English Essentials - Next Level Knowledge - Values Approach to Essays (Stage 6, Years/Grades 11-12)

This lesson explores the values approach to essays, focusing on how texts reflect, engage with, or challenge societal values. It discusses the importance of context in literature, using Romanticism and Coleridge's work as examples. The lesson also examines subversion and containment in Shakespeare's Hamlet and how Arthur Miller's The Crucible challenges mainstream values, drawing parallels to McCarthyism.

What is the primary focus of the values approach in essays?

• Studying historical events

• Examining character development

• Understanding personal and societal values

• Analyzing themes in literature

How do politics and media influence societal values?

• By focusing on economic growth

• By expressing preferred societal values

• By promoting individualism

• By ignoring cultural differences

What role does context play in understanding a text's values?

• It affects the composer's ideas and values

• It influences the text's themes

• It dictates the text's length

• It determines the text's genre

Which movement valued imagination and individualism?

• Realism

• Romanticism

• Modernism

• Classicism

In Coleridge's poem, what is juxtaposed with the 'glorious sun'?

• The mountains

• The ocean

• The forest

• The city

What is the divine right of kings?

• A theory of cultural superiority

• A belief in democratic rule

• A concept of royal authority ordained by God

• A principle of economic prosperity

How does 'Hamlet' illustrate subversion and containment?

• By ignoring societal norms

• By promoting peace

• By challenging and then restoring royal order

• By focusing on romantic themes

What historical event does 'The Crucible' allegorize?

• The American Civil War

• The Industrial Revolution

• The French Revolution

• The anti-communist hysteria in the USA

What was the impact of McCarthy's campaign during the 1950s?

• It led to political stability

• It created a culture of fear and conformity

• It encouraged economic growth

• It promoted artistic freedom

What was the consequence for Arthur Miller after writing 'The Crucible'?

• He was blacklisted and faced legal issues

• He was awarded a Nobel Prize

• He was ignored by the public

• He was celebrated by the government