Key Idea: Unit 7 covers the format of the HL oral. This topic gives you the literary skills behind it: a method for any extract, five lenses to read it through, and the language to discuss it.
The three-question method
- Was passiert? — What happens, in one sentence.
- Wie ist es geschrieben? — Voice, tone and devices. Spend most of your time here and on the last step.
- Was bedeutet das? — Theme and effect.
| Lens | Ask yourself |
|---|---|
| Placing | What came just before, and what does this moment set off? |
| Character | What does the character do, say or leave unsaid? |
| Narrator | Who tells the story, and through whose eyes do we see? |
| Setting and tone | What mood does the place create, and which words create it? |
| Key moment | Where does something shift: a decision, a silence, a final line? |
Language for literary discussion
- Describe: {{Der Autor zeigt … / Die Szene stellt … dar.|The author shows … / The scene depicts …}}
- Interpret: {{Das deutet darauf hin, dass … / Es symbolisiert …|This suggests that … / It symbolises …}}
- Respond: {{Was mir besonders auffällt, ist …, weil …|What particularly strikes me is …, because …}}
- Nuance: {{Man könnte … verstehen.|One could understand …}} Analysis: {{wird … dargestellt|is portrayed}}
Every comment follows one pattern: name the device, quote it, explain its effect.
Which of the three questions gets the least time? Was passiert? One sentence is enough.
How do you show a character's trait? Name it, then prove it with what the character does or says.
What is a personaler Erzähler? A third-person narrator who shows everything through one character's eyes.
Why is «Es gefällt mir» weak on its own? It has no reason. Add «weil …».
Is the narrator the author? No, never.