Transcript Twelve Angry Men Lecture - GSCEnglish3

Twelve Angry Men Lecture
English SAC’s ...
70 minutes, a dictionary and a pen.
Show us what you know!
What sets you apart?
Your knowledge of the text?
Your expression?
Your insight?
Welcome to Year 12
Use the resources available to you ...
Your teachers!
They have a wealth of experience and
knowledge.
If you are confused or worried, ask them for help.
Resources continued ...
Study guides
Your textbook
Online notes and summaries
The film (but be careful)
Handouts / the Year 12 English wikispace
OUR WIKISPACE
www.gscenglish3.wikispaces.com
Course outline
2012 Examiner’s Report
Resources such as PowerPoint presentations,
background information, focus questions, tips,
etc.
Today’s talk
Addressing the assessment criteria
Some handy tips
The most important thing is expression
Improve your vocabulary
Make sure you punctuate between sentences
Use quotation marks
Clear paragraph breaks
Metalanguage
# 1. You will need to show us that you
understand the social, historical and/or
cultural values embodied in the play.
What was American society like in the 1950’s?
What was Reginald Rose worried about?
What did he want to change about the society he lived in?
What customs, traditions or institutions did he want to protect or
preserve?
• American society was changing rapidly
• It was a time of fear and suspicion – the old ways
were under threat
• People were questioning the effectiveness and
fairness of the judicial system
• Many minority groups were demanding change
# 2. You need to show us that you have an
understanding of the ideas, characters and
themes constructed by the playwright
How well do you know the jurors?
Are you familiar with the various witnesses and their
testimony?
How many quotes have you memorised?
Do you have something to say about the big ideas or
themes in the play?
This list of themes might help ...
The strengths and weaknesses of the jury system
Justice and the concept of a fair trial
Democracy and the structure of American society
Prejudice and fear / reason and logic
Truth, facts, certainty and the concept of reasonable doubt
The effects of pressure and conflict on individuals
# 3. You need to show an awareness of the
structures, features and conventions used
by the playwright to construct meaning
Playwright ... not author
Audience ... not reader
Stage directions
Set design
Act 1 / Act 2
Ask yourself:
How do I feel about the characters?
Do I like certain characters and dislike others?
How do I feel at the end of the play?
Am I happy and satisfied or angry and frustrated?
Understand that Reginald Rose has used
certain structures, features and
conventions to make you feel that way! He
has constructed the play and its characters.
How has Rose constructed the 10th juror?
He interrupts the other characters and is openly dismissive of
their opinions.
He is rude to the 2nd juror (a quiet, reserved man) and the 9th
juror (an old man). This appeals to our sense of justice.
He raises his voice and sometimes swears at the other jurors.
He makes broad, sweeping statements (generalisations).
He adopts an aggressive tone of voice and uses threatening
body language.
When he doesn’t get his way, he broods in the corner.
Ask yourself ... how is his behaviour different to
the 8th juror?
Whose opinions does the playwright endorse?
Whose opinions does the playwright condemn?
Rose also constructs meaning with ...
Symbolism
= heat, a storm, rain
5th Juror: Look how dark it’s getting. We’re gonna have a storm.
Boy it’s hot. (pg 50)
He constructs meaning with stage directions
“The 8th juror stands alone for a few moments and we know this
(the possibility that the boy really did kill his father) is the
problem that has been tormenting him. He does not know and
he never will”
He constructs meaning with the
setting (realism)
This is not a play about kings and queens.
It is not set in an exotic location
It does not involve dazzling special effects or
ornate costumes.
These are ordinary men sitting in a very ordinary
room.
What they do is extraordinary!
# 4. You need to show us that the play can be
interpreted in different ways by different
readers
To interpret = to establish or explain the
meaning or significance of something
People in an audience respond in different ways.
They sometimes interpret things differently ...
Use one or two sentences like this ...
Some may see ________ as __________ , but Rose suggests
otherwise.
It is true that ___________, but he also _____________.
________ might easily be seen as ________. However, it could
also be seen as ________.
While it is tempting to see ___________ , in reality __________
You should also try to use words like:
suggests / implies / appears to be / may be
Top tips
Know how much you can write in 70 minutes.
Write practice essays under timed conditions.
You don’t want to finish too soon.
You don’t want to run out of time.
Plan your essay before you write
Take 5 – 7 minutes to plan your response.
Underline key words and phrases from the essay
topic.
Try to use these key words (or synonyms for
these key words) in your essay. It will remind
the marker that you are on topic.
Planning continued
Form a clear contention (a clear line of argument in
response to the essay topic). Make your
contention the first sentence of your introduction.
Write down your quotes and evidence in your plan.
If you can’t think of any evidence from the text to
support your point, scrap it and think of
something else.
Take a dictionary with you
Use it to check the meaning of words in the
essay topic
If you have time at the end, use it to double
check your spelling
Try to be precise with words
Finally, please use a blue or black pen
Take a few pens into the SAC with you.
Find the pen that works just right for you.
Do not write in pencil or luminescent pink!
“The jibba jabba stops here!”