Memorising Essays (1 Viewer)

gloworm14

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gloworm14 said:
i found out that you cant memorise every word, especially in the last minute.
SO
i suggest to you, memorise your intro and conclusion as best you can and with the body, just memorise the key sentence of each paragraph.
what i said was in the context that you did know of the question beforehand.
if you dont know what the actual question is, but you know what area it will be on,
just read and understand everything because thats the only way you will remember the info on the spot while you do it. memorising a pre-written essay for a different question will stuff u up and there wont be any flow, making your essay seem like a 'list'.
 

Sarah182

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fOR3V3RPINKKKK said:
Memorising essays may get you through the HSC but it won't do much for university.
it won't even get you good marks in the HSC, markers can tell when students memorise essays besides if you dont answer the specific question in the exam then you lose a large portion of marks.

Remembering techniques and quotes from your texts should be fine.
 

H4rdc0r3

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Razizi said:
If you can complete two whole preliminary courses (Physics and Chemistry memorised) during the holidays, I don't see why you can't memorise one essay ;).
oh snap nigga g dizzzzzzle.
 

bored of sc

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munchiecrunchie said:
don't memorise essays - despite what people say, its not the best way to go about it. (i'm assuming we're talking about english)

rather, know some key points that you would like to discuss in an essay really well, and then mould these discussion points to the question you get.

if we're talking about some other subject (eco, legal) - then the best way to memorise is to keep reading it to yourself whilst pacing.
spot on :wave:
 

Aerath

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fOR3V3RPINKKKK said:
Memorising essays may get you through the HSC but it won't do much for university.
Good luck memorising essays in the HSC. :p
 

foram

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I can't memorise english essays. I don't have the motivation, nor can I actually understand what i've written. English essays are like a different language to me. If somebody shows me a bunch of heiroglyphs (This is what english is like to me) i won't be able to remember. But if somebody shows me a sequence of numbers, i'll have a much greater chance of remembering it. :D

The moment I remember more than two sentences of my essay, i would forget one of the other sentences that I had remembered previously. :( Grrr. I would keep getting different sentences mixed up, and my words would be in the wrong order and I would keep using synonymns... I hate english.
 

foram

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No! My essay is uber crappy!... Well, here it is... don't laugh at me. I did this in one night.

Essay Draft:
Argue that the Concept of Journeys should be retained in the Year 12 Curriculum. + something about the significance of journeys.

The significance of Journeys lies in the exploration of the self, as individuals grow and develop through experiences which challenge and inspire them. In Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”, the paths in the woods and forks in the roads are metaphors for our life journey and the dilemma of making choices. Through this experience, the speaker reflects upon himself and realizes that the impact of his decision will be felt for a very long time, stressing the life-altering significance of his journey. Victor Kelleher’s “The Ivory Trail” Cover shows that journeys are a catalyst for self exploration, and consequently didactic, accenting the significance of the concept of journeys. “Big World” by Tim Winton reveals that self exploration and the consequential growth and development occur through journeys containing experiences which challenge and inspire. Therefore, the concept of Journeys should be retained in the Year 12 Curriculum.
Paths presented to us in our life journey are determined by an inseparable accretion of probability and choice, for which the reverberations are life-altering and irreversible. In the third stanza of Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”, the paths are described as “both that morning equally lay in leaves no step had trodden black”. The un-trodden leaves on the roads are a metonym for the lack of traffic. The roads are thus equally traveled and are identical, representing the indistinct yet severe consequences of decisions in our life journey.“The road not taken” reflects the diffidence and strain of remorse present in the mind when making an uncertain and irrevocable choice. Anaphora is used, mainly in the first stanza with the repetition of ‘and’ in, “And sorry…And be… And looked…”. This creates a stream of consciousness effect, where emphasis is placed on the lack of a definitive basis for decision-making, which forces the speaker to continually second-guess himself. This uncertainty shows the speakers trepidation when he is fraught with being uninformed of the irreversible repercussions of his decisions, highlighting the significance of his life-altering journey. The use of hyperbole in “ages and ages hence”, also shows that the single choice he makes in his journey will have a great impact, and be of significance in the future. These identical forks symbolize our freedom to choose, although, with ignorance of the possible ramifications of those choices. In this way, “The road not taken” shows that journeys are of life-altering significance. Therefore, the concept of Journeys should be retained in the Year 12 Curriculum.
Journeys create self exploration through experiences of danger and foreboding, ensuing development of insight and understanding. At the top right corner of “The Ivory Trail” Cover, a tagline “not all journeys have an ending” is written in a dark background. The tagline alludes to the idea that journeys are sinister and may not have a conventional ending, while the dark background adds a sense of blindness representing the uncertainty of journeys. This adds to the idea that journeys are dangerous and foreboding. This shows that there are journeys have catalysts for personal development. Of the three human figures on the cover page, the uppermost is merely a sliver of black, in roughly humanoid shape, the second is the stone face in the pyramid, and the last is the face in the rippling sand at the bottom. Their eyes which are a metonym representing insight cannot be seen in the upper figure. However, in the second figure, eyes are quite evident, although it is blank, and made of stone. Finally, the last figure has realistic eyes, which are exposed and fixated on something outside the cover, again adding to a sense of uncertainty and curiosity. Consequently, in the Ivory trails cover, the metonym of the eyes reflects the significant development of insight and maturity through journeys. Therefore, the concept of Journeys should be retained in the Year 12 Curriculum.
Through experiences of challenge and inspiration overcome on journeys, individuals grow and develop, attaining self-realization. After their car breaks down in “Big World”, the protagonist is left with an inability to change situation, and thinks with resignation, “In the end… it’s obvious we’re not going anywhere.” The physical journey has stopped at this stage. However, this opens up a period of unoccupied time allowing for the protagonist to reflect upon himself, his experiences and the destinations of his journey. “I’ll be one the bus… for a second chance at the exams. In a year Biggie will be dead… [Tony Macoli] is Australia’s richest merchant banker.” Acknowledging that his path diverges from the path of his friends is a key factor for allowing the protagonist to grow and develop an understanding of his true self. When the protagonist first began his friendship with Biggie, there had been a violent rescue of the protagonist from bullies. The protagonist describes it as, “I felt like somebody ransomed and set free. Until that moment I was disappearing.” The protagonist was losing his self-identity because of bullying. When Biggie overpowered the bullies, Biggie was overpowering one of the protagonist’s major obstacles. “Big World” shows that by overcoming the obstacles, the protagonist finds self-realization, and develops significant maturity and further stability of his self-identity. Therefore, the concept of Journeys should be retained in the Year 12 Curriculum
Consequently, journeys are significant as they are didactic with often life-altering choices. They induce significant development and growth, reinforcing individuals understanding of their true self. As a result, the concept of Journeys should be retained in the Year 12 Curriculum.
 

melanieeeee.

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foram said:
No! My essay is uber crappy!... Well, here it is... don't laugh at me. I did this in one night.
I agree with that part. :p
That essay isn't that long to memorise.
 

jellybelly59

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LOL i dont think it's crap... it's not an A++ but it's still good :D... The only constructive criticism i have is that when ur writing ur not synthesising all the info to make it "seamless" and i LOL at ur ending "As a result, the concept of Journeys should be retained in the Year 12 Curriculum." Come on foram... u could have been more creative den dat :D
 

lionking1191

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lol i sense a top and tail job on a past hsc paper :rolleyes:

and why is this in the prelim HSC forum..?
 

Aerath

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lionking1191 said:
and why is this in the prelim HSC forum..?
Because it's a Year 11 guy, writing for his Prelim English course? :rolleyes:
 

Aplus

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foram said:
Therefore, the concept of Journeys should be retained in the Year 12 Curriculum
Consequently, journeys are significant as they are didactic with often life-altering choices. They induce significant development and growth, reinforcing individuals understanding of their true self. As a result, the concept of Journeys should be retained in the Year 12 Curriculum.
I think you need an argument which is more critical than that.
 

agua.fuego

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AnandDNA said:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
i've heard about this on the news once, i also tried to do it and i recorded myself but yeh my mum didnt allow me :(. she said it would disrupt my sleep
It does kind of distract you having a speech about Lady Macbeth nattering in your ears all night. But I sleep with music anyway (I am strange) so it didn't do too much. It actually does work though. It surprised me how much. And just having it on at random intervals during the day, I knew my entire speech off by heart. I didn't have an excuse to hide behind my brightly coloured palm cards, that's all.
 

lionking1191

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strange....you are doing journeys for prelim hsc?

i thought they are changing the curriculum next year.
 

bored of sc

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foram said:
Essay Draft:
Argue that the Concept of Journeys should be retained in the Year 12 Curriculum. + something about the significance of journeys.

The significance of Journeys lies in the exploration of the self, as individuals grow and develop through experiences which challenge and inspire them. In Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”, the paths in the woods and forks in the roads are metaphors for our life journey and the dilemma of making choices. Through this experience, the speaker reflects upon himself and realizes that the impact of his decision will be felt for a very long time, stressing (this is okay, but I think highlighting might be a better word) the life-altering significance of his journey. Victor Kelleher’s “The Ivory Trail” Cover shows that journeys are a catalyst for self exploration, and (are?) consequently didactic, accenting (emphasising?) the significance of the concept of journeys. “Big World” by Tim Winton reveals that self exploration and the consequential growth and development occur through journeys containing experiences which challenge and inspire. Therefore, the concept of Journeys should be retained in the Year 12 Curriculum.

Paths presented to us in our life journey are determined by an inseparable accretion of probability and choice, for which the reverberations are life-altering and irreversible. In the third stanza of Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”, the paths are described as “both that morning equally lay in leaves no step had trodden black”. The un-trodden leaves on the roads are a metonym for the lack of traffic. The roads are thus equally traveled and are identical, representing the indistinct yet severe consequences of decisions in our life journey.“The road not taken” reflects the diffidence and strain of remorse present in the mind when making an uncertain and irrevocable choice. Anaphora is used, mainly in the first stanza with the repetition of ‘and’ in, “And sorry…And be… And looked…”. This creates a stream of consciousness effect, where emphasis is placed on the lack of a definitive basis for decision-making, which forces the speaker to continually second-guess himself. This uncertainty shows the speakers trepidation when he is fraught with being uninformed of the irreversible repercussions of his decisions, highlighting the significance of his life-altering journey. The use of hyperbole in “ages and ages hence”, also shows that the single choice he makes in his journey will have a great impact, and be of significance in the future. These identical forks symbolize our freedom to choose, although, with ignorance of the possible ramifications of those choices. In this way, “The road not taken” shows that journeys are of life-altering significance. Therefore, the concept of Journeys should be retained in the Year 12 Curriculum.

Journeys create (enable?) self exploration through experiences of danger and foreboding, ensuing (the?) development of insight and understanding. At the top right corner of “The Ivory Trail” Cover, a tagline “not all journeys have an ending” is written in a dark background. The tagline alludes to the idea that journeys are sinister and may not have a conventional ending, while the dark background adds a sense of blindness. This blindless represents the uncertainty of journeys. This adds to the idea that journeys are dangerous and foreboding. This shows (the responder) that (take this out: there are) journeys have catalysts for personal development. Of the three human figures on the cover page, the uppermost is merely a sliver of black, in (a) roughly humanoid shape. (full stop added) The second is the stone face in the pyramid, and the last is the face in the rippling sand at the bottom. Their eyes (took away the word which) are a metonym representing (that) insight cannot be seen in the upper figure. However, in the second figure, (the) eyes are quite evident, although it (they?) is (are?) blank, and made of stone. Finally, the last figure has realistic eyes, which are exposed and fixated on something outside the cover. This again adds to the sense of uncertainty and curiosity. Consequently, in the Ivory trails cover, the metonym of the eyes reflects the significant development of insight and maturity through journeys. Therefore, the concept of Journeys should be retained in the Year 12 Curriculum.

Through experiences of challenge and inspiration overcome on journeys, individuals grow and develop, attaining self-realization. (sentence is a little awakward) After their car breaks down in “Big World”, the protagonist is left with the inability to change situation, and thinks with resignation, “In the end… it’s obvious we’re not going anywhere.” The physical journey has stopped at this stage. However, this opens up a period of unoccupied time allowing for the protagonist to reflect upon himself, his experiences and the destinations of his journey. “I’ll be one the bus… for a second chance at the exams. In a year Biggie will be dead… [Tony Macoli] is Australia’s richest merchant banker.(mould quote into senetence) Acknowledging that his path diverges from the path of his friends is a key factor allowing the protagonist to grow and develop an understanding of his true self. When the protagonist first began his friendship with Biggie, there had been a violent rescue of the protagonist from bullies. The protagonist describes it as, “I felt like somebody ransomed and set free. Until that moment I was disappearing.” The protagonist was losing his self-identity because of bullying. When Biggie overpowered the bullies, Biggie was overpowering one of the protagonist’s major obstacles. “Big World” shows that by overcoming the obstacles, the protagonist finds self-realization, and develops significant maturity and further stability (acceptance) of his self-identity. Therefore, the concept of Journeys should be retained in the Year 12 Curriculum.

Consequently, journeys are significant as they are didactic (this means instructional and teaching right?) with often life-altering choices. They induce significant development and growth, reinforcing an individuals understanding of their true self. As a result, the concept of Journeys should be retained in the Year 12 Curriculum.
General comments: sophisticated language is of a high level; careful not to go into the realms of pompous (over the top) - stay eloquent (don't be too sophisticated too much of the time). Argument is clear but not sufficiently linked to the texts. The marker will not assume what you mean to imply. Put the links there in black and white (explicit linkage). Your choice of techniques is good and analysis is developing very well: possible trap - stay on track, sometimes an idea (a good one) is explored in detail but it is only loosely related to main idea that is: the fact journeys are life-altering and didactic experiences. Go off on a small tangent, only to clear up all doubts of relevance with a clear explanation and synthesis point.

Intro is good. Maybe dumb it down a tad more - only because the links between the texts and as to why we should study Journeys is a little unclear to me. Maybe, it is important to explicitly indicate that it is aspects of the human conditions and concept of the journey itself that are common to all of humanity - and thus this is the reason why Journeys should retain its position in the year 12 cirriculum - it is a generic, omnipresent (everywhere) and highly relateable thematic concern for people. (I don't mean to change your argument!) (dumb it down a little, make the argument a bit more generic, maybe?)

First sentence of second paragraph (what I believe it should be): Paths presents to us that our life journey is determined by an inseperable of probability and choice...
The point about the leaves is lacks clarification (in my opinion) - I don't understand why/how the consequences are severe and how this relates back to the original argument.

The underlined bit is EXCELLENT!

In the third body paragraph, I suggest you use different pronouns instead of repeating "the protagonist". I made this same mistake in my speech.

The conclusion is a little dry. Make it more memorable. Maybe - "Thus, it is the theme of Journeys that is a paramount aspect of one's human experience. After all, we all follow our own paths/roads with different beginnings, different forks and different destinations." (even though it's kinda cliche, its the best I could come up with)

On the whole, it is a very proficient essay and with a little fine-tuning, the ability to get a very high grade. If I were marking it I'd give you a B- for argument, B+ for the use of language and an A- for techniques analysis. So overall, it's worth a 12/15 I'd say.

P.S What did you actually get?

P.P.S Don't trust a word written in this reply post as it is probably wrong...

P.P.P.S If you are still not happy with grades, maybe try even more simplicity. Also, linking the main idea to the ideas of the body paragraphs needs a bit more improvement (in my uneducated opinion).

P.P.P.P.S I am weird and being really picky (I had to be cause the essay is so damn GOOD!) with the criticisms above (I also marked hard as well), so don't worry if I seem to contradict myself or not make sense - I don't mean it - so sorry in advance.
 
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bored of sc

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Let's just say I believe in good karma (haha). Plus, it helps ME with my struggle for academic excellence in English (reading other people's work is a very good way at becoming highly tuned in when editing and understanding work). Plus, I don't have much to do on a damp and cold Friday night (apart from chilling, studying, movies, friends etc).
 

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