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AQA GCSE English Literature Exams - 20th and 23rd May 2013 *OFFICAL THREAD*

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Original post by emah123
do you have any links to sample essays on slim and curley? thank you


Here's a link I found to another user's essay on Slim: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2355206

I'm sure you can find plenty of sample essays online on Curley if you just googled it
Original post by Olympiad
How long do you spend on each text during the exam?


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Hi, we've been told that as the exam is 1 and 1/2 hours you should spend 45 minutes on your first text and the second one (i'm doing Of Mice & Men) the question will ask you to answer part A and B so you should spend about 20 minutes on each of those... sometimes one of those could be asking about two things so you'd spend about 10 minutes on each if that's the case :smile:

Hope that helps :smile:
Original post by ryanb97
yeah i think a person (me) could just learn about 12-15 good points and universally use them for all the question..so in that sense it isnt too hard :biggrin:

are you doing lit at a/as-level??

Ryan


yeah - I learnt 10-12, a couple for each topic I thought would come up, so you're on the right lines.
Yeah- I'm Literature and Language (as two separate A-Levels) but I honestly failed the exam on Friday.....:frown: so annoying bc I want to do English at uni and I really don't want to retake the year....What do you want to do at uni?
Can you write a section b on Slim?I mean they ask you to link part a to the novel as a whole.I don't see how we can do that with Slim?Or maybe I wrong?:/.
Original post by Olympiad
Gerald has come up right? / AIC


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Yeah, I've looked at it in class - i think it was January 2012?!
Original post by Jennienarwin
Can you write a section b on Slim?I mean they ask you to link part a to the novel as a whole.I don't see how we can do that with Slim?Or maybe I wrong?:/.


I just did a practice question revolving around Slim, maybe it'll help?

B) ) How does Steinbeck present Slim in the novel as a whole in order to convey ideas about society? (15 marks)

Steinbeck uses the character as Slim throughout then novel convey linking concepts revolving around society during the Great Depression, for instance Slim is commonly presented to be the author’s own example of ideal human behaviour, for instance he treats Crooks with respect despite the strong presence of racial prejudice at the time, and even his movement is emphasises by Steinbeck to be ideal “he moved with a majesty only achieved by royalty and master craftsmen”. In addition, he is also the first one to comfort George after Lennie’s death “you hadda George, I swear you hadda”.

This quote also bears prime significance to the author’s ideas about 1930s society, for instance it shows that there is no hope for humanity as even the ideal men are violent. This is enforced once Slim, in spite of his perfections, also bears imperfections such as supporting the ‘survival of the fittest’ concept by drowning the weakest puppies and allowing Carlson to shoot Candy’s dog, this humanises his character and creates an impression of realism for the reader, which also emphasises the fact that Slim is presented to be a realistic character, this is applied by the “gravity of manner” and the fact that he never expresses any dreams or desires perhaps Steinbeck wrote Slim to be on the few socially aware and realistic characters on the ranch, as by drowning the puppies and supporting Lennie’s death (“you hadda George, I swear you hadda”) conveys that Steinbeck is using the character of Slim to convey the lesson that life isn’t fair, perhaps in light of the long-term bitterness of the Great Depression.

Furthermore, Slim can be viewed as the characterized version of the author, Steinbeck, as he is clearly the most contrasting character in the novel which is shown in his behaviour of how he treats Crooks fairly despite allowing him to sleep in the cold, alone. In addition, the author creates an impression of positivity and intimacy in his presence, as enforced by the quote “instantly the table was brilliant with light”, which emphasises his importance during rough times.
Original post by Olympiad
Whose doing An Inspector Calls? If so how about we all think of points which may appear based on Eric - would be good if it did come up, and if not its good for revision anyhow.
Just quote the one you want to write notes about (typed please so you can post them here) & we can have more than one person doing each and you can do more than one so choose what you are confident with/not confident, just want to do really:

Quotes:
Eric's relationship with parents:
His role in the death:
His reaction:
Attitudes to the lower class:
Him & Sheila contrasting with the older generation:




This is all I can think of right now, feel free to suggest more. They are fairly broad too but it covers a good amount so hopefully something here will relate to the question. When you are done, just quote this again a long with your notes :smile:


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Him & Sheila contrasting the older generation:
- Sheila's arguments are more carefully thought out, whereas Eric's are more hostile "Damn you, damn you"
-Eric later accepts that he had some responsibility and is "frightened". Both he and Sheila are annoyed that their parents will not change
-Sheila and Eric's generation will later set up the Welfare state in 1945 and they are breaking free from their parents strong capitalist grasp
-Sheila and Eric feel guilty whereas Mrs B just denies it. "It can't be..."
-Sheila and Eric refer to Eva as a person and what to do the right thing by the girl, whereas Mr B is prepared to pay "thousands" to protect his status.

Any more ideas?? :smile:
Original post by Natasha792
I guess you could, as long as your point links the actual question with the novella. Try not to go off topic though! Good Luck for tomorrow- scared :/


Ok thank you I'll try not to go off on a tangent if it happens! :redface: I'm sacred too because for this exam you may have really good points for one story but if a different one comes up and you have no ideas....urgh. Good luck to you as well none the less!
Reply 948
Guys, if anyone could just skim through these two essays I just wrote and give me an opinion it would be really appreciated... obviously it's a bit late now to get it marked by a teacher...

AN INSPECTOR CALLS: CHARACTER QUESTION - EVA SMITH
Q.How does Priestley present Eva Smith in the play An Inspector Calls? How does he make you respond as you do by the way he writes?

Despite her central role in the play An Inspector Calls, Priestley places Eva Smith below even the housemaid Edna by never affording her the dignity of an appearance on stage. Set in the “comfortable, but not cosy and homelike” lair of the wealthy Birlings, it is fitting that Eva never enters the house, for it conveys the idea that the Birlings are trapped in a bubble of wealth, oblivious to the plight and struggle of those less fortunate outside. Priestley could be using “not cosy and homelike” in order to suggest that the Birlings live a comfortable lifestyle, but through their desperation to occupy the highest tier of society have forgone any warmth, kindness or compassion, hence almost making their house akin to a typical marble-floored, echoey dungeon often inhabited by the villain in any fairytale.

Priestley deliberately fails to provide any specific details about Eva Smith, other than her name and the fact she was “pretty”, so that he could use Eva as a representation of all the poor in society (the Inspector late in the play states that “there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us”). Combined with Eva Smith’s lack of an appearance on stage, this perhaps reflects Priestley’s own view that the working class were underrepresented in pre Great War Britain, their struggles and poverty drowned out by the louder babblings of the more influential upper classes. Eva Smith is only granted a voice through the Inspector, suggesting a snobbishness to the wealthy which prevents them noticing those they class as inferior (“claiming elaborate fine feelings and scruples that were simply absurd in a girl in her position”), until brought up in such a way it directly disadvantages them (in this case, when an Inspector arrives, causing them to believe they will be at the centre of a public scandal).

It is structurally interesting that Priestley should order the family members’ revelations in increasing severity; in this way, Eva Smith comes back to haunt the Birling household more and more as the play progresses, perhaps representing Priestley’s prediction that the status of society at that time was unsustainable; that the working class would be bound to have their comeuppance in time, and gain a louder voice, eventually becoming equals with those of a superior class in every way but wealth.

In summary, Priestley uses Eva Smith as a representation of the working class, and as a way to suggest his own views about society in pre Great War Britain, as well as simply the victim of the Birlings’ selfish actions. It is noteworthy that Priestley writes that Eva “died in great agony”, after swallowing “a lot of strong disinfectant”. “Great agony” could simply be seen as a few hours extension upon the agony of Eva’s struggle to survive and “miserable existence”, and choosing to have Eva die as a result of poisoning from “disinfectant” perhaps further reflects the horrible disdain and even disgust with which the wealthy looked down upon the poor in Britain at the time the play was set.


OF MICE & MEN: CONTEXT QUESTION: DISABILITY
Q. How does Steinbeck present attitudes towards the disabled in the rest of the novel?

In the novella Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck includes two characters with disabilities; the protagonist Lennie, who has the mentality of a child, and Candy is old and missing a hand. However, Steinbeck treats the two types of disability very differently; Lennie’s child-like mentality simply leads to George frequently, but without menace, calling him a “crazy bastard” and Slim’s observation that “he’s jes like a kid”. He still earns much respect from his fellow ranch hands, however, as he can “put up a four hundred pound bale”, and he beat the “handy” Curley in a fight by crushing his fist. Candy, on the other hand, gets treated less favourably by the ranch hands; he is bullied into letting Carlson shoot his dog in Section Three, and lives in constant fear of being sacked, and not being able to find another job on account of his disability (“They’ll can me purty soon You seen what they done to my dog tonight? I won’t have no place to go, an’ I can’t get no more jobs”). In 1930s America, of course, during the Great Depression 25% of the workforce was unemployed, so Candy would have faced almost impossible competition for a new job on account of his age and disability.

Steinbeck uses Lennie’s placement higher up in the ranch hierarchy than Candy, combined with the heavy natural and animal focuses in the descriptive paragraphs of the story (“the rabbits sat as quietly as little gray, scultupred stones A stilted heron labored up into the air”), to question mankind’s superiority and uniqueness from the animal kingdom. He points out that despite the intelligence of humans, they are still subject to the same Darwinistic laws of survival of the fittest; and that fittest meant physicality. Curley may be older and wiser than Lennie, but it is Lennie who can “buck” more “barley”, so is more useful within the ranch and gets more respect from his fellow workers. Steinbeck perhaps doubts the uniqueness of humanity over the animal kingdom, suggesting that we are very much subject to the same patterns, of survival of the strongest rather than the cleverest. In modern society this may not apply so much, but during the desperate times of the Great Depression, when even former managers of big firms lost their jobs and had to find whatever work they could doing manual labour, this was a sad reality, and may be again if the economic hardships and agricultural conditions of 1930s America were to repeat themselves.

Sorry, I know I'm asking a massive favour, but can somebody just skim through, or even just comment on whether I've written enough on each question? Apologies once again, and massive, massive thanks if you can help :smile:
Original post by ryanb97
tbh i dont care what comes up .. as long as it isnt carlson... or candy


I don't want them either! :frown: But Candy's dog is ok :s-smilie:
I don't suppose someone could give me tips on how to improve for this essay and what grade it would be, please :smile: -

Spoiler

(edited 10 years ago)
Candy - Question A How Candy is Presented in the Passage
Double Paragraph -
Steinbeck shows Candy as a weak character who lacks confidence in the passage. This is evident when it says, "the old man squirmed uncomfortably." The word "squirmed" implies he is not in control and is subject to the other people's actions. An animals or person squirms when they are trapped or in trouble. Therefore, the description suggests Candy is a victim and vulnerable. A strong person would not be described "uncomfortable" as it suggest they are not in power. This is evident in the passage as Candy's decision is made for him. Another example of his weak character is when is when says, "Candy looked helplessly," and "nervously". Both these words suggest that Candy cannot do anything on his own, that he cannot stand up to the other men and is character who is weak and knows he is beaten.

Steinbeck also shows Candy to be a direct to his dog. This is evident when it says, "He's all stiff with rheumatism. He ain't no good to you, Candy. An' he ain't good to himself." This description highlights the similarities between Candy and his dog. Both are old, seen as useless by society and seen as worthless now they are old. Steinbeck chose to make the comparison between the dog and its master to make the reader feel more sympathy for Candy. The men's response to the dog is a reflection of what they feel about Candy. When they talk about the dog, they really expressing their views of Candy and his position. This ideas is further explored when Slim says "I wisht somebody'd shoot me if I get old an' cripple".This shows us that when you reached a certain age in the time of the novel, no one cares about you. Slim indirectly saying that Candy is useless and would be better off dead. Slim is like the younger version of Candy. While Candy has the old and useless dog, Slim has the young and productive mother of the pups. His greatest fear is becoming old and turning into Candy.

In my school we use this format called SEED (Statement, Evidence, Explain and Development) and with this format we go straight to the focus of any question.
With this answer i get a band 5 = A
Original post by NinjaPandaa
I havent seen any danforth questions on any pastpapers?


there was something about him in June 2011 i think, it was not a specific character question so they may do a more focused character question on him maybe
Reply 953
Original post by lilacwanda28
yeah - I learnt 10-12, a couple for each topic I thought would come up, so you're on the right lines.
Yeah- I'm Literature and Language (as two separate A-Levels) but I honestly failed the exam on Friday.....:frown: so annoying bc I want to do English at uni and I really don't want to retake the year....What do you want to do at uni?


oh wow....

i want to do aeronautical engineering .. you know be a 'space-man' :biggrin:

Original post by JustaDreamer
I don't want them either! :frown: But Candy's dog is ok :s-smilie:


i dont want candy dog to come up since i havent got any good relevant points in terms of historical context... ok yes foreshadowing/emapathy/uselessness but thats it

mmmm...

ryan
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 954
What characters have come up in the past for An Inspector Calls?
Reply 955
Original post by moon.fly
If Slim does come up for Of Mice and Men, you can link him into the theme of dreams, as he is one of the only characters that appears to have no dream.


and what would you talk about?
Original post by ryanb97


i dont want candy sog to come up since i havent got any good relevant points in terms of historical context... ok yes foreshadowing/emapathy/uselessness but thats it

mmmm...

ryan


I guess that's true :frown:
Reply 957
Original post by jack97
and what would you talk about?


Talk about the fact that he doesn't have a dream. perhaps go on to explain it by saying that he is respected, denoted by the semantic field of royalty used by Steinbeck. ????
Reply 958
Original post by PoisonSky

OF MICE & MEN: CONTEXT QUESTION: DISABILITY
[Q. How does Steinbeck present attitudes towards the disabled in the rest of the novel?


there are firstly more than 2 disabilitys in the novel, in context to characters
candy/crooks/lennie/
tip - you are decribing than elaborating and using evidence.... but your not actually imbedding any contextual info
e.g.
In the novella Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck includes two characters with disabilities; the protagonist Lennie, who has the mentality of a child, and Candy is old and missing a hand. However, Steinbeck treats the two types of disability very differently; Lennie’s child-like mentality simply leads to George frequently, but without menace, calling him a “crazy bastard” and Slim’s observation that “he’s jes like a kid”. He still earns much respect from his fellow ranch hands, however, as he can “put up a four hundred pound bale”, and he beat the “handy” Curley in a fight by crushing his fist. Candy, on the other hand, gets treated less favourably by the ranch hands; he is bullied into letting Carlson shoot his dog in Section Three, and lives in constant fear of being sacked, and not being able to find another job on account of his disability (“They’ll can me purty soon You seen what they done to my dog tonight? I won’t have no place to go, an’ I can’t get no more jobs”). In 1930s America, of course, during the Great Depression 25% of the workforce was unemployed, so Candy would have faced almost impossible competition for a new job on account of his age and disability.
^^^
only one line on context???


Steinbeck uses Lennie’s placement higher up in the ranch hierarchy than Candy, combined with the heavy natural and animal focuses in the descriptive paragraphs of the story (“the rabbits sat as quietly as little gray, scultupred stones A stilted heron labored up into the air”), to question mankind’s superiority and uniqueness from the animal kingdom

^^ this doesnt make sense to me---??

He points out that despite the intelligence of humans, they are still subject to the same Darwinistic laws of survival of the fittest; and that fittest meant physicality. Curley may be older and wiser than Lennie, but it is Lennie who can “buck” more “barley”, so is more useful within the ranch and gets more respect from his fellow workers. Steinbeck perhaps doubts the uniqueness of humanity over the animal kingdom, suggesting that we are very much subject to the same patterns, of survival of the strongest rather than the cleverest. In modern society this may not apply so much, but during the desperate times of the Great Depression, when even former managers of big firms lost their jobs and had to find whatever work they could doing manual labour, this was a sad reality, and may be again if the economic hardships and agricultural conditions of 1930s America were to repeat themselves.
^^^ nice point! :biggrin:

it was a it short... how many sideswas that... for part b i average 1.5 sides
you, in effect, only wrote 2 very large points..... would you mark them as 7/8 each?

ryan
I'm quite worried about unseen poetry aha😖


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