Hello everyone and welcome back to Theory Thursday. Last week I talked about some more poetic devices so go and check that out if you haven’t already. 

Today’s #theorythursday is all about setting. Where a text is set, (by text I am referring to any kind of piece – a book, a tv show, or a film), plays a very fundamental role in the text and when one is discussing a text or conducting a literary analysis of a text, setting is something that cannot be overlooked. 

So let’s dive into Theory Thursday. 

What is a setting? 

The setting is the time and place that the text takes place in. When one is thinking about the setting of a text, there are a few factors that should be kept in mind such as the climate, landscape, society, and culture. All of these factors serve as a backdrop to the text but they are not just a backdrop, these factors can be extremely important because of how they can influence a text. 

There are also elements to a setting. The four elements are time, mood, place, and cultural and societal contexts. These elements are important because they enrich the text, they make the world seem more tangible and real and it makes the story more accessible to the reader. 

I can think of so many examples of how the setting plays an important role in the story. The text that I am going to mention is Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. At some point in the future, this novel will be my chosen Book Of The Month and when that time comes I will be discussing it in far more detail, but for now I am going to simply say that this is a really good example of a text in which the setting plays a very important role in the story. 

In Oliver Twist, the setting of London is really important. I love Dickens, so much so that I wrote a thesis about his works, and one of the things I love so much about Dickens is his use of descriptive imagery. Dickens writes in a stark, and vividly detailed manner and in Oliver Twist, London is a world of its own. The slums of London is where most of the action happens. The slums are filthy and poverty stricken. The slums are dark, scary places where crime is commonplace. The slums are cold, gloomy, and there is very little hope in the slums. Oliver experiences many different “homes” in this text, he experiences the harsh life of a workhouse orphan, he experiences the cold and dangerous, crime filled slums and then he experiences life at Mr. Brownlow’s house. Mr. Brownlow’s house is clean and comfortable. It is a warm place filled with kind people who take care of him. There is money in that house. The difference is stark. The people who live in that house live a completely different life to those who live in the slums and Oliver’s fate depends on where he ends up. The difference is crucial. 

I mentioned how a setting has elements and factors – time, place, mood, societal/cultural contexts, landscapes, and climate. 

Well in Oliver Twist, we can see two very different worlds and those worlds have different factors and elements. 

The Brownlow house is warm, clean, comfortable, and safe. The people who live in that house are members of civilised society. They are refined, and mannerly. Their culture is a middle-class, law abiding one. 

The slums are freezing, and filthy. Poverty and crime are rampant. The people who live in the slums don’t have a chance because from the moment they are born, they are looked down upon due to being from the slums. They are surrounded by poverty, they are not considered members of civilised society, they are cast aside. Some are not law abiding, there is a culture of survival, of violence, of theft. 

In one text, Dickens has created two vastly different worlds, and those worlds, and the people in them, and what that will mean for Oliver, are all influenced and impacted by the setting. 

Why is setting important?

As I hope I have explained in the above example, the setting impacts and enriches the story. The setting helps ground the reader, and where a story is set can really help the reader to envision the world they are reading about. I would argue that a sentence such as this, “the filthy, freezing, dark alley in the slums.”, conjures up a certain image. I would argue that reading something like that would make you think of a place that isn’t very nice, and isn’t very safe, and if I was reading a story and came across that sentence, I would think that this is a place where something bad may happen to the character. So, as I’ve said already, the setting really can help the reader imagine the story more vividly and I would say that being able to do so enhances the reading experience. 

Setting is also very important when it comes to conducting a literary analysis because the setting of a story is considered to be a fundamental factor of fiction. I don’t think it would be possible to conduct a literary analysis without talking about where the story is set because the setting influences so many things. For example, you can’t read a text such as Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird without mentioning that it is set in the South in the 1930s because the entire book is about the prejudices and injustice of the Southern legal system. Oliver Twist is about the plight of an orphan, and Dickens sheds a light on the harsh realities that poverty stricken people faced and he couldn’t effectively make that point if he did not set the story in the slums because we need the filthy, gritty, harsh reality of the slums in order to see the harsh circumstances that poor Oliver must face. His plight wouldn’t have the same impact if he was always in the lovely Brownlow house, if he was always in that warm, safe house, he wouldn’t have a plight. So that is why setting is important, because it enriches and influences the text. 

This has been a breakdown all about setting. This has been Theory Thursday. If you have any questions then please do drop them in the comments below. I love hearing your thoughts and opinions. 

Kate xo. 

Hello everyone and welcome back to another Theory Thursday.

Last week I talked about how to tackle nerves over public speaking and you should go and check that out if you haven’t already.

Today’s #theorythursday is about more poetic devices. If you look through my categories and select Theory Thursday, you will find a post titled ‘Poetic Devices’, and in that post I broke down imagery, metaphors, personification, hyperboles, and onomatopoeia.

Today I am going to be breaking down four more poetic devices – Simile, Paradox, Assonance, and Alliteration.

So let’s dive into Theory Thursday.

Simile.

What is a simile?

A simile is when an author compares two objects very definitely, using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’.

An example of a simile can be found in the sentence ‘She is as good as gold.’

A poem that contains an example of a simile is A Red, Red Rose by Robert Burns.

O my Luve is like a red, red rose.

O my Luve is like the melody.

Quotes from A Red, Red Rose, by Robert Burns.

Paradox.

What is a paradox?

A paradox is a statement that obviously does not make sense or has no logic because it is a contradiction.

A famous example of a paradox was said by George Bernard Shaw when he said that ‘youth is wasted on the young’.

An example of a paradox can be found in Seán O’Casey’s play The Shadow of a Gunman.

The child is father of the man.

A line from The Shadow of a Gunman, by Seán O’Casey.

Assonance.

What is assonance?

Assonance is the repeated use of vowel sounds.

Vowel sounds are represented by the letters A, E, I, O, and U.

An example of assonance can be found in the poem The Cold Wind Blows by Kelly Roper.

Who knows why the cold wind blows

A quote from The Cold Wind Blows, by Kelly Roper.

If you read this line aloud, then you will hear the use of assonance. It is the ‘o’ in ‘who’, the ‘ows’ in ‘knows’, the ‘o’ in ‘cold’, the ‘win’ in ‘wind’, and the ‘ows’ in ‘blows’.

When you say this line aloud, your mouth should make a circular shape as you say the vowels and you will find that you tend to naturally elongate your vowels.

I believe that assonance is one of those devices that becomes easier to recognise when you read a poem aloud.

Alliteration.

What is alliteration?

Alliteration is when words repeatedly begin with the same consonant.

An example of alliteration can be found in the sentence ‘The steep, stone steps.’ – S,S,S – alliteration.

An example of alliteration can be found in the poem The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe.

While I nodded, nearly napping

A quote from The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe.

Why are these poetic devices important?

As always, I like to end Theory Thursday by talking about why the theory discussed above is important.

I will always maintain my belief that understanding enhances enjoyment.

It is not fun to be confused in class. It is not fun to be struggling with an essay that is due soon. It is not fun to be in a conversation about poetry when you feel lost and confused, and if you enjoy poetry then it is not fun when sometimes poetry and theory may seem inaccessible.

My goal with each Theory Thursday is to make aspects of literary theory accessible to anyone who wishes to access it. I could speak in highly academic and complicated language, and I could use really obscure examples but then I feel that my content would not be accessible.

I use everyday language and I use straightforward examples.

If you are a student, then I think these breakdowns will be really beneficial to you because you will need to understand literary theory in order to do your work and if you are not a student but you simply wish to broaden your knowledge, then these breakdowns allow you to do so in a quick and easy way.

The more we understand about literature, the less daunting literature becomes. When you begin to understand these devices then talking about poetry becomes easier and when it becomes easier, it becomes more enjoyable because now not only can you discuss it, but you can understand it on a deeper level. When you can understand something on a deeper level, then you may start to relate to it or it may move you and once this happens, literature becomes much more enjoyable because a poem is no longer simply words on a page. You are no longer scratching your head thinking what does this even mean? So that is why I believe that learning about literary theory and the poetic devices above is important because doing so broadens understanding and enjoyment of literature.

This has been Poetic Devices – Chapter 2. This has been Theory Thursday. I hope you enjoyed it. If anyone has any questions feel free to drop them below.

Kate xo.

Hello everyone and welcome back to another Theory Thursday here on Katelovesliterature.com.

Last week’s #theorythursday was all about poetic devices so you should go and check that out if you haven’t already.

Today’s #theorythursday is a little different and those of you who reached out to let me know that you find my public speaking centred content helpful should find today’s blog post very beneficial as today I am going to be talking about how to tackle the nerves that can come with public speaking.

Today’s post is a little less based in theory because instead I am giving you my own personal tips about dealing with nerves because over the years I have become very confident when it comes to public speaking, in fact I even enjoy it now. So let’s dive into Theory Thursday.

Firstly, let’s ask ourselves why do we get nervous?

I have had friends and family members tell me that they do not understand how I enjoy public speaking because it makes them so nervous and I think a really good way to deal with nerves is to figure out what exactly you are nervous about.

Are you nervous about speaking in front of a large crowd?

Are you nervous about forgetting the material?

Are you worried that people won’t like what you have to say?

There are many reasons as to why people find public speaking challenging and all of those reasons are very valid but nerves don’t have to stop you. I would even say that sometimes nerves fuel me and with time, I think they will fuel you too.

So once I have figured out what exactly is making me nervous, I start to tackle those factors one by one.

So if I am nervous about speaking in front of a large crowd, the best thing I have learned to do over the years is to not look at the crowd. Instead, you should look above their heads.

Pick a spot on the back wall and that spot will be your focus spot. When you walk out onto the stage or to the podium or to wherever you may be speaking, look directly at your focus spot.

By looking over the audience’s heads, you are giving the impression that you are facing the crowd confidently but you are not actually making eye contact with anyone, and looking above people’s heads rather than looking directly at people will make the audience less daunting as it won’t feel as though so many eyes are on you.

This takes practice so I would recommend choosing a focus spot whenever you are practicing your speech. If you are in the venue or in a rehearsal room, or even if you are rehearsing at home, pick a focus spot and get into the habit of keeping your gaze on that spot while you are speaking.

Having a focus spot also makes it easier to remain concentrated for the duration of your speech because by looking above the audience, you are less likely to be distracted by any movements that may occur in the audience. People move, people take coats off, people take notes, some drink water, some leave to go to the bathroom, etc, etc. When you are already nervous, catching someone’s eye or seeing movement can distract you and cause you to stumble, which will in turn only make your nerves worse so that is why my first tip is to pick a focus spot that will help you get into the zone.

My next tip will sound very obvious but I am often surprised by how many people do not do this. Practice. You simply must practice your speech if you want to feel confident when giving it. If you are also nervous about forgetting your material, practicing will help tackle this area too because practicing means you are getting the words into your system and there will come a time when you know the speech in your sleep.

Practice your speech aloud. Take some time to see how long it takes to give the speech. You will figure out where you need to pause for breath or where you may need to have some water and the more you recite your speech aloud, the easier giving the speech becomes.

Another really good tip is to practice with people rather than always doing so by yourself. Ask a friend, ask a parent, ask a teacher, ask anyone you feel like asking if they could spare some time to listen to you recite your speech.

Reciting the speech to people you know helps in many ways.

It helps to tackle nerves about speaking in front of people because you are easing yourself into it by reciting the speech to someone you know and are comfortable with.

Practicing a speech in front of a friend gives you the opportunity to implement your new focus spot. You can pick a spot and look above their head and get used to doing so.

Practicing a speech in front of a friend is another chance to make sure you are confident that you know it and feedback is a great tool. Ask a friend or a family member to give you honest feedback. Find out if anything is confusing or boring or if they think you are talking too fast or too slow because it is always better to get feedback and amend things before the speech rather than having things you wished you had changed after the speech.

The thing about public speaking is that is it daunting but the only way to really get better at it is to keep doing it. Over time it will become easier.

Another thing that I like to do is use the nerves as fuel.

Over the years I have done a lot of public speaking. I did readings and speeches in school. I’ve done presentations in college, I have performed in many plays and even though it gets easier, I would never say that I am not at least a little bit nervous.

It is good to be a little bit nervous. It means you care. Without those butterflies, there is no magic in my opinion. That feeling before walking out before a crowd or that last moment before the curtain opens is a feeling that is like no other. It is adrenaline and I’ve grown to love it and instead of letting those nerves worry me and stop me, I’ve began to look at that feeling as a good thing. The nerves excite me and now they fuel me and I think this little change of mindset has been so beneficial.

It is okay to be nervous and no one should be hard on themselves about being nervous. The important thing is that we must not let the nerves beat us. We must not let them stop us from giving the speech and so that is why I feel viewing nerves as a good thing is really beneficial.

Another tip I have is that while it is important to practice, I also think a calm attitude before going onstage is so important. Do not overdo it right before you go on. Do not keep looking out to see how many people are there. Fight the urge to ask yourself whether you know the speech or not. Don’t start second-guessing yourself right before you are to begin. Stay calm. Take a deep breath. Have some water and trust that by this point you have done the work. You have practised, you know your stuff, you have your focus spot, and these nerves are fuel.

Try to enjoy the speech and remember that even if you do make a mistake, no one in the audience knows. Only you know so if there are any mistakes, do not fret. Simply keep going as confidently as you can and no one will be any wiser.

Confidence is a mystery sometimes. There are times when I feel extremely confident and there are times when I do not feel one bit confident but no matter how I am feeling, I follow the steps that I have outlined above.

I stay calm. I take deep breaths. I drink water. I practice my speech alone and in front of friends. I have my focus spot. This little checklist has enabled me to become a very confident and very engaging public speaker and as I said, I would now go as far as to say that I actually enjoy public speaking because I enjoy the challenge, and I have started to view the nerves as fuel.

To anyone who is struggling with public speaking, especially those of you who have reached out to me to ask questions about it, the best piece of advice I can give is to keep trying. Keep at it. If it is something that you wish to become better at, then the best thing to do is to keep it up. Keep practicing because it will get easier and I hope that you will find today’s Theory Thursday beneficial.

If you have any questions about public speaking then please do drop a comment below because I would be more than happy to help in anyway that I can.

This has been Theory Thursday.

Kate xo.

Poetry is the clear expression of mixed feelings.

W.H Auden.

Hello everyone and welcome back to another Theory Thursday.

The last time I talked about poetry, I specifically concentrated on sonnets and I broke down how a sonnet is constructed. You should go and check that out if you haven’t already.

Today I am going talk through some of the most common poetic devices that are used because when one is attempting to really understand and discuss poetry, understanding these poetic devices will be essential.

Writing poetry is a brilliant way to express feelings and share ideas. Poets choose words carefully, thinking about how they sound and what they mean and when deciding how to express oneself through poetry, there are a lot of factors to consider such as meter, form, structure, which techniques to use etc.

So let’s dive into Theory Thursday.

I am going talk about five poetic devices – Imagery, Metaphor, Personification, Onomatopoeia, and Hyperbole.

I have chosen these five poetic devices to start with because I believe these are some of the most common devices used so if you are someone who struggles with grasping poetry, starting with these basic devices will make it easier for you to start identifying these devices in poems that you read and being able to do so will enable you to understand and enjoy poetry on a deeper, more detailed level.

Imagery.

What is imagery?

Imagery is language (a word or a phrase) that paints a picture for the reader. The use of imagery should appeal to our senses – smell, sight, touch, and even taste. When the words create a vivid picture in the reader’s mind, it allows the poet’s intentions to become clearer.

An example of imagery can be found in the poem Rain, by Christy Ann Martine.

Clinging to the warmth of your fingertips as they press against the glass.

A quote from Rain, by Christy Ann Martine.

I chose this quote as an example of imagery because I think it really does demonstrate what imagery can do. This quote is so simple and yet it does paint a beautiful picture. You can easily imagine someone sitting by their window with their fingers pressed against the glass, leaving fingerprints so it will be easy to see where they have been sitting, looking out at the rainy day.

I really love imagery because I think even though everyone reads the same words, we all likely imagine something different. The window I imagine may look different to what someone else will imagine and that is where personal interpretation comes in and that is always fascinating.

Metaphor.

What is a metaphor?

A metaphor is when a writer compares two different things without using the word like or as, (comparing two things with like and as is a simile and I will discuss this device at another time), metaphors are extremely common in poetry.

An example of a metaphor can be found in the poem The Night is a Big Black Cat, by G. Orr Clark.

The Night is a big black cat. The moon is her topaz eye.

A quote from The Night is a Big Black Cat, by G. Orr Clark.

I think that over time it becomes very easy to spot metaphors in poetry and it even becomes easy to use metaphors when we are speaking ourselves. If I say something like ‘She was a ghost today’, then I am using a metaphor to explain that someone looked really pale or unwell. People use metaphors all the time – Life is a rollercoaster etc, etc, etc.

Personification.

What is personification?

Personification is when a writer gives an object human characteristics.

A really well-known example of the use of personification can be found in the poem I wandered lonely as a Cloud, by William Wordsworth. Some people may also refer to the poem as Daffodils.

I wandered lonely as a Cloud

A quote from I wandered lonely as a Cloud, by William Wordsworth.

The very first line is an example of personification because Wordsworth has given a human emotion to an object – a cloud – a cloud is a thing, it cannot be lonely but Wordsworth has given this object this human emotion. It is also easy to picture one cloud floating in the sky, all by itself and perhaps it is a lonely cloud.

Onomatopoeia.

What is onomatopoeia?

To put it very simply, onomatopoeia is when a word sounds like what it is describing. So for example ‘The buzzing of the bees.” Think of words like ‘splash’, ‘crunch’, ‘buzz’, etc. All of these words sound like the thing they are describing. When you say the word ‘buzz’, the z sound in ‘buzz’ sounds like the noise a bee makes. It becomes easier to identify the use of onomatopoeia when reading a poem aloud.

An example of onomatopoeia can be found in the poem Water, by Fil Bufalo.

Waves crash rain falls

Pitter pitter pat pat

A quote from Water, by Fil Bufalo.

The word ‘crash’ is a great example of onomatopoeia because when you say it, you can almost hear the crashing of the sea.

Hyperbole.

What is a hyperbole?

A hyperbole is the use of rather extreme exaggeration for comedic or dramatic effect.

If one looks again at I wandered lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth, an example of a hyperbole can be found in this poem too.

Ten thousand I saw at a glance.

A quote from I wandered lonely as a Cloud, by William Wordsworth.

Hyperboles also become easy to recognise and people often use hyperboles when speaking too, perhaps without even realising it. Think of sentences like ‘I told you a million times!” – When we say things like this, it is because we are stressing something that we have said very often, and even though we did not actually say it a million times already, we feel like we did so we use hyperboles to make our point.

Why is it important to understand these poetic devices?

If you are student who is struggling with poetry then these breakdowns should make grasping poetry in English class easier. If you do have to write about poetry in exams and in essays, having an understanding of poetic techniques is going to be such an asset to you when it comes to getting the grade you want.

If you are someone who enjoys poetry and would like to be able to discuss it in more detail then having an understanding of poetic techniques and devices that authors use, especially these really common ones, will enable you to discuss poetry in more detail and understand poetry on a more complex level.

I really believe that understanding literary theory and poetic devices allows us to understand poetry in more detail and having an understanding of the devices used will allow you to grasp what the poet is trying to convey and this will also deepen your personal interpretation of the poem. I think that when we can understand something on a deeper, more nuanced level it means that we can connect to it more and understand why it makes us feel the way we do and that is when poetry truly becomes enjoyable.

I love when I read a poem and it touches me. I love when a poem makes me emotional or makes think about something or someone and I love being able to talk about why I love poetry in detail – something I wouldn’t be able to do effectively if I didn’t understand poetic techniques and devices and so that is why I think it is important to learn about these things, because doing so allows us to enjoy literature on a deeper level.

This has been Theory Thursday. I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any questions about these poetic devices then please do let me know and if poetry is your thing then make sure you keep coming back to Katelovesliterature.com because there are many more poetry discussions to come.

Kate xo.

Hello everyone and welcome to another Theory Thursday. Today’s #theorythursday is perfect for those who are heading #backtoschool and #offtocollege because today I am sharing the study tips I live by. I am talking all about how to study more effectively in shorter periods of time. Want to know how I do it? Keep reading!

I love learning and I really value my education however I always found studying rather difficult. I don’t like how some exams measure intelligence based on how well someone remembers and regurgitates information. I don’t think that spewing information that you have learned off by heart onto a page is a fair reflection of your ability and intelligence and the reason I thrived so much in college is because in college, all of my exams were focused on my critical thinking skills, on my opinion of and understanding of different topics rather than simply reciting stuff however, we all do have to survive exams and so I am going to share how I do that.

Are you sick of studying for hours and hours only to feel overwhelmed, frustrated, and exhausted with a headache on top? Do you feel like it doesn’t matter how long you study because you still don’t feel prepared? Pay attention because I am going to share my study tips, and these tips got me through college. I got several distinctions and I was always extremely happy with my grades but guess what, I only study for two hours or less at a time. Let’s dive in.

Replace endless hours with shorter, structured study sessions.

I think that sometimes people feel like they have to participate in a ‘who studied the longest’ contest. People think it is impressive to say that they studied all day or all night or that they never have any free time because they are studying. I say good for them if that is what they want to do, but personally I prefer having a healthy work/study/life balance. Let me share a secret, I never discuss my grades but I have often done just as well or even better that these people who are chained to their desks and I’ve spent less time studying. It’s not about how long you spend at the desk, it is about how productive you are while at the desk.

Structure your time. Have clear goals.

Pick a study slot. I like to study from 4-6.pm.

I like to have clear study goals for each session. I always set out two or three learning objectives for each session and my goal is that by the end of the two hours, I will understand the topics that I set out to understand. Having clear goals means I’m not studying for hours aimlessly. I have a task and I am using my time productively to complete that task.

Be realistic about your goals.

You will not learn ten things in one session and unrealistic goals will set you up for frustration and disappointment. That is why I would say have two or three goals per study session and then you can spend your time working through the topics you have chosen.

Good Notes = Easy Study.

If you put the time and effort into making your notes pleasing to look at, it will become easier when it comes to going over those notes. Write clearly and concisely. Don’t overcomplicate your notes. Make them easy to follow and easy to read and that way the content of your notes becomes easy to understand and easy to remember. Use different coloured pens for different topics. If the notes are boring to look at then you will be bored reading over them. Different coloured pens will also help you visualise your notes when you are trying to remember them.

Mind maps are your friend.

I always create mind maps (or spider diagrams, whatever you want to call them), I use them for study for exams and for essays – I will dedicate a separate Theory Thursday to essay writing tips alone.

I state the topic e.g. Shakespeare’s King Lear.

I state my learning objectives in the middle of the page e.g. I want to identify the play’s key themes. I want to select two key scenes that I will talk about. I want to breakdown Lear’s character.

If I am studying for two hours and I follow this mind map, I will spend 30 minutes on themes, 30 minutes on two key scenes, and 30 minutes on Lear’s character. This leaves me with 30 minutes left to go over all three topics or I can spend more time on one of these areas if I feel the need to.

At the end of this session, I ask myself do I understand the topics I set out to understand? Am I confident that I can talk about these three topics? If so, great. If not, I take note of what I feel I need to spend more time on e.g. themes, and then the next time I study one of my learning objectives will still be themes.

This leads me to my study method that I would say has three sections; plan, write, review.

Plan. Write. Review.

Planning comes when you get given an indication of what will be coming up on the exam. Some teachers give hints, when I was in college we were always given a rundown of what would be coming up because lecturers made it clear that they wanted exams to be about critical thinking and they did not want anyone to feel caught out. So if you have a fair idea of what topics you need to cover that is great, if you unfortunately have to guess, this method will still work but it means you have to do it a few more times.

For example, I once knew that all the plays I studied over the course of the module would be coming up on the exam except for the two that already came up on our mid-semester essay assignment. So that is two plays crossed off. I don’t need to study those two. Now, if every other play is going to come up and I know I will have two hours to answer two questions (usually one from a section A and one from a section B), then it is time for me to pick which two plays I am going to study.

I pick my plays. I outline all the things I will need to know. The playwright, when it was written, the setting, the characters, the themes, the structure, the techniques used, the message and the play’s importance, and finally my own interpretation and thoughts about the play.

Once I know my topic and what I need to know within that topic, I start to plan my study sessions and I plan how I will organise my notes.

Information about the play such as the playwright, when it was written, and where it is set will go on one page. These are basic facts and while they are important, the understanding I have of the play is more important.

Structure and themes will go together because as I have stated many times, how a story is structured can lend itself to the themes the story is presenting.

Characters get their own section. I figure out which character I will focus on because I don’t have time in the exam to focus on all of them. Maybe I’ll choose two and compare them. I will do the same with themes. I will identify what I interpret the most important theme to be and that will be the lens I write my answer through.

Once I have my plan, writing is next.

I create the mind map. I choose my two or three topics for one study session so for example I will sit down one evening and my goal for the end of the study session will be to understand the theme I am going to discuss, the techniques used in the play, and which character I will be discussing as my example.

In a different study session, I will plan to understand the play’s structure and I will choose one or two key scenes that I want to highlight in my answer to back up the points I’m making.

After writing comes reviewing.

After I create my mind map and write my notes, I move on to simply revising.

Once I am satisfied that I have covered all the topics I feel I need to, and I have made clear and easy to read notes on each topic, I then will take some time to read over these notes. I usually will be in this revising mode closer to the exam itself. The key is to do the heavy work earlier on and so when it comes close to the exam, I am simply reading over information that I already know and fully understand. When I put the notes together, I end up with a little booklet of study notes for each play.

This neat little booklet is clean, easy to read, and easy to understand. Each topic has it’s own page and it’s own coloured pen e.g. themes in blue, and this makes it so much easier to just read over my notes because everything is in the one place.

This may sound like an awful lot of work but it is all very manageable.

If I am studying two plays, I usually need two writing sessions for each one. The writing sessions is where most of the heavy work gets done because I am researching, reading, and highlighting in order to make my notes and then when that is done, I give myself two revising sessions for each play and like I said, these revising sessions tend to happen closer to the exam so I go in with the notes fresh in my memory.

So when you break it down, it is four study sessions for one exam.

This breakdown is how I studied for my exams while I was doing my BA. We usually had a two-week study period before exams. I usually had four or five exams at Christmas and then another four or five exams at the end of the semester in summer.

So if I had four exams and I knew I would give myself four study sessions for each one, that is sixteen study sessions.

I would use the first week as my writing notes week and the second week as my reading over notes week and then the four exams were spread out over a two-week period too so it meant that after one exam, there were days off in between the next one so you could read over notes for whatever exam was coming up next.

This study method really saved my mental health. I was no longer bored out of my mind flipping through pages for hours and hours. I was no longer feeling frustrated with myself thinking that I’d wasted my day. Our study breaks were over our Christmas break and it can be very hard to set aside study time over the Christmas holidays because family comes over and there are different events happening and I am tired after a long semester so I want some downtime to recharge too. I was not going to miss decorating the Christmas tree because I was sitting at my desk with a headache. This study method allowed me to really enjoy my Christmas break (if it is not obvious, I am referring to pre pandemic years where leaving the house and social activities were a much more regular occurrence.)

If I wanted to be able to sit down in the afternoon and watch a Christmas movie, I could, and then after a lovely day I would go upstairs and study for two hours. If I knew there was something happening in the evening, if I was going to see a Christmas panto, then I would get up and study from 11-1.pm and then I would be able to close my laptop and enjoy the rest of my day without feeling guilty or worrying that I should be studying and fretting because work is piling up and it is getting closer to the exam dates. Work did not pile up because I was organised and structured. The two hours I spent studying were highly focused and very productive. If I wanted to take a day off I could and then what I would do is do two study sessions the next day. I might study from 11-1.pm and then go for a nice walk and have some lunch, and then come back and do another session from 4-6.pm with a clear head and fresh eyes. I left my desk feeling proud of myself and confident in my work every time and I walked into every exam feeling confident and prepared – and my grades prove me and my methods right every time.

Obviously everyone is different and we all know how we learn. My methods may not work for some people, just like how some of my friend’s methods do not work for me but I am sharing my method because I guarantee that someone will find it helpful. I am not going to pretend that studying is fun, let’s face it, it is not fun. It can be stressful and many people struggle to study but over the last three years I feel that I have perfected a method that really works for me and I now feel so much more confident when I am preparing for exams and so if I can help even one person feel more confident too then sharing my tips will have been worth it. I don’t think I will ever find studying fun but I have found a way to make it a much less stressful experience and I hope these tips help you do that too.

This has been Theory Thursday. These have been my study tips that I swear by. Are you like me where you study in shorter sessions? Have you figured out any study hacks that you’ve found really do make a difference? Let me know in the comments below.

Kate xo.

Hello everyone and welcome back to another Theory Thursday. Last week I broke down the structure of a sonnet so if you have not read that already then you should check it out.

Today I am going to be breaking down rhythm and pitch. I have said before that some of my Theory Thursday topics will be especially helpful to anyone who is trying to become a more confident public speaker, today’s topic definitely falls into that category so be sure to keep reading!

Let’s dive into #theorythursday.

What is rhythm?

Rhythm can be referred to as the flow of speech and music.

Note – I am specifically talking about rhythm in relation to speech, while there are some overlaps between literary theory and music theory, there are some differences and if I am ever talking about music theory then I will clearly state that at the beginning of the piece.

How is rhythm produced?

We produce rhythm in speech by stress. When words have more than one syllable, one is stressed. The stressed and unstressed syllables work together to create certain patterns. That is where we get rhythm.

Rhythm can also be found everywhere. It is all around us, for example one can find rhythm in a heartbeat or in the ticking of a clock or in the sound of someone’s footsteps.

Rhythm is created by the repetition of stressed and unstressed syllables, a repetition of heavy and light sounds.

Rhythm can be found in poetry and in prose, and of course, in music.

What is pitch?

Pitch refers to the range of the speaking voice and usually one places their voice in the middle of the vocal scale – if you are singer, you may think of when warming up it is common to start at the middle C. It is a similar idea.

The voice ranges over three pitches.

There is upper pitch and we tend to use this when we are excited or nervous or afraid.

There is middle pitch which could be referred to as the ‘normal’ speaking voice. Think of how you speak on a regular basis, in regular conversation. This is your everyday voice and it is your middle pitch.

There is lower pitch which conveys sorrow or gloom, think of how you may automatically lower your voice if you have to convey bad news or if you are sad or if you are apologising.

Why are rhythm and pitch important?

When speaking, maintaining rhythm makes the speech sound natural and fluent and easy to listen to.

If you are only using stressed words then the speech can sound artificial and boring and also certain meaning may be lost if you are not emphasising the right things. Becoming a good speaker requires learning an array of skills. In order to be engaging and inspiring, it is important to speak clearly and confidently but to also remember how to emphasize your point and having an understanding of rhythm will only be an asset to you when you are speaking.

Pitch is important because we use pitch to express our emotions. If there is no variation in your pitch then your entire speech will risk sounding monotone and dull. You lose the interest of your listeners and again, certain meaning may be lost if you do not convey the emotions that your speech needs. How can an audience believe something is exciting if you sound bored talking about it? Having an understanding of pitch will enable you to make sure your speech is varied and filled with emotion and nuance and doing this will help you become the engaging speaker you want to be.

So this has been my breakdown of rhythm and pitch. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope it is helpful especially to those of you who voted for more public speaking content in my Instagram polls. If you have any questions then please do leave a comment, I am more than happy to get back to you.

This has been Theory Thursday.

Kate xo.

Hello everyone and welcome back to Theory Thursday. Last week I broke down Form & Themes so you should check that out if you haven’t already. Today is slightly different because I am going to talk about two aspects of drama theory that I feel are really important and very useful when it comes to public speaking. So if you have an interview you need to prep for or you have a presentation to give at school or at work, if you’re starting college in September and you’re nervous about speaking to new people, or even if you just want to become a more confident speaker in general then keep reading because today I am breaking down Rate & Pace, and you just might find it helpful.

What does rate mean? What does pace mean?

Rate refers to the overall speed that a piece is spoken at. Pace refers to the variety of speed within that rate.

The rate a piece is spoken at depends on a few factors. 1 – Subject Matter. 2 – The speaker’s personal ability. 3 – The size of the venue. 4 – The type of audience.

For example, if a piece is sad and solemn then the overall rate should be slow, while an exciting or frantic piece would be much quicker. A bigger room will need a slower rate. When a speaker is nervous, they tend to speed up naturally because they wish to get through it. This is where mistakes are made. Slow down, and take a breath and if you think you are speaking slowly, I promise you that you’re not. Slow down again. This is something I’ve been guilty of in the past, not realising my own speed. Who are you speaking to? Is it co-workers? Fellow students? Friends? An older audience? Little kids? Think about all of these things when deciding the rate at which you are going to speak.

Pace must be varied because otherwise the speech will be monotonous, dull, and unpleasant to listen to.

Why are rate & pace important?

When it comes to public speaking, having an understanding of rate & pace is really helpful because being aware of how fast you are speaking, and the variety of speed in your speech will enable you to be more engaging, more confident, and more interesting to listen to. Most importantly, being aware of rate & pace will make you easier to understand. There is no point in flying through a speech, interview or presentation if when it’s over the listener doesn’t really know what you said because you spoke too fast, or your voice was so dull that they struggled to remain engaged. Knowing what you are going to say is only half the battle, how you say something is extremely important and I’ve often found that when it comes to good speakers, it’s not always that the topic they are discussing is really interesting, but rather they are really interesting to listen to. If you are planning a speech, prepping for an interview or presentation then the best advice I can give is to get a room and ask a friend to listen to you give your speech aloud. Pretend it’s the real thing and go for it. Ask them for feedback. Were they bored at any moment? Confused? Do they think you are speaking too fast or too slow? Take notes about what they say, make notes on your speech and practice again. Practice makes perfect and when it comes to public speaking, the only way to get better at it is to keep speaking in public, even if it’s just to one or two friends at first.

This knowledge does not only apply to public speaking, being aware of rate & pace will help you become a better conversationalist in general because the more you become aware of what you are saying and how you are saying it, then you will naturally become more engaging.

This has been my really simple breakdown of rate & pace. Let me know in the comments if public speaking is something that people would like more advice about because I can, and probably will do a Theory Thursday post about preparing a speech and giving tips for when someone is deciding what they want to say. I am also planning on talking about overcoming nerves and stage fright in future blog posts. So stay tuned, there is so much more to come.

Kate xo.

Hello everyone and welcome back to Theory Thursday. Today I am going to be talking about form and themes and how they should compliment each other, adding to the enjoyment of a text.

What is form? What is a theme? How do they compliment each other? Keep reading and find out.

Form, in its most simple definition refers to how a piece of writing is structured. So, readers should pay attention to how a piece of writing is organised, and structured, and keep an eye out for what type of language is used. Is it ordinary? Is it metrical? Don’t worry if you are unsure of what these terms mean, that’s what I’m here for. For example, there are different types of form. One of them is nonfiction prose and the point of nonfiction prose is to convey to the reader facts about reality, so the language used in nonfiction prose is usually straightforward, ordinary, non-metrical, easy to understand language because that is what gets the writer’s point across to readers.

Theme, in its most simple definition is the text’s main idea or underlying message. An easy way to identify the theme or themes of a text is to first look at the plot. When you look at the plot, the theme or themes become easier to recognise. Common themes would be love, death, rich versus poor etc.

For example, if one looks at Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, the play’s dominant theme is love as the entire plot revolves around the intense, passionate and yet forbidden love between Romeo and Juliet. There are other themes in this play, individuality vs society – this can be recognised through Romeo and Juliet deciding to be true to themselves and be together rather than feuding as their families expect them too etc. Violence of course is another theme because of this age-old feud and there is a lot of deaths in this play so as you can see, once one becomes familiar with a text’s plot, it becomes easier to form opinions about what one interprets the theme to be. I think an easy way to approach it is when thinking about a text and what it’s theme or themes may be is to think about what lesson you think you took from it. When you figure out what you learned from a text, you can begin to understand the messages that were presented in that text in order to teach that lesson. It may sound complicated, but the more you read and the more you watch films, the easier this will become.

In this section, I am going to talk about how form and theme can compliment each other and to do so, I am going to use an example. I am going to be talking about James Joyce’s Ulysses, specifically Episode Eighteen, Penelope. The reason I have chosen this text is because Joyce’s writing style has sometimes been described as hard to follow, but I think that if one takes a closer look, they will find that his style makes sense in the context of the stories he is trying to tell, and it actually enhances them.

Joyce writes about ordinary people who are living their ordinary lives and they are content. His work is incredibly relatable because Joyce writes about people who exist in real life and in Ulysses, his writing reads like a stream of consciousness as though readers are experiencing the character’s thoughts with them as they happen. If one looks at Episode Eighteen, Penelope, I think they will see why it could be argued that Joyce’s choice of form in this episode is what makes it a notable read. Joyce writes from the perspective of the character Molly, and he writes her perspective in eight ‘sentences’, that are separated by paragraph breaks and he does not use any punctuation.

In my opinion, this choice of form, this free- flowing stream of consciousness really compliments the way Joyce is sharing Molly’s thoughts because when reading them, it feels as though we are experiencing her thoughts with her as she has them. Her thoughts change rapidly and she bounces from one thought to another so upon one’s first reading, it may not seem very coherent, however thoughts are not always coherent. This may sound very confusing, but within this freestyle form a pattern is established. Molly has a thought, she is processing it, she gets distracted and thinks of something else, and then she circles back to her original thought.

I think this is a fairly relatable thing, I’m sure we have all been thinking only to get distracted and then bring our attention back to the task at hand. Molly’s thoughts are unedited so therefore, Joyce’s writing style appears unedited. I think this is particularly brilliant because it is so relatable. We don’t edit our thoughts in real life, we simply think. The use of form here makes Molly a well-rounded, relatable character and the themes and emotions that are presented in this piece, lust, annoyance, etc, are not coherent emotions either. If someone is seething with anger, then their thoughts may not be rational or coherent so again, this choice of form is very well matched to the emotions that are being presented. So, in this episode, Joyce’s choice of form really lends itself to the emotions he is depicting and in my opinion, this text, specifically this episode is a really good example of how form and theme can work together and compliment each other, which leads to the text having more meaning.

In short, the free-flowing, unpunctuated form compliments the real, unedited human emotions and themes that Joyce is presenting in Ulysses.

Why do we need to know about form and theme?

I think that if you are an avid reader, then writing styles and themes are things that you will naturally start to notice over time. You will begin to see that one book may be written very differently to another, and if you notice that but are unsure of how to describe it, I’ll make it simple for you. You are starting to notice form. The way a text is written can really impact how much readers enjoy it. The way a text is written can impact how much readers understand it, so I would say that like all aspects of literary theory, form is important because it can add to our understanding and enjoyment of a text. Themes are important because they are what the text is about, what was the message? What did we take away from that story? Why does our favourite story mean so much to us? Why is a certain text extremely important or educationical? It is usually because of the themes a text presents and the message it conveys, so again in my opinion, having an understanding of theme will only add to your reading and/or viewing experiences.

So, this has been Theory Theory. I hope you enjoyed my breakdown of form and themes. Next week on Theory Thursday I will breakdown Rate and Pace, which will come in handy for job interviews, presentations, any kind of public speaking or even if you’d just like to become a more confident speaker in general it’ll really help you out. Make sure to check it out next week on Theory Thursday and if you have any questions about form and theme then let me know. I’d love to hear from you.

Kate xo.