Essay-writing tips: Understanding the question
(b) Look again at the extract in Act One, beginning at the top of page 3 with Birling鈥檚 words, 鈥淥h 鈥 come, come 鈥 I鈥檓 treating Gerald like one of the family鈥 and ending near the bottom of page 5 with Mrs Birling鈥檚 words, 鈥淲ell, it came just at the right moment. That was clever of you, Gerald.鈥
With reference to the ways Priestley presents reactions to the engagement in the extract and relationships elsewhere in the play, show how far you agree that marriage is based on social class.
Before you start writing your essay, you should spend five or ten minutes reading the extract and planning what you will write. Think about how you can break down your answer into logical paragraphs.
A good approach to begin with is to highlight any key terms which stand out for you.
In sample question (b) the key terms you must think about are 鈥榬eactions to the engagement in the extract鈥, 鈥榬elationships elsewhere in the play鈥 and 鈥榤arriage is based on social class鈥.
Make sure you address each of these three areas and use the key terms throughout your essay. This helps to keep your answer focused as you create your argument.
It is also important to include comments on the effects of how Priestly uses language and techniques to show that marriage is based on social class.
Language and stylistic devices / dramatic techniques could include some of the following:
- division into acts and scenes
- stage directions
- use of some technical terms eg expositionThe part of a narrative that sets the scene for the audience, for example giving the backstory of the characters or information about the setting., protagonistThe chief character in a novel, film or play., hero, minor character, denouement The final part of a narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved.
- cohesiveFitting together well to form a united whole. elements eg repetition of words or ideas, climax, sequentialHappening in a logical order. ordering
- disjunctiveLacking any clear connection or consistency. elements eg use of curtain, flashback, or anticipation of events
- asideA comment spoken either to the audience or another character that the rest of the characters cannot hear., soliloquyA dramatic device where a character in a play speaks his or her thoughts out loud. This allows the audience to know their true thoughts and feelings. None of the other characters are present., dramatic monologueA speech delivered by one character in a drama. The character may be speaking to the audience or to other characters., use of narrator, chorus
- tonal features eg emphasis, exclamation
- interaction through dialogue and movement
- use of punctuation to indicate delivery of lines eg interruption, hesitation, turn-taking, listening
- reportageA dramatic technique where a character brings new information to the play鈥檚 other characters 鈥 and sometimes to the audience too.
- vocabulary choices
- staging, set, lighting, use of properties
- costume and music effects
You should use short quotations to support your ideas. You will also be given marks for paraphrasing parts of the book and referring to specific events, as this shows your knowledge of the text.