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AVU, discursive and argumentative essay plan
Here’s the help sheet for those that still need it for the plan:
Listening Practice
Watch the videos then answer the questions below for each one.
1. Explain in detail who you think would watch this programme. Give reasons to support answer.
2. What is/are the purpose/purposes of the programme?
3. Consider the way in which the contributors to the programme uses language such as word choice, repetition, tone of voice, or other relevant features to affect the viewer’s opinion (four techniques with analysis to pass).
4. What have you learned from watching this clip? Tell me at least four things and support your answer with detailed evidence.
5. What side of the argument do you agree with? Explain your views and support with evidence from the programme you have watched.
Nat 5 Paper 1: Scottish Tourism
These answers are the full answers as pulled together by the class:
1. The first attitude we can see in the paragraphs is that the tourist traders are not bothered about their customers because they treat them like dirt. The second attitude is being excited about the customers because they give them free things like a drink and are enthusiastic towards them.
2. The writer experiences this himself when he takes the bus to the Highlands. He misses his connection, and the bus driver doesn’t seem fazed at all. He also experiences good will in Ullapool. The hotel owner immediately provides him with a room and a complimentary drink showing he is enthusiastic towards his customer.
3. The image is a simile and it compares the attitude of the bus driver to that of a traffic warden. Traffic wardens are thought to be notoriously grumpy towards people and this image implies that the bus driver is being similarly rude and obtuse towards his patrons.
4. First of all he asks a rhetorical question. He says “where have I been all these years?” in response to having missed Scottish Tourism Week for the last 6 years. This is clearly supposed to be sarcasm. On first reading he implies he is upset he has missed it, but the sarcastic tone betrays the fact he is not upset about missing it at all. He tells us the catchphrase for the event this year is ‘competing for growth’ which he then calls ‘meaningless’. His word choice here tells us that he thinks the event is pointless. He then uses word choice to reinforce this idea further when he belittles the conference events calling them ‘pow-wows’, ‘‘industry dinner’’ and ‘soirees’. All of these make the events sound pompous and over the top. He suggests that they’re really just an opportunity for money to be spent.
5. Paragraph 7 acts as a link between two focuses in the passage. The phrase ‘as a constant tourist in my own country’ tells us that he has just been looking at how he travels and explores his native land of Scotland. The phrase ‘I have my own thoughts on how we may compete for growth’ shows us that he is going on to talk about how he thinks the tourist trade in Scotland could be improved.
6. The two ways attitudes have changed are that ‘bad service and bad manners’ are a thing of the past. This means that your tourist experience at an event is now a happy one and that the attitude towards the tourists is better.
7. Four ways Scotland can improve is by making its hotel rooms cleaner, making its hotel rooms tidier, making sure the countryside is kept clear of litter and keeping the hedgerows neat.
8. The writer describes night arriving by saying ‘as the heavens darkened’. This is exaggeration and makes the scene much more dramatic. It gives a biblical tone to the passage as if he is on an epic journey rather than a simple trip to the Highlands.
9. The title is an effective one as the passage focuses on how we need to physically clean Scotland up, both externally and internally which is referenced in ‘Clean up’. The second meaning is that the Tourist industry needs to change its attitude to encourage more tourists to Scotland.
Reading for U, A & E
below is the document with the close reading glossary and match up examples for Tuesday!
Macbeth Homework questions
So You have now copied out all the notes on Macbeth and know everything about the man and his crazy wife. Here are two questions for you to have a go at over the holidays. Fun times for you!
1. “Concealment and discovery are central to any drama.”
Discuss the structural and thematic significance of “concealment and discovery” in Macbeth.
2. “The great tragedies stamp themselves on the imagination through a series of powerful theatrical images in which the whole meaning of the play can sometimes seem to be compacted.”
Discuss the effectiveness of theatrical imagery in conveying meaning with reference to Macbeth.
National 5: OcToBeR hOlIdAyS homework!
MWAHAHAHA! You thought you were getting away with no English homework, but that’s not the case. You need to practice those essays and so I would like each of you to pick two of the questions below and write a full essay for each. That means an introduction and five, yes five, PEEL paragraphs.
The PEEL questions are:
1) What is the technique/idea/feature you are focusing on in this paragraph?
2) What evidence do you have from the text to support this?
3) Explain how this evidence works or demonstrates your point?
4) So how does this answer your main question?
Right, here are your practice essay questions:
Choose a novel which explores an important theme. Show how the author has explored this theme.
Choose a novel in which the author creates a fascinating character. Show how the author has created this character and why you found them so fascinating.
Choose a novel in which the author uses a memorable narrative style. Explain how the features of the narrative technique contribute to the effectiveness of the text.
Choose a novel in which you feel sympathy with one of the main characters because of the hardships they face. Describe the problem the character faces and show how you are made to feel sympathy for them.
Chose a novel with a satisfactory ending. Explain why you find the ending satisfactory in bringing to a conclusion the main concerns of the text.
Chose a novel with an important human issue (i.e. conflict between good and evil). Show how the author reveals the issue through the portrayal of people and events throughout the text, and show your understanding of the issue deepened.
Choose a novel with a key incident. Give a brief account of the incident and show how this incident is important to the text as a whole.
Choose a novel in which there is a character involved in some form of conflict.
Show how the character comes to be involved in this conflict and how the conflict develops through the text.
National 5: for the kids who took an extra holiday!
This is what the class will be working on whilst you sun yourselves on foreign shores! Can you take a look over this document for me guys and have a go at some of the activities. Thanks!
Reading and Listening Audience and Purpose Homework
For each of the following articles tell me:
1) What is the purpose of the piece?
2) Who would be an appropriate audience?
A. Taken from (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/women-bosses-more-likely-to-be-called-bitchy–emotional-and-bossy-10090606.html)
Women bosses are more likely to be called ‘bitchy’, ‘emotional’ and ‘bossy’ than their male counterparts, according to a government study.
The survey of 1000 female and 500 male small business owners found that more than half of respondents had heard female bosses referred to as ‘bitchy’ and ‘emotional’ compared to just one in eight male counterparts. Less than a quarter of men had been described as ‘bossy’ compared to almost 40 per cent of women.
Women business owners perceive themselves differently too. Over 60 per cent of female respondents said they would describe themselves as being ‘supportive’ and ‘fair’. Men were more likely to choose qualities such as risk taking (36 per cent) and ruthlessness (26 per cent).
B. Taken from (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/video-reveals-appalling-dog-cull-as-azerbaijan-clears-streets-ahead-of-european-games-10090330.html)
A shocking video has emerged of abused stray dogs being rescued ahead of their execution in Azerbaijan as authorities
The footage, published by Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty, was shot by animal rights campaigner Yelena Simakina on 27 February in the Azerbaijani town of Baku, which will host the European Games in less than 100 days.
The campaigner claims that authorities are shooting larger dogs on the streets of Baku and killing the smaller one – two of which are seen cowering under Ms Simakina’s hand – with shovels to save the bullets.
C. taken from (http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/the-big-fresh-food-con-alarming-truth-behind-the-chocolate-muffin-that-wont-decay-10089292.html?icn=puff-6)
More than a month ago, I bought a chocolate chip muffin from one of those would-be Italian chain coffee bars. In its homespun-looking paper wrapper, the muffin looked as though it had just come from the baker’s oven. It bore no ingredients list – that’s perfectly legal for food sold loose – but having a shrewd idea from my investigations into the processed food industry of the likely ingredients, I didn’t eat it.
Instead, this muffin has become an illuminating experiment. It’s still sitting on my desk, looking exactly as it did at the end of January: no mould, no dryness, no obvious signs of age.
Now that’s odd. I have on occasion baked chocolate chip muffins at home. Addictive when warm, even the next day they aren’t quite as good, and thereafter they become progressively more solid, stale and unrewarding to eat. So just yesterday, I was intrigued to sample a little piece of my experimental muffin. It seemed preternaturally fresh, if by that you mean still moist. Had I tasted it blind, I’m not convinced that I would have realised that it was meant to be a chocolate anything – sugar, with some residual bitterness, was the dominant taste – but I certainly wouldn’t have known that my muffin was weeks old.
Higher practice – prose questions
The following exam questions have been lifted from the old Higher papers. It would be worth your while to take a look at these and practice your critical writing. Remember you must have a clear introduction that sets out what you are going to be looking at, each main paragraph must have a point which is then back up with evidence from the text (preferably a quote). You then need to analyse this evidence, how is it supporting your point? And finally how does this link back to the main argument?
>Choose a novel in which the fate of the main character is important in conveying the writer’s theme. Explain what you consider the main theme to be and discuss how effectively the fate of the character conveys it.
>Choose a novel which has one of the following as its theme: sacrifice; unrequited love; isolation. Discuss the techniques by which the novelist establishes one of these themes and go on to show how, in the end, he or she achieves a satisfactory resolution.
>Choose a novel in which the writer’s method of narration (such as first person narrative, diary form, journal…) plays a significant part. Explain briefly the method of narration and discuss its importance to your appreciation of the text.
>Choose a novel where the method of narration makes an important contribution to the success of the text. Briefly explain the method of narration used by the author and then show in more detail the ways in which it contributes to the overall theme.
>Choose a novel which seems to be bleak and pessimistic. Show how the pessimism is established and go on to discuss the extent to which the pessimism contributes to the overall theme.
>Choose a novel with dark uncertain undertones. Explain the means by which the writer has created the undertones and, in more detail, discuss their contribution to the themes as a whole.
>Choose a novel in which the novelist makes use of more than one location. Discuss how the use of different locations allows the novelist to develop the central concern(s) of the text.
>Choose a novel where characters are affected by certain external forces over which they have little control. Discuss the writer’s use of such forces – social, political, supernatural – and show the extent to which the characters have difficulty in dealing with them.
>Choose a novel in which the novelist makes use of symbols. Describe briefly what they represent and discuss how the use of these symbols helps develop the central concern(s) of the text.
>Choose a novel in which the story’s emotional twists ensure that your interest is held until the end. Briefly explain how these twists involve you in the story and then discuss how they lead to a deeper appreciation of the text as a whole.
>Choose a novel which has a theme of friendship or family relationships. Show how the novelist explores your chosen theme and discuss how this treatment enhances your appreciation of the novel as a whole.
>Choose a novel in which a character experiences a moment of revelation. Describe briefly what is revealed and discuss its significance to your understanding of the theme/s.
>Choose a novel in which a minor character plays an important part. Show how the minor character’s role is established and go on to discuss how that character contributes to either the fate of the main character or to the overall theme of the novel.
>Choose a novel which slowly reveals the strengths of the main character. Show how the writer achieves the revelation and go on to demonstrate how it contributes to the overall theme of the text.
>Choose a novel with a central character you consider to be heroic. Show how the heroic qualities are revealed and discuss how this portrayal of the character enhances your understanding of the text as a whole.
>Choose a novel where the story, interesting for its own sake, nevertheless also comments more generally on human behaviour. Show how the story itself interests you but go on to discuss how the story also has a much more universal appeal.
>Choose a novel where the ending raises more questions than answers. Explain how the novelist prepares us for the ending and go on to discuss its contribution to the novel as a whole.
>Choose a novel in which one character’s loyalty or disloyalty to another proves to be decisive. Explain how this arises and go on to discuss why you think it is important to the text as a whole.
