Context - Written Explanation

[Stick]

Surprisingly, context writing, which has always been my weakest area of English, has come to me very easily this year. From the very first practice essay I've written, the teacher's been really happy with how it's all going. I just need to work on my written explanation though. To be honest, writing an explanation (especially before writing the piece) feels a bit unnatural to me. My teacher told me that it should not be longer than about 150 words, but I think this is wrong. I'm not sure if you've heard of the FLAPC acronym, but it's what I've been using to write the explanation and I don't think it's really working for me. I think I'd benefit from a far more rigid structure - one that perhaps can get me writing about 300-400 words (about a page) fairly comfortably. Any help would be really appreciated.

[Yacoubb]

From what I know written explanations at my school are 200-300 words. You should use the FLAP+C acronym but just remember to include what you are trying to achieve in your writing + how it derives ideas from the selected text. Writing three paragraphs should suffice the 150-200 word limit.

[brenden]

Firstly, you should be writing your statement of intention after your piece of writing. I just called mine the "written explanation" or the "Statement of explanation". Obviously this is pretty beneficial because it frees your mind during writing, and you really can just explain what you wrote, instead of thinking "fuck, how do I explain what I'm intending to write" (which never worked so well for me).
Take FLAPC lightly. That was defs the structure I was taught and would certainly loosely teach that structure, however, I think it is just a lot more natural to just explain whatever you wrote. Keep in mind, I only ever wrote stories, so this might not apply with expository essays. In writing a story, I could just explain any metaphors I used, any symbols, any connections to the text that were intended but perhaps subtle, why I decided to change my narrative voice/style/structure at times. I just saw the written explanation as my chance to teach the reader how awesome my story is.
(Not really, but it was a teaching opporunity). Ofc, I roughly adhered to FLAPC in doing this ad hoc explanation.

[jeanweasley]

Okay, here's an attempt at a structure: (It's pretty much FLAPC but I've reworded it. I hope it helps, even if a little)

1. Describe the context - what is the context about? Explain in general terms what it means and its implications. Then, explore the main arguments/ideas of the context and then relate it into the prompt.
2. Introduce your piece - is it an expository essay, persuasive article, journal blog and explain why you have chosen that form. What are the benefits of writing in expository form and how does this inform your reader or target audience about the ideas you want to explore?
3. Identify the target audience - who are you writing to and why have you chosen to write to them? How will they receive your arguments/ideas and what do you want them to think after reading your piece?
4. Explore your ideas - introduce your main ideas being explored in your chosen form. Why have you chosen to use to explore these ideas and how does this contribute to the weight of the context, that is the question or statement being asked by the prompt? Introduce the reason you have chosen such ideas and what do you want your reader to think/act/believe/do after reading your piece? Do you mean to inform/persuade/convince your reader and why?
5. Identify and explain persuasive techniques - What persuasive techniques or language devices have you used to convince/inform/persuade the reader? How is this technique helpful for your chosen intent? Do they help to deliver your argument?

So, each point can be one paragraph each or you can blend, say 1 and 3 in the introduction and then do 2 and 4, leaving 3 and 5 last.

[Stick]

Woah the way my teacher has done FLAPC is so simplified it isn't even funny. This is essentially all new to me now. I think seeing an example might be really beneficial. Thanks for the help thus far.

[vashappenin]

Is a statement of intention necessary for a context piece? My teacher never mentioned anything about it, and she's an assessor

[Fluttershy]

How mine go:

'In this <insert essay style here> essay, I aim to discuss <reworded essay topic here>. In order to more directly appeal (or you could use 'connect', or whatever) to my audience of <insert audience here>, a <insert writing style> style and <insert tone> tone will be used. In this piece, I draw upon examples from <insert text(s) and author(s) here> in order to illustrate the idea that <insert slightly more detailed topic/contention here>.'

Obviously I didn't use exactly the same format every essay, but that generally covers everything, and it got me 5/5s without very much effort at all. With practice, you can create your own 'template' for Statement of Intention and write it within 3-4 minutes.

Also, generally not much emphasis is placed on the Statement of Intention. If you're a fast writer, you can whip out a 300-400 word SOI in the five minutes given, but 150 words is also fine and will get you full marks for that section if you have all the bases covered. Whatever makes you more comfortable

Finally, for anyone reading who didn't know, you will NOT need an SOI in the exam. For some reason lots of people don't know this until towards the end of the year o.o

[michak]

Is a statement of intention necessary for a context piece? My teacher never mentioned anything about it, and she's an assessor

It isn't for the exam but most schools want you to do one in the sac.

[Stick]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll make sure to try these this week.

[jeanweasley]

Okay, here's one I found off vcestudyguides.com . It's pretty basic but I think you'll be able to understand it any way.

In this essay, I explored the idea that 'Conflict inevitably changes people'. Every person encounters conflict. It drives individuals to challenge themselves, and deal with new experiences.
I chose to write in an expository style, employing conventions of format and style of a traditional essay. This allows me to express my ideas in a logical order while adopting a sophisticated tone. My piece is to be published in an anthology for VCE students familiar with the subject matter and texts. As they have familiarity with the concepts I discuss, I intend for readers to depart with a greater understanding and appreciation of the ideas in my written piece.The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate that there can be different outcomes from encountering conflict: firstly, that conflicts can change many people through growth in understanding or a sense of self-development and secondly, that there are times when people remain unaffected by conflict and thus, unchanged. I have chosen formal language in an attempt to demonstrate a comprehensive and thoughtful piece. Inclusive words such as 'we' and 'us' have been incorporated to allow me to connect with the audience. Furthermore, my use of first-person perspective aims to add credibility to my argument.

And here's mine. Our statement of intent do not get marked but I believe I did fine.

I have chosen to write in an expository form in the point of view of a student writing for the school literary magazine. This allows me to adopt a formal tone enriched with sophisticated vocabulary as I am writing for students interested in learning more about the world around them as the magazine encompasses a range of issues, events and ideas.

Inclusive language such as “we” and “our” are employed to establish rapport with the reader. This is so that they feel included in discussing of the context, as they are affected by the construction of realities which people establish for themselves and others.

“Humans” are used instead of people not to appear impersonal but to show that we are species affected by our innate nature, to do, act, or behave in a way that we cannot control.

Rhetorical questions are always used to provoke thought and to engage discussion.

There is also reference to philosophers’ theories such as Plato who believed that humankind were innately ignorant and gained knowledge only after experiencing life.

World events are also used to provide depth about the extent of constructed realities affecting our daily lives and our perception of how we view the world. Examples from primary text, “Death of a Salesman” are also utilised.

As the literary magazine is read by senior students, they would have an idea as to why realities are constructed and by whom as this is a VCE context topic. The purpose of the essay is to explore why realities are constructed by various institutions or people. It also covers the reasons for why humankind is impressionable and let those “powerful” or with influence to convince us to believe in a certain way.

This essay talks about the effects of believing in constructed realities and also challenges reasons for believing in them. This is because not all people believe in constructed realities established by others as their psychological state is as influential. Also, realities are questioned when they do not work for us. In this essay, my aim is not to present humankind as a delusional flock who invent realities for their sake but to give reason and as to why, as species, we feel the need to find meaning in our lives and resort to means that may likely, as history proves, destroy us.


As for language devices, my school accepts them in bullet form, for example:

I have employed the following techniques in the essay to support my arguments that though we are influenced by society, we can choose to accept or reject their ideas:

* Inclusive language such as "we" and "our" to establish that the issue affects the whole of society and is not limited to a certain section of society.
* Literary references as the reader is familiar with them. This is to support my contention that people are only influenced if they let themselves be.
* Anecdotes such as "I was lucky enough to see that..." to establish rapport with the reader and to convince them that they too are affected by the issue and should therefore think about the consequences of the issue

I don't think that the statement of intent need be written formally but since it's never been marked, I wouldn't know. My teacher seems to be fine with it though.
Good luck, Stick!

[pi]

An example of mine (can be found on the AN notes database):

In exploration of the context ‘Whose Reality?’, I have written an expository-creative hybrid piece, one that could be published in the The Age ‘Sunday Life magazine’ under the sub-topic of ‘Lifestyle’, for a general adult cohort of readers. The piece focuses on Lucy Reid, an actor who portrays Blanche in a sequel film to Tennesse William’s A Streetcar Named Desire, in her discussion regarding the recent editing of the film prior to a screening in Dubai.

Lucy explores the theme of interpretation: what it means for her audience and why different interpretations are necessary, whilst the interviewer poses questions about the interpretation from those who have edited the film. In accordance with the prompt: “Every reality is open to interpretation”, the primary focus of the piece is the notion of interpretation regarding the reality, which in this case, is the film.

The use of fictional ‘entertainment analyst’ Brandon Lawrence allowed me to not only adapt the colloquial and conversational style of language in accordance with the Sunday Life magazine, but also allowed me to ask for the interpretations from the view of the actor, adding a different perspective to my response. Drawing on the real censorship of A Streetcar Named Desire in 1951, I was able to add credibility and plausibility to my piece. With Lucy explaining her interpretation as a professional actor, and Brandon Lawrence exploring the notion of interpretations from the view of the censors, I hope to show that “Every reality is open to interpretation”.

[Stick]

Thank you so much everyone. I've finally found something comfortable for me.

[werdna]

Try to use FLAPCTO - form, language, audience, purpose, context ideas, text, other sources.