Personal Study

The outline plan is due in on Mon 15th December. This will include a question and a paragraph plan, saying what you will be doing in each paragraph. You should also provide some supporting evidence for each point, showing that you are starting to pull the novel apart.


It may look something like this:

Question:
In 'Animal Farm', George Orwell explores the relationship between dictators and those over whom they rule. Examine the ways in which Orwell develops this theme and show how in doing so, he reveals some of the nature of political power.

Intro:

Paragraph 1:

Old Major building support, and the universal solidarity of the animals in overthrowing Jones. Look closely at the speech, and power of rhetoric.

Evidence: Language such as 'comrades'; clear vision for the future; personalisation of suffering; ironic presentation of Beasts of England and Orwell's hints at gullibilty in the face of a positive vision.

Paragraph 2:

Characterisation of Napoleon, Snowball and Squealer. Show how the consolidation of power quickly becomes a justification of privelege. Comparison with Communist Russia. Lack of early opposition allows pigs to become too powerful.

Evidence:Squealer's propaganda: "You don't want Jones to come back..."; Developing then changing commandments; exile of Snowball and his demonisation; show their manipulative intent.

Paragraph 3:

etc...

You will need to make at least three solid points in the plan, and possibly more.

The suggested essay questions from class are:

• How does [author] develop the relationship between the two main characters in [novel]?
  
• Show how the [author] explores the theme of [theme] in [novel].
  
• Discuss in detail the development of [main character] in [novel].
  
• Examine [author’s] use of setting in the development of the theme.
  
• Examine [author’s] use of stylistic and narrative devices in [novel].

Please adapt these to your own purpose, as I have done for the Animal Farm essay. It may be easier, especially with theme questions, to make a statement first, the put in a question, as I have done, above.


Remember, whatever your question, you must refer to various aspects of text, including:

• Theme
• Characterisation
• Style (including narrative style, use of figurative language etc)
• Narrative viewpoint
• Setting
• Plot

In characterisation essays, you should look at the following techniques:

• Reaction to plot events
• Relationships
• Description
• Speech/thoughts (perhaps this comes into the narrative)
• Changes in values/world view, as shown through the above

In theme essays, you should look for a theme which really gets to the heart of the novel. You should be looking for the author's central purpose. Why did they write this novel? What do they want their readers to be thinking about? Don't go for something on the surface, like 'friendship', but look at what the novel teaches us.

If you have any questions, please ask, either by email or by coming to see me after class or at interval or lunch. I'm here to help.

Romeo and Juliet essay - some support notes

Below are the sample paragraphs that we looked at in class. As well as these, it is probably worth reminding you of a few points:

• Make a strong point, in direct response to the question, at the start of each paragraph, and then stick to that point. Start a new paragraph if you want to discuss something different.
• Contextualise and introduce evidence. Don't start making a point by quoting - use evidence to support a point that you've already made.
• Avoid 'I', and certainly 'you'. Just make your points authoritatively, as if they are fact.

Sample Juliet paragraph
(please note that the long quote is not indented as it should be - my html skills are rubbish, and I can't get it to do what I want.)

Juliet is presented as a worldlier figure in Act III, sc 5, as she allows her mother falsely to believe that she is grieving for Tybalt, deepening the deceit and betrayal of her family. Having just fondly but regretfully parted from Romeo, she answers her mother’s ‘How now, Juliet?’ with the undoubtedly true, ‘Madam, I am not well.’ Lady Capulet leaps to the assumption that she is ‘Evermore weeping for [her] cousin’s death,’ and proceeds to counsel her to move on from the depths of her grief. Without engaging in any outright lies, Juliet speaks of ‘a feeling loss’, delicately balancing the truth of her love for Romeo with her mother’s mistaken assumption of a shared desire for ‘vengeance’ on the ‘traitor murderer’. The pinnacle of Juliet’s duplicity is in the strange lines,
Indeed I never shall be satisfied
With Romeo, till I behold him – dead –
Is my poor heart, so for a kinsman vex’d.
Perhaps the fact that Lady Capulet misses the true meaning of these lines says more about her than Juliet, but the fact that Shakespeare now presents Juliet as…

Sample Romeo paragraph

Before the audience meets Romeo, they have already developed some familiarity with him. As well as having his name in the play’s title, he is discussed in the prologue and presented, in the line, ‘A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life’, as a lover and an object of tragedy with his fate in the stars. Further, in Act I, sc 1, Benvolio discusses Romeo with his parents, with Montague saying that his son,
Many a morning hath he there be seen,
With tears augmenting the fresh morning’s dew.
Benvolio expresses great concern for Romeo, and by the time Romeo arrives, the audience are keen to know the cause of his sorrows, and to see this troubled young man.


Remember, your introduction should state the title and author of the text under discussion, give a brief plot summary, and ANSWER THE QUESTION.

Sample introduction

Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, is a tragedy set in Verona in which the children of two feuding families fall in love. They marry secretly, but when Romeo is exiled for killing Juliet’s cousin, the tragedy begins. A rash plan leads to the death of both young lovers, although Shakespeare leavens the tragedy somewhat through the reconciliation of the two families. Romeo is initially characterised as a callow youth, whose immediate and passionate love for Juliet becomes the engine for the tragedy. His reflective and poetic … become… later, …

Your conclusion should answer the question again, this time referring to your main points, already made. Try to incorporate some evaluative statements, suggesting how effective you find his characterisation. By the way, avoid saying anything negative here - we all think that Shakespeare is a good dramatist, or at least your marker will.

• Never say anything new in a conclusion.
• Never quote in a conclusion.
• Never say anything irrelevant, such as 'I really enjoyed this play', or 'It is a wonderful example of a Shakespearean tragedy' - Stick to the task.

You might write something like:

Throughout Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare presents Juliet as a character with whom the audience sympathises. She appears trapped by her family and circumstances at the beginning, and although she appears demure and respectful, her passionate nature bursts out convincingly. Shakespeare gives her some wonderfully poetic lines, demonstrating her love, fear and turmoil, yet he also portrays her as decisive and authoritative. Her bloody death is the high point of the play's tragedy because she plainly doesn't deserve to die, and Shakespeare ensures that the audience's sympathy by having developed such a strong yet innocent character.

The current Romoe & Juliet production

OK folks, here is the actual link to the notes on the current production. The stuff you were looking at before is actually from the last RSC Romeo & Juliet. Sorry.

RSC page on the current production

For your next blog-related homework task, you will need to go through the RSC page on the current touring production, and make a detailed comment on it. Perhaps find a particular section that you think is interesting, and let us know what it is that draws you to it. Alternatively, comment on the site as a whole, saying how it has helped you to prepare for the play.

Reading it carefully will certainly add to your enjoyment of the trip on the 28th.

Welcome to the new blog

For your first homework task, you need to set up a Google account, and post a comment at the bottom of this post. Any questions or concerns about the Google account should be answered here.

In your comment, you should say something relevant to English. You could simply let everyone know of a book that you have read recently, and tell us what you think of it. You could provide a link to a relevant website that you have found useful or interesting. You could write a short poem or story. You could share your personal targets for the year in English, and ask for suggestions. You could make a suggestion on how the blog could function. Be creative, and try to respond to others' comments where relevant.