Plz Help! Very confused here! (1 Viewer)

[aurel]

I've got an AOS assignment due friday, and im freakin out coz i've got so much to do, especially as its worth 25%. I have to write a magazine article on this question (which i know is the 2005 HSC question):

"To what extent has studying the concept of (physical) journeys expanded your understanding of yourself, of individuals, and of the world?" referring to prescribed text (skrzynecki), 1 stimulus, and 1 related material

I'm in desperate need of some help + advice in writing this as i'm soo confused.

1. Do you refer to the "persona" of each text, and how their understanding has expanded, or to the "audience", or to both?

2. How would you structure a response like this? My teacher explicitly told us not to systematically analyse each poem and then do all the linking of the texts at the end, but rather to incorporate this linking throughtout the answer. As in, analyse text 1, then analyse text 2, then link these two texts, then analyse text 3, then link the three texts etc....But how does that work?? Or, do u analyse text 1, then analyse text 2 whilst linking it to text 1, and then analyse text 3 whilst linking to text 1 and 2? Cause this ladt one seems to flow better than the other two...

3. Exactly what does it mean by "the world"? Is this like nature? Or things you can't control? Or just the big picture of life???

4. What do you understand as "linking the texts?" - this is wat we have been told to do, but following the structure my teacher expects, i see this as repeating yourself constantly

Any help or advice on this would be very appreciated! And thinking about this, its not only doing an assignment, but also doing a "past paper." Thanks!

 

[nickyroony]

Oh wow my teacher gave us the exact same question to do, except it was only a class task.

1. She told us in terms of persona, if you're not confident you can make 3rd person or even 1st person work for the essay, use 'we'. Eg: "We are able to gain.. blah blah blah".

3. As for 'the world', I usually take it as life as a whole. The everyday life of people, human nature, instincts, and interaction with the environment. But that's just me.

4. I think when teachers tell us to 'link texts', it's just a technique to make the essay flow. It's not good to cut essays into pieces.. jumping from one text to another without some sort of connection that links them together, whether it's content or techniques. When analysing texts in an essay, you should look at it as one piece of composition rather than different little analysis of each text just put together. So my advice would be to go through each of your selected texts, make a list of all the things in common between them. Using contrast can also link texts together.

Hope that helps =D Good luck!

 

[Rafy]

hmmm most people i know (and i did the same) found it easier to structure their response on ideas. Some people base paragraphs on texts, i would very much advise against this, it leads to a linear answer with little scope for comparision between texts etc.

An ideas/theme based approach allows you to analyse a number of texts in the one papragraph, comparing how each uses technigues etc and how they achieve their pupose....It allows you to create an intergrated response while still retaining structure.

 

[aurel]

Nickyroony, as its a feature article, i can't use first person, but the generalisation of "we" should work i think. Thanks for your opinion on "the world" - anything helps. Thanks for the suggestion, i probably should make a list - although very quickly running out of time...

Rafy, when you say "ideas", what do u mean? As in the concepts of a journey that will link all the texts together? The structure you've referrred is what i would prefer to do as well, cause it sounds more...logical? To do each text at a time is somewhat repetitive i think, especially for skrzynecki, as their quite similar.

Thanks for the feedback though, very appreciated!

 

[Riviet]

If you're going to use something other than 3rd person, use 2nd, because it is engaging the audience and allows you to say something directly to the audience.

 

[nickyroony]

If you're going to use something other than 3rd person, use 2nd, because it is engaging the audience and allows you to say something directly to the audience.

The only problem with that would be if you can make it sophisticated enough and whether you can sustain it. Personally I find 2nd person really hard to do, because I always drift back to using 1st person, and I can never get it to sound right.

But I heard if you can sustain a response in 2nd person, it can be really really good, though.

So aurel, try it =D

 

[l-mercedes-l]

instead of taking a text by text focus, try an ideas focus, admitedly its a bit harder but comes across much more polished. it took me months of practise to do it under pressure in essays and we'll soon see if it paid off...

pick some key ideas. how do journeys related to the world?

For example, both [composer 1] and [composer 2] suggest journeys expand our view of the world however [composer 3] provides an interesting counter arguement that .... etc etc etc. Cumulatively what these texts tell us is that... which is exemplified in text one by [insert quote or example]. Conversley the same/similar idea is expressed by text 2, [insert quote]...

i hope that made sense... if you can get a handle on it now thats awesome as it reads as very sophisticated and cohesive... if you want to read an example pm me and ill send you one of my 3u essays to have a look at the structure.

 

[Riviet]

I agree with nickyroony. If you can sustain the quality of the article in 2nd person, go for it.

 

[hopeles5ly]

i was tryna write a practice essay for that question but i have no idea how to go about with it nor what is expected ..

 

[Riviet]

Oops... i take back my first post, since it's an essay, don't use 2nd person, it is recommended that you use 3rd person and if you're experienced with essay writing, a touch of 1st person.
I suggest writing a practice essay about greater understanding of the physical journey, it is the most general question you could ask lol, then adapt it to whatever question you get and practice writing essays with different questions. That is what my teacher has been getting us to start doing.

 

[Rekkusu]

"To what extent has studying the concept of (physical) journeys expanded your understanding of yourself, of individuals, and of the world?" referring to prescribed text (skrzynecki), 1 stimulus, and 1 related material

Actually, this may be abit of help, just before you hand that assessment in for Friday, but remember to EMPLOY first person at your thesis/topic sentence, because the question utilises "your" which correlates directly to the English Syllabus of the "... expansion of your understanding to the people, and the world we live in..etc"

Though, do not continuously use "I believe or I strongly agree" that's a debate, but seeing that its your first assessment, only use first person when you're at the conclusion, in order to give a final touch that it really is your perspective.

 

[kami]

If you're going to use something other than 3rd person, use 2nd, because it is engaging the audience and allows you to say something directly to the audience.

NO - Do *not* use second person for an article or essay. Well maybe article, *definitely* not essay.
Here is a little revision:
The personal pronouns I and we are said to be in the first person. The speaker uses this in the singular to refer to himself or herself; in the plural, to speak of a group of people including the speaker. For example: I said "I believe that this is fine steak, don't you agree mister?" and he replied "It isn't steak...that is my laundry"

The personal pronoun you is in the second person. It refers to the addressee. You is used in both the singular and plural. For example: You were asked about the dinner "I believe that this is fine steak, don't you agree mister?" and you replied "It isn't steak...that is my laundry"

All other pronouns and all nouns are in the third person. Anyone or anything other than the speaker and the addressee is referred to in the third person. For example: Silly boy said "I believe that this is fine steak, don't you agree mister?" and disgruntled man replied "It isn't steak...that is my laundry".

No second person for you! *waves soup ladle*

 

[Riviet]

Sorry, i didn't know you were writing an essay lol, wasn't reading the whole post. My third post is what i meant to say.

 

[aurel]

I had to write a magazine article, not an essay, but thanks for help anyway! Handed it in on friday...fate is sealed. now to wait for the mark...