What is context, why is it important and how should I include it in my answer?

Context is something that is easy to forget to include, but it is really important! Understanding the historical or social context of a piece of writing can give you a lot of clues about the writer's message, and help you to understand the themes.Consider:1) Place. Where is the writer? Are they writing about the place they are in, or another place? Have they been there? Could that affect their ideas?2) Time. When is the piece of writing set? Is the poet/author writing about the past? This could be important because people's views change over time.3) Events. Often writing is influenced by events, so its important to recognise if, for example, a poem about violence is written just after a war. Also think about personal events in the writers life.4) Social attitudes. What was important to people at the time the piece was written? Consider gender, religion, attitudes to children5) Literary traditions. Are you able to make connections to other pieces of writing in this tradition?Remember not to just write down everything that you know. In your revision, I would suggest making a chart of everything you know about the context of a piece of writing, then choosing a few pieces of information that you are particularly interested in and can link to parts of the text. (I have done this collaboratively in lessons in the past). This is especially helpful for whole texts.Context can sometimes be written as a paragraph, perhaps near the beginning of your answer. However, the best way is to include it at relevant points throughout your answer. (I would go through examples here).