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Author Topic: 50 in English, available for queries :)  (Read 338997 times)  Share 

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literally lauren

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #255 on: May 10, 2014, 10:13:52 pm »
+10
katnissismykod:

I...wasn't big on planning. I found planning actually limited me in terms of where my essay would go, particularly when it came to Text Responses and Context pieces. Put simply, I didn't know where my essay was going to end up before I wrote it, so I had a general contention and a few basic examples, and that was enough for me.
Contrarily, I had friends who would plan extensively for 10/15 minutes, then could churn out an essay in 40 without stopping. It's really up to you.
At this stage of the year, it's fine to be taking a bit longer to plan and write. In fact it's better that you're doing things properly now, then you can worry about the time constraints later.
Use these next few months to experiment with different planning techniques. Don't go cold turkey and try to write one without any plan at all, but see if you can minimise how much detail you go into, or set yourself a strict 5 minute time limit. Some teachers recommend the 10-45-5 rule (10 minutes for planning, 45 for writing and 5 for editing) or some variation. Personally I've never needed 5 minutes to edit, as I tended to reread parts of my work while I wrote, but I suppose if you're having a lot of grammatical issues then this might be necessary.
It really will depend on your own preference. And at the end of the year, it's not one hour per essay, it's three essays in three hours. There's nothing stopping you from spending two hours on one essay, then getting the others done in half an hour each (apart from common sense.) But if you find, for example, Language Analyses really quick and easy, get that out of the way, then you can spend a good 15 minutes planning out a Context piece or something.
One small tip, when I did plan my pieces, I always used shorthand. Your plan isn't marked; assessor's don't even look at it. Rather than writing 'Shakespeare uses the character of Falstaff as a contrast to Prince Hal, which reinforces the idea of multiple forms of honour. This can be seen in Act 2 Scene 4 when they pretend to be one another in a key turning point for the play.' I'd just write 'S: Falst.=/=Hal --> diff. hon.  (2.4)' Your plan only needs to make sense to you.
Trial as much as possible until you find what works best.



Summers,

Try this basic approach first, this seems to be what your teacher is advocating:
1. WHAT is the technique/device (quote here).
2. HOW could it be used to persuade certain readers, or given a certain context.
3. WHY has the author chosen this technique/device/word/phrase/appeal etc. (link this to the overall contention).

For example:
The author's vitriolic (tone) attack (1) on the government as evidenced by the epithet "stupid ugly nazis" seeks to denigrate all politicians. Such loaded language elicits strong hatred from his readers (2), particularly given the sensitive nature of the issue (obviously you'd be more specific here). Consequently, -author-'s audience are more likely to reject the government's proposal (3) as "cruel and unfair," thus supporting his contention that we should kill them all etc. etc.
^That's quite a long-winded one, you could do all three in a single sentence:
Likewise the inclusive language in the title "Our Country, Our Rules" inspires a collective, patriotic sense of responsibility, inciting readers to share in the author's view that New Zealanders are evil...

I should probably start using real articles instead of making up psychopathic examples, huh?


Depending on how broad your starting point is (eg. something as big as an appeal to unity, or as specific as a single rhetorical question) you could fit 3 or four of these into an average paragraph.
Remember, these formulas will only get you so far. Feel free to use them now, but by October/November you should have moved beyond these. Assessors aren't big fans of formulaic essays, but if you're struggling that much, it's probably best to go back to the basics. Try talking to your teacher and get him/her to clarify the structure they're looking for, since I'm not sure what you mean here.
If structuring by techniques and appeals is what they want, then linking all three pieces will require you to find common techniques and appeals between the texts.
Could you let me know what exactly you're having trouble with, then I might be able to help more.

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #256 on: May 11, 2014, 05:23:55 pm »
0
When writing a context piece, what are the different styles within persuasive? Also, vague question but, which style is "safest"?(ie. you don't go off topic easily)
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scandin9

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #257 on: May 16, 2014, 07:53:53 pm »
0
Hi Lauren,
How does one write an idiosyncratic conclusion for a text response that is both a variation from the norm and that captures an examiner's eye.
Thanks in advance!

literally lauren

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #258 on: May 16, 2014, 08:25:37 pm »
+6
When writing a context piece, what are the different styles within persuasive? Also, vague question but, which style is "safest"?(ie. you don't go off topic easily)

The most common form of a persuasive piece is a speech, though it could also be a letter or an essay. The forms are really up to you, and there isn't really a definitive list of what you can/can't do. The styles, however, are broken up into three categories:

Context Styles: Expository, Persuasive, and Imaginative/Creative/Personal (some schools have different versions of this third one) or Hybrid

Context Forms: Essay, Speech, Letter, Diary Entry, Short Story, POV of a character, Reflection/ Inner Monologue, Dialogue, Poem(?) etc.

The Expository format is objectively the safest. Obviously you should play to your strengths, but do a cost benefit analysis for each style. In expository, you'll have the easiest way to communicate ideas quickly and effectively using a broad range of examples, but if done badly it can be a bit bland/formulaic. It's also the most common style around the state, and you don't want to bore your assessor. Persuasive pieces are good when you have a strong opinion regarding the prompt or the text, but if your opinion differs from your assessor then you run the risk of their bias impacting your mark. And creative pieces are for showing off, essentially' whether it's your vocab or your storytelling abilities, the creative style showcases everything and gives you a lot of leeway in terms of what and how you can write. But it's by far the riskiest; fulfilling the criteria is your priority, not constructing a fluent and engaging piece (but if you can do both I tip my hat to you) Annoyingly many assessors can read a creative piece and think it was entertaining and well-crafted and emotive, but if it doesn't tick those context boxes then you'll be lucky to scrape by with a 6/10 It's dumb, but many students can make it work. Just experiment a little bit till you find your strengths :)

Hi Lauren,
How does one write an idiosyncratic conclusion for a text response that is both a variation from the norm and that captures an examiner's eye.
Thanks in advance!

Good conclusions do more than just restate points, summarise arguments and reword contentions.
It will depend on your text of course; some are easier than others. You might want to make a general comment about audience interpretation, or how meaning changes over time (eg. for Twelve Angry Men - written in the Cold War era, how might the message have changed over time, or are the themes of prejudice eternal...?) Since I was doing Shakespeare I could make the obvious comparison between the Elizabethan/Jacobean audiences and contemporary viewers. Put simply, this is your chance to 'zoom out' and look at a bigger picture, whatever that may be. Perhaps there's something you can say about the text overall, or about the author's ouevre? Here's one of mine on Henry IV Part 1 as a sample: [Prompt: The kingdom of Henry IV is one of shifting power and uncertainty]

“If the tree is known by the fruit as the fruit as the fruit by the tree,” Hal seems to have the potential to be an even more “wond’d at” king than his father. Yet in a world with more roles than players and more players than parts, Shakespeare’s ominous ending foreshadows an uncertain journey for the Prince of Wales as he navigates the perennial power shifts of disillusioned subjects and unscrupulous nobility.

Two to three sentences was usually sufficient for me. So long as you bring it back to the prompt somehow you should be fine. Think of it as an opportunity to consolidate and tie your essay together. Rather than viewing it as three/four separate paragraphs on different ideas with an intro and concl tacked on either end, try to consider your whole essay as this gradual process of more and more arguments and evidence leading to an overwhelming conclusion.

The intro is for capturing an examiner's eye, the conclusion is to make them finally blink and go, wow, this guy deserves 11/10.

EFPBH

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #259 on: May 16, 2014, 11:48:39 pm »
0
hi Lauren:)

what is the main difference between a text response and context essay?

thanks

zeiinaaa

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #260 on: May 17, 2014, 07:13:14 am »
0
Hey Lauren, my teacher told me for language analysis to use the "ape" format- argument, persuasive technique and example.
However in the document you wrote, you told us to use the TEE format!
I'm so confused... Is it necessary to list the arguments  on the issue we are analysing? Or do we only focus on the technique, example and effect?
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literally lauren

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #261 on: May 17, 2014, 10:26:49 am »
+6
hi Lauren:)

what is the main difference between a text response and context essay?

thanks

In a Text Response, you're using the prompt to discuss the book/film. In Context, you're using a text to discuss an idea in the prompt Put simply, a Text Response essay should always revolve around the text, maybe stepping outside occasionally to comment on the author's life, the historical context, or a relevant philosophical idea or something. With Context however, you can use the text in just one paragraph, then use external evidence for the rest of your essay. The text is just your starting point, the context (ie. things around the text: the ideas it contains, the values it condones, what the author thought/wanted us to think etc.) is just as, if not more important.
If you were to go through and highlight a TR essay everytime there was reference to the text, a character, a quote or a theme, at least 90% of the essay would be highlighted. But if you did the same to a Context piece, it might only be 5/6 lines in one paragraph, and maybe another 2/3 later on.
The other major difference is that your TR piece has to be a formal essay, whereas your Context piece can be any of the forms/styles I've listed in my last post.

Hey Lauren, my teacher told me for language analysis to use the "ape" format- argument, persuasive technique and example.
However in the document you wrote, you told us to use the TEE format!
I'm so confused... Is it necessary to list the arguments  on the issue we are analysing? Or do we only focus on the technique, example and effect?

If that's the format your teacher wants then do it. They'll be the ones marking your SAC; you can aly around with different approaches for the exam later.
'Listing the arguments' sounds a bit like summary to me. You can mention the contention, and you should always bring your discussion back to the contention at the end of each paragraph, but APE seems a little too simplistic. Mentioning the argument, device, and an example is all summary, not analysis. Think of APE as a subset of T. Rather than just stating: 'The author uses the technique of alliteration' try to integrate it better by linking their argument to the device, and then providing an example: 'To further purport the idea of the government being ineffectual and misguided, the author sardonically brands them with the alliterative 'cuckoo cabinet'. ' See how that goes into more detail and comments on the author's intention as well as the device?
But that's only the first step, you can't have an essay full of just APE statements, you need to actually ANALYSE what the author is trying to do, and how we feel as a result.
That's why the TEE or what-how-why structure work better, in my opinion. Once you've discussed what the author is doing/what techniques, move on to the effect on the readers. More importantly, how does it affect us. It's not sufficient to say 'the picture of the sad child makes us feel sad.' Instead try: 'By including an image of a visibly distressed child, the audience is made to feel as though they are responsible for the child's unhappiness; our inaction has upset him greatly; thus appealing to readers' innate desire to protect the vulnerable members of our society from harm.'
Then you describe the why. Why has the author done this? >link back to the contention< I've started to do this at the end of my 'how' discussion (after awhile the stages will just blur together) eg. 'The positioning of this visual therefore makes us more inclined to be support the new proposal for the sake of younger generations.'

Having said all that, be careful what you write in SACs. You're not trying to do it properly, you're just trying to write what your teacher wants. After you get the LA SAC out of the way, you can focus purely on exam tactics and use whatever strategy you feel is most beneficial, but unfortunately teacher bias plays a big role in VCE English. If you're lucky your teacher will be open to multiple approaches, and might even work with you to help develop your approach further. Maybe have a chat with them and see what their attitude would be. Careful how you phrase things though: 'I was considering a slightly different approach for structuring my LA paragraphs, since the one you've suggested isn't really working for me' is more likely to recieve a positive response than 'Hey, this structure is wrong. I've got a better idea!'

moe98

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #262 on: May 17, 2014, 12:11:25 pm »
0
Hi! I've been stuck on this for ages and i would love some help if you're not too busy! My teacher said something about a simple and complex contention but I don't know whether I've gotten them right. Also she said theres 3 devices used in this article: appeal to fear, appeal to authority and I can't remember the last one. anyway I'm struggling finding any.

heres the link to the article

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/opinion/our-race-act-has-had-a-civilising-effect-leave-it-be/story-e6frgd0x-1226909389549#

Thanks!

zeiinaaa

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #263 on: May 17, 2014, 02:55:36 pm »
0
Haha yeah I absolutely agree, I didn't like the whole APE thing, but I have to do whatever impresses my teacher. Which is why I turned to you, since I needed to know what I need to do for the EXAM. But I'll talk to her again, and try to understand more of what she meant by APE, perhaps I misunderstood. Anyways thanks heaps Lauren! :)
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literally lauren

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #264 on: May 17, 2014, 07:04:21 pm »
+5
Hi! I've been stuck on this for ages and i would love some help if you're not too busy! My teacher said something about a simple and complex contention but I don't know whether I've gotten them right. Also she said theres 3 devices used in this article: appeal to fear, appeal to authority and I can't remember the last one. anyway I'm struggling finding any.

heres the link to the article

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/opinion/our-race-act-has-had-a-civilising-effect-leave-it-be/story-e6frgd0x-1226909389549#

Thanks!

Firstly, there's rarely a single answer in English. If your teacher has outlined a specific contention or set of devices, then you should check with them to clarify.

In terms of 'simple and complex contentions,' there's a big difference between 'The author is against binge drinking' and 'The author believes binge drinking is having many negative effects on young teenagers, and that parents should take more responsibility in educating their children about the dangers of alcohol to prevent further violence/tragedy.' So I'd guess a complex contention is one that's 'fleshed out' a bit more, and relates to different parts of the issue, as opposed to the simplistic 'The author likes/dislikes this thing.'

There are always more than three devices used. ALWAYS. I have no idea why your teacher would have narrowed it down to those three. Check out the LA Techniques list I've posted on the first page of this thread; that has the basics there, plus a few extras. Your analysis should be moving beyond just listing devices anyway; it's a very small part of the analysis (see above posts for different approaches.)

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #265 on: May 19, 2014, 04:16:46 pm »
0
Hi, Lauren

For Context, how can you draw on the ideas and arguments in the texts to create your own text that is relevant to the set prompt?
Can I just copy the same ideas in my own writing?
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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #266 on: May 19, 2014, 04:20:16 pm »
0
Hi Lauren,
This question may (most likely) have been asked before, however, I was wondering for a language analysis - using the standard usual 2 texts plus a picture  format -  does devoting each paragraph to each section of the article lessen the complexity of your essay?
For example, the intro, analysis of opinion piece one, analysis of opinion piece two, analysis of image in contrast with both arguments.
I've read many books that say this approach is applaudable, and others portray this approach as simplistic and not appealing to the examiners.

What's the best overall structure that you think I should stick with/practice throughout the year.

Thanks.

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #267 on: May 19, 2014, 08:57:05 pm »
0
Hi Lauren,

Just a short question, How would you recommend to help determine a suitable audience in the statement of intention for a context piece,

Thanks!
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literally lauren

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #268 on: May 19, 2014, 09:40:52 pm »
+4
Hi, Lauren

For Context, how can you draw on the ideas and arguments in the texts to create your own text that is relevant to the set prompt?
Can I just copy the same ideas in my own writing?

Not entirely sure what you're asking here, but for context you should be using external examples as well as the text itself. Say for example you were studying The Very Hungry Caterpillar (for your grade 2 english exam :P) You would mention the text and deal briefly with its themes and how it relates to the idea of identity/conflict/reality/landscape, but then you have to move beyond that. An essay that just restates the ideas brought up in the text isn't telling the reader anything new about the context. This is where you need external examples. For instance, I could compare the story of the Hungry Caterpillar to that of someone with an eating disorder, and how body image can impact our identity. Or I might talk about the way society thinks butterflies are beautiful, but moths are pests, and then discuss the way external factors can cause conflict between groups.

Unlike a Text Response, the context text is just a starting point, so you can't just "copy the same ideas" if you want a good mark. You can use them as a basis for discussion, but you need to say something more.

Hi Lauren,
This question may (most likely) have been asked before, however, I was wondering for a language analysis - using the standard usual 2 texts plus a picture  format -  does devoting each paragraph to each section of the article lessen the complexity of your essay?
For example, the intro, analysis of opinion piece one, analysis of opinion piece two, analysis of image in contrast with both arguments.
I've read many books that say this approach is applaudable, and others portray this approach as simplistic and not appealing to the examiners.

What's the best overall structure that you think I should stick with/practice throughout the year.

Thanks.

I have posted quite a bit on structuring Language Analyses, so search through this thread/the english board for specifics.
In short: I wouldn't recommend a chronological or article-by-article approach. It's a good safety net, but there are more sophisticated structures available (check the first post in this thread for a downloadable LA guide.)
BUT for SACs you should be doing whatever your teacher is recommending. I've said this before too: your teacher will be the one marking your SAC. Even if they're crossmarking, they still have the power. Do what they "suggest," then work on your exam tactics on the side.
The 'key player' or 'stakeholder' structure is my default setting. Use the search bar in the top right corner and there should be more detail in those posts :)

Hi Lauren,

Just a short question, How would you recommend to help determine a suitable audience in the statement of intention for a context piece,

Thanks!

If it's just a straight-up expository piece, I've always found some good ol'fashioned bullshitting about 'my language being geared towards an audience of well-informed adults acquainted with matters of political turmoil and race debates' to be a nice default. You have to play the game a bit here. Purpose: to pass english or Audience: my english teacher will usually be penalised just for annoying your assessor.
It is a good opportunity to emphasise a focus in your essay though. Say I was writing on the aforementioned Hungry Caterpillar: my audience might be the younger generation of women growing up in a world that insists their identities are limited to the external, or for people struggling with the disparity between their inner beauty and outer appearance. From memory the Written Explanation stuff counts for very little, it's really just a chance for the kids doing creative pieces to explain their decisions. You'll only have to do it in SACs, so just tie it to an overall conceit or theme and you should be alright :)
« Last Edit: May 19, 2014, 09:51:48 pm by literally lauren »

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #269 on: May 19, 2014, 10:39:04 pm »
0
Hey Lauren did you by any chance get my email? I'm just trying to transfer the money via PayPal. It's the first time I'm using it.

Also, just wanted to ask if you've read Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell. Any thoughts on it and it's links to encountering conflict?

thanks
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