Literature

[MBBS]

Hi,

I genuinely love the subject and am of well above average intelligence. However due to various reasons including my parent's divorce, I never really gave any intention to school from years 7-10. Hitherto I have been getting C's and B's in Literature, I am wondering as to what I can do to improve my marks for the rest of the year and Y12? I want to study Medicine so a study score above 40 is crucial for me in Lit. Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated. I already read for 1-2 hours on the day, my favourite authors to date are Dostoevsky, Kafka and Chekov. In terms of practising writing essays, how would I go about this?


Thank-you infinitely for your time, I appreciate it.

[Vadnal]

Go to your teacher, ask them for some passages that you can practice on.
Submit your essay, get them to mark harshly and suggest how you can improve.

[Russ]

my favourite authors to date are Dostoevsky, Kafka and Chekov.

Try reading some authors that are dramatically different from those three (unless you already do). Try Garner, she's contemporary/local. Hemingway is short (usually) and obtuse, you could get a fair bit out of him

[EvangelionZeta]

Go to your teacher, ask them for some passages that you can practice on.
Submit your essay, get them to mark harshly and suggest how you can improve.

This.  Write heaps and ask your teachers what to do.

[MBBS]

Vadnal, every time I try to talk to my teacher out of class, she's very brief and will give short answers to conclude the conversation. Can you suggest how to ask her for passages to write on in a more subterfuge manner?

'The Old Man and the Sea' was recommended to me, it's long but I'll probably get into it this weekend after I finish Hawking's first book. 'EvangelionZeta' over the summer holidays, is their any chance you could help me with Literature? I am extremely willing however my family is relatively poor so I wouldn't be able to spend lavish amounts. I am in the Western Suburbs FWIW


Thank-you infinitely for your time.

P.S: Anyone who's read Hawking's book, how amazing is the theme of infinitely dense matter!

[EvangelionZeta]

Vadnal, every time I try to talk to my teacher out of class, she's very brief and will give short answers to conclude the conversation. Can you suggest how to ask her for passages to write on in a more subterfuge manner?

'The Old Man and the Sea' was recommended to me, it's long but I'll probably get into it this weekend after I finish Hawking's first book. 'EvangelionZeta' over the summer holidays, is their any chance you could help me with Literature? I am extremely willing however my family is relatively poor so I wouldn't be able to spend lavish amounts. I am in the Western Suburbs FWIW


Thank-you infinitely for your time.

P.S: Anyone who's read Hawking's book, how amazing is the theme of infinitely dense matter!

Which texts are you doing?  I'll be more than happy to help out over the internet (for free!), but I only know a small number of the VCE texts.  =/

[simpak]

You could try looking into a tutor if you're seriously concerned - this is good to get extra perspective on 'alternate' interpretations to broaden your understanding, and have one on one time to discuss structure of essays.
Plus, it's somebody else to take a look at your work and give you advice on how to improve.
[DON'T LOOK AT ME, I AM AT MAXIMUM CAPACITY FOR LIT STUDENTS RIGHT NOW].

Anyway, you can even just use passages you have chosen yourself.
Pick three from around the beginning, middle, and end and photocopy on to the same A3 sheet, then annotate and write an essay yourself.
Your teacher doesn't have to give them to you.

If you know which passages to choose to get full practice, this is a good approach.

[MBBS]

Vadnal, every time I try to talk to my teacher out of class, she's very brief and will give short answers to conclude the conversation. Can you suggest how to ask her for passages to write on in a more subterfuge manner?

'The Old Man and the Sea' was recommended to me, it's long but I'll probably get into it this weekend after I finish Hawking's first book. 'EvangelionZeta' over the summer holidays, is their any chance you could help me with Literature? I am extremely willing however my family is relatively poor so I wouldn't be able to spend lavish amounts. I am in the Western Suburbs FWIW


Thank-you infinitely for your time.

P.S: Anyone who's read Hawking's book, how amazing is the theme of infinitely dense matter!

Which texts are you doing?  I'll be more than happy to help out over the internet (for free!), but I only know a small number of the VCE texts.  =/

Ummmm your my hero?   Well it's not confirmed for next year, but this year the only text we have left is 'I'm not Scared' by Niccolo Ammaniti.


'Mavisgibbons' how do I go about choosing the correct passages? I would think that the passages to choose would be ones important in the context of the book? Can you recommend me a few books to read? Also, how many passages go into one essay?


Thank-you

[Russ]

P.S: Anyone who's read Hawking's book, how amazing is the theme of infinitely dense matter!

Read the Road to Reality by Roger Penrose over the summer holidays.

Anyway, if you want to choose your own passages, pick two or three that are joined by a common theme. It's been a while since I read it, but in I'm Not Scared, you might take one from the start showing Michele initially then another towards the end showing how he's developed.

[MBBS]

P.S: Anyone who's read Hawking's book, how amazing is the theme of infinitely dense matter!

Read the Road to Reality by Roger Penrose over the summer holidays.

Would it help with my Physics?

[Russ]

Yes, but that's not why you should be reading it.
It's an extremely impressive book. Read as much as you can before it gets too complex and you'll get an appreciation for what's underlying "science" and "physics"

[MBBS]

^^Will do. Might buy it off Amazon, $45 on ebay!

[Russ]

Book Depository has a copy for $25 if you don't mind a mass market paperback

[EvangelionZeta]

Vadnal, every time I try to talk to my teacher out of class, she's very brief and will give short answers to conclude the conversation. Can you suggest how to ask her for passages to write on in a more subterfuge manner?

'The Old Man and the Sea' was recommended to me, it's long but I'll probably get into it this weekend after I finish Hawking's first book. 'EvangelionZeta' over the summer holidays, is their any chance you could help me with Literature? I am extremely willing however my family is relatively poor so I wouldn't be able to spend lavish amounts. I am in the Western Suburbs FWIW


Thank-you infinitely for your time.

P.S: Anyone who's read Hawking's book, how amazing is the theme of infinitely dense matter!

Which texts are you doing?  I'll be more than happy to help out over the internet (for free!), but I only know a small number of the VCE texts.  =/

Ummmm your my hero?   Well it's not confirmed for next year, but this year the only text we have left is 'I'm not Scared' by Niccolo Ammaniti.


'Mavisgibbons' how do I go about choosing the correct passages? I would think that the passages to choose would be ones important in the context of the book? Can you recommend me a few books to read? Also, how many passages go into one essay?


Thank-you

Contact me next year then - it'll be more useful in year 12 than in year 11.

[simpak]

It's hard to say - passages that haven't been on exams before of course.
But they could have anything to do with anything, really.
The VCAA just doesn't choose random passages, though, so in my opinion you're better off choosing a few 'significant' moments or those with themes you can see relatively easily - at least at this stage.

Do you mean how many of the three you have should you include?  All three, I say.  I usually tell students to focus more entirely on two, and then just refer to the third (the third being the least relevant to your thread, or your contention).

Oh god, books to read!  It's been a while since I've had a chance to read a book that wasn't on the Literature and Performance list, and they were all great classics by Dickens and Austen.
My favourite author is too contemporary for the Lit exam though, which makes recommendations difficult.  However I love Jane Eyre, but most everyone has read that (I think?).  If you haven't, read Jane Eyre!
Classic literature is good - I want to read more EM Forster stuff when I have the chance, and perhaps a little more Dickens although I did find Great Expectations a little draining because of how long it was and how I had a week to read it.

If you want to read plays, read or view Ibsen plays, but that is kind of similar to Chekhov so it wouldn't be broadening your horizons toooo far.