English AS Spring 2024 Sessions:

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• Session 1: Unit 1 Drama and Prose- Section A
• Session 2: Unit 1 Drama and Prose- Section B
• Session 3: Unit 2 Poetry- Section A
• Session 4: Unit 2 Poetry- Section B

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Unit 1 Section B

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Drama

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Terminology Revision and Examination Approaches

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• Section B: Essay (60 marks)
• Strict timing for Section A is vital to ensure that candidates don’t run out of time for Section B and produce underdeveloped responses
• 60 minutes to be spent on B (a detailed, effectively planned response is expected)
• Candidates need to ensure that they focus on the text as drama. Exploration of dramatic technique is vital for AO2
• Biographical detail for AO3 is acceptable but needs to be used purposefully rather than as narrative unconnected to the text and task
• Successful responses, like those in A(ii), followed the formula task-text-context

The Examination Paper

EXAMINER COMMENTARY

AO1

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As noted for Section A, it is important that candidates pay close attention to timings. Indeed, it is advised that candidates spend 60 minutes on Section B. Keeping to strict timings is, therefore, essential in Section A in order to prevent candidates from running out of time and producing underdeveloped responses for Section B.

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It is important that candidates remain focused on the question and do not wander into writing a different essay to the one set. Unfortunately, on occasion, some candidates seemed to merge the two questions, so it was not clear which they were answering. Weaker responses listed dramatic techniques with little comment on dramatic effect and the impact of lighting, props and staging. Such responses inevitably lacked precision and analytical detail.

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EXAMINER COMMENTARY

AO2

Many responses demonstrated a confident understanding of writers’ use of language and dramatic features for effect, quoting confidently from the text. Indeed, some responses were impressive considering it is a closed-book exam. It is important, however, that centres encourage pupils to make full use of their knowledge of dramatic devices – such as staging, stage directions, music and props – and frequently refer to the audience(s).

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EXAMINER COMMENTARY

AO3

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It is vital that centres encourage candidates to draw upon a range of specific contextual material and avoid generalised statements about the time periods. Some candidates were able to make thoughtful comments about the contexts of reception while others drifted into irrelevant biographical detail. While some biographical detail is important to understand a play’s reception, it is important that candidates allude to the impact of biographical detail when analysing language or dramatic technique.

Once again, centres are to advise candidates to use the formula ‘task-text-context’ to ensure that context informs rather than engulfs the response.

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EXAMINER COMMENTARY

AO5

As with Section A, candidates must use other relevant opinion to inform their own discussion of the text and build a personal response. Centres should advise candidates that there are a number of ways to gain marks for AO5:

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• Engaging with specific critical views (i.e. literary criticism)
• Engaging with critical perspectives i.e. (Marxism/feminism)
• Offering multiple readings of characters/events etc.

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There were some cases where candidates did not include any alternative readings or even use any tentative vocabulary (such as ‘perhaps’, ‘suggests’ or ‘arguably’). These candidates cannot be awarded any marks for this AO.

How to approach a Drama text:

• In your analysis you will need to consider how meaning is enhanced by the organisation of events in a play;
• How playwrights add to the significance of certain events by the position of those events in the play’s narrative;
• What characters know and don’t know at specific times.

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Looking at Dramatic Structure

• conventions of structure in both traditional and modern drama e.g. a classic five-act Shakespearian play includes: introduction, exposition, complication, crisis, resolution and denouement; a classic three-act ‘well-made play’ can be in real time (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof);
• the division of the play into acts and scenes;
• the use of features such as sub-plot, frame etc.
• linearity, chronological events, flashbacks, climax, anti-climax, cyclical effect, repetition;
• how the drama is set up and resolved in the opening and ending of the play;
• conflict and change;
• naturalistic, non-naturalistic dramatic effect;
• choice of setting;
• use of an allegory;
• inclusion of protagonist, antagonist and catalyst.

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• stage directions
• lighting
• music/sound/sound effects
• set
• costume
• disguise
• status
• contrast
• act opening/ending
• scene opening/ending
• entrance/exit with opening and closing lines
• dramatic irony
• pace
• tension/suspense/surprise
• twist
• comic relief.

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Aspects to consider:

Dramatic Characterisation

Students should consider the range of strategies used by playwrights to create and develop characters, such as:

• how characters are established
• how characters are presented: physical appearance or suggestions about this; actions and motives for them; what they say and think; how they interact with others; what others say and think about them
• how far the characters conform to or subvert stereotypes
• the function of minor characters
• relationships between characters.

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Dramatic Speech and Language

You should consider the ways in which playwrights organise speech and language, such as:

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• dialogue
• use of monologues
• soliloquy
• asides
• functional and literal
• metaphorical, poetic, symbolic
• Shakespearian conventions of verse and prose
• the use of character to act as a mouthpiece for the playwright – authorial intrusion
• a character’s personal vocabulary and syntactic patterns that project a certain way of seeing the world, which fits with/subverts stereotypes.

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What is setting?

• Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place.
• The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or it can be an imagined location.
• Similarly, the when can be a real time period (past or present) or imagined (the future).
• Other aspects that determine a setting include landscape, architecture, time of day, social context, and weather.

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Setting

• Setting is sometimes also called "the scene" or "sense of place."
• Far from being just a "backdrop" for the story, the setting of a piece of literature often shapes the story's main events and motivates the characters to act as they do.
• Many works of literature have multiple settings—whether that means moving between the interior and exterior of the same house, different countries, or different centuries. It is important to note how plot developments and character developments correspond to changes in the setting.

Setting

• The physical location: The physical realities of where the story takes place, including geography, landscape, and other factors (urban or rural; domestic or wild; inside or out; on earth or in space).
• Time: When does the story take place? In the past, the future, the present? What are the particular details of that time.
• The social milieu: Setting is not just about the physical aspects. It's also about the social world. Is the setting wealthy or poor? Homogenous or diverse? Are things improving or getting worse?
• Change: Setting can also be affected by how it changes, either over time (the changing seasons or the construction of a house or town or city), or suddenly (a terrible storm). The changes that do (or don't) affect a setting are as important as the setting itself.

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In ‘Streetcar’ for example…

• The whole play is set in an apartment in the French Quarter of the city of New Orleans, in the state of Louisiana. New Orleans features most vividly in the opening stage directions. Williams describes the district with considerable affection. It lies between the Mississippi River and the Louisville and Nashville railway tracks – wryly mentioned by Stella in Scene One, and it is presented as quite a poor area.

Dramatic Irony

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• Dramatic irony is a situation in which the reader knows something about present or future circumstances that the character does not know. For example, in Macbeth, when Duncan’s murdered body is found Macbeth behaves as though he’s angry with the supposed murderers but the audience knows that he is, in fact, the murderer. That’s dramatic irony.

Dramatic Irony

• Dramatic irony is one of the most effective items in a dramatist’s toolbox. It is commonly found in films, novels and plays, particularly in tragedies and comedies to create suspense or enhance the emotional appeal of a story.
• Authors use the device to create unusual meanings in the speeches of the characters. A situation in which the audience knows about causes and conflicts before the main characters do is a useful plot device. Writers use dramatic irony as a tool to create and sustain the audience’s interest. It generates curiosity. It also creates tension in that the audience is encouraged to fear the moment when characters learn the truth that the viewer already knows and how he or she will deal with it.

Stagecraft

• Stagecraft is the technical aspect of theatrical, film and video production which include the elements such as scenic design, stage machinery, lighting, sound, costume design and makeup.
• In simple terms it refers to the combination of all elements that gives rise to a performance. These facets essentially bring the performance to life with the on-stage dynamics creating a mood and scenic movement and visual dexterity evoking feelings of the audience.

Stagecraft

• Lighting involves the determination of the angle, size, suiting intensity shape and colour of light for the respective scene. Theatre lighting designers focus on the way lighting looks to the audience and there is often dramatic relevance to the choices made.
• The first impression of a character is given by the costume worn by the actor. Costume denotes the style of dress pertaining to a nation, a class, a particular period or personality. In theatrical costume design the types of costumes are categorized as historical, fantastical, dance and modern. Costume design process involves multiple steps with numerous aspects to consider in order to bring about a rich visual context.

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Stagecraft

• Theatrical property commonly referred to as props include the furnishing, set dressing and all equipment to which don’t fall under scenery, electrics or costume. The props used by the actors are known as ‘hand props’ and those kept in their costumes are the ‘personal props’. Props infuse a sense of ambiance to the scene.
• Sound encompasses the effects audible to the audience during a performance to communicate character, context or atmosphere. It is vital in setting the mood and immersing the spectatorship. 

Creating Drama:

• Allusion
• This is a reference to a person, place, event, usually without explicit identification. Allusions can be references to mythology, the bible, historical events, geography, legends, or other literary works. Authors often use allusion to establish a tone, create an implied association, contrast two objects or people, make an unusual juxtaposition of references, or bring the reader into a world of experience outside the limitations of the story itself. Biblical references are common in literary works of all periods. Some playwright’s plots are frequently based on legends and historical events, which are also merely referred to in other plays.

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Monologue

• Some plays are strewn with monologues – a long, uninterrupted speech that is spoken in the presence of other characters. Unlike a soliloquy a monologue is heard by other characters.

Soliloquy

• A speech in which a character, who is usually alone on the stage, expresses his or her thoughts aloud. It is a very useful device, as it allows the writer to convey a character’s most intimate thoughts and feelings directly to the audience. The convention is that the audience is allowed to hear the character’s thoughts. He or she is not talking, but thinking. Shakespeare for example uses soliloquies liberally, and some of his finest pieces of writing are in this form, for example, the ‘To be or not to be’ soliloquy in Hamlet.

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Symbolism

• The symbol can bring about greater meaning than any literal suggestion and can usually be used to represent something different than what you will see at face value. Symbolism in terms of theatre can be done with colour, movement, characters, props and costumes.

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Symbolism is a device in which an object, person or situation is given another meaning beyond its literal one–usually something more abstract or non-rational than the symbol itself. There are many kinds of symbols. Normally, dramatists weave clues into the work to indicate that certain elements are intended to be taken as symbolic.

There are two main categories of symbols: universal symbols and contextual symbols. Universal symbols have meaning across many different works. For example, snakes often express cunning and treachery all throughout literature. Contextual symbols, on the other hand, only have meaning within the work in which they are featured.

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Symbolism

The meaning of colour:

• Red – Used to show rage, passion, anger, desire, energy, strength, speed, heat, power, danger, aggression, blood, fire, war, excitement and violence.
• Pink – Used to show innocence, love, happy, healthy, romantic, content, playfulness, charming, feminine, soft, and delicate.
• Yellow – Used to show knowledge, wisdom, joy, relaxation, optimism, happiness, idealism, hope, imagination, summer, sunshine, cowardice, dishonesty, betrayal, covetousness, jealousy, illness, deceit, and hazard.
• Orange – Used to show energy, humour, balance, enthusiasm, expansive, vibrant, warmth, and flamboyant.
• Green – Used to show soothing, healing, perseverance, self-awareness, tenacity, unchanging nature, proud, good luck, renewal, spring, vigour, generosity, renewal, youth, jealousy, fertility, envy and inexperience.

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• Blue – Used to show spirituality, faith, loyalty, contentment, tranquillity, stability, fulfilment peace, harmony, trust, unity, conservatism, confidence, truth, security, sky, cold, water and depression.
• Purple/Violet – Used to show royalty, erotic, nobility, ceremony, spirituality, transformation, enlightenment, arrogance, sensitive, power, intimacy, mourning, and mysterious.
• Brown – Used to show sensation, home, earth, reliability, outdoors, materialistic, endurance, comfort, simplicity, and stability.
• Black – Used to show power, no, sexuality, formality, sophistication, wealth, fear, mystery, unhappiness, style, depth, sadness, evil, remorse, anger and anonymity.
• White – Used to show protection, reverence, yes, simplicity, peace, cleanliness, humility, innocence, birth, winter, youth, sterility, good, snow, marriage in Western cultures, death in Eastern cultures, clinical, sterile and cold.
• Silver – Used to show glamorous, riches, earthy, distinguished, sleek, natural, high tech, elegant and earthy.
• Gold – Used to show riches, extravagance, wealth, warm, precious, prosperity and grandeur.

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CHARACTERISATION

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• Characterisation is the process of producing a character through typifying its actions, words and thoughts. Character development is very important in a text. Each dramatic character has a function or a need. A character without function is not valued. Every character can be analysed in every scene for its function in terms of the plays parts. The character helps to further the plot, to express idea and contribute to spectacle. Thoughts, words and deeds of character help in understanding the character in a better way.

Task: Thinking about the dramatic angle of AO2 – rewrite sections of this response in an effort to improve it.

Task: Thinking about the dramatic angle of AO2 – rewrite sections of this response in an effort to improve it.

Question�Examine the view that A Streetcar Named Desire fails because the relationship between Stella and Stanley is 'inconceivable’.���Take a look at the example essay that follows and the different aspects that have been highlighted.�

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Task: Under the headings of AO1, AO2, AO3 and AO5 make a list of points that hit the assessment objectives similar to the points that have been highlighted in the first page.

Examiner Feedback- example response

• AO1
• A disciplined answer that serves well the ideas informing it. The conduct of the debate is assured both in overall structure and in the use of discussion 'markers' at key points. Technical accuracy is of a uniformly high standard; the vocabulary is particularly impressive, showing maturity and appropriateness in almost every sentence. The question is answered and focus on most of the key words is sustained. We do have to infer whether or not the play 'fails'.
• AO2
• Assertions are supported with direct or indirect reference to the text of the play. The words and actions of significant characters are foregrounded, even when contextual matters are under discussion (see A03). Quotations of varying length are well-chosen and skilfully embedded, and always accompanied by perceptive explanation and/or analysis connecting them closely to the text and to the argument. There is a secure awareness of the text as a play for the stage.
• AO3
• The candidate is fully aware of the play's various contexts and is able to discuss its 'reception' and impact on audiences, thereby enhancing the argument in no small measure.
• AO5
• Alternative interpretations are investigated and expounded with understanding at a sophisticated level, with assurance and with perception. There is much evidence of a personal and considered response to the play and of a well-honed skill in constructing and conducting a balanced debate.

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�Alliteration��

The repetition of consonant sounds, especially at the beginning of words.

Example: "Fetched fresh, as I suppose, off some sweet wood." Hopkins, "In the Valley of the Elwy."

�Parody��

A humorous, mocking imitation of a literary work, sometimes sarcastic, but often playful and even respectful in its playful imitation.

��Foreshadowing���

Hints of what is to come in the action of a play or a story.

�Comic relief��

The use of a comic scene to interrupt a succession of intensely tragic dramatic moments. The comedy of scenes offering comic relief typically parallels the tragic action that the scenes interrupt.

Comic relief is lacking in Greek tragedy, but occurs regularly in Shakespeare's tragedies.

�Climax��

The turning point of the action in the plot of a play or story. The climax represents the point of greatest tension in the work.

�Conflict��

A struggle between opposing forces in a story or play, usually resolved by the end of the work. The conflict may occur within a character as well as between characters.

�Metonymy��

A figure of speech in which a closely related term is substituted for an object or idea.

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An example: "We have always remained loyal to the crown."

�Denotation��

The dictionary meaning of a word. Writers typically play off a word's denotative meaning against its connotations, or suggested and implied associational implications.

�Exposition��

The first stage of a fictional or dramatic plot, in which necessary background information is provided.

�Connotation��

The associations called up by a word that goes beyond its dictionary meaning. Poets, especially, tend to use words rich in connotation.

�Satire��

A literary work that criticizes human misconduct and ridicules vices, stupidities, and follies.

�Stage direction��

A playwright's descriptive or interpretive comments that provide readers (and actors) with information about the dialogue, setting, and action of a play.

�Subplot��

A subsidiary or subordinate or parallel plot in a play or story that coexists with the main plot.

�Setting��

The time and place of a literary work that establish its context.

�Assonance��

The repetition of similar vowel sounds in a sentence or a line of poetry or prose, as in "I rose and told him of my woe."

�Figurative language��

A form of language use in which writers and speakers convey something other than the literal meaning of their words.

Examples include hyperbole or exaggeration, litotes or understatement, simile and metaphor, which employ comparison, and synecdoche and metonymy, in which a part of a thing stands for the whole.

�Tone��

The implied attitude of a writer toward the subject and characters of a work.

�Irony��

A contrast or discrepancy between what is said and what is meant or between what happens and what is expected to happen in life and in literature.

In verbal irony, characters say the opposite of what they mean. In irony of circumstance or situation, the opposite of what is expected occurs.

In dramatic irony, a character speaks in ignorance of a situation or event known to the audience or to the other characters.

�Characterization��

The means by which writers present and reveal character. Although techniques of characterization are complex, writers typically reveal characters through their speech, dress, manner, and actions.

�Antagonist��

A character or force against which another character struggles.

�Protagonist��

The main character of a literary work

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�Tragic flaw��

A weakness or limitation of character, resulting in the fall of the tragic hero.

�Tragic hero��

A privileged, exalted character of high repute, who, by virtue of a tragic flaw and fate, suffers a fall from glory into suffering.

�Foil��

A character who contrasts and parallels the main character in a play or story.

�Catharsis ��

The purging of the feelings of pity and fear that occur in the audience of tragic drama.

The audience experiences catharsis at the end of the play, following the catastrophe.

�Catastrophe��

The action at the end of a tragedy that initiates the denouement or falling action of a play.

One example is the duelling scene in Act V of Hamlet in which Hamlet dies, along with Laertes, King Claudius, and Queen Gertrude.

�Symbol��

An object or action in a literary work that means more than itself, that stands for something beyond itself.

�Theme��

The idea of a literary work abstracted from its details of language, character, and action, and cast in the form of a generalization.

�Tragedy��

A type of drama in which the characters experience reversals of fortune, usually for the worse. In tragedy, catastrophe and suffering await many of the characters, especially the hero.

�Comedy��

A type of drama in which the characters experience reversals of fortune, usually for the better. In comedy, things work out happily in the end. Comic drama may be either romantic--characterized by a tone of tolerance and geniality--or satiric.

Satiric works offer a darker vision of human nature, one that ridicules human folly.

�Pathos��

A quality of a play's action that stimulates the audience to feel pity for a character. Pathos is always an aspect of tragedy, and may be present in comedy as well.

�Convention��

A customary feature of a literary work, such as the use of a chorus in Greek tragedy.

Literary conventions are defining features of particular literary genres, such as novel, short story, ballad, sonnet, and play.

�Aside��

Words spoken by an actor directly to the audience, which are not "heard" by the other characters on stage during a play.

�Soliloquy��

A speech in a play that is meant to be heard by the audience but not by other characters on the stage. If there are no other characters present, the soliloquy represents the character thinking aloud.

�Hyperbole��

A figure of speech involving exaggeration.

�Diction��

The selection of words in a literary work.

A work's diction forms one of its centrally important literary elements, as writers use words to convey action, reveal character, imply attitudes, identify themes, and suggest values.

�Dialogue��

The conversation of characters in a literary work. In fiction, dialogue is typically enclosed within quotation marks. In plays, characters' speech is preceded by their names.

�Staging��

The spectacle a play presents in performance, including the position of actors on stage, the scenic background, the props and costumes, and the lighting and sound effects.

Stage directions generally tell the reader what the audience would be seeing on stage in terms of setting, staging, entrances and exits. Stage directions are also important in helping to communicate to the audience character, action, situation and atmosphere.��

�Stage Directions��