Prompt: ‘Bad Dreams and Other Stories reveals the significance of everyday experiences.’ Discuss.

Sample introduction - 

Ordinary experiences comprise the fabric of life and often carry great significance for each individual person. Throughout Tessa Hadley’s collection, ‘Bad Dreams and other stories’ (2017), the substantiality of the mundane acutely exposes the formation of identity and in turn illuminates the value that comes from such experiences. It is through the depiction of women, subtle tensions, and varied age groups that Hadley underscores the profound manner in which people carry themselves in dynamic situations involving relationships and communication. Therefore, allowing readers to understand that, far from being mundane, the everyday reveals significant life stressors. Thus, by employing a myriad of perspectives throughout the compilation of short stories, Hadley endeavours to reveal the quest for self-discovery by means of everyday encounters.

Introduction Structure

-A compelling opening sentence by being prepared with key phrases that may suit multiple different prompts

 Introduce author, text, context

- Outline contention

- Outline framework of essay

- Author’s views and values/key message behind the text

• Helpful tip: Have a bank of verbs to outline what the author/director aims to achieve, know synonyms for key words surrounding the texts

Planning a Text Response Essay

1. Write out the question / topic.

2. Circle the key terms (can be one or more words). These are the words (concepts or issues) that the topic is asking you to address in your essay.

3. Note any words like ‘always’, ‘most’, ‘all’ etc – qualifying words that can change the meaning of a topic

4. Find synonyms for the key terms that you can use in your essay to avoid repetition and show that you understand the topic.

5. Write down the key questions that the topic is asking you to address. What ideas will you have to cover to fully resolve this topic? The answers to these key questions will become the topic sentences for your body paragraphs.

6. Turn your key questions into topic sentence statements. Make sure these are about ideas, not characters

7. Work out a sensible order for your body paragraphs

Introduction

Don’t simply agree or disagree with the topic. Try to find distinctions or qualifications within the topic. You might generally agree but see some exceptions. Teachers / examiners will usually set topics which allow for this as it gives more insightful students scope to show their knowledge and understanding of the text.

1. Introduce the text, title, author full name), genre (eg anthology), context (social and historical), leading in to the issues addressed by the topic.

2. Thread of key ideas you intend to make in relation to the topic, teasing out the ideas from your contention.

3. Contention: your overall response to the prompt

4. Overall views and values

To establish a contention, you must:

• Understand the topic/ consider different viewpoints

• Determine where you stand in relation to the topic. Your contention should reflect your overall point of view

Body Paragraph 1 - 3

In your body paragraphs, remember to provide specific references to events / details from the text and to use quotations to support the general statements you make. Quotes need not be long. Embed them into your sentences rather than have them sitting out on their own. This shows familiarity with the text and your ability to select appropriate detail to answer the question. Don’t retell the story.

Topic sentence (must mention the title or author and be about an idea, not a character)

Explanation / elaboration of the topic sentence (optional)

Evidence (refer to events and use quotations)

Explain the significance of this evidence

(You may use two or three of these ‘evidence-explain’ sequences in a paragraph)

Link back to the essay topic

Conclusion

• Sum up your overall conclusions about the topic (restate contention and thread of ideas using different words from those used in the introduction).

• Don’t just repeat your introduction. 

• Your conclusion should be the logical end point of your discussion. Try to build up to it.

• Provide a final statement that leaves a lasting impression on the reader. What is the author’s overall message about this topic or overall text? It should have clear relevance to the topic. 

VOCAB FOR CONCLUSIONS: Thus/ Therefore/ Hence/ Henceforth/ As a result/ Essentially/ Ultimately/ In essence

General Feedback from practice essays

• You don't have to use complex language to express a complex idea - it is better if you use simplistic language to convey a nuanced point

• Add/weave more textual evidence to show you understand the text as well as the topic

• Avoid contractions in formal writing

• Many of you are simply just 'engaging' withe ideas as opposed to 'critically examining them'. When engaging, you are mentioning the key ideas in your introduction, topic & linking sentences and conclusions. To critically examine an idea, you must :

Identify the idea, Assess the quality and relevance of the evidence presented in support of the idea, Look for characters who represent different perspectives or embody conflicting values related to the central idea, Reflect on the author's intentions in presenting the central idea. Consider interviews, essays, and other supplementary materials that provide insights into the author's motivations and inspirations.

• Grammatical errors and punctuation need to be addressed, particularly application of apostrophes when conveying possession. 

Sample exploration of a topic - 

In ‘Bad Dreams,’ Hadley suggests that innocence is often seen as a burden, not a gift. Do you agree?

 Innocence: purity, inexperience, ignorance, naivety, goodness, simplicity 

Burden: worry, weight, load, problem, tax, inconvenience, onus

Often: frequently, habitually, usually, generally

Gift: award, benefit, strength, blessing 

Contention: In ‘Bad Dreams and other stories,’ Hadley underpins the notion that despite the difficulties inherent in showing innocence when faced with challenges, there is a certain bravery in directly confronting and addressing them despite one's lack of experience.

Idea 1: Hadley's exploration of vulnerable women illustrates the weight of being uninformed about the complexities of the world, highlighting the susceptibility to manipulation while also emphasising the necessity of facing reality to gain understanding.

• Laura in Experience (economic reliance on her ex-husband)

• Carrie in One Saturday Morning

Still working on this paragraph - 

Hadley's exploration of vulnerable women illustrates the weight of being uninformed about the complexities of the world, highlighting the susceptibility to manipulation while also emphasising the necessity of facing reality to gain understanding. Individuals must confront the realities of existence, despite their harshness, to progress and achieve a deeper understanding of oneself. The naïve narrator in ‘Experience,’ Laura, reveals her encounter with a power disparity in her past as she discloses that “when the money runs out” following the divorce, she will then “start looking for work.” Such a revelation clues the readers into his economic power in the relationship, thus rendering her reliant on a man to feel a sense of security in the world. Hadley subtly unveils the detriments of such an idea when Julian, Hana’s past lover, ‘patiently…disengage[s] himself” and rejects Laura’s ‘offering’ to seduce him so that she may gain sexual experience. It is by the end of the story, Laura learns that she needs to take the reins in her life as she moves out to a sharehouse and attains a job as a receptionist. Here, Hadley conveys to readers that some may have immature understandings of the world around them and that the adult world is not easy to navigate; it is full of unfulfilled desires and unresolved inner turmoil. Yet, it is through their adaptation to circumstances that humans acquire the ability to persevere and shape their identity. Moreover, as Carrie observes her mother’s encounter on the balcony with Dom Smith as his face was “buried in her neck,” a visual that leaves the young girl ‘disembodied,’ which suggests that the moment extends beyond the reach of children. This watershed moment draws Carrie back to the safety of her childhood and innocence as encapsulated through her “pressing close” to her mother. The 'precariousness' experienced by both Laura and Carrie becomes a vehicle for Hadley to communicate the importance of confronting one's reality in order to truly understand and value oneself. Thus, by conveying vulnerability in women, Hadley underscores the importance of confronting reality in order to understand  the world and the present moment.  

Idea 2: Despite the significant ramifications of one’s naive decisions, Hadley’s intricate stories exhibit that it is the purity in one’s decisions and actions that grant them a zeal for life. 

• Laura Mulhouse/ the students (Deeds Not Words)

• Ruby (Her Share of Sorrow) 

Idea 3: Essentially, through pivotal realisations, Hadley accentuates that innocence constitutes a facet of everyone's journey, fostering personal growth and exploration of the world, irrespective of the harsh realities encountered in the process, thus granting it as a blessing.

• Marina (The Stain)

• Laura in Experience