6A2 revision plan – Christmas 2012

The Christmas holidays are here and with the holidays comes a great opportunity for revision for your Leaving Certificate. I suggest that you do around 45 minutes of work each day on English. The following plan covers most aspects of the course; but anything you don’t get covered we will come back to in January.

Remember that the mock exams take place around three weeks after we return from the Christmas holidays – this will help provide some extra motivation!

Here is a list of the topics that you should revise over the holidays:

Paper 1
Be sure that you can recognise and write in each of the five uses of language – language of information, language of argument, language of persuasion, language of narration and aesthetic use of language.
Revise the various type of Question Bs that may arise, such as a letter, review, talk, speech, interview, diary, report and so on.

Paper 2
As your Single Study text, you must be very familiar with all aspects of ‘Macbeth’ – character, style, imagery, themes etc.
Know your three Modes of Comparison well – Literary Genre, Cultural Context and Theme or Issue.
Ensure you are very familiar with your three comparative texts – ‘How Many Miles to Babylon?’, ‘Sive’ and ‘The Constant Gardener’.
Remember that we have done six out of eight poets in class. You should revise a minimum of five.

The following is a suggestion as to how you might cover all of this material. Feel free to adjust it according to your needs and your time.

  • Sat 22nd Dec – Language of Narration – know how to recognise it when you read it and what is required when you are asked to write using this type of language. Practise writing narrative paragraphs.
  • Sun 23rd Dec – the poetry of Derek Mahon – themes, techniques, imagery, key quotes etc. Add to the notes that you already have.
  • Mon 24th Dec – Diary entry and report writing – what are the conventions required for each of these pieces of writing? Can you recognise the language used in these formats and can you write one of these? Practice. Use your ‘Language in Focus’ to help.
  • Wed 26th Dec – ‘Macbeth’ – the major characters. Add to the notes you have already made. Find a quotation to support every point you believe to be true.
  • Thurs 27th Dec – Letter writing and reviews. Practice.
  • Fri 28th Dec – ‘Macbeth’ – minor characters, style, imagery. Add to the notes you already have.  Find quotes.
  • Sat 29th Dec – the poetry of Elizabeth Bishop – themes, techniques, imagery, key quotes etc. Add to the notes you already have.
  • Sun 30th Dec – language of information and aesthetic use of language – how would you recognise each of these uses of language? With aesthetic use of language, be sure to revise literary techniques.
  • Mon 31st Dec – ‘Macbeth’ – themes. Add to your own notes.
  • Wed 2nd Jan – talk and speech. Practise. What techniques would we expect to see in such writing? Also revise the language of Argument and the language of Persuasion. These two have many similarities, yet are quite distinct. Can you identify the distinctions?
  • Thurs 3rd Jan – Literary Genre – what does this mode entail? Examples: use of dialogue, flashback, chronological order, suspense, imagery, conclusion of the story etc. How do each of the above aspects relate to our three texts? Start planning essays and writing sample paragraphs.
  • Fri 4th Jan – the poetry of Adrienne Rich – add to your notes.
  • Sat 5th Jan – Cultural Context – what does this mode entail? How does it relate to our three texts? Start planning essays and writing sample paragraphs.
  • Sun 6th Jan – the poetry of Sylvia Plath – add to your notes.

If you have any questions, queries or concerns please contact my by posting a comment here or by emailing me.

Best of luck with the revision!

Your hard work now will reap rewards later!

Exam style questions on Wordsworth

Wordsworth has not been examined in the Leaving Certificate since 1996 – at that time the syllabus and exam were different and so the format of the question does not apply to us. However, the following are the types of questions that could be asked in the exam about Wordsworth.

  1. ‘The poetry of William Wordsworth is memorable for the imagery created by him.’ Discuss this view of the poetry of William Wordsworth as studied by you for the Leaving Certificate.
  2. ‘In William Wordsworth’s poetry there is a vivid evocation of both the natural world and the mind of the poet.’ Do you agree with this view of Wordsworth’s poetry? Support the points you make with suitable reference to the poetry of Wordsworth on your course.
  3. ‘The poetry of William Wordsworth has much to offer the modern reader.’ Discuss the relevance of Wordsworth’s themes and language in today’s world. Support your points by reference and quotation.
  4. Wordsworth’s stated aim was to make poetry easily understood by the common reader. From studying his themes and language, do you feel he succeeded? Discuss your view supporting all points made by reference to the poems of Wordsworth on your course.
  5. ‘Introducing William Wordsworth.’ Write out the text of a short presentation you would make to 6th year students under the above title. Support your point of view by reference to or quotation from the poetry of William Wordsworth that you have studied.
  6. ‘For Wordsworth, memories of nature and of the people he loved both refresh and inspire him.’ Do you agree with this assessment of his poetry? Your answer should focus on both themes and stylistic features. Support your points with the aid of suitable reference to the poems you have studied.
William Wordsworth (1770 – 1850)

‘Macbeth’ by Boil in the Bag

Senior students in the college were given a treat today – we welcomed Boil in the Bag productions to the College to perform scenes from ‘Macbeth’. The scenes were performed in a classical Shakespearean manner but were also given a modern twist. It is easy to see from their production why ‘Macbeth’ is a timeless classic.

The focus of the production was the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth and it was clear how that relationship deteriorated as the play progressed. The modern twist helped us to fully understand that Shakespeare’s characters and themes are just as relevant today as they were 400 years ago. The actors were outstanding. It was a pleasure to watch them combine humour, ambition, superstition, grief and tragedy into a show that was truly spellbinding.

For more information about the production see:

www.boilinthebag.ie

Past exam questions on Cultural Context

2011
‘A reader can feel uncomfortable with the values and attitudes presented in texts.’ Compare the extent to which the values and attitudes that you encountered, in at least two texts on your comparative course, made you feel uncomfortable. [70]
or
‘The roles and status allocated to males or females can be central to understanding the cultural context of a text.’
(a) Show how this statement might apply to one text on your comparative course. In your answer you may refer to the roles and status allocated to either males or females, or both. [30]
(b) Compare how the roles and status allocated to males or females, or both, aided your understanding of the cultural context in two other texts on your comparative course. [40]

2009
‘The main characters in texts are often in conflict with the world or culture they inhabit.’ In the light of the above statement, compare how the main characters interact with the cultural contexts of the texts you have studied for your comparative course. [70]
or
‘Understanding the cultural context of a text allows you to see how values and attitudes are shaped.’
(a) Show how this statement applies to one of the texts on your comparative course. [30]
(b) Compare the way in which values and attitudes are shaped in two other texts on your comparative course. Support the comparisons you make by reference to the texts.

2007
Imagine that you are a journalist sent to investigate the cultural context of the worlds of the three texts from your comparative course.
(a) Write an articel on the cultural context that you found most interesting. [30]
(b) In a second article compare the cultural contexts of the other two worlds with each other. [40]
or
‘The cultural context can have a significant influence on the behaviour of the central character/characters in a text.’ Compare the way in which the behaviour of the central characters in at least two of your texts is influenced by the cultural context of those texts. [70]

2006
‘The cultural context of a narrative usually determines how the story will unfold.’
(a) Compare the way in which the cultural context influenced the storyline in two of the texts you have studied in your comparative course. [40]
(b) Show how the cultural context influenced the storyline in a third text you have studied.[30]
or
‘Understanding the cultural context of a text adds to our enjoyment of a good narrative.’ In light of the above statement write an essay comparing the cultural contexts of the texts you have studied in your comparative course. Support the comparisons you make by reference to the texts. [70]

2003
Write an essay in which you compare the texts you have studied in your comparative course in light of your understanding of the term, the cultural context. [70]
or
(a) With reference to one of the texts you have studied in your comparative course, write a note on the way/s in which the cultural context is established by the author. [30]
(b) Compare the ways in which the cultural context is established by the authors of two other texts on your comparative course. [40]

2002
‘A narrative creates its own unique world in which the reader can share.’ Write a response to the above statement in which you compare the texts you have studied as part of your comparative course. Support the comparisons you make by reference to the texts. [70]
or
(a) What is your understanding of the term Cultural Context in relation to any one of the texts in your comparative course? Support your view by reference to at least one key moment from your chosen text. [30]
(b) Compare two other texts from your comparative course in the light of your understanding of the term Cultural Context as you have discussed in in part (a) above. Support the comparisons you make by reference to at least one key moment from each of these two texts.

Some important quotes from ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Act II

Here are some quotes from the second act of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ that should be committed to memory.

From Scene 2

Romeo (soliloquy)
‘But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief
That thou her maid art far more fair than she.’

Juliet to herself
‘O Romeo, Romeo! – wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name.
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.’

Juliet to herself
‘That which me call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title.’

Juliet to Romeo
‘How camest thou hither, tell me, and wherefore?
The orchard walls are high and hard to climb,
And the place death, considering who thou art,
If any of my kinsmen find thee here.’

Romeo to Juliet
‘With love’s light wings did I o’erperch these walls.
For stony limits cannot hold love out,
And what love can do, that dares love attempt.
Therefore thy kinsmen are no stop to me.’

Juliet to Romeo
‘If that thy bent of love be honourable,
Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow,
By one that I’ll procure to come to thee,
Where and what time thou wilt perform the rite,
And all my fortunes at thy foot I’ll lay
And follow thee my lord throughout the world.’

Romeo to Juliet
‘Love goes toward love as schoolboys from their books;
But love from love, toward school with heavy looks.’

From Scene 3

Friar Laurence (soliloquy)
‘Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied,
And vice sometime’s by action dignified.
Within the infant rind of this weak flower
Poison hath residence, and medicine power.’

Romeo to Friar
‘With Rosaline, my ghostly father? No.
I have forgot that name and that name’s woe.’

Romeo to Friar
‘Then plainly know my heart’s dear love is set
On the fair daughter of rich Capulet.
As mine on hers, so hers is set on mine,
And all combined, save what thou must combine
By holy marriage.’

Friar to Romeo
‘Jesu Maria! What a deal of brine
Hath washed thy sallow cheeks for Rosaline!
How much salt water thrown away in waste
To season love, that of it doth not taste!
The sun not yet in they sighs from heaven clears.
Thy old groans yet ring in mine ancient ears.’

Friar to Romeo
‘O she knew well
Thy love did read by rote and could not spell.
But come, young waverer, come, go with me,
In one respect I’ll thy assistant be.
For this alliance may so happy prove
To turn your household’s rancour to pure love.’

Romeo to Friar
‘O, let us hence! I stand on sudden haste.’

Friar to Romeo
‘Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast.’

From Scene 4

Mercutio to Romeo
‘Why, is not this better now than groaning for love? Now art thou sociable. Now art thou Romeo. Now art thou what thou art, by art as well as by nature. For this drivelling love is like a great natural that runs lolling up and down to hide this bauble in a hole.’

Romeo to Nurse (about Mercutio)
‘A gentleman, Nurse, that loves to hear himself talk and will speak more in a minute than he will stand to in a month.’

Romeo to Nurse
‘Bid her devise
Some means to come to shrift this afternoon,
And there she shall at Friar Laurence’ cell
Be shrived and married.’

From Scene 5

Nurse to Juliet
‘Then hie you hence to Friar Laurence’ cell.
There stays a husband to make you a wife.’

From Scene 6

Friar to Romeo
‘So smile the heavens upon this holy act
That after-hours with sorrow chide us not!’

Romeo to Friar
‘Amen, amen! But come what sorrow can,
It cannot countervail the exchange of joy
That one short minute gives me in her sight.
Do thou but close our hands with holy words,
Then love-devouring death do what he dare –
It is enough I may but call her mine.’

Friar to Romeo
‘This violent delights have violent ends
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
Which as they kiss consume. The sweetest honey
Is loathsome in his own deliciousness
And in the taste confounds the appetite.
Therefore love moderately. Long love doth so.
Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.’

Romeo to Juliet
‘Ah, Juliet, if the measure of thy joy
Be heaped like mine, and that thy skill be more
To blazon it, then sweeten with thy breath
This neighbour air, and let rich music’s tongue
Unfold the imagined happiness that both
Receive in either by this dear encounter.’

Juliet to Romeo
‘Conceit, more rich in matter than in words,
Brags of his substance, not of ornament.
They are but beggars than can count their worth>
But my true love is grown to such excess
I cannot sum up sum of half my wealth.’

Friar to Romeo and Juliet
‘Come, come with me, and we shall make short work.
For, by your leaves, you shall not stay alone
Till Holy Church incorporate two in one.’

Drop Everything And Read

Here is a reminder to all students and teachers – tomorrow is the first day of our Drop Everything And Read week.

Don’t forget to bring a book to school with you tomorrow.

Mr. Lavin will announce at 10:30am that all teachers must stop teaching and that EVERYONE in the school must take out something to read for the rest of that class period. You may read a novel, a piece of non-fiction literature, a magazine or a newspaper. However reading a textbook is not permitted. Kindles and other forms of e-readers will be permitted. DEAR time will continue for the whole week.

Remember that teachers will ask you during the course of the day what you are reading so be prepared to give a summary and an evaluation of your reading material.

 

Winners of Macbeth Challenge

Congratulations to all fifth years who took part in the Macbeth Challenge 2012. They are all winners!!! All performances were outstanding.

Participating in the Soliloquy Challenge were:

  1. Liam Schnober Smyth – Hecate’s speech
  2. Cian Harrington – Two truths
  3. Dylan Brady – Two truths
  4. Jamie Daly – Thou hast it all
  5. Eoin Sweetman – Dagger
  6. Duncan Walker – Dagger
  7. Sean Hayes – Dagger
  8. Niamh Kelly White – The Prince of Cumberland
  9. Chris Mullen – Two truths
  10. Matthew Mollahan – Thou has it all
  11. Robert Tully – Tomorrow and tomorrow
  12. Joe Dunne – The raven is himself is hoarse
Participating in the Drama Challenge were:
  1. Robert Tully and Duncan Walker – Macbeth and Banquo (2.i)
  2. Ciaran McGinley, Cathal Niall, Matthew Mollahan – Witches  (4.i)

Those presented with trophies were Duncan for the Dagger Soliloquy and Ciaran, Cathal & Matthew for the Witches Scene!! Excellent performances by each of them.

Here you can see the participants and those who received trophies. Thanks to Mr Flynn for his great photos.

5th Year Macbeth Challenge

Macbeth Challenge 2012

Fifth years are you ready for the 2012 Macbeth Soliloquy and Drama Challenge?

Tomorrow you have the chance to recite your favourite soliloquy – the dagger soliloquy seems to be a popular choice – in a way that conveys the meaning and mood of the speaker in the context of that soliloquy. In addition or instead, you may join with a partner or two to dramatise a piece from a compelling scene of your choice.

Aside from the fame and glory of winning the Macbeth Challenge, there will prizes galore of the material kind. Best soliloquy and best drama will receive a coveted trophy. Book tokens will also be awarded to winners and high achievers. Apart from that, a few goodies will be thrown into the mix. Who could resist?

As you have been practising since long before the midterm, a very high standard is anticipated for this competition. In order to set the bar high and put you under pressure to aim for excellence, Mr Lavin will be present for the competition.

Best wishes to you all – and don’t let anything “impede thee from the golden round” and please show that you have no “spur to prick the sides of [your] intent, only vaulting ambition”. And if you are really feeling confdent, you may call “fate into the list to champion [you] to the utterance”.