English Literature GCSE
Social Commentary
What Social Commentary means in English Literature GCSE, as defined for OCR, Pearson Edexcel.
Definitions of Social Commentary
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
The act of using rhetorical means to provide commentary on issues in a society. Dickens wrote the novella as a social commentary on poverty and inequality.
The act of using rhetorical means to provide commentary on issues in a society.
Topics that use Social Commentary
- A Christmas Carol (OCR GCSE)
- Understanding the Relationship Between a Text and its Context (AO3) – Component 2 (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
Related terms
- Didactic
- Allegory
- Contemporary Audience
- Intrusive Narrator
- Juxtaposition
- Microcosm
- Misanthrope
- Pathetic Fallacy
Using Social Commentary in the exam
Definition questions usually carry one or two marks, and examiners look for the precise wording. Write the definition from memory, check it against the version above, and then use the term in a longer answer on the same topic so it sticks.
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