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Commentary help


Esmeraldaa

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[url="http://www.ibsurvival.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=36#Unseen%20Commentary"]http://www.ibsurvival.com/forum/index.php?...en%20Commentary[/url]
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[quote name='Esmeraldaa' post='25101' date='Sep 23 2008, 10:26 AM']I have a commentary tomorrow on a passage in 'The Poisonwood Bible' and I'm really terrible at writing them. If anyone could post up a sample commentary or give me pointers and perhaps a layout I should follow when writing mine, I would be forever grateful![/quote]

Also, if you've just started the IB, then learning how to write commentaries is going to be pretty much a gradual and self-driven process. Your teacher should give you an introduction on how to start, examples and help you out with specific passages, but it takes time and lots of practice. Don't expect your first batch of commentaries to be great, they won't be. They're for you to learn from. Eventually, if you put in enough time and practice, you should have a "feel" on how to start a commentary, even when you're given a poem or prose piece you've never ever seen. Your approach will differ from passage to passage.

I find it helpful to:

1. Read the passage a few times, to understand and look at any supporting material/context.
2. Write a short synopsis
3. Annotate and plan
4. Write the commentary, starting with an intro, a paragraph for synopsis, then moving onto the features identified based on importance...then conclusion.

Everyone has their own approach. It's scary, I wrote my first commentary on a short story without basically any help from my teacher.

Just listen to what your teacher says, do your best and learn from it. Don't say that you're terrible, I highly doubt that you've had much experience...you can only really ever say that perhaps the day after your Paper 1 exam!

Good luck, and don't get scared/bogged down. It gets so much easier and instinctive as you go.

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[quote name='shotaway' post='25131' date='Sep 23 2008, 10:18 PM']Good luck, and don't get scared/bogged down. It gets so much easier and instinctive as you go.[/quote]

Yeah, I agree. There's also something that I've been taught called SCASI - it stands for the Setting, Characters, Action, Style and Ideas of a piece of prose or a poem. It doesn't work for everyone, but it works pretty well for me. Basically, I read the passage a couple of times, annotate, then try and fit it into those five categories, and then write a paragraph on each category. I'd be willing to explain it more if you want..

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[quote name='rrswong' post='25308' date='Sep 25 2008, 11:58 AM']Yeah, I agree. There's also something that I've been taught called SCASI - it stands for the Setting, Characters, Action, Style and Ideas of a piece of prose or a poem. It doesn't work for everyone, but it works pretty well for me. Basically, I read the passage a couple of times, annotate, then try and fit it into those five categories, and then write a paragraph on each category. I'd be willing to explain it more if you want..[/quote]
Yes Please Explain more!

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[quote name='Esmeraldaa' post='25101' date='Sep 23 2008, 12:26 AM']I have a commentary tomorrow on a passage in 'The Poisonwood Bible' and I'm really terrible at writing them. If anyone could post up a sample commentary or give me pointers and perhaps a layout I should follow when writing mine, I would be forever grateful![/quote]

this technique really helps me with commentaries. MIFSIA

M-meaning that the writer is tryin to portray
I- intention. what is the writers intention?
F- form. talk about the form the text is written in, if its a poem is it blank or free verse? etc
S- sound and sense
I-imagery, metaphors similes etc
A- assessment. what u think of the text as a whole and how it has come across to u

i hope this helps. i always helps me

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I just had a test on these... never done one before... didnt do great at all... how bad is 15/25 for a first one? :):S
anyway, i was just wondering if anyone had any had any pointers or whatever as we have to do another one and i really really suck.

we got given these...

is that basicly all there is? or is any one really good at these and want to share there genius?
:)
when im a genius i will share. :)

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