Studying at Home

Burago

I've been doing a portfolio course for the past year. The points I got for my portfolio and my leaving (2003) are more than enough to get me into the degree I want. The problem is that I only have one honour in an honours subject and they require 2. I decided to do honours English because I got an A1 in Ordinary level and was a cocky bastard. I thought I could read over Macbeth and a few poems and get that C in honours. I've been looking through the past papers and it has just dawned to me how much work I have to do over the next month. I'm obviously not in school so I need some advice on covering this English course. I doubt I'll have time to study 3 comparative texts so I'm hoping studying 2 (Things Fall Apart & Wuthering Heights) will be enough. My creative writing is pretty good so I'm not that worried about Paper one. Paper 2 looks like it's going to be a nightmare. Thanks for listening. Oh and to the people doing their leaving this year, it's all hype. Most of my friends got what they wanted:D

Cannibal Ox

What you could always do is go to a revision course, there's a couple in the Institute, Ashfield etc, etc. That is if your in Dublin. Dunno about anywhere else.
That way, you'll get everything crammed into you and it'll probably click some forgotten memories of the course.

claire h

You sorta need to do three comparatives. Just pick short ones. Plays are nice and short. You'd get three of them read in the time you'd read Wuthering Heights and then all you have to do is make a few notes and you're fine. Pick a theme that can double as a cultural context without too much effort so that you're sorted - one of them will have to come up.

Macbeth - be able to write about Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, the witches and/or evil in the play, kingship, and something about imagery and language. That should cover you for whatever comes up.

Poetry - you really do need to have studied five poets to be safe. Because the examiners are rather evil and know that students are trying to predict what will come up. If you want to risk it, though, just study Plath and Dickinson and one of them will most likely come up.

seamus

I'm not too familiar with the 'new' English course, but there are a few rules about cramming English:

It's better to know something about everything, than everything about some things - that is, try and study as many things as you can, but if you don't know them inside-out don't worry too much. So long as you have a relatively varied amount of plays/stories to talk about, you can get through it.

Some poems can have their meaning distorted to suit a question. Other times you must distort the question to suit the poem. It's important to know the difference, as generally you're running a risk if you distort a question at all, or if you wildly miss the overall meaning of a poem.

It's surprising how much knowing quotes from plays and poems can help you interpret them on the fly. If you know the poem off without actually understanding it properly, you can assimilate it in the exam, while you answer a question on it. So if you're really stuck for time, learn the lines without going too deep into the meaning.

claire h

The prescribed poetry questions tend to be really general - basically, write an essay about why you like a particular poet. You're expected to be able to refer to at least six of their poems, whichever six you like, and you don't have to focus on all of them - you can look at three or four in detail and just mention the others.

PrecariousNuts

Isn't Kavanagh pretty much guaranteed? I mean, its his last year on the course and its his centenary this year. Dickinson is due this year too it seems.

claire h

Originally posted by PrecariousNuts
Isn't Kavanagh pretty much guaranteed? I mean, its his last year on the course and its his centenary this year. Dickinson is due this year too it seems.

I thought Kavanagh was on next year too. It is pretty likely that he'll come up, but nothing's definite. Dickinson is on next year, and if she comes up this year, people will tend to assume that she won't come up then and the 2005s will just learn off Boland. I mean, you can try to predict what'll come up and you might be right, but the examiners have gone against the predictions before and they could again, and the last thing you want is to risk it and have it work against you.

(Says the girl who's probably going to go in having just learned off Dickinson.)

PrecariousNuts

I'm pulling my hair out with Macbeth at the moment, I never realised there are so many themes and questions that they can ask!

StephenInsane

Study synopsis of 2 books on the comparitive studies course + study MacBeth and synopsis. + learn 5 poems of Seamus Heany and 5 poems of Kavanagh + 5 poems of any woman poet. You'll do grand, trust me.

Burago

Thankfully I know Macbeth inside out and my poetry isn't too bad. I really need to work on this comparative. A revision course would be a good idea but I think I might go for grinds. I need their fully tailored attention! Thanks for your help guys, some genuinely useful suggestions.

Gen

Yo,
Im in a kinda similar position, studying at home and whatnot. however, I only decided about a month ago that taking the leaving would be a good idea... smart, I know.
But what Id say to you about the comparative is that youd be nuts to do wuthering heights at this late stage! Try the play by Sophocles, -Oedipus, Its pretty cool, and only about 30 pages long. Another simple solution might be a film. Im doing Strictly Ballroom, directed by Baz Luherman. You can watch it in just over an hour, saving you way more time than reading a big fat novel.
Thing about the comparative is you dont even need to be all that familiar with them, just be able to conect them by theme and cultural context.
Hope my ramblings help a little!:p
Eirher way, just as long as you perfect the art of SOUNDING like you know what youre on about, you should be grand..

Q_Elexra

I'm pretty much sorted on all the sections I can study. It's just my planning that brings me down. I cannot construct a decent answer.

My biggest problem now that I think about it is 'A Dolls House'. I have never read it straight through. But I have the story line sorted.

Quotes were my downfall in the mocks. Too many and not enough of my own work.

Burago

Thanks for everyones advice, it has definitly been a help. I still have a load to do but I only have one exam to study for. I'm quietly confident.:D