The Response!!

1. The Response!! How to respond to the statement Analyse how a significant event illustrated one or more key themes in a text.

2. What are the important words in….. Analysehow a significant event illustrated one or more key themes in a text.

3. Analyse means…. • Take apart and better understand • Know the constituent parts. Understand the terminology. Important words. Know the text. Quotes Action Structure

4. Significant • Something important • Something that causes other things • Something we need to understand • Something we can see happening in other areas of the text.

5. Events • Things that happen • Characters involved • Setting • Why they happen • What they affect

6. Key • Things that will cause other things happening • Things that direct the course of action • Things that make us better understand the whole play • Things that are intrinsic to our understanding of the themes of the play

7. Themes • Underlying ideas • What made the text meaningful • What gave us insights into what it means to be human • What underpins the action.

8. Where to begin? • A philosophical look • An unpicking in general terms of the concept • That a significant event changes the course of action • It shows us characters • It precipitates action • It creates interest • It is contrived to show the author’s purpose

9. Author’s Purpose • What is it? • What does he want us to think about? • How we are directed by fate? • Things happen to people, winning Lotto, by chance and determine our lives. • How our ambition determines how we act • How we can behave immorally when we see an advantage to ourselves

10. Therefore • The event must be pivotal in showing us the themes • It must make our understandings clear about why it is important. • This forms the basis of the philosophical start to the response. • We need to be clear in our own minds about what it means. • In a general sense and then to the play itself.

11. The event and the link to themes Make sure you are clear about the themes. The word ambition is not enough. You need a statement about it. Ambition determines our actions and sometimes these can be immoral and have huge consequences. Fate often determines what happens to us. It is out of our hands. It makes us do things we wouldn’t otherwise do.

12. Ultimately • You need to be clear about themes. • What they are and have a clear idea about what they mean to you and to life in general. • The text with suitable quotes. • Follow the plan.