l1;author context

Assessment and Unit Timeline

  • Week 4: AT1- Socratic reflection with analysis.  
  • Week 7: Creation of a revision sheet and completion of the PRAC SAC (in-class).   
  • Week 8: Receipt of feedback on the PRAC SAC.   
  • Week 9: Text response essay in CAP.

Author Study: Kgshak Akec

  • Kgshak Akec is a young writer, poet, and "lover of words."   
  • She is the author of the novel Hopeless Kingdom.   
  • Historical and personal context provided through research includes identifying her age, current residence, and place of birth.   
  • Writing Hopeless Kingdom was a significant undertaking for Akec, particularly in its role as a medium for powerful refugee stories.

Definition and Importance of Context

  • Context is defined as the circumstances in which an event occurs; it is the setting for a narrative.   
  • Context incorporates multiple dimensions: physical, political, historical, and social.   
  • Understanding context allows for the unpacking of ideas within a film or text.   
  • It facilitates an analysis of how a director or author creates a specific representation of the real world.

Dimensions of Context: Internal vs. External

  • External Context

    • This refers to what the text represents regarding the "real world."
    • External context directly impacts how key themes and characterizations are interpreted.
    • Media texts often reflect the time period in which they were created, mirroring the specific values and occurrences of that era.
    • For example, the global pandemic of 2020 and 2021, where much of the world was shut down, influenced entertainment media. Many novels, movies, and television shows (such as Brooklyn 99 in 2020) incorporated COVID-19 narratives to represent the pandemic's societal impact.

  • Internal Context

    • This exists entirely within the world of the text.
    • It involves the specific circumstances that impact characters and their internal logic.
    • Understanding internal context is necessary for interpreting the motivations behind a character's actions.

Categories of Contextual Analysis

Context is further broken down into four granular categories that often overlap:

  • Physical (Internal)

    • Focuses on the place and setting of the narrative.
    • Questions for analysis: Where is the text set? What different physical settings are represented? What connections can be made between these settings and the real world?

  • Political (External)

    • Focuses on governance and regulation.
    • Questions for analysis: What laws and rules present in the real world might have influenced the content or themes shown in the text?

  • Historical (Internal and External)

    • Focuses on time and specific eras.
    • Questions for analysis: When was the text made? When is the text set? How does the discrepancy or alignment between these two dates influence the representation of events?

  • Social (Internal and External)

    • Focuses on expectations, norms, and societal structures.
    • Questions for analysis: What are the attitudes and ideas regarding different groups of people? Which groups are depicted as disadvantaged? Which groups are depicted as privileged?

Essay Preparation and Homework

  • A list of key vocabulary must be compiled for inclusion in unit essays.   
  • This vocabulary list is due at the end of Week 3.   
  • Mastering this terminology is linked to specific markers on the assessment rubric.   
  • A core summary of this concept is that context impacts the overall understanding of a text.