Criteria to hit for a kick ass Literature essay?

It seems that every time I'm writing one, I try so hard to hit every band in my essays.

Studying English literature means you've some tough essays.

I find that although I write in such a way that suggests I am knowledgable of the text, I struggle big time showing my analytical skills.

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Onomatopoeia

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Pathetic Fallacy

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Metaphor

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Tension

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conflict

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Anticipation

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Suspense

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Dramatic Effectiveness

This is everything I go for but I'm still coming out with E's or D's on a good day. :frown:

It's annyoing slogging out on a text to see it come to little fruition, so...

ANY FAIL SAFE METHODS?

Reply 1

DubPsychosis

No one has a clue?

Jesus wept.

Reply 2

Madelyn

Ok, this probably isnt going to help much, but I've never planned an English essay in my life. And I have an A in Eng Lit at AS, and am on course (they tell me) for another at A2. It is impossible to teach someone to write a perfect essay - there are no 'failsafe methods'. Bearing that in mind, I think it's best not to focus overmuch on the Assessment Objectives (or whatever your teacher/exam board/mark scheme calls them). Knowing them won't, as you've discovered, mean you can write a great essay, and my experience shows that not knowing them doesn't seem to do any harm.
From the sounds of it, in your essays you've been concentrating on a narrative style rather than an analytical one, which is not what examiners want. Don't worry so much about demonstrating your knowledge of the text - if you analyse it with sufficient familiarity, that knowledge will be implicit. Instead of retelling the story, use it only to back up your points. Don't simply say "the writer uses onomatopoeia in this line", but "the onomatopoeia in this line builds up suspense, as does the semantic field of...". Analyse, don't describe.
Hope that helps.

Reply 3

lostinfantasies

Thanks for that Madelyn - also helps other students!

DP - Good luck in your future essays :smile:

. I agree with Madelyn about the analytical side of things - keep being told to delve more into that aspect than just the narrative. And it's really damning when you get a mark back that's quite low but you feel you've put actual EFFORT into it.

Reply 4

DubPsychosis

Don't simply say "the writer uses onomatopoeia in this line", but "the onomatopoeia in this line builds up suspense, as does the semantic field of...". Analyse, don't describe.
Hope that helps.

This be the annoying this, that is exactly waht I do. No one says anything like "the writer uses onomatopoeia in this line", unless they're doing theie Year 9 SATS. :rolleyes:

Thanks anyway.

Reply 5

laura789

DubPsychosis

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Onomatopoeia

•

Pathetic Fallacy

•

Metaphor

•

Tension

•

conflict

•

Anticipation

•

Suspense

•

Dramatic Effectiveness

This is everything I go for but I'm still coming out with E's or D's on a good day. :frown:

It's annyoing slogging out on a text to see it come to little fruition, so...

ANY FAIL SAFE METHODS?

u missed out structue which is a major point in most marking schemes. also some of that stuff might not be relevant to the question or poem/text you are writing about with reference to the question. yes its good to mention but you shouldn't get bogged down in writing just that