English help

[Chang Feng]

Hi,
I was just wondering if someone could help me. My teachers tell me I lack the ability to analyze, and instead summaries the plot (how could I overcome this?), -being "critically analyze text and ways in which author construct meaning"
And also since my English right now is really horrible averaging C's to D's, does anyone know any good tutors which can help me. Also is the Atarnotes English study guide beneficial (what's in it, how does it help) or is there better study guides out there which could also help me improve?
Thank you, help is much appreciated.

[nhmn0301]

Hi,
I was just wondering if someone could help me. My teachers tell me I lack the ability to analyze, and instead summaries the plot (how could I overcome this?), -being "critically analyze text and ways in which author construct meaning"
And also since my English right now is really horrible averaging C's to D's, does anyone know any good tutors which can help me. Also is the Atarnotes English study guide beneficial (what's in it, how does it help) or is there better study guides out there which could also help me improve?
Thank you, help is much appreciated.

As I believe, with English and any other subjects, practice makes perfect. I understand how you feel when you  look at the essay topic and say to yourself "wth?!?!". So one of my recommended approach to an essay topic would be: try to identify the key words, makes questions out of it and try to answer them throughout your essay. I'll give you an example:
"Hard time" shows that the rich and the poor live in different worlds. Discuss.
Now, let's make questions out of these, remember, when approaching an essay topic, 2 of the most common questions that you should ask yourself is WHY and HOW:
_ Shows: HOW does the author show it? WHY does the author want to do so?
_Rich: WHO is the rich? Is it just material richness?
_Poor: WHO is the poor? Think about minor characters
_Different worlds = subjective (you can make some profound key points out of this, it also adds complexity to your essay as well)
_Discuss: cover all the basic concepts above and also find exceptions, make a profound point (maybe the poor have it better in some way).
From this, I hope you have a general idea of how to deal with an essay topic. But of course, you cannot write an essay without your understanding of the text. Try to work on that throughout the year whether your notes at school, study guides (don't rely on these too much, just pick out something useful since all the assessors know all about them ), or reading other essays. Making notes, reviewing and try to read your novel at least 5 times.
Also, as mentioned above, practice makes perfect. At first, I didn't like writing neither, it's like a physical abuse to me. However, as I try to improve my vocabulary, read and try to imitate, combine all the language and styles that people use, I manage to keep a pretty good score at school. Everyday, open a document and try to write about something that you like so you eventually build up a habit of writing. Then, try to write small essay paragraph every single day, it doesn't need to sound perfect, just practice and then ask your teacher or someone who can check it for you, listen to their advice and work on it throughout the year. Oh and also, tutors can be great if you really need that extra-help in English !
Oops, I think I make a small essay  over here, but anw, don't give up!
Best wishes for your study

[dilks]

Analysis in Text Response is like analysis in Language Analysis. You need to pick out specific authorial decisions the author has made (or, alternatively, specific quotations from the text) and explain what they mean (i.e. how they change our understanding of the novel). For example:

"Malouf uses the character of Somax, who is described as the 'personification of the ordinary', to epitomise the notion that the travails of ordinary individuals going about their day to day lives, are potentially just as heroic, if not more so, as the exploits of Priam and Achilles."

So here the authorial decision is the inclusion of the character of Somax, and I've explained the meaning of his inclusion in terms of his symbolic function within the novel's heroic framework.

[Yacoubb]

Hi,
I was just wondering if someone could help me. My teachers tell me I lack the ability to analyze, and instead summaries the plot (how could I overcome this?), -being "critically analyze text and ways in which author construct meaning"
And also since my English right now is really horrible averaging C's to D's, does anyone know any good tutors which can help me. Also is the Atarnotes English study guide beneficial (what's in it, how does it help) or is there better study guides out there which could also help me improve?
Thank you, help is much appreciated.

I believe you're talking about text response, which is Section A of the exam, and the first of the three areas of study of the VCE English course. In text response, you need to read a text, and respond to a question using evidence from the text, and making a link between the event in the text, which you substantiate using quotes, and the question you are given, analysing what the author intends upon conveying to the reader by writing about a particular event, portraying a character in a particular way, etc.

My advice to you is 1. Learn the text well. Many students who summarise the plot do it usually only to show the teacher that they know the text. Knowing the text well, and demonstrating this in your piece, is only one of the criterion required to score well in a script you write. By knowing the text well, you'll be able to better analyse a particular event because your knowledge of it is so deep that you can view that event in various dimensions, and points of view. 2. Don't story tell. This is what you're trying to overcome. Instead of saying "Event X occurs", discuss how Event X relates back to the main question you are answering, and what the author/director is conveying to the reader/viewer. If you can do so, you'll be well into analysing the event, character, etc, rather than merely story-telling. 3. Know your themes/characters/quotes. If you demonstrate to your assessor that you have breadth in your knowledge of minor characters, main themes, and both incidental and evidential quotes related to these themes, characters and events, you'll do exceptionally well, given your script is legible and embellished with sophisticated vocabulary.

Good luck, and if you require any corrections for your pieces, post your piece on AN and one of the highly intelligent AN members can assist you!

Hope this helped!

[Chang Feng]

Thank you all so much for your hell. I would take the advice and try to write some practice essays and utilize those advice and technique. So just rephrasing for the body paragraph of the text response, I should first write a topic sentence including my contention of the paragraph. Give an explanation of section of text that provides evidence of contention. then explain why does she do this, and how. And then conclude with a linking sentence. I think I might write a practice one body paragraph and then post on atarnotes for some feedback. Thanks again.

[90+FTW]

Chang Feng, what novel/film are you studying for Text Response?

[Chang Feng]

Year 11. Studying to kill a mocking bird, Medea, gattaca (film)

[Chang Feng]

Oops not gattaca