Am I messed for English lit?

I think I did good on p1 with the Macbeth question. ACC was an okay question with an abominable extract so I think I did moderately on that one.

But paper 2, omfg.

I knew it was gonna be a terrible exam when my pen exploded all over me as I tried to write my name but then I opened the paper and it was KAMIKAZE (I did poetry first because I didn't even have the words for section A)??????!!!!!!

I compared it to remains and talked about how they both present the affects of conflict on people to be long lasting and how in Kamikaze the grandfather faces the long lasting effects when he faces inner conflict during the conflict yet comes back and is now shunned by everyone and is treated like he died and went through with his task. Then how in Remains the speaker is still affected by the conflict years after (PTSD and all that good stuff). I definitely could have done better though since I only mentioned one structural device during that whole thing.

Unseen poetry was a godsend tho. I think I absolutely slayed that one so like, thats great right?

THEN SECTION A. In my school we study An Inspector Calls for English and when I saw Mrs Birling I wanted to smash my head against my desk so I did poetry first to think things over. Sleep deprived me came back to section A and thought "Well, I did DNA for performing so surely I know enough about that to write about it".

Now, thankfully one of the DNA questions was about power and control (for performing we had to look at the theme of power in DNA). So I was like, Oh, sick I can actually do this. BUT IM SCARED.

The only AO3 I really knew is that Dennis Kelly wrote the play during a time a lot of terrorist attacks were happening so I desperately weaved that into my response.

Ultimately, I talked about:
The groups social hierarchy.
The misuse of power and control by John Tate and Phil.
The ways their assertion of power and control over their group are different but still ultimately lead to bad things.
The use of teenage characters (audience can likely relate as most schools have a distinct social hierarchy)
cycle of violence due to the incorrect uses of power and control over the group.

Somehow managed to write 6 pages on the DNA question so maybe that's a good sign??????

BUT YEAHHHH, THIS HAS BEEN LONG BUT I JUST NEEDED TO WORD VOMIT ALL MY FEELINGS ON THIS EXAM SINCE I CHOSE LIT AT A LEVEL AND NEED A 6 TO DO IT SO IM HOPING THAT I COULD STILL ACHIEVE THAT EAFLHWJGLFKW.

Reply 1

Ajhdhd

Lollll congrats tho you're done with english lit now!!
(unless you decide to take it for a level)

I thought my poetry went horrendously last yr as I wrote complete nonsense for the my last duchess context - only lost 2 marks over both my lit papers tho. Don't lose hope

Reply 2

Jackpppoop

Original post

by Ajhdhd

Lollll congrats tho you're done with english lit now!!
(unless you decide to take it for a level)
I thought my poetry went horrendously last yr as I wrote complete nonsense for the my last duchess context - only lost 2 marks over both my lit papers tho. Don't lose hope

True, at least its over now omg.
That actually gives me a bit of hope tho so tyty

Reply 3

CWise

Original post

by Jackpppoop

True, at least its over now omg.
That actually gives me a bit of hope tho so tyty

A couple of things. First, your DNA essay sounds fantastic, exactly what the examiner is looking for. The use of teenage characters counts as AO3, especially if you look at previous mark schemes. AO3 is not about the author's life, but it is about how the social factors influence the play.

Second, during my GCSE exam eight years ago, I ended up writing on a different selection of poetry than the one I studied in class and ended up getting an A. What English is about is applying those analytical skills to texts rather than knowing loads about the text. It does sound like you knew the text really well though. Performing it gives you that same knowledge, just in a different way.

Reply 4

Jackpppoop

Original post

by CWise

A couple of things. First, your DNA essay sounds fantastic, exactly what the examiner is looking for. The use of teenage characters counts as AO3, especially if you look at previous mark schemes. AO3 is not about the author's life, but it is about how the social factors influence the play.
Second, during my GCSE exam eight years ago, I ended up writing on a different selection of poetry than the one I studied in class and ended up getting an A. What English is about is applying those analytical skills to texts rather than knowing loads about the text. It does sound like you knew the text really well though. Performing it gives you that same knowledge, just in a different way.

Thank you so much, have been stressing about this but it really makes me feel better hearing someone else's opinion and knowing someone else has done a similar thing and it boded well for them!

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