Yaay I need help with On the Waterfront :)
Just a quick question though, I really hate YOW so I'm planning on just preparing for OTW. Do you think this is a good idea, or is it necessary to go into the exam being prepared for either text? I really can't emphasise how much I just want to focus on OTW and neglect YOW though :\
Yaay I need help with On the Waterfront :)
Just a quick question though, I really hate YOW so I'm planning on just preparing for OTW. Do you think this is a good idea, or is it necessary to go into the exam being prepared for either text? I really can't emphasise how much I just want to focus on OTW and neglect YOW though :\
I personally think that if you know one text really well, you should technically be able to write a strong essay on any topic you're given. However there's obviously the chance that the topics they give you are just crap/random. Studying two texts really well might be time consuming, and you might feel uneasy about chucking away one text within the first 10 seconds of the exam. Maybe go for a compromise and study one text really well and have this as your first pick, but then know enough of the 2nd text to be able to write a decent essay on it (as a last resort).
I put all my time and energy into one text. In the exam, I read the topics for JUST this text, and didn't look at the topics for the other text until after the exam. Basically forced myself to write on that text, and luckily the topics were good.
I'm a little bit stuck on how the music is used in on the waterfront in an essay
and what does the horn from the ship signal (not when it covers terrys and edies voice)
yoyo i'm not a mod but i hope my opinion is welcome.thanks
I think that the horn that is played repeatedly throughout the film is suggests that the waterfront is looming i.e it is always present in their day to day lives and holds a significant influence over both the longshoremen and the community.
I also think it suggests that the harsh reality of the waterfront is inescapable.
Hi guys,
I was just looking for an opinion regarding language analysis.
Some people have recommended to me that I choose a formulaic style of writing where I essentially just insert snippets of the text into it, while others have recommended the opposite and said to cover a diverse range of techniques so as to not limit yourself.
What is your opinion on this, and what is your reasoning behind it?
I have been getting a B+ average this year in English, I am one of those kids that thinks I'll put in the effort come exam time ::).
Can you lay out step by step how learn to write goodest with the time we have until exams pls
This has been on my mind for quiet a while but do you have to write likes 1000+ words in section to score highly? Because its my weakest section and it isn't physically and mentally possible for me to produce such a feat.
This has been on my mind for quiet a while but do you have to write likes 1000+ words in section to score highly? Because its my weakest section and it isn't physically and mentally possible for me to produce such a feat.
I would say yes, it is very difficult to achieve lot of depth in 800 or 900 words. Having said this, you might just be really concise and succinct in your writing. Best to get someone to mark your work and see whether the word count is adequate.
Oh I didn't even write section 2 oops!
Okay okay. Yes I do believe that I am succinct in writing and I try over writing to make up for this. can you elaborate into how I could increase my word count without affecting the overall quality of writing this is an area I struggle with.
I'm a little bit stuck on how the music is used in on the waterfront in an essay
and what does the horn from the ship signal (not when it covers terrys and edies voice)
yoyo i'm not a mod but i hope my opinion is welcome.
I think that the horn that is played repeatedly throughout the film is suggests that the waterfront is looming i.e it is always present in their day to day lives and holds a significant influence over both the longshoremen and the community.
I also think it suggests that the harsh reality of the waterfront is inescapable.
Hi guys,
I was just looking for an opinion regarding language analysis.
Some people have recommended to me that I choose a formulaic style of writing where I essentially just insert snippets of the text into it, while others have recommended the opposite and said to cover a diverse range of techniques so as to not limit yourself.
What is your opinion on this, and what is your reasoning behind it?
Hey I am not a moderator but I thought I may input my opinion here.
I would recommend going with a holistic approach and breaking the piece down to its core arguments, when it comes down to it, in commercial examinations and VCAA papers the analysis pieces are specifically structured to allow students to write a well-constructed piece of writing. My tip is cover a diverse range of techniques, rarely resort to just labeling, and if you do explain what it means, for example do not just say "This is alliteration.". Furthermore, embed sources of the article seamlessly into your piece of writing and make sure if relates to the argument you are discussing, for example "The idea of '....' draws readers into a sense of .... due to '...' and blah".
Don't limit yourself is really a key here, if you identify something break it down and analyse it. It is also very important that you dont neglect the image and weave it into your discussion of the given article/speech/presentation.
On the topic of LA.. how many persuasive techniques should we analyse? I'm thinking about 15?
I just need a 5/10.
^ I don't think that's the best way to go about an LA. There may not even be 15 persuasive techniques used in the article in the 1st place; in fact, it's very unlikely that there is, unless you try and hunt them down with a magnifying glass (but then again, this depends on the length of the article and other factors).
Naturally, you won't be able to analyse all the persuasive techniques in the article if you are planning on analysing them in great depth. However, if you are aiming for the "this is a rhetorical question and it was used to..." followed shortly by "this is inclusive language and it was used to..." followed by "the writer uses emotion here to...", where you pretty much spit out persuasive technique after persuasive technique at the examiner, then yes, you'd probably get through all the persuasive techniques used in the article. But you'd definitely not have enough quality in your paragraphs, and your essay would probably not be a decent length. I'm not even sure that this approach is going to net you a 5/10.
So basically, I think if you analyse as many as you can in the given amount of time, writing about 3-5 sentences on each point you bring in, it'd be a better approach. Sorry for the perceptive response, but I honestly don't think there's a straightforward answer to your question.
I have been getting a B+ average this year in English, I am one of those kids that thinks I'll put in the effort come exam time ::).
Can you lay out step by step how learn to write goodest with the time we have until exams pls
This has been on my mind for quiet a while but do you have to write likes 1000+ words in section to score highly? Because its my weakest section and it isn't physically and mentally possible for me to produce such a feat.
I have a quick question.
If the 'Identify And Belonging' prompt is about relationships, can we discuss other ideas such as memories and age?
I've asked a few people this, would just like triple reassurance!
I have a quick question.
If the 'Identify And Belonging' prompt is about relationships, can we discuss other ideas such as memories and age?
I've asked a few people this, would just like triple reassurance!
I am so stuck with this Year of Wonders topic:
"I did not make the choice so much as to have it made for me." Is this true of other characters in the village?
Hello all,
I have a question regrading the number of body paragraphs. Do you think that there is a golden rule for the number of paragraphs? My teacher always tells me to include 3, and according to him, that's the best "number". But honestly, I'm quite sceptical about this...
Thank you very much!
I know this isn't of the same calibre of the questions asked so far but I need to know nonetheless. :P Are we allowed to consult dictionaries during reading time? I did another practice exam today and I initially didn't know what one of the words meant in the context prompt. I know that supervisors can sometimes get bothered by these sorts of things so I thought I should clarify.I don't know for certain, but I'm pretty sure you can.
I know this isn't of the same calibre of the questions asked so far but I need to know nonetheless. :P Are we allowed to consult dictionaries during reading time? I did another practice exam today and I initially didn't know what one of the words meant in the context prompt. I know that supervisors can sometimes get bothered by these sorts of things so I thought I should clarify.
The dictionary can be used for clarification of terms, as well as checking spelling, and may be used during reading time.
I don't know if I should be responding to this because I'm not werdna or VivaTequila, but I'll give my response to your Question :)Thanks for your reply!
In my opinion, the number of paragraphs doesn't matter. Obviously your not gonna have 1 or 2 body paragraphs. I say this because if you do, it means that you have too many ideas mentioned and described in the two paragraphs OR you are retelling the story and have no idea what you are discussing.
Coming back to your question though, I think 3 should be a minimum but it shouldn't be a maximum either. What really counts is how you present your ideas for your response and how it flows.
Sometimes, you may have 6 ideas, and may use 6 paragraphs for them - ABSOLUTELY no problem with that all (As long as it is relevant to the Topic/Prompt :p)! I speak this from recent experience, and it really helped me out because I was able to clearly distinguish my ideas and explanations for my TR Question, which helped my markers clearly identify my explanations for the Question and know which idea was which.
Good Luck!
Thanks for your reply!
But I would like to say, I often end up having 2-3 paragraphs. The problem is when I can work out a systematic and logic way (this is basically my essay plan) to dissect a particular topic, I always try to explore each idea in-depth. As a result, like you said, I will tend to present many ideas in one paragraph. For my SACs, I always tried to include 3 paragraphs, and my marks are quite ok, but I rarely/never find myself writing more than that. :(
Thanks I will try to break my ideas...
But my problem has to deal with the way I approach my essay. For example, for context writing, if we have a prompt like: Our identity is shaped by our experiences, then my 3 body paragraphs will discuss:
1/ Yes, our identity is shaped by our experiences when we're young and not self-aware.
2/ Yes and no, once we have an idea of who we are, we can shape our experiences. Sometimes, our experiences strengthen our identity.
3/ No, at the end of the journey of self-discovery, you know who you really are, and experiences can no longer alter our identity.
I hope you get the idea... But that's how I tend to analyze all essay topics, it's something like past-present-future, or cause-consequences-effects...
For I&B, a good way to look at a prompt is in terms of causes and types. You could break up paragraphs according to this.
So for the prompt 'Our identity is shaped by our experiences', think of 3 causes/reasons as to why identity is shaped by our experiences. Keep in mind that in expository essays, you should look at all angles. So look at how identity is strengthened, shaped AND weakened by our experiences, and also how these experiences can lead to belonging AND isolation.
You can also look at it in terms of types, and this would be the way to go for this prompt. What are 3 types of life experiences? These could be your 3 paragraphs. Eg. cultural experiences, family experiences, personal experiences. Then within paragraphs, look at how each of these types of experiences can ---> strengthen/weaken identity and lead to belonging/alienation.
Your paragraphs should be based on exploring all angles - therefore you won't need a 'however' paragraph for most topics.
Just wondering if we can disagree on language analysis by stating that the writer hasnt been persuasive and elaborating
Hello, I have another question! ;D
When I quote something which is said by a character, and in the book, the author has already used quotation marks (something like "abc", said A). Then when I quote it, do I have to use double quotation marks? (something like A said " " abc" "). My teacher tells me not to do this, but I'm unsure...
Thank you very much!
Thank werdna very much for your help!
Btw, I have another question... ;D
I know this might sound very stupid, but I think I need to ask anyway.
Do you have any tips to write linking sentences? I always try to paraphrase my topic sentence, but somehow I always come up with an unclear sentence which does not relate to the prompt at all. Most people who have read my essays always say that my linking sentences are incomplete, and they think that I could elaborate on it. But to he honest, I have no idea how to do so, especially when my linking sentence includes similar ideas to my topic sentence, and I think there's nothing more I can say, because I have already done this through my body paragraph.
Thank you very much indeed!
For context (Whose Reality?), there are some quotes from my text (The Lot: In Words - Michael Leunig) that go very well with the ideas that I use and my writing style, but a couple of them contain swear words. I know that in general, such language probably should be avoided unless absolutely essential, but surely VCAA would not have any issues if the words have been directly taken from a text that they have chosen, right? Should I avoid using those ones just to be on the safe side? As much as I want to use them, I obviously don't want to create any trouble for myself.Eh, I had the words bitch and slut in my short story somewhat unnecessarily. You'll be fine.
Eh, I had the words bitch and slut in my short story somewhat unnecessarily. You'll be fine.Yeah I had all sort of gratuitously ostentatious and superfluously crude vernacular in my context pieces that came from all sorts of sources as well. English examiners tend to be more liberal than those for other subjects and I think on the whole they're actually excited to see when you make creative choices that mean you look outside the box to find the 'best evidence'. That's what it's about, standard of how you present and interpret what you use. Should be fine.
Hi.
Your take on using newspaper articles for expository in the exam? My teacher said it's not accepted.
Firstly, is it okay to just agree or disagree or could you do both in relation to the prompt?
I need some help on this topic
Others only see our true identity when we are confident with ourselves.
Hi!
I'm not sure if this is the right place, but I'm having big trouble with the Language Analysis on the VCAA 2011 paper (about tattoos). I don't think it's persuasive at all! It just looks like a big informative piece to me, so I'm having a really difficult time attempting to analyze it.
Would you be able to help me with the main points / topic sentences?
Here's a link to the actual paper (off another one of the threads here)
http://imgur.com/a/xT1Yh#FVSJl
Thanks a bunch!
Hi!
I'm not sure if this is the right place, but I'm having big trouble with the Language Analysis on the VCAA 2011 paper (about tattoos). I don't think it's persuasive at all! It just looks like a big informative piece to me, so I'm having a really difficult time attempting to analyze it.
Would you be able to help me with the main points / topic sentences?
Here's a link to the actual paper (off another one of the threads here)
http://imgur.com/a/xT1Yh#FVSJl
Thanks a bunch!
Hi guys, when writing the name of the text in section 1 of the exam, should I underline it or put it in quotation marks? I'm not sure about the convention. Thank you. ;D
The advantage of underlining/using a different colour is that the title won't get confused with a quote (although this only would become an issue if you used the title in the body of your text response - this is something that I, and I assume most people, don't do). For example, 'To Kill a Mockingbird' is both the title of a text, but also part of an important quote in the text. It could be a little unclear if you used that quote in your body, particularly depending on how the whole sentence is phrased.Don't take this for granted, but I personally would never use another colour. Looks a bit tacky.
Just about exactly 7.5 hours til your English exam guys :)
Just about exactly 7.5 hours til your English exam guys :):|
What is a good expository form that allows you to solely discuss things related to the book/film similar to a text response or something for context?
I'm not sure if this is the right place, but I'm having big trouble with the Language Analysis on the VCAA 2011 paper (about tattoos). I don't think it's persuasive at all! It just looks like a big informative piece to me, so I'm having a really difficult time attempting to analyze it.
Would you be able to help me with the main points / topic sentences?
Here's a link to the actual paper (off another one of the threads here)
http://imgur.com/a/xT1Yh#FVSJl
Thanks a bunch!
Just about exactly 7.5 hours til your English exam guys :)Looks like final assembly takes precedence at MHS :/. Byebye 95 median ATAR :(
Looks like final assembly takes precedence at MHS
Just about exactly 7.5 days til your English exam guys :)
IntTakes about 3 mins if you've given it a little thought in reading time. I wrote bits of quotes so I remember to use them and used arrows to make some basic links.
1 - Dicko is evil as shit and srsly cray, <scribble part of a few key quotes here>
2 - disses on women, <scribble part of a few key quotes here>
3 - women know the game too, <scribble part of a few key quotes here>, <arrow to quote from 1>
4 - etc.
Con
^ thanks everyone.
What I was really getting at (however) was that... how do you remain on target for the last essay? I was tired and did some VERY stupid things, like saying Australia wants a "Communist Monarchy" to govern in my conclusion :/ -- how ridiculous is that !!
It's highly likely you won't feel tired during the English exam :P
Did you have time to check over things? If you write something silly and pick it up in proof-reading it's nothing to worry about. (heck, I spelt "tattoo" wrong about 30 times in my LA and only picked it up at the end, mad frenzy to add an extra "t" everywhere)
I've never proofreaded any of my essays because there's simply not enough time.
Make time :P
Hi there....
my exam is coming within 7 days and i struggled to find examples as well as how to develop my complex ideas for identity and belonging. I know i'm a bit rude here for asking you this but i'm urging and really need your help. Can you please give me the password to access to your website please?
thanks.
AP
for
It is Terry’s anger that leads him to testify against Johnny Friendly, not his newly awakened conscience.’ Discuss.
I only have a few ideas anyone have any good para ideas ?
Hmm... I'm not sure how to word this to avoid what happened when I was asking about timing, but what are some strategies to get language analysis essays done quicker? I've done a few proper trial exams at school now and I have no issues writing high range text response and context pieces in 45-50 minutes, but in most cases I'm taking over an hour to get through the language analysis and this makes things much more difficult for time. I don't really want to compromise planning or proofreading time anymore. The issue with language analysis is that I want to try and analyse everything, but I can't. I've even tried being really selective with the language choices I discuss, but I still feel uncomfortable leaving other stuff out, and then I'm inclined to over-analyse every single thing I quote in order to compensate. I've also tried grouping a whole lot of pieces of evidence together and analysing them collectively, but this too feels funny. Any advice? :)
Thanks! :) If I can get my language analysis done within the hour come Wednesday, I don't think I'll have any issues with my text response or context piece (provided the prompts aren't completely ridiculous). The key for me is to carefully plan the latter two, since I've recently lapsed into the habit of regurgitating previous paragraphs and not linking specifically enough with the prompt. Hopefully I'll get 5 minutes to do this properly.
My context is Identity and Belonging.
I've created a few pre-prepared paragraphs for the exam which can be adjusted depending on the prompt.
I'm just curious, would you say its good to have a final paragraph on society? I've always written on society pressures.. in both of my SACs and in my practice exam and it's always that paragraph where I get ticks ticks ticks ticks. I kind of feel as if I have a vested interest in it too.. as I've actually bothered to do some research into it to get some evidence/ideas.
I really want to use this paragraph: "However, society pressures individuals to change their identity".. then explain, although what are the chances the prompt won't relate to it? As far as I know, prompts will never really relate to society.. its basically one of those paragraphs that 'challenge the prompt'
cheers
Hey guys! I was just wondering, how should I minimise story telling in section B? Of course I have to outline the main points of each source too... any ideas? :P
What is a good expository form that allows you to solely discuss things related to the book/film similar to a text response or something for context?
Stick, regarding exam timing, I think it'd be a good idea to stick to a maximum of 55 minutes per essay. That works out at 5 mins for the intro, 15 mins x 3 body paragraphs and 5 mins conclusion. Then you have a good 5 min allowance for proofreading time.
Having said this, you should all try to have the language analysis done as quick as possible, given that the quotes that you need are in front of you. All you need to practise and know is the structure and overall writing conventions for analysis. The other essays will be a bit trickier given that you need to memorise your quotes etc., so you might even need a bit more than 55 mins to write them.
Last thing - Stick, if you want to analyse multiple techniques together, choose the techniques carefully and you may be able to discuss the 'cumulative effect' of these examples, and how they work together to produce a larger effect on readers/listeners. Look at how the audience is positioned to think and feel. BUT, do not combine analyses too often in the essay, otherwise it'll be too broad. It is important to have a balance b/w broad and specific analysis.
Thanks. I'll just have to be super disciplined.
Have done very little preparation for English. Probably the last subject you should be trying to 'cram', but any suggestions of how I can 'maximise' my score would be great. :'(
For LA, teachers have been giving feedback to link more towards the writer's argument, however when I follow the structure of technique, effect, example, I don't see how I would perform this link. Is it like 'How would the effect boost their argument?' or something, because I'm finding I just slam down analysis after analysis on language and I need to "work more in line with the text" as my teachers say.
Thoughts?
I was looking at A christmas carol propmt 'ACC sets the power of compassion against the drive for profit.' What is this prompt asking for? In terms of paragraphs, how could I structure my response to this prompt? Thanks
I'm guessing thats from the 2011 Chemology Trial Exam?
I think that the topic is mainly referring to Scrooge and his transformation and redemption. Why is the transformed Scrooge who is helpful and generous more meaningful or "better" way than the Scrooge who always previously thought about money (Which is why his lost love Belle broke up with him)?
How does Dickens deliver this message? Ghosts, teaching his readers, etc.
Hope that helps you out a bit. :)
Hey all,
Just wondering,
How do you conclude a LA to leave a lasting impression on the examiner? I tend not to summarise the arguments presented, but rather give a holistic view of the article (tone, style, e.g)
Also, it is OK to speculate? (e.g. because Mr X so fervently derides the use of ... animal lovers reading are inclined to take action... yad yada yada)
Thanks, and best of luck to everyone !
For LA should you comment on the writer/speaker's credibility? I've read that you should but I've been marked down for it in the past.
Also, in expository essays is it okay to refer to real examples in a general manner? Again, I've been marked down for not referring to and quoting specific articles written about events because making more general references to events appears less 'researched' and more derived from general knowledge.