VCE English Question Thread

[Coffee]

Just read the above response. I studied Medea as well (and loved it!) That prompt was also on my sac. Did you by any chance have the option of "Medea claims that all women are afflicted with the most 'wretched' existence on earth. How is gender explored in the play?" (I wrote on this one)

I usually know the texts I read and enjoy reading them. I understand most/some of the themes that appear. My main problem I think is just interpretting it into an english sentence that actually 'expresses' the ideas i am trying to portray.

I would recommend gaining a better understanding of the themes first. Do you think you've covered all of them/the most important. I definitely found myself in trouble with this text when I was given a prompt on fate and destiny. Obviously I considered these themes and I did cover them, but not well enough. I was focused on other themes that I was sure would be on the exams/sacs but they didn't end up on it. So if you feel like you know 'some' or even 'most' of the themes, think about what you might have missed.

As for interpreting, I assume you mean you don't know how to say it/get it across to the audience. As I said previously, keep writing without exam conditions. Use all the resources you need and spend as much time as you need learning how to word things properly. Get feedback from teachers, peers, or from the AN community. It doesn't matter if it takes you 6 hours or even a day to write an A+ standard essay. Once you know how to write one and you can do this consistently, we can learn to cut down on the time it takes you.

[cosine]

Just read the above response. I studied Medea as well (and loved it!) That prompt was also on my sac. Did you by any chance have the option of "Medea claims that all women are afflicted with the most 'wretched' existence on earth. How is gender explored in the play?" (I wrote on this one)
I would recommend gaining a better understanding of the themes first. Do you think you've covered all of them/the most important. I definitely found myself in trouble with this text when I was given a prompt on fate and destiny. Obviously I considered these themes and I did cover them, but not well enough. I was focused on other themes that I was sure would be on the exams/sacs but they didn't end up on it. So if you feel like you know 'some' or even 'most' of the themes, think about what you might have missed.

As for interpreting, I assume you mean you don't know how to say it/get it across to the audience. As I said previously, keep writing without exam conditions. Use all the resources you need and spend as much time as you need learning how to word things properly. Get feedback from teachers, peers, or from the AN community. It doesn't matter if it takes you 6 hours or even a day to write an A+ standard essay. Once you know how to write one and you can do this consistently, we can learn to cut down on the time it takes you.

Thank you coffee xD

Nah the other prompt was something about Euripides.. doesn't even make sense..

I am doing 'The Complete Maus' now by Art Spiegleman, did you also read this comic book?

[Coffee]

Thank you coffee xD

Nah the other prompt was something about Euripides.. doesn't even make sense..

I am doing 'The Complete Maus' now by Art Spiegleman, did you also read this comic book?

I didn't actually. My school did 'War Poems & Others' by Wilfred Owen (much to the dismay of my classmates who disliked poetry ).

[iNT]

I LOVE THIS TEXT  

In the tragedy, 'Medea', Euripides distinctively explores the social differences between men and women in their era, particularly through the actions of the female protagonist, Medea. The actions of Medea defy the conventions of that era, while you do explain that Euripides explores the social inequities between men and women you leave unclear whether or not Medea was trying to emancipate herself or exalt herself to a position where it was possible to commit an act of revenge/justice. This ties in with the prompt - were her actions based on passion? Keep in mind you can argue against the prompt, and in this case I personally would (Hint = there was careful planning from her) Throughout the play, she is constantly bewailing the disadvantages that women have because of men, imploring their 'wretched' existence. Euripides further portrays this view by representing the men as the logical ones, carefully analysing their decisions before they act, whereas the women are deeply are 'deeply concerned' with their reputation. Excellent use of a quote. Your contention is rather ambiguous; on one note you mention that Medea is constantly complaining, while this is true, it is best to go deeper, such as her being the spokeswomen for women, on the other note men are shown to make logical decisions... however did they allow themselves to be manipulated? (Hint - consider how she managed to get refuge)Keep in mind it is about Jason though.
However, through the Nurse and the Chorus, it is also evident that Jason was initially led by his desires for a more advantageous marriage, this abandoning his family. Its good to mention Euripedes here, maybe best starting the sentence with 'EURIPIDES however, through the USE the Nurse...' This shows that you understand what Euripides is doing. The word 'this' would be replaced with 'thus'.

So you provided an excellent quote. I think in order to improve your introduction has to be taken a notch higher. For me, its the most important part of the essay. Its the first thing the examiner will judge. Think of it as a first date; chances are you arent gonna get a 2nd date if you arrive unclean or misbehave during it. You want to impress in that date Just like an essay.. a well versed introduction will make the examiner NOT look for mistakes but the look for the things that emulate your excellent intro.

Your vocabulary is very good, word choice could be better though. Your not in a bad state though, it wont take much to get better at that aspect

Your contentions need to more clear. Think about your 3/4 paragraphs and try to summarize into a sentence or two to put in your intro. It is important to include Euripides as well, as you make the ready acknowledge that you understand what he is conveying across.

The structure isn't A+. You go around a point. As i mentioned its best to go directly with Euripides, or Medea/Jason did this blah blah  

[cosine]

I LOVE THIS TEXT  

In the tragedy, 'Medea', Euripides distinctively explores the social differences between men and women in their era, particularly through the actions of the female protagonist, Medea. The actions of Medea defy the conventions of that era, while you do explain that Euripides explores the social inequities between men and women you leave unclear whether or not Medea was trying to emancipate herself or exalt herself to a position where it was possible to commit an act of revenge/justice. This ties in with the prompt - were her actions based on passion? Keep in mind you can argue against the prompt, and in this case I personally would (Hint = there was careful planning from her) Throughout the play, she is constantly bewailing the disadvantages that women have because of men, imploring their 'wretched' existence. Euripides further portrays this view by representing the men as the logical ones, carefully analysing their decisions before they act, whereas the women are deeply are 'deeply concerned' with their reputation. Excellent use of a quote. Your contention is rather ambiguous; on one note you mention that Medea is constantly complaining, while this is true, it is best to go deeper, such as her being the spokeswomen for women, on the other note men are shown to make logical decisions... however did they allow themselves to be manipulated? (Hint - consider how she managed to get refuge)Keep in mind it is about Jason though.
However, through the Nurse and the Chorus, it is also evident that Jason was initially led by his desires for a more advantageous marriage, this abandoning his family. Its good to mention Euripedes here, maybe best starting the sentence with 'EURIPIDES however, through the USE the Nurse...' This shows that you understand what Euripides is doing. The word 'this' would be replaced with 'thus'.

So you provided an excellent quote. I think in order to improve your introduction has to be taken a notch higher. For me, its the most important part of the essay. Its the first thing the examiner will judge. Think of it as a first date; chances are you arent gonna get a 2nd date if you arrive unclean or misbehave during it. You want to impress in that date Just like an essay.. a well versed introduction will make the examiner NOT look for mistakes but the look for the things that emulate your excellent intro.

Your vocabulary is very good, word choice could be better though. Your not in a bad state though, it wont take much to get better at that aspect

Your contentions need to more clear. Think about your 3/4 paragraphs and try to summarize into a sentence or two to put in your intro. It is important to include Euripides as well, as you make the ready acknowledge that you understand what he is conveying across.

The structure isn't A+. You go around a point. As i mentioned its best to go directly with Euripides, or Medea/Jason did this blah blah

Alright so the introduction is the most important part, how can I improve it then? Like what is the basic structure to follow?

[iNT]

Alright so the introduction is the most important part, how can I improve it then? Like what is the basic structure to follow?

Most basic structure

1- author, text, (type) you mentioned in yours a 'tragedy'

2- background to topic - otherwise know as the ' big picture'

3- Your contention/argument about the topic - (smaller picture)
Has to be in 3 parts (depends if you write more or less than 3 paragraphs) . Each 'part' signifies one argument towards the prompt
 Part 1 will be what you will talk about in your 1st paragraph, Part 2 = 2nd paragraph Part 3 = 3rd Paragraph.
It is best to have 4 paragraphs that signify more depth in your SAC which will most likely be 2 periods.. in the exam you will be pushed for time so its your decision if your want 3 or 4.

[Coffee]

Alright so the introduction is the most important part, how can I improve it then? Like what is the basic structure to follow?

A basic structure is as follows:

• Introduce the title of the text and the author in the first sentence.
• Include background information on the text.
• State your opinion on the topic and outline the main points that will contribute to your argument.

You can deviate from this a little though. It doesn't have to be so formulaic. So something I wrote on one of the prompts I mentioned earlier was:
Euripides' play 'Medea' was first presented to the Ancient Athenian audience during the festival of Dionysus and tells the tale of a woman scorned. Despite it's reception it was ultimately unsuccessful and Euripides was the first Greek poet to suffer the fate of so many of the great modern writers. Rejected by his contemporaries, however now admired by many, modern audiences can learn from both the characters and themes as demonstrated in John Davie's translation. This explores the politics of gender within patriarchal Greek society and the power of patriarchal ideologies, constructs and conformity. Euripides enquires into the peril implicit with patriarchal views on women in Ancient Greek society.
^ By no means an amazing piece but it addresses the criteria/structure.

[iNT]

A basic structure is as follows:

• Introduce the title of the text and the author in the first sentence.
• Include background information on the text.
• State your opinion on the topic and outline the main points that will contribute to your argument.

You can deviate from this a little though. It doesn't have to be so formulaic. So something I wrote on one of the prompts I mentioned earlier was:
Euripides' play 'Medea' was first presented to the Ancient Athenian audience during the festival of Dionysus and tells the tale of a woman scorned. Despite it's reception it was ultimately unsuccessful and Euripides was the first Greek poet to suffer the fate of so many of the great modern writers. Rejected by his contemporaries, however now admired by many, modern audiences can learn from both the characters and themes as demonstrated in John Davie's translation. This explores the politics of gender within patriarchal Greek society and the power of patriarchal ideologies, constructs and conformity. Euripides enquires into the peril implicit with patriarchal views on women in Ancient Greek society.
^ By no means an amazing piece but it addresses the criteria/structure.

I know but he asked for a basic structure. If one is struggling with structure then there is no reason to deviate from a basic structure that does its job. Once he gets better at it he may create his own structure, or a deviation just like u have

[Coffee]

I know but he asked for a basic structure. If one is struggling with structure then there is no reason to deviate from a basic structure that does its job. Once he gets better at it he may create his own structure, or a deviation just like u have

The above is a basic structure and the example deviates very little from what's listed above. And I wasn't trying to contradict what you posted. You just replied quicker than me.

[iNT]

The above is a basic structure and the example deviates very little from what's listed above. And I wasn't trying to contradict what you posted. You just replied quicker than me.

sorry if i sounded harsh my bad

[heids]

Here's a long discourse on your BP - note: it was totally solid and functional, I've just pulled it a bit to pieces.  Please don't stress, as I said, getting this solid stuff down is really important, and you seem to have the solid basics for a decent enough mark.

Prompt: "Jason's decisions are based on reason and careful judgement; Medea's decisions are based on passion and selfishness"

In the early stages of the play, Initially, Jason's egotistic actions are made clear, as he is depicted to be the villain. Euripides thoroughly explores gender inequality as the play proceeds, and the main reason for the tragedies in 'Medea' are because of the social differences between men and women. Look back at the prompt.  Now I know you can always stray a bit from the prompt a bit, but I can't see the link very well - you need to 100% spell out the relevance to me, even if it's crystal clear in your own head.  This sort of sentence is probably more for later in the essay though, as it's a conclusion you draw from the prompt about Euripides' views and values which he shows through how he presents these two characters.  As the Nurse alludes to the prior events that consequently lead to the conflict between Medea and Jason, she emphasises the fact that Jason dishonoured Medea, thus stands 'plainly convicted as a traitor to his friends.' Jason's irrational passion to live a 'royal' life disallows him to act morally, eventually abandoning his family to seek a 'royal match'. As Medea confronts him with a 'swarm of words', Jason claims that he left her to 'produce royal offspring', so that they could live a life without being in need, but later admits to having left for a better personal life.  All that underlined region is a bit too ‘story-telly’ – the last sentence especially.  Stuff like "As Medea confronts him with a ‘swarm of words’" feels like you put it there JUST to show that you have a quote available.  See how I've stripped it down a bit:
‘Nurse labels him a 'traitor' for dishonouring Medea.  Jason's irrational desire to live a 'royal' life is not compatible with maintaining his morality. While originally Jason claims that he left Medea to ‘produce royal offspring’, his later admission that he left for a better personal life REVEALS... '   
So, this cuts out unnecessary detail and story-telling (though it then doesn't flow well, I'm just showing how to cut out unnecessary description; avoid having a whole sentence that just describes what happens, the description should be a 'jumping off' point at the start of the sentence that leads on to some analysis).  The noun, 'his later admission', forces you to continue the sentence with some analysis.  I underlined the verb, because verbs like that bridge between description of the story and analysis of what that actually shows, what the whole point of your evidence is.  Try to use as many verbs like that as possible! reveals, conveys, demonstrates, exposes, highlights, underscores, illustrates etc.  Jason's neglect of Medea's feelings and well-being emphasises Euripide's depiction towards gender antagonism, that women must be 'obedient to their husbands, and must not refuse a man his rights' Again, specify exactly what you mean.  Like, you haven't actually said exactly what Euripides thinks; you've only stated (I think) that he's against the notion that women must 'be obedient'.  Unpack it a bit more; explain to me how exactly this neglect shows Euripides' values. Jason's egocentric desires eventually lead him to commit irrational and regretful regrettable actions.  P.S. You should probably discuss a bit in this paragraph about how, through these actions, Jason shows that he ISN'T being rational/using careful judgment.  In what way does Euripides show him as rash?

Anyway, as Coffee said, it's about finding your specific issues and working on them.  Rather than saying, 'I'm going to sit down and improve my mark from a 7 to a 9', you should be going, OK, let's look over my work and see what some of my mistakes are.  What little tiny things am I getting wrong that I could focus on and fix up?  Maybe the best way of studying is searching through your work for your errors.  Just reading through feedback on other people's essays on the English Work Submission and Marking board can really help you to find out common errors that you might make too.  Once you know a really specific error you make, you can pay attention to fixing it up!

Feel free to throw a full piece in the marking board

[Coffee]

sorry if i sounded harsh my bad

No, no. I just didn't want you to think I was trying to contradict what you said. It's all good, man.

[Annalise_jackson]

Hi Lauren,
I am doing literature and was wondering how I should structure an adaptions and transformations SAC on amadeus?
 

[heids]

Hi Lauren,
I am doing literature and was wondering how I should structure an adaptions and transformations SAC on amadeus?
 

Hey Annalise!
Could you post any lit questions in Literature?  Thanks, and I hope you get heaps out of this site!

[anat0my]

Hi

I was wondering what is the best way to re-read a text?
Also how can I focus on the current area of study my school is focusing on and also study back other t.r texts, context and language analysis all at the same time?

Thanks!