English Advanced Question Thread

[J.B]

Hi,
I am supposed to read the art of travel this holidays for module C. But as it Is unlike any other text I have studied before I am a bit unsure of what I should be annotating and looking for in it?
Just wondering if anyone had any tips on what to analyse while I read it?
Thank you.

[elysepopplewell]

Hi,
I am supposed to read the art of travel this holidays for module C. But as it Is unlike any other text I have studied before I am a bit unsure of what I should be annotating and looking for in it?
Just wondering if anyone had any tips on what to analyse while I read it?
Thank you.

Hey there! So, without actually having read your text, there are a few things we need to look quite carefully at in Module C. The module requests that we talk about representation. How do authors represent something? Well, by default, they are representing a feeling, a plot, a scenario, etc, simply because they are re-producing (or producing for the first time) something. So, obviously we see techniques and we can look at things like the way particular metaphors represent big ideas and what not. But, in your initial reading(s) of the text in Module C, it can be very beneficial to be looking closely at writing style. Stop every now and then and take a chunk of writing and note: First, second, or third person? High modality or low modality? Short sentences or long sentences? Descriptive or unembellished? These are things that are so often overlooked (perhaps because they seem too easy?) but they are incredibly useful in Module C. The answer to every single one of those questions can be linked back to a conscious decision made by the author so that they could endeavour to represent an idea.

Of course, there will be parts of the book that are significant because of plot more than because of writing style. Perfect! Take these passages and do the same thing, ask yourself the same questions, and work out what is being represented? How is it being represented? Upon initial reading, sometimes it is difficult to understand what is being represented because your understanding of the plot will change by the end. That's fine - you are a reader and you are analysing this as a reader! So you could consider why you were lead to believe a certain thing, only to realise something else later. Then ask: what made me change the way I perceived this?

Hopefully this gives you a bit of a hand with what to look for in a Mod C text

[J.B]

Hey there! So, without actually having read your text, there are a few things we need to look quite carefully at in Module C. The module requests that we talk about representation. How do authors represent something? Well, by default, they are representing a feeling, a plot, a scenario, etc, simply because they are re-producing (or producing for the first time) something. So, obviously we see techniques and we can look at things like the way particular metaphors represent big ideas and what not. But, in your initial reading(s) of the text in Module C, it can be very beneficial to be looking closely at writing style. Stop every now and then and take a chunk of writing and note: First, second, or third person? High modality or low modality? Short sentences or long sentences? Descriptive or unembellished? These are things that are so often overlooked (perhaps because they seem too easy?) but they are incredibly useful in Module C. The answer to every single one of those questions can be linked back to a conscious decision made by the author so that they could endeavour to represent an idea.

Of course, there will be parts of the book that are significant because of plot more than because of writing style. Perfect! Take these passages and do the same thing, ask yourself the same questions, and work out what is being represented? How is it being represented? Upon initial reading, sometimes it is difficult to understand what is being represented because your understanding of the plot will change by the end. That's fine - you are a reader and you are analysing this as a reader! So you could consider why you were lead to believe a certain thing, only to realise something else later. Then ask: what made me change the way I perceived this?

Hopefully this gives you a bit of a hand with what to look for in a Mod C text

Thank you this is very helpful

[asd987]

Hi just wondering how you would integrate any extracts or quotes a question may ask into your essay like in the 2016 paper 2 for mod A - king richard and looking for richard. Is it okay to refer back to it once or twice every paragraph or do we need to structure our entire paragraph and essay around it. thanks

[Maraos]

Hi! 
I've got a question regarding the English creative task. I've got my half yearly coming up in a week, and it will just be the creative section of module A (discovery).
I am unsure whether or not the discovery in my creative needs to be made explicitly clear. I find that when I make my sense of discovery very clear it starts to sound a bit too cliché (for example; “I finally came to realise why…. Etc.).   I personally find that making the discovery a little more harder to decipher adds to the complexity of my piece, however I am worried that if I make my discovery ‘too’ hidden I may confuse the marker.

I have heard that some schools prefer their discoveries to be made explicitly clear and tend to give lower marks to those that have multiple layers, but when it comes to the HSC making a more complex multi layered discovery tends to work better.

Any advice/tips would be greatly appreciated 

[jamonwindeyer]

Hi just wondering how you would integrate any extracts or quotes a question may ask into your essay like in the 2016 paper 2 for mod A - king richard and looking for richard. Is it okay to refer back to it once or twice every paragraph or do we need to structure our entire paragraph and essay around it. thanks

I would say you'd need heavy reference - Every paragraph and maybe even your Thesis too! So you'd structure it the same, but say like "This idea is epitomised by Richard III, particularly in the ___________ scene (wherever the excerpt is from)." Emphasising in that way regularly, and perhaps in your Thesis too, is how I'd personally do it

[jamonwindeyer]

Hi! 
I've got a question regarding the English creative task. I've got my half yearly coming up in a week, and it will just be the creative section of module A (discovery).
....
Any advice/tips would be greatly appreciated 

Hey Maraos! So this is a really tricky balance to get the hang of - I had trouble with this right to the end. The way I consider it is this - Your markers are LOOKING for the Discovery. It's not like you need to portray the idea to someone who is just reading the story blind, they know to look for it in your story. This allows you to be a little more subtle with how you portray it to them!

Your best bet for now is to run drafts by your teacher (and us, but your teacher is the best indicator because they'll be marking it!) and get them to direct you - Too subtle? Too simple? If you are gunning for long term, getting ready for the HSC, I'd wager it is better to err on the side of subtlety

Feel free to upload a draft in our Creative thread for some opinions if you like!

[Maraos]

Hey Maraos! So this is a really tricky balance to get the hang of - I had trouble with this right to the end. The way I consider it is this - Your markers are LOOKING for the Discovery. It's not like you need to portray the idea to someone who is just reading the story blind, they know to look for it in your story. This allows you to be a little more subtle with how you portray it to them!

Your best bet for now is to run drafts by your teacher (and us, but your teacher is the best indicator because they'll be marking it!) and get them to direct you - Too subtle? Too simple? If you are gunning for long term, getting ready for the HSC, I'd wager it is better to err on the side of subtlety

Feel free to upload a draft in our Creative thread for some opinions if you like!

Thanks for the advice! Only problem is my teacher is not accepting drafts that are too close to the question given to us on the notification!
Our school gave us the question but not the stimulus, but he did say he will accept general ideas, so I'll past it by him (nothing to lose)

Thanks again for the quick reply!

[asd987]

Hi, what's the best related text/s i can use for brave new world. Is V for Vendetta too overused?

[jamonwindeyer]

Hi, what's the best related text/s i can use for brave new world. Is V for Vendetta too overused?

Hey! I'd say it is commonly used, but provided you do a good job that won't matter at all! It would still be my pick definitely get some other ideas if people have them though! You might find something you like more

[bananna]

Hi 😀
What do you think of the song 'Hurricane' by Bob Dylan as a related text for 'The Crucible'

Thanks

[CaitlinSavins]

I'm studying Brave New World for Module C at school, and they asked us to find some related texts for it.
Help. I have no idea where to begin! I used The Rocky Horror Picture Show for the Discovery unit, because it's my favourite movie and seemed obvious but I have no clue about BNW.

[jamonwindeyer]

I'm studying Brave New World for Module C at school, and they asked us to find some related texts for it.
Help. I have no idea where to begin! I used The Rocky Horror Picture Show for the Discovery unit, because it's my favourite movie and seemed obvious but I have no clue about BNW.

Hey! I'd recommend V for Vendetta, it works well with BNW, covers similar themes, has lots of techniques and is actually a great film imo

[jamonwindeyer]

Hi
What do you think of the song 'Hurricane' by Bob Dylan as a related text for 'The Crucible'

Thanks

It sounds good in premise! How many techniques are you able to pull from it?

[beau77bro]

Can someone please explain to me what romanticism is. I'm struggling a lot on it and would appreciate a detailed, somewhat simplistic because Im really confused, explanation thankyouuuuuu