English Lit (Edexcel) Unit 6 - Unseen PROSE!

Yeah i did it. I thought it was a really good paper. Umm, i just wrote a lot on the weather, and changes, and the use of characterisation. But was there that much to get the wrong idea about? Maybe i've missed it completely :P

Reply 2

llobo1

I don't know, I kept writing about how I thought Ralph was attracted to Mrs Glasse... did you pick up on that?

Reply 3

Ploop

I'm glad I'm not the only person who struggled, my mates found it quite easy!

I wrote how the wind is a constant reference throughout, how the journey time gets given very little writing space, suggesting mysterious/dull surroundings (thus reflecting Mrs Glasse's potential character). In regards to characters, I just wrote how more was revealed about Mrs Glasse than Ralph, yet it's interesting how her first name is never revealed. Then I finished off with a corny statement about how the light flooding in symbolised an epiphany for Ralph about Mrs Glasse.

Ergh, cringeworthy writing.

Oh god, I don't think mine was anywhere as detailed as that. I don't think I focussed on characterisation very well! I just kept talking about how Ralph had the hots for Mrs Glasse. :rolleyes:

Reply 4

brightxburns

Oh god, I don't think mine was anywhere as detailed as that. I don't think I focussed on characterisation very well! I just kept talking about how Ralph had the hots for Mrs Glasse. :rolleyes:

umm, i really didn't notice that. I thought he respected her, and was suprised by her. But i didn't think that there was anything more. Oh no...

Reply 5

llobo1

umm, i really didn't notice that. I thought he respected her, and was suprised by her. But i didn't think that there was anything more. Oh no...

I think I was being overly imaginative, though, and not actually focussing on the text at hand. I'm not sure the text revealed much APART from his surprise and respect for her, but I just felt like the way he kept seeing her as 'young' and 'delicate'... plus the way he described her hands as being fit for adornment by rings or something... it almost felt like he was putting her on a pedestal. The way the extract was introduced.. we expect a lot of confrontation... 'we dont want it to seem like a deputation' but we get there & he is kind of put under her spell... the ticking clock, the room going 'buttery yellow'...
Oh well, I suppose there's never a 'correct' interpretation... its all about how well we argued our own individual take on it.

Reply 6

brightxburns

I think I was being overly imaginative, though, and not actually focussing on the text at hand. I'm not sure the text revealed much APART from his surprise and respect for her, but I just felt like the way he kept seeing her as 'young' and 'delicate'... plus the way he described her hands as being fit for adornment by rings or something... it almost felt like he was putting her on a pedestal. The way the extract was introduced.. we expect a lot of confrontation... but we get there & he is kind of put under her spell.
Oh well, I suppose there's never a 'correct' interpretation... its all about how well we argued our own individual take on it.

that all makes sense now... but i didn't notice that at the time. I thought it was just the focus on her. I didn't think that there was anything else in it. Oh dear.

Reply 7

llobo1

that all makes sense now... but i didn't notice that at the time. I thought it was just the focus on her. I didn't think that there was anything else in it. Oh dear.

There probably wasn't. I doubt he felt remotely attracted to her! It makes more sense for the observation to be rooted in the fact that she is a new person, and he is obviously observing her closely (and thus, naturally, the piece focuses on his observations)... instead of being attracted. I feel like I made up something random.

Reply 8

brightxburns

maybe. But it would kinda make sense as the sort of thing that could be done to subvert the readers expectations. But i thought that since Mrs Gleese was the mother of his sons girl, its unlikely that there would be anything... but i've no idea. I thought i'd done really well in it, but i'm thinking that i may be sadly mistaken :frown:

Reply 9

lulu1

The part of the novel we had was set in Norfolk... perhaps Mrs Glasse persuades Ralph to escape to SA later on to have a steamy affair!? Haha who knows (well... we could know if we read it of course :smile:

)

I wrote a bit in my conclusion about how Ralph might possibly be attracted to her... I think overall it was ok, but I didn't put much AO2 in goddamn it

Reply 10

username102860

lulu1

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I wrote a bit in my conclusion about how Ralph might possibly be attracted to her... I think overall it was ok, but I didn't put much AO2 in goddamn it

Which one's AO2?

I barely mentioned any literary techniques, which I'm annoyed about. I did somehow manage to skewer personification and pathetic fallacy in...wrongly, of course.

Glad it's set in Norfolk, at least that eases that worry. Especially since I spent half of my essay calling the place boring, so it has some truth to it. :wink:

Reply 11

Ploop

Which one's AO2?

I barely mentioned any literary techniques, which I'm annoyed about. I did somehow manage to skewer personification and pathetic fallacy in...wrongly, of course.
Glad it's set in Norfolk, at least that eases that worry. Especially since I spent half of my essay calling the place boring, so it has some truth to it. :wink:

What do you mean 'wrongly', I mentioned pathetic fallacy aswell, as I thought the horrible weather mirrorred Ralph's nervousness and fear about meeting Mrs Glasse. Isn't that right?

Reply 12

Oh right yeh, you just got me a bit nervous for a sec. But,don't worry about that romance thing,i kept saying how I thought Ralph was afraid of Mrs Glasse? Hence, the end of peice, when he describes her hands, I said it's because he's too scared to look her in the face? So, any interpretation is fine.

Reply 13

Yeah, guys, it really doesn't matter what actually happens in the rest of the book... the point is how you analyse that particular extract. They apparently like you to consider different meanings, and any slant is acceptable, as long as it is substantiated and convincing. Luckily, I guessed the ending of the book or whatever, but I don't think I actually analysed the text itself closely enough to warrant enough marks.

Oh well, we'll see!

Reply 14

Ploop

I don't really understand AO2. Were we meant to compare it to the other texts we've done? If so, I'm screwed. I've never been told about that and never done it in past essays. I didn't do anything about context and never mentioned how different readers may perceive it.

hellom, what were your other texts for the exam, and how did you find it? I actually ended up doing Tempest/Translations first to try and give me a bit of confidence and a bit more time on the unseen.

I did Blake and Betjeman which was ok (the only thing I'm annoyed about, is that i forgot to mark on the answer sheet, which question number I was doing, because I spent so long on the unseen I had to rush my blake/ betjeman question and thus forgot to do it, but the examinor should be able to work out which quesation I chose? Hopefully). Also, for the unseen it's A01,A02 and A03, so you don't need context or critics. Plus, for A02 i don't think you need to refer to other texts .Because eveyone does different texts, so it would be unfair. My teacher said for A02 you just need to analyse the peice as a whole i.e you don't just analyse the 1st paragraph. But we should be fine, what did you get at AS, 'ploop'?

Reply 15

I had to prose, becuase for the comparison i did poetry : Blake and Betjeman. Which is better, i think becuase the prose it alot easier to understand than the poetry.

Reply 16

Ploop

I've just read up on the novel and to allay brightxburns' fears, but not mine and llobo1's, Ralph did indeed have an affair with Mrs Glasse, so obviously felt attracted to her.

It's also set in South Africa, which I can't recall seeing on the text. Was it mentioned? Feel less optimistic now I read a review!

what! i swear it said it was set in norfolk! I completely missed the attraction between the two of them. Oh dear :frown:

Reply 17

lulu1

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I wrote a bit in my conclusion about how Ralph might possibly be attracted to her... I think overall it was ok, but I didn't put much AO2 in goddamn it

Thank god for that. I thought it was in norfolk, but given that i've managed to miss this whole attraction thing...

Reply 18

LadyEnglish

My general point was that she was creepy and how it was ironic that a hard arse sounding woman like her had a second name that denotes fragility. And some crap about the wind and storms suggesting impending doom...
Wasn't the best piece of prose I've ever seen to be quite honest, but ya do the best with what you've got :biggrin:

Reply 19