English Advanced Question Thread

[jamonwindeyer]

I'm not a mod, just another student but i'll try and spot some

"Your garden is imaginary, Your chickens are imaginary. There's nothing here but trash from the beach"
- Dichotomy/Juxtaposition between imagination and reality


“dentists in the States had interest in candy factories.”
- Irony (dentists being interested in candy)
- Maybe throw in incongruity theory if it is relevant

“darkness were the joints and brackets of his mind.”
- Sombre imagery?
- Metaphor/symbolism depending on context of statement
- Depending on the use of mind -> could be synecdoche

“it was glorious in this old taxicab”
My personal favourite cop out technique -> descriptive language
You'll need someone else to help with the last one i'm clueless

Feel free to use or not use these, i'm just another student and not nearly as experienced as the mods

Thanks heaps Jimmy!! We love to see people helping each other out  I can't really add much, for that last one it is playing with tense a little bit? It was glorious in this old taxicab. Can't see much else, gotta go with descriptive language  oh, and the first quote has repetition of 'imaginary' as well (I relied on repetition way too heavily in the HSC) 

[Chinnuj]

Hey Elyse,
I am studying WB Yeats, and i was just wondering if you have any tips in learning all of the poems?
Thankyou

[kimmie]

Hello Elyse! I am doing module B for Adv English at school and I don't understand how to structure my essay. Like should my analysis include my own opinion of the text and then back it up with critic reviews?

Before you can ask a question, you'll have to make an ATAR Notes account here. Once you've done that, a little 'reply' button will come up when you're viewing threads, and you'll be able to post whatever you want!

Hello you literature loving things!

I am the legal studies lecturer for NSW ATAR Notes, which I love! My truest passion has always sat with English. 4 of my 11 HSC units were made from English subjects, so you can tell it is my passion! I graduated in 2015, I'm fresh out of the HSC feels. I also have kept contact with my English teachers, so if there is something here that I'm not 100% on, I will endeavor to give you the best advice based on everything I have at my disposal!

I'm making this thread as a kind of public Q&A. You ask me anything at all, and I will get back to you with the most detailed answer I can give. Unfortunately, we may find a text barrier here because of the amount of optional texts there are. For Area of Study, my prescribed text was the documentary "Go Back to Where You Came From." For Module A I studied Richard III and Looking for Richard. For Module B I studied the poetry of W B Yeats (my favourite texts!!!!) and for Module C I studied Brooklyn.

However! I want to hear everything you have to say. My answers will be stronger if they are not specifically text based, or if they regard the texts I studied. However, I'm happy to have a go at whatever you guys need, because I'm trying to be the person for you guys that I needed during my HSC. Throughout the year I'm going to do some reading of the prescribed texts that I didn't study, but I know that you guys are so that I can try and be more helpful. No question is too small or too large. If you feel like you want to, send me a private message. However, if you are curious about something there is a good chance that a lot of people are, so if you make it a public post I can make my response accessible to everyone.

We also have a free essay marking forum that provides awesome feedback. You can find that here: English Advanced Essay Marking

Advanced English is a demanding but rewarding subject. I'm always looking forward to chatting with you guys so don't be shy! We are one big ATAR NotesHSC  family around here.

[jamonwindeyer]

Hey Elyse,
I am studying WB Yeats, and i was just wondering if you have any tips in learning all of the poems?
Thankyou

Hey there!! I didn't study WB Yeats, but I studied poetry and speeches for Discovery and Module B respectively, both of which had 7+ texts to remember. Definitely not easy!

My big suggestion here is to get summaries of each poem done as soon as you can. There is no reason to learn all the poems in full, you only need the juicy bits! Take the quotes from each and get them into a nice summary sheet: Quotes, techniques, context and explanations, only the information you need to memorise.

Then, study that sheet however you like! You could even make palm cards, record yourself saying the quotes and explaining them to listen to on the bus. The best way though is with practice responses; try answering some practice questions and seeing if you remember your material! If you don't, study a bit then try again: Rinse repeat until you are happy with what you know! That is the absolute best piece of advice I can give.

As an additional tip, you remember things best in the 15 minutes before you go to sleep! That's when I did my memorising of quotes, you might want to try that too!

I hope this helps 

[jamonwindeyer]

Hello Elyse! I am doing module B for Adv English at school and I don't understand how to structure my essay. Like should my analysis include my own opinion of the text and then back it up with critic reviews?

Hey Kimmie!

I'll let Elyse answer this question when she gets a moment as well, since the syllabus has changed slightly since my HSC in 2014, however you are pretty spot on! The Critical Study module demands a big focus on your evaluation of the text; how well as the composer achieved their goals? How well are ideas presented? How well is context reflected? Note that you don't do this with statements like, "I think that _________," but instead present it objectively like you normally would for an English essay. Even writing objectively, the analysis you present will ultimately form your critical analysis.

Then, absolutely, supplement with critical reviews where you can! Note the word supplement, the focus should definitely still be on your own ideas.

In terms of structure, the best way to do this is to integrate both of these things into paragraphs based around themes (EG - peace, conflict, mercy, etc), that are present in your poems. This will create a conceptually focused response, which is a very high standard of writing 

I hope this helps as a start! Feel free to ask me any follow up questions 

[Jimmy Barnes]

For module C I am doing people and politics with W.H. Auden's poems, I was wondering if anyone knew any good related texts as I was thinking of doing Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

Any help would be appreciated

[Jakeybaby]

Anyone here read both Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde and The Picture of Dorian Gray? I'm studying the both of these texts for my individual study. Thinking of creating my essay question regarding duality or inner evil.

[chloe9756]

what technique would this be "i saw cruelty in the hanging vines and selfishness in their root systems"

[Jimmy Barnes]

what technique would this be "i saw cruelty in the hanging vines and selfishness in their root systems"

Metaphor -> Maybe anthropomorphism because you are using nature based imagery to describe something (unless its nature)
'Root Systems' could be metaphorical synecdoche as it relates to something bigger (idk the rest of the sentence)

[conic curve]

Hey

So I'm gonna study a Shakespearean text next term for school. For some obscure reason, I cannot understand texts when I am reading them (mainly Shakespearean plays). Does anyone here know how I can actually understand Shakesperean plays or just any kind of novel/text in general? I've been able to understand a book like Anh Do's the happiest refugee but for another novel or a Shakespearean text, it's just doesn't get to me

Thanks

[jamonwindeyer]

Hey

So I'm gonna study a Shakespearean text next term for school. For some obscure reason, I cannot understand texts when I am reading them (mainly Shakespearean plays). Does anyone here know how I can actually understand Shakesperean plays or just any kind of novel/text in general? I've been able to understand a book like Anh Do's the happiest refugee but for another novel or a Shakespearean text, it's just doesn't get to me

Thanks

Hey!! I definitely don't blame you for not understanding Shakespearian plays, the Elizabethan language features make it extremely verbose and the meaning is very easily lost. I would recommend checking out No Fear Shakespeare, which presents the Shakespearian plays with a plain English translation beside it! It's a super useful resource for anyone studying Shakespeare, makes it loads easier to study.

In general though, just take it slow!! Give yourself plenty of time to read the text and understand what is happening, use plot summaries to help. Your class should go through textual analysis with too, which will help with understanding the themes at play! Also, maybe jot down some interesting quotes as you go, which might help down the line 

[jamonwindeyer]

Hey guys! The english topics are drawing to a close...we have just began the last Module, Module C, and we are doing 'representing people and landscapes' with Judith Wright poetry.
I was wondering firstly if anyone had any good ideas for a related text...kinda stuck finding a relatable Australian text and also if prescribed is poetry, should I avoid doing another poem?
Thanks nearly there guys

Anyone here read both Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde and The Picture of Dorian Gray? I'm studying the both of these texts for my individual study. Thinking of creating my essay question regarding duality or inner evil.

For module C I am doing people and politics with W.H. Auden's poems, I was wondering if anyone knew any good related texts as I was thinking of doing Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Any help would be appreciated

I really hope you guys find some help with your related text queries!! If it helps at all, my related text for Module C was V for Vendetta, it works really nicely when discussing representations of politics  maybe we should do a survey and try to develop a bank of ORT's...

[Tianna Jones]

Hi, i was just wondering if you had any tips for remembering an essay?
Thanks in advance,
Tianna

[jamonwindeyer]

Hi, i was just wondering if you had any tips for remembering an essay?
Thanks in advance,
Tianna

Hi Tianna! Welcome to the forums  you should check out this article written by Elyse with a heaps of advice on memorising essays!

Let me know if you need any help finding things in our forums or need any help at all 

[hmmo_o]

Hey there! Great question, particularly for a situation like yours. I am a fast reader, and English is my first language, and I still used my entire reading time before the exam starts to read the texts. I only looked at the essay question and the creative writing section when we flicked through the paper at the start to make sure that we have every booklet required. Otherwise, I forget about them and focus solely on the reading at the start.

The very moment that reading time starts, I'd start reading, and I think you should do the same. I also would probably actually read the questions for text one, then move back and read text one. This way, you are spending your time reading looking for the answers, rather than reading and then coming back to have a look for the answers. If there is a word you don't know (this goes for students with English as their first language and students who have English as a second or third language), do not waste time going over it. You just don't have enough time!

Make sure that before the exam, you are familiar with poetic techniques, visual techniques and short prose techniques. This way, the techniques in the text will stand out to you, rather than you having to go back and really search for them

Good luck!

Thanks so much Elyse!! I guess reading and familiarising ultimately does count after all... Hopefully I'll get better at it by Trials thanks again for everything.