AQA- English Literature at AS Level, Literature B

you know in terms of different interpretations? does that literally just mean for A(b) showing the other side of the argument and for section B just saying how for example symbolism could mean two things? i'm never quite sure what they want...

ahh this was so helpful thanks for writing all that been making massive mindmaps for each chapter so i'll add some of that in
tbh i'm less worried about gatsby, because i'm doing that for section A and there seems to be quite a lot to analyse in each chapter, i'm more worried about section B and if i'm going to be able to make my texts fit the question... do you know if you need to make each mini essay equally weighted?

Oh and Section A, (b) I am completely useless at.
I'm doing Tennyson for Section A.

I had a mock exam using the past paper question, "To what extent do you agree that stagnation and inactvity dominate the worlds of Tennyson's poems."
So, like an idiot, I made absolutely no reference to context and just included a load of language points, which I now know is wrong.

I actually included a load of context about Tennysons life to answer the Section A(a) answer to Mariana, writing about how it was set in Somersby, reflecting his isolation etc etc but obviously gained no marks.

Can someone direct me as to how I can revise for Section A(b) answers?

I did that same question as a timed essay in class too about stagnation.
I got 13/21, a band 4. I fail at tennyson, but i'm not going to do that anyways for section a (doing auden for section a)

I did that same question as a timed essay in class too about stagnation.
I got 13/21, a band 4. I fail at tennyson, but i'm not going to do that anyways for section a (doing auden for section a)

And how do you plan to revise for Section A(b) ?

Are you gonna revise the time period Auden wrote the poems in etc?

I got 16 marks for the stagnation question ,and than improved it and got it up to a 19.
if you tell me some of the points you put in, i cna tell you how to link it to context and develop your argument.

also rember you get marks for literary context , and you can get those marks just by finding similarities within Tennysons text, and differences. you could use context to link them and explain the differences.For exmaple with ullyses you could tlak about how tennyson wrote it after he lost his freind Arthur harlem. Then you could argue that it represents a need to push forwerd with life 'to strive, to seek, and not to yeild'.

hope that helps, i know its a bit vague, but if you have any specific questions ill try asweing them.

I got 16 marks for the stagnation question ,and than improved it and got it up to a 19.
if you tell me some of the points you put in, i cna tell you how to link it to context and develop your argument.

also rember you get marks for literary context , and you can get those marks just by finding similarities within Tennysons text, and differences. you could use context to link them and explain the differences.For exmaple with ullyses you could tlak about how tennyson wrote it after he lost his freind Arthur harlem. Then you could argue that it represents a need to push forwerd with life 'to strive, to seek, and not to yeild'.

hope that helps, i know its a bit vague, but if you have any specific questions ill try asweing them.

Just thought I'd let you guys know what I'm doing,

For Section A, we've focused our learning on Tennyson, and have been practicising essays for possible questions.
For Section B, we're studying Gatsby, Haddon, and Browning.

I find our approach to Section A very straightforward - I've crossed off all of Tennyson's poem which have occurred on previous exams, (although obviously I still revise them just in case) and have discovered AQA have not tested us on The Lotos Eaters for Section A, so I have a feeling that could perhaps come up?
And to be honest I'm quite worried about Section B...Anyone have any tips?

We've done an example essay on How does the writer use repetition... which I'm fairly comfortable on, and then there's places, time, structure, key events, endings, openings, narrators, how are characters created....
I've written a list of sub-headings including Openings, Titles, Key Events, Time, Endings, Narrators and Places.
Anyone have any notes for Brownings Poems, The Curious Incident and Gatsby which relate to any of those headings? ^
Thanks a lot.

im also doing tennyson in section A.
for section b just make summery diagrams for each aspect of narrative in each text. for the borwnign poetry you will probabaly only talk about 2 or three poems int he exam , so you should pick 2/3 poem s for each aspect of narrative and make notes on them, thta wya no matter what the question is you will now which poetry you are doing .
the exam board has covered all the aspects of narrative so it will rpoabably be one of the ones thta has come up before but worded differently.

for example if time and sequence has come up before they would word it differently and ask about chronology. just make sure you get your detailed notes doen and than practise a few essays and perfect you technique. if you want to knwo where you could improve, upload a couple fo your paragraphs on here , and ill be happy to show you where you could improve.im sure there will also be other people who would be ahppy to do the same.trust me this helps, me and another girl are doing that on here through emial and it helps

For the repitition essay that you did, what did you tlak about for the great gatsby?

Just thought I'd let you guys know what I'm doing,

For Section A, we've focused our learning on Tennyson, and have been practicising essays for possible questions.
For Section B, we're studying Gatsby, Haddon, and Browning.

I find our approach to Section A very straightforward - I've crossed off all of Tennyson's poem which have occurred on previous exams, (although obviously I still revise them just in case) and have discovered AQA have not tested us on The Lotos Eaters for Section A, so I have a feeling that could perhaps come up?
And to be honest I'm quite worried about Section B...Anyone have any tips?

We've done an example essay on How does the writer use repetition... which I'm fairly comfortable on, and then there's places, time, structure, key events, endings, openings, narrators, how are characters created....
I've written a list of sub-headings including Openings, Titles, Key Events, Time, Endings, Narrators and Places.
Anyone have any notes for Brownings Poems, The Curious Incident and Gatsby which relate to any of those headings? ^
Thanks a lot.

Thanks for your reply.
I mistakenly mentioned Tennyson in Section(a) and his sadness over Harlem, so surely I could just incorporate what I had written there into the (b) answer? I wrote how he appears an omniscient narrator as as understands Mariana's feelings.... His sadness is why Mariana's inactive etc? you could give an alternative intepritation here and suggest that tennyson uses the mariners disire of inactivity to explore philasohpical ideas such as how much the individual owes ociety. should the marienrs be aloud to take 'long rest' after the years of service they have provided to the state ,or do they have a obligation to 'toil' with 'evil'.
Really for the Stagnation question I answered for AO2 and didnt do any context, most of my stuff was just language. you could then link the idea of withdrowel form society to the aldy of shalott , who you could argue in made inactive and passive becouse of the bariers that a sexiet vistorian society erects(not a supernatural 'curse'' . you coudl then argue that the idea that the protagonisists are rendered inactive by their cicumstances. you could use tithonus to explore this idea (he is decaying in ''thin'' arms as a 'shadow' of the man he once was.

mariana is a good one to tlak about to - we could argue that she is made inactive becouse 'he will not come'(context in the original mith he would nto marry her becouse she did not have a big enough dorey)- women are victims of victorian society, and made helpless by men. alternative intepritation- it is her inability to move on that renders her inactive- it coudl be argued thta hse disires inactivity 'i wish that i was dead- but it could also be argue that she wants death
to put an end to her present inactivity i am a aweary'. this ideais also present in Tithonus.than deside which arguemnt is stronger, and make a explcicit link back to the question .(you could suggest that overal the most convincing arguemnt is that the protagonists disire to put an end to their inactivity , and ironicaly seek this through detah, the ultimate form of inactivity
-
thanpresent the alternative argument. dynamic leadership and activity in godiva, and in when the lady 'left the loom'. you could also argue that Ullyses disires a life of activity.

i hope this helps(goos look reaidng it, this key boards messed up ,so when i type fast on it my spellings are f*****)

So I shouuld research Tennyson's time, and then if answering the question again, mention the Industrial Revolution...etc.... Im just so confused!

Ive actually just found a whole load of notes which I previously did in class covering narrative techniques for Gatsby, Browning and Haddon, so perfect for Section B answer!

-If anyone wants me to type some ideas up for them let me know.

Just so you know, Tennyson's poems are often tested on parts. The Lotos Eaters is so long, it's likely they may ask about the first four stanzas, for example. Therefore, when doing your plans, make sure you have accommodated for the fact that your points may not be in the section they examine on!

I know lots of people who made this same mistake with The Lady of Shalott, only making plans for the whole poem.

you dont need to dwell ot much in context its onyl 5 % of the marks, so you just make quick references.