Mrs Richards is a Karen
(a) Imagine that you are Mrs Richards. Write a letter of complaint to Basil’s wife asking for a
refund. You should use between 120 and 150 words. [10]
Dear wife of Basil,
I've attempted, clearly without success, to assume a refund - or at the very least a reduction in price - for my stay here at Fawlty Towers. The quality of my stay has been subpar and so, so disappointing. I don't even know where to begin - the bath seems it was designed with the intention to bathe a midget, the view was underwhelming, especially for a hotel in Torquay, where one could reasonably expect a view of the sea when paying this much for a room. The air conditioning unit did me more confusion than help, and I could hardly sleep with such a cold temperature penetrating the pores of my skin. And, with all due respect, your spouse Basil was unhelpful when it came to helping me with all of my requests.
Respectfully,
Mrs. Richards
(b) Compare the language and style of your complaint with the language and style of the
conversation. [15]
The language and style of the conversation between Mrs. Richards and Basil Fawlty share some similarities when compared to the complaint letter, but the approach is really different once examined. The most notable yet under-the-radar difference between the two extracts would be the approach Mrs. Richards takes in addressing both Basil and Basil's wife. When you see Mrs. Richards confronting Basil about each individual problem she finds in her room, it's a spur-of-the-moment attitude, with little possible planning before the moment she makes the requests. This results in a somewhat unintentional aggressive attitude that one can see Basil not taking a liking to by her witty passive-aggressive responses. The letter of complaint Mrs. Richards writes following the conversation with Basil allows Richards to plan ahead and attempt to receive a reduction in price or refund by using the best possible arrangement of words and approach. The language and style in the complaint letter could be best described as considerate yet assertive, while in the conversation the characters follow more of a spontaneous, impromptu structure in their discourse.
how many words are expected on section B?^^
refund. You should use between 120 and 150 words. [10]
Dear wife of Basil,
I've attempted, clearly without success, to assume a refund - or at the very least a reduction in price - for my stay here at Fawlty Towers. The quality of my stay has been subpar and so, so disappointing. I don't even know where to begin - the bath seems it was designed with the intention to bathe a midget, the view was underwhelming, especially for a hotel in Torquay, where one could reasonably expect a view of the sea when paying this much for a room. The air conditioning unit did me more confusion than help, and I could hardly sleep with such a cold temperature penetrating the pores of my skin. And, with all due respect, your spouse Basil was unhelpful when it came to helping me with all of my requests.
Respectfully,
Mrs. Richards
(b) Compare the language and style of your complaint with the language and style of the
conversation. [15]
The language and style of the conversation between Mrs. Richards and Basil Fawlty share some similarities when compared to the complaint letter, but the approach is really different once examined. The most notable yet under-the-radar difference between the two extracts would be the approach Mrs. Richards takes in addressing both Basil and Basil's wife. When you see Mrs. Richards confronting Basil about each individual problem she finds in her room, it's a spur-of-the-moment attitude, with little possible planning before the moment she makes the requests. This results in a somewhat unintentional aggressive attitude that one can see Basil not taking a liking to by her witty passive-aggressive responses. The letter of complaint Mrs. Richards writes following the conversation with Basil allows Richards to plan ahead and attempt to receive a reduction in price or refund by using the best possible arrangement of words and approach. The language and style in the complaint letter could be best described as considerate yet assertive, while in the conversation the characters follow more of a spontaneous, impromptu structure in their discourse.
how many words are expected on section B?^^
So first things first Julian the expected words on section B is still 600-900 words. You are clearly under that and I understand your confusion in that I was too at first. Let this not happen again though you have to remember that you need a lot more than just that when comparing the language and styles of the two pieces. Your part A made me crack a smile and I thought it was personally really good. Something that you made me realize is that I am dumb and I did not structure it in a letter format so good on you for doing that and remember to keep stuff like that in mind something I didn't do. I think you encapsulated Mrs. Richards personality and writing style pretty well in part A. It was a fun little read. In part B even though you make some decent points you don't go at all far enough. You need to dig deep and get a lot more to talk about and you need to bring in more A level stuff. The chapters we've been going over might help you if you go back over them even if they are confusing.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to 1a, I think you captured well the more formal register that would be due in a letter such as the one assigned. However, using the last sentence that you wrote as the closer for the letter made the entire complaint feel incomplete. Additionally, there were a few issues with grammar (for example: when writing, it is improper to start a sentence with "and"). I'd give this a band 4 (4 points).
ReplyDeleteAs for 1b, I feel as if your response was incredibly inadequate. I see you put a note asking for how many words are required -- it's 600-900 words. Regardless of the word count, there were plenty of comparisons that could have been made, but instead you focused on just one.
There's really not much to comment on here, so I apologize for how brief it is. I'd give this part a band 6 (2 points).
Julian,
ReplyDeleteI would give your part A a band 3. I think you did a good job of not only written formally, but also successfully "becoming the character." I would expect her to talk the same way you wrote it. I do agree with Cassandra that you shouldn't ever start a sentence with "And", also that there were some grammar mistakes, but that can be fixed easily with a quick run through. Now for part B, I think Scalia made it pretty clear that it had to be 600-900 words, at least in my class, but since this is our first time writing this I can see your confusion. That point was interesting that you brought up, and would have been a lot better if you backed up your claim with evidence from the text. Also, I'm sure you are aware of this now, but since it had to be 600-900 words, there could have been a lot more points discussed, to truly discuss the similarities and differences. I'd give this. a band 6 as well.