The Official English Personal Study / Dissertation Thread

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I'm hoping that was just a typo and you meant to write Dickens :biggrin:

I stared at that for five minutes knowing something was wrong before I realised, so I'm one to talk really!

Thanks for all the input guys, keep 'em coming :smile:

Reply 81

pamelaa

Acaila

I'm hoping that was just a typo and you meant to write Dickens :biggrin:

I stared at that for five minutes knowing something was wrong before I realised, so I'm one to talk really!

Thanks for all the input guys, keep 'em coming :smile:

Haha. Darwin :p:

I'm doing higher English in 6th year, so I think I'll do The Catcher in the Rye.

Reply 82

BillyLiu

You know, that happens ALL the friggin time. Luckily no fault during the exam. The scientist I am...

Amended now. You can read my post without any confusion (hopefully) :smile:

Reply 83

Acaila

I actually did in one of my Higher essays (not in the exam thankfully) the following:
"Hotel Room 12th Floor is a play in which...." (it's a poem for anyone lucky enough not to have studied it). Drama on the brain me! :biggrin:

Have copied questions and such into the first post, if people even know what friends are doing or anything like that it's still handy :smile:

Reply 84

db1234

if anyone did it was it difficult to do i really need to get an A in this any help

Reply 85

Bobby92

A personal study isn't graded - so technically, you can't get an A in it :P

A few people in our class did it - most of them took a few times to pass it, but I don't think that was due to the book :P

Reply 86

kiwi-93

I'm sure you could probably do it, although I'm not sure how strong a piece of "literature" it is.

I'd check with your teacher as well, cos some are really old school and won't let you do something really controversial like that.

Reply 87

db1234

we got given a list the waterstones top 100 books of the century and it was 10th

Reply 88

kiwi-93

True. But that doesn't automatically mean it's a fantastic piece of literature to do a personal study on; the BFG and Matilda are on the list too.

I'm sure you could probably get a pass with it though.

Reply 89

Musty_Elbow

What book you chose? 1984, by george orwell
Any comments on it - maybe overdone, but there is loads to write about.
What the question you decided on was? What techniques does Orwell use to evoke the effect of Big Brother on Winston's character.
Any advice to others doing their personal studies? Do NOT go for something which you think will be really easy, and do not treat it like a quick pass and then you can forget about it. The PS is important for appeals, and a poor PS will result in extra nerves, and less confidence when it comes down to the final exam. You need as much essay practice as you can get. And practice the PS under timed conditions teh night before.

Reply 90

db1234

im realy confused about what to do and we have till monday to start reading it im a guy and dont like all the love crap any suggestions

Reply 91

TimmyVermicelli

Jekyll and Hyde. Not finished it, but I'm really enjoying it and there's loads to talk about so far. It's really short as well, like 60-70 pages or something.

Reply 92

Meteorshower

db1234

im realy confused about what to do and we have till monday to start reading it im a guy and dont like all the love crap any suggestions

Dulce Et Decorum Est, not too much "love crap" in there :p:

Reply 93

TimmyVermicelli

You sure like that poem :P

Reply 94

Meteorshower

It's more that if someone just wants to get a personal study done, it's infinitely easier to do a poem :smile:

And yeah, it is very good :p:

Reply 95

pamelaa

dulce et decorum est pro patria mori!

Reply 96

kiwi-93

db1234

im realy confused about what to do and we have till monday to start reading it im a guy and dont like all the love crap any suggestions

A Streetcar Named Desire...rape, prostitution, domestic violence and macho-ism...if you like all that sort of thing.

Reply 97

ukdragon37

kiwi-93

A Streetcar Named Desire...rape, prostitution, domestic violence and macho-ism...if you like all that sort of thing.

We are doing that right now for our AH English :biggrin:

Here's mine:
What book you chose? Equus by Peter Shaffer
Any comments on it - An unconventional and controversial play that has lots of themes about humanity under its facade of violence.
Questio - An analysis on how Peter Shaffer effectively created an atmosphere of tension throughout his play "Equus"
Any advice to others doing their personal studies? You may wish to consider picking a play, as it is normally less laden with meaning than a poem but more manageable and easier to read than novel-length prose. Also for a play you can focus entirely or partly on stage directions, dramatic techniques, costume and prop setting and lighting which can only be found in drama.

Reply 98

Bassmonkey

I did Carrie by Stephen King last year, I think my english teacher was a bit worried about me (if you haven't read/seen it, it's basically a messed up bloodbath from start to finish). However, there was lots of symbolism and themes to talk about and I passed the NAB.

Moral of the story, you don't have to do a classic or a really well known piece, as long as there's something in particular you can write about - and you enjoyed it, that's probably the most important part.

Meteorshower