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IB English A: Language & Literature: P2 HL S1 (Disgrace)
P2 HL S1 (Disgrace)
The following essays were written on the following exam question:
“How do the conflicts between characters in two or three of your
Part 3 literary works reflect the kinds of conflicts from the time and
place in which the texts were written?”
The two samples that are presented here explore the question with relation to two
literary texts: Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw and Disgrace by J.M . Coetzee.
As you can see, the second sample is an improvement on the first. Besides
assessing both works with the criteria, you may want to compare and contrast
these two samples by answering the following questions:
1. How does the second sample differ from the first?
2. What kinds of essay writing tips can you take away from the second example?
Sample essays
Paper 2 HL S ample 1.1 (Disgrace, Pygmalion)

The books Disgrace by J.M . Coetzee in South Africa in 1999 and Pygmalion G.B. Shaw in Britain in 1914, could not be any different, both
located on different sides of the world and happened with nearly a century in-between. Still the main themes of the books are very closely
related, gender levels and social levels. The blacks of Disgrace have comparable rights to the lower classes of Britain in Pygmalion. Not only
classes have different rights, but also gender and parental issues have an influence on the books.
The relationship between David Lurie and Lucy Lurie is very different than a standard father-daughter relationship. Lucy earns a living from
selling flowers and vegetables on a market and housing dogs on her farm, and David is a professor on the university of Cape Town. The two
could not be more different, except Disgrace combines them. David has been fired from his profession as professor for having a relationship
with one of his students, and Lucy has been raped by three black men and got pregnant from this event. Although the three men are
strangers, Lucy calls the rape “personal” and says they have “marked” her. After this event there is a clear division between “men vs.
women” and David belongs to the side of these three men. David's affair could also be seen as rape, David’s position of power is an
advantage over the student, M elanie. When David has been prosecuted, the boyfriend of M elanie tells David; “to stick his own kind.”
The gender difference is also very clear in Pygmalion, M r. Higgins uses the woman Liza Doolittle to win a bet. When Liza finds out about
this bet, she runs off and hides at M rs. Higgins place. Higgins mother does not tell her son that Liza is hiding in her house. She chooses the
girl over her son. Liza's father also wants to sell his own daughter to Higgins for “five pounds”, A regular father would protect their offspring
while he tries to sell it for a couple of whiskeys. The class differences in Britain are not only by income, but also on the accent of the
language they speak. Higgins can define where a person is from just by the accent they speak. Higgins teachings can disrupt this system by
having Liza Doolittle speak with an upper class accent while she is lower class.
These two books both have family relationship issues, in Disgrace Lucy and David and in Pygmalion is M r. Higgins and M rs. Higgins and
M r. Doolittle and Liza Doolittle. These women believe that the men do not understand what they are feeling. David only wants justice and
wants the rapist to be prosecuted. M r. Higgins only wants to win the bet and does not see what effect it had on the emotions of Liza. M r.
Doolittle has always been lower class, just as Petrus working on the farm. Both fight their way up, M r. Doolittle get a huge inherence and
Petrus threatens Lucy with the rape, and for protection Lucy signed the land over to Petrus. The lower class in Britain is comparable to the
blacks of South Africa, their rights are suppose to be equal as everybody else, but still the rich and white are the ones ruling the country.
Even thought the books could not have any relation to each other, because they are from whole different society systems and different times.
Pygmalion’s social issues are comparable to the post-apartheid of South African Disgrace. Gender and parental problems occur in the books.
Although parents always want the best for their children, M r. Doolittle is not concerned by what happens to his offspring. David could not
stop the rape of his daughter. That is also the main reason why she keeps him as far as possible from the truth of the real story. M rs.
Higgins understands the feelings of Liza and chooses her side rather than her son's.
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IB English A: Language & Literature: P2 HL S1 (Disgrace)
Paper 2 HL S ample 1.2 (Disgrace, Pygmalion)

At first sight, Pygmalion, written and performed in London in 1914, and Disgrace, written in South Africa in 1999, seem to come from such
different times and places that they could hardly have anything in common. On the contrary, the conflicts between the characters in these
works reflect similar conflicts from the times and places in which they were written. Both works explore such themes as male chauvinism
and parental responsibilities, both of which are issues of their respective time and place.
Both works question the position of women and men in their times. Both in Disgrace and Pygmalion the protagonists, David Lurie and
Henry Higgins, are obvious male chauvinists. Henry Higgins asks his friend Colonel Pickering, “Why can’t women be more like men?” He is
a proud bachelor who fails to understand women’s feelings. Liza Doolittle wins his bet for him, by proving that she can learn to speak like a
Duchess and fool others into believing that she is not a common flower girl. Nevertheless, Higgins' treatment of her is disrespectful. Although
he gives her chocolates, taxi rides and high tea with the social elite, he fails to recognize her achievements and takes all of the credit for her
hard work. This play was first performed in a time when the women’s suffrage movement was taking hold in England. The play stresses the
importance of women in society, as Liza becomes an emancipated and powerful woman. At the same time, Shaw shows the limitations of
women’s status, as Liza’s marriage to Freddy is presented as her only way to maintain her position among the social elite.
Disgrace explores the limitations of women in South Africa in a different way, by focusing on sex. David Lurie abuses his position at the
university when he forces himself upon a student, M elanie. He says she has a duty to spread her beauty among men. He justifies his
promiscuity through constant reference to Romanticism and Lord Byron’s affair with Teresa, the 14-year daughter of an Italian duke. Once
his own daughter, Lucy, is raped Lurie begins to think differently about sex and power. In this violent and sudden turn of events, it becomes
obvious that the blacks make claims on her land and farm by “marking” her, as she describes it. Lurie is frustrated because he cannot do
anything about it. Lucy signs her land over to Petrus, the former servant, and marries him, in order to protect herself from the black
community. The novel was published at a time (1999) after apartheid, when white men came to realize that they were no longer in power.
Rape had become a means to manipulate farmers off of their land. Lurie eventually apologizes for taking advantage of M elanie, his colored
student, as he realizes that he had behaved as cruelly as the black boys who raped his daughter.
Both Disgrace and Pygmalion explore how family relationships reflect the social problems of their times. In Pygmalion we see two
distinctly different relationships between parents and children. Liza and her father, Alex Doolittle, have a relationship where the father is
shamelessly dependent on his daughter. He asks her for money to support his drinking habit, and he tries to ‘sell’ his daughter to Higgins for
five pounds. Shaw shows how parents in the working class depend on their children for care and support. In contrast to Liza and Alex
stands Henry Higgins’ pathetic dependence on his mother. Their relationship shows how the elite are dependent on their parents for access
to social circles and wealth. Higgins always runs to his mother for help and advice, even though he disagrees with her. Shaw shows us the
elite’s incompetency and dependence on old money in order to maintain power in England and the stark differences between classes in 1914.
The family relationships in Disgrace also represent struggle of the times in which the novel was written. David Lurie, his ex-wife and his
daughter are individualists. Lucy lives a completely different life than her father’s, independent of his help with a different set of ideals and
friends. She is a lesbian on a rural farm, whereas David is an intellectual from the city. David constantly tries to understand Lucy’s rape. He
wants to console and protect her, but she does not allow him. She will not allow him to press charges or discuss the matter with her.
Dissimilarly, Petrus’ family is extensive and tightly knit. Petrus looks after Pollux, his nephew, and ensures that he is not punished for
raping Lucy. He throws a large party to celebrate that the land has passed into his hands, inviting much family. He marries more than one
wife and has many children. In summary, the blacks of South Africa are depicted as powerful, because they are united by strong family ties.
While the whites are seen as weak and divided because of the individualistic ambitions and private lives. This conflict in South Africa
between whites and blacks in the late 1990s is depicted carefully through the families in this novel.
To conclude, these literary works, Pygmalion and Disgrace, are products of their times. Pygmalion comments on the oppression of women
and the working class in London at the beginning of the 20th century. Disgrace comments on the shift of power after apartheid in South.
Both works explore the social conflicts of their times by depicting characters that embody the issues of oppression. Both Higgins and Lurie
are white, chauvinist, intellectual men who struggle to understand the rise of another class and race. Their struggles reflect the context in
which these works were written.
Examiner's comments
Before you read the examiner's comments, assess the samples according to the assessment criteria for Paper 2. Compare your marks and
comments to the examiner's. How were they different? How were they similar?
Criterion A - Knowledge and understanding - 5 marks
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IB English A: Language & Literature: P2 HL S1 (Disgrace)
The essay demonstrates an understanding of the works and knowledge of the contexts in which they were written. The student shows how
context affects interpretations of the texts.
Sample 1.1
Sample 1.2


2 out of 5 - The student has a good
understanding of the Part 3 works. He
uses a range of examples from the text
to prove his points. Nevertheless, there
are many hasty generalizations and
some inaccurate points.
4 out of 5 - This essay analyzes Disgrace and Pygmalion in the
contexts in which they were written. There is an understanding
of the intricate relationships among the characters of the works.
The essay is informative for someone who hasn’t read the
works and at the same time important interpretations of the
works are made.
Criterion B - Response to the question - 5 marks
A Paper 2 essay should focus on the question chosen. The implications of the exam question need to be explored in depth, and the student's
response must be relevant to it.
Sample 1.1

3 out of 5 - While the
student explores several
aspects of the question, at
times he loses sight of the
main question.
Sample 1.2

5 out of 5 - The essay constantly refers back to the main question,
exploring the relationship between context and conflict. Clear references
are made to women’s rights in London in 1914, rape in post-apartheid
South Africa and the different family structures in both of these cultures.
Criterion C - Understanding of the use and effects of stylistic features - 5 marks
In the Paper 2 exam, a connection needs to be made between the author's use of stylistic features and the effect of them on his or her
audience. As Paper 2 questions invite students to explore how meaning is shaped by context, answers will have to explain why authors
choose for a certain genre, narrative technique or structure.
Sample 1.1
Sample 1.2


1 out of 5 - There is little discussion on
the effects of the works on their reader.
The student needs to use more examples
that demonstrate an understanding of the
authors’ styles.
1 out of 5 - This essay hardly comments on the use of stylistic
devices. The candidate comments on characterization only
briefly in the final paragraph. What’s missing is an answer to
the question: ‘how do the authors achieve certain effects on
their audiences?’
Criterion D - Organization and development - 5 marks
The essay must develop an answer to the question coherently and effectively. Topic sentences should guide the ideas of paragraphs.
Illustrations should be integrated well and explanations should shed light on the subject matter.
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IB English A: Language & Literature: P2 HL S1 (Disgrace)
Sample 1.1
Sample 1.2


3 out of 5 - The student uses topic sentences,
supporting examples and good explanation.
There is a definite structure to this text.
Nevertheless, ideas are not always
developed.
5 out of 5 - This essay is very coherent and well
structured. There are clear topic sentences, which guide
the ideas of each paragraph. Both works are discussed
equally and main points are developed through arguments.
Criterion E - Language - 5 marks
The language of the Paper 2 exam should be effective and accurate. The choice of vocabulary and use of grammar should be consistent and
appropriate.
Sample 1.1
Sample 1.2


2 out of 5 - The student’s use of the English
language is not very accurate. In places it is not clear
what he means.
5 out of 5 - The essay is appropriate and accurate.
Complex sentence structures are used with much
success.
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