Leaving Cert english texts.....

GreenHell

are a pile of shíte
heres what we're studying
AAdventures if Huckleberry Finn
How many miles to babylon
The Third Man

With the exception of the third man which is a film all these suck ass.

Lenny

I read that book "how many miles to babylon"
its totaly crap at the start
but as the story goes on it gets batter,
the last few chapsters get good when Alec help Jerry
the other book I am doing is "Fly away Peter" by David Malouf
its a good book
better than how many miles in my opnion
they are both war books, but I realy hate novels, but the fly away peter one is good when they are in the wars

neuro-praxis

um, how many miles to babylon is a masterpiece.

i am also studying *philadelphia here i come* and *my left foot*.

i love them all.

[This message has been edited by neuro-praxis (edited 14-02-2001).]

whitetrash

I wouldn't exactly call it a masterpiece and anyway, nobody else (so far) has had to go through the nightmare that is "The Homesick Garden". ****!!!!!!

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I Live (in a dream world)

Hecate

in my day (lc 1999) we studied philadelphia aswell, its actually pretty interesting and funny (in some parts) as far as an lc text goes.

we also did macbeth and the mayor of casterbridge...biggest load of misery and boredom ever, if anything the leaving cert nearly turned me off books altogether

Paladin

1984 should go back on the syllabus, and TLOTR should definately be on it. Those were the top two (in reverse order) in A list of book critics 'Books of the Millenium' List i saw in waterstones.

Shinji

TLOTR wouldn't work on the syllabus, it's MUCH too long, and probably caters too much to specialist tastes.

I agree that 1984 needs to be on there... I presume that Lord of the Flies is still on the syllabus? I ignored Animal Farm (which is a f*cking stupid book to study in English Literature terms, it's a clever historical and political satire but NOT a good text to study from a literature point of view) and went with Lord of the Flies instead, and despite reading it so many times and analysing it into the ground, I still love it

Greenhell, I frankly don't know what exactly you're whinging about, all of the above are utterly excellent. "How Many Miles To Babylon" in particular is a masterpiece. I do realise that enjoyment of literature is subjective, but everyone should be able to see from an objective standpoint that a book like that IS superb, even if you personally don't enjoy it.

"Philadelphia Here I Come" is damn good, yes. I loved it - Friel has got thick-as-pigsh|te rural Irish attitudes down to a T, yet still manages to keep the characters human. Great stuff.

Paladin

Its true that TLOTR wouldnt work on the syllabus, but one can always wish *sigh*.

I agree with everything you said there shinji. Lord of the flies if not lord of the rings.

I have to do Jane Eyre, which, although well written, seems far too laboured, rather than really flowing nice english. But then the bronte's were like that in everything. Also its a boring shít book.

Babylon is a really well written book, and from the point of view of someone that doesnt like english (i happen to like it, yes im weird) it is short so I wouldnt complain.

As for huckleburry finn Vs Jane eyre - I whish i had the choice. Unfortunately the teacher made that choice for us. On hindsight it would have been easy to do it myself since our teacher hasnt done anything for me anyway.

Chris_533976

Well 2 / 3 of my texts are crap.

How many miles to babylon. {Pants}
Empire of the sun. {********}
My left foot film. {Ok I s'pose}

4 months and I'll NEVER HAVE TO SEE THEM AGAIN.

--Chris--

Fidelis

The Grass Is Singing - Doris Lessing ( pants )
Philedelphia Here I Come - Good
King Lear - "Which of them shall I take? Both? One? Or neither?"

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Nil Desperandum

Hannah

"how many miles to babylon"
"fly away peter"
film; "a room with a view"

why, why, why?
in all honesty, anyone who says that "How many miles to babylon" is good must have been reading it with their eyes closed,
"fly away peter" whilst it is marginally better than "how many miles to babylon" is totally irrelevant to me and the majority of my peers (for those who don't know, it's the story of a twenty-something australian man who goes to war). I can't comment on the previous course but the people who made out the new course should be taken out and shot, they are probably almost entirely responsible for instilling a total apathy towards literature in a whole generation of secondary school students. Don't even get me started on their choice of poetry...

GreenHell

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Shinji:
Greenhell, I frankly don't know what exactly you're whinging about, all of the above are utterly excellent. "How Many Miles To Babylon" in particular is a masterpiece. I do realise that enjoyment of literature is subjective, but everyone should be able to see from an objective standpoint that a book like that IS superb, even if you personally don't enjoy it.

</font>

I like to whinge
Neway okay the book has its good points imagery etc but dear god the book is boring especially when your studying the ins and outs of each character for a long period of time its hardly exciting stuff to class of lc who'd perfer a pint.

Ideally I think the comparative side of course should on books we actually have a good choice in and spaning a vary of genre.

Shinji

I agree that there should be more choice. I also feel, however, that there should be a LOT more compulsory texts that students have to read, even if they don't have to study them in-depth. Someone doing leaving cert english at honours level should be reading a novel a month at LEAST.

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Empire of the sun. {********}</font>

I really, really hope that whatever you said that got censored was a superlative, because if you're slagging Empire of the Sun, I strongly suggest you f*ck off back to Ann and Barry

GreenHell

does a discwold novel a month count?

tHE vAGGABOND

ahahahahahahaha

School - hate tha

Have fun doing exams y'all !

Manach

For the LC ignored the novel part and concentrated on Shakespeare's King Lear.
The only benifit I got is the fact that I can always start a conversation with someone who shared the same LC cycle to slag it off.
A books I'd have like to see on the LC list, "Ender's Game" by Orson S. Card.

Molly

Just finished how many miles to babylon and its a decent book and is short which gives u time to focus on other parts aswell, but the other book and video we are doing i'm not too sure about.
Jane Eyre : i tryed to read this once before and got very very bored.

A Room with a view : Could someone tell me what this is about please

neuro-praxis

I don't understand this hatred for coursework. I don't think I can take any more How Many Miles bashing!!

I think that the new LC course is a damn sight better than the old one, and though it is heavy going, if you can appreciate good literature, then you will enjoy it. Stuff "imagery" (?!), How Many Miles is a tragic and compassionately written tale of war, friendship and loneliness and is an incredibly enthralling read. "My Left Foot" may not be my favourite film, but it's an intensely good story and Jim Sheridan is a fabtastic director, (and I could not even get into how great DD Lewis is). I think it helps all-round to develop healthy attitudes towards people with special needs, too, as it shows Christy as an actual charismatic person and not some cripple. Philadelphia is pure comic genius, and still so flipping tragic.

Jane Eyre I am not studying, but I read it, and man...how can you not like the Bronte sisters? I love that book.

I hate HAMLET but I have a deep and personal dislike of Shakespeare. However, i am capable of recognising its worth, if I cannot see its *relevance*.

The poetry we do is brilliant too - Eavan Boland, Séamus Heaney, Elizabeth Bishop - come on! These people are amazing!

Quit yer whining. It's the best course of work out of the whole LC.

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Setting is Dogbert's office. Wally sits across from him.

Dogbert: You can't expect your employer to take care of you forever, Wally. Don't expect raises, don't expect to be trained and don't expect a pension.
Wally: That's depressing. I need a sourball. (*reaches for sweet*)
Dogbert: Those are marbles wrapped in cellophane.

Draco

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by neuro-praxis:
Quit yer whining. It's the best course of work out of the whole LC.
</font>

Boll0cks. It either distills a hatred for the subject matter (I still hate poetry in all its forms) or complete apathy. The books on the course may be touted as classics and masterpieces, but for most 17 year olds they have no relavance (expect that they have to answer questions on it) and is ****e (Hard Times by Dickens - a whiney moany novel that should be encased in concrete and cast to the depths of the ocean). I found my physics and chemistry courses far more interesting, which make me a sad *******, but still...

GreenHell

I don't mind some of the poetry so much, its a bit more interesting (hell anything is more interesting than how many miles to freakin babylon) only thing about the poetry on the course is 6 poets each poems each.... thats a bit of a problem

I'm threading the taught of rereading how many miles to babylon for my pre's but what can you do comparative modes are grand its just the subject matter .

Paladin

I was of the opinion that poetry in the leaving cert is pure and utter bolix.
So I set about testing if it in fact was.
I am now thoroughly convinced that poetry in the leaving cert is utter bollix.

Poetry itself can be ok, even if I dont particularly love it, but the interpretations and such ****e that Ive read are utter pants. Although in fairness, pants are practical things :-/

neuro-praxis

Maybe I just have an exceptional teacher, but I love the poetry we're studying. some of it is just superb. the old leaving cert course with the book "soundings" was less riveting, perhaps, but the current one "poetica" - how can you not like it?

If you just hate poetry thats different. but how can you claim to like poetry and hate the poeple on our course? it is such impressive stuff.

Stephen

I'm doing "Hamlet" (Shakespeare), "Reading in the Dark" (Seamus Deane), "The Silent People" (Walter Macken) and Dances With Wolves (film).

Hamlet - Boring load of bollix - but then I've always disliked shakespeare since having "The Merchant of Venice" rammed down my neck in junior cert.

Reading in the Dark - another load of bollix. Semi-fictional autobiography of Seamus Deane. Centres around a dark family secret, but its just uninteresting.

The Silent People - Story about the famine period in Ireland - Not too bad, at least it has a plot to it, unlike Reading in the Dark.

Dances with Wolves - Good. Its an academy award winning film like... It'd be entertaining if the teacher didn't stop the tape every 30 seconds and waffle about it for half an hour.

And as for poetry... Ugh, I've hated that in all its forms since primary school. A 10 year old kid is NOT going to learn to like poetry if he/she is forced to learn and recite meaningless poems selected by the "teacher".

Some of the LC poetry is ok (I'm using the "discovery" book - its well crap. Its "guidelines" to each poem consist of 4 or 5 lines that are no help at all)- such as that of Seamus Heaney and Eavan Boland. But, Elizabeth Bishop and Emily Dickinson strike me as whiney, hermit b1tches and I now want to burn that book .

Having a muppet for a teacher doesn't help here.

(end rant)

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- Munch

Mills

In class we're doing:
How many Miles to Babylon
My left Foot
Don't know the third yet.

WFor our "Single text" we did King Lear, I went to a production of it yesterday, well done but I don't like the play in general. We haven't even started into those 3 texts yet, so I don't have an opinion on them.

The poetry isn't too bad so far, aside from having an aweful teacher, I just read them myself now, think about it for a while in class, and sleep through whatever she says about it, probably doesn't bode well for the exam I'm only in 5th year yet so we've only done 3 poets, Keats, Bishop and Dickinson, I wasn't keen on Elizabeth Bishop's much to be honest, Keats was pretty good though. We use that discoveries book as well, I don't advise using the Guidelines unless you really can't get anything from it yourself, they aren't very good.

I like the subject, and I like the coursework so far, but aside from the Poetry I don't think any texts are specified for the other sections, so if you really hate what your teacher has selected for you, you can always do something else on your own. if I don't like the books we do, I'll do some of my own, if I get a lower mark then it's too bad, but at least I'll enjoy reading them.

Paladin

Just to clarify -
I like some poetry (same as people like some tv series, some foods etc.).

I think the poetry questions and interpretations on the Leaving cert course are utter crap. The poetry to some degree is fine, but the expected interpretations and answers wanted, are a whole load of ****. It is pure rubbish, and they havent a clue what they are on about. Not a fúcking clue.