Your essays are marked!
I didn’t realize how excited you all were about Beowulf and Bilbo, but then I learn something new everyday.
Things to consider:
- Avoid starting an essay with a sweeping generalization like: “In the history of literature there are many different types of heroes.” Instead, tell me something specific about the text(s), state an opinion, describe a particular scene from a work.
- Outlines are fantastic! Really. You have the time on Wednesday to create a plan, so spend ten minutes organizing your thoughts and make sure that your ideas relate to one another. Avoid jamming a whole bunch of ideas together in one paragraph – separate each point and explain your ideas fully.
- Do you have a thesis?
- Keep asking yourself why and how: why does this matter to the text? how do the examples you’ve selected support your ideas?
- Keep it simple. Elaborate constructions and high diction can obscure your thought process – write clear sentences that are easy to follow.
Other words of advice:
- If you don’t know it by Tuesday night at 10:00pm, don’t go searching desperately through your notes.
- Focus on your strengths – do you know the Arthurian material backwards and forwards, but can’t remember the name of the pregnant lady with the sword in the Eirik the Red Sagas? Write on what you know and what you can do well.
Try and sleep the night before the exam, I know it’s difficult what with NHL playoffs and all. Kidding aside, it’s important to be well rested before you write and be sure to eat something before the exam – three hours is a long time to be thinking about second breakfasts, lunch, or tea.
