Commentaries

A wholistic appraisal of a text. Do: Use formal language Structure using introduction, body, conclusion Quote to provide textual evidence Analyse how language creates meaning Interpret the literary devices

Dont: Summaries and descriptions Too literal explanations Planning

Point state the point youre proving Evidence Give evidence through integrating short quotes Technique state the literary technique Elaboration develop your point further, state the reason for the literary feature Response describe the effect of the literary feature and the intended emotional response
Literary devices: Accent: refers to the stressed portion of a word. An accent is used to place emphasis on a word. Note: stress and accent can be used interchangeably. Allegory: A description that has a second, usually moral meaning. Alliteration: is the repetition of initial (at the beginning) CONSONANT sounds (if it's a vowel repetition, you would call it assonance. Assonance includes any repetition of a vowel sound in any part of the word. It usually occurs in the middle of words). Allusion: refers to an event from an external content. It is understandable only to those with prior knowledge of the reference in question (as the writer assumes the reader has). Anaphora: Rhetoric, repetition of a word or words at the beginning of two or more successive verses, clauses, or sentences. Apostrophe: Something that addresses an object or person or idea who is not present as though he/she/it could reply. Antithesis: The juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas to create a feeling of balance (e.g Too black for heaven, and yet too white for hell) Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds may also add to euphony.

Aubade: Poetry referring to either the dawn, a love song or about parting lovers. Ballad: A form of poetry in a specific meter meant to be sung. There is always a repeating refrain and it is always narrative in form. See below for more information. Blank verse: Iambic Pentameter that doesn't rhyme. (Much of Shakespeare's plays for example were written in blank verse.) Caesura: A cut or break in a line, could be a comma or a semicolon. Cacophony: Harsh sounding and generally unpleasant. Consonance: The repetition of consonant sounds NOT in the beginning of a word (which would be alliteration). Enforces relation. Continuous Form: Lines follow each other without any type of structural organization except by blocks of meaning. Didactic Poetry: Poetry with a directly morally teaching purpose. Euphony: Pleasant sounding. Extended Figure: An apostrophe, simile, metaphor, etc. which is developed throughout a poem. Imagery: Language which appeals to each of the five senses. Visual imagery: Sight. The most frequent type. Aural or auditory imagery: Sound. Olfactory imagery: Smell. Gustatory imagery: Taste. Tactile imagery: Touch, tangibility. Organic imagery: Human sensations, hunger for example. Irony: Dramatic or otherwise, conveying an aspect that is intrinsically unexpected or selfcontradictory. Lexical choices: particular words are given significance/prominence Metaphor: A comparison between two unlike things without using the words "like" or "as". Onomatopoeia: Words which are written to mimic a sound. (SHAZAM! SPLAT! PLOP!) Paradox: A statement which appears to contradict itself but makes sense (usually in an abstract sense). Personification: Animals and inanitimate objects are given human characteristics. Phonetic Intensive: A word whose sound emphasizes its meaning. Prose: Language which is not in meter.

Refrain: A repeated line, phrase, sentence, etc. which appears throughout a poem. Rhetorical Poetry: Poetry written in superfluous language with the intention of being overdramatic. Scansion: The process of measuring verse. Simile: The comparison of two subjects using "like" or "as" or something similar Syntax: Used to highlight meaning, create ambiguity or interact with poetic verse form Tone: The writer's attitude toward the subject. Extended Vocabulary: Conceit: The comparison of two dissimilar things. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day" Dramatic monologue: Narrator speaks to himself. The speaker is not the author. Epiphany: A realization or comprehension of the essence of something. Feminine Rhyme: Two syllable (Disyllabic) rhyme consisting of stressed syllable followed by unstressed Incantation: Use of words to create an archaic effect. (Opening scene of Macbeth and the Weird Sisters) Incremental repetition: Repetition of succeeding stanzas with small substitutions of changes. Masculine rhyme: Monosyllabic rhymes. Metonymy: Substitutes the name of one thing with something closely associated with it. Synecdoche: Substitutes a part of one thing to represent the whole, or vice versa. Pathetic fallacy: A reflection of the action/events through nature/weather. (A thunderstorm during the creation of Frankenstein's monster sequence) Persona: The character created by the narrator. Synaesthesia: A blending of sensations. Trope: A way of extending the meanings of words beyond the literal.

28/8/12: Narrative style Tone of voice attitude of narrator Description Choice of syntax Semantic choice Figurative choice Historical facts

Give an overall assessment of what the passage is about. Orientate the marker as to the plot, how it is told etc. Over arching idea, then do a stanza-by-stanza approach. DETAIL literary techniques, ideas, etc.