The English Miscellany

" The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function." --- F. Scott Fitzgerald Have you recently received your exam results? Are you preparing for an exam? I have made a short list of some of the best tips that will help you to improve your exam results in the future. How many of these strategies DID you follow (or not) in your recent work? Employ short blocks of time for work. Develop a balanced workload between all subjects means variety. Select days off work for leisure. Write down a list of reasons to be motivated. Reward yourself for doing the hours planned. Starting to revise too late in the process. Don't just rely on your revision sessions run by your school or college. Summarize your notes. Create Mindmaps or other visualizations to aid recall. Devise your own mnemonics or memory games. Read and study past exam papers. Ensure that you know what the ...

Can I improve my exam and/or revision technique? Absolutely. You can typically improve your exam performance by working on technique, and by having a better revision strategy. Seek out the other tips on this site for more information. You might be able to improve your grades by 5-25%. T ry this programm e. How important are GCSEs ? It depends. Our culture is traditionally dominated by paper qualifications. Typically you will need Maths and English for career progression, plus 3 other subjects. But GCSE performance does not predict success at A-level or at University, unless you've scored 10 X A* . Remember that life skills, social skills, volunteering and other experience are also valued by employers. I have to confess that despite my C in English Literature, I went on to receive the class medal, and first class honours in this subject. What should I do if my results are not up to scratch? Consider re-taking key subjects such as Maths or English. Seek advice fro...

“Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot.” --- Charlie Chaplin. "Dramatic comedy, from which fictional comedy is mainly descended, has been remarkably tenacious of its structural principles and character types." (Northrop Frye, Anatomy of Criticism ) "The days of Comedy are gone, alas! When Congreve's fool could vie with Moliere's bete :   Society is smooth'd to that excess,  That manners hardly differ more than dress." --- Byron "Man is the merriest species of the creation, all above and below him are serious." --- Addison “This world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those that feel.” --- Horace Walpole. “Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious.” --- Peter Ustinov “The duty of comedy is to correct men by amusing them.” --- Moliere. "In the hands of a comic genius the pretence of stupidity is the triumph of irony." "In my mind, the...

An Examination of the role of CHARACTER in literary texts Superficially ... “A person in a story, someone we can relate to, or identify with ...” But Note: Caricature – 2-dimensinal, simple, represents one value, e.g. the angry man, jealousy = related to allegory and satire = distortion for effect of one quality, or exaggeration of certain features; stereotypes Narrative functions – hero/villain, trickster, false hero, magician, father/son, mother/daughter, outcast, rebel. In real life people that we come to know well are seldom just functions or caricatures. Real living people in the media, or celebrities, often have an assumed character or role that might be quite different from how they are in their personal life. In texts, an assumed role is called a persona , in the media we even talk about ‘personalities’ to express the public projection of a role. Perceptions of role or character can also be manipulated e.g. spin doctors and propagandists ma...