GCSE English: The Merchant of Venice

Post length: 1,709 words, about 7 and a half minutes.

The following essay was written for my GCSE English course in February 2001 and relates to the William Shakespeare play “The Merchant of Venice”.  It’s released here under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 2.0 UK: England & Wales Licence. I can’t vouch for it’s completeness: the only copy of the essay I have includes “PASTE HERE!” after the 4th paragraph and a section in red towards the end. I am also unsure of the title or question of the piece as this is also not in the document. I hope it will still be of some use to someone!

William Shakespeare’s ‘The Merchant of Venice’ addresses some very important points in term of religious and social views. The play centers around the idea of antisemitism in society and the way the Jewish community has been, and to some extent still is, persecuted for their religion. Due to this the play is of a controversial nature and so one which it is hard to put on in today’s multi religious society. The objections raised today are mainly about Act Four, Scene One – the court room scene. [read more]

Posted on Monday 28th September, 2015 at 9:28 am in School Work.
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A-Level Politics: Class influence in Voting Behaviour

Post length: 698 words, just over 3 minutes.

One final short AS-Level Politics essay again regarding voting behaviour. This essay talks at greater length about one factor: social class. From 2003 and running to only about 660 words. All of my school work is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 2.0 UK: England & Wales Licence.

How Important is class in influencing voting behaviour?

While the it cannot be said that class has no influence over the voting patterns of the electorate, the actual level of this influence is by no means certain.  Political analysts do not agree on how much voting behaviours are influenced by class, and the lines of the affect of class and affect of other factors are by no means clear.  In spite of this, there is no doubt in anyone’s view that class has, traditionally at least, had a role in voting patterns. [read more]

Posted on Monday 7th July, 2014 at 8:17 am in School Work.
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A-Level Politics: Factors Influencing Voting Behaviours

Post length: 1,279 words, about 5 and a half minutes.

Another AS-Level politics essay, this time regarding the factors which influence the way people vote. Dating from early 2003, this essay runs to around 1200 words. It’s published under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 2.0 UK: England & Wales Licence.

Discuss Three Major Factors Which Have Influenced Voting Behaviours

The way in which the media portray politics and policies, a party or individual’s past performance and, and the personality of a leader of a political party are all factors which can greatly influence the way in which individuals vote. It is impossible to absolutely define why people vote the way they do, but there are a number of factors which can be pointed to which have an affect on voting behaviour. [read more]

Posted on Wednesday 26th September, 2012 at 2:30 pm in School Work.
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A-Level Sociology: the Role of the Family in Modern Societies

Post length: 910 words, just over 4 minutes.

This short essay (around 850 words) was written in November 2001 as part of my AS-Level sociology course at Halifax New College (part of Calderdale College). It discusses how the family is seen in functionalist writings. It’s released here under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 2.0 UK: England & Wales Licence.

To what extent do Functionalist writings accurately reflect the role of the family in modern societies?

Functionalist writings go into much depth in regard to the state and roles of the family in modern, post industrial revolution, society. How accurately the interpretation and observations that are made by the Functionalist view represent the state of the family is, however, a contentious point. [read more]

Posted on Wednesday 29th August, 2012 at 2:30 pm in School Work.
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GCSE English: The Speckled Band / Lamb to the Slaughter

Post length: 2,001 words, almost 9 minutes.

The following essay was written for my GCSE English course in October 2000 and contrasts Arthur Conan Doyle’s short Sherlock Holmes story “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” with Roald Dahl’s “Lamb to the Slaughter.” It is roughly 1900 words long, and comes with a tip of the hat to Ms Roberts (presumably formally) of Ryburn Valley High School. It’s released here under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 2.0 UK: England & Wales Licence.

Explain what makes A. C. Doyle’s ‘The Speckled Band’ typical of the nineteenth century detective story genre, and how does Roald Dahl’s ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ subvert this genre?

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories changed the set pattern of the nineteenth century detective story. Prior to Doyle’s stories the detective had to wait for the criminal to make a mistake for them to be caught. However, Sherlock Holmes was the first of the detectives to work out who the murderer was by his own deduction, this new idea was introduced with the publication of A. C. Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories in ‘The Strand’ magazine. [read more]

Posted on Wednesday 1st August, 2012 at 2:30 pm in School Work.
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A-Level General Studies: How can one define 'British'

Post length: 868 words, almost 4 minutes.

In November 2002, as part of my AS level General Studies course, I wrote this essay relating to the term ‘British’. As with the other school work released here, it’s released here under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 2.0 UK: England & Wales Licence.

How can one define ‘British’?

We use the term ‘British’ everyday in all sorts of situations, but can a set of factors, or even one single factor, be identified which defines the term? While there are a number of stereotypes associated with the British, can any of them be applied to everyone who calls themselves British? Also, with such a diverse mix of people calling themselves British, can one culture be identified as one with which everyone identifies with, and what are the defining characteristics which separate the British from the rest of the world? [read more]

Posted on Thursday 12th August, 2010 at 11:57 pm in School Work.
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A-Level Politics: How can Politics be Defined?

Post length: 819 words, about 3 and a half minutes.

The following essay was written as part of my AS-Level politics course at Halifax New College (which I’m concerned doesn’t exist any more — I can’t find mention of it on the Calderdale College website any more!).  It dates back to October 2002 and discusses how Politics can be defined.  It’s released here under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 2.0 UK: England & Wales Licence.

How can politics be defined?

Politics has not one meaning, but rather a number of different ones depending on how different perspectives analyse it, however, all different descriptions agree – politics is a social animal, one born out of the interactions between different indeviduals and groups, and how decitions are made.   Politics can be seen to be one of two categorys: conflict resolution or control of power.  The former being that politics is a process of removing conflict to produce harmony, and the latter being the ability to control and direct authority. [read more]

Posted on Wednesday 8th July, 2009 at 10:09 pm in School Work.
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GCSE Media Studies: The Internet

Post length: 1,335 words, almost 6 minutes.

This essay was written for my GCSE Media Studies couse in April 2001, and covers the much debated question of the direction of the internet (or, more correctly, world wide web).  It’s released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 2.0 UK: England & Wales Licence.

Rather than fulfilling its expectations as a place for education and communication, the Internet has become one big advertising channel.

The media hailed the birth of the Internet as a revolution in the way information and education was distributed and shared. A feeling that the Internet was nothing more than a big advertising, moneymaking, opportunity for big business soon superseded this initial reaction. [read more]

Posted on Sunday 21st June, 2009 at 11:09 pm in School Work.
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GCSE English: An Inspector Calls

Post length: 2,119 words, about 9 and a half minutes.

The following essay was written for my GCSE English course in June 2000 and relates to the J.B. Priestley play “An Inspector Calls”. If you’re studying the book then a great copy to have is the Penguin Modern Classic version An Inspector Calls and Other Plays.

Who or what is Inspector Goole, and what is his role in the play?

The character of Inspector Goole can be explained in many ways.  It is thought, that he could be a ghost, an angel (sent from God to deliver the truth), a psychic (able to see the future), or simply just a socialist “Crank” – this is what, in fact, the characters in the play believe towards the end, as Mr. Birling says, “That fellow obviously didn’t like us.  He was prejudiced against us from the start.  Probably a socialist or some sort of crank – he talked like one.[read more]

Posted on Wednesday 17th June, 2009 at 11:47 pm in School Work.
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