You will submit two written assignments: one critical essay and one empathic response. We will do more than one and submit your best essay and best empathic response.
We will study one drama text and one prose text.
800–1200 words (including quotations but not references/bibliography).
• The critical essay must be based on ONE text.
• The text must not be on the set text list (Paper 3) or be the same text used for the empathic response (written
assignment 2).
PLAY - Yerma
NOVEL - The Great Gatsby, Short Stories
• 600–1000 words.
• The empathic response assumes the voice of one character in a novel or a play.
• The task focuses on a particular moment in the text (which may be the end of the text).
• The text must not be on the set text list (Paper 3) or be the same text used for the critical essay (written assignment 1).
• The full wording of the task, including the character name and chosen moment for assignment 2, must be included at the start of the assignment.
PLAY - Yerma
NOVEL - The Great Gatsby
Choose a significant moment in the text. Describe the thoughts and feelings of the character.
How to write a critical essay
Introduction
Start with a broad statement or cool intro.
Then mention stories and writers
Then the topic of your essay
Lastly techniques you will look at.
Never ever mention 'I' in an essay.
Examples
Social obligations of an individual vary from person to person, but in 1955, 9,087,000 men were put face to face with an uncertain future… In “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, the reader is guided through a variety of past war stories, dating from the Vietnam war. Various men like Tim O’Brien were then subsequently put through the social obligations and pressures of war. This is conveyed through various segments of O’Brien’s personal experiences. The chapter “On the rainy river” perfectly demonstrates an upcoming soldier’s mental stages of coming to terms with war, while having to put up with its mentally oppressive, social obligations. Through the usage of different literary techniques and sentence structures, the author creates an oppressive environment, while depicting the war’s mental effects on soldiers.
Jane Austen is renowned for her themes of love and relationships, and gender inequality but it is her final novel, published posthumously, Persuasion which truly encapsulates the issue of social class and the narcissism this entails on Sir Walter Elliott. In this extract, taken from the opening of Chapter 1, Austen depicts the narcissistic and class dependent character of Sir Walter Elliott through the use of techniques such as imagery, narrative voice, sentence structure, and diction.
The horrors of war and the dark side of human nature are topics that have been tackled in many literary works throughout history. A renowned book that talks about these issues is Tim O’ Brien’s 1990 novel, The Things They Carried. The book addresses these topics by recounting the author’s time in the Vietnam war through a series of linked short stories. One of these topics is the guilt that comes from murder as a soldier, and how that guilt negatively affects its bearers. This is especially evident during the chapter The Man I Killed, in which O’ Brien describes his reaction to the murder of a vietcong soldier. Through the use of techniques such as repetition, dialogue and symbolism, O’ Brien is able to send a message to his readers about the effects of guilt on the human psyche.
PARAGRAPHS (6 PETALS)
Ensure you are linking to the guiding question.
Make sure you are analysing the EFFECT of techniques and how they link to question
Every paragraph must have a clear POINT where you link to your question eg
Poe continues this build up of tension when describing the obsession the narrator has with the old man's eye.
EXAMPLE PETALS
In the opening chapter of The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini, the writer depicts the global issue of the persistency of the past. Amir narrates how he receives a phone call from his father’s friend Rahim Kahn which reminds him that ‘the past claws its way back’. By using a metaphor in ‘claws’, it suggests that the past is like a wild animal which won’t stop and continually returns. Here, Amir is describing how he cannot escape his past. The incident when he witnessed Hassan being raped, still haunts him. Additionally, this is continued on page two when Amir says ‘I thought about Hassan. Thought about Baba. Ali. Kabul’. The writer has employed short sentences to convey the fragments of memories which Amir is remembering. The listing of these people and places shows us that they hold a special place in his memories and he is still affected by his past. Thus, this opening helps to immediately portrays the fact that the past is something which is unforgettable.
The lurking darkside is immediately depicted in the opening lines of the novel. As Mr. Utterson walks with his friend Mr. Enfield, the latter tells a peculiar tale that perfectly encapsulates this, specifically the meeting with a man who defines this irresistible despair as a person, Mr. Hyde. Yet, before coming to the topic, the streets they travel whilst in conversation illustrate how hidden this evil is, most houses “well-polished” and appearing “(to be pleasing) to the eye of the beholder”. Through the word choice of 'well polished' and ''pleasing", Stevenson suggests that humans are presumed to be civilized, engaging in flattering and polite conversation, as the passage alludes to, but this does not represent all of what an individual is capable of. Namely, one building stands out in particular, “a certain sinister block of building thrusting its gable on the street”, of “sordid negligence”. The house, presumed abandoned, seems to be thrusting, pushing and lunging, itself onto the street, in juxtaposition to the previous pleasant atmosphere and in connotation to a personification of a human's depravity if not controlled. It is so different from the rest, neglected by an immoral amount, of 'sordid negligence', having deteriorated out of control. The imagery created is dark, old, and dilapidated, whereas the bright and affluent street stands in contrast. In essence, the building is almost consumed by evil and represents the darkside poking out of all goodness of these man-made structures. This helps to immediately convey the darkside of human nature which is lurking in us all.
Moreover, it directly relates to Mr. Hyde, who may very well be the owner of the house, and this affinity becomes more apparent, as Mr. Enfield recalls him running into a young girl and “trampling calmly over the child's body”. Through the usage of an oxymoron, his immoral behavior is emphasized, as well as the coldness of Mr. Hyde's evil. This contemptuous stamping onto the girl's frame is opposed by the nonchalance by which he does it, expressing how little true care Mr. Hyde has for others. Many humans are selfish, and his actions express what they are unable to admit. In addition, Mr. Hyde’s sudden appearance and the resulting destruction of innocence, the child, without a second thought, is how a human, if one could call it such, would act if consumed in malevolence.
Conclusion
Signal you are concluding eg In conclusion, Ultimately, Overall
Sum up your main points.
End in a cool way
That’s my paper. I wrote about the darker side of human nature and how Jekyll is consumed by it. That’s probably a warning for us all. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Ultimately, The Man I Killed is an excellent chapter that uses a broad variety of literary techniques to help its readers understand how guilt affects the human psyche. Through the clever use of repetition, dialogue and symbolism, the ordered chaos in this passage paints a picture of a man broken by shame and remorse, in order to discredit war and bring attention to all the negative effects that fighting in a war can have on someone.
In summation, this passage perfectly encapsulates the darkside of human nature. What starts as a depiction of the beauty of the setting soon switches to the nefarious underbelly of the Victorian London streets - Hyde's presence affecting everything and everyone. Stevenson masterfully employs allusion, sentence structure, and tone to encapsulate this insidious nature and hint that we as readers are not exempt from this dark side. We are all sinners; we are all capable of violence; we are all in touch with our inner beast no matter how hard we try to Hyde.
Some phrases and tips to help:
This shows Furthermore
This depicts Moreover
This highlights In addition
This portrays Additionally
This echoes Similarly
This demonstrates Likewise
This illustrates In contrast
This implies However
This connotes Conversely
Use the word 'connotations'. eg This word has connotations of excess, lavishness, and wealth, thus depicting the social status of the man.
Focus on analysing techniques. What is the effect? What does it do? And how does that show the tension/theme etc?
Integrate quotes properly. You are not required to reference page numbers in this particular essay but you will be in future. You must introduce the quote. eg This narcissism is most obviously used when he is described as a 'man who loved nothing more than to gaze at himself in the mirror'. The use of the word 'gaze' is important in depicting.....
BE SUCCINCT!!! No waffling about nonsense. Get to the point.
Astonish me with how perceptive you are when analysing!!
POINT examples
Robert Louis Stevenson's infamous novella 'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' is a prime example of gothic horror and the darkside of human nature which lives in us all....
Are we all capable of committing atrocity? This is one of the key questions asked in ...
Humans have always been associated with bloodshed - it is an inherent human trait to access our dark nature. This idea is taken to extremes most famously in....
Songwriters often explore the darker side of humanity, particularly the way we cope with grief. This is most evidently seen in the song __________ by __________
Edgar Allan Poe's most infamous short story The Tell Tale Heart is a prime example of the way a writer can build tension to breaking point.
The dangers of celebrity and the obsession from fans is something inherent in society today. Musicians in particular feel this effect and often voice their concerns in their song-writing. One such musician, Sting, chose to draw awareness to the plight of being stalked in his 1983 song, ''Every Breath You Take''.
EVIDENCE Examples
In chapter 1 of the novel, during a story told by Enfield, we are introduced to a mysterious character who speaks of a 'small, dark, beastly apparition'.
Chapter 1 of the novel immediately portrays this idea when Enfield, on a walk with Utterson, describes an incident he witnessed.... The dark and unsettling atmosphere is described as ''a black winter morning''.
Stevenson uses the lexical field of 'hell' to echo the dark, nefarious character of Hyde, most notably describing him as a ''juggernaut" and "hellish to see".
TECHNIQUE examples
Through the use of hypophora.....
Here, Stevenson employs a simile to compare...
This metaphor helps to compare....
The asyndetic list is utilised here to....
ANALYSIS examples
By describing him as an animal, Jekyll not only reveals the uncontrollable and primitive nature of Hyde, but also his view on him, as an inferior character to himself. However, most importantly, he reveals that even though he is Jekyll, the presence of Hyde within him is undeniable. The animalistic force of Hyde is still ominously present within him, even though he is Jekyll.
Lastly, though the use of the oxymoron “tensely elastic” when describing Hyde, the author reveals that Hyde is always present in Jekyll, and vice versa, even if he is not the dominating character in Jekyll’s body. Jekyll is the force that is opposite, yet interchangeable, to Hyde, which is clearly manifested in the difference of the two words “tensely” and “elastic”, which are used to describe each other despite their opposite meaning. They have a duality where one cannot exist without the other.
LINK examples
Ultimately, this helps to portray the trauma that love and breakups can have on people.
Thus, Eminem has successfully depicted the way we all need to take advantage of the opportunities which appear before us.
Some Tips
Some expressions for analysis
This highlights…
This connotes
This implies…
This suggests...
This depicts...
This conveys...
This demonstrates…
This echoes...
This suggests...
This has connotations of…
This illustrates...
This epitomises...
This links to...
This foreshadows...
This acts as a catalyst for,
This acts as a premonitory device for…
The author uses this in order to...