PAPER ONE

REVISION HELP

LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

PAPER ONE

You need to be able to do the following:

Identify the intended audience and purpose of different types of text

Understand the differences between the content and the theme of a text Describe the tone and mood of a text using appropriate vocabulary Identify several common stylistic devices, employed by writers, specific to a

genre Clearly identify how the stylistic devices position readers Confidently use the language of critical literacy to comment on a text Use the language of comparison to write an analytical comparative essay Plan a paper one Write analytically

EXAMINE THE FOLLOWING TEXTS THROUGH THE LENS OF THE ‘BIG FIVE’

1. Audience and purpose2. Content and theme3. Tone and mood4. Stylistic devices5. Structure

Advertisement autobiography biography brochureCartoon diary drama script editorialFeature article guide instructions letter of applicationNovel editorial opinion column posterPress release report review short storySong lyrics speech transcribed interview travel writingPersonal letter

Analytical Tools for Close Reading

Analytical Tools Guiding QuestionsAudience & Purpose Who wrote the text?

Who was it written for?Why did the writer write it?

What did he/she want the reader to ‘get’?

Content & Theme What is the situation in the text?What is the underlying idea the writer

wants to convey?Tone & Mood What is the tone of the speaker/writer?

How does the writer want the reader to feel from reading the text?

Stylistic devices and techniques What devices and techniques are used to convey the content and theme?

Structure What type of text is it?How does the structure help convey the

meaning?

TOOLS FOR CRITICAL READINGTo the IB, being a critical reader means to:

Demonstrate a critical understanding of the various ways in which the reader constructs meaning and of how context influences this constructed meaning

Demonstrate an understanding of how different perspectives influence the reading of a text

Demonstrate an ability to analyse the effects of language, structure, technique and style on the reader

Demonstrate an ability to compare and contrast the formal elements, content and context of texts

Discuss the different ways in which language and image may be used in a range of texts

Demonstrate an ability to evaluate conflicting viewpoints within and about a text

Demonstrate an ability to discuss and analyse texts in a focused and logical manner

(Taken from the IB’s Language A: Language and Literature Guide, 2011)

In order to develop the above skills, you should always ask yourself these important questions when reading a text:

1. What are the main points the author is making (summary)?

2. What is the author’s purpose for writing the text (to persuade? to entertain? to inform?)?

3. What connections or contradictions can be made to other works (compare and contrast)?

4. What is the effect of the text on the reader? How might this change depending on the identity of the reader?

5. What features of the text (structure, images, layout) are significant? Why?

6. What is your opinion of the text? What new and interesting ideas did you learn?

7. What questions or concerns are you left with, or what conclusions have you drawn after reading the text?

Essential Literary Terms

Alliteration: the repetition of initial consonant sounds in words to create an effect [Example: Merry maids a-milking]

Allusion: a reference within a literary text to some person, place, or event outside the text.

Analepsis: more commonly known as a “flashback”

Analogy: a comparison based upon a similarity between two things. It can function as an extended simile or metaphor.

Anaphora: a figure of speech in which a word or words are repeated, usually at the beginning of successive sentences or lines of verse.

Example: In every cry of every manIn every infant’s cry of fearIn every vice, in every banThe mind-forg’d manacles I hear.

William Blake, London

Assonance: the repetition of a vowel sound in words to create an effect[Example: Lazy, hazy days]

Atmosphere: the mood or tone created by describing the characters and the setting in a piece of writing

Blank Verse: a form of poetry which does not rhyme

Consonance: a form of rhyme in which the vowels are the same but pronounced differently [Example: love, prove]

Enjambment: the running on of thought in poetry, from one line or couplet to the next

Foreshadowing: a hint of events to come or later developments

Free Verse: poetry without a rhythmic pattern or rhyme

Hyperbole: deliberate and absurd exaggeration for effect[Example: It’s raining cats and dogs.]

Imagery: the images evoked by the author’s descriptions to enhance the readers’ understanding; images may involve all of the five senses or may be figurative

Internal Rhyme: the rhyming of two or more words in a single line[Example: The mate, that fate had me created for ~Johnny Mercer, That Old Black Magic~]

Irony: the meaning the speaker or writer intends to convey is different from the literal meaning

Metaphor: a device often used in poetry in which one thing is described in terms of another

Mood: the emotion of a piece of writing created by the writer

Motif: a recurring theme, idea, image throughout a literary work

Onomatopoeia: the sounds of the words used resemble their meaning[Example: splat!]

Oxymoron: a combination of words or terms that appear contradictory[Example: working holiday]

Paradox: an apparent contradiction that asserts the truth[Example: the last shall be first]

Pathetic Fallacy: giving human feelings to objects in nature

Personification: giving human qualities to inanimate objects, ideas, or animals

Repetition: a literary device used as a function of emphasis

Rhyme: words with the same terminal sounds; often used at the end of lines of poetry

Rhythm: a regular pattern or flow of language, usually in poetry

Setting: the place, time, and culture in which the action of a narrative takes place

Simile: a comparison, using the words “like” or “as”, between two things which may be dissimilar

Stanza: a group of lines in a poem; similar to a paragraph in prose

Style: the literary devices used by an author in constructing text

Suspense: a build up of events to capture the attention of the audience until the outcome is revealed

Symbolism: the use of images and symbols to represent complex ideas

Synecdoche: a figure of speech in which the part stands for the whole or the whole for the part.

[Example: in “brave hearts and steady hands,” hearts and hands stand for people. In “the police are investigating the case,” the police stands for some police.]

Theme: the central point about which the text is composed

Tone: a reflection of the attitude of the writer

WRITING A TEXTUAL ANALYSIS

You have already had practice writing a comparative commentary last year in MYP 5. This handout will help refresh your skills and add to the skills you acquired last year.

PRE-WRITING STEPS

STEP #1: Read both pieces several times until you know what each is about quite well. Choose the text that you will write about. As mentioned in class, mark up the pages, labeling the literary devices and what stands out for you as the reader. Make a note of the text’s purpose, audience, tone, point of view, diction, syntax, imagery and time period written. Your texts should be covered in writing, underlining and colors!

STEP #2: Make detailed notes about the main ideas you will focus on, and what evidence (direct quotations or paraphrasing) from the text will be used to support

these points. You will still have a thesis for a textual analysis that will be your main point of analysis. Think of a thesis based on your rough notes and the main theme or idea that is presented in the piece.

Here are some things to focus on for the textual analysis. Discuss as many of them as possible – this will obviously be more than a five-paragraph endeavor:

Content and Purpose: Talk about the theme and meaning in the piece. Are they implicit (hidden) or explicit (clear)? It is important to state the purpose of the piece, such as to entertain, to inform, or it could have a commercial purpose in the case of advertisements or travel logs. Who is the intended audience? Also, say whether it is objective or subjective, with justification such as a quote showing that the writer includes her or his personal opinions. When was the piece written?

Point of view: It is necessary to determine whether the writer is the narrator of the piece, then determine her/his relationship to the reader. The author could take up a superior, distance stance or a more intimate relationship, but remember to explain why (e.g. "to stir the reader's emotions by getting close to them"). And don't forget a quotation to show what you're talking about. You can also mention whether it is first-person or third-person, whether the writer is omniscient, and if we can trust them.

Tone: Read the pieces well to determine the tone (acrimonious, joyous, sardonic, pompous, pensive, etc). Use quotes to show your conclusion. Explain what effect this has on you as the reader. Does the tone change?

Diction: Are there active or passive verbs, superlatives, lots of adjectives? Explain why the writer might have chosen this sort of diction. Technical pieces usually have jargon e.g. a sports article, a set of instructions. Are there any diction motifs? For instance: a diction motif of hell can be shown by words like fire, flame, and torturous heat.

Imagery: Pick out figurative devices in the piece. Or perhaps it has none, and only displays literal images like “the black cat leaped onto the sofa”. Why is this? Imagery can be useful in persuasive pieces to appeal to the audience, by formulating images in their minds.

Syntax: Does the writer use short sentences or long extended ones? What is the writer's intention by doing this? Consider if the sentences have subordinate clauses; these may make sentences cumbersome or awkward, or even drawn out and meditative. How could this help the writer achieve her/his purpose?

Conclusion. Did the writer achieve her/his purpose well? Include a personal opinion such as "I feel the writer of the text succeeded in entertaining the audience using heightened tone, lots of imagery, and diverse syntax."

WRITING STEPS

STEP #3: Write your introduction. The introduction should be brief – no more than 100 words. State what the text is and its genre (article, poem, etc). State what the main point of the text is – this will be your thesis. Then state what you will be analyzing throughout your commentary. For instance "In this commentary, I will analyze the content and purpose, point of view, tone, diction, imagery, and syntax of the text."

STEP #4: Write the body of your textual analysis. You should have at least 4 or 5 body paragraphs. Remember to focus of not only the literary and figurative devices used, but why the author uses them – for what purpose? This is the main purpose of the textual analysis.

Each body paragraph should include evidence. A good way to ensure that each paragraph is complete is to follow the format of Point – Proof (quotation)- Comment (PPC)

Example body paragraph: The author conveys the idea of fear and terror when he refers to the house as "desperately dark" and this use of alliteration emphasizes the main character's feelings as he enters the house.

STEP #5: Write your conclusion. When you have mentioned all your key points, you need to end with a short conclusion. Did you find the text effective? What was the message of the text? Was it effectively conveyed to you, the audience? Include your personal opinion of the text here.

Post-Writing Steps

STEP #6: EDIT, EDIT, EDIT. If this is a summative assessment, you should be writing at least one draft before you begin your final copy for submission. If this is on an exam, AIS or IB, leave yourself enough time to read over your paper, check for errors and clarity.

STEP #7: Relax! You are done!

TRANSITIONAL WORDS & PHRASES

Agreement / Addition / Similarity

The transitional devices like also, in addition, and, likewise, add information, reinforce ideas and express agreement with preceding material.

 

in the first place

not only ... but also

as a matter of fact

in like manner

in addition

coupled with

in the same fashion / way

first, second, third

in the light of

not to mention

to say nothing of

equally important

by the same token

again

to

and

also

then

equally

identically

uniquely

like

as

too

moreover

as well as

together with

of course

likewise

comparatively

correspondingly

similarly

furthermore

additionally

 

 

Opposition / Limitation / Contradiction

Transition words like but, rather and or, express that there is evidence to the contrary or point out alternatives, and thus introduce a change the line of reasoning (contrast).

 

although this may be true

in contrast

different from

of course ..., but

on the other hand

on the contrary

at the same time

in spite of

even so / though

be that as it may

then again

above all

in reality

after all

but

(and) still

unlike

or

(and) yet

while

albeit

besides

although

instead

whereas

despite

conversely

otherwise

however

rather

nevertheless

regardless

notwithstanding

 

 

Examples / Support / Emphasis

These transitional devices (like especially) are used to introduce examples as support, to indicate importance or as an illustration so that an idea is cued to the reader. 

in other words

to put it differently

for one thing

as an illustration

in this case

for this reason

to put it another way

that is to say

with attention to

by all means

important to realize

another key point

first thing to remember

most compelling evidence

must be remembered

point often overlooked

to point out

on the positive / negative side

with this in mind

notably

including

like

to be sure

namely

chiefly

truly

indeed

certainly

surely

markedly

especially

specifically

expressively

surprisingly

frequently

significantly

in fact

in general

in particular

in detail

for example

for instance

to demonstrate

to emphasize

to repeat

to clarify

to explain

to enumerate

such as

 

 

Cause / Condition / PurposeThese transitional words present specific conditions or intentions.

in the event that

granted (that)

as / so long as

on (the) condition (that)

for the purpose of

with this intention

with this in mind

in the hope that

to the end that

for fear that

in order to

seeing / being that

in view of

If

... then

unless

when

whenever

since

while

 because of

as

since

while

lest

in case

provided that

given that

only / even if

so that

so as to

owing to

inasmuch as

due to  

Effect / Consequence / ResultSome of these transition words (thus, then, accordingly, consequently, therefore, henceforth) are time words that are used to show that after a particular time there was a consequence or an effect.

Note that for and because are placed before the cause/reason. The other devices are placed before the consequences or effects.

as a result

under those circumstances

in that case

for this reason

for

thus

because the

then

hence

consequently

therefore

thereupon

forthwith

accordingly

henceforth

 

 

Conclusion / Summary / RestatementThese transition words and phrases conclude, summarize and/orrestate ideas, or a indicate a final general statement. Also some words (like therefore) from the Effect / Consequence category can be used to summarize.

as can be seen

generally speaking

in the final analysis

all things considered

as shown above

in the long run

given these points

as has been noted

in a word

for the most part

after all

in fact

in summary

in conclusion

in short

in brief

in essence

to summarize

on balance

altogether

overall

ordinarily

usually

by and large

to sum up

on the whole

in any event

in either case

all in all

 

Time / Chronology / SequenceThese transitional words (like finally) have the function of limiting, restricting, and defining time. They can be used either alone or as part of adverbial expressions

at the present time until now 

from time to time as soon as

sooner or later in the meantime

at the same time in a moment

up to the present time without delay

to begin with

in due time

WRITING TIPS

CONTENT TIPS

1. Differentiate the reader from the intended audience. You are one of the readers; the audience is who the text was originally written for.

2. Whenever you analyze a literary or stylistic device, you must ALWAYS state how it affects the audience. The author always has a purpose for writing something, and this is usually to impact the audience. For example, if you say that the author uses to create an informative tone, you MUST state what impact this has on the audience or why the author did this.

3. Never have a quotation as a sentence. A quotation taken from a text must always have a few introductory words from you. You can say: “For example” or “In the text” or “The author writes”, before the quotation as an introductory phrase.

4. When writing, underline the names of books and movies, put quotations around the names of articles, web pages, and poems.

5. Your IB texts will always have line numbers. Use the authors name and line number if you quote from the text (Matthews line 25)

GRAMMAR AND STYLE TIPS

1. Don’t use expressions like “these days”, “nowadays”.

2. Don’t use the word “obvious”. Everyone approaches a text differently so you can never imply that everyone draws the same conclusions when reading a text

3. Don’t use words like “great”, “good”, “bad, “right” or “wrong”. These words are subjective words that are value judgments rather than analyses. Yes, give your opinion, but your opinion should never be a value judgment, it should be a reasoned and evidence-supported note about the text.

4. Don’t use “on” after words like emphasize and stress.

Example: By using interviews with upset teachers, the author emphasizes on the reality of teaching in the UK.

Example: By using interviews with upset teachers, the author emphasizes the reality of teaching in the UK.

5. Don’t use the expression “give off” as in the author “gives off a tone”. I don’t know where you got this from, but it sounds like there is a bad smell in the room. Stop it!

PARALLEL STRUCTURE

When you have more than one verb in a sentence, you must make sure that the verbs agree in tense.

Example: I like skiing, to swim, and eating.

Example: The author is writing about the perils of being a school teacher, while also chastising students for their outrageous behavior.

SENTENCE FRAGMENTS

A sentence fragment is an incomplete thought. Beware of words like “while”, “whereas”, “until”. They give the false perception that a sentence is complete.

Example: While the author includes examples.

Example: While the author includes examples, he also includes statistics.

Writing the Introduction The Introduction should have the following components:

The Topic Sentence: One sentence that includes the topic of the essay and your opinion/point of view about the topic

Supporting Sentences (2-3): Two or three main ideas supporting your opinion on the topic (one sentence for each supporting idea). You will need to discuss each supporting idea in the body of your essay.

Summary Sentence (optional): You may include a closing sentence summarizing your opinion/point of view.

Writing the Body Use the 2-3 supporting sentences in your introduction to write the body. Start each body paragraph with one supporting sentence from your introduction. Use ideas, details and examples to complete each paragraph (4-6 sentences)

Writing the Conclusion The last paragraph of your essay is the conclusion. The conclusion echoes the introduction and summarizes the main points from your essay. Use the suggestions below to complete your conclusion:

Summarize the main points from your essay Give advice, make predictions, or draw conclusions Check your introduction to make sure you emphasize the main points

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!