English Advanced Question Thread

[elysepopplewell]

What is the preferred paragraph structure for a Module A essay? (For texts 1984 and Metropolis)

Hey! So this is an interesting question. I'm jealous that you got to study those texts
So I'm sending in a copy of my trial essay (just two paragraphs) and I'll try explain how I liked to write my paragraphs. Of course, there is no ONLY way to do this. The best students take a structure, and manipulate it.

So I wrote my introduction. Then my following paragraphs went like this:

"Although the nature of human society changes, human defiance persists through time. Shakespeare moulded his protagonist’s identity to be seen in the light of Richard’s defiance for the authority and morality associated with a providential society. The opening soliloquy highlights the intentions of Richard. A prophetic pun is used, “unless to see my shadow in the sun.” The Yorkist ascension to the throne and the peace time after the 100 year war lead to Richard III’s intentions. Richard’s deformity prevented him from mingling during the peace time, so Shakespeare proposes to his audience that Richard III only had intentions of usurpation. Richard III also uses mellifluous oration skills to woo Lady Anne. Although she initially calls him a “foul devil,” he praises “thy beauty” until she is won over. Further feigning of morality and defiance for both spirituality and morality, Shakespeare gives Richard III’s character the dialogue of “more wonderful when Angels are so angry.” This biblical allusion places the character on a platform of morality, which the audience realises is a fake identity because of dramatic irony, as he has declared his intentions in the opening soliloquy.
   Pacino reshapes Richard III’s capacity for dual identity as he fulfills the role of both actor and director. Pacino declares his aim to be to create “a Shakespeare about how we feel and how we think today.” Pacino humorously uses dialogue to swear and admit his confusion with “I’m confused just saying it to you” to create his own identity as an ordinary American, so that his docudrama, Looking for Richard, could achieve its intentions. Pacino transforms the wooing of Anne scene as a point of dissection of identity in his docudrama. He uses the dialogue of Shakespeare’s play, but enhances it with filmic techniques. The seraphic non-diagetic music emulates Richard III’s perceived identity of divinity. Simultaneously, Pacino utilised chiaroscuro lighting to mirror the dual capacity of the dark and light of Richard’s identity, and also supporting Shakespeare’s pun of the shadow and the sun."


So, essentially, my thesis for this section is: "Although the nature of human society changes, human defiance persists through time." Typically, these two paragraphs would all be one paragraph except when written in an exam, you have to break it down so it is easier for the marker to digest (especially if you have big handwriting like me, you can't have a paragraph take up two pages!). So the nature of my response was very much "here is the original, and this is how he dealt with the theme of defiance...now here is what Pacino did, let me reference to you how Pacino has reshaped what Shakespeare did (making references to the techniques and textual examples from the first paragraph). My first sentence of the second paragraph leads almost directly on from the last sentence of the above paragraph. This is because I wanted to make the link that I'm still following the same thesis, I'm just being comparative in another paragraph.

Other people may like to do a completely integrated paragraph (which I totally love doing - it just didn't suit my purpose of the essay during the trial). So this means that they are comparing the two texts almost sentence by sentence. You can appreciate how complex but astounding this paragraph can be - so loaded with textual comparisons. You have to find what essay structure suits you, but also what structure suits the module. For my Extension 1 course, I felt like every paragraph was best integrated because of the nature of the essay questions asked. Because Module A is comparative, you need to think how you can best explain how the two texts work comparatively, but also in terms of enriching your opinion/perspective (or whatever the question asks).

Let me know what you think! Hope this helps

[Johny1234567]

"What is humanism, and what are some humanistic values."

Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

[literally lauren]

This might be of use; it's a bit brief, but quite a quaint little summary courtesy of Stephen Fry

[foodmood16]

Hey foodmood16! I thought your question was so valuable (and two other people personally messaged me asking the same thing!) so I thought that I would write a public guide to help you out! You can see that here! Let me know what you think

Thankyou so much, I read the guide and it is awesome!

I have another question, how would you write a good conclusion in an essay. I'm am doing the AOS essay, and whenever I get to the conclusion, it is just restating my thesis pretty much word for word because I have no idea what else to write 

[elysepopplewell]

Thankyou so much, I read the guide and it is awesome!

I have another question, how would you write a good conclusion in an essay. I'm am doing the AOS essay, and whenever I get to the conclusion, it is just restating my thesis pretty much word for word because I have no idea what else to write 

I'm glad the guide helped!
This is such a common problem that students face - the awkward conclusion that just chills on the end of an essay like a hangnail.

So I suggest that the best conclusions are established well throughout the essay. By this I mean, you have an ultimate thesis that runs through the essay but you also have "topic sentences" (or whatever you like to call them) that start the paragraph/argument. So, you end up with three or so concepts about discovery that you can kind of mash up and turn into a new way of phrasing it. Of course, you bring in the texts to the conclusion.

Here is my introduction:
The evolution of each individual is fertilised by their experiences of and response to discovery. The extent of discovery is determined by the willingness to embrace the process of discovery and the connections made with places and people. Discoveries may be planned, as was the journey undertaken by the participants of Ivan O’Mahoney’s documentary Go Back To Where You Came From (2008). Else, discoveries can be unplanned and evoked by curiosity, as was the experience of Fat Maz in Tim Winton’s short story Distant Lands (1987). Discoveries have the ability to be intensely meaningful and transformative of one’s perspective.

Now here is my conclusion:
   The evolution of an individual is owed to experiencing discoveries. The intensity of the surprise and challenge that comes with significant discoveries is not determined by the process of planning or the unexpected nature of a situation. Rather, the willingness of one to make connections with places and people opens opportunity for discovery, to which Go Back To Where You Came From and Distant Lands are both a testament to. From a point of initial existence that provides a platform for discovery, individuals make discoveries that are transformative of themselves and their perspectives.

I always liked to take the approach of saying that the texts are a testament to the original thesis. For me, across various modules, this was the best way to bring it all home, tie it all together, without just spitting out exactly what I said in the beginning. You want to have a tone of "see? Look at all we have experienced through this essay. Have i convinced you that discovery is blah blah blah, as backed up by the texts such and such? Because these texts have proven the nature of discovery." You want to tie it all together, make sense of the text relations with the concepts.

Does this make sense?

[JAK123]

Hi, i was wondering, the quote from Shoe Horn Sonata by John Misto "Then there were flashes - like sparks in the distance - and the sounds of crackers going off" , is the bold part a simile?

Thanks,

Joel

[elysepopplewell]

Hi, i was wondering, the quote from Shoe Horn Sonata by John Misto "Then there were flashes - like sparks in the distance - and the sounds of crackers going off" , is the bold part a simile?

Thanks,

Joel

Hey Joel!
The way that I most easily identify a simile is by finding the word "like" or "as." So, examples include, "my dog is as smelly AS socks," "she runs fast like lightning." So, I'm assuming that the sentence describes actually fireworks and it isn't a metaphor (if it isn't actually describing fireworks, then that changes things a little. It's still not a simile, unfortunately). So, it isn't quite a simile. However, it does create auditory imagery - meaning the sound imagery. So if you're looking for a technique, maybe auditory imagery will work for you
Edit: You could also say that "crackers" is slang/colloquial language, if that suits your purpose. But that may not add to your argument

[simmo]

  Hi thank you very much for offering to help. I am having some trouble finding a related poem for Brave New World and were just wondering if you knew of any.

[cherryred]

Hi,

I did Robert Gray's poems for AOS last term but I am still not sure as to what related text to actually use for my trials/HSC. Advice would be really appreciated

Also what related text would work for these different poems:
'Meatworks' and 'Flames and Dangling wire'

I am really struggling to find a related text that links with the poems of my prescribed text.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

[odonataa]

English advanced Module B speeches

Margaret atwood speech - spotty-handed villainesses
"Women characters, arise! Take back the night!" - what rhetorical technique could i have for this (in reference to the women arising part) and other than the allusion to the Take back the night 1970s protests.

Also, when structuring a Module B essay and if the question is about context and relevance, where and when should i introduce the text? For example; Explore how time and places are use to shape the audience's understanding of how knowledge of the past sheds light on the present.

would you introduce the context in the introduction and elaborate further in the body paragraph or would you just leave it in the body paragraph and flesh it out there? And for these types of questions should we talk about the audience of today and therefore its relevance over time, or should i talk about the audience of which the speeches were delivered to?

Thank you
Olivia

[elysepopplewell]

English advanced Module B speeches

Margaret atwood speech - spotty-handed villainesses
"Women characters, arise! Take back the night!" - what rhetorical technique could i have for this (in reference to the women arising part) and other than the allusion to the Take back the night 1970s protests.

Also, when structuring a Module B essay and if the question is about context and relevance, where and when should i introduce the text? For example; Explore how time and places are use to shape the audience's understanding of how knowledge of the past sheds light on the present.

would you introduce the context in the introduction and elaborate further in the body paragraph or would you just leave it in the body paragraph and flesh it out there? And for these types of questions should we talk about the audience of today and therefore its relevance over time, or should i talk about the audience of which the speeches were delivered to?

Thank you
Olivia

Hey! In that first bit, Atwood uses an imperative (a grammatical mood that commands). Typically, she uses commas, semicolons,  and colons to give a conversational effect. Then all of a sudden she makes a command through an imperative, where she's ultimately disrupting the conversational flow and adding to the feminist tone - making a big statement and ultimately a "call to action." The exclamation mark adds to this dramatically, as does the two short adjacent sentences.

As for the Module B question:
BOSTES says this about Module B:
"Module B is designed to nurture enjoyment and appreciation of significant texts. The syllabus description of this module specifies that students develop a deep analytical and critical knowledge and understanding of one prescribed text, based on close study of that text. Central to the model is a detailed in-class analysis of the prescribed text in its entirety and how meaning is shaped in that text. The ideas expressed in the text are explored through an analysis of construction, content and language, and an analysis of how the features of the text contribute to textual integrity. Discussing and evaluating notions of context and the perspectives of others amplifies the exploration of the ideas in the text, enabling a deeper and richer understanding."
So, you can tell it is heavily text based, unlike AOS which is concept based. I always opened Module B with my texts.

My own trial essay introduction went like this (the question asked us to talk about uncertainty of self):
W.B. Yeats’ oeuvre is stimulated by personal experiences of ambivalence. Yeats not only explores the uncertainty of self, but also the fleeting stages of certainty. The exploration of one’s identity and motives is seen as ambivalent in both poems, “An Irish Airman Foresees his death” and “The Wild Swans at Coole.” Amalgamating personal experience, perspectives and poetic form causes Yeats’ oeuvre to be of high textual integrity and of appreciation through time. (It's shorter than I would have liked, I was pressed for time for this essay haha).

So like BOSTES says, you are talking about the text, the textual integrity (definitely mention textual integrity throughout, particularly in your introduction, always) and how the text is broken down. So, time and place is an AWESOME question for the Atwood text because it's historical yet so relevant (and she mentions events of location, like the 1970s protests).

So, start with the text but link it to the idea of time and place. Then tease it out a little more, focusing on how time and place work together to create a special fusion of historical/modern relevance (for example). Then bring in your texts in a more specific manner, then bring it home with a solid statement about textual integrity.

Don't forget to use adverbs in your Mod B essay. "Atwood skilfully portrays..." "Atwood craftily manipulates the..." You are showing your appreciation and understanding of the texts.

Hopefully this helps! Let me know if anything doesn't make sense and I'll whip back here and try flesh it out more. Happy Module B-ing!

[elysepopplewell]

Hi thank you very much for offering to help. I am having some trouble finding a related poem for Brave New World and were just wondering if you knew of any.

Hey! I'm assuming that this is for Module C: People and Politics? I'm wondering why you are specifying a poem, is that where you feel most comfortable or has your teacher specified that?

Animal Farm by George Orwell (novella) is a great ORT to Brave New World.

Now, I haven't read Brave New World (trust me, it is on my list!) but I think the poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson might work in your favour. It can be perceived as citizens being crushed by their leader - just following the commands until their death.

When the Wind Blows is a graphic novel that might also work well for People and Politics. I used it as an Extension 1 English "After the Bomb" ORT, but it offers a lot in terms of how people give so much faith to their political superiors. (This text also has an allusion to the above poem).

The poetry of Sylvia Plath (only certain poems, however, which would need to be selected based on the angle you are taking in your prescribed texts) offers some political influence on the personal.

Have a look at these and let me know

[foodmood16]

I'm glad the guide helped!
This is such a common problem that students face - the awkward conclusion that just chills on the end of an essay like a hangnail.

So I suggest that the best conclusions are established well throughout the essay. By this I mean, you have an ultimate thesis that runs through the essay but you also have "topic sentences" (or whatever you like to call them) that start the paragraph/argument. So, you end up with three or so concepts about discovery that you can kind of mash up and turn into a new way of phrasing it. Of course, you bring in the texts to the conclusion.

Here is my introduction:
The evolution of each individual is fertilised by their experiences of and response to discovery. The extent of discovery is determined by the willingness to embrace the process of discovery and the connections made with places and people. Discoveries may be planned, as was the journey undertaken by the participants of Ivan O’Mahoney’s documentary Go Back To Where You Came From (2008). Else, discoveries can be unplanned and evoked by curiosity, as was the experience of Fat Maz in Tim Winton’s short story Distant Lands (1987). Discoveries have the ability to be intensely meaningful and transformative of one’s perspective.

Now here is my conclusion:
   The evolution of an individual is owed to experiencing discoveries. The intensity of the surprise and challenge that comes with significant discoveries is not determined by the process of planning or the unexpected nature of a situation. Rather, the willingness of one to make connections with places and people opens opportunity for discovery, to which Go Back To Where You Came From and Distant Lands are both a testament to. From a point of initial existence that provides a platform for discovery, individuals make discoveries that are transformative of themselves and their perspectives.

I always liked to take the approach of saying that the texts are a testament to the original thesis. For me, across various modules, this was the best way to bring it all home, tie it all together, without just spitting out exactly what I said in the beginning. You want to have a tone of "see? Look at all we have experienced through this essay. Have i convinced you that discovery is blah blah blah, as backed up by the texts such and such? Because these texts have proven the nature of discovery." You want to tie it all together, make sense of the text relations with the concepts.

Does this make sense?

Thankyou again Elyse 

[Happy Physics Land]

Hey Elyse,

Just a general question regarding HSC exams. I am planning on going into exams with essays memorised and I am going to adapt them during the exam to suit the question I am given. But I am not too certain about how I would be able to adapt an essay to a question. Do you mind giving me some tips regarding this?

Thank you very much!

Best Regards
Happy Physics Land

[elysepopplewell]

Hey Elyse,

Just a general question regarding HSC exams. I am planning on going into exams with essays memorised and I am going to adapt them during the exam to suit the question I am given. But I am not too certain about how I would be able to adapt an essay to a question. Do you mind giving me some tips regarding this?

Thank you very much!

Best Regards
Happy Physics Land

Again, a super awesome question from you. Personally, I went into the HSC with planned essays. Every single part of Paper 1 and 2 - except for the unseen texts - was planned. The Area of Study Essay, in my opinion, is the easiest to plan for. The reason being, you are so early in the discovery days that they aren't combing through the most ridiculous parts of the rubric because everything else has been used when they are creating your exam question. Furthermore, the rubric is full of antithetical pairings. For example, the rubric suggests that discoveries can be planned, or unplanned. I mean, you really only need to be hitting one of them in your essay in order for you to do a "agree but disagree" with the question type of thing. Another major key is to make your original thesis quite broad - perhaps talk about the universal nature of discovery, the human condition, human evolution, etc. This way you leave your first sentence in a place that is fool proof. Then, you move through the introduction standing by your point that it is universal (for example), but then your other ideas (perhaps that discoveries are planned, that they can be intensely meaningful, and that they are transformative of perspectives) will also stand, except against the new perspective as introduced by the question. It sounds complicated, so let me rephrase. You will bring an overarching concept through, with your own prepared arguments, but you will weave the new question through it all too. So you won't necessarily have to dictate your paragraphs based on the new question. Instead, you are just adding the question as a new theme to each paragraph - only by weaving it through. This becomes a very easy task when you set up great study notes for the topic. I've suggested in an AOS resource that you can find in the Area of Study Thread that you should set up your notes for discovery by splitting up the rubric by idea, then organising sections of the text to each section of the rubric. The more difficult parts to prepare for will probably be spiritual and intellectual discoveries. But, it's not impossible. You've got it! So, it is a very complicated method to approach early on. But you definitely can set up your essay in a way that will work for you. Don't be afraid to post your essay in the AOS marking thread and we will definitely work through it together if you want that.

As for your other modules, it is a little different but still achievable. It is easy of falling into the trap of only researching the parts of the text that you want to use for your favourite themes/scenes, etc. So even though you want to have favourites because it means that you are showing passion (well...maybe ), you need to be prepared for other questions. The best way to do that? Look at past questions if they are available - and they are for most of the modules. They will probably scare you a little but don't fear - you approach them now and you have every single day until the HSC to prepare - so that is a long time.

Planned essays are a great idea, but it is only half the work. Adaptation to the question is the other half - otherwise markers will think what you have done it too prepared and you aren't showing your skills of being selective with information.

I hope this helps!