Good luck!

Good luck, guys!

I’ll be in tomorrow before the exam, loitering somewhere in the English corridor with the baby. Come by and see me.

You’ll be fine. You’re all totally capable, and you’re going to do yourselves proud, I know it.

Get a good night’s sleep.

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Urgent – Folios (again)

Catherine, Anna – you need to get your folios in NOW.

Urgent: Folios

Folks, your completed folios should be with the teacher who has been providing feedback by now.

Catherine and Anna, Mrs Fuller has asked you to email yours over to her ASAP – Anne.fuller@fife.gov.uk

PLEASE get this done.

Prose Literary Study Feedback

Hello dears,

Some feedback on your lit. study responses from last week:

• Ensure you are specific in your introductions – it’s not enough to say that a variety of techniques are used, give us examples.
• There’s a lack of quotes in some of the responses – you should know these texts inside out by now, and should aim to quote extensively in your essays.
• Consider how the writers’ depiction of their characters, etc. impacts us as a reader, particularly in our feelings towards them, and our relationship with the narrator. For example, Jane’s depiction of the isolation she faces at Gateshead immediately create sympathy for her – does that also, perhaps, encourage us to find her a more reliable narrator than a less sympathetic character?
• Still need to be more comparative in your analysis of both texts – explore fully the similarities and differences in your response to the question.
• Technical accuracy, folks – this is most decidedly not optional. Miss a line between paragraphs; actually take new paragraphs; check your punctuation, especially after a quote – unless it’s embedded in a sentence, you need a capital letter after it; PHRASING – please, please, please read over what you’ve written. There’s a few examples of nonsensical ramblings here.
• Conclusions are important – reiterate your evaluative stance and overall argument, and summarise the points you’ve made. LEAVE TIME TO DO THIS.
• Some of you need to watch your handwriting (you know who you are). I realise I’m old, so therefore have rubbish eyesight, but if they can’t read it, they can’t mark it.

REVISE. Any questions, let me know. For my own amusement, I’ve also included a photo of Sophia, who is concerned about the depth of your analysis:

 

Plath Revision Task

Analyse how Plath’s poetry explores the following themes:

• Dissolution of the self
• Belonging
• Isolation
• The Sublime
• Nihilism
• Longing/desire

Try to be comparative in HOW these themes are explored, e.g. through imagery, symbolism, etc.

Here’s some notes from last year’s class to help:

Folio

Folks, have had some worrying reports from teachers in the department regarding your folio pieces, particularly focusing on the fact that some of you are simply not taking on board feedback and failing to edit and improve your pieces accordingly.

I saw a couple of these pieces when I was in on Thursday, and they would not pass on technical grounds alone. Even more worrying was the fact that they had barely changed since I gave feedback on them several months ago.

I will remind you once more: the coursework for this qualification is YOUR responsibility. If you choose not to take on board feedback, then it is your decision, but you will be throwing away a possible 15-30% of your overall mark. You will also have wasted my time, the other teachers in the departments’ time (who are doing you a huge favour in taking your work on in addition to their already enormous amount of marking), and, lastly, your own time.

You’re all capable of doing incredibly well. Don’t waste that by becoming lazy in the final weeks.

I’ll be coming in to see you the day of the exam. In the meantime, if you’ve any questions, just respond to a comment on the blog.

Also, REVISE!

Thursday

Just a reminder that you should have completed all four literary study plans AND have revised them, as you will be answering one of them under FULL EXAM CONDITIONS (I’m writing in capital letters, so you know this is serious). I will also be asking to see all four plans to ensure you’ve done them.

Any questions before then, let me know.

Example Literary Study Essay – Plath

Example essay for you to peruse – this got 16 out of 20.

Sylvia Plath Example Literary Study Essay 16 out of 20

Literary Study questions – Prose

Hi folks,

Have plans completed for the following questions for Thursday 26th April – you’ll write one of them under FULL EXAM CONDITIONS then.

• Compare and contrast the treatment of love in any two novels.
• Discuss the ways in which themes of isolation and/or estrangement are explored in two novels or three short stories.
• “It is the alienation of the individual which pervades …fiction.” Discuss with reference to any two novels.
• Compare and contrast the treatment of the “darkness of marriage” in any two novels.

The three stage structure we discussed is below:

Comparing Texts for Literary Study and Dissertation

This afternoon

Folks, I will be in for the double period this afternoon, in case you weren’t aware. I’d like to discuss folios, as well as areas of concern re revision for lit. study and textual analysis.