Use the T.E.A.V.I.L. structure for deep, senior-level analysis.
- T - Topic Sentence: Directly answer the prompt. State your main argument.
- E - Evidence & Context: Provide specific, well-chosen evidence. Importantly, provide the context for that evidence (who says it? what is happening at the time?).
- A - Analysis: This is the 'how'. Analyse *how* the aesthetic features or literary devices (metalanguage) are used to construct meaning.
- V - Values: This is the 'why'. Explore the attitudes, values, and beliefs (of the author or characters) being presented, challenged, or endorsed through these techniques.
- I - Impact: Explain the intended impact on the audience/reader/viewer. How are they being positioned to think or feel about these values?
- L - Link: Conclude your paragraph by linking this specific point back to the main question and your overall thesis, reinforcing your argument.
Sample Prompt: Analyse how the director of *Blade Runner* uses mise-en-scène to explore the theme of humanity.
[T] Ridley Scott utilises the dark, cluttered mise-en-scène within Deckard's apartment to visually blur the lines between human and replicant, challenging the film's central attitudes towards authentic identity. [E] In the scene where Deckard returns after 'retiring' Zhora, his apartment is not a place of human comfort but is overwhelmed by shadows and filled with a dense collection of photographs, which he unconvincingly refers to as "memories." [A] Analytically, this is a key aesthetic choice; the cluttered production design directly mirrors the replicants' implanted pasts, while the oppressive shadows of the noir lighting visually highlight the film's moral ambiguity. [V] These features combine to challenge the established values of the film's world, suggesting that Deckard's 'human' identity—defined by these fabricated items—is just as constructed and artificial as theirs. The setting becomes a symbol of a dystopian value system where the distinction between 'real' and 'fake' has eroded. [I] The audience is therefore positioned to feel a sense of unease, questioning Deckard's own status and forcing them to consider that 'humanity' is not an innate quality but a fabricated collection of experiences. [L] Ultimately, Scott's deliberate construction of the apartment's environment directly challenges the audience's assumptions about identity, reinforcing the film's core thematic concerns.