Section 1 Belonging

Preparation for English Paper 1 Section I:

Composition features –

They could be anything ranging from: (or anything else they find!!)

-Lyrics to a song
-A cartoon
-A poem
-A web page
-A comic strip
-A transcript of a speech
-Part of a narrative
- Photographs
- Quotes
- A book cover, and/or blurb

General: Take note of the language used:
Diction, Formal/Informal, Neutral/Emotive, Objective (undistorted by emotion or personal bias)/Subjective (influenced by personal opinion), Literal/Figurative, Voice (Imperative, cynical, satirical, etc).

Does the writer use rhetorical questions? What other techniques have been employed to interest the reader, and to make a point. What is the point being made?

Visual Texts: (Cartoons, Book Covers, Photographs, etc)
Look at what images/symbols are used to make up the text, and how these elements contribute to the purpose of the image, and what they say about the image. Do they reinforce any text present (caption, title etc)? Is there writing juxtaposed over a supporting image? Does it reinforce (contrast or contradict) what is presented in the text? How do they convey the idea of the journey? What type of journey (physical, imaginative, inner, or a combination)? How does the placement (centre, foreground, background, off to the side etc) of things in the image contribute to its purpose – focal point? Is there humour, or an emotion conveyed in the text? What is the purpose? Is it to entertain, to inform, or to ridicule (etc)? How do things like colour, words, font, size, setting, characters, and vector lines play a part in establishing meaning (everything has a purpose)? Does it teach the reader something?

Comic Strip/Image – take note of:
- Facial expression
- Consecutive frames show change/movement
- Caption (text that accompanies the comic/image)

Skills in analyzing visual texts-
- Body language, facial expressions and clothing of any people in the text
- Angles of perception high angles...