Paper 2 Section B (Fitzgerald/Larkin)

 HOW TO ANSWER SECTION B – THE BASICS

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT –

*You must refer to THREE of Larkin’s poems. NO MORE THAN FOUR AS A MAXIMUM.

*You MUST include POETIC TERMINOLOGY as part of your essay (rhyme, metre, rhythm, enjambment, caesura etc)

*You must always tell the examiner where about your quote is from (which poem, which chapter etc)

  1. Make sure you KEY WORD the question, as it is ESSENTIAL that you answer the question directly. If it says to discuss how the writers present attitudes to RELATIONSHIPS, for example, then EVERY POINT must relate back to RELATIONSHIPS. If the question is about MONEY, then every point must relate back to MONEY. It is that simple.
  2. Include the following in your intro:

*Introduce ‘The Whitsun Weddings’, stating that it was written by Philip Larkin in the mid 20th century, and that it tackles themes such as social marginalisation and critiques societal expectations regarding relationships.

*Make a sensible comment about CONTEXT (such as, ‘Larkin was writing in a time where people were expected to conform to the societal expectation of marriage, and were largely bound by the class they were born into.

*Use comparative language to introduce ‘The Great Gatsby’ such as ‘On the other hand, my second text is…’

*State that it was written by F Scott Fitzgerald in 1920s USA, tackling themes of moral bankruptcy and the lost generation.

*Make a sensible comment about CONTEXT, comparing to Larkin if possible. Such as, ‘Similar to Larkin, Fitzgerald was writing at a time when…’

*Write a simple sentence that begins to answer the question in a very basic manner. Do not use evidence here though.

  1. Find your points. You will need to find at least FOUR similar or different points to compare the two texts that answer the question. These comparisons can be similar TONES, MOODS, FEATURES, CONTEXTS, IDEAS….or interesting opposites.

*Include a topic sentence that COMPARES both texts, stating what your point of comparison is. For example, ‘Both texts create a voice of REGRET when talking about UNREALISTIC STANDARDS set by society.

*Analyse Larkin in relation to this point by including AT LEAST one quote from one poem, and unpacking it with terms. CHECK THAT YOUR ANALYSIS IS ANSWERING THE QUESTION.

*Make sure you comment on why certain key words and features are important.

*Make sure you have extended your point by talking about the EFFECT ON THE READER, or how the text reflects the CONTEXT OF THE TIME.

*Analyse GATSBY in relation to this point by including AT LEAST one quote from the novel, and unpacking it with terms. CHECK THAT YOUR ANALYSIS IS ANSWERING THE QUESTION.

*Make sure you comment on why certain key words and features are important.

*Make sure you have extended your point by talking about the EFFECT ON THE READER, or how the text reflects the CONTEXT OF THE TIME.

*Read back over your paragraph to make sure it answers the question.

*Repeat!

  1. For your conclusion, simply write a couple of sentences summing up your main arguments. It doesn’t really matter what you say, as long as the essay seems finished.

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