Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

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

Scroll to see replies

And there's Chemistry straight after too! D:

Is anyone doing The Crucible? I have no idea what's going to come up this year (please please please let it be Proctor, Rebecca or the Putnams).

Reply 1001

ryanroks1

Original post by Natasha792

Hmm... but why would they stay "still" when G+L arrive ?
Could it connote that there presence could represt danger , hence the stillness of the rabbits foreshadowing Lennie's fate.
Also, Lennie loves to pet rabbits, but if they are "stone" then he cannot kill them, which could suggest an ideal dream-like place for the two men to be together.
Any ideas? :smile:

Great alternate readings! :smile:

Reply 1002

higuyslol

Original post by simranmehra6

For Question B you need to constantly refer to Steinbeck and the Great Depression and why he has intended to do so.
For Question A - you need to do word analysis constantly throughout.
You also need to link back to the reader at the end of each paragraph in both questions

would this structure get me a B or an A?
4 paragraphs for an inspector calls
Point:
Evidence:
Explain:
Elaborate:
Effect on audience:
Personal opinion and refer to question:

three paragraphs for of mice and men passage(a) and 4 for part (b)

Point:
Evidence:
Explain:
Elaborate:
Effect on reader:
Historical context:
personal opinion and refer to question

Reply 1003

H0PEL3SS

For all those doing Of Mice and Men, in Jan 2012 the part b question stated “using the rest of the novel, how does steinbeck present the lives of ranch workers at the time? Could someone help me with this please, Thanks

Hi, I did this question a few weeks ago.
I said that the ranch workers live lonely lives, yet they are full of hope. Whit was the evidence, as he gets really ecstatic over a letter in a magazine.
Also, the ranch workers own pistols, while Crooks owns a shotgun, which is harder to travel with than a pistol. The guns represent power, but also the idea that power to the workers means physical power, so at the time, the workers felt powerless because they had little control over their lives.
Lastly, the workers own 'little articles...... believe'. Little means small in size, so these things are inexpensive, but they mean something to the workers, so in the 1930's any possession was valuable, which implies that resources are scarce.
The magazines may be stories, but they are also dreams, that they 'scoff at'. By using scoff, Steinbeck implies that the workers don't consider it worthy of their thought, which suggests that they waste energy believing in dreams- it was normal for ranch workers to act like their dreams didn't matter. The only person to explicitly mention dreams are Lennie, George and Candy, and George only mentions it when Lennie asks. So, telling people about your dreams requires trust, but the workers 'secretly' believe the stories in the magazines, so there is a sense of distrust, which implies that the 1930's was a lonely period, which is enforced by the theme of lonliness.
Hope this helps..

Reply 1004

tingirl

How could you link the death of Candy's dog to context? Could you write about how it symbolises that the elderly/disabled in society had no support, to the point where death was the kindest solution?

Reply 1005

ZiaNeverSleeps

For the OMAM question- Talking to people from school and we're not convinced it'll be Slim- there isn't much about him in the book really, and there's barely anything for context. A few of us think it could be Crooks, or possibly Candy. Plus there's a chance it could be on George and Lennie's relationship, but it is unlikely to be on Curley's wife (unfortunately)

Reply 1006

higuyslol

Original post by tingirl

How could you link the death of Candy's dog to context? Could you write about how it symbolises that the elderly/disabled in society had no support, to the point where death was the kindest solution?

or that the old and worthless things were disregarded

Reply 1007

AcuraIntergurl

I think it might be about George or Lennie again or maybe even Carlson

Reply 1008

theslowbaker

Original post by AZ786

so nervous for OMAM and IAC tomorrow, no idea what to expect, so i am just going to read through the CGP book and my notes in my book
how is everyone else revising?? and good luck :smile:

MissDegrassi listen up as well

(for higher)

•

Dolphus Raymond= Jan 2013 + attitudes to blacks

•

Aunt Alexandra + Francis = June 2012 + attitudes to women(position of women)

•

Ms Maudie=Jan 2012 +Life in a southern small town during the 1930s e.g depression + segregation

•

Atticus (+ Tim Johnson the dog) = June 2011 + injustice + Bravery (+possible parallels to draw to bitter intolerance)

•

The Ewells + Mayella as question b = Jan 2011 class + intolerance or prejudice against one's class.

To conclude, i believe that growing up might come up or Bravery, even though, it only vaguely came up before and it is not as vast as the other themes. Leading me to believe that an extract to do with jem, maybe taking his trousers back; might appear. Don't take my word for it. Even Boo could come or maybe cal - they might be sneaky and give us MR Underwood or the sheriff...Any one who has not appeared.

how to answer the passage

use dialogue and actions from the passage but i think you should try to analyse the speech on a microscopic level, by looking at a single word from your chosen quotation phrase. According to Mr Bruff, (from Youtube) this puts you into the higher bands.Not only that, you might want to suggest what this may tell you about the writers themes and ideas (e.g growing up) , and remember to identify the language device from your chosen quotation some may be obscure ones like euphemism or irony - so keep your eyes pealed. In addition, the key word in the question is LEE, so remember to highlight her craft of inviting us the reader to consider something (e.g the gap between an adult's perspective and a child's perspective) or what the character may symbolise, this is an opportunity to include the themes or ideas about the social historical context...

For instance...

ms Maudie...

May symbolise Bravery because she says "always wanted a smaller house", when she witnesses her home burning. Lee uses a pun to illustrate her mental strength against the destruction of many of her possessions at a time of financial despair.By using a pun she shows how tolerant and well mannered she is as a character like a "sunbeam", that will light up even the most dismal situations, in a similar way to a pun can.

Here i couldn't use analysis on a single word level but do you see how you could link to themes, if the passage was on the night of the fire and on bravery.

Reply 1009

ZiaNeverSleeps

Original post by AcuraIntergurl

I think it might be about George or Lennie again or maybe even Carlson

I hope its not Carlson- I don't think there's a lot on him as a character, or much you can write for context...

Reply 1010

AsianNoodles

Since we're all doing Of Mice and Men. Any predictions for the paper.

Reply 1011

AcuraIntergurl

Who's doing kindertransport and OMAM?

Reply 1012

Elm Tree

http://getrevising.co.uk/resources/full_analysis_of_characters_themes_and_settings

Found a useful resource! OMAM

Reply 1013

ZiaNeverSleeps

Is no one else doing The Woman In Black too?

Reply 1014

Andyroo17

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 1015

AZ786

Original post by AsianNoodles

Since we're all doing Of Mice and Men. Any predictions for the paper.

i dont think we should do predictions as aqa could put anything in and if we do make predictions, then some people may revise them topics more, but if they dont come up then they're like uh oh... :P
just read over everything to prepare for any type of question?

Reply 1016

higuyslol

Original post by Elm Tree

http://getrevising.co.uk/resources/full_analysis_of_characters_themes_and_settings

Found a useful resource! OMAM

how should i structure my response e.g how many paragraphs

Reply 1017

AcuraIntergurl

Original post by ZiaNeverSleeps

I hope its not Carlson- I don't think there's a lot on him as a character, or much you can write for context...

Well, I think that's what they want; you'd have to think outside the box and analyse is characterstics and purpose in the book. What he says at the end os quite powerful, i think it was something along the lines 'now what you think is eating those guys?' Also, he isn't very compassionate and he's kinda horrible throughout the novel so yeahh ! BUT hopefully G and L come up cos their loads about them and i don't think they've come up recently

Reply 1018

longlivelatifa

Could someone possibly give me feedback on these two paragraphs I wrote about Slim (Of Mice and Men). I didn't have a particular question but something about his importance in relation to the context?

Another reason Slim is extremely important is because he shows loyalty and is a good friend. He gives advice ‘You know what to do…. Take a shovel’. He reassured George that he did the right thing at the end, ‘you hadda George, I swear you hadda’. He comforted George the time he most needed it and this shows what a true friend he was. Also, at one point in the novel Steinbeck said he ‘moved back slightly so the light was not on his face’ (43), In contrast to Curley’s wife who when first entering she cut off the ‘rectangular of sunshine in the doorway’ (34). If the light was to be represented as dreams here, Curley’s wife would be seen to have interfered with George and Lennie’s dream, which she did as she stopped them getting it. This foreshadowed that she would prevent them from reaching it however Slim moved out of the way of the light, and this may suggest that he wanted them to reach the dream; he supported them in their quest to get the American dream. This showed the qualities of a good friend. On a secondary level, It may also suggest that he was humble and did not like the spotlight on him, but all these qualities enhances the idea that he is the perfect being.

Slim is the voice for justice within the novel. His word was ‘taken on any subject, be it politics or love’. This shows that he was that wise and all the other ranch workers looked up to him as a role model and accepted whatever he had said. He is like a father figure to all the ranch men with his words of wisdom being the words they live by. But Slim also represented hope within the novel. Steinbeck made him a character who didn’t ignore Curley’s wife and wasn’t sexist as he responded to her saying ‘Hi good lookin’. He is someone that didn’t fear being contaminated by Crooks and went into his bunk. He didn’t refer to Crooks as ‘nigger’ but said ‘’Oh! Hello, Crooks’ and therefore he wasn’t bound by the casual racism in society. He offered Candy his ‘pups’ when Carlson shot his dog, showing he wasn’t insensitive and he was very understanding; he held a level of respect to the elderly. And finally, he wasn’t someone bound by the social hierarchy; he gained his respect through having an ear that ‘heard more than what was said to him’. His understanding is why people were attracted to him, and unlike Curley he didn’t have to start a fight to prove his strength and power. So despite not being the Boss’s son, he held more power as he could threaten Curley and address his wife, without fear of being hurt by Curley. Slim was Steinbeck’s representation of what a perfect society would be like had everyone behaved like him. For this reason we get the sense that people like Slim didn’t exist in such a cold, harsh world. His character seems to be somebody far beyond the realms of reality and therefore the unrealistic qualities portrayed by Steinbeck could be part of his depressing message, insinuating that no one will ever be like that and therefore we will always be stuck in this endless cycle of having hope then having it ruined.

Sorry for any mistakes, thank you!