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)