english lit one 14th may

Question 1

2 stylistic criticisms in othello

Answer 1

• iago’s rhetoric language (repetitions, metaphors, questions) to manipulate othello
• shift in othello’s language; poetic blank verse, shift to prose and descent in 3rd person

Question 2

1 deconstructionist criticism in othello

Answer 2

shift from idealism to reality
see othello as a respected military general in the first half
also see him as a distraught and violent

show the constant shifting of identity

Question 3

marxist criticism of othello

Answer 3

iago represents the bourgeoisie manipulation of the working class into submission, disempowering them

Question 4

context to she walks in beauty + link to the poem

Answer 4

1. romanticism - nature beauty inner self
2. atypical respectful portrayal of women as many said he was ‘mad bad and dangerous to know’
3. reaction to the enlightenment - feeling over intellect

Question 5

what novel also uses narration to evoke mental instability and alienation (like nick)

Answer 5

catcher in the rye (1951)
- tropes of stream of consciousness

Question 6

what character can myrtle by complimented with
+ explanation

Answer 6

curley’s wife , of mice and men (1937)
- sexually objectified, their pursuit of attention + escape from oppression leads to their tragic deaths.

Question 7

how does gatsby portray myrtle + jordan
and counter

Answer 7

Minimal Character Development for Symbolic Effect
- they’re caricatures to emphasise societal shallowness rather than realistic psychological portraits.

feminists argue their lack of development shows the passivity of women

Question 8

mneumonic for gatsby genre specific methods

Answer 8

fustics

fragmentation - flashbacks, modernists focus on perception
unreliable narration - subjective, ambiguity
symbolism - green light, tj eckleburg
tragedy - modernist, fall of fantasy
irony - nicks judgements, futility of AD
character development - minimal for myrtle + jordan satirising society’s shallowness
setting - east v west voa, social divisions, spiritual desolation

Question 9

What is the purpose of Gatsby’s dream/wanting a relationship with Daisy?
+ what is the reality?

Answer 9

The purpose of Gatsby’s dream and his obsessive pursuit of Daisy is to symbolise the broader illusion of the American Dream.
Daisy is less a person than a symbol: she represents Gatsby’s idealised version of success, love, and status. His desire is rooted not in real affection, but in nostalgia, fantasy, and the belief that he can “repeat the past.”

Ultimately, Gatsby’s dream is doomed because it is based on illusion—Daisy cannot live up to his expectations, and the society he wishes to enter will never truly accept him. Thus, Fitzgerald uses Gatsby’s dream to expose the emptiness of materialism and the unattainable nature of romanticised ideals.

Question 10

AO3 of remember linking to a specific method

Answer 10

the volta is symbolic of the shift from romanticism to victorian realism

Question 11

2 links of TGG and remember

Answer 11

experience lost love (green light vitality + rose)
try restore the past but incapable

Question 12

name and explain the early 20th century poetic movement

Answer 12

imagism
- reactionary to romanticism + victorian
- Focuses on clear, direct language
- Uses precise visual images rather than flowery language or abstractions
- Avoids sentimentality and traditional poetic forms

Question 13

key context points post victorian but pre war 3

Answer 13

1. edwardian era - social class rigidity + conservatism
2. urbanisation/industrialistion - harsh conditions persisted
3. start of modernism - questioning how reality is presented (but in infancy) + imagism is a strand

Question 14

how to approach the othello question 4

Answer 14

1. Read + see if you can turn statement
2. Plan out 3-4 paras + mindmap each point with 1 AO3, AO4, AO5 for each
3. read extract + link bits to each paragraph point
4. add other methods