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Ultimate english a-level revision thread

Hello to all of you.
Basically, I love this community. You're all wonderful and useful and beautiful people.


I thought it would be incredibly useful to know what other people are studying, and if anyone is studying the same as you, you can chat, and revise together, and it'll be a wonderful, beautiful this.


Okay, I'll start. I'm on the Pre-U program, which sounds weird, but is just a little bit fancy. I'd love a message from someone else studying it, that would be wonderful to chat about it.
THe texts I'm studying are:


Persuasion, Jane Austen
Collected Poetry, Phillip Larkin
Measure for Measure, Shakespeare


And then coursework-wise, Sylvia Plath's Bell Jar and Ariel, and the Virgin suicides by Jeffery Eugenedies.

It'd be wonderful to stay more or less on topic, so that this is a useful thread. Also, anyone with wonderful study techniques that work for them would be useful too.

Happy posting :smile:

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Reply 1
I'm currently studying A level English Language AQA Spec B and A level English Literature AQA Spec A!


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Reply 2
I'm studying WJEC A level English Lit!:smile: done Pat Barker's Regeneration, ww1 poetry and Owen Sheers' Pink Mist for my coursework, and then William Blake, King Lear and Oedipus for the exam -dreading it!


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Reply 3
Original post by Student_27
I'm currently studying A level English Language AQA Spec B and A level English Literature AQA Spec A!


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I am only doing English Language but the exact same course. Are you currently doing AS or A2? I'm doing A2 and am finding language change particularly difficult to comprehend and remember (have mocks next week :angry: ) If you are in AS I'd be happy to give you advice on the coursework and exam technique? :biggrin:
Original post by shaw16
I am only doing English Language but the exact same course. Are you currently doing AS or A2? I'm doing A2 and am finding language change particularly difficult to comprehend and remember (have mocks next week :angry: ) If you are in AS I'd be happy to give you advice on the coursework and exam technique? :biggrin:


Hey

I am also doing Language Change and it is so flying over my head.
Any tips or activity suggestions would be much appreciated :biggrin:
Reply 5
I'm doing edexcel A2: Tess of the d'Urbervilles, The Great Gatsby and Rapture (Carol Ann Duffy).
Reply 6
I'm studying English literature Gothic AQA spec B; Macbeth, Frankenstein and The Bloody Chamber??
Original post by joshvamp95
I'm studying English literature Gothic AQA spec B; Macbeth, Frankenstein and The Bloody Chamber??


I'm also doing Macbeth and The Bloody Chamber :biggrin: how are you finding them?

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Reply 8
I love it, Macbeth especially, but I don't know where to start with revision hahah
Hi :smile:
I'm studying English Lib B and I'm doing Macbeth, Wuthering Heights and The Bloody Chamber.
Finding it hard where to start with revision!
Original post by joshvamp95
I love it, Macbeth especially, but I don't know where to start with revision hahah

I do too! Same haha :tongue:
Original post by hisengsoc_galpal
Hi :smile:
I'm studying English Lib B and I'm doing Macbeth, Wuthering Heights and The Bloody Chamber.
Finding it hard where to start with revision!

They're my exact texts :teehee:


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Original post by Lucy96
I do too! Same haha :tongue:

They're my exact texts :teehee:


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Oh excellent! How are you finding it?
Original post by MJasper
I'm doing edexcel A2: Tess of the d'Urbervilles, The Great Gatsby and Rapture (Carol Ann Duffy).


similar to you - Gatsby , Rapture but metaphysical poets (John Donne, George Herbert etc) instead of Tess

can't believe duffy is a central text she's so ****e
Reply 13
Original post by hotliketea
similar to you - Gatsby , Rapture but metaphysical poets (John Donne, George Herbert etc) instead of Tess

can't believe duffy is a central text she's so ****e

lol! I don't mind her but our class always laughs at her use of repetition. It really comes off as trite sometimes.
Original post by MJasper
lol! I don't mind her but our class always laughs at her use of repetition. It really comes off as trite sometimes.


she's supposed to be a bloody poet laureate yet every bloody poem is the same and i could have written them

moan moan moan oh here's an image which relates clearly to the female vagina moan moan moan life is hard end of poem
I'm doing English Lit Spec B too! My texts are: The Bloody Chamber, Frankenstein and Doctor Faustus :smile:
Also I'm having to retake AS and my texts are: The Road, Enduring Love, Rossetti and Browning :frown:
Original post by hisengsoc_galpal
Oh excellent! How are you finding it?


I'm really enjoying it :biggrin: bit worried about learning so many quotes though! How about you?

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Original post by Lucy96
I'm really enjoying it :biggrin: bit worried about learning so many quotes though! How about you?

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Yeah im enjoying it! Currently trying to write an Macbeth essay though and im struggling where to start!
'How far do you agree with the view that in Macbeth more suffering is inflicted by mental cruelty than physical cruelty?'
Any idea of a good plan aha?


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Original post by hisengsoc_galpal
Yeah im enjoying it! Currently trying to write an Macbeth essay though and im struggling where to start!
'How far do you agree with the view that in Macbeth more suffering is inflicted by mental cruelty than physical cruelty?'
Any idea of a good plan aha?


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Great :biggrin:

Well obviously, start with a little introduction. I'd begin by defining "mental cruelty" properly, and then highlighting that there is a great deal of mental cruelty. But I would state that there is also a fair bit of physical cruelty thus the statement could be argued.

I'd begin with mental cruelty as that's the focus of the question. Perhaps find a critic quote about mental cruelty in Macbeth :smile: examples I can think of is the mental cruelty that Lady Macbeth inflicts on Macbeth, she is extensively manipulative and plays on his hamartia (his lack of ambition) as she knows this will encourage him to commit the murder. She also torments him by questioning his manhood; mental cruelty is evident in the emotional blackmail. However you could also say that Macbeth enforces mental cruelty upon himself; as soon as he murders King Duncan, he is drowned in immense guilt as seen by his plea of "wake Duncan with thy knocking" and when he imagines the dagger in front of him "is this a dagger which I see before me...". Evidently, his own mind has lured him into self-destruction through mental torment. I guess you could argue that the Witches are culpable of mental cruelty through their use of equivocation; they make Macbeth believe the apparitions and thus lure him to his downfall through manipulation just like Lady Macbeth.

I'd actually support the question as I believe there's a lot more mental cruelty. However of course, physical cruelty is a large aspect. Macbeth's murdering of King Duncan, Banquo and the ordering of the deaths of Macduff's wife and son are all prime examples of physical cruelty. Also, perhaps briefly mention the Witches who clearly favour physical cruelty. :tongue:

Then sum up your opinion in a conclusion :tongue:

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Original post by Lucy96
Great :biggrin:

Well obviously, start with a little introduction. I'd begin by defining "mental cruelty" properly, and then highlighting that there is a great deal of mental cruelty. But I would state that there is also a fair bit of physical cruelty thus the statement could be argued.

I'd begin with mental cruelty as that's the focus of the question. Perhaps find a critic quote about mental cruelty in Macbeth :smile: examples I can think of is the mental cruelty that Lady Macbeth inflicts on Macbeth, she is extensively manipulative and plays on his hamartia (his lack of ambition) as she knows this will encourage him to commit the murder. She also torments him by questioning his manhood; mental cruelty is evident in the emotional blackmail. However you could also say that Macbeth enforces mental cruelty upon himself; as soon as he murders King Duncan, he is drowned in immense guilt as seen by his plea of "wake Duncan with thy knocking" and when he imagines the dagger in front of him "is this a dagger which I see before me...". Evidently, his own mind has lured him into self-destruction through mental torment. I guess you could argue that the Witches are culpable of mental cruelty through their use of equivocation; they make Macbeth believe the apparitions and thus lure him to his downfall through manipulation just like Lady Macbeth.

I'd actually support the question as I believe there's a lot more mental cruelty. However of course, physical cruelty is a large aspect. Macbeth's murdering of King Duncan, Banquo and the ordering of the deaths of Macduff's wife and son are all prime examples of physical cruelty. Also, perhaps briefly mention the Witches who clearly favour physical cruelty. :tongue:

Then sum up your opinion in a conclusion :tongue:

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Thank you so much!
You have no idea how much that has helped me!


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