Honours English

shinesun

Hi all,
Can anyone advise the books they ate using for next year 2013.

Novels, poetry, films etc. thanks

iMMer5ion

As far as I know, Macbeth is one of them. Isn't it the same poetry? Except I heard Heaney won't be on it..

noname123

This is the course for the leaving certificate in 2013 according to the department of education;
http://www.education.ie/servlet/blobservlet/cl0004_2011.pdf?language=EN

Hope this is what you were looking for

shinesun

Thanks for that. So do I have to do four texts ya and eight poets?

One text like how many miles to babylon and then 3 completely diff ones for comparison? Would that be right?

Do you mind me asking what texts you used and poets you studied and if you would rec them?


Thanks

noname123

shinesun wrote: »

Thanks for that. So do I have to do four texts ya and eight poets?

One text like how many miles to babylon and then 3 completely diff ones for comparison? Would that be right?

Do you mind me asking what texts you used and poets you studied and if you would rec them?


Thanks

I did my Leaving Cert. this year. So, I don't know if I can help you that way.
Single Text: Hamlet
Comparative:
How Many Miles to Babylon (I would recommend. Riveting)
Dancing at Lughnasa
Inside I'm Dancing
Poetry:
Kavanagh (YEAH!!!!!!!)
Kinsella (Absolutely fascinating. A pleasure to read.)
Heaney
Plath (You either love her or hate her.)
Larkin

Do you want to do Shakespeare as your single text?

Geo10

Out of next years poets we did Rich, Plath and Kinsella.
Definitely do Rich and Plath (although Rich came up our year so I don't know, but they have repeated a poet 2 years in a row before!). I only studied these two because they are the only 2 out of what we covered that could actually write intriguing, relevant poetry! They are very fascinating poets! I would say run a million kilometres from Kinsella... talk about sleep inducing!
I would also study Bishop because she's female and they always put up at least one female poet! Also from my experience, men can't write good poetry!! Female poets are way more captivating!

shinesun

Thanks will be prob have to do Macbeth as single text.
Might look at doing Plath, Rich, Bishop and Kinsella then.Can anyone rec anymore from 2013 list. Is 5 poets enough to cover?

Anyone have any ideas on what texts to do from the 2013 list?
I do not know any of these texts and have no idea which are best for comparison.

Really at a loss when comes to English so appreciate any advice.

ChemHickey

shinesun wrote: »

Thanks will be prob have to do Macbeth as single text.
Might look at doing Plath, Rich, Bishop and Kinsella then.Can anyone rec anymore from 2013 list. Is 5 poets enough to cover?

Anyone have any ideas on what texts to do from the 2013 list?
I do not know any of these texts and have no idea which are best for comparison.

Really at a loss when comes to English so appreciate any advice.

You have to do Shakespeare in either the single text or the comparative. This is a requirement.

5 poets is enough. I'd recommend doing Bishop Plath Mahon Shakespeare and probably Rich.

shinesun

Cheers thanks, have you any idea on the texts?

noname123

shinesun wrote: »

Thanks will be prob have to do Macbeth as single text.
Might look at doing Plath, Rich, Bishop and Kinsella then.Can anyone rec anymore from 2013 list. Is 5 poets enough to cover?

Anyone have any ideas on what texts to do from the 2013 list?
I do not know any of these texts and have no idea which are best for comparative.

Really at a loss when comes to English so appreciate any advice.

The best thing to do with comparative is to pick three different genres.
One film
One novel
One drama

It would be ideal if they was one common thread eg. Common setting, common theme, common vision. I found this made it much easier to sustain a 6 page essay!

Comparative is not just about highlighting contrasts but also pointing out similarities.

I got a book called English Key Notes for my year which had essays on all the poets. It also had detailed study notes on Hamlet and looked at three texts for the comparison. The only drawback is HALF THE COUNTRY USE THESE NOTES!!!!!!!! They are very helpful and can help you come up with ideas for paragraphs.

ChemHickey is 100% right. You have to study Shakespeare as part of your comparative course or single text. I talkled to a teacher before and she said that sometimes people are too quick to use Shakespeare as a single text. A Winter's Tale is meant to be very easy to get, and if you pick it as a comparative text you need only study a theme and setting!!!! As a single text for Shakespeare, you are expected to know several themes, all the characters and are expected to write five pages!

Good Luck!

ChemHickey

I've no idea about the texts this year. We did Im not scared as our film this year. It was very good with our other two texts, neither which are on this year.

Im not scared- It has a good range if themes/visionary aspects which made it very good for it to be used. It being set in italy, few women characters and being set during the 70s where italian mafia ruled, it would be perfect for cultural context. But, in saying that, it is being used as a key notes comparative tet so many people will use it. As far as I know, people in my school are doing Translations 32a and something else.. :L

finality

Are you teaching yourself the course? If you're doing it in school your teacher will decide which texts to do for the comparative and which poets to cover.

shinesun

Doing it by myself so trying to figure how who to chose as will be doing it in one year.
Fifth years prob don't know what they are doing yet and for 6th years just gone had diff texts. Ah the joys of the leaving cert !;)

user.name

Do Plath, she is annoying but not hard to understand. Kinsella isn't too bad, neither is Rich, she is quite easy. Bishop is a hardcore femienist so unless you don't mind reading about how horrible men are, I won't do her. Don't bother with Hopkins unless you want a real challenge. Everyone in my class hated him. He doesn't shut up about religion and is depressing.
For novels I am doing Emma and the Great Gatsby. You've probably heard of the second one with the movie coming out this year. I'd do the great gatsby, its an enjoyable read and plenty of symbolism. There is plenty of notes on it too. Stay away from Emma! Jane Auston has always been a complete bore to me, especially since her book is over 300-400 pages long (Gatsby is only a bit over a 100).
There has always been mountains of notes on Shakespeare plays, so read them and learn plenty of quotes. For another play we are doing Sive by John.b Keane. Do that its quite easy and small.
Although the poets aren't everything. I'd recommend getting grinds in English through the year. Its a tough course, and its helpful to have someone to help you to build on your skills. English paper 1 isn't too bad, but look over the exam papers and do some of the questions.Getting a grammer book can also be helpful along with a thesaurus to build your vocab...
Good luck

shinesun

Cheers. Will def get some grinds.

So just wondering if this would be ok?

Single text; The Great Gasby

Comparative; A Winters Tale
Sive
The Great Gasby

ChemHickey

shinesun wrote: »

Cheers. Will def get some grinds.

So just wondering if this would be ok?

Single text; The Great Gasby

Comparative; A Winters Tale
Sive
The Great Gasby

No, you cannot use the same single text as comparative.

Whatsernamex33

And you need Macbeth as either Single Text or Comparative, if you want to do higher level.

shinesun

Shoot ya. Will do Macbeth as single text and do the other 3 as comparative texts.

shinesun

Whatsernamex33 wrote: »

And you need Macbeth as either Single Text or Comparative, if you want to do higher level.

Thanks going by prescribed material you have to do something by Shakespeare not nec Macbeth.




'At Higher Level a play by Shakespeare must be one of the texts chosen. This can be
studied on its own or as an element in a comparative study.'



At the min, this is what I'm thinking.

Single; Great Gasby

Comparitive; A Winters Tale ( Shakespeare)
Sive
And another one



Please correct me if I'm wrong.

ChemHickey

shinesun wrote: »

Thanks going by prescribed material you have to do something by Shakespeare not nec Macbeth.




'At Higher Level a play by Shakespeare must be one of the texts chosen. This can be
studied on its own or as an element in a comparative study.'



At the min, this is what I'm thinking.

Single; Great Gasby

Comparitive; A Winters Tale ( Shakespeare)
Sive
And another one



Please correct me if I'm wrong.

That's what I thought too. I didn't think it had to be Macbeth.

If you need a film, I'd watch I'm not scared. I enjoyed it. It is in Italian but has english subtitles. It would be really good for cultural context and you can write loads about symbolism and imagery and music and characterisation and everything. And it is handy if you take down some of the subtitles and translate them into italian to use as quotes as it looks like you know your stuff! :L That's what I did! :L

finality

ChemHickey wrote: »

That's what I thought too. I didn't think it had to be Macbeth.

If you need a film, I'd watch I'm not scared. I enjoyed it. It is in Italian but has english subtitles. It would be really good for cultural context and you can write loads about symbolism and imagery and music and characterisation and everything. And it is handy if you take down some of the subtitles and translate them into italian to use as quotes as it looks like you know your stuff! :L That's what I did! :L

The Italian doesn't seem like the best idea to me. How many English correctors are going to speak Italian? I know it'd annoy me to have to use google translate every two seconds if I were a corrector.


As for the Shakespeare, I'd be careful. You can't just use anything by Shakespeare, but if a winter's tale is on then it is possible to use that instead of Macbeth, but only in the comparative, not for the single text.

ChemHickey

finality wrote: »

The Italian doesn't seem like the best idea to me. How many English correctors are going to speak Italian? I know it'd annoy me to have to use google translate every two seconds if I were a corrector.


As for the Shakespeare, I'd be careful. You can't just use anything by Shakespeare, but if a winter's tale is on then it is possible to use that instead of Macbeth, but only in the comparative, not for the single text.

Italian as in quote and say what it means in english under. It takes up about 4 lines and makes it stand out.

This was one of my quotes from the film when I started talking about "Monsters and how they are a recurring motif"

Fermare parle tutti i monstri. Monstri non esistono

Stop all this talk of monsters. Monsters don't exist

If you have them both translated they wouldn't need to go checking. And I'm no fluent in Italian and I have written that quote in ages so it may have some mistakes but my teacher liked it when I used it.

ChemHickey

ChemHickey wrote: »

Italian as in quote and say what it means in english under. It takes up about 4 lines and makes it stand out.

This was one of my quotes from the film when I started talking about "Monsters and how they are a recurring motif"

Fermare parle tutti i monstri. Monstri non esistono

Stop all this talk of monsters. Monsters don't exist

If you have them both translated they wouldn't need to go checking. And I'm no fluent in Italian and I have written that quote in ages so it may have some mistakes but my teacher liked it when I used it.

I may not have clarified, but that was said by Michele's (the protaganist) father Amitrano to him when he discovered the kidnapped boy under ground in the movie itself. I did not just make it up! :L

thefasteriwalk

Whatsernamex33 wrote: »

And you need Macbeth as either Single Text or Comparative, if you want to do higher level.

No, you do not need to do Macbeth. You must satisfy the Shakespearean criteria at higher level which means you must choose one of the folowing options:

1. Macbeth as your single text
2. Macbeth as part of your comparative study
3. A Winter's Tale as part of your comparative study

thefasteriwalk

shinesun wrote: »

Thanks going by prescribed material you have to do something by Shakespeare not nec Macbeth.




'At Higher Level a play by Shakespeare must be one of the texts chosen. This can be
studied on its own or as an element in a comparative study.'



At the min, this is what I'm thinking.

Single; Great Gasby

Comparitive; A Winters Tale ( Shakespeare)
Sive
And another one



Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Bear the comparative modes in mind when choosing your third text

shinesun

Was thinking maybe Brooklyn with the two I've chosen.

I'm not scared looks good but not sure it will tie in with the other 2 texts.

thefasteriwalk

shinesun wrote: »

Was thinking maybe Brooklyn with the two I've chosen.

I'm not scared looks good but not sure it will tie in with the other 2 texts.

That gives you two plays and a novel so. A cultural context question on the aforementioned texts would be nice.

thefasteriwalk

shinesun wrote: »

Was thinking maybe Brooklyn with the two I've chosen.

I'm not scared looks good but not sure it will tie in with the other 2 texts.

Actually Casablanca would be lovely with them too.

shinesun

Casablanca with Sive and a Winters tale ya?

thefasteriwalk

shinesun wrote: »

Casablanca with Sive and a Winters tale ya?

Yup.