Post by The Thought Police (admin) on Nov 24, 2012 6:37:04 GMT -5
Ok,
So imagery is getting you down - 'Just as..., so too...' is blowing your mind and you need some extra help!
No problem! Here we are to assist you once again with some user friendly examples!
Reminder:
The whole point of using 'Just as..., so too...' is
1) To make sure you tell the examiner what the picture is that you are getting - what are the qualities/features of the of the image?
2) To make sure you use this to go on and explain what it adds to your understanding about the real thing being described.
Here's a basic example
Basic Example
Steve sprang like a tiger at the boy who just stole his doughnut.
Question
Comment on the writer's use of language in showing his response to the theft.
Answer
The writer uses a simile "Steve sprang like a tiger". Just as a tiger is a powerful animal that can leap very quickly and aggressively at its prey, so too Steve jumped at great speed and with force at the boy who had stolen his doughnut, showing that he was very angry and violent a
s a result of the theft.
How To...
So here you see I used the 'Just as...' to discuss the features of the picture - in this case what a tiger is like when it springs. Then I moved on to the real thing being described by using my 'so too...' to talk about Steve. And finally, I made sure I'd used this to answer the question I was asked.
Ok, so that was a fairly basic example and you want Higher examples.
Higher Example
As someone who spends lots of time thinking about the future of music as an app phenomenon, it might surprise you that I do a lot of my listening on vinyl records.
I’m not alone – reports abound of vinyl’s surging sales numbers over the past five or so years. Though they make up a tiny percentage of overall music sales, vinyl record sales have grown at a time when other physical formats are skidding.
Question
How does the writer use imagery to describe the success of vinyl records.
Answer
The writer uses a metaphor to describe the sale of vinyl records. "Vinyl's surging sales". Just as a surge is a sudden push forward, or a wave of water moving quickly forward, so too have records sold quickly and there have been many sold.
The writer also contrasts this with the sales of other formats: "other physical formats are skidding." Just as a something skids when it suddenly slows down then comes to a complete stop, so too the sales of other formats are rapidly slowing and there are very few being sold in contrast to the many records suddenly selling.
Analysis of my answer
You can see here that I have used the 'just as..., so too...' formula again to explain what the picture part tells us and then relate it to what the real thing the writer is describing. To get full marks, I have to do both parts and therefore, 'Just as..., so too...' helps me do that. As there were two images, I have explained them both, one at a time. It is a mistake to try to do both together; you'll just get yourself muddled.
Let's look at the following tougher 'bad-boy' examples.
Bad Boy Number 1
Extract from Krishnan Guru-Murphy's BBC Blog
That’s the thing about Twitter. People use it to spout any old nonsense that comes into their head. And they have, to horrendous degree. It made Chris Morris’s satire seem old.
So it is good that Twitter has been sent a shocking bolt of electricity by Lord McAlpine’s lawyers as they pursue those who tweeted falsehood and innuendo about him. There is nothing bullying about fighting to restore his reputation. With a bit of luck, the ones who were most guilty of tweeting vicious nonsense will go away for good, scared of which court their views might land them.
Question
How does the writer's use of language make clear the strength of his feelings about twitter?
Answer
The writer clearly feels strongly that twitter has allowed people to spread lies and is glad people are fighting back. He uses the metaphor, "Twitter has been sent a shocking bolt of electricity". Just as being electrocuted would be a powerful and suddenly and surprisingly painful experience, so too the people who use twitter abusively would get an immediate and well-deserved shock, enough to stop them doing it again.
He also uses the word choice of 'vicious', which has the connotations of aggression, hatred and extremely nasty. This shows us that he thinks those who use twitter to bully others seem very cruel.
There is also the word choice of 'spout', which has the connotations of something constantly flowing or something constantly bubbling out. This suggests he thinks that that the people who say things on twitter are saying the first thing that comes to mind and are constantly making silly remarks.
Analysis
Because this is a writer's use of language question, I have chosen to answer on the imagery as well as word choice. For the imagery, I have used the 'Just as ..., so too...' formula. And for the word choice, I have used the 'connotations then comment' formula. I am constantly trying to bring my answer back to the question.
So imagery is getting you down - 'Just as..., so too...' is blowing your mind and you need some extra help!
No problem! Here we are to assist you once again with some user friendly examples!
Reminder:
The whole point of using 'Just as..., so too...' is
1) To make sure you tell the examiner what the picture is that you are getting - what are the qualities/features of the of the image?
2) To make sure you use this to go on and explain what it adds to your understanding about the real thing being described.
Here's a basic example
Basic Example
Steve sprang like a tiger at the boy who just stole his doughnut.
Question
Comment on the writer's use of language in showing his response to the theft.
Answer
The writer uses a simile "Steve sprang like a tiger". Just as a tiger is a powerful animal that can leap very quickly and aggressively at its prey, so too Steve jumped at great speed and with force at the boy who had stolen his doughnut, showing that he was very angry and violent a
s a result of the theft.
How To...
So here you see I used the 'Just as...' to discuss the features of the picture - in this case what a tiger is like when it springs. Then I moved on to the real thing being described by using my 'so too...' to talk about Steve. And finally, I made sure I'd used this to answer the question I was asked.
Ok, so that was a fairly basic example and you want Higher examples.
Higher Example
As someone who spends lots of time thinking about the future of music as an app phenomenon, it might surprise you that I do a lot of my listening on vinyl records.
I’m not alone – reports abound of vinyl’s surging sales numbers over the past five or so years. Though they make up a tiny percentage of overall music sales, vinyl record sales have grown at a time when other physical formats are skidding.
Question
How does the writer use imagery to describe the success of vinyl records.
Answer
The writer uses a metaphor to describe the sale of vinyl records. "Vinyl's surging sales". Just as a surge is a sudden push forward, or a wave of water moving quickly forward, so too have records sold quickly and there have been many sold.
The writer also contrasts this with the sales of other formats: "other physical formats are skidding." Just as a something skids when it suddenly slows down then comes to a complete stop, so too the sales of other formats are rapidly slowing and there are very few being sold in contrast to the many records suddenly selling.
Analysis of my answer
You can see here that I have used the 'just as..., so too...' formula again to explain what the picture part tells us and then relate it to what the real thing the writer is describing. To get full marks, I have to do both parts and therefore, 'Just as..., so too...' helps me do that. As there were two images, I have explained them both, one at a time. It is a mistake to try to do both together; you'll just get yourself muddled.
Let's look at the following tougher 'bad-boy' examples.
Bad Boy Number 1
Extract from Krishnan Guru-Murphy's BBC Blog
That’s the thing about Twitter. People use it to spout any old nonsense that comes into their head. And they have, to horrendous degree. It made Chris Morris’s satire seem old.
So it is good that Twitter has been sent a shocking bolt of electricity by Lord McAlpine’s lawyers as they pursue those who tweeted falsehood and innuendo about him. There is nothing bullying about fighting to restore his reputation. With a bit of luck, the ones who were most guilty of tweeting vicious nonsense will go away for good, scared of which court their views might land them.
Question
How does the writer's use of language make clear the strength of his feelings about twitter?
Answer
The writer clearly feels strongly that twitter has allowed people to spread lies and is glad people are fighting back. He uses the metaphor, "Twitter has been sent a shocking bolt of electricity". Just as being electrocuted would be a powerful and suddenly and surprisingly painful experience, so too the people who use twitter abusively would get an immediate and well-deserved shock, enough to stop them doing it again.
He also uses the word choice of 'vicious', which has the connotations of aggression, hatred and extremely nasty. This shows us that he thinks those who use twitter to bully others seem very cruel.
There is also the word choice of 'spout', which has the connotations of something constantly flowing or something constantly bubbling out. This suggests he thinks that that the people who say things on twitter are saying the first thing that comes to mind and are constantly making silly remarks.
Analysis
Because this is a writer's use of language question, I have chosen to answer on the imagery as well as word choice. For the imagery, I have used the 'Just as ..., so too...' formula. And for the word choice, I have used the 'connotations then comment' formula. I am constantly trying to bring my answer back to the question.