Paper 1(Commentary) Practice

PAPER 1 DOMINANT-EFFECT THESIS STATEMENT DRIVEN COMMENTARY 11 Days To Our Exam WHATS A COMMENTARY AGAIN? Commentary=close reading and interpretation of a passage presented in essay form

You will demonstrate Understanding of thought (ideas) and feeling (emotions) of the passage Support your points with detailed references to the passage (quotations) Analyze and show appreciation of For Paper I, how much should I write? Flipping through finished practice exams, we can almost always predict

scores based on length. When we had kids write on notebook paper, double-spaced, I would tell them 6-8 pp = fully developed (this is when they have 2 hours); 4 pages or less = underdeveloped = will score lower Writing an Introduction to your commentary Go straight to the literature Write 2-3 sentences explaining what the poem or passage is about (shows understanding)

Write your thesis stating a clear argument about dominant effect (intellectual and emotional). Do NOT list a bunch of techniques. Commentary Body Paragraphs Nuanced evidence analyzed insightfully Well-paragraphed New idea, new paragraph BTSs show the clear development of your

argument, linking one idea to the next Conclusion of your commentary Dont repeat Briefly sum up what youve said DRAW A CONCLUSION so what? Using Titles of Prose and Poetry Selections

Short story titles are related in quotes In Karen Russells Swamplandia!, she uses [some dominant literary device] to [show something significant about the world]. Poem titles are related in

quotes **The Art of the Lathe is the book that the poem is published in, and you wont need that title for your essay at all. In B H Fairchilds poem, The Machinist, Teaching his Daughter to Play the Piano, the author uses [some dominant literary device] to [show something significant about the world].

B H Fairchilds The Machinist, Teaching his Daughter to Play the Piano Dominant Motifs: Parenting/teaching/molding Communication Machinery [or roughness] vs Art [or delicacy] Religious imagery Music Hand Imagery Structure:

Use of tercets and physical structure Italics vs plain font Varied Interpretations: Is the daughter speaking or is that piano noise? GET YOUR WRITING FOLDER MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE YOU HAVE YOUR WRITING FOLDER IN CLASS

TOMORROW AS WE WILL BE CHARTING YOUR PROGRESS IN YOUR WRITING FOLDER, you should have Paper 1: Sonnet one-pager rubric Paper 2: Hamlet rubric with reflection on the back Paper 1: Semester I Final Exam 4th: Specimen Paper

6th: 2007 Exam Paper 2: Woolf/Austen comparative essay Paper 1: 2016 Exam Intro & Outline Karen Russells Swamplandia!, Dominant Motifs: Predatory tourism Gender roles/sexism/marriage discord Appearance v reality Narrative voice: youthful

Maternal sacrifice Color green Structuring your Paper 1 Essay: Linear/Chronological Moves sequentially PROS: Can work well when an extract has a clear sense of development Topic statements (first sentences of paragraphs) can focus on points of

transition CONS: Danger of falling into retelling Structuring your Paper 1 Essay: Conceptual/Thematic Organized by different aspects of content and language (Key Aspects/ Ideas/Techniques) EXAMPLE:

Par. 1: Character of Narrator Par. 2: Her Relationship with her parents Par. 3: Setting Par. 4: Controlling Metaphor Par.5: Etc.. Look at language/techniques as Structuring your Paper 1 Essay: Conceptual PROS:

More holistic Allows you to show more control over your thesis, and develop your ideas more coherently Structuring your Paper 1 Essay: Remember No formula guarantees success Careful thinking for

yourself about the best way to structure your commentary is key Plan for a Paper 1 Commentary What kind of reading have you come up with? Does it highlight a particular aspect of content or style? Does it ask from where the poem gains its main strength? Does it focus on a contrast or conflict, or a

significant development? What kinds of structure might you follow? One that traces the linear development of the poem, or perhaps one that breaks the poems features down into concepts? Once youve decided, create your outline