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Cie igcse english literature (0486)

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Original post by ndk123
does anyone have stuff for spies?
for poetry, I've been doing essay plans for all the poems. Now, i'm gonna write up the ones that are probably coming up. I haven't done anything for Spies yet, what should I do?


If you have time, re-read it. If not, make sure you are clear on when things happen. Look over key characters: Stephen, Stefan, Keith, Mrs Hayward, Uncle Peter, Barbara, Stephen's family. Look at some themes: growing up, maturity, secrets, hidden lives etc...

Try some practice questions...

Here is a random point:

Contrast between harsh short sound of "Chollerton" and long carefree vowels of "Lamorna" emphasises the difference between Keith and Barbara

Keith and Stephen's relationship is fundamental to the novel's progression...
Reply 22
Anyone doing Silas Marner, Merchant of Venice or Songs of Ourselves?? I do love Eng Lit but I'm kind of dreading these exams... :s-smilie: Does anyone have any good revision tips/guides or know the approximate grade boundaries for an A or A*? Thanks! :tongue:
For poems I recommend this: http://www.cieliterature.com/
Original post by metellaest
Anyone else getting stressed about English? I seriously am...

How do you revise all the poems? I've made notes, but I don't really know what to do with them...


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Me too!!
Original post by Catarina12345
Me too!!


Maybe make flashcards from memory for each poem with a few quotes and analysis of each point? That's what I'm doing, then adding to them with my notes to try to remember more quotes and structure etc.
Reply 26
Original post by metellaest
If you have time, re-read it. If not, make sure you are clear on when things happen. Look over key characters: Stephen, Stefan, Keith, Mrs Hayward, Uncle Peter, Barbara, Stephen's family. Look at some themes: growing up, maturity, secrets, hidden lives etc...

Try some practice questions...

Here is a random point:

Contrast between harsh short sound of "Chollerton" and long carefree vowels of "Lamorna" emphasises the difference between Keith and Barbara

Keith and Stephen's relationship is fundamental to the novel's progression...


Thanks, I'll try planning some essays.

You know any good website for spies?
Reply 27
For Laundrette, I read in the er that the "ways clothes in some ways symbolised the lives of the
customers, and identified what their washing said about them." (don't understand this....anyone?

The question was How does Lochhead use words and images to striking effect in Laudrette?

So what would be my 3-4 points?

thanks.

Also, anyone want to explain to me the people ectera , marriage of true minds and to margueritte? I've read loads of stuff but i still don't get them! :frown:

Thanks
xx
i reckon one of the 14 poems will come up, not sure though.
Reply 29
Original post by pizza express
i reckon one of the 14 poems will come up, not sure though.


what do you mean?
two poems come up and you choose one right?
Original post by ndk123
For Laundrette, I read in the er that the "ways clothes in some ways symbolised the lives of the
customers, and identified what their washing said about them." (don't understand this....anyone?

The question was How does Lochhead use words and images to striking effect in Laudrette?

So what would be my 3-4 points?

thanks.

Also, anyone want to explain to me the people ectera , marriage of true minds and to margueritte? I've read loads of stuff but i still don't get them! :frown:

Thanks
xx


Here's what I did for 'How does the poet present a vivid scene in Laundrette?'

Normally I try and think of 'ideas/themes' to discuss, but Laundrette is quite lengthy so I went through it mainly in order.

Intro

Para 1: vivid in the first three stanzas through her depiction of the mundanity and hopelessness within the laundrette ('big houses to a blur / of bedsits', informal and colloquial language: 'not a patch', 'stuff..jam', people have given up on bettering themselves: 'paperbacks in our pockets curl', the personification of the machines to create a nasty impression and suggest the unhappy atmosphere, and the use of 'we', to suggest an idea of community that is shown to not actually be there) etc

Para 2: In the fourth stanza, through her personification 'the dark shoves', and the ominous conclusive statement: 'We let out of the bag who we are'

Para 3: the contrast and juxtaposition between the naive 'youngwife' and the experienced 'deadpan' woman

Para 4: the shipwreck metaphor emphasising the unhappy state of the man

In conclusion: through her detailed and atmospheric description of the Laundrette itself, and her intriguing description of those who frequent it

Hope that helped?

I can help you with To Marguerite and Marriage of True Minds, but I find People Etcetera too bizarre...
if i got 25 in my coursework and have the poetry and prose on monday on im the king of the castle as well as poems deep and dangerous (out of 50) as well as the drama paper on friday on inherit the wind (out of 25) how many marks in these papers out of 75 do I need for an A*
Reply 32
Original post by metellaest
Here's what I did for 'How does the poet present a vivid scene in Laundrette?'

Normally I try and think of 'ideas/themes' to discuss, but Laundrette is quite lengthy so I went through it mainly in order.

Intro

Para 1: vivid in the first three stanzas through her depiction of the mundanity and hopelessness within the laundrette ('big houses to a blur / of bedsits', informal and colloquial language: 'not a patch', 'stuff..jam', people have given up on bettering themselves: 'paperbacks in our pockets curl', the personification of the machines to create a nasty impression and suggest the unhappy atmosphere, and the use of 'we', to suggest an idea of community that is shown to not actually be there) etc

Para 2: In the fourth stanza, through her personification 'the dark shoves', and the ominous conclusive statement: 'We let out of the bag who we are'

Para 3: the contrast and juxtaposition between the naive 'youngwife' and the experienced 'deadpan' woman

Para 4: the shipwreck metaphor emphasising the unhappy state of the man

In conclusion: through her detailed and atmospheric description of the Laundrette itself, and her intriguing description of those who frequent it

Hope that helped?

I can help you with To Marguerite and Marriage of True Minds, but I find People Etcetera too bizarre...


Thank you soooo much!!!111 If u dont mind, it would be really helpful :smile:

Thanks again!!!

By the way for the prose are u gonna go for the extract or essay question?
Original post by ndk123
Thank you soooo much!!!111 If u dont mind, it would be really helpful :smile:

Thanks again!!!

By the way for the prose are u gonna go for the extract or essay question?


No problem. Is it okay if I get back to you in an hour or so?

I'm definitely doing the essay question :smile:
Reply 34
Original post by metellaest
No problem. Is it okay if I get back to you in an hour or so?

I'm definitely doing the essay question :smile:


yes!! of coarse!! whenever ur free!!!
I was thinking of doing the extract one cus like that i won't need to memorise any quotes :/ but are the essay questions usually easier or the extract ones?
Thank you so much!
Original post by ndk123
yes!! of coarse!! whenever ur free!!!
I was thinking of doing the extract one cus like that i won't need to memorise any quotes :/ but are the essay questions usually easier or the extract ones?
Thank you so much!


In my experience, it is harder to achieve top marks in the extract ones, as to do that you have to do close analysis of the text, as well as explain its significance in the book as a whole (which requires knowing a few quotes). However, if you have much more practice doing extract ones, I'd say go with what you know.

I have only ever done an extract question once, and it was as a homework not an exam, so I don't have any exam experience of it, but for our mock, it was marked more harshly.

In terms of whether essay questions are easier, it depends. There might be a really hard theme-based question but a good extract one, or a really easy character-based essay question and a difficult analysis one...

The thing I'd suggest to think about when you get into the exam is whether you know exactly where in the book the extract takes place. If you don't, you'll miss out on content, and so I'd probably advise doing the essay...

I'll try and find my notes on the poem now...
Original post by ndk123
yes!! of coarse!! whenever ur free!!!
I was thinking of doing the extract one cus like that i won't need to memorise any quotes :/ but are the essay questions usually easier or the extract ones?
Thank you so much!


To Marguerite:
To Marguerite is a poem that explores the human condition (isolation, essentially) through the structure of an extended metaphor (called a 'conceit' - but don't worry about that). The metaphor is that humans are individual islands, and that we are separated and there's no real connection between us anymore. The poem explores feelings of longing, regret, isolation, loneliness, detachment, desolation etc...
Some close analysis:
- Poem begins: 'Yes!' - epiphany - tone of sudden realisation
- 'echoing' - far away; empty; sense of desolation
- 'straits' - narrow or troublesome situation
- 'we mortal millions live alone' - juxtaposition between the collective pronoun of 'we' and the magnitude of 'millions' against the singularity 'alone'
- 'endless bounds' - oxymoron
- ‘starry nights...nightingales divinely sing...lovely notes’ - about the beauty we don’t recognise; romantic language brings a poignant feel
- 'we were / parts of a single continent' - enjambment reflects current broken-up state
- rhyme scheme: ABABCC - the rhyming couplet adds stress to the last two lines - there is a sense of it being cut off, isolated, just as the human condition is

Hope that helped?
Reply 37
Is anyone else doing I'm the king of the castle??
Original post by Vio1999
Is anyone else doing I'm the king of the castle??


I am. Are you going to do the essay question or the passage?
Original post by Ayl0731
Anyone doing Silas Marner, Merchant of Venice or Songs of Ourselves?? I do love Eng Lit but I'm kind of dreading these exams... :s-smilie: Does anyone have any good revision tips/guides or know the approximate grade boundaries for an A or A*? Thanks! :tongue:


I'm doing Merchant of Venice, Silas Marner and Hardy poetry :smile:

For mofv i plan to do the essay question, I made 4 really detailed mind maps on Shylock, Portia, Antonio and Bassanio, and included important quotes and detailed analysis. I helped me a LOT- it pushed my typical mark of 18/25 to 24/25, and my teacher is a very harsh marker.

In terms of Silas I want to do the extract question because i have absolutely no idea how to do the essay question. Any tips on that? :redface:

Anyone else doing Hardy? I really want During Wind and Rain or Drummer Hodge :tongue:

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