AQA Aspects of Narrative, LITB1, 15th MAY 2015 OFFICIAL THREAD

Original post by Fayeelizabeth

Is anyone doing Rossetti? I wrote a practice answer and I want to know what other people would change or add! Think I'm pretty set on doing Rossetti for section A. I'm also doing Auden but my teacher who was meant to teach us the Auden poetry did nothing but print things off the internet and hand them to us... I could have done that myself, she literally taught us nothing so I don't think it's smart to risk doing the whole of section A on something I'm not comfortable with. I'm also doing Gatsby and The Kite Runner, but i have a habit of writing too much so I feel like if I stick to a poem I can't get carried away. At the moment I kind of feel this exam is half skill half luck tbh :confused:

I do Rossetti :smile:

Reply 42

Fayeelizabeth

Original post by kingaaran

I do Rossetti :smile:

Would you read an answer I wrote for question A? It's from last years paper, just say what you would do differently etc :smile:

Reply 43

crashMATHS

OP

Original post by Fayeelizabeth

Would you read an answer I wrote for question A? It's from last years paper, just say what you would do differently etc :smile:

Sure

Reply 44

katehxghes

Original post by kingaaran

Hey guys,

A thread for this exam has not yet been made, so I thought that I would make one.

The exam is on the 15th May 2015 (AM).

How are you all feeling for the exam?

What texts are you studying?

What are you predicting may come up?

Do you have any tips or advice for the exam that you want to share?

So, I'm being terribly cheeky but since you've done the 2014 exam would you mind sharing what the part B questions were? (if you can remember, of course)

I've done every section B that I can find online and I can't find last years anywhere! :frown:

Your help would be vvvery appreciated!
Thanks :smile:

Reply 45

Fayeelizabeth

Original post by kingaaran

Sure

June 2013 English Paper
Write about the ways Rossetti tells the story in ‘Sister Maude’.
‘Sister Maude’ tells the story of a narrator who is angry at their sister, named Maude. The poem appears quite ambiguous as Rossetti doesn’t make the exact events clear. However, we are told about the wickedness of ‘Sister Maude’.
One of the first things Rossetti does in ‘Sister Maude’ is set the tone. The reader can get a clear sense of anger and sarcasm through the language used by the narrator, “oh who but Maude, my sister Maude”. The narrator makes it appear typical of Maude to do such a thing, using the word “sister” to emphasise the betrayal of one that is meant to be family. By making the character Maude the sister of the narrator, Rossetti intends to outline the depth of the betrayal; since typically sister relationships are thought of as being trusting. This adds significance to the narrator’s anger, because the narrator can understand on a more meaningful level why the narrator holds such strong emotions. This technique of stating bluntly who Maude is and why the narrator has the right to be angry, is a good way of expressing the message of the poem; betrayal.
At first, the narrator is looking at what has happened. The reader is re-told the past events of Maude who “told” the “mother” and “father” of the narrator’s “shame” and “dear”. Suddenly, in the second stanza, we are brought to the present where we are told “cold he lies, as cold as stone”. Although Rossetti doesn’t say so explicitly here, as a reader we automatically link the character who is described to bead, back to the narrator’s “dear”. However, Rossetti creates obvious gaps in the story. It’s never made clear to the reader how and exactly why, the character is dead. Perhaps Rossetti purposely leaves the open for interpretation, only revealing the corpse has “clotted curls”, suggesting a violent death. By structuring the poem this way, perhaps Rossetti’s intention is to keep the focus of the story on Maude, and not on the events surrounding the death of the character.
The narrative perspective in ‘Sister Maude’ is 1^st person. This is extremely important in the way this story is shaped because Rossetti has created the narrator with very strong emotions; which arguably consist mainly of anger. Additionally, we can see that the narrator feels bitter towards her sister, claiming if she “had not been born at all, he’d never have looked at you”. From not knowing exactly what’s happened, and being told the story by a very emotional narrator, as a reader we can conclude that perhaps the narrator is being biased in her version of events. Furthermore, if we follow the interpretation that the narrator’s lover is the one whose died, then we may be right to assume that the narrator is grief stricken, and focusing on her negative feelings on her sister. It’s also significant that Maude is the only one named and so given a proper identity. This adds to the point that the focus of the story is Maude. As a reader, we are never given any other view, and this widely impacts our judgement. It’s very easy to be persuaded by a narrator with a powerful voice, but can we really call this narrator reliable? It’s possible that Rossetti created the narrator with an authoritive tone, so the reader would be told the story in a judgmental way. This relates to what the narrator is referring to in the poem; judgement day.
Finally, the main setting of this poem is that of the afterlife. The description of heaven is “paradise” and for the narrator it appears full of royalty. The narrator purposely makes this place desirable so she can contrast it with Maude’s fate. The poem finished in a brutal way stating, “bide you with death and sin”. This highlights the fact that the narrator feels ‘Sister Maude’ will suffer rightfully, for what she has done. This adds to the way the story is emphasising Maude and the consequences of her actions. We can conclude that Rossetti’s intention is to focus the story on Maude and so, tells it in a way where our main grasp from the story is Maude.

12. How far do you agree that the most painful conflicts in Rossetti’s poems are those between women?
Rossetti’s poem vary widely, whether it’s in length, topic, or the type of characters she creates. However, one main theme that runs throughout Rossetti’s poems is conflict. There is no denying the struggle many of her characters face, whether it be religious or about betrayal. It’s important to explore the different ideas to evaluate which conflicts appear to be the most painful.
As previously discussed, ‘Sister Maude’ expresses the deep anger felt by the narrator, towards her sister, Maude. This hatred is highlighted by the narrator’s wishes for her sister in the future claiming, “oh sister Maude, Bide you with death and sin”. The narrator’s focus on her indignation towards her sister is consistent throughout the poem. We aren’t told the details surrounding the event, but it’s apparent the narrator wants us to know ‘Sister Maude’ is the one to blame for the tragic events. Throughout the poem, the reader isn’t given any evidence that ‘Sister Maude’ is at all innocent. The narrator seems sure that “sister Maude shall get no sleep either early or late”, in other words, cursing her sister to hell. Furthermore, there is no sense of guilt for what the narrator is wishing her sister, again emphasising the painful conflict between the two siblings.
Be this as it may, others might argue that ‘Sister Maude’ isn’t the only poem to express quite vivid conflict. ‘Goblin Market’ tells the story of two sisters who face “goblin men”. The main conflict in this poem is facing ones temptation. Essentially, Laura gives in to the lure of the fruit, which the Goblin’s so explicitly advertise, “wild free-born cranberries, crab-apples, dewberries”. However, when Laura falls sick, we see Lizzie triumph, although not without struggling. The abuse towards Lizzie is described through the explicit language, “tore her gown and soiled her stocking, twitched her hair out by the roots”. One of the main features of ‘Goblin market’ is the use of long descriptions. Perhaps Rossetti wrote the story in this way to make a remarkable impact on the reader. From the poem, we can clearly conclude the major conflict Lizzie has had to face with the goblins by refusing to taste their fruit, and so resisting temptation, is quite remarkable. This also relates to the religious connotations of the poem that many people believe exist. Goblin market appears to have a more painful conflict compared to ‘Sister Maude’ due to the way the reader takes the whole journey with Lizzie, knowing every detail. In this way, I believe the conflict in ‘Sister Maude’ appears to be less significant to that of the emotional and physical struggle shown in ‘Goblin Market’.
Contrastingly, ‘Maude Clare’ also has this idea of conflict between women and a sense of bitterness towards another female character. The main dialogue in the poem is shared between Maude Clare and Nell, and it appears as though the focus is on their rivalry, “for he’s my Lord for better and worse”. Thomas is spoken of as a prize, and Maude Clare’s attempt to ravel Nell is to show she had him first, “take my share of a fickle heart”. The two female characters appear to argue who has the better position in present.
Others may disagree with this view and claim the real conflict is between Maude Clare and Thomas as “he strove to match her scorn with scorn”. Initially, it is Thomas who left Maude Clare to marry another woman, and so it is fairer to say that he is the one to blame. Furthermore, what Maude Clare says to Nell she does so in front of Thomas, and so perhaps the words are intended to hurt him by claiming she no longer cares for him. Although conflict between two female characters is initiated in ‘Maude Clare’, I disagree with the view that it stands as one of the most painful conflicts. I believe here, the more painful conflict is that of how women had to deal with being deserted by a man in Rossetti’s era. It is suggested that in ‘Maude Clare’ sexual actions were involved from “we plucked from budding bough”, carrying connotations to virginity and sex. Therefore, I think it’s better to conclude Maude Clare’s most painful conflict lies with Thomas, due to the consequences of his actions most likely falling on her.
Some may point out that Cousin Kate is an example of female betrayal and conflict. Similar to ‘Sister Maude’, Rossetti chooses a female family relationship to highlight the betrayal of two people that even share the same blood. Although the narrator acknowledges the Lord’s cruel ways, “he lured me to his palace home”, she never even names him focusing on Cousin Kate. The narrator believes that if the positions were reversed, the Lord would “not have won [her] with his love” and she would have “spit into his face”. The narrator seems to believe that nothing could change the way the Lord is, but her Cousin Kate could have said no, instead of choosing “to sit with him on high”. It seems that Kate chose to have a wealthy lifestyle over saving the pride of her cousin. Therefore, there is a painful conflict here due to the betrayal in what can be referred to as ‘sisterhood’, something Rossetti herself thought of as important in life.
On the other hand, a more painful conflict may be seen in ‘The Convent Threshold’. Instead of a conflict between two characters, this is about arguing with oneself. The narrator goes through an extremely powerful transaction as after a night of praying she wakes with a “Pinched” face and “grey” hair. Furthermore, the narrator suffers from a dream where it is suggested Lucifer is full of greed, “he mounted shrieking ‘Give me light’”. It is strongly hinted that this represents human’s greed for power and wealth on earth, however the narrator says that “love is all in all”. Torn between her lover on earth and her future in heaven with God, the narrator believes she has to make a choice. Wanting to be with God, the narrator has to go through an extremely personal struggle and painful conflict.
I believe that Rossetti’s religious beliefs are strongly reflected in her poems. Although it’s hard to deny that conflict between women is present in some of Rossetti’s poems, I don’t believe they are intended to be the most painful. Instead, I think conflict associated with religion and society are more significant and present across Rossetti’s poem. To conclude, I don’t agree that the most painful conflicts in Rossetti’s poem are between women.

Don't be afraid to criticize as much as you want :biggrin:

Reply 46

I'm retaking this exam from last year - I got a low B and since I need an A overall for university, I thought it'd be good to resit to try and get more marks. Last year I worked really hard but in the exam I panicked a bit and the examiner wasn't particularly generous with many people in my school, so I'm hoping the one this year will be better and I'll get more marks.

I need to revise for LITB3 as well, since that's closed book, but I've been revising for this exam over the past week, going through possible ideas for Section B questions that might come up (so far I've looked at antagonists, minor characters, contrasts and titles) and also doing some practice questions for 'how does ______ tell the story?' - I want to be well prepared for those.

I'm studying Auden, Rossetti, The Kite Runner and The Great Gatsby, and will probably do poetry for Section A. I know for Auden the two poems that haven't been on are 'James Honeyman' and 'Musée des Beaux Arts' and although it's always a good idea to predict, I feel ok about those two if they come up. For Rossetti the ones that haven't been on are 'An Apple Gathering' and 'Jessie Cameron' which are also both ok... I just don't want one of the longer poems to come up - I prefer writing about entire stories rather than just extracts.

If anyone else is doing Auden, do you have any good notes for context? I wrote some stuff up but I don't think I know as much context as I do for Rossetti (there's so much stuff for the Victorian era!)

Reply 47

sumaya.ali

7

Im doing Auden too , i don't have anything on context i just do the essays

have you done any essays on Auden yet

Original post by Dougieowner

I'm retaking this exam from last year - I got a low B and since I need an A overall for university, I thought it'd be good to resit to try and get more marks. Last year I worked really hard but in the exam I panicked a bit and the examiner wasn't particularly generous with many people in my school, so I'm hoping the one this year will be better and I'll get more marks.

I need to revise for LITB3 as well, since that's closed book, but I've been revising for this exam over the past week, going through possible ideas for Section B questions that might come up (so far I've looked at antagonists, minor characters, contrasts and titles) and also doing some practice questions for 'how does ______ tell the story?' - I want to be well prepared for those.

I'm studying Auden, Rossetti, The Kite Runner and The Great Gatsby, and will probably do poetry for Section A. I know for Auden the two poems that haven't been on are 'James Honeyman' and 'Musée des Beaux Arts' and although it's always a good idea to predict, I feel ok about those two if they come up. For Rossetti the ones that haven't been on are 'An Apple Gathering' and 'Jessie Cameron' which are also both ok... I just don't want one of the longer poems to come up - I prefer writing about entire stories rather than just extracts.

If anyone else is doing Auden, do you have any good notes for context? I wrote some stuff up but I don't think I know as much context as I do for Rossetti (there's so much stuff for the Victorian era!)

Reply 48

Original post by sumaya.ali

Im doing Auden too , i don't have anything on context i just do the essays

have you done any essays on Auden yet

I've done quite a few for Section A odd numbered questions ('how does Auden tell the story?') but I need to practise more for the even numbered ones. Have you done any? :smile:

For Auden context I'm scared of learning stuff that won't be relevant, or specific stuff that might sound too forced. I think I need to find more general stuff about the society at the time so I can include it in most of the essays... (it's much easier for Rossetti since there is so much about Victorian England, but with Auden I don't really have much).

Reply 49

sumaya.ali

7

Original post by Dougieowner

I've done quite a few for Section A odd numbered questions ('how does Auden tell the story?') but I need to practise more for the even numbered ones. Have you done any? :smile:

For Auden context I'm scared of learning stuff that won't be relevant, or specific stuff that might sound too forced. I think I need to find more general stuff about the society at the time so I can include it in most of the essays... (it's much easier for Rossetti since there is so much about Victorian England, but with Auden I don't really have much).

Yeh exactly , I've only done the how does Auden tell the story in ...aswell could you PM me some that would be great we could swap .

Reply 50

Original post by sumaya.ali

Yeh exactly , I've only done the how does Auden tell the story in ...aswell could you PM me some that would be great we could swap .

Yes, I'll PM some when I type them up (they're handwritten because I wanted to ensure I wasn't writing more than I could in 30 minutes - I type a lot faster than I write) :smile:

Reply 51

sumaya.ali

7

Original post by Dougieowner

Yes, I'll PM some when I type them up (they're handwritten because I wanted to ensure I wasn't writing more than I could in 30 minutes - I type a lot faster than I write) :smile:

are you doing them now

Reply 52

Original post by sumaya.ali

are you doing them now

I'm not doing them right now, but maybe tomorrow if I have time - I need to revise for A2 exams as well :smile:

Reply 53

tiptop000

Has anyone any advice for the best way of revising for Section A Question B as the question can cover any related topic? I'm doing THE GREAT GATSBY for this section and I know I have to include AO1, AO3 and AO4. I really need some help with revision and exam technique.

Reply 54

careyboyle

2

This is an essay I got an A for recently - as part of my revision:

How does Fitzgerald tell the story in Chapter 6 of the Great Gatsby?

Chapter 6 describes the metamorphis of Gatz to Gatsby through the use of a retrospective narrative. As well as this, the chapter involves the Buchanan's first visit to a Gatsby party as well as a flashback to Daisy and Gatsby's first kiss.

Fitzgerald tells the story through the use of a first person intradiagetic narrator, Nick Carraway. Fitzgerald develops Nick to hold an educated and poetic prose such as through the use of verbs such as 'volleying' and the romanticised description of Daisy's singing to be 'warm human magic'. This poetic prose colours the reader's perspective of the narrator, who is often viewed to be unreliable as he can not 'see into the heart' of any other character, meaning the story is told according to Nick's prejudices and opinions. The story is told in the retrospective mode so Nick already knows what has happened, thus resulting in his opinion colouring the reader's perception.

Characterisation is used to tell the story. Dan Cody is introduced to the reader in this chapter. His name is important, being a mix of the often romanticised frontiersmen Buffalo Bill Cody and Daniel Boone. This is significant as Gatsby models himself on Cody, who's name implies that he has a past of brutality - also uncovering Gatsby's dealings as Cody is the influence on which Gatsby's urbane exterior is modelled. Gatsby's past is greatly speculated on to be based on corruption, like Cody. Dan Cody is described by Fitzgerald to be Gatsby's 'destiny' imploring that Cody was Gatsby's only way out of poverty and his prescribed low class. Fitzgerald also tells the reader that Gatsby built his persona on the platonic conception of himself, stipulating that Gatsby strives to be the best version of himself he can achieve, proving his goals in the novel. This also links to the american dream, as his dream focuses on wealth. It is also mentioned in the chapter that Gatsby is a bootlegger by Tom's gossip, confirming the aforementioned brutality Gatsby has inherited from Cody's model.

Cody's yacht is described Cody's yacht as representing 'all the beauty and glamour in the world' in the account of Gatsby rowing his boat to the yacht. The yacht is a symbol of wealth and power because of it's extreme price and aura of lavishness. The description tells the story as the yacht embodies what Gatsby wanted to achieve with his life, it is a concrete but palpable goal that lends a young Gatz' motivation. This use of setting uncovers Gatsby's humble beginnings, providing the reader with an early history of his life. The romantic meeting at the end of the chapter is described by Fitzgerald to happen on 'one Autumn night'...'when the sidewalk was white with moonlight'. These symbols of an autumn temporal setting and moonlight tell the story as Autumn is associated with death. The leaves die and winter is prepared. This imagery foreshadows failure of the relationship due to the connotations the seasons holds. Moonlight conceals things such as the surroundings and it is thought to only highlight the attractive elements. This links to the meeting of Daisy and Gatsby as in the romantic encounter, Gatsby sees the side of Daisy he wants to see, rather than the superficial side and dislikable traits she holds. Moonlight also symbolises secrecy and emotion in literature which foreshadows Daisy's deceit and indecisiveness.

Reply 55

careyboyle

2

Has anyone got any tips on how to structure the section B questions? I always seem to mess up my introduction

Reply 56

tiptop000

Original post by careyboyle

Has anyone got any tips on how to structure the section B questions? I always seem to mess up my introduction

Thanks, how are you going to revise for the second question in Section A? Pick out the themes and work on those maybe?

Reply 57

careyboyle

2

Original post by tiptop000

Thanks, how are you going to revise for the second question in Section A? Pick out the themes and work on those maybe?

I think so, yeah! I will probably make mind maps of key quotes for the themed questions and basically write essay after essay in the conditions for practice. I would love for the representation of women to come up.

Reply 58

crashMATHS

OP

Original post by careyboyle

This is an essay I got an A for recently - as part of my revision:

How does Fitzgerald tell the story in Chapter 6 of the Great Gatsby?

Chapter 6 describes the metamorphis of Gatz to Gatsby through the use of a retrospective narrative. As well as this, the chapter involves the Buchanan's first visit to a Gatsby party as well as a flashback to Daisy and Gatsby's first kiss.

Fitzgerald tells the story through the use of a first person intradiagetic narrator, Nick Carraway. Fitzgerald develops Nick to hold an educated and poetic prose such as through the use of verbs such as 'volleying' and the romanticised description of Daisy's singing to be 'warm human magic'. This poetic prose colours the reader's perspective of the narrator, who is often viewed to be unreliable as he can not 'see into the heart' of any other character, meaning the story is told according to Nick's prejudices and opinions. The story is told in the retrospective mode so Nick already knows what has happened, thus resulting in his opinion colouring the reader's perception.

Characterisation is used to tell the story. Dan Cody is introduced to the reader in this chapter. His name is important, being a mix of the often romanticised frontiersmen Buffalo Bill Cody and Daniel Boone. This is significant as Gatsby models himself on Cody, who's name implies that he has a past of brutality - also uncovering Gatsby's dealings as Cody is the influence on which Gatsby's urbane exterior is modelled. Gatsby's past is greatly speculated on to be based on corruption, like Cody. Dan Cody is described by Fitzgerald to be Gatsby's 'destiny' imploring that Cody was Gatsby's only way out of poverty and his prescribed low class. Fitzgerald also tells the reader that Gatsby built his persona on the platonic conception of himself, stipulating that Gatsby strives to be the best version of himself he can achieve, proving his goals in the novel. This also links to the american dream, as his dream focuses on wealth. It is also mentioned in the chapter that Gatsby is a bootlegger by Tom's gossip, confirming the aforementioned brutality Gatsby has inherited from Cody's model.

Cody's yacht is described Cody's yacht as representing 'all the beauty and glamour in the world' in the account of Gatsby rowing his boat to the yacht. The yacht is a symbol of wealth and power because of it's extreme price and aura of lavishness. The description tells the story as the yacht embodies what Gatsby wanted to achieve with his life, it is a concrete but palpable goal that lends a young Gatz' motivation. This use of setting uncovers Gatsby's humble beginnings, providing the reader with an early history of his life. The romantic meeting at the end of the chapter is described by Fitzgerald to happen on 'one Autumn night'...'when the sidewalk was white with moonlight'. These symbols of an autumn temporal setting and moonlight tell the story as Autumn is associated with death. The leaves die and winter is prepared. This imagery foreshadows failure of the relationship due to the connotations the seasons holds. Moonlight conceals things such as the surroundings and it is thought to only highlight the attractive elements. This links to the meeting of Daisy and Gatsby as in the romantic encounter, Gatsby sees the side of Daisy he wants to see, rather than the superficial side and dislikable traits she holds. Moonlight also symbolises secrecy and emotion in literature which foreshadows Daisy's deceit and indecisiveness.

This is beautiful and so well written by the way :smile: