cathyk28 Posted May 24, 2014 Report Share Posted May 24, 2014 Hi guys! I have a question about Criterion A for Paper 2. Criterion A - Knowledge and understanding - 5 marksThe essay demonstrates an understanding of the works and knowledge of the contexts in which they were written. The student shows how context affects interpretations of the texts. I'm quite confused about what they mean by 'contexts in which they were written', especially on how to incorporate that into the essay. Does anyone have any tips/examples? Also, for the Paper 2 in general, does anyone have any tips on planning & crucial things to include? Thanks! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandwich Posted May 24, 2014 Report Share Posted May 24, 2014 Context in which they were written means basically the historical period that the author is in. So for instance, you couldn't truly understand Animal Farm by George Orwell without appreciating that he lived in a time period with Stalin and the Russian Revolution, because the book is in many ways a comment on the politics of the time. Similarly, every book Jane Austen ever wrote would be a tedious polemic of tea parties and insipid characters if you didn't appreciate that the time it was written, that was how those unfortunate people lived, and she was actually attempting some social commentary. Some people even go so far as to say she was writing parodies in some of the novels, but as parodies are meant to be funny... well it probably depends on your sense of humour, ahah. I mean, you could argue it is STILL a book about tea parties and insipid characters, of course But you can add another layer of 'understanding' but talking about the context in which it was written. Almost every book has some kind of context to do with the time period, the culture, the setting, experiences of the author and so on. Obviously you don't want to spend ages discussing it in the essay, you're not writing a History essay - it's for English! So just referring to it where appropriate to explain your points is how you should try and incorporate it in. Subtly showing the examiner your knowledge and awareness of context. I hope that makes sense. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathyk28 Posted May 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2014 Thank you! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.