Higher English 2014/2015 Thread

http://genius.com/F-scott-fitzgerald-the-great-gatsby-chapter-i-annotated

So this is the link that saved me!!! It'll help you memorise a lot of important quotes and in terms of symbolism/metaphors/critical points it's amazing! I'd suggest annotating your own book using this for help!
Anyway hope I've helped I'm open to PM if you guys have specific questions!

Posted from TSR Mobile

Ah thank you for posting this!

Reply 61

VividBandicoot

18

I noticed this too, also what is your opinions on his work? I find it very weird and confusing, I really hate the poem Nil Nil too

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 62

jamesg2

11

I do not know the poetry of Don Paterson. I have not yet had the time to analyse it. He is a very technical poet and he is certainly a challenging poet. I noted in the ASLS presentation it was a limited number of teachers who said they would be teaching his work during this session.

Whereas I am not experienced with Don Paterson's poetry I do feel I have considerable expertise with the poetry of Norman MacCaig and definitely Sorley MacLean - who is also a challenging poet.

I understood that support was provided for the main authors through GLOW. Have you tried to find if there is support material there?

All the best.

Reply 63

Larissa14

15

For the last question in ruae when you compare the 2 texts, in the finale exam do you need to quote from both texts or just compare them with one another ?

Reply 64

VividBandicoot

18

I looked at the marking scheme for it and it says you need quotes

Reply 65

BreezeBlockss

15

Got my close reading nab tomorrow and I'm so bad at it :/ I go to mark it and find that I have completely different answers to what it says. I haven't done a lot of close reading this year compared to what I did for nat 5 which is slightly worrying as I've gotten to March and I've realised how bad I am at it ha great

Reply 66

BreezeBlockss

15

Does anyone have any example critical essays? I keep getting 13 on my essays and I'm not sure on what to do.

Reply 67

jamesg2

11

Original post by ashleymacleod

Does anyone have any example critical essays? I keep getting 13 on my essays and I'm not sure on what to do.

This is a question that is fairly frequently asked. Throughout the forum I have - on a number of occasions - attempted to give some advice.

I thought it might be of help if I create a movie where I can discuss - in more detail - some of the issues involved in writing better critical essays. Towards the end I discuss self-evaluation and I have included the mark scheme I used to describe how to develop better self-evaluation. To be able to better assess the quality of your own work is an important aspect to further improvement.

There are two aspects to improving your critical writing. One is being aware of what is required. The second is practicing and developing your skills. The video only deals with the first.

Link to files:-
https://www.transferbigfiles.com/8ba3f225-dfbf-4ac9-9371-8970afbd3582/aDcurreXHrzqipDNzspdyg2

Hope this is of help.

Reply 68

hannahlouise_

4

Hey guys

I'm doing "The Catcher in the Rye", and Don Paterson Poetry. Someone said they didnt like Nil Nil, well, I hate it too - our prelim was on that poem and I just wanted to give up when I saw it there.

Critical reading is alright - I have got 19 in most of mine. The thing with the essays, is to remember to mention theme and the fancy words like: "inner conflict", "effective characterisation" and "(author) implies". These will pick you up easy marks.

Close reading is a hit or miss really. I either get it, and do well, or eww haha

~ Any resources on Don Paterson or Catcher would be appreciated
~ PM me if you want any help on critical essay, have a few resources I could pass on

Reply 69

AquaDuck

6

Hey! I did Higher two years ago and I guess the best tip I can give you guys for the essay is always stick to the question. Whilst you've probably studied everything about, say for example "Jekyll and Hyde", that doesn't mean you should include everything you know about it. If the question's on the theme of evil, stick with the content that will assist you in your answer. The critical essay isn't just testing your knowledge of the text, it's testing your ability to form a cohesive argument too. I imagine your teachers have probably told you this stuff a million times but it's an important tip. Evaluation is also really important in the critical essays, and just remember at the end of each point you make to bring it back to the question/main argument in your essay.

For the close reading paper, the understanding questions generally are a hit or a miss. It's the analysis and evaluation questions you want to do well in as you can tackle these with a formula. Plus, they're worth more marks! Just remember that for imagery, start with with the literal root of the image, and then the metaphorical expansion. This was the formula my teacher taught me and it always worked. With the link question, quote the word that links back to the previous idea, and then quote the word that link forward to the next.

Best of luck with your exams!

- Currently at University studying English and Creative Writing :redface:

Reply 70

spiredreamer

Hello! Is anyone else doing CfE Higher with the Scottish set texts? Mine is The Cone Gatherers, a terribly didactic, heavily allegorical, and trite book that I just can't get into. I have a study guide, and other than that will just have to cram quotes. I got 23/25 in the close reading prelim, but did terribly on the Scottish set text and had missed the critical essay classes so I still got a D. Now I've prepped Norman MacCaig and A View from the Bridge for critical essay and am doing well, but I'm scared I'll do badly on the set text. What are y'alls doing for the set text?

Reply 71

qasim-98

3

Original post by spiredreamer

Hello! Is anyone else doing CfE Higher with the Scottish set texts? Mine is The Cone Gatherers, a terribly didactic, heavily allegorical, and trite book that I just can't get into. I have a study guide, and other than that will just have to cram quotes. I got 23/25 in the close reading prelim, but did terribly on the Scottish set text and had missed the critical essay classes so I still got a D. Now I've prepped Norman MacCaig and A View from the Bridge for critical essay and am doing well, but I'm scared I'll do badly on the set text. What are y'alls doing for the set text?

As someone who wants to study English at university I am probably one of the only few that actually enjoy the literature my school has chosen, i chose some myself though!

• 6 Norman maccaig poems (17/20 in prelim, 3 stupid marks lost for sayin "this poem" instead of the name of the poem)

• 3 short stories, the telegram by Iain Crichton smith, home by Ian Crichton smith and my most favourite story of all hills like white elephants by Ernest Hemingway( I plan to use this text in the actual exam and plan to study it even more in uni)

• Othello by William Shakespeare - a massive task to do, great piece of work but i don't think I have the energy and intellect to be able to pass highly with othello

• 1984 by George Orwelll

As you can see I am a busy bee, but I have chosen personally hills like white elephants and 1984 as they are true cornerstones in literature, and I cannot stress their importance, for anyone who HATES their critical essay text, do not be afraid to tell your teacher that you will do your own work and choose your own story/drama/poem, a pass always comes about with passion ! :smile:

Reply 72

qasim-98

3

Also the benefit of having a poem for Scottish text or using a poem for a critical essay, is that you are given scope to microanalyse, we could not microanalyse Shakespeare in the same way we could microanalyse on of MacCaigs poem, by taking into account of his careful use of punctuation and syntanx. Yes some may argue that short stories give some scope for micro analysis, this is true, but i believe that choosing a poem irrespective of Scottish text or not, is the key to doing well, you don't need to worry about mentioning the little details, because the little details are infact the poem! So I think there is some sort of gained benefit already, but with those given prose, there is still scope to analyse closely, it's just a matter of the "central idea of the text" => those words make me want to cry

Reply 73

charlotte9898

For higher this year we are doing To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee as the novel and the two poems we are studying are My Last Duchess by Robert Browning and Assisi by Norman MacCaig. We are doing the old higher though but I think the course sounds better than the new one

Reply 74

spiredreamer

The thing is, I'm doing the new Higher. I chose my own texts at Int 2, but you can only choose one in the new Higher - the other is a "Scottish Set Text", one of a SQA-determined list of texts.

Reply 75

chlohas

Anyone Studying "All My Sons" as a play, "Lamb" as a novel or "13 Steps on the 13th of March" as a poem? :smile:

any notes or any materials would be very much appreciated

Reply 76

Adam2905

Original post by jamesg2

This is a question that is fairly frequently asked. Throughout the forum I have - on a number of occasions - attempted to give some advice.

I thought it might be of help if I create a movie where I can discuss - in more detail - some of the issues involved in writing better critical essays. Towards the end I discuss self-evaluation and I have included the mark scheme I used to describe how to develop better self-evaluation. To be able to better assess the quality of your own work is an important aspect to further improvement.

There are two aspects to improving your critical writing. One is being aware of what is required. The second is practicing and developing your skills. The video only deals with the first.

Link to files:-
https://www.transferbigfiles.com/8ba3f225-dfbf-4ac9-9371-8970afbd3582/aDcurreXHrzqipDNzspdyg2

Hope this is of help.

very helpful

Reply 77

ainslie1

1

could you post Romeo and Juliet resources pleaseeee I'm studying that this year and Lord of the Flies and i'll be surprised if i scrape a pass

Reply 78

Jennapee

1

Is anyone able to help me and tell me how to write an English essay on turning point or climax?I've been told many different things by different people and I'm really confused! I'm studying 1984 but a general plan would be great if you haven't studied it :smile:

Reply 79

jamesg2

11

I do not have the time to go into this in great detail.

A "Turning Point" in a text is a moment when what was going on before is changed and different afterwards.

A "Turning Point" will always highlight Character, Theme and Plot.

Taking "Macbeth" for example the turning point is the banquet scene. What was new and different - which is what a turning point is all about - is that before the banquet the lords of Scotland were not certain who had killed Duncan. They may have had their suspicions but they could not prove it. After the banquet scene it was clear to all who had killed Duncan.

How to answer a question?
I would start with the moment that is a turning point.
I would describe what is it that happened that makes it a turning point.
Next I would look at the consequence of that happened in that turning point.
a) Was the plot changed? Did the story now move in a different direction. If so what is that new direction and what impact does it make on the reader?
b) Has the main character been affected by what happened during the turning point?
c) Has the turning point highlighted new issues in the theme(s) of the text?

If the moment is a true turning point it will have affected all of these.

So what you have to do is explain:-
a) What was the turning point?
b) How it affected these areas above.

Put simply. In what way were the issues of the text different after the turning point to what they were before the turing point. That is the basic question that need to be answered for a turning point question.

(edited 9 years ago)

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