50 in English, available for queries :)

[literally lauren]

^ +1, that pretty much covers it, cheers Zezima

[yang_dong]

thank you zezima!

just another quick question:
do the women in ransom show courage?

in a rather patriotic society, they bring men in and out of the world, but where in the text do they show courage? It feels like they don't?

[literally lauren]

yang_dong:

Googling this stuff should always be your first resort. Ransom has been on the English lists for awhile, so there are a fair few resources out there.
Here's the first one that came up; it unpicks the role of different female characters and gives you some possible scenes to look analyse with regards to courage/power/agency etc.

[LiquidPaperz]

Hi Lauren, Just wondering with comparative language analysis how you would structure it? and how you are meant to structure/what you are meant to talk about in the para about similarities and differences?

Our teacher hasnt explained it all too well, and any examples of these essays would be great if avaliable!

Thanks

[M_BONG]

thank you zezima!

just another quick question:
do the women in ransom show courage?

in a rather patriotic society, they bring men in and out of the world, but where in the text do they show courage? It feels like they don't?

Instead of giving you the answer, I will list you three scenes/things to look up, like Lauren suggested

1. The scene between Priam and Hecuba when Hecuba tries to dissuade Priam from going on the ransom.
Comment on the power imbalance between Priam and Hecuba. Does Hecuba show courage?
2. What does Malouf clearly say about the role of women?
Comment on the scene when Malouf talks about the importance of the woman's womb. Malouf also comments on how Achilles a demigod and Hector a strong warrior both come from the womb, staying there for "nine turns of the womb". How does that show the courage of women?
3. Look up Achilles's mother (the sea goddess). What does the quote "he knows his life will end here - in these treacherous shingles" signify? (Hint: the choice Achilles's mother gave to him).

Hope this helps.

Although, I have to say the role of women is minor in Ransom. Malouf focuses on common humanity rather than gender.

EDIT: I know this a thread by Lauren and people probably want her answers more than mine.. it's just that I love Ransom so much

[literally lauren]

LiquidPaperz:
Check the first post in this thread for an attached guide to structuring a Language Analysis. It's more of a general overview, but when it comes to multiple articles:
- don't compare at the expense of analysing
- let the spread of your analysis reflect the spread of the information (ie. don't waste a whole paragraph on a sinble blog comment or little cartoon; there should be one core text, spend most of your time dealing with that and use the others for contrasting contentions and techniques)
- rather than going through things chronologically, group your paragraphs by key players or ideas (search earlier posts for an explanation of this if you need) as this method will allow you to make the transition between pieces much easier.

I've also posted my responses earlier that were both comparative pieces, and most of the ones in the Sample Work Directory will have multiple articles too. The VCAA ones tend to be more straightforward, but they have been known to introduce comparative elements occasionally.


Zezima, it sounds like you know Ransom inside-out; your input is more than welcome!
Never apologize for loving your English texts 

[LiquidPaperz]

Hey Lauren, just went through the 32 pages in this thread and couldnt find the comparative essay. I was wondering if you could please attach it or guide me to it. Thanks

[literally lauren]

Most of the samples are within the first few pages, here and here.
I'm in the process of reorganising this thread so things are easier to find, won't be long

[LiquidPaperz]

thanks for that are these ones comparative or just standard LAs? i couldnt find the other article you were comparing to.

Thanks

[literally lauren]

In both instances there's one core text, a visual or two, and some blog comments, each of which function as individual texts (with the exception of maybe some of the images.) Though you may have worked on comparing multiple texts for your SACs, VCAA have never/ are very very unlikely to give you more than one major text. Comparative tasks more often involve smaller texts (usually blog comments or letters to the editor) as contrasts to a key approach, and while you do get marks for discussing these different methods, ultimately your analytical skills are what counts.

[lucas.vang]

Hi, I'm having trouble starting off paragraphs.. Its just normally the first few words.

Like I have my topic sentences and arguments but I just cant find the few words to make it flow.

For example:
I normally start off like this
Intro: Set against the backdrop....
Bodies:
In such a ..... society
Throughout the novel ...
Through characters..

Yeah pretty bad haha , please help
thankyou !!

[walkec]

Hi Lauren,

I recently had parent teacher interviews and my English/Lit teacher says he feels as though I am doing better in English than in Lit. All year I feel as though I have been working really hard in English and haven't really been getting results that reflect my efforts a lot of the time. So I was wondering if you ever felt like this and how did you work through any periods of self-doubt?

I recently got my Wag the Dog SAC back too and it was my worse mark yet in English (40/50). I'm starting to doubt myself a bit with English - how do you get through these periods? I have another SAC next week for English on The Reluctant Fundamentalist

[LiquidPaperz]

Do you think a conclusion is needed in a comparative language analysis between two articles? if so what can i include, i 'literally' (see what i did their  ) have no idea!!

Thanks

[DJA]

Do you think a conclusion is needed in a comparative language analysis between two articles? if so what can i include, i 'literally' (see what i did their  ) have no idea!!

Thanks

 

there <3

Sorry couldn't help it........i swear I'm not this much of a dick irl

[literally lauren]

lucas.vang:
Those one's you've mentioned sound okay, but rather than getting caught up in the expression, try to work out what you're saying on a basic level. It's all well and good to use 'Set against the backdrop of...' because it sounds cool, but is it actually relevant? Are you addressing the historical/social context properly, or just mentioning it in passing? Either is okay, so long as you're aware that you won't get quite as much credit for the latter.
Some basic lists of conjunctions like 'Although,' 'Whilst,' 'Despite... nonetheless' 'Likewise,' 'Similiarly,' 'Contrarily' etc. might help get you started. (Check a thesaurus too if you find yourself overusing some.)

walkec:
I'll address these two issues separately, since effective study and maintaining self-confidence require different skillsets to deal with.
It can be really frustrating when you feel like your effort:results ratio is out of balance. When you say you've been working hard in English, what exactly does that mean for you? Perhaps there's been too much practice essay drilling and not enough exploring the texts/ideas? Or maybe you've been doing so many class activites on themes and workbook questions that you haven't had the chance to actually implement your knowledge?
What most of this comes down to though, is identifying where you're losing marks. At this stage of the year, it's crucial to know your weak spots, so go through your teacher's comments (if they're helpful) otherwise post some stuff on the Submissions thread for some alternate input. Let's assume you're getting 8/10 on your essays; there's a hell of a lot of different ways to lose 2 marks. A few of your ideas might be sketchy, your expression could be all over the place, etc. If you're making the same mistakes over an over again, then it might be more of a chore trying to fix an ingrained habit.
With regards to quelling the doubt-monster, positive thinking never goes astray. Some perspective can be useful to (English is notorious for messing with the marking system; a 40/50 sounds scarier than 8/10 ) Also, numerical scores are often the best way to freak yourself out. Don't get me wrong, the feedback is important, but obsessing over numbers can get to your head. Instead, concentrate on what you got wrong, qualitatively speaking, ie. 'oh no, I had a wonky contention' as opposed to 'oh no, I lost 10 marks.'
Be aware that your abilities are constantly developing, unlike some subjects where you either know something or you don't, English relies more so on your capacity to continually better your understanding throughout the year.
So yeah, being aware of where you're at without stressing about it is the main thing. If you need help rationalising your approach or interpreting the feedback I'm happy to help with that too

LiquidPaperz:
As I've said in the L.A. guide, conclusions are structural requirements. Even though most of the marks are in the actual analysis, you still need a proper intro and concl. to appease the fussy assessors. Try to briefly sum up the contentions and comment on how language is used overall. Discussing how each piece ends can also be a nice way to conclude.

DJA,
Don't worry, I am like that irl. I can tell when people are using the wrong 'there/their/they're.' Even verbally. #superawesomeuselessEnglishpowers