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Comparative Q’s By Type

Posted on January 5, 2014 by | 28 comments

I’m trying to wrap my head around the mental checklist a student needs to have ticked off in their brain to feel confident that they can tackle whatever question comes up in the comparative. Apologies for ignoring gv&v and literary genre, I’m sure I’ll get to them eventually. For now, I’ve re-organised the questions for theme or issue and cultural context into the following categories:

Theme or Issue:

Questions which focus on key moments / dramatic or interesting moments in texts.

Questions on what you’ve learned from studying this theme (personal & universal insights)

Questions on the extent to which this theme or issue is resolved

Cultural Context:

Questions that ask you to compare the cultural context in general & the values/attitudes which are evident in each society

Questions that ask you to discuss how you feel about these societies / studying these societies

Questions that ask you to discuss the impact of the society on the central characters

Questions that ask how the cultural context effects the unfolding of the plot

Questions that ask you to discuss ONE aspect of the cultural context (gender roles, social class)

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If anyone wants the full list of questions, organised by type, here they are:

Theme or Issue

Questions which focus on key moments / dramatic or interesting moments in texts

1. “Important themes are often expressed in key moments in texts” Compare how the authors of the three comparative texts studied by you used key moments to heighten your awareness of an important theme.

2. “There are key moments in a text when a theme comes sharply into focus” Discuss.

3. “The dramatic presentation of a theme or issue can add greatly to the impact of narrative texts”

4. “Exploring a theme or issue through different texts allows us to make interesting comparisons”

5. (a) Choose a theme from 1 text you have studied & say how it helped maintain your interest in the text. (30) (b) Compare how the theme is treated by the authors of 2 other texts to maintain the reader’s interest. (40)

6. (a) Compare how key moments in 2 of your texts raised an important theme or issue (40)

(b) In a third text show how a key moment helped your understanding of the same theme (30)

Questions on what you’ve learned from studying this theme (personal & universal insights)

1. “Studying a theme or issue enables a reader to form both personal and universal reflections on that theme or issue” Discuss in relation to two or more texts.

2. “A reader’s view of a theme or issue can be either changed or reinforced through interaction with texts.”

3. “A theme or issue explored in a group of narrative texts can offer us valuable insights into life”

4. “The comparative study of a theme or issue allows the reader to gain a variety of viewpoints on that theme or issue”

(a) Describe the viewpoint on your chosen theme in one text you have studied. (30)

(b) Compare the viewpoint on the same theme in your other two texts. (40)

5. “The study of a theme or issue can offer a reader valuable lessons and insights.”

(a) Identify and discuss at least one valuable lesson or insight that you gained through the study of a theme or issue in one text on your comparative course. (30)

(b) Compare at least one valuable lesson or insight that you gained, from studying the same theme or issue (as discussed in (a) above), in two other texts on your comparative course. The valuable lesson or insight may be the same, or different, to the one discussed in (a) above.(40)

Questions on the extent to which the issue is resolved:

1. “In many texts, a theme or issue may not be resolved to the complete satisfaction of the reader” Discuss

2. (a) Discuss the extent to which a theme or issue is resolved to your satisfaction in one text on your comparative course.

(b) Compare the extent to which the same theme or issue is resolved to your satisfaction in two other texts on your comparative course.

Cultural Context Questions

Questions that ask you to compare the cultural context in general & the values/attitudes in each society:

1. In the light of your understanding of the term the cultural context write an essay in which you compare the texts you have studied in your comparative course. (70)

2. (a) With reference to one of the texts you have studied in your comparative course, write a note on the ways in which the cultural context is established by the author. (b) Compare the ways in which the cultural context is established by the authors of two other texts on your comparative course.

3. “In any cultural context, deeply embedded values and attitudes can be difficult to change” (70)

4. “Understanding the cultural context of a text allows you to see how values and attitudes are shaped”

(a) Discuss in relation to one text you have studied (30) (b) Compare the way the values and attitudes are shaped in two other texts you have studied. (40)

Questions that ask you to discuss how you feel about these societies / studying these societies:

1. “A reader can feel uncomfortable with the values and attitudes presented in texts” (70)

2. “A narrative text creates its own unique world in which the reader can share” (70)

3. “Understanding the cultural context of a text adds to our enjoyment of a good narrative” (70)

4. Imagine that you are a journalist sent to investigate the cultural context of the worlds of the three texts from your comparative course. (a) Write an article on the cultural context you found most interesting. (30) (b) In a second article compare the cultural contexts of the other two worlds with each other. (40)

Questions that ask you to discuss the impact of the culture / society on the central characters:

1. “The main characters in texts are often in conflict with the world or culture they inhabit” (70)

2. “The cultural context can have a significant influence on the behaviour of the central character(s) in a text”

3. “The opportunities or lack of opportunities available to characters in the society or world in which they live have a huge impact on them” (70)

Questions that ask how the cultural context effects the unfolding of the plot:

“The cultural context of a narrative usually determines how the story will unfold” (a) Compare the way in which the cultural context influenced the storyline in two of the texts you have studied (40) (b) Show how the cultural context influenced the storyline in a third text you have studied (30)

Questions that focus on ONE aspect of the cultural context:

1. “The issue of social class is important in shaping our understanding of the cultural context of a text”

(a) Discuss the importance of social class in shaping your understanding of the cultural context of one text you have studied (30 marks)

(b) Compare the importance of social class in shaping your understanding of the cultural context of two other texts you have studied. (40 marks)

2. “The roles & status allocated to males or females can be central to understanding the cultural context of a text”

(a) Show how this statement might apply to one text on your comparative course. In your answer you may refer to the roles and status allocated to either males or females or both. (30)

(b) Compare how the roles and status allocated to males or females, or both, aided your understanding of the cultural context in two other texts on your comparative course. (40)

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Macbeth Questions

Posted on November 26, 2011 by | 9 comments

The kind of questions that come up fall into three broad categories:

  • Character questions
  • Theme questions
  • Style questions

1. Characters:

The main aspects of Macbeth’s character you need to know are:

  • External factors that lead to his downfall -LadyMacbeth&Witches.
  • Internal factors that lead to his downfall – ambition & self-interest.
  • Macbeth’s soliloquies
  • The audience‘s reaction to and levels of sympathy for Macbeth.
  • His relationship with his wife Lady Macbeth.
  • His behaviour as King / tyrant!

You must also be able to discuss the following characters:

  • Lady Macbeth – as a person in her own right, her relationship with her husband & our reaction to & levels of sympathy for her.
  • Duncan – as a King & as one of the “good” characters in the play.
  • Banquo – as a person in his own right and as a “foil” to Macbeth.
  • The Witches – their role in the play & influence over Macbeth.
  • Minor characters – Macduff, Malcolm, Edward (Kings/good guys!)

You can be asked a general question in which you’d discuss several characters. For example: “The play presents a dark and pessimistic view of humanity”.

2. Themes:

  • Kingship & power
  • Good vs. Evil
  • Justice vs Injustice
  • Appearance vs. Reality
  • Supernatural

3. Style:

  • Imagery – blood, animal & clothing imagery
  • Relevance to a modern audience
  • Compelling drama

Here are some specific exam questions but remember that you won’t know the exact question until you open up the exam paper. You are being asked to respond to the statement – discuss to what extent you agree and/or disagree with it. Don’t just bluntly begin by saying “I agree 100% with this statement” – this is predictable and shows an inability to offer a nuanced analysis of the play/statement. You must support all points you make by quotation from and reference to the play.

CHARACTERS:

“Ambition and self-interest are the qualities that destroy Macbeth”

“Shakespeare’s Macbeth invites us to look into the world of a man driven on by ruthless ambition and tortured by regret”

“Macbeth’s murder of Duncan has horrible consequences both for Macbeth himself and for Scotland”

“Macbeth’s soliloquies are essential in order to retain audience sympathy for the central character”

“The variety of significant insights that we gain into Macbeth’s mind proves critical in shaping our understanding of his complex character.”

“The relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth undergoes significant change during the course of the play”

“The relationship between Macbeth and his wife is ultimately a destructive one”

“Their partnership in guilt, which at the beginning of the play is a strong bond between them, gradually drives Macbeth and his wife apart, until they go down to their seperate dooms, isolated and alone”

“We feel little pity for the central characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare’s play”

“While there are some redeeming features in the character of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is portrayed as a ruthless opportunist, whose ambition for her husband supercedes all moral considerations”

“Lady Macbeth is responsible for the fall of her husband”

“Lady Macbeth is no monster, she is a loyal though misguided wife, not without tenderness and not without conscience”

“The witches in Macbeth are malevolent creatures, who originate deeds of blood and have power over the soul”

“The witches add little to the play Macbeth”

“Banquo is a good and loyal man, but even he is not above temptation”

“Shakespeare is more interested in dramatic effects than in presenting characters who are psychologically consistent”

“The play presents a dark and pessimistic view of humanity”

“The ‘good’ characters in Macbeth are drab and uninspiring, whilst the flawed characters are absolutely fascinating”

THEMES:

“Essentially the play Macbeth is about power, it’s use and abuse”

“Kingship, with all its potential for good and evil, is a major theme in the play Macbeth”

“In the play Macbeth, evil is depicted in a far more interesting way than virtue”

“In Macbeth, Shakespeare presents us with a powerful vision of evil”

“The eternal struggle between good and evil – a struggle in which evil comes close to victory – is the central theme in the play”

“From the opening moments, the play is dominated by the themes of corruption and death”

“The theme of the supernatural adds a malevolent air of mystery to the play Macbeth”

“In the play Macbeth, appearances often mask a disturbing reality”

STYLE:

“Macbeth has all the ingredients of compelling drama”

“Centuries after it was written, the play Macbeth remains highly relevant for a modern audience”

“Choose a scene which you consider to be the most dramatic in the play and justify your choice”

“The imagery in Macbeth adds greatly to our experience of the play”

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Studied poetry – questions

Posted on May 3, 2011 by | Comments Off on Studied poetry – questions

When the new course began in 2001, the type of questions that came up were pretty predictable and mostly revolved around giving a personal response to a poet. Since 2007 (and the public debate around grade inflation/rote learning) the questions have become more specific and ask you to discuss particular aspects of a poet’s work. What this means in effect is that you need to know the poet – it’s not enough to just learn off a personal response essay and write it in the exam. You MUST respond to the question asked and use an appropriate style (are you writing a speech? an article? a letter? a critical analysis?) and tone (who are your audience).

Let’s look at the more predictable Q’s (which were entirely absent from the 2010 and 2011 papers)

  1. Personal response = expected to include sentences which use the pronoun ‘I‘. Talk about how the poems made you feel. Identify what they taught you, how they made you look at an issue(s) in a new way. Discuss what you enjoyed in the poet’s style of writing. Explore how these themes are relevant to your life.
  2. Discuss the feelings the poet creates in you. They have on occasions specified certain feelings. For example, unhappiness in Larkin’s poetry, tension in Walcott’s poetry, sadness in Frost’s poetry, Plath as ‘intense & disturbing’. So make sure you know both what feelings the poet expresses in their work and what feelings the poems create in you.
  3. Relevance for the modern reader. This came up in 2002 as a specific question on Bishop.
  4. Appeal of a poet  – what you like and/or dislike about their poetry. Very similar to personal response.
  5. Introduce a poet to new readers giving an overview of their themes & style and explaining why you think they would enjoy reading these poems. This could be in the style of an article or written as a speech/talk for classmates. More informal style.
  6. Write a letter to the poet. You might want to ask them questions, where their inspiration come from etc…
  7. Choose a small selection for inclusion in an anthology & justify your selection. You would choose maybe 3 poems, one to represent each major theme in their ouvre.

Ultimately, however, no matter what the question you are still expected to demonstrate a detailed knowledge of the poet’s themes & style of writing, supporting this with detailed quotations.

There is one more type of question and this is the one which has dominated since 2010:

       8. A specific statement about the poet which you must discuss.

Since 2007, more and more questions have started to appear which demand that you respond to a specific question, discussing to what extent you agree or disagree with it or asking you to prove the truth of the statement (a lot like what you do for the Hamlet question). In 2007 two of the four questions did this (Frost & Plath) while two were personal response. In 2008, two of the four again made a specific statement you had to discuss (Donne & Mahon) while two were more personal response (Larkin & Rich). In 2009 only one was very specific (Walcott) while the other three just specified that you discuss BOTH themes and style in your answer (they talked about a ‘clear’ style for Keats & Montague and a ‘unique’ style for Bishop). As an aside, they keep mentioning the style of writing because a lot of students focus too much on themes (what the poet says) but forget to comment on techniques (how the poet says it) which is vital in any discussion of poetry – including your unseen section.

In 2010 ALL FOUR QUESTIONS mentioned specific aspects of a poet’s work. For Yeats it was real v’s ideal, for Rich it was themes of power and powerlessness, for Kavanagh it was transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary and for Eliot it was troubled characters in a disturbing world. In 2011 ALL FOUR QUESTIONS mentioned specific aspects of a poet’s work. For Yeats it was challenging style and subject matter, for Dickinson it was original startling and thought-provoking poetry, for Boland it was insights and precise language, for Frost it was deceptively simple style with layers of meaning. If you learn off an essay and stick to it rigidly you will not be answering the question (or not be able to answer the question) and the only way you can get a good grade in poetry is to answer the question. In other words, you need to really understand what the poet is about. I hate when students ask me if it’s true that you don’t need to discuss 6 poems in your essay. The simple answer is yes. But if you only know 3 poems by a poet you might not be able to answer the question that comes up. It all depends what appears on the day.

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