Study Sessions: STG English Revision

In this special episode of Study Sessions, we briefly recap the plot of Northern Lights and look ahead of the remaining two books in Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy: The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. Listen to this episode, reinforce your understanding of Book 1 and come back after our Easter break ready to take out a copy of The Subtle Knife from our wonderful school library!

Ralph’s final breakdown in Lord of the Flies is one of the most powerful moments in the novel. In this Baughcut, we explore what Ralph is truly grieving. While Piggy’s death is central, Golding presents a much deeper sense of loss: the end of innocence, the collapse of civilisation, and the recognition of “the darkness of man’s heart.” Through close analysis of key language choices, we examine how grief becomes both personal and collective. Ultimately, this episode reveals Golding’s central idea: that confronting human nature leads not to comfort, but to profound and unsettling grief.

In this episode, released just before your Paper 1 mock tomorrow (4th March), we work through 12 essential quotations from across A Christmas Carol. As with the equivalent episode for Macbeth, these are 12 high-value quotations that can be used in virtually any essay question. Each lends itself to detailed, work-level analysis and links to other quotations and moments across the novella. Listen to this episode, recap these quotations and use them in your mock tomorrow - and the real exam in May!
The 12 Essential Quotations (Chronological Order)
“Solitary as an oyster.”
“Hard and sharp as flint.”
“Are there no prisons? … And the Union workhouses?”
“Decrease the surplus population.”
“Mankind was my business.”
“A solitary child, neglected by his friends.”
“The master-passion, Gain.”
“This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want.”
“If he be like to die, he had better do it.”
“I am not the man I was.”
“I will honour Christmas in my heart.”
“As good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man.”

In this episode, we turn to the A Christmas Carol task in your half-term homework/revision Paper 1. The episode provides you with a clear thesis or argument around Dickens' exploration of the suffering of the poor, linking this to the novella's broader message of social responsibility and charity. Use the episode in conjunction with Mrs Colson's video to help you be as successful as possible!

In this episode of Study Sessions, we turn to the half-term Lady Macbeth task: 'Lady Macbeth is a female character who changes'. Using the work of literary critic Marjorie Garber as inspiration, we consider her 'loss of affect' and attempts to eliminate her capacity for feeling, a capacity that ultimately returns with destructive power in Act 5. Use this episode to support your completion of our half-term Paper 1 revision during the February break.