How to write a close analysis essay on short stories?

[Genericname2365]

In that regard, isn't your teacher saying that it's "okay" to retell the story?
That's what it seems like to me!

Mentioning events related to the discussion doesn't automatically imply "retelling" the story. It could be a moment that ties in with the issue you're discussing, or related to character development etc.

[EvangelionZeta]

Thanks for clearing that up, but I quote one of my teacher's emails:

"I agree with many of your tutor's comments....except the ones about not discussing or analysing outside the passages. Remember, these passages are meant to reflect on key themes/events/character studies within the play/novel. So it is completely acceptable and necessary to comment on events that have lead up to, and  after the passages."


:S :S :S :S

My take: you can vaguely gesture towards events that immediately precede or follow passages if they are relevant (eg. say you get a passage of Hamlet in act 5 prior to the final scene, you're allowed to say something like "And so, from here on, as the audience prepares themselves for Hamlet's ultimately mortal fate at the play's denouement, the meditative Hamlet in Passage Three exemplifies an embrace of death, and an acceptance of the finite and infinite wonders of the world beyond life".  Here the gesturing serves a sort of rhetorical purpose in contextualising the significance of this particular reading (whilst firmly grounding it within the passage itself); it is, however, nothing close to actually analysing and explicitly dealing with something outside of the passage.

[Lolly]

My take: you can vaguely gesture towards events that immediately precede or follow passages if they are relevant (eg. say you get a passage of Hamlet in act 5 prior to the final scene, you're allowed to say something like "And so, from here on, as the audience prepares themselves for Hamlet's ultimately mortal fate at the play's denouement, the meditative Hamlet in Passage Three exemplifies an embrace of death, and an acceptance of the finite and infinite wonders of the world beyond life".  Here the gesturing serves a sort of rhetorical purpose in contextualising the significance of this particular reading (whilst firmly grounding it within the passage itself); it is, however, nothing close to actually analysing and explicitly dealing with something outside of the passage.

Indeed. There is a huge difference between this and:

discussing or analysing outside the passages

I find it really hard to confront people, but I'll talk to them tomorrow when I get back to school. I don't know how far I'll get with them since they've both been teaching this structure for years and all my other classmates are following this formula down to the T without question. I already messed up the status quo when I decided not to do formal intros and conclusions....:S

[EvangelionZeta]

My take: you can vaguely gesture towards events that immediately precede or follow passages if they are relevant (eg. say you get a passage of Hamlet in act 5 prior to the final scene, you're allowed to say something like "And so, from here on, as the audience prepares themselves for Hamlet's ultimately mortal fate at the play's denouement, the meditative Hamlet in Passage Three exemplifies an embrace of death, and an acceptance of the finite and infinite wonders of the world beyond life".  Here the gesturing serves a sort of rhetorical purpose in contextualising the significance of this particular reading (whilst firmly grounding it within the passage itself); it is, however, nothing close to actually analysing and explicitly dealing with something outside of the passage.

Indeed. There is a huge difference between this and:

discussing or analysing outside the passages

I find it really hard to confront people, but I'll talk to them tomorrow when I get back to school. I don't know how far I'll get with them since they've both been teaching this structure for years and all my other classmates are following this formula down to the T without question. I already messed up the status quo when I decided not to do formal intros and conclusions....:S

Do you think it's worth it talking to them about it?  If they've been teaching it for years they've probably felt it's worked up until now for them, and hence might not be inclined to change it under any circumstances...=/

[Lolly]

I honestly don't know. I can't go behind their back and just refuse to link outside the text. This would be detrimental to our relationship. Constructive talk would be best IMO...

[Lolly]

More confusion. Teacher told me to look at this section from the 2011 VCAA Examiner's report:
"A further problem was the inability to show a detailed or accurate knowledge of the text. Passages were often discussed in isolation without any real acknowledgment of the wider text."

"The more able students could move smoothly between and beyond the passages to use them as a basis for a comprehensive analysis and discussion. Some students made reference to other poems by Gwen Harwood in which she discusses the demands and rewards of motherhood, such as A Kitchen Poem and The Twins. Others referred to other poems by John Keats or to additional stories by Katherine Mansfield, which helped to support their contentions."

[charmanderp]

^notice how that says reference to other poems or other short stories; essentially entirely different texts. Analysing parts of the same text other than the passages you've been given is slightly different. I think you might be slightly overestimating what 'acknowledgement of the wider text' means; obviously you have to be able to discuss how the passages are relevant to other key features on the text. But to totally analyse them is not appropriate - the excerpt from the Examiner's Report there says that they 'referenced' other poems, showing their acknowledgment for how Gwen Harwood's existential concerns and feminist ideals and such were notional of her entire oeuvre. In order to be comprehensive, you're going to have to back up any points you make in analysing the passages with reference to other parts of the text if it's needed, but don't go overboard with it. Just brief mentions.

[Lolly]

"Thus, despite these attempts to draw together the dichotomies of her universe, Lauren descends further into a pit of utter confusion and chaos."

 Well not really, lol, but I have to make up my mind.

[charmanderp]

What do the sample 'high-level' responses published as part of Examiner's Report do?

[Lolly]

This is a rhetorical question?

[charmanderp]

No haha I just can't be bothered re-reading them

[EvangelionZeta]

^^I would be wary of the "high level responses" to be honest, since they're not of a top tier quality generally (also because one of the Hamlet ones from 2009 does quote explicitly from outside of the text for godknowswhat reason).  They're better than the English ones that they provide (which are usually like a 7 or an 8 at best...), but I still don't think most of the samples are higher than say a 17-18.

[Lolly]

I  should mention that had a good chat with the Burke today and got all of my holiday essays back. ( He marked them a bit differently to you, EZ ) He was pretty happy with them, actually. It wasn't confrontational or anything like that, (He lent me Nietzsche's Thus spoke Zarathustra, Erasmus' Praise of Folly and Celtic Miscellany fun fun fun), but he had quite a bit to say regarding linking passages.  According to him, as long as you have a foot in the passage, you're showing to the examiners your knowledge of that excerpt if you link outside of it.

 He also said that he can only ( strongly) advise me and I have to follow through with what I believe is right...

[charmanderp]

^^I would be wary of the "high level responses" to be honest, since they're not of a top tier quality generally (also because one of the Hamlet ones from 2009 does quote explicitly from outside of the text for godknowswhat reason).  They're better than the English ones that they provide (which are usually like a 7 or an 8 at best...), but I still don't think most of the samples are higher than say a 17-18.

For sure they're not really 'high-level' but I just recommended them as an example for this case because they probably wouldn't have been included if they did anything the examiners didn't want or thought was particularly wrong, such as over-analysis of material beyond the passages.

Although that Hamlet case is slightly worrying.

[charmanderp]

I  should mention that had a good chat with the Burke today and got all of my holiday essays back. ( He marked them a bit differently to you, EZ ) He was pretty happy with them, actually. It wasn't confrontational or anything like that, (He lent me Nietzsche's Thus spoke Zarathustra, Erasmus' Praise of Folly and Celtic Miscellany fun fun fun), but he had quite a bit to say regarding linking passages.  According to him, as long as you have a foot in the passage, you're showing to the examiners your knowledge of that excerpt if you link outside of it.

 He also said that he can only ( strongly) advise me and I have to follow through with what I believe is right...

Linking is alright, I'd just advise against going beyond that and don't go into the exam looking specifically to write about specific passages or events no matter what happens. He's right though, ultimately; you need to develop a style and then go through with it. Remember that if you write a fantastic response something trivial like this will probably not drag your mark down.