Context essay yearly exam (1 Viewer)

[fareezuh]

i would like some help
in thinking of a practice essay question for the yearly exam:
it needs to use the following

"The importance of being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde
and
"Away" by Micheal Gow.

it needs to incorporate these into the points of the essay,
*context: historical, social,political, economic, workplace, personal(to the author), Contemporary
*setting
*character analysis
*techniques

i am thinking about: compare and contrast the meanings derived from the two plays and it;s impact on teh audience.

p.s if any one has a list of dramatic techniques i'd appreciate them aswell

thankyou so much for your help.

any feed back appreciated

thanks once again

p.p.s i need to come up with the question before tommorow (13 august) my exam is on friday
keep me in your prayers/ thoughts

 

[fareezuh]

argue this thesis

"A text does not loose its value over the course of time, but gains greater value and meaning as it’s applied to changing contexts."

OR
answer this question

"How has the context of “Away” and “The importance of being earnest” impacted the past and present audience.?"

 

[bored of sc]

Techniques in Away:
Ø Intertextuality/direct quotes: alludes to Shakespearean plays.
Ø Stage directions: simplistic, used frequently (but not overused).
Ø Rhyming couplets: within Shakespearean play quotes.
Ø Iambic tetrameter: “ ”.
Ø Rhetorical questions/questions/requests: emphasises sarcastic attitudes of characters as well as accentuating the selfishness, nagging, searching and curiosity of the characters.
Ø Present, continuous tense: narrative, not being retold, currently happening.
Ø Syntactic devices: some conversations are detached, short and sharp, switching back and fourth through mono-syllabic (one word/sentence/syllable spoken by a character) dialogue; other conversations are more long and descriptive using multiple sentences.
Ø Grammatical devices: ellipsis, exclamation marks, question marks, apostrophes used a lot.
Ø Level of language: colloquial, slang, informal (contractions – two words joined into one by using an apostrophe) which adds to the unplanned, adventurous, casual, relaxed, unofficial, disorderly nature of the holiday.
Ø Rhythm/pace: dynamic/ever-changing, detached mono-syllabic conversations tend to be fast paced while the longer, more exhaustive talks tend slow down the pace/movement of the play.
Ø Structure: 5 acts, act1 = 3 scenes, act2 = 4 scenes, act3 = 5 scenes, act4 = 3 scenes, act5 = 2 scenes.
Ø Repetition: Shakespeare beginning and ending of play, individual words/phrases.
Ø Humour: light, irony, sarcasm, hyperbole.
Ø Tone/style/mood/atmosphere: comic, serious, dramatic, light, leisurely, honest.
Ø Sound devices: alliteration, assonance, consonance, dissonance, onomatopoeia.
Ø Imagery: metaphor, simile, personification, cumulative detail.

 

[Aerath]

There are many posts about Michael Gow and Away's context in the English Advanced section of this forum.

 

[fareezuh]

thanks, i just needed to develop a QUESTION.
and i can find a great deal on "Away"

just that i need to break up the context into separate sections for
"The Immportance of Being Earnest" i found some stuff from wikipedia and spark notes but that's about it. so here is what i have:

"It is implausible to maintain that a text carries the innate quality of expiry; for a text is valued as according to the context in which it is written and may present ideas which are still valid in changing eras. The context refers to the circumstances or events that form the environment within which something exists or takes place. Texts no matter how old or new still applies to modern society. This is valid for both “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde and “Away” by Michael Gow. The context varies because of the time periods and this correlates to the differences and similarities in the values present in society today. The theme communicated in “The Importance of Being Earnest” is the socioeconomic class system and the taboos associated with it whereas “Away” is about change and it’s affect on psychological and physical state. Both authors have used humor to sustain the audiences’ interest, however due to the changing contexts the audience may perhaps miss some of the cultural references. The contextual understanding needed to decipher the humor in the texts includes: the historical context refers to the events which have taken place; political context outlines roles and impact of the government on the populace, economic context refers to the economic influence on the text , social context alludes to the social attributes and mannerisms of society, cultural context relates to the common practices held by all aspects of society , religious context reflects the importance given to religion and workplace context outlines the issues concerning the working class. The original contextual understanding of the text; once decoded initiates the application of the modern context. The contextual understanding then reflects the subconscious of the individual in deciphering a text. Unlike milk, a text will never go old and moldy; but instead will become valued like a fine aged wine."