Set Text

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Set Text

• Essay Writing

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Set Text

• In your exam you will have to write an essay
  based on the play Lovers, this is called the
  Set Text essay.
• It is worth twenty marks, as are all of the
  elements of the Higher Drama course.
• To successfully gain a good mark in an essay you
  need to know the play inside out, you also need
  to have read the Full Notes and fully
  understand the themes of the play.

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Writing a Set Text Essay

• The set text essay questions tend to fall into a
  few categories
• Design/ Staging, Genre, choosing a scene,
  powerful/important character, the playwrights
  use of a technique, setting or language.
• When you are choosing a set text question you
  would be particularly focusing on a
  design/staging question, a question on character
  or a question that requires you to choose a
  scene.

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Writing a Set Text Essay

• Click HERE to see these types of past paper
  questions on the website.

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Writing a Set Text Essay

• You will have to select one question in the exam
  from a choice of four.
• You should firstly read all questions carefully.
  A lot of the questions are in two parts
• (2010) Identify two characters from your
  prescribed text that could be described as having
  conflicting personalities. Give reasons for your
  choice. As a director, how would you help your
  actors to develop these two roles in rehearsal?

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Writing a Set Text Essay

• A question in two parts is marked in that way.
  The first part of the questions part A is
  allocated a maximum of ten marks and the part B
  the same.
• This means that you must balance your answer and
  not just focus on the part A. In this instance
  this would involve discussing two characters with
  conflicting personalities such as Mag and Joe.
  You would then give quotes and examples from the
  play to help you to illustrate your points.

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Writing a Set Text Essay

• With a two part question you have to try to
  answer the first part and then the second part
  almost as one point. This will ensure that you
  are picking up marks all the way through the
  essay, see an example of this on the next slide

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Writing a Set Text Essay

• Mag and Joe have conflicting personalities and we
  learn this almost immediately in the play. Joe is
  a pragmatist and is serious about his studies, he
  also feels under pressure because of the
  responsibility placed on him to provide for his
  family. We see this when he says And you
  neednt stare at me like that any qualification
  is better than nothing. Youll always get some
  sort of a job. Mag on the other hand is a
  dreamer, she finds it difficult to concentrate on
  any one thing, we see this when she says I
  dont know what things I take seriouslyNever
  books or school or things like that.. This
  difference between them creates lots of conflict
  and is a result of many arguments, Joe youre
  the stupidest person I ever met!
• As a director I would ask Joe to stay completed
  focused on his books while Mag speaks. I would
  ask the actress playing Mag, in contrast, to use
  lots of comical expressions and exaggerated
  gestures to try to get Joes attention. I would
  ask Joe to speak to her in a stern tone with an
  annoyed expression to show his growing
  frustration at her not taking her studies
  seriously. I would also Hot-seat the characters
  to encourage them to work on building their
  characters personalities, to make these more
  believable in performance.

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Writing a Set Text Essay

• Where questions are in one part, the marks will
  be awarded where a relevant point is made,
  illustrated and justified
• You are to direct a production of your
  prescribed text and have been given the choice of
  a large proscenium arch theatre or a studio space
  with flexible seating arrangements. Which
  performance space would you choose in order to
  realise your design concepts and communicate
  important ideas in the play?

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Writing a Set Text Essay

• This question is perfect for the play of Lovers
  as the key elements that you will want to discuss
  in ANY essay will be the themes of the play.
  These are what make the play interesting and
  these are the important ideas of the play.
• I think quite often the design/staging questions
  are usually the most accessible questions for
  writing about Lovers.
• As with any essay question you must read the
  question FULLY and not just write down everything
  you know about Lovers and the themes.

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Writing a Set Text Essay

• A mistake that is made every year and reflected
  back from the SQA is of candidates regurgitating
  information and NOT ANSWERING THE QUESTION SET!
• You must answer the question. Underline the key
  parts if that helps or write the question at the
  top of the page or even highlight the question to
  keep drawing your attention back to WHAT YOU ARE
  BEING ASKED TO DO.

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Writing a Set Text Essay

• The design question given previously askes you to
  firstly choose a space to help you to communicate
  important ideas in the play THE THEMES.
• The structure of this essay would involve you
  considering the Original Staging of Lovers and
  your own ideas for staging the play.
• Design concepts refer to lighting, sound,
  costume, props, set design, drama media.
• Sometimes its easier to choose the themes you
  think are most important, as you wont have time
  to discuss them all in one essay.

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Writing a Set Text Essay

• The first point you should make as part of your
  introduction would be that the important ideas
  that you would wish to communicate in the play
  would be the themes
• In directing my prescribed text of Lovers, the
  themes would be the important ideas that I would
  want to communicate to the audience. The themes
  run throughout the play and help to communicate
  the historical setting of the play and the
  influence of the environment the characters live
  in on their relationships and their happiness.
  The main themes of the play are Influence of the
  Catholic Religion, Frustrated Christianity,
  Frustrated Love and Moral Responsibility. These
  would be central to influencing my design
  concepts.
• You then need to ANSWER the question on why you
  are choosing a particular space. This will enable
  you to discuss a variety of design ideas in your
  essay.
• The performance space which I would choose in my
  direction of my set text play Lovers would be a
  Proscenium Arch. This would enable me access to a
  back wall/drop or Cyclorama for projection and
  scenery, it would also enable me to use the wings
  of the stage for set changes and would provide me
  with the use of an apron. This type of stage
  would also enable me to have full access to
  lighting equipment, essential for my design.

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Writing a Set Text Essay

• As you start the main part of the essay link back
  to the question being asked. Then structure your
  essay by using the themes to help demonstrate
  your design concepts for the play.
• Try to state what the meaning of the theme is or
  what it tells you about the characters/why it is
  important as a director. Then say where in the
  play the theme(s) are most particularly
  highlighted, through using appropriate quotes.
  Then answer the question from a design point of
  view.
• After every quote you must justify why this links
  to the question. A good way to do this is to say
  after quoting This quote shows
• If you are speaking about design or directorial
  concepts, such as lighting, try give a few
  examples, as this can also pick you up more
  marks.
• See ONE example of a possible answer on the next
  slide

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Writing a Set Text Essay

• The theme of Frustrated Love is very important
  within the play and will influence my design
  concepts. This theme is central in communicating
  the characters true feelings and the strains in
  their relationships. Mag and Joe demonstrate this
  as they struggle to deal with being forced
  together due to the religious influence and
  community pressures placed on them. They clearly
  have very different personalities and their
  situation highlights the insecurities and
  underlying feelings of doubt that they have about
  each other. An example of this is when Joe
  declares to Mag You trapped me into marrying
  you thats all right Ill marry you. But Ill
  lead my own life. This shows his clear
  frustration at being forced to have the baby with
  Mag and suggests resentment at his own life being
  put on hold.

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Writing a Set Text Essay

• After explaining how the theme links to the
  question and exemplifying this from the text,
  state which design concepts you will use to
  communicate the theme. Remember you can make
  reference to set design, lighting, sound,
  costume, props and media.
•  
• The theme of Frustrated Love will influence my
  design concepts as I would use lighting to
  communicate this. My design would involve red
  gels on Fresnel Lanterns, when Joe is saying
  hurtful things to Mag, to communicate his
  resentment towards her. I would also project
  images onto the Cyclorama of some of the faces of
  the community who have placed immense pressure on
  the couple and in turn, making Joe feel
  frustrated and trapped in the relationship.

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Writing a Set Text Essay

• You should continue using this structure but give
  further examples from Winners and Losers.
• Then conclude your essay, once again going back
  to the question posed.
• Remember this is only one type of DESIGN
  question, but it will give you an idea of how to
  structure an essay of this type.

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Set Text EssayTasks

• To prepare for any set text essay it is useful to
  have good examples and quotes ready.
• Take four of the main themes Influence of the
  Catholic Religion, Moral Responsibility,
  Frustrated Christianity and Frustrated Love and
  find quotes and examples from Winners and
  Losers which help to illustrate these themes.
• You are now going to create your own Flashcards
  to help you to revise these quotes. You will use
  these as a study tool to help you to prepare for
  essays throughout this course. Your teacher will
  show you the Innovid on how to create
  Flashcards.
• Then Click on FLASHCARDS to begin creating your
  own study deck.
• Use the design question given as an example in
  this presentation as your essay question.
  Complete this and hand it into your teacher.

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Well Done!

• You have now completed revision on Set Text
  Essay Writing!