English A Commentary

Paper 2 Essay Writing GuideNovels

When writing about novels you should consider all of the following:

Is it written in the first or third person effect? Literary techniques (metaphor, personification, simile, alliteration, plosive/fricative consonants, repetition, onomatopoeia etc)

Look at sentence and paragraph, chapter length.

Punctuation.

Narrative or dialogue.

Writers diction and syntax (choice of language/vocabulary and sentence structure)

Characterisation Setting

Themes

Description Message (Does it seem political/moral)

Genre /Style

Context (Social, Historical, Political etc.) SymbolismEFFECT,EFFECT, EFFECT, EFFECT, EFFECT.If the writer has not included some of these things consider whether that is important. For example if it is all dialogue and no narrative, that might be relevant.

Important things to focus on with the criteria in mind:

HOW it is written?

What is the EFFECT on the reader Context In relation to the title

ANALYSE DO NOT SUMMARISE OR REWRITE THE STORY IN ANY WAY!

You MUST use quotes and should remember that little and often is better than a huge chunk of quoted text. It is not possible to focus on the detail if you quote too much at once. Try and embed your quotes. (Make them part of your own sentence) Remember the writer!

Use PEEL Point, Example, Explain, LinkUseful Phrases

Xs use of..demonstrates/indicates to the reader..

Xs use of.could be seen to reflect.

X demonstrates.through his use of.

As a reader, we can empathise/understand/engage with..through Xs use of

X is able to manipulate the pace/reader/emotions ofthrough his use of

can be interpreted ashowever, a stronger interpretation could be..

There is a suggestion of.which could be interpreted as.

.is clearly indicated, however, a more subtle interpretation suggests that..

By using/expressing/describing.X is clearly indicating his belief that.

Xs reference to..is an indication of/comment on.which reflects the situation at the time.

Xs belief that is reflected in his portrayal of

One interpretation might suggest that Xs opinion of..is reflected in his portrayal of

Example (Literature always has a political purpose; it is never simply to entertain. With reference to the two novels that you have studied, to what extent do you agree with this statement?)Orwells belief that societies should heed the rising communist powers in Russia is reflected in his portrayal of Big Brother. OBrians claim that You must love Big Brother demonstrates the extent to which a totalitarian society can brainwash the citizens. The Partys policy of thought control emphasizes Orwells concerns further and leaves the reader, along with Winston and Julia, aware that the most that can be hoped for is to die hating them; this is regarded as the only freedom available. Orwells dystopian setting and subjective third person narrative serves as a vehicle in which he is able to convey to the reader his fears of the political situation in post WWII Europe. Potential Themes/Topics in Paper 2

Politics

Strengths/Weaknesses

Conflicts

Social Class

Relationships

Striving to make the world a better place

Closure/Resolution

Characterisation

Journeys

Fate

Setting

Greed

Human Behaviour

Moral/Ethical Dilemmas

Honour

Power

Victors and Victims

Individuals and Society

Guilt/Blame

Family

Place and Time (Context)

Failures in Communication

Strong Females

Fear and Hope

Characters we can identify with

Dark and Light

Suggestion/Subtext

Education and Learning

Coincidence/Chance

Character Motivation

Ideas that are universal

Life is a game played between chaos and death

Credible protagonists

Gaining, maintaining or losing paradise

Good and Bad being a matter of perception

Human Spirit

Expectations

Courage

The importance of names Significance of Children and Childhood

Change in status of Characters

Hope and possibility

Reality

Social/Political purpose