1. Paper 1 Dominant-effect thesis statement driven Commentary
11 Days To Our Exam

2. WHAT’S A COMMENTARY AGAIN?
Commentary=close reading and interpretation of a passage presented in essay form
You will demonstrate
Understanding of thought (ideas) and feeling (emotions) of the passage
Support your points with detailed references to the passage (quotations)
Analyze and show appreciation of how the passage achieves its effects

3. For Paper I, how much should I write?
Flipping through finished practice exams, we can almost always predict scores based on length.
When we had kids write on notebook paper, double-spaced, I would tell them 6-8 pp = fully developed (this is when they have 2 hours); 4 pages or less = underdeveloped = will score lower

4. Writing an Introduction to your commentary…
Go straight to the literature
Write 2-3 sentences explaining what the poem or passage is about (shows understanding)
Write your thesis stating a clear argument about dominant effect (intellectual and emotional). Do NOT list a bunch of techniques.

5. Commentary Body Paragraphs
Nuanced evidence analyzed insightfully
Well-paragraphed
New idea, new paragraph
BTSs show the clear development of your argument, linking one idea to the next

6. Conclusion of your commentary
Don’t repeat
Briefly sum up what you’ve said
DRAW A CONCLUSION – so what?

7. Using Titles of Prose and Poetry Selections
Short story titles are related in quotes
In Karen Russell’s “Swamplandia!”, she uses [some dominant literary device] to [show something significant about the world].
Poem titles are related in quotes
**The Art of the Lathe is the book that the poem is published in, and you won’t need that title for your essay at all.
In B H Fairchild’s poem, “The Machinist, Teaching his Daughter to Play the Piano”, the author uses [some dominant literary device] to [show something significant about the world].

9. B H Fairchild’s “The Machinist, Teaching his Daughter to Play the Piano”
Dominant Motifs:
Parenting/teaching/molding
Communication
Machinery [or roughness] vs Art [or delicacy]
Religious imagery
Music
Hand Imagery
Structure:
Use of tercets and physical structure
Italics vs plain font
Varied Interpretations:
Is the daughter speaking or is that piano noise?

10. GET YOUR WRITING FOLDER
MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE YOU HAVE YOUR WRITING FOLDER IN CLASS TOMORROW AS WE WILL BE CHARTING YOUR PROGRESS

11. IN YOUR WRITING FOLDER, you should have…
Paper 1: Sonnet one-pager rubric
Paper 2: Hamlet rubric with reflection on the back
Paper 1: Semester I Final Exam
4th: “Specimen Paper”
6th: 2007 Exam
Paper 2: Woolf/Austen comparative essay
Paper 1: 2016 Exam Intro & Outline

12. Karen Russell’s “Swamplandia!”,
Dominant Motifs:
Predatory tourism
Gender roles/sexism/marriage discord
Appearance v reality
Narrative voice: youthful
Maternal sacrifice
Color green

13. Structuring your Paper 1 Essay: Linear/Chronological
Moves sequentially
PROS:
Can work well when an extract has a clear sense of development
Topic statements (first sentences of paragraphs) can focus on points of transition
CONS:
Danger of falling into retelling

14. Structuring your Paper 1 Essay: Conceptual/Thematic
Organized by different aspects of content and language (Key Aspects/Ideas/Techniques)
EXAMPLE:
Par. 1: Character of Narrator
Par. 2: Her Relationship with her parents
Par. 3: Setting
Par. 4: Controlling Metaphor
Par.5: Etc..
Look at language/techniques as you go to support points

15. Structuring your Paper 1 Essay: Conceptual
PROS:
More holistic
Allows you to show more control over your thesis, and develop your ideas more coherently

16. Structuring your Paper 1 Essay: Remember…
No formula guarantees success
Careful thinking for yourself about the best way to structure your commentary is key

17. Plan for a Paper 1 Commentary
What kind of “reading” have you come up with?
Does it highlight a particular aspect of content or style?
Does it ask from where the poem gains its main strength?
Does it focus on a contrast or conflict, or a significant development?
What kinds of structure might you follow?
One that traces the linear development of the poem, or perhaps one that breaks the poem’s features down into concepts?
Once you’ve decided, create your outline