Could someone please explain to me the differences of syntax sentence structure) eg. polysndenton syntax, asyndeton etc??
Okay, polysyndeton and asyndeton aren't really to do with sentence structure - it's about how you list things.
Polysyndeton means having lots of 'and's or conjunctions (since 'poly' = many)
Asyndeton means having no 'and's or conjunctions (since 'a-' = without; as in, 'asymmetrical' = without symmetry, etc.)
So an example of polysyndeton would be if I were to say 'I went to the shops because I had to buy chips
and drinks
and lollies
and chocolate.'
Asyndeton would be: 'I went to the shops and bought chips, drinks, lollies, chocolate.'
Usually, the effect is the same (assuming you're analysing this in L.A.) as the author is typically emphasising the excessive nature of whatever he's listing.
I'm not sure if your question was more about sentence structure though, so let me know if I've misinterpreted anything!
Is a context paragraph important to include or can I go without it? I feel it's not relevant but I've been told I need one
Would this be for Text Repsonse or Language Analysis? Either way, my answer's the same - you probably don't need to include it. My best guess is that this is an L.A. thing where you have an opening paragraph about the issue and what sparked it or what people's response has been, which you
definitely don't need to do in the exam. Just get to the author's contention ASAP in your intro, and then you can start earning marks for your analysis in your body paragraphs. Everything else is just peripheral window dressing
In Burial Rites, Hannah Kent has included an 'author's note' at the conclusion of the text. Is this something that I can refer to in my essays?
Also, this may be a ridiculous observation, but I think their are some elements of a Shakespearean tragedy contained within the novel. That is, Agnes is "cursed" by a mysterious "traveller" as a young maid, and she attempts to "escape" her "destiny" but ultimately succumbs to her inevitable "fate".
Would it be okay to comment on this as a structural element in my essays? If so, how would I refer to it?
You can refer to the author's note if you want to, but to me it seems like the kind of thing that's not going to be wholly useful for many prompts, so I'd prioritise the contents of the actual novel above that.
Re: Shakespearean allusions... I'm not sure how strong the connection is there. Fate and destiny are age-old themes that many texts use as plot devices or key themes, so whilst you could definitely refer to those features in B.R. I don't think it's worth comparing them to Shakespeare or any other text unless you feel like it's directly contributing to your analysis.
Should I revise a little for a second text response text just in case the prompts for my preferred texts aren't what i expected?
Personally, I wouldn't bother because I'm of the opinion that you'd be better off spending that time revising your chosen text and trying to cover all bases than trying to re-learn an entirely different plot/bunch of quotes 'just in case' :/
Think of it this way: if you double down and devote all your T.R. time to your preferred text, it means that virtually
everything you do is going to directly help you in the exam. Whereas, if you split your efforts between two texts, you're doing twice the amount of work for only half the reward. What's more - there are very few things VCAA could give you that you wouldn't be able to handle if you prepare adequately, and I say this as someone who got a killer prompt for my text back in 2013. No joke, I looked at it and went '...well there's an entire theme I never knew existed until just now. K, let's do this' and just used what I knew and applied it to the bizarrely left-of-field prompt I was dealt. (There was another option, but that was boring
) So I tend to recommend just focusing on one text to make things easier for you, but if you
really want a back up plan and you feel like it wouldn't be too taxing to devote some time to it, I guess it wouldn't hurt to give your secondary text a quick read through or write an essay or two.
& on a related note... just to pick up on the delightful food metaphors going on above...
Two prompts.
One is on zucchini, that thing you looked at once all year.
The other is on celery; how is celery in the text?!
Totally agree with HLS and TheLlama here; the
worst thing you can do in cases like this is to say that
a) Yes, zucchini is a thing in the text, as are tomatoes... here's an essay about tomatoes.
b) Yes, celery is in the text, just like oranges... here's an essay on oranges.
You
can work in related themes and ideas if they are relevant, but you have to make them relevant! To use TheLlama's example:
you're looking to do more than spot the vegetables in a question. If they suggestion is, "in what ways is this text about zucchini?", and you can reveal the dichotomy or link between zucchinis and oranges
Connections between themes and ideas are an awesome way to feel more prepared, and VCAA will often try to throw you off balance by giving you a prompt like
'The text is about courgettes. Discuss' so that half the state goes 'oh shit, wtf is a courgette??' ...but if you're smart and brought a dictionary in, then you'll be able to work out...
...oh look, it's the same major theme and they're just using a close synonym!
But to return to the previous analogy, you
NEVER want a contention like 'yep, courgettes are a thing, BUT SO ARE ORANGES' because that's going to be seen as a massive topic dodge. Even having a whole body paragraph exclusively devoted to oranges would be too much, in my opinion. What you can do, however, is have a paragraph about the way courgettes and oranges go great together in a salad... or something... k, imma move away from the food metaphors and go for an actual prompt so this doesn't get too weird...
e.g.
In All About Eve, the characters struggle to overcome their own egos. Discuss.If you look at that and think, yeah, they do struggle to overcome their own egos, but they also struggle to overcome social expectations...
be very careful! You can't just talk about social expectations
INSTEAD of their egos... but you can talk about how social expectations shape their egos and sense of self, for instance, of how their egos create social expectations for themselves and one another that can be hard to overcome.
In short:
add stuff to the prompt, if you can and if you need to, but never
replace stuff in the prompt with something you prepared earlier, as you'll likely be heavily penalised for trying.
Guys i begin my expository piece with a quote that i touch on the intro and then in my body paragraph i expand on it, my teacher has never made a comment on it but now she is saying im not allowed to begin a paragraph with a quote, is this true?
Somewhat frustratingly, you can do whatever you want in an expository essay. You can begin a paragraph with a quote if you use it and explain it well, but perhaps your teacher is telling you not to do that because at the moment, the quote doesn't feel like it's being integrated? You never want to make it seem like the quote is doing the work for you - if you're able to explain its significance to your discussion/contention/prompt though, that's a perfectly fine way to begin.
Defs don't do it in T.R. or L.A. though!