Make sure that you really understand the text s plot, characters, themes, context and writer s techniques.

Transcription

1 Literature Paper 2: 60% Modern Texts and Poetry: Section A: An Inspector Calls (34 marks- 45 minutes) NOTE: If you are studying Animal Farm or Lord of the Flies, ensure you consider how you could use the examples below to comment on your own text. You should use this as a model for your own text. You do NOT need to study An Inspector Calls. You need to show the examiner that you can: Write about the text in a thoughtful way picking out plenty of short appropriate quotations to back up your opinions Identify and explain features of the play s form, structure and language. Show how the author uses these effectively to create meanings and effects Consider the plays cultural, social and historical background Write in a clear well-structured way To get top marks, level 6 (26-30 marks) you need to demonstrate: A01: Critical, exploratory, conceptualised response to a task and whole text. Judicious use of precise references to support interpretations AO2: Analysis of writer s methods with subject terminology used judiciously. Exploration of effects of writer s methods on the reader. AO3: Exploration of ideas/perspectives/contextual factors shown by specific, detailed links between context/task. Make sure that you really understand the text s plot, characters, themes, context and writer s techniques. Context and Themes to Revise: Britain in 1912 and 1945 Family Life Social class Young and old generation Men and women Judgement Life lessons: Social responsibility Time and timing Secrets and lies Writing about context Understand the difference between 1912 and 1945 to help you write about: The significance of the setting How Priestley presents the roles and relationships of the characters The language of the play, especially the formal language of Mrs Birling and the more modern slang of the younger generation. Priestley s attitudes and techniques, especially the presentation of themes in the play The play s relevance today Know key quotations linked to key characters and themes, by heart. Know the language techniques used and the intended effect. Refer to the audience. Understand: dramatic irony, colloquial speech, sarcasm, slang, use of stage directions, triples (list of 3), clichés, euphemisms, figurative language, speech patterns linked to a particular character. Imagine that you have to respond to this question: What function does that character of the Inspector have in An Inspector Calls and how does Priestley present this character? Read the question at least twice and underline the key words Plan your response it will help you to organise your ideas and write a well-structured essay. Include evidence. You could use a spider diagram or bullet point notes. For example: Function: drives plot reveals family secrets divides family shatters illusion of perfect family knows everything that happened to Eva Shows dangers of class prejudice passes on Priestley s social message. So you used your position of power to have her fired, There are millions of John Smiths and Eva Smiths. She d been turned out and turned down too many times. Mrs B : Girls of that class, Euphemism Presentation Mysterious outside of any class strong sense of morality holds them responsible represents an all seeing. God-like force he always knows the truth. You have no hope of not telling the truth I think you did something very wrong. Short direct statements: authoritative. Remember that this is play; it is meant to be watched. Think about the stagecraft (the skill of writing a play so that it works well on a stage). Consider: stage directions, props, settings as well as Priestley s words.

2 Introduction Get to the point staight away. You should give a brief clear answer to the question. Use the exact words from the question in your response. Make it clear how you are going to tackle the topic. Use the rest of the introduction to develop this idea. try to include your main paragraph ideas from you plan but save the evidence for later In An Inspector Calls, Priestley wants to put across an important message of equality. Everyone needs to be aware of their responsibility to others, and that they should treat everyone fairly. The Inspector s main function is to present this message to the audience clearly and powerfully. In order to do this, Priestley presents the Inspector as a mysterious god-like character, so that his views seem to hold more weight. Middle section - paragraphs expanding your argument Explain your answer in more detail and provide evidence. Make a variety of points. Identify the techniques used by the writer and why they are used. Comment on your evidence and explain how it helps to prove your point. Try to embed lots of short snappy bits of evidence as you respond Identify where in the play your evidence is from. Refer to context in relation to the question and explore the effect on the audience. See the exanple of one such paragraph on the right. One of the main functions of the Inspector in putting across Priestley s message is to highlight the problems if a social class system. In the play, the Birling family represent an out dated, class-obsessed society. Mrs Birling for example, didn t believe a word of Eva Smith s story because she wrongly assumes that having morals is simply absurd for a girl of that class. The use of the euphemism here shows her disdain for Eva s situation and how she feels that the lower classes are almost devoid of feelings and understanding. In contrast, the Inspector s opinions aren t clouded by class prejudices. He doesn t value the same things as the Birlings, for example, he has never wanted to play golf. He is classless and so he sees things more clearly. This means the audience trusts his view of the situation he functions as a god-like figure of moral judgement. Conclusion Remember to conclude with a paragraph which sums up your main points. It is you last chance to persuade the examiner Your conclusion must answer the question. Here you could develop your own opinion or highlight which of your points you thought was the most interesting In conclusion, Priestley uses the inspector for avariety of functions, and his presentation is shaped for these purposes. By making him classless he stands outside the Birlings world and can make judgements on the characters along with the audience. He also drives the plot, forcing the confessions which move the play to its conclusion, namely that We are responsible for each other. He is not just another character; Priestley presents him as omniscient and god-like to aid his function as a judge and a teacher as well as the author s mouth piece.

3 Section B: Poetry - answer one question on the and Conflict cluster (30 marks 45 mins) Section C: Unseen Poetry - answer two questions you haven t read before: Response to unseen poem (24 marks 30 minutes, including 5 minutes planning time) Comparative response to unseen poems (8 marks 15 minutes, including 5 minutes planning time) Section B: 30 marks You will be provided with the named poem in the question but you will have to use your knowledge and memory of the poem that you compare it with. You will be given a list of all the poems to help you choose pick one that relates to the theme/question set. Three main ways to get marks: Give your own thoughts and opinions on the poems and support them with quotes from the text. Explain the effect of features like form, structure and language Describe the similarities and differences between the poems and their contexts. You should know: the background to each poem key lines/phrases from the poems by heart how the poems are linked the key message of the poem key features of the poem Structuring a response for section B (The Anthology) Introduction Begin by giving a clear answer to the question in a sentence or two. Use the rest of the introduction to develop this idea. try to include your main paragraph ideas from you plan Main body This should include three to five paragraphs that compare the two poems. Use PETER /PEED In each paragraph write about one poem anf the explain whether the other poem is similar or different. Each paragraph should compare a feature of a poem, such as the form, structure, the language used or feelings put across. Link your ideas with connectives like 'similarly' likewise or equally or 'in contrast' and ''on the other hand' Rememmber to start a new paragraph every time you start comparing a new feature. Conclusion Remember to conclude with a paragraph which sums up your main points. It is you last chance to persuade the examiner Try to make your last sentence memorable, link back to the question. AO1: critical, exploratory comparison/judicious use of precise references to support interpretations AO2: Analysis of writer s methods with subject terminology used judiciously. Exploration of effects of writer s methods on reader AO3: Exploration of ideas/perspectives/contextual factors shown by specific, detailed links between context/task Literature Paper 2: 60% Modern Texts and Poetry: Section C: Unseen Poetry - answer two questions on poems that you haven t read before: Response to unseen poem (24 marks 30 minutes, including 5 minutes planning time) Comparative response to unseen poems (8 marks 15 minutes, including 5 minutes planning time) Response to unseen poem (24 marks 30 minutes, including 5 minutes planning time)

4 To achieve to marks for the Unseen question (Level marks) you must demonstrate AO1 Critical, exploratory, conceptualised response to task and text. Judicious use of precise reference to support interpretations A02 Analysis of writer s methods with subject terminology used judiciously. Exploration of effects of writer s methods on reader. Question 1 will ask you to analyse one printed poem. You will need to cover: What the poem is about the poems message, themes and ideas. How the poet uses form structure and language to communicate these ideas. Comparative response to unseen poems (8 marks 15 minutes, including 5 minutes planning time) To achieve top marks in the comparative question (level 4: 7-8 marks) you must demonstrate: AO2 Exploratory comparison of writer s use of language, structure and form with subject terminology use judiciously Convincing comparison of effects of writer s methods on reader To answer Question 2, you will have to compare the poem in question one to another one. You should: Write about the similarities and differences between the two poems Focus on the techniques the poets use, such as form structure and language Remember to support every point that you make with quotes or examples from the poems and use the correct technical terms. The questions may look something like this: November by Simon Armitage We walk to the ward from the badly parked car with your grandma taking four short steps to our two. We have brought her here to die and we know it. You check her towel, soap and family trinkets, Pare her nails, parcel her in the rough blankets and she sinks down into her incontinence. It is time John. In their pasty bloodless smiles, in their slack breasts, their stunned brains and their baldness And in us John: we are almost these monsters. You re shattered. You give me the keys and I drive through the twilight zone, past the famous station to your house, to numb ourselves with alcohol. Inside, we feel the terror of the dusk begin. Outside we watch the evening, failing again, and we let it happen. We can say nothing. Sometimes the sun spangles and we feel alive. One thing we have to get, John, out of this life. Remember to read the question carefully twice, highlight/underline the key words. Annotate and highlight the relevant lines/words/techniques in the poems in response to the question, and quickly plan your response. Q1 In November how does the poet present ideas about death? [24 marks] Do not go gentle into that good night Dylan Thomas, Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

5 Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night. Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night. Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light Q2 In both November by Simon Armitage and Do not go gentle into that goodnight. By Dylan Thomas the speakers describe attitudes towards the end of life. What are the similarities and/or differences between the ways the poets present these attitudes? (8 marks) Tackling an unseen poem STEP ONE: Work out what the poem is about What is the subject of the poem? Who is speaking? Who is the narrator speaking to? STEP TWO: Identify the themes and message of the poem Why has the poet written the poem? What are they trying to say? What ideas are they using? Is it an emotional response to something that s happened? Is it trying to get an emotional response from the reader? Is it portraying a message or opinion on a subject or event? A quick way to remember, use: TWIST FLIRTS MITSL or any other poetry acronyms that you have used in class. STEP THREE: Identify the attitudes and feelings in the poem What are the different emotions and feelings of the narrator or poet? What is the mood or atmosphere of the poem (e.g. sad, angry, etc.)? How has the poet used different poetic techniques to show these attitudes and feelings? STEP FOUR: Identify the poetic techniques used in the poem What are the different poetic techniques that the poet has used to show the attitudes and feelings in the poem? How has the poet shown these feelings through form and structure (e.g. rhyme, rhythm, line length, stanza length, etc.)? How has the poet used poetic devices to show these feelings (e.g. metaphors, similes, caesura, enjambment, alliteration, juxtaposition, personification, etc.)? STEP FIVE: Explore your personal response to the poem How do you feel about the poem? How well does the poet get the message across in the poem? What is the impact of the poem on the reader (refer to the reader, rather than I when talking about the impact of the poem)? Are there any other ways the poem could be interpreted? and Conflict Poetry: What links can be made? AO1: I need to make thoughtful and developed comparisons between poems. I need to reference the poem and integrate these references into my interpretations. AO2: I need to examine writer s methods using the correct terminology. I need to examine the effects of the writer s choices on the reader AO3: I need to thoughtfully consider: ideas/ perspectives and contextual factors of poetry. I will make detailed links between poems Ozymandias: Shelley A traveller tells the narrator about a statue of an old king in the middle of the desert. The statue has been broken over time. Nature is stronger London: Blake A speaker wanders through the streets of London offering a glimpse of the terrible conditions faced by the inhabitants of the city. The Prelude: Stealing the boat Wordsworth A man is happy in a boat until he sees a mountain. It s the size and power that makes him afraid.

6 than humans. Language of power Angry language Feeling of power and arrogance Alliteration (harsh) power Alliteration (soft) loneliness Nature Identity. A pessimistic outlook. Repetition emphasises people are trapped in their misery and it s continuing and highlighted everywhere Senses creates reality and sympathy Oxymoron happy image linked with death everything is destroyed because of their misery Emotive language and rhetorical language to persuade the reader towards his view. Feeling of anger and hopelessness Anger Loss Absence This demonstrates that nature is more powerful despite what humans try. Similes & metaphors = nature is beautiful Repetition = fear Dramatic language & Fearful language The feeling of confidence and then fear. Nature Inner turmoil Memory My last Duchess: Browning ( ) The poem is set in 1564, three years after the death of the Duchess. An emissary (messenger or representative) has been sent to see the Duke from the Count of Tyrol. The Count is the father of the Duke's next wife (he married three times in all). The Duke shows the emissary a picture of his late wife and remarks on her character, suggesting that she was unfaithful to him - and hinting that he might have killed her because of it. Iambic pentametre Rhyming couplets Enjambment = carried away with his anger Repetition of pronoun my = pride that the lady belonged to him; Dukes high opinion of himself Mimics unrehearsed speech with punctuation variety Statistical language = power = Pride Link to Ozymandias? Storm on the Island: Heaney The poem is about the violence of a storm in the natural world. A community think that they are prepared for the storm but the power of nature makes them realise they are not ready. Similes = shows fear of the storm Oxymoron = shows feeling of comfort but being scared Alliteration (plosive) = harsh = destruction of storm that is coming Personification = weather has power Violent language and sounds are used Feeling of safety to start and then fear / helplessness. Nature The Charge of the Light Brigade: Tennyson The poem is about a disastrous battle between British cavalry and Russian forces during the Crimean war. A misunderstanding meant that the Light Brigade was ordered to advance into a valley surrounded by enemy soldiers. Rhythm makes battle seem fast paced and frantic Repetition = trapped, panic and they are doomed. Metaphors = for battle ground & death. Rhythm = lively at the start when upbeat but then slows as many die and they are in trouble Alliteration (sibilants) = soft = sadness of death Heroic and violent language The feeling of admiration and then horror /glory Violence Bayonet Charge: Hughes The poem is about a soldier s experience of a violent battle. It describes his thoughts and feelings as he desperately tried to avoid being killed. The soldier s overriding emotion is fear, which has replaced patriotism. Alliteration (harsh h sound) = heavy breathing = tired and panic Simile showing weapon is useless and foreshadows the injuries he will get Enjambment = suffering and panic is continuous Violent imagery created by the language used Feeling of fear and confusion, Pride/glory, Violence Exposure: Owen Soldiers in WW1 afraid of an attack but nature is the biggest enemy (cold, snow ). They dream of home but the door is closed. They feel they have to die in the war to protect their families at home. Personification = nature attacks the soldiers Alliteration (sibilance) = (soft) sadness of war but also sounds of war Onomatopoeia Metaphor = no emotion Bleak language is used Feeling of suffering and hopelessness Form: roughly 5 lines per stanza = trapped and army regiment Inner conflict Violence Remains: Armitage A group of soldiers shoot a man who is running from a bank raid. They don t know if the man was armed. The death plays on the soldiers mind because it wasn t a soldier in a war; it was a citizen. Metaphor (violent) contrast with informal story Metaphor (memory) compares to a soldier in a trench Repetition- turmoil (confusion) of what he s done Enjambment keeps replaying the events in his head/can t forget Colloquial language Graphic language Feelings of guilt Life and Death Guilt Conflict Poppies: Weir A poem about a mother s emotional reaction to her son leaving home. After he leaves, she goes to placed that remind her of him, to find a trace/connection. Photographer: Duffy The poet describes the experience of someone whose job it is to witness terrible crimes against humanity and bring them back to us many miles away Tissue: Dharkar Is about paper and the importance of it in our lives. It suggests that we (as people) have the power to give paper its importance and this given power (money etc) now controls people. We use paper to

7 Repetition- memory/trying to remember having him around Alliteration (sibilance) soft= sadness Alliteration (Plosives) harsh being left Simile world from son s view as something exciting Metaphor son s hair makes him look aggressive/ready for war language creates imagery Domestic language references to home Feeling of loss and fear Voice Loss Memories The émigrée: Rumens A displaced person reflects on their city of birth. The speaker talks of a country she left as a child in a positive way. However, there has been conflict in this place but she still sees the beauty nature is nice and people ruin it. Metaphor to show positive memory is fixed Personification of time = time is the enemy but she still likes the place Personification of city = memories are pure and she is innocent to what s happened. Language of conflict = place might not be as perfect Language of light = city is described in a positive way = shows her feelings Feeling of threat (speaker chooses to ignore) & remembrance (nothing will change her view) Inner conflict Identity Emotional pain Loss Exile Light and Dark Simile to show work is serious Alliteration (plosives) harsh = breaks the quiet room like gunfire in a war Short sentences = puts emotions to one side because he has a job to do Metaphor to show the suffering of war Alliteration (sibilance) = shows sadness feeling towards the war Language of religion Emotive language Contrasting language between war zone and England which is safe Feeling of pain & anger (for the people who won t care when they see the pictures) Memory Inner turmoil Death Emotional pain Kamikaze: Garland In this narrative poem, Beatrice Garland explores the testimony of the daughter of a kamikaze pilot. Unlike many of his comrades, this pilot turns back from his target and returns home. His daughter thinks it was because he saw the beauty of nature and remembered his childhood. The pilot was rejected when he got home, even by his family. Irony as war targets were big but he sees the small beauty of nature (fishing boats not war ships) Alliteration (sibilance) = soft to reflect peacefulness of the nature (fish swimming) Enjambment = helps show pilot got caught up in memories and never forgets them. Repetition safe = pilot made his mind up so his children won t lose him in war Irony because the pilot survived but the family acted like he wasn t there Simile = bunting homely and a contrast of the reality of war Simile flag = symbol of country but here it s a direction for something Language of nature shows the beauty he sees Feeling of shame and regret (and patriotism at the start) Inner turmoil log our history etc. It might be fragile but it still controls us. Alliteration of r sound = creates idea of freedom and flowing Repetition line 29/30 with 17/18 = the sun is powerful permanent force Simile = our lives controlled by money Language of light = a positive thing Language of creation = man-made creations vs creations by humans Feeling of control (being controlled by paper) & freedom (imagines a world where we aren t constrained) Identity Checking Out Me History: Agard The narrator is talking about his history. He was taught British History but wasn t taught about his Caribbean roots. He mentions people from other cultures who should be celebrated. He decides to create his own identity based on his heritage. Repetition me own = identity Examples of British things (pantomime and nursery rhyme) = trivial in comparison to Caribbean roots Metaphor = he has been stopped from knowing his Caribbean history Phonetic spelling & Language = Caribbean accent = link to identity Feeling of anger & celebration Identity Pride