Need help in Commentary writing and English A1 Sl material

[dexter]

Please can some one help me i am taking Englsih Al SL and i was born in the US so the autmatically think you should be shakespeare and soo good in englsih im manging but i reallly want to get a 6 EVERY one is saying its impossible i just cant do a good commentary i can hit the right nails what do i do how do i write a commentary, how to deal with it i just cant get it right and some thing else that makes me want to kill my self last years graadutes the highest got a 4 in Englsih A1 SL so is there a chnace for a 6 for me by the way i usually get a 15 out of 20 in the commentary writing ( according to the IB marking scheme)

[Chesire_Cat]

[quote name='dexter' post='28401' date='Nov 14 2008, 02:11 PM']Please can some one help me i am taking Englsih Al SL and i was born in the US so the autmatically think you should be shakespeare and soo good in englsih im manging but i reallly want to get a 6 EVERY one is saying its impossible i just cant do a good commentary i can hit the right nails what do i do how do i write a commentary, how to deal with it i just cant get it right and some thing else that makes me want to kill my self last years graadutes the highest got a 4 in Englsih A1 SL so is there a chnace for a 6 for me by the way i usually get a 15 out of 20 in the commentary writing ( according to the IB marking scheme)[/quote]

These are some tips my English teacher gave our class: (A,B and C are for the oral commentary, the rest applies to both)


[b]A. [/b][b]Significance of Passage to the Work[/b]

1. Theme- meaning or its intended affect

2. Character- how he or she develops in the passage

3. Climax-rising action-falling action

4. Importance to Structure of the Novel



[b]B. [/b][b]Background for the passage[/b]

1. Historical background to elements of the passage

2. Historical background to the work itself and time period it was written

3. Typical elements of the author’s style or the genre

4. Author background information that is relatable or important for the passage— link a poem to the poet’s work as a whole.



[b]C. [/b][b]Context[/b]

1. Where does the passage fit into the plot? What is important before or after? Is there foreshadowing or something foreshadowed before that happens now? Echoing of other parts of the work or relationship to other parts of the work?



II. [b]Tight Focus: [i]Close Analysis of Tex[/i][/b][i]t [b]and Interpretation—Three-Fifths[/b][/i]



A. Literary Features: Comb the passage for significant literary features--[i]What is the author doing with language to create style, meaning, tone[/i]? Every passage has tone. Every passage uses diction. Every passage creates imagery. At the very least identify and analyze an example of each of those and be able to talk about points 1 & 2 below for each.



1. Relationship of Literary Feature to a point from part I

2. Effects of the Literary Feature on the reader: remember to speak about the author as a decision maker:

o Focus your commentary about the text [i]on the author[/i] choosing to create [b][i]X[/i][/b] imagery with the intention of causing [b][i]Y[/i][/b] effect in order to achieve [b][i]Z[/i][/b] (which is a point from part I). This will give your commentary structure and a higher presentation grade.



iii. [b]Structure: Introduction—Passage—Conclusion[/b]

[b] [/b]



A. Introduction

Identify the relationship of the passage in a contextual sense—where it fits into the plot and narrative and then touch on all areas of area I above—a,b,c. This will help fulfill the first parts of the rubric.



B. Body

Follow the linear progression of the passage discussing the most important aspects and how they are important to the story. Make sure the author’s intention is made clear as you identify her use of literary devices and language to create meaning. The rubric demands analysis of style and literary features—so find a way to get technical or your grade will suffer. This linear approach guarantees that you give treatment to the entire passage.



C. Conclusion

Less important than an essay, but still part of the art. The end of the passage is always a good place to end—what important developments does the passage lead to? How is some aspect of the end of the novel contributed to in this passage. Referring to the ending and connecting it to the passage can be a nice touch.