Aqa b english literature help pls?!?

The second part of question A is opinion based, and is marked on AO1, AO3 and AO4. All you have to do is argue /for/ the question, then argue against. You must argue both sides and use quotations to back up your points.

Eg 'the great Gatsby' could be considered a tragedy because of gatsby's death; Gatsby is the protagonist and namesake of the title, nick describes him in a positive way and is devastated after his death, no one turning up to gatsby's funeral could be considered tragic etc. Death of myrtle could be tragic -- causes gatsby's death even though it was daisy who killed myrtle. However, the way Gatsby earned money is unclear and suggested he used illegitimate means, he tried to ruin the marriage of a happy couple because he loved daisy, but he was actually infatuated with her, put her on a pedestal and didn't truly love her for who she was; Gatsby wasn't an honest person but wore a facade to fool people and it could be said he deserved his fate, therefore its not tragic. Everything goes back to the way it was at the end of the novel and its almost a happy ending -- not in keeping with the 'tragedy' genre.

Thank you soon much!!! BTW do you have to add in criticism such as feminist or marxist perspective, is this necessary to get a high grade? And also context?

my teacher has been away for several weeks now and i'm honestly on the verge of panicking. i don't even know the simple aspects.
For section A, they will always say how does (author) tell the story in chapter.. i know you have to use form, structure and language but i'm confused on the second question, eg. How appropriate do you think it is to describe The Great Gatsby as a tragedy? <<--- how do you answer this question?? do you use criticisms? someone help plss?

For part (b), AO1, AO3 and AO4 are tested. You need to first realise that the questions will be inviting you to argue a statement or perspective, which means you need to give both sides of the argument and evaluate them to say which one is makes the most sense. You would use quotations (which can analyse occasionally) and context to do this.

Notice how AO1 is assessed, so you should try to have a clear argument developing throughout, which you show through the use of discourse markers, such as 'as a result', 'however' or 'on the other hand', though there are plenty more you can use.

Make sure you link back to the construction of narrative, if possible, and Fitzgerald's intentions, as it's likely to get you more marks. When linking to context, you should try to talk about the American Dream, where relevant, as it's so key to the novel, but do try to mention other contextual features too: you can mention the characteristics of the Jazz Age, conspicuous consumption and the emancipation of women, for example. Mentioning critical perspectives is a great thing to do, but like someone has said, try to be specific and give some names - there are some great critical comments in one of the editions of The Great Gatsby that you can use too.

Before you write, have the mark scheme in mind: Band 6 is 'evaluation', Band 5 is 'analysis' and Band 4 is exploration (I think). Try to make sure you're analysing in your essay (at least), and stay away from just exploring. Try to evaluate too - that way you can definitely be put into Band 5.


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