Number of Related Texts for Essay? (1 Viewer)

[meliebot]

I'm doing Science Fiction and was looking over past papers for the Genre module, and saw that a lot of the questions say "at least TWO other related texts"...and so I became incredibly confused (and subsequently feel stupid because I'm guessing the answer is going to be pretty straightforward)
Does it mean use two texts or three?
Would it be ok to use the minimum amount which seems to be just two?

 

[melissa_mac]

we have been taught to have two. like i guess if you have three prepared then you could use the two most appropriate to the question or all three. But yeh two is the expected amount, however it helps to reference other texts perhaps to show longevity of certain aspects of the genre or to compare genre traits to that of an earlier paradigm.

 

[meliebot]

ah! THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU. So I'm taking it you're only using two prescribed and two related??
This makes me feel so so much better (mainly because I haven't found a third related text and with the exam only being two weeks away I can't be bothered - especially when I know I'll just use the two I already have anyway because I know them the best)...
Forever in your debt melissa_mac

 

[melissa_mac]

hehe glad to help. i see you don't finish till 2010 are you a year below? Thats very courageous of you to be doing extension english a year early if that is the case, it certainly is no walk in the park.

technically i have TWO prescribed and TWO independent texts but they put so much emphasis on the fact that they could have a question which really does lend itself to the text you didn't study (as everyone is meant to be taught THREE prescribed texts across the year). I know its hard being two weeks away but i would still just know a little about your third prescibed - you know - just incase.

with the independent texts, jesus, i have hardly any energy left to study a third one, it would be far to much effort, but like i said before it is still good to perhaps reference Edgar Alan Poe, Oedipus Rex or Hamlet or something to show the longevity of the genre's popularity and its constantly developing and thickening of content.

 

[meliebot]

Yeah. Year 11. At my school we do Prelim and HSC over two years with 3 subjects each year. I hope that makes sense...I have to explain to so many people and they just look confused. I've seen a lot of raised eyebrows in my time
Thanks so much for your help
Also about the structuring of the essay...is it basically one paragraph or so on each of the texts you're talking about? Is that how it works?? and then you link them all together and blah?

 

[melissa_mac]

na thats cool. at least the pressure is like nothing compared to if you did itt all in one year

hahaha i wish it was just one paragraph on each text

SYNTHESIS is so important in extension 1. You need your essay to be structured around a thesis based on answering the question then you use your texts to support your argument. Obviously you try to start with the text that you first introduce in your introduction but they assume that in extension you can tie all your texts together. In adv you can get away with one paragraph on each text but for a higher band in ext it's all about a strong argument with appropriate references to texts. Where each paragraph is a different point to your argument.

^^ its what we're roughly taught anyway. my school is just one of many, but thats how ive always done it

 

[meliebot]

argh. really???
My extension teacher hasn't really commented when I've handed in practice essays which are text by text.
I've been marked 24/25 for both of the ones I've handed in???
Now I'm extremely confused.
I guess I should probably practice integrated but if I do it badly, wouldn't it just be wiser to have a strong essay with text by text??
so, so tired.
Too much study
*tears hair out*

 

[melissa_mac]

im sure it would be fine if you do it text by text, obviously thats working if your getting 24/25!
but don't you find you use too much space that way? i always fine it easier to have a similar point and use two or three texts. (Although your sorta saying the same thing it looks like you written a lot more on each text )

 

[57o1i]

We've always been taught to go text by text as well ... writing two paragraphs per text (and maybe one paragraph if we add a third related text). Obviously revolving a around a central thesis, though.

I don't know, I don't think I would be mentally organised enough to keep my argument straight if I was referring to three texts within the same paragraph. I'm seriously impressed with anyone who can .

 

[meliebot]

SAME! If I had to keep going back to every text in each paragraph/point I made I'd get confused about what I had said and what I haven't said -- I'm glad I found someone who is doing it the same way as me
So I take it you're doing only two related texts too??

 

[LinziJane]

We're also taught to integrate texts around a point we're trying to make.

I'm having issues with the related texts thing. I always have way more than two related.. Like it says in the question usually 'at least two' but... how many do you think is too many for a related text? I focus on my prescribed, but is it bad to not have a big focus on each related because there's so many?

I haven't lost marks for it in class.. But.. Just occurred to me now that it's not what everyone else does lol

 

[Libby01P]

We've always been taught to focus around a thesis too. That way if you run out of time, you've mentioned all your texts and you've synthesised.

You have to learn three core texts and choose two for the question.
You must have two extra texts but it is recommended to have at least three to suit your texts to the question. Last year the biggest criticism was that the extra texts did not suit the question, so have a few up your sleeve. That said, don't go overboard because you'll end up overwelmed. I did three extra texts and can also refer to others in history. I'm doing Crime Fiction so I'm talking about Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle etc. as well as my other texts. I hope that'll be right

 

[sirpoopalot7]

It'll be 2 and 2. I just hope I have enough to write about on my second one. I'm doing Charlie the Unicorn 3 due to it's contemporary allusions to 2001 and general conventions of Science Fiction.