The Antidote to Alpaca Farming

LANGUAGE, STRUCTURE & FORM A question that emerges fairly commonly is how language, structure and form can be incorporated into an essay. Obviously form varies depending on which paper you're analysing, for instance poetic form would incorporate rhythm, metre and they poem type (sonata, lyric, etc.) whereas prose form may be linked to genre. It is important to look at these three sections of analysis as interlinking. If you took a house for a visual example: Form - House outline Structure - Individual rooms Language - Furniture Below are some aspects of each of these three sections that you should aim to cover within your essays! FORM : o Fiction / Non-fiction: Novel | Poem | Drama | Biography | Travel Writing | Letter | Diary o Genre: Dystopian | Specualtive | Tragedy | Allegory | Epic | Ballad | Sonnet | Elegy | Free Verse | Comedy o Narrative: Omnicient | Monologue | Dialogue | Objective | Self-Conscious | Stanzas | Scenes | Chapters | Rhyme Sc...

EXPLORE HOW SHAKESPEARE TREATS THE THEME OF LOVE IN OTHELLO - RELATE YOUR DISCUSSION TO RELEVANT CONTEXT AND CRITICAL READING ~ timed: 1 hour ~ * I knew this essay title before writing it and did not include my planning within the time limit. I chose to write it this way as it allows me to learn relevant context, critics and content as I went along, as well as getting used to timed conditions for the actual essay writing. Key: * these are the notes my teacher made so will not mark every aspect of every AO within the essay, only those with most prominence and relevance! CORRECTIONS AO1 AO2 AO3 AO5 Love can thematically expand from romantic to familial to friendship however its purpose in Shakespeare's plays is usually to highlight human error and societal constraints . Chains of events linked to both of these subjects are what inevitably leads Othello's narrative to its tragic and pathetic conclusion. Loomba argues that 'Iago's machinations are e...

A2 - GREECE & PERSIA ' RELATIONS BETWEEN GREEK CITY-STATES AND PERSIANS CHANGED COMPLETELY AS A RESULT OF THE BATTLE OF MARATHON. ' TO WHAT EXTENT DO THE SOURCES SUPPORT THIS VIEW? Step 1: When I started planning this essay, I made a table showing relations between Greece and Persia before and after the Battle of Marathon. The ' before ' column included things like:  - Darius' earlier expedition to Thrace (513 BC)  - Ionian Revolt and the involvement of Greek allies, specifically Athens and Eritrea (499-493 BC)  - Athens' refusal to take back Hippias, thus rebuking their 'earth and water' pledge to Persia  - Mardonius' expedition (492 BC)  - General attitudes that greek poleis and the Persian empire had towards each other before their first real battle interaction in 490 BC Whereas, the ' after ' column had examples such as:  - Improved Greek unity vs better Persian tactical strategies, suggesting that the attitudes of the...

THE BATTLE OF ACTIUM WHAT WAS THE BACKGROUND TO THIS CONFLICT? o 33 BC : The breakdown of the second Triumvirate was caused by Antony's treatment of Octavia  - he basically disavowed his and Octavian's marriage alliance by openly recognising Cleopatra as his wife  - war between the two was inevitable o Octavian had the upper hand in war propoganda because of his station in Rome  - when the inhabitants of Italian towns and cities swore allegiance to Octavian and his descendants and pledged to support him against his private enemies, the provincials of Sicily, Sardinia, Africa, Spain and Gaul followed suit o 32 BC : Antony's amicii were consuls and they opposed Octavian's demands to read Antony's will  - Antony sent formal notification of his divorce to Octavia o Octavian ensured that Antony's will (which he got from the Vestal Virgins) was made public which horrified the Romans  - recognition Ptolemy Caesar as the true son of Julius Caesar  - ex...

GENERAL WHAT ARE THE KEY FEATURES OF A SUCCESSFUL ESSAY? o Answers the Question o Well-Structured - Develops a clear line of Argument o Uses Textual Evidence effectively o Includes close analysis of Language o Well-Expressed & accurately Written o Uses a Range of Contexts effectively o Interesting for the Reader o Strong Introduction & Conclusion o Demonstrates Independent Thought, Personal Engagement & some Originality o Engages in Critical Debate o Uses an Advanced Critical Vocabulary o Fulfils the Assessment Objectives   WHAT ARE SOME HANDY TECHNIQUES? o PEE (Point | Evidence | Explanation) o PEA (Point | Evidence | Analysis) o PEAL (Point | Evidence | Analysis | Link) o PETER (Point | Evidence | Technique | Explanation | Reflection / Reader's Response) o PEECEE (Point | Evidence | Explanation | Comparison | Evidence | Explanation) ~ word of warning ~ Although all of these structures include all the required components of a good essay parag...

A2 - ROME HOW FAR DO THE SOURCES SUPPORT THE VIEW THAT THE SENATE FAILED TO DEAL WITH THE CHALLENGES FACING THE ROMAN REPUBLIC? WHAT TOPIC(S) DOES THIS QUESTION FALL UNDER? o Challenges made by these individuals & factions to the authority of the Senate, and the various responses to emergencies  - changing distribution of power  - importance of individuals  - violence as a political tool  - growing importance of plebs & their demands WHAT IS RELEVANT TO THAT TOPIC? o Sulla & Caesar's dictatorship  - unprecedented power of Pompey & other militarians o Social unrest within Rome  - increase of violence ( especially in the 50s BC ) o Risk of Civil War o Campaigns ( against Spartacus, Pirates, etc. ) o Ambitons of Individuals and the threats they posed to the Senate ( Sulla, Pompey, Caesar, etc. ) WHAT SOURCES HAVE I DECIDED TO USE AND WHY? o in Catilinam, II, 18 ( Cicero's Speeches ) - novae tabulae ( 63 BC ) o Life of S...

A2 -  Rome HOW FAR DO THE SOURCES SUPPORT THE VIEW THAT THE SENATE FAILED TO DEAL WITH THE CHALLENGES FACING THE ROMAN REPUBLIC? ~ timed: 1 hour ~ * I did not know the exact essay title before writing this however I was given just over an hour's planning time beforehand with the theme 'Socio-Economic Problems' to focus on Key: EXAMPLES DATES SOURCES ( TEACHER NOTES ) Throughout the 70s , 60s and 50s BCE , the Roman Senate faced many socio-economic challenges. Not only did this include the increasing power of individuals such as Pompey and Caesar but also external factors which affected Rome like the Social War ( 90-88 BCE ), for which the problems were never fully addressed, the Slave revolt ( 73-71 BCE ) and the Piracy issues (mainly in 67 BCE ). The Senate took several stances on how to approach these challenges but largely they used powerful militarians or strong politicians to take control of the situation. In this essay I ( NEVER USE 'I' IN AN...

DIODORUS SICULUS WHO WAS HE? o Roman from Sicily in 1st century BC o Writing from 60-30 BC CONTEXT OF WRITINGS? o 40 books of history in 3 sections  - 1) Mythic history until Trojan war  - 2) Trojan war until Alexander the Great  - 3) Alexander the Great until 60 BC o Theme: all of the Mediterranean cities coming under Roman rule PURPOSES OF WRITINGS? o Year-by-Year account of Greek and Roman history WHAT WAS HIS ORIGINAL AUDIENCE? o Romans circa 30 BC RELIABLE? o Conveys the virtues as well as the vices of his sources o Unequivocal evidence that the Spartan gerousia deliberated over policy and wasn't just a judical body UNRELIABLE? o Rarely quotes sources o Speeches are lacking o Mistakes in chronology o Never critical o He records some divine intervention Specified Sources: o Diodorus, 11.50 Other Useful Sources: ~ to be added in later ~

BLOOM'S TAXONOMY This is a triangle of learning, beginning with knowledge and ending with evaluation, that signifies the six cognitive levels of complexity. The system I've worked with (shown below) is the old version however it is almost a foolproof system to create a model essay paragraph! When one is thinking through Bloom's Taxonomy, they must remember that the full argument cannot be structured until all 6 cognitive thoughts have been developed. Therefore, essay planning, in theory, should work its way up through this triangle in order to establish a clear answer for the question. 1. KNOWLEDGE o Recall of narrative / structure 2. COMPREHENSION o Understanding of how this links to themes 3. APPLICATION o What areas specifically contain these links (quotes) 4. ANALYSIS o How it relates to the text 5. SYNTHESIS o Creating an argument / why is my information relevant? 6. EVALUATION o Concluding Argument Here , I will link my personal use of Bloom...

ESSAY QUESTIONS o Untersuchen Sie die Wirkung von Claires Besuch auf die anderen Personen in diesem Stueck  - Examine the effect of Claire's visit on the other characters in this play o Beurteilen Sie die Wichtigkeit des Buergermeisters in diesem Stueck  - Assess the importance of the mayor in this play o Analysieren Sie, wie erfolgreich die Symbolik in diesem Stueck ist  - Analyse how successful the symbolism in this play is o  Erklaeren Sie, was das Wort „Gerechtigkeit“ in diesem Stueck bedeutet  - Explain what the word "justice" means in this play o  Welche Rolle spielen die beiden Eunuchen Koby und Loby in dem Stueck?  - What role do the two eunuchs Koby and Loby have in the play? o  Analysieren Sie den Wandel, der in Guellen waehrend Claires Besuch stattfindet  - Analyse the change that takes place in Guellen during Claire's visit o  In wie fern kann man von einer Verurteilung Alfred Ills sprechen?  - ...

AESCHYLUS WHO WAS HE? o Dramatist of early 5th Century o Military Man CONTEXT OF WRITINGS? o Fought at Marathon - also probably at Salamis & Plataea PURPOSE OF WRITINGS? o Warnings against hubris  - showed that human arrogance was punished severely by the gods ( Xerxes pushed his limits ) WHAT WAS HIS ORIGINAL AUDIENCE? o Athenian men  - these were aware of Aeschylus' technique of deliberate omissions & inaccuracies in order to illustrate his purpose RELIABLE? o Eye-witness account o Military background  - vivid description of the battle of Salamis o Some collaborations with Herodotus UNRELIABLE? o Carries a religious message not just to glorify the Greek victory over Persia  - claims that Marathon was a victory of the gods o Doesn't mention any Greeks by name o Streamlined his account for dramatic purposes ( however, his audience was aware of this! ) Specified Sources: ~ N/A | A2 source ~ Other Useful Sources: o The Per...

ARISTOPHANES WHO WAS HE? o Athenian (447 - 385 BC) o Comedic Playwright CONTEXT OF WRITINGS? o Famous for fighting against unworthy politicians that used Demagoguery (manipulative approachl to people using their emotions & prejudices) and ancients who practised Sophism (arguing for the sake of it) PURPOSE OF WRITINGS? o Entertain o Fight against Demagoguery & Sophism WHAT WAS HIS ORIGINAL AUDIENCE? o Greek Males RELIABLE? o Outlook of Sparta from Athens UNRELIABLE? o Playwright NOT Historian o First & Foremost aim is comedic value not historical accuracy Specified Sources: o Lysistrata (980-1321) Other Useful Sources: ~ not sure there are any but I will update this if I find some ~

PLUTARCH WHO IS HE? o Greek living in a Roman World ( 46 BC - 120 AD ) o Biographer NOT Historian  - believed character was more important than accomplishments o Pontifex (not that important) CONTEXT OF WRITINGS? o Wrote biographies of famous Greeks and Romans ( compared Roman to Greek counterpart ) o Not a fan of the Julio-Claudian Emperors ( bias ) o Removed from the action ( theoretically objective ) PURPOSE OF WRITINGS? o Evaluated personality opposed to historical achievements o Based his comparison upon similar virtues & vices WHAT WAS HIS ORIGINAL AUDIENCE? o Educated Elite  - aristocratic / optimate bias  - known and admired by some Emperors RELIABLE? GREECE: o Variety of source material ROME : o Access to various records ( Senatorial / Imperial / Earlier Historians / Cicero's Letters ) o Easier to understand the complex nature of the Roman political system GENERAL: o Rounded portraits of the people he wrote about o Theore...

1st Mithridatic War WHO WAS MITHRIDATES? Valleius Paterculus - 'ever eager for war, of exceptional bravery, always in great spirit and sometimes in achievement, in strategy a general, in bodily prowess a soldier, in hatred to Romans, a Hannibal' o One of the most powerful rulers in Asia - King Mithridates Eupator ( VI ) o Extremely ambitious - gained the throne by murdering his brother & imprisoning his mother o Possessed characteristics of a Hellenistic monarch o Forceful character & exceptional physical strength o Admirer of Greek culture o Ability as a general matched his diplomacy WHAT WAS THE BACKGROUND TO THIS CONFLICT? o Mithridates had already explanded the kingdom of Pontus north of the Black sea o 104 BC : occupied Galatia, Paphlagonia & Cappadocia  - brought him into conflict with rulers friendly to Rome o 96 BC : Sulla ( currently governor of Cilicia ) reinstated the king of Cappadocia & prevented Mithridates establishing an allianc...

SULLA WHAT IS SAID ABOUT HIM? Plutarch, Life of Sulla (31) : ~ Quote from Metellus on Proscriptions ~ ' "We are not asking you," he said, "to pardon those whom you have decided to kill; all we ask is that you should free from suspense those whom you have decided not to kill" ' Velleius Paterculus : ~ on Tribunes ~ 'Anyone of reputation or birth shunned the office thereafter' 'He left the tribunican power a shadow without substance' Plutarch, Life of Sulla (33) : ~ on Imperium ~ ( 81 BC ) 'A decree was passed giving him immunity for all his past acts, while for the future he was to have the power of life and death, the power to confiscate property, to found colonies, to found new cities or to demolish existing ones, to take away or bestow kingdoms at his pleasure' WHAT WERE HIS MOST IMPORTANT ACHIEVEMENTS? o Cursus Honorum  - redraft of the lex Villia Annalis (senator could not hold same office twice in 10 years) o Se...