Wow, the simple days of leaving cert english sigh**

Hey Richard Parker just had to thank you again for all your help i got a C3 in English and I couldn't have got it without your help thanks again ...
♥ Lyndsey x

Becky, you're very welcome - hope the rest of the exams went well for you - enjoy the hols (if it ever stops raining ) Take care x

Hey RP just thought id say a big thank you for everything you have done over the past few years. Thank you! I really appreciate it. X

Catherine,

I can understand you being a bit sad - end of an era and all that. There's always a strange time between endings and beginnings.... Larkin's 'The Trees' comes to mind: 'begin afresh afresh afresh'. Hope you're going to spend some time doing all the things you enjoy - you deserve it! Keep in touch, x

This is a belated, but very sincere thank you on my part, RP. I'm incredibly relieved and delighted that the Leaving is over, but a little saddened at that same time. Thanks for everything.

Hi Raviro, Sinead, Jen - are the exams over? Hope the rest went well for you. I'm sure you're delighted to be finished - enjoy every minute of the hols and stay away from post mortems - you've all done far better than you think I promise! Sinead, Richard Parker will always be close at hand; whenever you reach for the 'better story', that's where you'll find him. Onwards and upwards girls - my wish for you all - the 'better story' always x

Hi miss,
Thank you very much for everything over the last two years

The papers were actually fairly easy

Jen x

God bless Derek Mahon!!!!

Happy with paper one but im not too sure about paper two...

I think i was the only one?!?

Eeeep!!

Does this mean that now the exams are over...just like the boat trip....that richard parker will reach mexico and leave us

You're very welcome Lyndsey - I was delighted for you that Adrienne Rich came up! I think there was something for everyone and you can't ask for more than that. Hope everyone was happy enough and hope the rest of the exams are kind to you all x

Thanks a million R.P for all your help i was so happy with that paper xx

Thank you! What a relief I can finally breathe again.

Absolutely, Rebecca - you can use several of the aspects of cultural context, such as Religion, Power etc. as themes also. Don't freak - you'll be fine!

Ah its official im starting to freak out! You can use religion as a theme in your comparative ,can't you?

Obviously I meant tomorrw and Thursday morning - brain always starts to shut down once holidays arrive!

Catherine, I promise I'll say a prayer for you all, although I think you're right, you are all going to do just fine. It might be hard to believe, but tomorrow and Wednesday morning will be far more stressful for me than it will be for you - I won't have any nails left (and I don't even bite my nails!). I'll be there when you come out both days, and I'll be sending you buckets of brain dust and hoping you'll be inspired to write at your best. And remember, I want to see those papers covered in highlighter and scribbles!!! Best of luck girls - I'll be thinking of you XXXX

...here! As I said to Catherine, 4-5 pages really is more than enough for a composition. If you're talking about 7 typed pages, that's probably the equivalent of 12 hand-written pages - your poor typing fingers!! And you don't have 2 hours in the exam. Apart from the examiner getting bored, a short story should move from exposition to complication quite quickly and then on to climax and resolution equally quickly. Your mock essay was perfectly paced and structured - that's the model you need to replicate. If you can do that in the exam Jen, you'll fly paper one I promise!!

Ok, Jen, last minute Othello quotes - ideally you should have learned quotes under each of the main themes, characters and then symbols and metaphors, but obviously you didn't manage that, so.. I suppose your best bet would be to learn key quotes from a selection of speeches (from throughout the play) of the main characters, particularly Othello, Iago and Desdemona. Remember, they don't have to be long quotes; in fact it's better that they're not. Do any of you have quotes chosen under key headings that Jen could 'borrow'? Sorry I can't be of more use here Jen, but it's tough to know what to tell you to cover at this stage - that's why I'm suggesting you focus on characters rather than themes as it may give you more scope. As you learn them, consider how they might be used in theme-based questions or questions based on symbolism - that way you will see how the same quote could be used for a variety of different questions. Running out of space here, so I'll answer other question..

Jen, I CLEARLY asked that exact same question on composition. Jeesh. I thought you avidly read every single word I ever wrote? j/k

No real questions on my end (except maybe, will you pray for us???), just wanted to use this space as a public forum to say:

BEST OF LUCK EVERYONE! Not that we need luck, we're gonna kick. some. English. ass. *group high five*

PS: Don't go see "Smart People". It's rubbish.