Does everything have to link back to a technique?

[Arceupins]

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Hi, I'm just starting out in year 12 advanced english, and I'm having trouble in my essays. I'm ok at writing them, but I am constantly being told that my arguments aren't 'backed by evidence', or are 'all words no substance'.

I'm coming closer and closer to the idea that everything has to be backed up by a literary technique such as a metaphor or rhetorical language. Is this true?

I've been struggling to do so, because very often a quote from my text (be it a poem, a short story, a film, whatever) doesn't really have any techniques in it, but it still is critical to my argument.

What do I do?

[ashie0]

Basically, yes. You need close textual detail to support your argument.

edit: There may be something thats critical to your argument but you need to discern why it is vital and how it is effective.

[truestar92]

true, its important to include techniques, when ever i get stuck i talk about the person its written in, you can talk about tense, dialogue (if it is) or just say effective imagery or decriptive language ...
usually works for me
maybe your not looking hard enough for techniques??

[lychnobity]

"all words no substance" means you're analysing the technique and saying why it's effective, but you're not using it to address the question.

And no, not everything needs a technique, everything needs a quote. You can quote sometimes without stating a technique.

[Arceupins]

Originally Posted by truestar92

maybe your not looking hard enough for techniques??

I try very hard, and although my command of the english language is far above most other peoples, I struggle to obtain the 'deeper meaning' behind things, making it hard for me to see where certain more obscure techniques have been employed.

/sigh

[danal353]

you need to be able to integrate your techniques with your ideas. Though it does depend on the type of essay you're writing, the comparative study is very very technique intensive, whereas the critical study, though techniques are needed, they also look for your own personal response and you can afford to delve into some of your own philosophical thoughts without 5 different techniques to back it up.

[truestar92]

i see lol you do an extra unit of english and your "command" is far above mine
haha what module are you talking about here??
lychnobity is right you can get away with just a quote but a technique shows a higher level of analysis of the text

[ashie0]

English is a language based course, to achieve full/top marks you need to identify language techniques, there purpose/effect and use that to answer the question. Practice analyzing texts, finding techniques will become far easier when you recognize what your looking for.

[Arceupins]

Originally Posted by ashie0

English is a language based course, to achieve full/top marks you need to identify language techniques, there purpose/effect and use that to answer the question. Practice analyzing texts, finding techniques will become far easier when you recognize what your looking for.

We're currently doing the 'Immigrant Chronicle' selection of Peter Skrzynecki poems, and as a 'warm-up' 2nd week task we were asked to discuss the validity of a certain statement while making close reference to 'Feliks Skrzynecki' as well as one related text.

The verse of the poem I was looking at went:

Remnants of a language
I inherited unknowingly -
The curse that damned

The quote is important because it demonstrates the resentment the author felt toward the broken Polish he understood, and the manner in which it connected him with his past; a 'curse' as such.

I fail, however, to identify any actual literary techniques that have been used; perhaps the dash ( - ) as a pause was one? Maybe the use of little punctuation? I honestly haven't the slightest clue...

NOTE: I was awarded 7/20 for my entire essay - I just don't know where I'm going wrong. I feel as though I know what it is the author is trying to convey, I just can't find the techniques that he is using to do so.

[Absolutezero]

The verse of the poem I was looking at went:

Remnants of a language
I inherited unknowingly -
The curse that damned

There are techniques in that quote, you just have to find them:
Subjective pronoun: the usage of I
Metaphor: The curse that damned
Use of voice: active/passive
Strong modality: damned

There are more, but that should give you a starting point.

[lychnobity]

Originally Posted by Arceupins

The verse of the poem I was looking at went:

Remnants of a language
I inherited unknowingly -
The curse that damned

See that dash? It's called a caesura.

Worse comes to worse, use tone as a technique.

[ashllis92]

Word choice is also a key technique here, look at connotations and denotations of words like remnants and damned and then talk about the disparity there.

[Aerath]

Or diction. And as ashllis said, the positive/negative connotations, or their ambivalence thereof.

[Rockyroad]

this could help as a start to construct your paragraphs/argument


STEEL
S - statement
T - echnique
E - example
E - effect
L - link back to question

best wishes, use your teachers as much as you can

[alcalder]

The trick to really being able to analyse something and identify techniques is eat, sleep and live those techniques, what they are and how to identify them.

You need to be so intimately familiar with them that they will scream at you when you read anything. You will eventually read the newspaper or even a television ad text and see techniques.

Go back to the basics and write out, study and learn the techniques so they become obvious.

Then, when you do have to analyse, you have to sometimes stretch the boundaries a little and take a chance to get to the heart of the matter - don't stay safe.

It is the same way Maths Ext 1 & 2 students should approach their problems - be so familiar with a method they should be able to identify where to go without thinking about it.