TheMagical7even Posted October 29, 2016 Report Share Posted October 29, 2016 I absolutely detest English and writing essays in English, AND HAVING TO INTERPRET POETRY! I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT POEMS MEAN. However, I must do English as my first language - HOW DO I OVERCOME THIS? I am even struggling to interpret Bruce Dawe's poetry.... I hate You English. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amina13 Posted October 30, 2016 Report Share Posted October 30, 2016 (edited) Mee too. I also HATE English. My grammar is not good. Actually, it is not specifically English - I don't like language and literature stuff. All those literary devices, symbols and structure - I HATE THEM. Yet, I do acknowledge the fact that hating English do not and will not solve any problem whatsoever. Therefore, I am TRYING to tackle this problem by (1) spending more time on the things that I'm weak at, and (2) learning as much as I can from the teacher in the lesson. I do encourage you and myself to stop hating it. Let's start to like it, if not love. Edited October 30, 2016 by Amina13 grammar Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac117 Posted October 30, 2016 Report Share Posted October 30, 2016 Starting with your attitude would help. You can't keep this negativity if you want to do well. Here's a link to a similar post where people brought up some good arguments: Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMagical7even Posted October 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2016 I had to spend around 30 hours to get an A- on an English essay... Now, I have to do a presentation on one of Bruce Dawe's poems. I've spent 3 weeks doing nothing, just trying to select a poem - this alone proves impossible for me. I doubt whether any of the poems will have enough to analyse, and all the popular ones, which definitely have a lot of substance, were already selected by others. It's due on Wednesday, and I'm not getting anywhere... All I can do is send a pathetic email to my teacher begging for more help? Does anyone have any suggestions .-. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scribblefish Posted November 6, 2016 Report Share Posted November 6, 2016 On 31/10/2016 at 4:05 AM, TheMagical7even said: I had to spend around 30 hours to get an A- on an English essay... Now, I have to do a presentation on one of Bruce Dawe's poems. I've spent 3 weeks doing nothing, just trying to select a poem - this alone proves impossible for me. I doubt whether any of the poems will have enough to analyse, and all the popular ones, which definitely have a lot of substance, were already selected by others. It's due on Wednesday, and I'm not getting anywhere... All I can do is send a pathetic email to my teacher begging for more help? Does anyone have any suggestions .-. This reply might come a little late, since you've mentioned the assignment was due Wednesday, but just for future reference - You have evidently not spent 3 weeks doing 'nothing' - the 3 weeks were spent selecting a poem, which is progress! I would say to look for resources, such as analyses of poems if you're really struggling, it might allow for a few ideas to pop up. Try looking for overriding themes in the poem, and then see how each line, each phrase, each word used contributes to the theme you've identified. What is the poet trying to say? What sort of tone does the poem have? Feelings the poet is trying to evoke in the reader? How does the poet achieve ___? These are not the only things you can use in an analysis, it's only to get you started (: 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreaM Posted November 6, 2016 Report Share Posted November 6, 2016 Hello, everyone! I took English B HL. I'll finish all my exams in a couple of weeks so I offer you my help when all this torture x.x finishes! Good luck 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 7, 2016 Report Share Posted November 7, 2016 Currently in exams but some things that may help: The last line of poetry is your best bet in working out the meaning of the poem if you can't by reading it. The volta (the turning point) of the poem is also incredibly helpful. It may be indicated through a change in perspective (e.g. third to first) or tense (past to present), or perhaps through a change of topic or common symbolism (doorways, and so forth). They're usually somewhere in the second to last stanza to the last stanza (or, if it's one stanza, the last few lines) Divide it up into a 'narrative' if possible, and write what's happening in the stanza. Then, isolate various diction and what kind of mood/atmosphere you're getting from that stanza when it refers to that topic. How do you feel when you read it? What do you think about? For me, the biggest step in overcoming analysis was in separating myself from the test or exam and going "What does this make me think of and how can I relate it to myself?" Poetry usually has overarching broad themes applicable to everyone, in some way, shape or form. Personally, I found the SL poem for Lit this year to be quite fantastic, and even though I couldn't relate to the subject, the themes were applicable. Perhaps that angle will work? Obviously not in exam conditions, but try going to your teacher (or a student who you know is excellent at analysis) with a poem and asking them what they think of it and why. The biggest part is why and how they reached that conclusion. That may be able to help you develop your own process. Find various techniques in the text and figure out how they relate to mood - what is the poet saying with this technique in this context? Unfortunately, it took me ages to learn that there's no formula and it still frustrates me. However, just remember, if you can back-up your claim with sufficient evidence, you can do pretty damn well in analysis. We had this poem 'The Cloud' for our prelims last year and I don't think a single person got its meaning, but quite a few of us still got 7s because what we did interpret could be backed up with evidence. Interpretation is only one criteria, after all. Also, remember that interpretation does depend on each individual person. That's what literature is generally about. One author, poet, artist, whichever, is putting out their perspective, but all individuals interpret it differently. This is all very airy, and I know it's not incredibly helpful, but I think understanding that reduces some of the frustration of English. In all, I'd say, the most important thing is context. Why is this thing - word, technique, whatever - used in this poem with the surrounding words and statements? That should lead you on the right path. Also, the volta and the last line thing can be super helpful at times, but don't always rely on them! Sometimes it'll just confuse you. Good luck! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMagical7even Posted November 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2016 yah... thanks for all the help everyone C: I got it done properly and now, does anyone hv a few tips for reflective statements for works in translations? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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