English. Independent Study Booklet. Topic: Analytical Writing. How will this I.S. booklet help me?

Transcription

1 English Independent Study Booklet Topic: Analytical Writing How will this I.S. booklet help me? This booklet will help to improve your essay-writing skills

2 Contents Week 1 Topic Paragraphs: summarising understanding Week 2 Unpacking Quotations: finding the vehicle words Week 3 Exploring Themes: stating and elaborating Week 4 Impact of Techniques: how techniques reinforce themes Week 5 Segue for Cohesion: carrying themes over in paragraphs Week 6 Bridging Phrases: making writing concise and accurate Week 7 Key Title Words: in first and last sentence of paragraphs Week 8 Conclusions: summarising key points in each paragraph

3 Week 1 Using Topic Paragraphs A topic paragraph is an opening paragraph. It is the first thing you write in essays. In topic paragraphs, you summarise your understanding of the essay question. There are two examples of topic paragraphs below. Read both ( Standard and Advanced versions). Standard Topic Paragraph Robert Louis Stevenson presents the theme of good evil through the use of the presentation of Jekyll/Hyde s split personality and a Gothic setting. Standard Topic Paragraph explained The Standard Topic Paragraph is general, referring to only the most obvious example of good and evil in the story: i.e. good and evil. A way to improve this is to include subtle examples of good an evil and link to context. Advanced Topic Paragraph Robert Louis Stevenson presents the theme of good evil in a number of ways, including the use of a Gothic setting, pathetic fallacy and the presentation of Jekyll/Hyde s dual nature, all of which embed the theme of good an evil within the story: a theme which interested Stevenson from an early age due to his nanny s puritanical religious views which were imposed on him as a child. Advanced Topic Paragraph explained The Advanced Topic Paragraph is more sophisticated because it includes more subtle examples of good and evil (Gothic setting, pathetic fallacy) and relates the question to the context (e.g. Stevenson s indoctrination of the existence of good and evil via his puritanical nanny when he was a child).

4 Week 1 Independent Study Topic Paragraphs 1. Using the book you are reading in English (e.g. A Christmas Carol, Jekyll & Hyde, Romeo & Juliet etc.) 2. write a topic paragraph that shows your understanding of one main theme in the book. 3. Use the examples on the previous page to help you Remember to use examples on previous page to help you

5 Week 2 Unpacking Quotations Unpacking quotations is the skill of selecting the specific words which show the meaning/theme within the quotation. Using full quotations is too general because it suggests you can t identify the specific words in the quote which shows the message/theme: so unpacking quotations is better. There are two examples of unpacking quotations below. Read both ( Standard and Advanced versions). Example Stevenson presents the theme of good and evil early in the story through the use of pathetic fallacy a black winter morning to establish a Gothic setting of unease and malevolence. This use of pathetic fallacy, in particular the adjective black, provides the reader with an early indication of the moral darkness inherent in the story. This sense of moral darkness is further enhanced through reference to Hyde s violent action of trampling calmly over the girl s body, the adverb calmly implying an evil, ruthless streak to the character further reinforced by the adjective hellish. Example of Unpacking Quotations explained When you read the example (above), you will notice two things: (i) that a full quote has been used (ii) that after the full quote has been used, words have been taken out of the quotation. Taking words out of a quotation is called unpacking the quotation : this is where you are identifying the specific words that show the message/theme. Tip: full quotations are general (x) / unpacking quotations is specific ( )

6 Week 2 Independent Study Unpacking Quotations 1. Use the book you are reading in English (e.g. A Christmas Carol, Jekyll & Hyde, Romeo & Juliet etc.): 2. write two paragraphs on one main theme in the book 3. include three quotations in each paragraph 4. unpack each quotation (use example on previous page to help you) Remember to use examples on previous page to help you

7 Week 3 Exploring Themes Exploring Themes is the skill of moving beyond basic statements. A statement is a simple, straightforward point: i.e. showing Hyde s evil nature. Elaboration is building on a statement to show a more in-depth understanding of the theme/character. There are a number of ways to explore themes: contrasting characters and layering the theme/message (see examples of each below). Example 1: contrast Stevenson uses contrast early in the story in reference to Hyde trampling on the young girl. The use of contrast creates distinct imagery of the child s pain evident in the repetition of screaming compared with the description of Hyde being perfectly cool : the adjective cool presenting Hyde as psychopathically violent character who evil at his core. Contrast explained The words in bold show you how contrast has been used (i.e. comparing the innocence of the girl with the violence of Hyde) to reinforce Hyde s evil nature. Example 2: layering Stevenson presents the theme of good and evil early in the story through the use of pathetic fallacy a black winter morning to establish a Gothic setting of unease and malevolence. This use of pathetic fallacy, in particular the adjective black, provides the reader with an early indication of the moral darkness inherent in the story. This sense of moral darkness is compounded by reference to Hyde s violent action of trampling calmly over the girl s body, the adverb calmly implying an evil, ruthless, psychopathic streak to the character reinforced by the adjective hellish. layering explained The words in bold are all examples of layering themes/messages. Layering themes/messages is the skill of using two or more words to explain a message.

8 Week 3 Independent Study Exploring Themes 1. Use the book you are reading in English (e.g. A Christmas Carol, Jekyll & Hyde, Romeo & Juliet etc.): 2. write two paragraphs on one main theme in the book 3. use contrast in paragraph one to explore your theme (see example) 4. use layering in paragraph two to explore your theme (see example) Remember to use examples on previous page to help you

9 Week 4 Impact of Techniques Explaining the impact of techniques is important for effective, detailed analysis. There is a difference between technique spotting (i.e. the writer uses a simile which makes it have impact ) and analysing the technique. To analyse a technique effectively, you need to understand that techniques reinforce images, emotions and actions. Once you understand this, you start to think about the writer s intentions: i.e. why they have used an adjective, simile etc. in a certain place. Example Stevenson presents the theme of good and evil early in the story through the use of pathetic fallacy a black winter morning to establish a Gothic setting of unease and malevolence. This use of pathetic fallacy, in particular the adjective black, provides the reader with an early indication of the moral darkness inherent in the story. This sense of moral darkness is compounded by reference to Hyde s violent action of trampling calmly over the girl s body, the adverb calmly implying an evil, ruthless, psychopathic streak to the character reinforced by the adjective hellish. Impact of Techniques explained The words in bold provide an example of how techniques should be used. Writers use techniques to intensify images, emotions and actions. So your aim when using techniques should always be to explain in detail how the technique the writer has chosen intensifies an image, emotion or action.

10 Week 4 Independent Study Impact of Techniques 1. Use the book you are reading in English (e.g. A Christmas Carol, Jekyll & Hyde, Romeo & Juliet etc.): 2. write two paragraphs on one main theme in the book 3. choose four quotations which include techniques 4. put two quotations in each paragraph 5. explain how techniques intensify an image, emotion or action Remember to use example on previous page to help you

11 Week 5 Segue for Cohesion Segue (pronounced segway ) means carrying themes over from sentence-tosentence and paragraph-to-paragraph. The reason segue is so important is that it means you have clarity and cohesion in your writing: i.e. your writing has a clear structure and your points can be tracked easily throughout your essay. Internal Segue: example Stevenson presents the theme of good and evil early in the story through the use of pathetic fallacy a black winter morning to establish a Gothic setting of unease and malevolence. This use of pathetic fallacy, in particular the adjective black, provides the reader with an early indication of the moral darkness inherent in the story. This sense of moral darkness is compounded by reference to Hyde s violent action of trampling calmly over the girl s body, the adverb calmly implying an evil, ruthless, psychopathic streak to the character reinforced by the adjective hellish. Internal Segue explained The words in bold (i.e. moral darkness) and the black line linking moral darkness is an example of internal segue. Internal segue is when you carry over themes/messages from sentence-to-sentence. With internal segue, you can carry over the same, a similar or the opposite theme/message. External Segue: example Stevenson presents the theme of good and evil early in the story through the use of pathetic fallacy a black winter morning to establish a Gothic setting of unease and malevolence. This use of pathetic fallacy, in particular the adjective black, provides the reader with an early indication of the moral darkness inherent in the story. This sense of moral darkness is compounded by reference to Hyde s violent action of trampling calmly over the girl s body, the adverb calmly implying an evil, ruthless, psychopathic streak to the character reinforced by the adjective hellish. External segue is similar to internal segue: the only difference is your carry over messages from paragraph-to-paragraph (see example above).

12 Week 5 Independent Study Segue for Cohesion 1. Find an old essay in your English Literature book 2. Find an essay one a book you ve been studying (e.g. Jekyll and Hyde) 3. Draw lines to show where you ve used internal and external segue Remember to use example on previous page to help you

13 Week 6 Bridging Phrases Bridging Phrases and bridging words are used to link points, quotations and themes. The reason bridging words/phrases are important is that, under pressure, you need to have a bank of words/phrases you always use to make sure your writing is clear and accurate. Bridging words: example Stevenson presents the theme of good and evil early in the story through the use of pathetic fallacy a black winter morning to establish a Gothic setting of unease and malevolence. This use of pathetic fallacy, in particular the adjective black, provides the reader with an early indication of the moral darkness inherent in the story. This sense of moral darkness is compounded by reference to Hyde s violent action of trampling calmly over the girl s body, the adverb calmly implying an evil, ruthless, psychopathic streak to the character reinforced by the adjective hellish. The words in bold are examples of bridging words. Bridging words are single words linking things together. The words underlined on either side of the bridging words are the quotation ( black winter morning ) and the message ( a Gothic setting of unease and malevolence). In summary, bridging words form a clear link between the quotation and the theme. Bridging phrases: example Stevenson presents the theme of good and evil early in the story through the use of pathetic fallacy a black winter morning to establish a Gothic setting of unease and malevolence. This use of pathetic fallacy, in particular the adjective black, provides the reader with an early indication of the moral darkness inherent in the story. This sense of moral darkness is compounded by reference to Hyde s violent action of trampling calmly over the girl s body, the adverb calmly implying an evil, ruthless, psychopathic streak to the character reinforced by the adjective hellish. Bridging phrases are similar to bridging words. The difference is that bridging phrases are used to link each part of your sentence: e.g. point + technique; quote + theme; theme + quote etc. In a nutshell, bridging phrases link part of your paragraphs together.

14 Week 6 Independent Study Bridging Words/Phrases 1. Find an old essay in your English book 2. Find an essay one a book you ve been studying (e.g. Jekyll and Hyde) 3. Highlight where you ve used bridging words and bridging phrases Remember to use example on previous page to help you

15 Week 7 Key Title Words Key title words are the important words in the question. Although this is obvious, under pressure some students forget the key title words and don t answer the question. The easiest to ensure you answer the question, is to have key title words in the first and last sentence of every paragraph. Key Title Words: example How does Robert Louis Stevenson present the theme of good and evil in Jekyll and Hyde? Robert Louis Stevenson presents the theme of good and evil in a number of ways, including the use of a Gothic setting, pathetic fallacy and the presentation of Jekyll/Hyde s dual nature, all of which embed the theme of good an evil within the story: a theme which interested Stevenson from an early age due to his nanny s puritanical religious views which were imposed on him as a child. Stevenson presents the theme of good and evil early in the story through the use of pathetic fallacy a black winter morning to establish a Gothic setting of unease and malevolence. This use of pathetic fallacy, in particular the adjective black, provides the reader with an early indication of the moral darkness inherent in the story. This sense of moral darkness is compounded by reference to Hyde s violent action of trampling calmly over the girl s body, the adverb calmly implying an evil, ruthless, psychopathic streak to the character reinforced by the adjective hellish. Standard use of Key Title Words: The words in bold are an example of how to include key title words in the first and last sentence of every paragraph: by doing this, you ensure you answer the question. Advanced use of Key Title Words: A more advanced way of using key title words is to do two things (i) include key title words in the first and last sentence of every paragraph (ii) include other words linked to key title words within each paragraph: e.g. moral darkness, malevolence, ruthless, psychopathic streak. This way is more sophisticated because you are explaining the key title words in a variety of ways.

16 Week 7 Independent Study Key Title Words 1. Find an old essay in your English book 2. Find an essay one a book you ve been studying (e.g. Jekyll and Hyde) 3. Highlight where you ve used key title words 4. Where you haven t used key title words, use a green pen to put them into the first and last sentence of every paragraph Remember to use example on previous page to help you

17 Week 8 Conclusions Conclusions are a summary of the points you have made in your essay. The easiest way to write conclusions is to (i) work out what theme you ve focused on in each paragraph (ii) include all of these themes in your conclusion. Conclusion: example How does Robert Louis Stevenson present the theme of good and evil in Jekyll and Hyde? Example of themes in each paragraph 1. Jekyll s struggle with his dark impulses (i.e. Hyde) 2. the psychopathically violent nature of Hyde 3. the guilt and remorse Jekyll feels when he releases his dark alter-ego 4. Jekyll s immoral attraction to the freedom his disguise gives him 5. Jekyll succumbing to the primitive, anarchic side of his nature Standard conclusion In conclusion, Stevenson presents the theme of good and evil by showing Jekyll s struggle with his dark impulses and how giving in to these impulses releases his violent alter-ego Hyde. Stevenson also shows this battle between good and evil through the intense guilt and remorse Jekyll feels for the terrible acts carried out in the disguise of Hyde. Advanced conclusion In conclusion, Stevenson presents the theme of good and evil in a number of interrelated ways: first through Jekyll s struggle with his dark impulses and how giving in to these impulses releases his psychopathically violent alter-ego Hyde a battle between good and evil which is further enhanced by Stevenson s presentation of the intense guilt and remorse Jekyll feels for the terrible acts carried out in the disguise of Hyde. Furthermore, the novella concludes with a gradual moral decline wherein Jekyll s attraction to the freedom his alter-ego provides him leads to him succumbing to the primitive, anarchic side of his being.

18 Week 8 Independent Study Conclusions 1. Use the most recent book/novel you have studied in English 2. Choose a key theme from the book/novel (e.g. conflict, good/evil) 3. write a conclusion using the Standard or Advanced examples above Remember to use example on previous page to help you