how to structure essay [birthday letters] with 2 related texts?? (1 Viewer)

[addoil]

I am planning to do the poems 'Sam' and 'Your Paris', and my points being conflicting perspectives of events, CF of personalities and CF of situation..
I will be using 2 related texts but HOW IN THE WORLD do i structure my essay?

Do i do like,

p1 - 2 Hughes poems on CF of events
p2 - 1 hughes poem + 1 related text on CF of events
p2 - 2 hughes poems on CF of personalities
p3 - 1 hughes poem + 1 related text on CF of persnalities
p4 - ok i dont even know ......

help please D:

 

[aphorae]

Personally I did:
P1: First Hughes poem related to thesis (which incorporated two main ideas)
P2: Second Hughes poem related to thesis, but the second idea
P3: First related text related to thesis, both ideas
P4: Second related text related to thesis, mainly the first idea

Sometimes I did P1 and P2 as one long paragraph though. All paragraphs included personalities/events/situations, as these are interlinked - sometimes to talk about a personality, you need to talk about a situation or event, and so on. I also found it preferable to keep texts in separate paragraphs. That way you can have more in-depth analysis on each text - having too many paragraphs can (and probably will) dilute your argument.

You could have the paragraphs divided into three main points, "Through the contrasting portrayal of events... This is furthered through the distinct perspectives on X... Even so, Hughes' depiction of the situation..." etc. Otherwise, if you did want to interlink related, you can do Hughes Poem 1 + Related 1, Related 2 + Hughes Poem 2, Related 1 + Related 2 with final link to Hughes.

 

[addoil]

Personally I did:
P1: First Hughes poem related to thesis (which incorporated two main ideas)
P2: Second Hughes poem related to thesis, but the second idea
P3: First related text related to thesis, both ideas
P4: Second related text related to thesis, mainly the first idea

Sometimes I did P1 and P2 as one long paragraph though. All paragraphs included personalities/events/situations, as these are interlinked - sometimes to talk about a personality, you need to talk about a situation or event, and so on. I also found it preferable to keep texts in separate paragraphs. That way you can have more in-depth analysis on each text - having too many paragraphs can (and probably will) dilute your argument.

You could have the paragraphs divided into three main points, "Through the contrasting portrayal of events... This is furthered through the distinct perspectives on X... Even so, Hughes' depiction of the situation..." etc. Otherwise, if you did want to interlink related, you can do Hughes Poem 1 + Related 1, Related 2 + Hughes Poem 2, Related 1 + Related 2 with final link to Hughes.

Ok, and also, since the syllabus says "personalities, events, situations" does that mean in every essay I have to mention ALL three? or just one or two and focus on them in detail?

 

[aphorae]

It's preferable that you mention all three, but you don't have to explicitly state "These situations" etc. etc. - like simply talking about their relationship is already a situation in itself, and simply talking about the negative light in which Hughes casts Plath in, is already talking about the 'personality'. You can just mention 'situations, events and personalities' in your introduction, conclusion or first topic sentence, plus perhaps once or twice throughout the body and that's enough.

Also remember that your essay shouldn't merely focus on the cf of situations, events and personalities, but also the nature of cf itself, or what these things show about cf (influenced by? causes? etc.)