English Homework - Gabriella Parker
Write a P.E.E Paragraph Identifying Literary and Linguistic Techniques for Teacher and Student Extract and Pages 53-57 (Drummer Hodge)
Teacher and Student
In the discourse between the teacher and the student named Alex, the teacher uses the rhetorical interrogative “ Is that a threat?” in order to take control of the power balance between the two in response to Alex’s ‘cheekily’ phrased interrogative “What if I don’t answer?”. This shows the assertion of dominance the teacher is applying over the student, challenging his disobedient behaviour in order to imply that there will consequential repercussions if Alex is in fact challenging his authority.
Drummer Hodge
In direct contrast with the Teacher and Student, Hector uses a much more relaxed approach to analysing poetry. By using the loose interrogative, “ Any thoughts?” as an agenda-setting coax, his teaching style is more of a gentle encouragement that allows Posner’s personal interpretation to be expressed. In this way, it is clear to infer that there is an almost symmetrical power balance between Hector and Posner in their discourse, and it appears to be more of a conversation than a lesson.
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ReplyDeleteGood use of terminology - get in even more by using dominant participant, asymmetrical power, adjacency pair etc. You describe Alex's utterance as cheeky but it could be interpreted other ways - it is certainly challenging, which might be a more formal word and then you can explore is it a genuine bid for dominance or 'cheeky' banter. Offering alternative interpretations that suit the context is a high-level skill.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree about the power balance in the Drummer Hodge episode so you need to use multiple quotes to support your points, or multiple techniques in one quote that you explore.