Of Mice And Men Language Analysis

Writing a controlled assessment of a set text requires planning. You need to think about themes, ideas and characters as well as identifying language techniques and presentation features - then structure your assessment before you start writing.
Making a plan for your controlled assessment
You should focus on the following main areas:
What your text is about (its themes or ideas)
Who your text is about (the characters and how they speak)
How the ideas or characters are expressed
For this you will need to identify language techniques and presentational features (just as you would in your reading and writing non-fiction exam). Finally, you will end with a conclusion, summarising your main point and how you have proved it.
Before you write…show more content…
If your question is "Explore the way family relationships are presented in Romeo and Juliet" think what your answer is, boil it down to a single sentence and start with that. Start with an interesting positive statement - eg, "In Romeo and Juliet tensions within families are shown to be far greater than tensions between families."
If the question is "How does Steinbeck create a distinctive sense of voice in Of Mice and Men?" you could begin with "Steinbeck creates a distinctive sense of voice by writing his novel like a play."
Tip: if you had to describe your essay in a single sentence, what would that sentence be? When you've done that, you've got your opening sentence. The rest of the essay is really just showing why you've come to that conclusion.
Completing paragraph one
Once you have made your bold opening statement, you need to explain how you have come to this conclusion. You should therefore list the points you are going to explore in your essay. Ideally, there should be at least five key points, which will show how you have come to your conclusion. You will provide the evidence for these points in the following…show more content…
Make sure you that if you use a quotation with a literary technique in it, you name the technique in whatever comment you make about it.
Link the quotation to something elsewhere in the text. Perhaps it reminds the reader of another event in the text. Perhaps the same word is used to describe another person or event.
For example, ‘How does the setting in Of Mice and Men reflect the themes of the novel?’ ‘The opening scene of the novel shows a peaceful natural setting. However, from the very beginning of this peaceful description there is a note of warning: it is only a ‘few miles south of Soledad’. ‘Soledad’ is the name of a town, but it also means ‘loneliness’ in Spanish, which reflects one of the main themes of the book. It is a theme which is picked up by various characters, including Curly’s wife who gets ‘awful lonely’. The use of this place name at the beginning of the book creates an ominous effect.’
If you are not allowed to take your book into the examination you need to learn some quotations – but pick them carefully. Short phrases which can support different points are best. It’s also a good idea to make sure at least two of the quotations have a literary technique in