9 replies to this topic

[ChikkyD]

Hi there,

I'm hoping this is the right place to put it, and I hadn't previously found a topic answering this.

I'm wondering, and I have already tried asking my teacher, what the difference is between a formal essay (option 2a) and a commentary (option 2c).
My teacher somewhat clarified it for me, but I'm still confused. Might seem silly, but I'd really appreciate an answer


Edit: Both are from option 2c. NOT option 2a. Sorry >_<

Edited by ChikkyD, Aug 12, 2011 - 06:29.

[sweetnsimple786]

Hey - check this post out. So 2a is a comparative essay on two works. 2c is a formal essay, key passage commentary, key passage analysis, or something else that shows a detailed study based on one work.
So the difference between 2a and 2c seems to be the number of works you want to deal with. And it can't be any work you've studied for either option. Ask your teacher which of the works are eligible for 2a and which are eligible for 2c.

[ChikkyD]

Pardon me, I got my options mixed up >_<

The essays I'm talking about are both part of option 2c.
I've seen that post, thanks.
I was just wondering what the difference between a formal essay, and a commentary, both 2c options.
Sorry

[sweetnsimple786]

When I think of commentary, I think of an essay based on a key passage of the text. The essay mostly sticks to what's in that particular passage. A formal essay, though, pulls analysis from the whole text. It's the type of essay I wrote before IB essays. Just a normal essay that can be about anything. Not sure how clearly I described that, but the way I see it, if you want to write an essay on the author's use of X to do Y in a text, it's probably a formal essay. I never had much practice with commentaries (except for the IOC, I suppose) so I considered analyzing a poignant passage to do a key passage analysis, where the passage is connected to the rest of the text. I also considered doing a formal essay just because it was a normal essay. Does that answer your question?

[ChikkyD]

That does answer it, thank you, and a whole lot better than my teacher

I'm thinking I should change my topic/title/question now . My essay is on the dehumanising aspects of Solzhenitsyn's "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich", but it seems so broad that I run the risk of giving each dehumanising aspect very superficial analysis and a low level of depth. I'm thinking of just focusing on one aspect of the concentration camp, but is that still a formal essay?

[sweetnsimple786]

I agree that it doesn't hurt to make your title more specific. I haven't read this work, so I don't know if you can go broader than that one aspect, but to answer your question, yes, that sounds like a formal essay to me. Just make a 1/2 to 1 page informal outline and run it by your teacher to be on the safe side.

[ecieee]

sweetnsimple786 has described it quite nicely! But I thought I'd just clear things up a bit.
In the option 2c - Detailed Study there are three sub options as you know!

The formal essay is basically like your IOP - You give a specific topic relating to the work that you studied, and simply produce a response that answers your particular topic. For example, "The symbolism of a glass paperweight used in 1984 and its representation of the theme of oppression".

The key passage analysis (whether using 1 or 2 passages) requires you to select a specific part of the work that you are studying (typically a nice 20-40 lines from a significant scene)and approach it like the IOC. Your passage has to be significant towards the development of your work (character development, turning point, major themes....etc) and you would have to analyse the passage relating to the whole work. You know in your IOC you have to talk about why the passage you were given is significant to the whole book as well as analyse the literary features in it? It's kinda like that.

The commentary is similar to the key passage analysis but also much different at the same time. Like the key passage analysis, you do have to choose a certain extract from the work and have to analyse it. But, commentary is much more focused on what is happening within the extract through literary features. Approach it like a paper 1 commentary. You still do have to show why the extract is important but the degree to which you refer it back to the whole work and the broader function is much less. Commentary usually works well when you have a passage rich of various literary features and illustrates one important theme or character (or whatsoever).

About you concentrating on one aspect, I think you have to make it very clear in your topic then! I guess it's good because you are narrowing your topic down into what you can manage in 1500 words (it is much better than superficial analysis as you say!) I did my IOP on that symbolism in 1984 and my teacher said it was very specific yet significant! I ended up with a very good score and my teacher told me that if I could ever use 1984 for my WL, she would have encouraged me to modify the topic to include some points that I made on my IOP (formal essays are pretty much like IOPs). So yeah, narrowing your topic down is very good and if you make it clear that you are only going to focus on one thing, I'm sure the markers are going to think "well this person knows how to approach things carefully!!" haha

P.S. You changed your nickname!!!

Edited by ecieee, Aug 12, 2011 - 08:36.

[ChikkyD]

That's a great way of putting it

So pretty much, if I was to do the formal essay for WL2, it would be much better if I were to focus on ONE aspect of a text and how it relates to the text as a whole?
Did I understand that right? How would I structure the paragraphs? Gosh I hate IB >_>

[ecieee]

ChikkyD, on Aug 12, 2011 - 08:34, said:

That's a great way of putting it

So pretty much, if I was to do the formal essay for WL2, it would be much better if I were to focus on ONE aspect of a text and how it relates to the text as a whole?
Did I understand that right? How would I structure the paragraphs? Gosh I hate IB >_>

After realising 'who you are' (are you okay now? I haven't seen you around this week!)I have edited the post! Please look at my post again. Paragraphing would probably be like

Introduction containing thesis

Body paragraphs containing each aspects about the camp which you want to analyse?

Conclusion

Pretty much like a 'formal' essay !

[ChikkyD]

Thanks ecieee Yeah, I'm feeling better now, thanks for asking
I'm pretty set now. I'm either going to organise the essay in 3-4 body paragraphs, one for each aspect (if I am to do more than one), or an essay on one aspect, with each of my 3-4 body paragraphs explaining/analysing how that aspect relates and portrays a theme from the text. I've emailed my teacher though, asking her advice too.

Thank you so much ecieee and sweetnsimple