Memorising Essays...??? (1 Viewer)

[SaveFerris]

Okay, what follows may be complete and utter crap due to my current state of mind...brain is overworked and mixing things up, etc. If this is supposed to be in another forum, i.e. a specific subject, I apologise but this forum seemed appropriate (note use of the word "seemed"...oh dear).

Anyway, lately I've noticed in a lot of threads many people are making references to "memorising essays". I am not that screwed up (yet) as to not know what this means, but my question is, are we supposed to be doing this? Because personally, I've been concentrating on knowing quotes, etc. to back up any argument I may decide to make on the day, rather than writing a general essay.

Would people recommend memorising essays for each subject? And another question, how do u write a general essay for something like Module B in Advanced English with the Speeches elective? Like, if you make reference to Socrates, Lincoln and King or whatever, and then in the exam the question says "....in your answer, refer to Noel Pearson's 'An Australian History For Us All'." (Personally this would be my worst nightmare because I don't know the speech). We got a question like that in the trial, except with reference to another speech, and it screwed a lot of people over.

Also modern history....there's so much content, how can you pick out just a couple of points that would be relevant to any question picked from that enormous syllabus?

On second thoughts, can someone just write an essay for me? *j/k*

 

[bex]

Im trying to learn King lear right now... ITS NOT WORKING!!!
My brain is overloading!!! I have this feeling that my mind is like a bottle neck right now... all the info is going in at once and is stuck!!! eventually it will make it to the inside of my brain!(or the bottle!)

 

[BlackJack]

Forget memorising essays... but if you still want to try, memorise paragraphs about the text you are trying to study for.

But enough of that. Study the text and the notes...

 

[spice girl]

Memorise quotes and examples of techniques,

and practice relating these "evidence" to areas/modules: change, etc.

Put in connectives and you have paragraphs. IMHO you don't need to memorise connectives.

Oh, and also memorise parts of a good introduction. You should have several ideas on each module/area that you must address in the intro. Practice putting these ideas all together, and if you happen to write a good one, go memorise it. Just remember that you've always got to answer the question, but by my experiences, there's always a way to twist the answer to suit what you want to say.

Change and critical/close study is hard to intro-prepare, but the other two i find is ok.

Like, wot i mean is: try to write 5-10 different possible introductions (e.g. to "change") and try to make them talk about different stuff. It's the intros and topic sentences that are the hardest.

It seems like it's working for me...

PS: last time i memorised my prepared "dot-point" essays, which was just a list of quotes that i was planning to write the essay around, it worked quite well so i'm doin it this time too.

 

[SaveFerris]

Thanks guys...it's good to hear what others have to say concerning study/exam techniques, especially during StuVac when I'm spending so much time sitting at my desk all alone and wondering whether I'm "studying right".

Personally, I'm pumped for the creative task in the Change paper...always amusing...during both the half-yearly and trials I found myself desperately trying to suppress hysterical laughter over what I was writing...such crap, such nonsense, SUCH FUN!

 

[johnson]

yeh the only thing i memorise is quotes ... actually i was trying to figure out how i study english .. and i think that all i do is memorise quotes and learn examples of techniques ... maybe i'm just screwed =)

but examiners can tell when you've just written a general, pre-prepared essay...and they tend to kinda suck, unless you happen to get the same question as the one u prepared for.. but if you're desperate *shrugs* memorise essays.

but yeh i agree with spice girl, like just remember quotes, evidence, specific phrases which sound sophisticated and crap, and just ... write ... in the exam, i guess?

 

[angel_kate]

There are only so many questions/variations on the same question they can ask in the exam.

I perfected an essay for eack of my english topics (Gwen Harwood, Citizen Kane, The Tempest and 1984) and then i write the main points in like a flow chart and make up little rhymes or something to remember the order.
I know it sounds pretty dumb, but thats what me & my friends do and it works really well cos u get into the exam and you can just splurge it out onto paper adjusting it to suit the question

 

[ben]

Remember marks in english are given for 'name dropping'

 

[funkydish]

what exactly is 'name dropping'?

 

[angel_kate]

yeah...what's name dropping??

 

[Mistress Lilith]

Originally posted by SaveFerris
Okay, what follows may be complete and utter crap due to my current state of mind...brain is overworked and mixing things up, etc. If this is supposed to be in another forum, i.e. a specific subject, I apologise but this forum seemed appropriate (note use of the word "seemed"...oh dear).

Anyway, lately I've noticed in a lot of threads many people are making references to "memorising essays". I am not that screwed up (yet) as to not know what this means, but my question is, are we supposed to be doing this? Because personally, I've been concentrating on knowing quotes, etc. to back up any argument I may decide to make on the day, rather than writing a general essay.

Would people recommend memorising essays for each subject? And another question, how do u write a general essay for something like Module B in Advanced English with the Speeches elective? Like, if you make reference to Socrates, Lincoln and King or whatever, and then in the exam the question says "....in your answer, refer to Noel Pearson's 'An Australian History For Us All'." (Personally this would be my worst nightmare because I don't know the speech). We got a question like that in the trial, except with reference to another speech, and it screwed a lot of people over.

Also modern history....there's so much content, how can you pick out just a couple of points that would be relevant to any question picked from that enormous syllabus?

On second thoughts, can someone just write an essay for me? *j/k*

I have three general points for each essay--in which i can discuss techniques, use memories quotes etc etc. These points are so general that they really CAN be applied to any essay.
That's what i refer to when i say memorising my essay. basically, i have the same essay written each time, just according to the question.
As for the speeches, know all of them. But specialise in three or four if you can that you can really really write about
Again, i've got three points to refer to.
This really DOES work well for me--memorising essays that is

 

[McLake]

Originally posted by angel_kate
yeah...what's name dropping??

Um ... think about what it sounds like ...

 

[Jellymonsta]

Originally posted by funkydish
what exactly is 'name dropping'?

what McLake said....
Dropping (relevant) names in your essay to impress the marker with your wide reading and broad knowledge base.

eg mentioning professors' names when stating an opinion, mentioning the Bell Jar (the actual book of poetry) in Plath essays etc.
its just more of the b/s that you should know if youre trying for max marks.
btw can they actually make the closed study response question a creative task?

 

[ben]

Originally posted by Jellymonsta


what McLake said....
Dropping (relevant) names in your essay to impress the marker with your wide reading and broad knowledge base.

eg mentioning professors' names when stating an opinion, mentioning the Bell Jar (the actual book of poetry) in Plath essays etc.
its just more of the b/s that you should know if youre trying for max marks.
btw can they actually make the closed study response question a creative task?

Yes.
The marking criteria says a range of imaginative, interpreative and critical responses suitable to audience, purpose and context.

So yes.

 

[hurrotisrobbo]

Hmm... If that happens, I'll implode and crumple up into a thimble-sized pellet until the exam is over. Then I'll probably run and scream.

Hmm...

 

[Jellymonsta]

Originally posted by ben

The marking criteria says a range of imaginative, interpreative and critical responses suitable to audience, purpose and context.

how uncool
i dont wanna do a diary or a "pretend you are the composer" q for sylvia plath... it might well be the final ingredient to comprehensive insanity.

 

[BlackJack]

Originally posted by ben

The marking criteria says a range of imaginative, interpreative and critical responses suitable to audience, purpose and context.

pffft... 'creative' tasks... can't understand how they could define letters to the editors and feature articles imaginative. As for critical and interpretive, we aren't the Media Watch people...

Our school required the change response to be a reply to an online forum. I had doubts about the teachers' experience in forum msging AT ALL. If that happens in the HSC...

 

[hurrotisrobbo]

A valid response could be:

"> chagne is good

AFAIK dats rite. hey how bout u n da gees go teabag dat HCS markaz car yeh."

Maybe.

 

[spice girl]

Originally posted by hurrotisrobbo
A valid response could be:

"> chagne is good

It's valid, but it's a band 2-3 response

 

[angel_kate]

Just think of a creative response as an easy way 2 get marks...
- u dont need supplementary material
- u can bs and so on and u'll get more marks
- the q's are usually v. general, which makes it better

i reckon that this is the best section of the exam.