Big Chunks or Integrate? (1 Viewer)

[Logix]

For the modules that require additional texts, do u guys write big definable chunks on each of the texts or do u blend it into ur essay?

I've heard the good essays do integrate each of the text into the essay instead of writing a paragraph on each.

Which do u guys do? and for the ones that do integrate, do u have any tips on how to do it?

 

[muzzling]

It probably comes across as more sophisticated writing if you integrate ,rather than take each text at a time and explain it. See if you can find any common trends in any of your add. texts with your required text and then make your essay go idea by idea, rather than text by text. This shows that you have a greater understanding of whats required and you're using your add. texts to support your ideas found in the required texts. You get me?
x

 

[Logix]

yeh i get u m8 thx alot

but how r u supposed to include al the texts? If there was a link between texts, coz i write in paragraphs, i would say, "similarly, tihs text also exhibits this qualities blah blah....."
how would u do that if u integrate?
would u say something along these lines "All three of these texts, (list the texts) show elements of such and such?"
the thing is i dunno how to structure those type of responses...

u got any ideas?

 

[muzzling]

Okay, well, say you do imaginative journeys for instance.. you have your coleridge poems and your add texts which might be Life of Pi and Life is Beautiful, and stim bk, umm... Atwood's interior journey and frost's the road not taken.. Pick out specific examples from all of them.. like:
- hallucinations -> Coleridge's "Kubla Khan" displays elements of hallucination as does Yann Martel's "Life of Pi"... The importance of this hallucination in relation to imaginative journeys... bla bla bla"
- contemplation -> Frost's "The Road not Taken" uses an imaginative journey to contemplate his life decisions, neither with remorse nor relief, much in the same way that Atwood contemplates the reality of her sanity in an exploration of inner self.. bla bla.. Each of these texts uses contemplation as an integral part of their journeying"
- remorse / relief -> Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" takes on several characteristics of a fable, not least of all with the use of a moral. The imaginative journey takes place in the form of remorse whereas Joshua owes his life to the imaginative journey his father took him on in "Life is Beautiful". Elements of the texts which allude to this are... bla bla bla"
How's that?
Go by similar threads of information rather than text by text and you'll find that its a lot easier to integrate. In your intro, instead of making your texts the main focus, make the elements of an imaginative journey the main focus. After all, these texts are there to support your argument, the marker doesn't just want a straight out analysis of each text, incongruous to the next..
Kapeish?
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[Logix]

ok thats cool

so u dont need that much on the additional texts, just sorta links and mentions here and there? i find that way is a bit harder because u cannot get out all the textual material properly if u structure it around the issues rather than the texts. just my opinion anyway. because how about if there is an issue that only relates to one text? then u cannot talk about it in terms of the other texts, cannot make a link.

or can u contrast it?

anyway, i will give it a go thx for the advice again

 

[muzzling]

You contrast it, like i did with my final issue...
The thing about this technique is that a lot of people in the state with just be regurgitating textual crap.. whereas this has a specific structure to which you can set out the texts. The ideas are the forerunner for the essay, but you're right, the depth of the essay needs to be created out to examples and support from your texts. Like, the ideas and issues would maybe make up your topic sentence of each new paragraph... And there wont be that many issues either, but you only need a few because by the time you pair the issue up with a few texts, it'll be long and precise enough, hopefully.
Back from the top of this post, contrasting is a link.. It doesn't have to be similar to adapt to the issue.. In fact, you'd probably have more to talk about if it did contrast.
Anyways, this is only one way of doing it, do whatever's easiest in the exam..
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[Logix]

how much examples do u reckon u need?

i've heard anywhere from bout 3 or 4 examples to something like 40-50% of ur essay has to be examples to back up ur points

 

[Kimmi_R]

most definately intergrate!! you can still pick up marks for blending, relating or contrasting the texts if you dont have a very indepth understanding of them. and if you do know them really well and use meaning, techniques etc, you would get great marks. all exemplar responses ive sen for moduels have been intergrated.

 

[Logix]

r ur essays littered with examples to back up ur points? i think doin it this way requires more textual material examples etc and u need to know ur material alot betta....

wat do u guys think?

 

[muzzling]

Well, yeh, they sort of have to be littered with examples. Otherwise your argument will come across as weak. How else will you support your argument if not with quotes and examples from the texts?
And yes, this requires a fairly in-depth knowledge of your text, but from the marker's point of view, you've had about 2 months to actually prepare each one, after trials..
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[senso]

but if you need to refer to thos bos book, and like 2 other admat, and you have to give examples of how they relate, and throw in all techniques and stuff.. Won't you end up with like only 2 points because it takes to long to explain each one?

 

[silvermoon]

band six marks come from synthesis of texts. in other words, complete integration. on that note, avoid EVER using the word 'similarly' - this is a key word for a band 4-5 response.

 

[senso]

What should i say instead?

 

[silvermoon]

u shouldn't really need to say anything - just knock it out of the sentence. for example, if u had been writing about wordsworth and malouf and had just been talking about how WW uses the theme of childhood and now wanted to go on and talk about how malouf also uses this theme - instead of writing, 'Similarly, Malouf looks at the concept of...' just write 'In 'An Imaginary Life', Malouf uses the concept of the child to...' thus, u have clearly shown the link without stating that they are similiar. ideally, u shouldn't be writing in this form but fully synthesising the texts - but if u want to go the way i outlined above, just avoid the word similarly. at all costs!

 

[steph@nie]

I use the word similarly, and it has never affected my marks, nor do I integrate.

Its whatever suits you best, don't try to change your essay style now because it may cause more harm than good.

 

[silvermoon]

wel, this may be the case - that depends on how ur teachers have marked. but put it this way. u will not get a band 6 in the hsc without integration. full and close-to-full marks can only be awarded for synthesis, supposedly the hardest order of thinking. while writing 'similarly' in ur response doesn't mean u can't get a band 6, the marker automatically puts u in at best band 5, meaning that u have 2 write a completely brilliant essay to move that up. The fact is that 'similarly' is a key word for analysis in the hsc, so its better to avoid using it if u can. the use of this word indicates that while u can see the link u cant synthesise ur response from it - ie, u cant do anything with the knowledge other than point out that its there, so of course ur going to get a lower mark.

 

[~*HSC 4 life*~]

i think making links between texts is important, but you should structure everything systematically...i actually got penalised for tryign to integrate everything, teachers find it a bit difficult to mark things that are just all blnded together without being searated into proper succint paragraphs...you make the links with the topic sentence of each paragraph i think? meh

 

[steph@nie]

I write paragraphs on each text, and then, if need be, I will link them to the prescribed text. For example, in my journey essay (version 4 million), I talk about both Skrzynecki poems, and then with my related texts, at the end of talking about them I link their themes to Skrzynecki, but I'd hardly call that an integrated essay.

 

[silvermoon]

well, thats because its not an integrated essay. to integrate, find themes to compare and contrast, use techniques to show how composers get their message across and then develop your thesis by making an analysis of what concepts about journyes etc. can be drawn from this. ie. put 2 things together to draw ur own conclusion.

 

[frazzle]

I have been doing my essays mostly by chunks, but linking every "chunk", so does that count as both? it's so hard to intergrate... *sigh*