How to do get good marks on Higher Level English Poetry?

robert12345

Hi, guys. Recently our class did a test on a question on poetry. She even told us the question that would be on the test. However, I got a C+ which is not so bad but now some of my classmates and myself have to repeat it if we got less than a B. I learned off two essays on two different poems from English Key Notes which I thought had the best notes that I could use and I wrote out bits of the notes which where relevant to the question yet one of my classmates got a B and wrote out 1½ pages while I wrote out 2½. I read his essay and it wasn't as in detail as mine but I still got less than him. I would really like to know how to improve on writing on poems without the hassle of learning off large essays. It would really give me more time on studying other subjects!

How do you guys prepare for each test? Do you write your own notes and on what or do you only learn of words from a poem? If possible could you give me a sample page of your notes so I would have an idea. Please PM me.

Thanks, in advance.

Canard

Do you mean 2½ pages as a whole essay? If so, thats way too short. If you mean 2½ on one poem, thats way too much, in my opinion. What I do for poetry essays is, rather than learn off the essay and hope for the best, find out the general themes of the poems (like Plath - death etc) and find out how each poem you've covered shows that theme, the quotes to show it, and just put it all together.

Slow Show

Semi-related, but how exactly do you go out about answering a poetry question...? I mean the structure of it moreso than anything else - are you meant to go through each poem one by one, or do it by themes or what? I usually do it poem by poem, but then I end up getting sidetracked and basically summarising the poem, which probably isn't the best idea either.

To answer the original question, I don't really learn things off for poetry, except for quotes but I usually remember the memorable ones anyway. I just get the general idea and kind of roll with it tbh (i.e. using my 'interpretation' and basically discounting everything that contradicts it...oh, don't do this by the way), it's not going too awfully so far.

Oh, and answer the question. Relate everything back to the question. Anything that doesn't answer the question is irrelevant (perhaps that's where you went wrong). Should really start to take my own advice...

Canard

Slow Show wrote: »

Semi-related, but how exactly do you go out about answering a poetry question...? I mean the structure of it moreso than anything else - are you meant to go through each poem one by one, or do it by themes or what? I usually do it poem by poem, but then I end up getting sidetracked and basically summarising the poem, which probably isn't the best idea either.

To answer the original question, I don't really learn things off for poetry, except for quotes but I usually remember the memorable ones anyway. I just get the general idea and kind of roll with it tbh (i.e. using my 'interpretation' and basically discounting everything that contradicts it...oh, don't do this by the way), it's not going too awfully so far.

Oh, and answer the question. Relate everything back to the question. Anything that doesn't answer the question is irrelevant (perhaps that's where you went wrong). Should really start to take my own advice...

Absolutely do notttt do it poem by poem is what my teacher advises Linking two or more in with a general theme shows a better understanding of the poet rather than their poetry. On that note though, you can do a theme but just one poem under it as long as you're not just rambling on poem by poem through the whole essay. But I'd try and put at least 2 in each

And about Slow Show's last paragraph, definitely do that. I got an A1 in my Seamus Heaney essay last month and my teacher specifically ticked when I linked back to the question (it was on racial/cultural history and personal memory) by pointing out what kind of history/memory it was rather than just saying "this is an example because", if that makes sense? Sorry if it doesnt, dunno how to put it really :P

GoldFour4

You can do it whatever way you want. Theres no "golden rule". I did it poem by poem and got an A in the leaving. Its more about how you connect with the poets work and how well you answer the question. THers always a few parts to the question so when I did my answers poem by poem I'd always ensure that I had a least one link to the question in my paragraph.

Stewie Griffin

Sorry, your teacher's advice isn't correct. Both approaches (a poem-by-poem essay or a theme-by-theme essay) are equally valid.

Edit: that reply was for Patchy.