A Level. Course Booklet. Student Name:

Transcription

1 A Level Course Booklet Student Name:

2 PAPER 1 Approaching the Drama Exam (PartA): Othello The Question You will have a choice of two questions which will ask you to analyse a theme within the play and relate it to your knowledge of critical interpretations and context. The question will expect you to explore the use of literary and dramatic devices and the shaping of meanings within Othello. The question will usually begin with Explore how... For example: Explore how Shakespeare presents the disturbing aspects of human nature in Othello. You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors and ideas from your critical reading. In your answer, you should consider the following: Different interpretations of the text The writer s use of language and technique How the context is significant to your reading of the play Recommended Reading List: Hamlet William Shakespeare Doctor Faustus Christopher Marlowe The Jew of Malta Christopher Marlowe The Importance of Being Earnest Oscar Wilde The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Mark Twain

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5 Key Quotations Othello Critics: "His love and his jealousy are no part of a soldiers character unless for comedy" Rymer "Othello is... by far the most romantic figure among Shakespeare's heroes" -A.C. Bradley "The character of Othello is unbelievable, and therefore the play is unbelievable"- Rymer "Othello... is egotistical" - F.R. Leavis Othello Quotations: "I follow him to serve my turn upon him" "Valiant Moor" "My noble Moor is true of mind" "I had rather be a toad and lie upon the vapour of a dungeon" "An honourable murderer" "And smote him-thus" "An old black ram is tupping your white ewe" Desdemona Critics: "The silly woman his wife"- Rymer "A woman without sense because she married a blackamoor"- Rymer The soft simplicity of Desdemona, confident of merit and conscious of innocence"- Johnson Desdemona Quotations: "My sweet Desdemona" "A most exquisite lady" I am Obedient" "Your wife my lord, your true and loyal wife" "let nobody blame him, his scorn i approve" "Kill me tomorrow- let me live tonight!" "A guiltless death I die!" Iago Critics: "The cool malignity of Iago, silent in his resentment, subtle in his designs, and studious at once of his interest and venegance" Johnson "Iago is an aesthete of evil" Hazlitt "The joker in the pack, a practical joker of a particularly appauling kind"- W.H. Auden "the motive hunting of motiveless malignity" -Coleridge "Iago was inconsistent" - Rymer "he [Iago] was despised with burning hatred and burning tears"- A.C. Bradley Iago Quotations: Honest Iago" "a man he is of honesty and trust" "Fie upon thee- slanderer!"

6 "O damned Iago! O inhuman dog!" "not everyone can be a master, nor can all masters be truly followed" "I am not what i am You rise to play and go to bed to work. "I shall be wise, for honesty's a fool" "I follow him to serve my turn upon him" "nothing can or shall content my soul until i am evened with him, wife for wife" "And what's he then that says i play the villain When this advice is free I give and honest." "Heaven is my judge" Emilia Critics: less complicated than her husband Honigmann Emilia is the only character in the play which Iago underestimates - Bloom Emilia Quotations: "I nothing but to please his fantasy," "Who would not make her husband a cuckold to make him a monarch? I should venture purgatory for 't" But I do think it is their husbands' faults If wives do fall. Say that they slack their duties, And pour our treasures into foreign laps; Or else break out in peevish jealousies, Throwing restraint upon us. Or say they strike us, Or scant our former having in despite.

7 Approaching the Drama Exam (Part B): A Streetcar Named Desire Within the play, A Streetcar Named Desire, the audience is introduced to the troubled Blanche who has travelled from (the now lost) Belle Reve, to stay with her younger sister, Stella. While there Stanley (Stella s husband) impregnates his wife and seeks to remove Blanche from his home, culminating in her rape and loss of mental stability. The Question You will have a choice of two questions which will ask you to analyse a theme/ character within the play and relate it to your knowledge of the context. The question will expect you to explore the use of literary and dramatic devices and the shaping of meanings within ASND. The question will usually begin with Explore how... For example: Explore the presentation of desire in A Streetcar Named Desire. You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors. In your answer, you should consider the following: o Different interpretations of the text o The writer s use of language and technique o How the context is significant to your reading of the play Recommended Reading List Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Tenessee Williams The Glass Menagerie Tenessee Williams Whose afraid of Virginia Woolf Edward Albee Betrayal Harold Pinter A View from the Bridge Arthur Miller

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9 Key Quotations Blanche Her appearance is incongruous to the setting. She is daintily dressed in a white suit with a fluffy bodice, necklace and earrings of pearl, white gloves and hat, looking as if she were arriving at a summer tea or cocktail party in the garden district. Now don t get worried, your sister hasn t turned into a drunkard, she s just all shaken up and hot and tired and dirty! I let the place go? Where were you! In bed with your Polack! After all, a woman s charm is fifty percent illusion And turn that over-light off! Turn that off! I won t be looked at in this merciless glare! Blanche waltzes to the music with romantic gestures. Mitch is delighted and moves in awkward imitation like a dancing bear. Well you do, honey lamb! Come here. I want to kiss you, just once, softly and sweetly on your mouth! She springs up and crosses to it, and removes a whiskey bottle. She pours a half tumbler of whiskey and tosses it down. Stanley Stanley carries his bowling jacket and a red-stained package from a butcher s. [bellowing] Hey there! Stella, Baby! No. Stanley s the only one of his crowd that s likely to get anywhere. Stanley doesn t give me a regular allowance, he likes to pay bills himself. You see, under the Napoleonic code a man has to take an interest in his wife s affairs especially now that she s going to have a baby. [He seizes her arm.] Don t ever talk that way to me! "Pig Polack disgusting vulgar greasy!" them kind of words have been on your tongue and your sister s too much around here! What do you think you two are? A pair of queens? Remember what Huey Long said "Every Man is a King!" And I am the King around here, so don t forget it! Stella Oh, you can t describe someone you re in love with! When he s away for a week I nearly go wild! You lay your hands on me and I ll - [She backs out of sight. He advances and disappears. There is the sound of a blow. Stella cries out.] He was as good as a lamb when I came back and he s really very, very ashamed of himself. Why on our wedding night soon as we came in here he snatched off one of my slippers and rushed about the place smashing the light-bulbs with it. Mitch I gotta sick mother. She don t go to sleep until I come in at night. You need somebody. And I need somebody, too. Could it be you and me, Blanche?

10 Prose (Paper 2): The Supernatural Dracula by Bram Stoker and The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters The Question Texts You will have a choice of two questions which will ask you to compare how the writers create a supernatural aspect in their novels and relate it to your knowledge of context. The question will expect you to explore the use of literary devices and the shaping of meanings within both texts and compare. The question will usually begin with Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts. For example: Pre-1900: The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde; Dracula, Bram Stoker Post-1900: The Little Stranger, Sarah Waters; Beloved, Toni Morrison 9 Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts create a sense of fear in their works. You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors. (Total for Question 9 = 40 marks) OR 10 Compare the ways in which settings are created and used by the writers of your two chosen texts. You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors. (Total for Question 10 = 40 marks) Recommended Reading List: Dracula by Bram Stoker Dracula: York Notes Advanced The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters Frankenstein by Mary Shelley The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde Fingersmith by Sarah Waters Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

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12 Historical Context of Dracula Dracula can be framed against the social and political currents of the Victorian period in English society, which existed during the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to During this time, England experienced a great deal of economic, social, and political change. Under Victoria, England expanded its colonial holdings to form an empire "on which the sun never set" this empire extended from India to ports in China, to islands in the Caribbean, to portions of Africa in which England had trading and other financial interests. British imperialism during this time caused not only a great infusion of money into London, the capital of the empire, but also caused a greater exchange of information, stories, and legends from around the world. The legends of the Carpathian mountains, in present-day Romania, form the basis of the novel Dracula.

13 Pre-1900 Poems John Donne The Question The question will ask you to compare a named poem with a poem of your choice from Penguin Classics John Donne Selected Poems The question will ask you to explore a thematic or content driven aspect of Donne s poetry You will have to make detailed and pertinent contextual links throughout Your task is to compare the ways Donne achieves the focus that has been given to you. For Example: Explore the ways in which John Donne s poetry makes use of unexpected arguments, by referring to The Sun Rising and one other poem. You must discuss relevant contextual factors. (Total for Question 9 = 30 marks) OR 10 Explore the dramatic nature of Donne s poetry, by referring to Holy Sonnet X ( Death be not proud ) and one other poem. You must discuss relevant contextual factors. (Total for Question 10 = 30 marks) Recommended Reading List: Selected Poems: Donne (Penguin Classics) Paperback 25 May 2006 by John Donne (Author), Ilona Bell (Editor) Classics/dp/ /ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid= &sr=8-1&keywords=Penguin+classics+John+Donne+selected+poems Selected Poems of John Donne: York Notes Advanced: Study Notes Paperback 21 Apr 1999 by Phillip Mallett Advanced/dp/ /ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=S34YP758Q7P KS5VBB00C

14 List of Prescribed Poems

15 Mark Scheme AO1, AO2 and AO3 assessed

16 Approaching the Poetry Exam (Part A): Poems of the Decade The Question The question will ask you to compare an unseen poem with a poem from the Poems of the Decade Anthology. The question will have a focus: thematic, narrative, use of similar symbols or ideas The question should always read compare the methods Your task is to compare the ways the writer achieves the focus that has been given to you. For Example: Compare the methods in which poets explore disturbing events or situations in The Deliverer by Tishani Doshi and The Manhunt by Simon Armitage In your answer you should consider the following: the poets development of themes the poets use of language and imagery the use of other poetic techniques. Recommended Reading List: Poems of the Decade: An Anthology of the forward books of poetry The Art of Poetry: Forward s Poems of the Decade Anthology W7X1GW

17 List of Prescribed Poems

18 Mark Scheme AO1, AO2 and AO4 assessed Coursework Overview with Topic Questions

19 Overview of content Students have a free choice of two texts to study. (We will study The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter, which will be one of the texts you can write about) Chosen texts: must be different from those studied in Components 1, 2 and 3 must be complete texts and may be linked by theme, movement, author or period may be selected from poetry, drama, prose or literary non-fiction. Overview of assessment Students produce one assignment: one extended comparative essay referring to two texts (AO1, AO2, AO3, AO4, AO5 assessed) advisory total word count is words total of 60 marks available. Assessment Objectives AO1 - Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression AO2 - Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts AO3 - Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received AO4 - Explore connections across literary texts AO5 - Explore literary texts informed by different interpretations Questions/ Topics 1. Explore how writers present the destructive nature of desire in The Bloody Chamber and one other text of your choice 2. Compare how writers present love as madness in The Bloody Chamber and one other text of your choice 3. Compare the presentation of men in love in The Bloody Chamber and one other text of your choice 4. Compare the presentation of women in love in The Bloody Chamber and one other text of your choice 5. Explore how writers present the vulnerability of love in The Bloody Chamber and one other text of your choice 6. Compare the presentation of male desire in The Bloody Chamber and one other text of your choice

20 7. Compare the presentation of female desire in The Bloody Chamber and one other text of your choice 8. Explore the presentation of destructive relationships in The Bloody Chamber and one other text of your choice The Bloody Chamber The Bloody Chamber is a short story collection by Angela Carter written in The anthology contains 10 stories which are either inspired by or a re-visioning of traditional Fairy Tales. It is regarded as a feminist text that subverts and challenges traditional gender expectations about men and women respectively. It also explores themes of sex, death, desire, transformation, gothic conventions and ideas about masculinity and femininity. It is highly recommended that you purchase The York Notes companion to The Bloody Chamber to aid your learning and understanding of the collection. Within your Coursework you will have to discuss 3 of Carter s stories when comparing to your coursework text. If you choose to use The Snow Child (Carter s shortest story in the collection) you will have to use 4 stories instead. Websites and links for The Bloody Chamber Recommended Additional Reading (The Bloody Chamber) Patricia Duncker, 'Re-Imagining the Fairy Tales: Angela Carter's Bloody Chambers', Literature and History Angela Carter's "The Bloody Chamber and the Decolonization of Feminine Sexuality Merja Makinen, Feminist Review Deconstructed Masculine Evil in Angela Carter s The Bloody Chamber Stories, Aytül Özüm Bluebeard and The Bloody Chamber : The Grotesque of Self-Parody and Self Assertion Author(s): Kari E Lokke Bluebear d %20and%20 The%20Bloody%20Chamber.pdf Recommended Comparison Texts with websites and links to aid decisions Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte

21 Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte Tess of the D Urbervilles Thomas Hardy Rebecca Daphne Du Maurier Wide Sargasso Sea Jean Rhys The Yellow Wallpaper Charlotte Perkins Gilmore (Short story)

22 The Handmaid s Tale Margaret Atwood On Chesil Beach - Ian McEwan (Novella) Enduring Love Ian McEwan Atonement Ian McEwan The House of Mirth Edith Wharton The Awakening Kate Chopin (Novella)

23 Recommended Additional Reading (The Bloody Chamber) Patricia Duncker, 'Re-Imagining the Fairy Tales: Angela Carter's Bloody Chambers', Literature and History Angela Carter's "The Bloody Chamber and the Decolonization of Feminine Sexuality Merja Makinen, Feminist Review Deconstructed Masculine Evil in Angela Carter s The Bloody Chamber Stories, Aytül Özüm Bluebeard and The Bloody Chamber : The Grotesque of Self-Parody and Self Assertion Author(s): Kari E Lokke 0 Bluebeard %20and%20 The%20Bloody%20Chamber.pdf Coursework Structure words Planning your response 1. Firstly decide on your comparison text (if you are struggling use the Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilmore brilliant for comparison with TBC) 2. Research the context of your chosen text remember this is assessed so you need to ensure you are aware of the historical/political/social context of both texts. 3. Decide on your question there are 8 to choose from (you can change the question if you wish but do to confirm your choice) 4. Decide which stories from TBC you are planning to use (3 stories or 4 if you use The Snow Child) 5. Use the planning sheet to plan your line of argument so that you can ensure comparison the whole way through. 6. If you wish you can pre-select your quotations so that they are ready to be written into your essay Structuring your response Introduction ( words) Introduce both texts and establish your line of argument (in relation to your chosen question). Outline how the theme is presented within Carter s text (you may wish you outline which stories your essay will focus on). Outline how it is presented in your secondary text this will ensure comparison and focus the essay from the start Example Sentence starts: Though written centuries/decades apart, The Bloody Chamber and xxx both explore xxx Within Angela Carter s The Bloody Chamber and xxxx the theme of / the idea of/ the notion of xxx is Example introduction How is the destructive nature of desire presented in the The Kite Runner by Hosseini and 1984 by Orwell?

24 Although written years apart and set in different realities, The Kite Runner by Hosseini and 1984 by Orwell share the notion that desire can be inherently destructive. Hosseini uses the corrupt regime and desires of the Taliban to portray the destructive forces of desire on innocence through the eyes of Amir. Orwell, however, portrays the destructive nature of desire through the inner dialogue of Winston; the reader is a witness to desire and how it destroys his independence and innocence. In this essay, I shall demonstrate that ultimately desire can be empowering in the correct hands, but destructive when fought against by totalitarian regimes. Main Body ( words) Your comparison should be integrated within your essay, you should not address The Bloody Chamber for 1000 words before looking at the other text. Instead, your arguments should clearly flow and be woven in throughout your response. One approach may be: TBC Story 1 Comparative Text TBC Story 2 Comparative Text TBC Story 3 Comparative text You must ensure that you are making comparative (evaluative) comments throughout to ensure you are hitting AO4 Main Body Example Paragraphs However, Orwell also presents desire as a powerful tool as Winston and Julia use it to defeat party ideology through sex. This is foreshadowed by the phrase the sexual act, successfully performed, was

25 rebellion 1 as by performing a base natural act he destroys party ideology through his wife, whom he does not love. The verb performed suggests that Winston sees it as a duty. Later attempts at rebellion through an underground organisation prove ineffective, but this simple act seems to have an instant impact on Winston s attitudes. Further on he and Julia are destroyed by the party s desires in the world Orwell has created desire is dangerous, both positively and negatively. Desire is thought crime. presents that whilst they destroy party ideology, they incriminate themselves, foreshadowing how Winston is later arrested and portraying Orwell s underlying fears of government surveillance. The party oppresses sexual desire, particularly in women by arranging unfulfilling marriages, pornography and through groups such as the Anti sex league. Ironically Julia, who initiates her and Winston s sexual relationship, is a member of this group, showing how repression can be countered and demonstrating that desire has the potential to destroy party doctrine. Perhaps acknowledging the implausible nature of refusing men access to aspects of desire, the party allow men to visit brothels, thus showing the divide between the religious values and human reality. In a similar way in The Kite Runner desire for power is externalised through sinister sexual imagery such as Hassan s rape. Assef, a sociopath, desires control and power. By saying it s just a Hazara 2 Assef undermines Hassan and justifies his actions to himself through racial prejudice. His desires are unfounded and irrational making them unpredictable and destructive. The pronoun It s signifies that Assef sees Hassan as an object to achieve pleasure and power. The racial tensions in Afghanistan fuel the destruction that follows; Assef represents the Taliban and Hassan is a symbol of the innocent people they destroyed. When Amir describes the look on Hassan s face the look of the lamb 3 he uses the metaphor of the lamb to compare Hassan to a religious symbol of peace, making Hassan s sacrifice seem holy in his devotion to Amir. This devotion is emphasised in a passage where Amir describes the holy sacrifice of a lamb on the tenth day of Dhul-Hijjah in parallel to the rape, Amir says 1 George Orwell (2004) Nineteen Eighty-four (Penguin Modern Classics): Penguin Classics. P.78 2 Khaled Hosseini (2011) The Kite Runner: A&C Black.p Ibid.

26 Hassan is the lamb he must slay 4 to win Baba. The modal verb must implies there is no choice for Amir, foreshadowing Amir winning his father s affections after the tournament, although it feels hollow. The notion that Amir must slay Hassan and not Assef shows that the narrator still feels guilt and that he was responsible. This is arguably irrational as Amir did not do this to Hassan and Assef holds responsibility, showing the desire to change the past causes a destruction of Amir s self-esteem. A Freudian reading asserts that Assef s orthodox approach to Islam represses his sexual desire, causing neurosis in reaction, as the rape is a fleeting moment of power other doctrine, similar Winston s experiences. Conclusion ( Words) Your conclusion should bring together your argument and reiterate your focus on the question. You should summarise the links you have made to support your answer and it should be succinct and concise. There should be evidence of conclusive evaluation of both texts Example conclusion: To conclude both 1984 and The Kite Runner present desire as destructive through common themes of death, power, and the desire for escape or sex. While desire is presented as destructive in the hands of totalitarian powers, in the hands of our protagonists and the common person it has the power to motivate and change. The Kite Runner ends on the image of Sohrab s smile, which shows the ability of the human spirit to overcome. In 1984 Orwell portrays a bleak ending to demonstrate his dreary vision of a world with the cold war looming; Winston succumbs to the party ideology and is happy to die. Both texts present desire as being both destructive and a tool for happiness; where they differ is that Winston is completely destroyed in death whereas Amir has hope to rebuild. 4 Khaled Hosseini (2011) The Kite Runner: A&C Black.p. 73

27 Mark Scheme