English Advanced Question Thread

[Kirri Rule]

Hey there! I can't see why you'd be marked down for using 1984 as your related? Was it what you did with the text, or simply that you used it?

Maybe V for Vendetta (film), When the Wind Blows (graphic novel), Animal Farm (short story)...?

Hi yes we got our exam externally marked and their comment was that i lost marks for using a prescribed text so my teacher recommended obviously changing in case it was the same for HSC. Thank you for the suggestions

[jamonwindeyer]

Hi yes we got our exam externally marked and their comment was that i lost marks for using a prescribed text so my teacher recommended obviously changing in case it was the same for HSC. Thank you for the suggestions

You need to raise that with your teacher Kirri because that's totally incorrect! Show them this link:

Can a text from the HSC Prescribed Texts list be used as a related text?
Students will not be disadvantaged by using a text from the Prescribed Texts list, provided it is relevant to the module/elective concerned.

I don't even know what external marking is, is it other teachers? In this case they are just blatantly incorrect!

[kylesara]

Hi, my teachers have had different opinions over my discovery essay as i am using To Kill a Mockingbird as my related text. If i argue effectively that Scouts coming of age process and transformed perceptions are a result of her physical discoveries through her childhood, can i get marked down for it being a relatively simple text? Thanks!

[jamonwindeyer]

Hi, my teachers have had different opinions over my discovery essay as i am using To Kill a Mockingbird as my related text. If i argue effectively that Scouts coming of age process and transformed perceptions are a result of her physical discoveries through her childhood, can i get marked down for it being a relatively simple text? Thanks!

Hey! You'll never be marked down for your choice of text - So long as you can draw sophisticated analysis and ideas out of it, with techniques and quotes to prove your points, then you are all sweet

[tay.j]

In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth says "make thick my blood". In this quote, is she asking for the strength to carry out a deed a female wouldn't usually do? Could I then use this quote for her ambition? What techniques would be best to analyse it?

[caitlinlddouglas]

Hey i'm studying module B for speeches and  i was wondering if someone could explain to me what Atwood actually means in this opening section?  I was a bit confused when i looked up Jungian psychology, also i don't have a solid understanding of what the DR Jekyll/Hyde reference means either!

".My title is "Spotty-Handed Villainesses"; my subtitle is, "Problems of Female Bad Behaviour in the Creation of Literature." I should probably have said, "in the creation of novels, plays and epic poems." Female bad behaviour occurs in lyric poems, of course, but not at sufficient length.

I began to think about this subject at a very early age. There was a childrens' rhyme that went:

There was a little girl Who had a little curl Right in the middle of her forehead; When she was good, she was very, very good, And when she was bad, she was horrid!
No doubt this is a remnant of the Angel/Whore Split so popular among the Victorians, but at the age of five I did not know that. I took this to be a poem of personal significance -- I did after all have curls -- and it brought home to me the deeply Jungian possibilities of a Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde double life for women. My older brother used this verse to tease me, or so he thought. He did manage to make "very, very good" sound almost worse than "horrid," which remains an accurate analysis for the novelist. Create a flawless character and you create an insufferable one; which may be why I am interested in spots."


Thanks heaps

[beau77bro]

so i just got my trials back. very happy with all except english. i have repeatedly gotten feedback about being more concise, not rambling, better structure, linking sentences throughout the year (the last is permissible, just didn't word it to the question as well as i should had). at no point have I gotten any about content or understanding being an issue, but oh lord the plethora of "rambling" "what even is structure?" "good ideas but got lost along the way" "sentences are too long".

how do I improve things that are just so broad - I know practice is probably the first answer, but this has been a problem all year and at this point i need a bit more help than just abstract feedback. SO I CAME HERE TO THE BEST PLACE IN THE WORLD FOR HSC STUDENTS IN HOPES OF FIXING MY ATROCIOUS ENGLISH. any and all ideas or some kind of genuine method/strategy for improving this. my content is fine. but my writing is piss poor.

[ChickenNuggetChu]

Hi atarnotes,
I was just wondering how this image "Napalm Girl" represents freedom or the lackthereof.
https://www.google.com.au/search?q=napalm+girl&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjj44WL_5nWAhWHo5QKHbGtAUgQ_AUICigB&biw=1280&bih=631#imgrc=hLz6DVyhveqe-M:

Thanks,

[mlarsson]

Im doing a practise essays as revision at the moment. I was just wondering what the recommended number of words per paragraph to write. Im am currently at a tiny bit less than 300 words per paragraph. I feel i could fit more analysis into each paragraph but i think that might be pushing it a bit. Is this enough? Thanks

[mlarsson]

so i just got my trials back. very happy with all except english. i have repeatedly gotten feedback about being more concise, not rambling, better structure, linking sentences throughout the year (the last is permissible, just didn't word it to the question as well as i should had). at no point have I gotten any about content or understanding being an issue, but oh lord the plethora of "rambling" "what even is structure?" "good ideas but got lost along the way" "sentences are too long".

how do I improve things that are just so broad - I know practice is probably the first answer, but this has been a problem all year and at this point i need a bit more help than just abstract feedback. SO I CAME HERE TO THE BEST PLACE IN THE WORLD FOR HSC STUDENTS IN HOPES OF FIXING MY ATROCIOUS ENGLISH. any and all ideas or some kind of genuine method/strategy for improving this. my content is fine. but my writing is piss poor.

Hi , yeah i feel the same way because im not very good at english . What i have been doing is reading other peoples essays online for each module, and taking the bits of analysis/ quotes that i like (Changing it a bit, to make it more my own), and writing paragraphs and memorising the paragraphs. For example, Im doing EBB & Gatsby for Mod A, for each theme ( love, religion, mortality, etc) I have written two paragraphs and memorised them. So i can come back to them if a question ask for a certain theme.
This process has improved my marks a lot since Year 11, but my marks could still be improved. This is only because i am more of a science/ maths person, and i dont think i will ever be at a 90% standard not matter how hard i try. So just keep that in mind, this may not work for you ( i guess it just depends on what type of learner you are) 

[Natasha.97]

so i just got my trials back. very happy with all except english. i have repeatedly gotten feedback about being more concise, not rambling, better structure, linking sentences throughout the year (the last is permissible, just didn't word it to the question as well as i should had). at no point have I gotten any about content or understanding being an issue, but oh lord the plethora of "rambling" "what even is structure?" "good ideas but got lost along the way" "sentences are too long".
how do I improve things that are just so broad - I know practice is probably the first answer, but this has been a problem all year and at this point i need a bit more help than just abstract feedback. SO I CAME HERE TO THE BEST PLACE IN THE WORLD FOR HSC STUDENTS IN HOPES OF FIXING MY ATROCIOUS ENGLISH. any and all ideas or some kind of genuine method/strategy for improving this. my content is fine. but my writing is piss poor.

Hi! I'm going to use some examples from my AOS essay (got B6) to try and help out here (don't do Adv)

"Discoveries require reassessment in order to be fully understood."
How accurately does this statement reflect the ideas represented in Frank Hurley, The Man Who Made History and ONE other related text of your own choosing?

Intro (3-4 sentences)
- Thesis: What your answer is to the question
          "The discovery of humanity’s capability to engage in acts of cruelty and savagery upon themselves enable individuals to re-evaluate their perspective of the world"
- Introduce your texts and how they link to the question
          Both the documentary by Simon Nasht, Frank Hurley, The Man Who Made History, and the novel by William Golding, “Lord of the Flies”, examine this concept. Frank Hurley witnessed these savage acts in the First World War, and Simon discovered the instinctive nature of violence and savagery within human beings. These discoveries, once re-evaluated, had an extensive effect on how they saw the world.

Body Paragraph
- Topic sentence: Explain how the prescribed links to the question
          Simon Nasht portrayed Hurley as having an idealistic view of the world, which soon changed after Hurley was exposed to the cruelty of war.
- Technique, Example, Link to question:
He started with the voice-over exposition, stating that “Hurley’s films and photos told his familiar heroic story - - men against the odds”, paired with a photo showing a group of men around a fire, which represented Frank’s idealistic view of the world. The narrator then continued to state that his view of war “began to change as the reality of machine gun, mustard gas and mud sank in”. This cumulative listing was complemented with archival footage of the war; cannons firing and a group of soldiers carrying ammunition, a vast contrast to his initial photo, emphasising how Hurley had to re-evaluate his perspective of the world when he witnessed the war and the effect on human life.
- Concluding sentence: ...the effect that war had on Hurley and provoked him to re-evaluate his understanding of civilisation and its behaviour.

Hope this helps

[beau77bro]

Hi! I'm going to use some examples from my AOS essay (got B6) to try and help out here (don't do Adv)

"Discoveries require reassessment in order to be fully understood."
How accurately does this statement reflect the ideas represented in Frank Hurley, The Man Who Made History and ONE other related text of your own choosing?

Intro (3-4 sentences)
- Thesis: What your answer is to the question
          "The discovery of humanity’s capability to engage in acts of cruelty and savagery upon themselves enable individuals to re-evaluate their perspective of the world"
- Introduce your texts and how they link to the question
          Both the documentary by Simon Nasht, Frank Hurley, The Man Who Made History, and the novel by William Golding, “Lord of the Flies”, examine this concept. Frank Hurley witnessed these savage acts in the First World War, and Simon discovered the instinctive nature of violence and savagery within human beings. These discoveries, once re-evaluated, had an extensive effect on how they saw the world.

Body Paragraph
- Topic sentence: Explain how the prescribed links to the question
          Simon Nasht portrayed Hurley as having an idealistic view of the world, which soon changed after Hurley was exposed to the cruelty of war.
- Technique, Example, Link to question:
He started with the voice-over exposition, stating that “Hurley’s films and photos told his familiar heroic story - - men against the odds”, paired with a photo showing a group of men around a fire, which represented Frank’s idealistic view of the world. The narrator then continued to state that his view of war “began to change as the reality of machine gun, mustard gas and mud sank in”. This cumulative listing was complemented with archival footage of the war; cannons firing and a group of soldiers carrying ammunition, a vast contrast to his initial photo, emphasising how Hurley had to re-evaluate his perspective of the world when he witnessed the war and the effect on human life.
- Concluding sentence: ...the effect that war had on Hurley and provoked him to re-evaluate his understanding of civilisation and its behaviour.

Hope this helps

OH OH I LIKE THAT. I feel I was trying to do that, but i get caught up because i never know whether i have directed my analysis towards an argument so i add another sentence to further analyse towards the topic sentence/overall idea. maybe that's what im doing wrong, or do i just need my analysis to be worded so it's answering the Question hmmmm. sorry rhetorical Questions. BUT I AM DEFINITELY COLOUR CODING. I will try to refine both my analysis, and condense the secondary sentences which conceptualise/use the... OMG THATS WHAT THE BLUE IS FOR. JUST REALISED. YES DOING THIS. THANKS SO MUCH
you too mlarsson --> i have the same plan

[jamonwindeyer]

In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth says "make thick my blood". In this quote, is she asking for the strength to carry out a deed a female wouldn't usually do? Could I then use this quote for her ambition? What techniques would be best to analyse it?

Hey! I think you can definitely draw her ambition out of that quote - I'd say it is definitely a metaphor, it is representative of giving her strength/courage exactly!!

[jamonwindeyer]

Hey i'm studying module B for speeches and  i was wondering if someone could explain to me what Atwood actually means in this opening section?  I was a bit confused when i looked up Jungian psychology, also i don't have a solid understanding of what the DR Jekyll/Hyde reference means either!

Sure thing! So, piece by piece:

".My title is "Spotty-Handed Villainesses"; my subtitle is, "Problems of Female Bad Behaviour in the Creation of Literature." I should probably have said, "in the creation of novels, plays and epic poems." Female bad behaviour occurs in lyric poems, of course, but not at sufficient length.

I began to think about this subject at a very early age. There was a childrens' rhyme that went:

This bit is pretty self explanatory I feel - Sets up her topic.

There was a little girl Who had a little curl Right in the middle of her forehead; When she was good, she was very, very good, And when she was bad, she was horrid!
No doubt this is a remnant of the Angel/Whore Split so popular among the Victorians, but at the age of five I did not know that.

So this is an anecdotal reference to a children's poem, that she ties to the Victorian Idea that a woman could either be perfect and angelic or the complete opposite. There were no shades of grey in how women were viewed.

I took this to be a poem of personal significance -- I did after all have curls -- and it brought home to me the deeply Jungian possibilities of a Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde double life for women.

Right, so this is the loaded bit. I wouldn't delve too much into the reference to Jungian psychology, it is just referencing a school of psychological thought (to my understanding, at least). It's to do with a strong focus on consciousness and the self. No biggie. The important bit is the reference to the characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde from Robert Louis Stevenson's story of the same name. It's about a well off, well to do man with an evil alter ego - Atwood is referencing this to explore the idea of good versus evil, and that the girl with curls could seemingly be both, living a 'double life,' as it were. Essentially, she's saying "Oh, so people can be good and bad can they?"

My older brother used this verse to tease me, or so he thought. He did manage to make "very, very good" sound almost worse than "horrid," which remains an accurate analysis for the novelist. Create a flawless character and you create an insufferable one; which may be why I am interested in spots."

She is saying that perfect characters are uninteresting - She is interested in "spots," blemishes in the character that make them more relatable and more interesting.

[jamonwindeyer]

Hi atarnotes,
I was just wondering how this image "Napalm Girl" represents freedom or the lackthereof.
https://www.google.com.au/search?q=napalm+girl&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjj44WL_5nWAhWHo5QKHbGtAUgQ_AUICigB&biw=1280&bih=631#imgrc=hLz6DVyhveqe-M:

Thanks,

Welcome to the forums!! So I think this is something you need to draw meaning out of yourself, there isn't much obvious here to go off of! I'd be exploring things like the use of colour (actually not a deliberate compositional choice but you can use it), the facial expression of the main subject, there is also a demand for the audiences attention from the girl amidst the offers of the other subjects. All of this comes together to solicit a sense of dread from the responder, and you can link this 'perhaps' to the consequences of the lack of freedom?