Prowess Posted September 19, 2011 Report Share Posted September 19, 2011 Hey fellow IB peers!I'm just beginning my Extended Essay ( 1st year) and am choosing my topic in English. How would it work if I pick to books: one Utopian and the other Dystopian, and compare the themes in the two books. I know that there are very noticeable comparisons by the same author in both books. So my topic would be like: "A comparison between Utopian and Dystopian views in _____ and ______ by _________. Is this too general; will I have to pick one specific theme? I'm not sure that I will have enough to write on that particular theme. I'm thinking, if possible, to narrow it down to the Views on Drugs an Alcohol in two classic novels. All help is appreciated. Feel free to share your EE topics in this thread too.Peace, and study safe! (sigh) Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arrowhead Posted September 20, 2011 Report Share Posted September 20, 2011 Take my word for it, the utopian-dystopian idea has been done to death. To absolute, unequivocal, irreversible death. If you scour the EE forum on this website and look through previous posts on English EEs, you will find that out of 10, maybe 3 or 4 were centred around the idea of utopias and dystopias in very clichés novels to boot.Your 'narrower' idea on Drugs and Alcohol however has some merit. But actually, since you're into classics, maybe looking into the idea of smoking, from cigarettes to cigars and eventually snuff. How these elements are used to give a certain understated depth to characters in certain settings? I'm just jumping with ideas (an essay on smoking in Mad Men would be awesome!!), do what you think would make you happy.Arrowhead. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prowess Posted September 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2011 (edited) Didn't know what to expect when posting on here. Glad there are people like you who are willing to help. I have decided to narrow my topic down to "To what extent and for what effect is phychopharmacology used to compare utopian and dystopian themes in Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" and "Island". Or similarly, "To what extent and for what effect is characterization used to show greed in Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" and "Island". I believe both topics will have substance. I'm quite worried, though, that my topic is now free for anyone to take on the internet. Lol. Anyway, what do you think? Cheers. Edited September 25, 2011 by Nick Habibi Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arrowhead Posted September 25, 2011 Report Share Posted September 25, 2011 (edited) Trust me, nobody is going to steal your topic, however I wouldn't be surprised if there is already a substantial amount of literature on your topic readily available. While your topic has substance and is narrow enough (btw, it's psychopharmacology not phyco-but I assume that was a typo), your books are so overdone it's not even funny. Seriously, why does everyone gravitate to this idea of utopias and dystopias in these heavily cliché novels? I must have read a dozen English EE posts in the past 3 months and of them at least half included Brave New World and the idea of a utopia in some sense. Where is your originality people? The point of the EE is to pursue an idea or topic in a subject area that fascinates you, but the topic is generally far removed from anything you've studied in class or is just in an obscure novel or an old idea used in a new way. Nobody wants to be original anymore... With regards to your second topic, it is even more boring and overdone than the first. However, having a greatly over-written topic with overtly used books doesn't necessarily mean that you won't receive a high grade. I'm sure you can come up with some novel analyses that will suitably impress your examiner. But bear in mind that by using such cliché books, your examiner(s) will compare your essay to other EEs that they've read over the years on these books that have been excellent (hence they are remembered) and if you don't match up or beat them, chances are you will get a slightly lower score than what you would have gotten for an EE of same quality but on different books. But that's a very subjective view to take... I guess the issue is that English EEs are so subjective that your examiner might or might not get what you're trying to say and that alone can make such a huge difference. It's not all cut and dry and if the examiner feels bored, your marks immediately start to plummet. Anyway, I'm done rambling, Best of luck! Arrowhead. Edited September 25, 2011 by Arrowhead Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prowess Posted September 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2011 (edited) Maybe so. I don't think anyone has compared the book to "Island" though, which was Huxley's last novel. The reason I am doing such a topic is due to my own personal interest in the topic. I understand that my no means is it an "easy" topic. So you like the first one more than the second? I also lead philosophical clubs at my school. You can see that perhaps unlike others, I am doing that topic based on interest. I was quite saddened by the lack of similar topics though. I'll go research some more. What did you do it in?PS. Perhaps you would also be kind enough to provide some links for those topics on similar books.Cheers. Edited September 25, 2011 by Nick Habibi Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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