Hey, i need to write a practice essay for burial rites and the question i chose is - ‘The landscape depicted in the text reflects the people Agnes interacts with – cold and hostile.’ To what extent do you agree? i was thinking of writing about blondal, lauga and natan but im not sure this will result in a good anyalysis. Do you guys have any suggesstions?
Also im worried about the exam and memorising quotes do you have any tips?
thank you!!
Hi Steph! Wow that's a hard essay prompt!
For a prompt like that, I strongly suggest you stay away from making this a character-based response, mainly because I think it would limit you to what you could talk about and you'll run out of things to say!
Remember that an essay really should include a thorough discussion of themes and ideas - so, looking at the prompt you have, is it true that the landscape reflects Agne's interactions with others? Think about the ways in which this could be true and untrue, based on thematic concerns - it is of course cold and hostile, but what else can we see in the environment and her relationships? Nurture? Healing? Forgiveness? Self-discovery? Change?
In response to your question about memorising quotes, I've got a video here that you might find helpful:
https://youtu.be/tsmymaNUOX8I hope that was helpful!