated English in Year 10, and moved through to literature, so I had some practise with Language Analysis (albeit to a year 10 standard).

This year, my school strongly coerced me into doing Literature AND English, not one or the other, and I tell you what... You won't regret it.

English(es) are compulsory as part of you're primary four, so if you've done Lit (which is very hard to do well in), then it's a very good idea to switch to English in order to play it safe if you're not exactly a prodigy. However, if you aren't too bad, and you aren't wanting to kill yourself in Lit, I VERY HIGHLY RECCOMEND YOU DO BOTH.

I've gone from not having done English 1/2 to being ranked 6 out of perhaps 150 students at my new school. Literature helps English so much if you do it, especially in Units 3/4 and with a good teacher. It's practically written my Creating and Presenting essays for me, and Reading and Responding becomes so much easier when you can analyse the texts with the practise you get in Lit.

Please do both - you won't regret it! If you flunk one exam, you have the other to fall back on! Guarantee yourself a second chance, and a stronger English mark on the whole.

Don't get ahead of yourself there Baxter (aka. 'VivaTequila') , there is only 80 so students that do English at our school <3

[funkyducky]

I switched from Literature 1/2 last year to English 3/4 this year, it's not difficult to learn language analysis and context writing. Most of the kids who've done 1/2 English wouldn't really understand context either, and would have had limited language analysis practice. If you feel that doing English next year will lessen workload/stress, or that you will have more of a chance of scoring higher, then swap. If, however, you're good at Lit, love the intellectual freedom it offers and prefer studying pieces of literature to more mundane texts, then stick with lit. Or, you could always take both. Good luck!

Edit: If you haven't been taught "lit style" writing, passage analysis, etc. then I would recommend English as a safer option.

[epickandykane]

in my opinion try and do ESL much easier than English.

[diam0nds]

Thanks guys

@epickandykane Whats ESL? My school doesn't offer it

[REBORN]

English as a Second Language

[VivaTequila]

Just curious, OP, did you decide on doing both?