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C2 Sample Essay 39 (School or family shapes one's personality)

In the minds of ESL exam candidates, e ssay writing is one of the most daunting tasks they are required to complete, regardless of the level of the exam, the administering body or the ease with which they themselves use the language. The same applies to students who are asked to write an essay by their teachers at school.  In the previous sample essays posted on the blog, the main point I stress is the need to become acquainted with this form of writing (as opposed to writing a letter, review or report, for instance), to get a feel of what authorial voice is and how to organize and progressively express the arguments you wish to make in a coherent manner.  Unfortunately, the best way to prepare for exam writing or learn how to write good essays for school is to read as many essays from as many sources as possible, then write as

Naoshi Koriyama - A Loaf of Poetry (Overview Part 2)

This is part 2 of the analysis of Koriyama's "A Loaf of Poetry". Read a brief introduction of mine and find facts about the poet's life, the poem's structure (rhyme, meter, sounds, divisions, turning point), persona, and the first half of the poem here: Naoshi Koriyama - A Loaf of Poetry (Overview) This part completes the analysis of the poem's content and discusses the symbol ism found in it as well as the title and overall message.

Naoshi Koriyama - A Loaf of Poetry (Overview)

Naoshi Koriyama deftly equates the poetic process with a commonplace procedure in his poem "A Lo af of Poetry," proving that in the end , poetry is open to anyone who has the persistence, experience and i nspi ration to dab ble in it . Added to this is the idea that p oetry, like a loa f o f bread , is not a n ornate affair like some gastronomical preparation , but one of the primary forms of susten ance crucial to our diet. The fascination with this poem , often reprinted in textbooks and taught to students by way of introducing poe try to them, lies i n its simplicity which conce a ls Koriyama's metho dical approach. That, however, is what t he poem actually wants to point out : great care and diligence to create such a piece of writing is required , no matter how modest the end product may appear to be. 

Carol Ann Duffy - Havisham (Overview - Part 3)

This is the last part of the overview to Carol Ann Duffy's poem "Havisham" which covers stanzas three and four of the poem in terms of content , namely: the puce curses, power of words and degeneration to an animal state, t he i ncubus image and vampirism, the white veil, wedding cake, honeymoon, red balloon and necrophili c thoughts and final stutter presen t in a poem that comes full c ircle through the choice of words used at the begin ning of each stanza . P art 1 g a ve a brief biography, discusse d the poem's structure (meter and rhymes), the sounds present in the poem and analyze d the persona of Miss Havisham (what is known about her from Great Expectations and how Duffy treats her case). P a rt 2 dealt with various points present in sta nzas 1 and 2 (enjambment , inability to escape, the notions of time and ageing, Miss Havisham's homicidal thoughts, green pebbl es, ropes on the back o f her hands, the conc ept of the spinster, the ...

Carol Ann Duffy - Havisham (Overview - Part 2)

This is the second part of the overview to Carol Ann Duffy's poem "Havisham" which covers stanzas one and two of the poem in terms of content.  Read part 1 which gives a brief biography, discusses the poem's structure (meter and rhymes), the sounds present in the poem and analyzes the persona of Miss Havisham (what is known about her from Great Expectations and how Duffy treats her case) here .

Carol Ann Duffy - Havisham (Overview - Part 1)

A paragon of betrayal, vengeance, self-pity and idiosyncrasy, Miss Havisham is Dickens's most memorable and intriguing character. She was the woman who stayed fossilized in my mind the moment I finished reading the chapter in which Dickens first described her. She mesmerized me in the guise of Martita Hunt in the legendary 1946 film adaptation of Great Expectations starring iconic Sir John Mills, Finlay Currie, as well as a young Jean Simmons and Sir Alec Guinness. Being thus prejudicially inclined, it was with immense joy that I discovered that a poem had been written to recapture the sound of a shattering heart. Miss Havisham lived on in her agony, yet this time round her thoughts were open to further interpretation not limited to details set down by Dickens's 19th century novel.  Carol Ann Duffy's 1993 poem does Miss Havisham justice, indeed. So much so, in fact, that I've spent hours drawing up my overview which at 3 A-4 sized sheets of paper is nowhere near ...

Writing about Literature: What students should know before handing in English assignments

I've often found that students aren't taught how to write about literary texts. They attend a Literature course either in school or university, but their work is devoid of that little extra something that would make it commendable.  The reason for this is because either they haven't been told what work of this nature requires or because they haven't paid close attention to what their teachers or professors have expressly stated they base marks on.  Whatever the case may be, the following pointers should prove useful. If you're a student, make a checklist of the notes hereinafter and check them off when you reread your finished assignment. If you're a teacher, you can make a handout and go over the points in class at the beginning of the academic year.  Knowing what is expected of you will make your writing more to the point, show your knowledge of