Literature
Here you can discuss books, poetry, short stories, plays, etc., either for your reading pleasure or books that you have to read for A1 class. This forum is for the discussion of books only, whereas discussion of any literature assignments should go in the Language A1 forum.
366 topics in this forum
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Hey, I'd like to know if there's anyone (besides me) working on an EE that includes or is based around postmodern fiction or its derivatives. I am working on an EE centered on Don DeLillo's White Noise, but am probably bound to including some other writers (perhaps Pynchon or D.F. Wallace) and some things based on literary theory (de Man and Derrida)... Anybody out there?
Last reply by lyanchang1, -
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Hi there, I just joined this forum after I have been reading it for like 2 months, Tomorrow I have an IB paper 2 test for English. I will write the essay about The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. I gathered some quotations and information about the book. I read through some websites explaining what the paper 2 is all about, but I still have some questions. Let's say, the essay question is about the transition from childhood into adulthood. I've gathered some key events from the book which have to do with this transition, or at least to do with either childhood or adulthood. What do you need to write in one body paragraph? My teacher told me a few times what to…
Last reply by Arrowhead, -
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Hi, I need help writing the 1500 word literary essay. My topic is 'Is Claire's justice justified?' and I'm doing it on 'the visit' by friedrich dürrenmatt. I've already written about what happens in the play (the necessary background), and a bit about the justice but i don't know how to proceed further. Can I get some ideas please? thanks xx
Last reply by Arrowhead, -
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Hello, Im a self taught candidate and I have to write my essay on Romeo and Juliet. I'm not sure what to write about and some tips would be appreciated. PromptsWhat is the impact on the work of a major choice and/or decision made by characters? In what ways are the voices of history and tradition present in the work? Which minor character plays the most significant role? To what extent is the natural landscape important to the impact of this work? Do you think there are some characters in the work whose chief role is to convey cultural values? How does the author convey the sense of time passing in the work? In what ways is the work interested in being realistic? Ident…
Last reply by IbTrojan, -
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Hey guys, so I have my English IOP due in two weeks and I'm super stuck. How do I structure it? We're doing book to film, the novel I have chosen is Fight Club, I'm doing the relationship between Tyler Durden and the narrator. All I have is quotes that show general ideas. I have no clue how to structure the presentation SEND HELP Thank you x
Last reply by ShootingStar16, -
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Hi, I have to write an essay on one aspect of the novel 'Chronicle of a death foretold' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and I'm really struggling with the structure can you give me any advice. thanks.
Last reply by loba, -
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hi, we did our reflective statement three months before we are now starting to do our written assignment. unfortunately, at the time out teacher told that the reflective statement wasn't marked :/ so now i am stuck with a reflective statement with minimal matter, a lot of repeatition and poor grammar! am i allowed to edit/change this reflective statement? my friends say that i can and that the teachers are told to say no... thanks
Last reply by Sai Dheeraj, -
Commentary
by nevada- 1 reply
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Can someone please give me any advice or tips on how to write a good commentary? I know what it is but I tend to have trouble connecting it to meaning, is there any helpful phrases that tend to score good points? Thanks!
Last reply by Flow4421, -
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So my IOP is on Gatsby, and I'm not really sure if this is a thesis or truism: "Gatsby is portrayed as a tragic hero" My question is, "How is Gatsby portrayed as a hero?". These are the points I'm trying to work with, "How Nick Carraway sees Gatsby", "How Daisy sees Gatsby" and then I'm really not sure about this one 'cause it might be too bias, the same as how Nick sees Gatsby, or just completely wrong, but this is all I got right now, "The way the author wants the reader to see Gatsby". I seriously need help though... Been procrastinating this way to long, and it really is time I face it... sigh
Last reply by Purpler, -
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Someone else created a "least favorite book" topic, but not only do I love two of the books people listed as their least favorite, this "least favorite" approach seems to pessimistic to me. I absolutely love Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Emma because the characters in both are so well-developed, and the plots of both are interesting. I really enjoyed reading Shelley's Frankenstein. What books do you like? Why?
Last reply by King112, -
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i'd cut myself and bleed the heavens just for you without it, i'd fall and die so with my blood, i'll paint the sky! i'd bleed myself and paint the sky a brilliant red!
Last reply by IbTrojan, -
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Hey guys, I was just wondering which portions of the written assignment (HL A Lit) count towards the word count? Do the title and embedded citations count? Thanks in advance
Last reply by chrisncal2, -
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hi! I'm a bit confused about the written assignment and my teacher has no clue so no matter how much i email him i'm not getting a helpful answer other than being told to "read the guide" questions (I'm sorry i feel like these questions are really dumb but you don't understand my teacher has never taught ib and he has no clue about anything we're doing) 1. how are we expected to quote things? my understanding from before i did ib was short phrases go in text and passages more than 3 (?) lines go in an indented thing in the middle of the passage? Like this except about 3 + lines And if we do use quotations like this, do they count for the word count? because if i'…
Last reply by ibprincess, -
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What are your opinions of The Great Gatsby? It seems like everyone either loves it or hates it. A friend and I were recently discussing Nick and whether or not he could be considered an empty shell of a character, and I'd like to know what people on here think of that and the book in general. Also, if you saw the recent movie version starring Leonardo di Caprio, what did you think of that?
Last reply by Gb123, -
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I want to do something that related to nature
Last reply by ibprincess, -
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Hey, guys) I'm having IOC on this book in 10 days and I would like to discuss this book with you. What is the role of fire in the book? I can see that it is a contrasting imagery, since it is a cause for destruction (we can see a lot of references to it) and the only source of light. However, when the child says 'we're carrying the fire', I could not really get what he means by that. You could say that it stays for 'life' and all that but why would McCarthy write about the destruction? Also, if you have some other useful notes on the book (imagery, tone, allusions), could you please share it with the rest of us? Collective thinking is always good.
Last reply by Blackcurrant, -
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Hey, I'm in Year 12, and we're currently starting to write our EE proposals. I am terrible at keeping track of these kinds of things, and now i only have 2 days to come up with a topic, research question, and a few sources to start me off. I'm interested in writing my EE on some kind of english topic, but I'm really clueless as to what topic i could pick. I'm pretty interested in: Feminism (this is probably my favourite out of these topics) LGBT Human rights Rape culture The impacts of society on young girls' body image I'm completely stuck, and all i can find on these topics are things like the EE written on "The empowerment of the Feminine in JRR Tolkien's Th…
Last reply by traveller, -
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Hey, it's my first year doing the IB prep year and I'm really struggling with English text analysis and essays(paper 1 and 2) since I have no prior experience to composing essays. I was wondering if anyone had any structure/tips they would be kind enough to share? Thanks in advance:)
Last reply by susanne, -
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Hi guys, I was wondering what you think of choosing a graphic novel, namely Persepolis, for my written assignment? I really enjoyed the book, however, I'm confused as to how to analyze Persepolis with regards to literary devices, etc, when most of the meaning is created through the pictures. If I solely discuss the pictures, will I lose marks in any of the criteria? Thanks in advance.
Last reply by chrisncal2, -
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First of all, how did you find it?... I really enjoyed it at first but it started to get boring for me later on. I found Abigail quite fascinating though. Do you think the crucible has anything to do with arthur miller's relationship with Marilyn Monroe? My teacher said Abigail is basically Marilyn Monroe to him.. but I didn't understand that because I don't really know of their relationship. What do you guys think about this? Lastly, has anyone read any other play/book by arthur miller? And what were your thoughts on it? I'm currently reading "A view from the bridge" by him.
Last reply by usernamed, -
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Hi guys, I'm doing my written assignment on Persepolis, and I wanted some advice regarding my topic. Initially, I was thinking of doing something along the lines of, "To what extent does conformity inhibit the people's freedom in Satrapi's Persepolis?" But I'm not sure if that's literary enough If not, do I do something like "To what extent does the author use elements of a graphic novel to illustrate the effects of conformity?" Or is "the elements of a graphic novel" too vague? But if I narrow it down to only symbolism, I'm not sure if that's too narrow I wanted to discuss how the government enforced rules that made everyone uniform, e.g., the veil, and by maki…
Last reply by Blackcurrant, -
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Hi, so I've decided to do my Lit in translation essay on Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen and I've come up with this question: "How and to what effect does Ibsen use the character of Pastor Manders to comment on Norwegian society and its values in Ghosts?" I'm not sure if I'm overcomplicating the task.. Is the question suitable or should I just simplify it to something like "What is the significance of Pastor Manders in Ghosts?" For the essay I know I mainly want to focus on the character of Pastor Manders and how he represents society - and what aspects of society he represents (e.g. the hypocrisy of Norwegian society) and my general outline is to focus on: - the duality o…
Last reply by lcdrz, -
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So I started a bit on my IOP and I was leaning more towards doing kind of a commentary when I'm comparing my two works (I'm comparing different thematic views on death). I was going to talk about one text, then the other and I'll summarize the comparisons at the end. Which type of IOP's score the highest generally? Would that be a more creative IOP or a more essay-like one? I'm just really bad with creative responses...
Last reply by ibprincess, -
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I'm very worried about my english January mock exams. ( I'm not a native speaker and my english skill is very poor with a 4 on all of my reports for english SL, but for the actual tasks Ive done over the year, there were some 3 including as well So that, I now really NEED your guys helps and advices on how should I prepare for my Eng SL paper 1 and paper 2 mock exams that are coming. Thank you so much in advance ! Ps. I take ENG literature SL...
Last reply by Blackcurrant, -
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So, we're suppose to do an IA over House of the Spirits, a number of poems given to us, and/or Persepolis. I chose to do the parallel between Lady Lazareth and Persepolis suggesting that power is gained through death. My teacher asks what would be the effect of the parallel, but it's weirding me out. Wouldn't it the theme be the effect?
Last reply by Emmi, -
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I really need help with the structure of my written task. I'm writing a guide on how men can attract lesbians by speaking more feminine (it's going to be very ironic) but the problem is that I don't know how to structure a guide... Should it be a step by step guide, kind of like a manual? Or something completely else? Also, should I be formal or informal in my writing when trying to guide a person but still be ironic?
Last reply by Blackcurrant, -
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Was there a book that inspired you to develop passion in literature? For me, it all began with Lee Young Do's fantasy novel, Dragon Raja. I still thank my friend who recommended that book to me, because without reading that book, I would not have realized how fascinating literature can be, earlier. How about you?
Last reply by mechnight, -
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While many people are discussing school work in the summer break (at least it's still summer break for me), not many people have mentioned their choice of literature this summer. Which books have you guys read this summer, while trying to relax? So far I've finished North and South for my EE in English, as well as having read these books for leisure: - Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami - Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence - A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin - Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll - The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum ... And right now I'm reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. So how are you guys doing? If yo…
Last reply by thinksyoucanthink, -
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Hello, I am reading Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray for English class. I have an assignment to discuss places in the book where setting makes embodies a character. I have a few ideas bouncing around, which I will discuss if anyone joins me in this topic, but first I have a question. Do you believe setting can refer to both physical location as well as social setting (i.e. Rebecca's character is embodied by the lavish parties she attends, she perfectly fitted for the social scene of vanity fair)?
Last reply by Blackcurrant, -
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Hello! I am writing my extended essay on "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen, and I want to argue that letter writing is important. My reasons are: they describe character development, they advance the plot, and they set up the social setting. I asked my EE advisor, and he said to ask my Lit teacher. She has been on maternity leave for the past 3 weeks, and won't be back until next year. I want to get a jump start now because we have a draft due in a month. My Lit teacher isn't answering her emails. Thank you all! A thesis formula would be fine. I have written a thesis before (IB duh), but those seemed more obvious to me. Again, thank you! Second Question: Do you have …
Last reply by stress, -
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Does anyone know of any plays that have a theme or style similar to that of 'Hedda Gabler' by Ibsen? (NOT translated- originally written in English only!) Thankses.
Last reply by Arrowhead, -
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Please im badly stuck after stanza 3 analyz , can any one do a stanza by stanza summery Reluctance Out through the fields and the woods And over the walls I have wended; I have climbed the hills of view And looked at the world, and descended; I have come by the highway home, And lo, it is ended. The leaves are all dead on the ground, Save those that the oak is keeping To ravel them one by one And let them go scraping and creeping Out over the crusted snow, When others are sleeping. And the dead leaves lie huddled and still, No longer blown hither and thither; The last lone aster is gone; The flowers of the witch hazel wither; The heart is still aching to seek, But the …
Last reply by bellfrankding, -
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What's a book you absolutely hated? Why? For example, I loathe Jane Eyre. I find the title character to be vain and unfeeling and her actions to be idiotic. Also the plot seems a bit implausible.
Last reply by flinquinnster, -
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So I was wondering this? I used to read a lot of Harry Potter fanfiction when I was in the IB (that was a while ago) and it was always a guilty pleasure of sorts. Once, one of my friends caught me reading it in Maths class and she flipped out because she read an excessive amount of fanfiction too. We later found out that 5/8 people on our lunch table used to read fanfiction in their spare time. I sort of reduced this as university became intense, but I've continued to read the occasional story every now and again. So, anybody else out there? Also, if you do read HP fanfiction in particular, any recommendations?
Last reply by Arrowhead, -
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Does literature offer a means to understanding other cultures? Foreign mindsets? Which literary work (novel, poem, memoir, literary non-fiction) has given you insight into another mind, time or culture? Or your own culture and time? How? Share your personal views and experiences here.
Last reply by emantse, -
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Hi! We've just begun our options- texts and films and are now supposed to do an individual oral presentation on the short story "Memento Mori" and the film "Memento". Whilst I have a view ideas about what to present, I'm totally unsure about the whole visual and presentational aspect of the whole thing. Our teacher told us we were basically not supposed to do a powerpoint or prezi and instead something original and interesting to watch... But I have no idea what to do at all... Does anyone have any ideas how to present an analysis of a text/film in an interesting way??
Last reply by Blackcurrant, -
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Hello, I'm doing an Oral Presentation on the Handmaid's Tale. My question is: How do characters find ways to follow their natural instinct? If anybody has tips that might make it a great presentation, it would be most helpful. My time is between 10-15 minutes. I generally liked the book, but most people don't.
Last reply by Blackcurrant, -
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Opinions on the Greek Economic Crisis from the perspective of an economic analyst? How did it spiral into how it is now, how is it now, what possible effects would a Grexit have, etc..?
Last reply by Kingofprocrastination, -
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Hello, For my written task 2, I chose this question: How does the text conform to, or deviate from, the conventions of a particular genre, and for what purpose. In that I want to do the study and analysis of author's reworking of fairy tales. I alway seemed to get confused with the question. For example: I take a certain fairy tale, and depict that it is being re-written in the form of graphic novel, which is deviating from its original convention, which is first person narrative. Can someone give me tips on how to the answer the "How" in the question? Thank you
Last reply by TheSstudios, -
I needed help with this question on an old paper I read in english, Do you think that the characters in 1984 are portrayed by the author to be trapped somehow by means of society? Any references to characters in the book?
Last reply by ~Lc~, -
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For my world lit essay, I've chosen to do it on The Stranger. I thought it would be interesting to try and compare Mersault to the world around him because during the interactive oral about it, someone had mentioned that Africans were generally very warm people. I would love to hear some opinions and suggestions on where to go for in terms of research. Thank you!
Last reply by Blackcurrant, -
Okay so I have to do an outline for my IOP due Saturday.. I have chosen my topic, gathered about 15 quotes from the two books I am comparing (Gatsby and Heart of Darkness) so I really don't know what to do for my outline. Do I just list quotes and say what I would want to say for commentary around those lines? And how do I transition for quote to quote smoothly? Any advice would be helpful
Last reply by Blackcurrant, -
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I have to do an IOP presentation for English but i'm unsure of what to do. We have to use ideas from our essay on the book Next Stop by Ivan Sanchez. Someone HElppppppppppp
Last reply by Sam Mohn, -
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Hi! I'm working on my written assignment for world lit at the moment and I'm stuck on how to structure it. I have a "How..?" question, so I know that I have to put much focus on the techniques..However, in my past eng classes we've always learned to structure our paragraphs according to meaning not according to techniques. Does anyone know which of the two methods is better for an IB lit essay?
Last reply by Blackcurrant, -
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I am taking the eng lit hl course and i was wondering what the best ways of going about this course are, in order to get good grades. we're reading and discussing the books and making notes, but I'm not sure how i can improve my structure in essays etc. (we aren't writing many in class) any ideas?
Last reply by rockpapertash, -
could someone please explain what an over arching thesis is? i have my iop tomorrow :'(
Last reply by Blackcurrant, -
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Hello! I just started with my EE in earnest and I am planning to be finished by the end of this month so that I have little more than one week for re-reading it 100 times or so. My subject is English (Group 2 for me because I go to school in Switzerland) Category 3 - Literature Topic: Psychology of characters in "The things they carried" by Tim O'Briend and "The Short-Timers" by Gustav Hasford. Research Question: How and to what effect are the topics of psychological burdens, vulgar language and lunatic behaviour of soldiers in the Vietnam war treated differently in „The things they carried“ by Tim O’Brien and „The Short-Timers“ by Gustav Hasford? I have read both texts c…
Last reply by Blackcurrant, -
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Hello! I write because I would need help ASAP with my Extended Essay. I have my topic and ideas what I want to write about, but I'm panicing and I just cannot get started, because I don't know how to start writing my EE. My topic/research question: The portrayal of black women in society in The Color Purple by Alice Walker in comparison with Push by Sapphire. How do the main characters (Celie, Precious) emancipate in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple and in Push by Sapphire? The main focus of the essay would be on: · strategies to fight, factors that contribute to the rise of heroines · women-children role/function, growing up · parent-lo…
Last reply by Blackcurrant, -
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I have to present my IOP in 2 weeks and i have no idea how to start. the book I chose was James Baldwin's "Notes of A Native Son" and I'm not sure if my prospal should be an essay, chart or power point.
Last reply by Blackcurrant, -
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Hi there, I need resources for french poetry that is NOT from Quebec or France. If someone could point me towards an online resource that contains authors from the PLA and are more than 40 lines each poems for at least 10 poems. Thanks in advance A panicking student.
Last reply by Captain Jeeves,