VCE English Question Thread

[MissSmiley]

Hi everyone!

I was just wondering for Argument Analysis, do you always need to write about say a pre-buttal in your first para?
For example, in last year's exam, Walker was saying things like "oh no!" I hear you say and "she has got another idea" etc --> this would be the pre-buttal

In class we discussed how the first para (also when she says how her school's truly organic and basically she's proud) would be the first argument. It's likely to make readers take her side.
My teacher told us to dedicate a whole para (it can be short, but still recognised as an argument) on the pre-buttal.

Is this ok though? I've never considered analysing things like this, because I always get that feeling of 'stagnancy.' It's like fine we get it, she's trying to get readers on her side. this sounds too generalised, doesn't it?

I wrote a practice piece and then my teacher told me to analyse the first para in the newsletter message as my first argument.
I only mentioned the tone in that para, just to start my piece off, but I didn't dedicate a whole para to this.
But still managed to find 3 arguments from last year's exam (from Walker's writing)

So, is it a good idea to dedicate the first para to the pre-buttal or not?

Thanks so much!

[sdfg]

Hi everyone!

I was just wondering for Argument Analysis, do you always need to write about say a pre-buttal in your first para?
For example, in last year's exam, Walker was saying things like "oh no!" I hear you say and "she has got another idea" etc --> this would be the pre-buttal

In class we discussed how the first para (also when she says how her school's truly organic and basically she's proud) would be the first argument. It's likely to make readers take her side.
My teacher told us to dedicate a whole para (it can be short, but still recognised as an argument) on the pre-buttal.

Is this ok though? I've never considered analysing things like this, because I always get that feeling of 'stagnancy.' It's like fine we get it, she's trying to get readers on her side. this sounds too generalised, doesn't it?

I wrote a practice piece and then my teacher told me to analyse the first para in the newsletter message as my first argument.
I only mentioned the tone in that para, just to start my piece off, but I didn't dedicate a whole para to this.
But still managed to find 3 arguments from last year's exam (from Walker's writing)

So, is it a good idea to dedicate the first para to the pre-buttal or not?

Thanks so much!

For your SAC, I'll say do it because your teacher seems pretty persistent about it and they're the marking your work in the end, but for the exam, I'll say it depends and you'll have to be selective about whether or not to include it. Consider its significance to the author's argument (e.g are they a polarising public figure or from a demographic that usually isn't taken seriously? What's the relevance of the statement made to the broader issue?) and make a judgement from there.

[BNard]

Hey everyone!
Could anyone who is doing The White Tiger or is just an overall champ help me with unpacking this prompt! I'm currently trying to do some practice sacs:

“Balram is portrayed as a flawed hero in The White Tiger, but a hero nonetheless”

-Yes, Balram is a hero for breaking out of the 'darkness' but he is ultimately a sociopath whose flawed actions are justified by readers as a victim of India's corruption/inequality etc. therefore readers classify him as a hero.

This is slightly confused – you appear to be both challenging (‘ultimately a sociopath’) and not challenging (‘readers classify him as a hero’) the prompt, which is a tricky path to walk.

I'm not too sure if i've gone the right path in challenging the prompt. Any help would be appreciated! Also wrote a prac introduction for this:

Aravind Adiga, author of ‘The White Tiger’ critiques India’s prospering globalisation and democracy for enshrouding a socio-economic system that is plagued by a culture of servitude and rampant political and economic corruption.

I would aim for a less convoluted introductory sentence. Don’t be afraid to have a less specific sentence first, and then expand on it in the rest of your intro. To make it easy, you can have a format ready to go that allows you to substitute the topic. 
E.g. Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger explores ________, exposing ___________.
OR Aravind Adiga’s social critique, The White Tiger, explores ____
They’re not the most revolutionary sentence starters, but they don’t have to be! It’s better to be clear and brief than confuse the examiner with overly complicated language.

The protagonist, Balram Halwai narrates his bloodstained struggle of emancipating himself from utter poverty and destitution to becoming a successful entrepreneur.

I would rephrase:
‘In narrating his struggle to escape the entrenched slavery that represses India’s subaltern, flawed protagonist Balram Halwai describes his rise to the world of ‘entrepreneurs’ as a story of inspiration and heroism.’

Succeeding in his desire for freedom out of the darkness, Balram is characterised as a hero despite his morally dubious acts. However, Balram is ultimately a sociopath whose flawed acts are justified by readers as a victim of India’s systematic inequality.

Once again, this contention is a little bit murky. Are you trying to say that readers can’t see that Balram is really a sociopath, because that becomes confusing (as you are also a reader). Also, remember that it’s a good idea to at least briefly (and not too blatantly) outline the three arguments that you will use to support your contention in subsequent paragraphs.
I would choose to argue that Balram’s narration fails to disguise his fundamental moral corruption, therefore rendering him an ‘antihero’, neither hero or villain. You could support this with discussion about how the picture of hopelessness he created in describing his upbringing aims to convince readers that he is a victim of a society in which animalistic corruption rules. You could then discuss how it is his own narration and choice to present himself as a victim that exposes him as an unforgiveable ‘murderer’. You could then talk about how despite his efforts to shape his story into that of a triumphant escape from a life of oppression, the only escape that Balram has truly made is that from any moral compass that he once adhered to.

Overall - there is some good vocab in here, it just needs to be rejigged a bit to improve clarity.  This topic is an absolute classic TWT prompt - I'd suggest that you really try to craft a great essay on it because there's a good chance you'll be able to recycle some of the material if you write on this text in the exam

[vceme]

This is slightly confused – you appear to be both challenging (‘ultimately a sociopath’) and not challenging (‘readers classify him as a hero’) the prompt, which is a tricky path to walk.I would aim for a less convoluted introductory sentence. Don’t be afraid to have a less specific sentence first, and then expand on it in the rest of your intro. To make it easy, you can have a format ready to go that allows you to substitute the topic. 
E.g. Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger explores ________, exposing ___________.
OR Aravind Adiga’s social critique, The White Tiger, explores ____
They’re not the most revolutionary sentence starters, but they don’t have to be! It’s better to be clear and brief than confuse the examiner with overly complicated language.I would rephrase:
‘In narrating his struggle to escape the entrenched slavery that represses India’s subaltern, flawed protagonist Balram Halwai describes his rise to the world of ‘entrepreneurs’ as a story of inspiration and heroism.’
Once again, this contention is a little bit murky. Are you trying to say that readers can’t see that Balram is really a sociopath, because that becomes confusing (as you are also a reader). Also, remember that it’s a good idea to at least briefly (and not too blatantly) outline the three arguments that you will use to support your contention in subsequent paragraphs.
I would choose to argue that Balram’s narration fails to disguise his fundamental moral corruption, therefore rendering him an ‘antihero’, neither hero or villain. You could support this with discussion about how the picture of hopelessness he created in describing his upbringing aims to convince readers that he is a victim of a society in which animalistic corruption rules. You could then discuss how it is his own narration and choice to present himself as a victim that exposes him as an unforgiveable ‘murderer’. You could then talk about how despite his efforts to shape his story into that of a triumphant escape from a life of oppression, the only escape that Balram has truly made is that from any moral compass that he once adhered to.

Overall - there is some good vocab in here, it just needs to be rejigged a bit to improve clarity.  This topic is an absolute classic TWT prompt - I'd suggest that you really try to craft a great essay on it because there's a good chance you'll be able to recycle some of the material if you write on this text in the exam

Hey!
Thank you so much for taking the time to dissect my introduction and contention. I do admit that my contention was confusing and needed more improvement for clarity. I have fortunately revised my contention so its less wishy-washy   My teacher also told me that short sentences are great to enforce my point! so I definitely will take that feedback on. I am currently working on this essay with my revised contention and I will consider your perspective on this prompt. Thank you so much!!!! 

[DBA-144]

 

  This topic is an absolute classic TWT prompt - I'd suggest that you really try to craft a great essay on it because there's a good chance you'll be able to recycle some of the material if you write on this text in the exam

What do you mean by TWT prompt? Please clarify further, this seems pretty interesting.

[vceme]

What do you mean by TWT prompt? Please clarify further, this seems pretty interesting.

TWT prompt stands for 'The White Tiger' prompt being. The intro I wrote was for the novel 'The White Tiger'.

[vceme]

Hi everyone!
My teacher says I need to put more textual evidence despite my attempts at embedding quotes into my paragraphs. I've seen past high-scoring essays done for our SACs that explain an important passage but how do I avoid the whole re-telling thing! Also, in a TR how much of author's intention statements should I put in, or rather how do I avoid my TR essay from sounding like a language analysis on a novel. Thank you!!!

[DBA-144]

TWT prompt stands for 'The White Tiger' prompt being. The intro I wrote was for the novel 'The White Tiger'.

oops.  Sorry. Silly me. 

What are the different types of prompts? I know that there is structural, thematic, character? What other types are there?

Further, how should we deal with prompts which include quotes directly from the book? Do we include them in our introduction and deal with the implications/repercussions of the quotation in our work? Or, do we include the quote's context in the intro and then base our body paragraphs on what this means in the text as a whole?

TIA.

[DipsetForever]

Language Analysis Question: What does it mean to have "perceptive" understanding of arguments/views expresssed? and how would you demonstrate it without writing your own thoughts and opinions?

[MissSmiley]

Language Analysis Question: What does it mean to have "perceptive" understanding of arguments/views expresssed? and how would you demonstrate it without writing your own thoughts and opinions?

It just means trying to get into the readers' shoes and feeling what they would feel. Not you as a neutral reader, but the stakeholders in the issue.
(e.g. government ministers, animal rights activists, etc)
How they would feel + act as a result of reading the arguments that the author has introduced.
Analysing language perceptively also means trying to figure out vocab choices and other fine details that the writer uses to argue their point.
Thanks

[vceme]

oops.  Sorry. Silly me. 

What are the different types of prompts? I know that there is structural, thematic, character? What other types are there?

Further, how should we deal with prompts which include quotes directly from the book? Do we include them in our introduction and deal with the implications/repercussions of the quotation in our work? Or, do we include the quote's context in the intro and then base our body paragraphs on what this means in the text as a whole?

TIA.

I think you covered all the types of prompts, but anyone correct me if I'm wrong!
My teacher says that you should mention the quote anywhere in your body paragraphs. You should include where the quote has come from (at least who said it) as this demonstrates textual knowledge. You should probably talk about the implications of this quote for a higher scoring essay  (Again, still in year 12 so I might be wrong  )

[DipsetForever]

My english teacher hands the class the text we must analyse a week before our SAC... is this bad as we don’t have the same conditions when it comes to the exam?

[S200]

My english teacher hands the class the text we must analyse a week before our SAC... is this bad as we don’t have the same conditions when it comes to the exam?

Is this Language Analysis?

If so, well we have the same.

As long as your teacher makes you aware of good exam practice it should be Ok.

Try doing some timed responses as practice by yourself...

[Lear]

EDIT: Realised VATE Medea documentation is copy right material. Please ignore.

[Umattty]

Hi Everyone, 

This is my first post, so hopefully this is the correct place to post my English Question.

For Argument Analysis, am i allowed to analyse the placement of the main contention and the placement of argument?

For instance, if i was to analyse an article that included the main contention at the end of the article can i say that it shows that the writer has considered both sides of the issues before coming to a conclusion, eliciting a reasoned tone. Thus, inclining readers to support his argument as it is based on a thoughtful and balanced approah.

Hopefully this makes sense!

Also, Thanks in advance