May 2013 Paper Two Study Guide
Use this to prepare for the Paper Two Exam. This two hour exam requires you to write a compare and
contrast essay on two of the four plays read this semester.
IB wants students to respond to the prompt by analyzing the conventions of the genre, in this case,
theater. No matter the prompt, include in your essay a discussion of how the play incorporates,
manipulates, or breaks theatrical conventions to convey its principal themes and ideas.
Texts (write ONLY on these plays):
Zoo Story, Edward Albee (1958)
Dilemma of a Ghost, Ama Ata Aidoo (1964)
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Tom Stoppard (1967)
Fences, August Wilson (1985)
Literary Terms and Dramatic Conventions
Conventions: rules by which a text is governed; these conventions establish the logic of the text.
Stage time vs. plot time: the difference between the length of the play and the length of events in the play.
Flashback/flash-forward: methods of revealing the play’s backstory or moving the plot forward.
Song/music: commonly included in plays to add “theatricality”
Tempo: the pace of a scene or an act.
Light and sound: have multiple purposes; e.g., enhance realistic elements, provide structure, create suspense.
Realism: movement in theater to hold a mirror to the world; represent the world as it really is.
- Realistic set design and costuming
- Chronological sequencing
- Use of 4th wall: the invisible wall between audience and actors allowing the audience to view the action
of the play.
Tragedy: form of literature in which a character of some nobility or dignity brings on his or her suffering or fall
from grace; this disaster usually contains some universal meaning or moral.
Domestic tragedy: a form of tragedy featuring middle or working class characters whose downfall takes place
within the family dynamic.
Theater of the Absurd: coined by Martin Esslin, absurd theater moves away from logical structure, rational
dialogue and embraces the idea that the world lacks coherent meaning, and the search for this meaning is futile.
Tragicomedy: a play that incorporates tragic and comic elements.
Problem Play: drama that deals with controversial social issues such as racism, class, gender, etc…
Post-colonialism: 20th century movement of philosophy, art, and literature critical of the social, political,
economic and personal repercussions of Western imperialism. Post-colonial literary works critically examine
the European representation of the colonized as “primitive.”
Post-modernism: 20th century philosophical, artistic, and literary movement that mocks traditional literature by
celebrating incoherence, disunity, parody, pastiche, pop culture, and the blending of fictional and realistic
elements (think of meta-fiction and magical realism). Post-modern literature frequently calls attention to its own
fictionality. Post-modern literary criticism ridicules the notion of authorial intention and finds multiple
meanings within any text.
Burlesque: literature that seeks to mock a more serious work of literature or the genre itself by avoiding serious
criticism and turning to humor.
Meta-theater: a dramatic form in which characters become conscious they are acting in a play, usually by
stepping out of character to speak directly to the audience.
Note: Below are past essay prompts for the Paper Two exam. Select two of the four plays we read this
semester and plan or outline responses for each prompt (use the same plays for each prompt). If you take
the time to do these for each prompt, you will be better prepared and more confident entering the exam.
Choosing the two plays you want to write about in advance of the exam will increase your chances of
scoring well and will eliminate some, though not all, of any pre-exam jitters.
IB Instructions: Answer one essay question only. You must base your answer on at least two of the Part 3
works you have studied and compare and contrast these works in response to the question. Answers which are
not based on a discussion of at least two Part 3 works will not score high marks.
1. Consider the means by which shifts in tempo are created, and the consequent dramatic impact of these
shifts, in at least two of the plays you have studied.
2.
In everyday usage the word “theatrical” often means extravagant or is used to describe behaviour that
exhibits exaggerated emotions. To what extent, and in what ways, do at least two of the plays you have
studied exemplify this definition of “theatrical”?
3. “Drama is created by placing ordinary people in situations of crisis.” Explore some of the methods used
to create drama in this way in at least two of the plays you have studied.
4.
With reference to at least two plays you have studied, compare the role of action, or lack of action, in
delivering the meaning of the works.
5.
In what ways can the dénouement (the events after the climax of a play) be used to draw together the
different threads of the play in order to enhance our understanding? Compare at least two plays you have
studied.
6. With reference to at least two plays you have studied, explore how the playwrights’ use of contrasting
characters contributes to the impact of the plays.
7. “Without contraries there is no progression.” Consider the role and use of opposition and/or
contradiction in at least two plays you have studied.
8. “Plays should never seek to teach, but only to entertain.” To what extent and by what means is this view
supported by your study of at least two plays?
9. “Some plays excite our emotions; others make us think; some do both.” In the light of this statement,
compare at least two plays you have studied.
10. Violent or threatening behaviour can be presented to an audience in different ways. Compare the ways
in which at least two playwrights you have studied have presented violence and/or threats, and
comment on the success or otherwise of their methods.
11. In what ways and to what effect do at least two plays you have studied explore the idea of change
and/or transformation?
12. Compare the use and effects of formal and informal speech in at least two of the plays you have studied.
13. In what ways and for what purposes do playwrights effectively indicate time and place? Discuss with
reference to works by at least two playwrights you have studied.
14. Playwrights may use various methods to convey the thoughts of characters. Explore some of these
methods and their effects, with reference to one or more characters in plays by at least two playwrights
you have studied.
15. Drama can be said to contain something of the ritual – something to be repeated in front of an audience
for a significant occasion, event or purpose, or simply everyday routines and patterns of behaviour. In
what ways have at least two plays you have studied made use of the notion of ritual in this way and to
what effect?
16. “The dramatic life of any play often emerges from what is not said rather than what is.” Examine the
role and significance of all or any of silence, suggestion and subtext in at least two plays you have
studied.
17. “We are often puzzled by the things people do, uncertain as to their motives.” In the light of this
statement, consider ways in which character motivation is presented in works by at least two dramatists
you have studied.
18. Writers may make repetitive use of details which become dramatically significant. Consider the use
made of such repetition of detail in at least two plays you have studied, and discuss the impact on the
plays as a whole.
19. Explore the ways in which social class has been presented dramatically in at least two plays you have
studied and consider its significance in each play.
20. To what extent do at least two plays you have studied explore the relationship and tension between
rational and irrational behaviour as a means to further the action of the drama?
21. With reference to at least two plays by different dramatists, consider in what ways and to what extent
they present life as being difficult to understand.
22. Dramatists introduce their main characters in different ways and with differing effects. Compare or
contrast the ways in which characters have been introduced in at least two plays you have studied, and
consider what dramatic use is made of these introductions.
23. The success of any drama depends on the credibility of the protagonists. Referring closely to at least
two of the plays you have studied, explore to what extent and in what ways they illustrate the truth of
this statement.
24. Looking closely at one or more of the following elements: lighting, sound and music, discuss the ways
in which they can affect the presentation of ideas in at least two of the plays you have studied.
25. In plays a character who appears briefly, or who does not appear at all, can be a significant presence,
contributing to action, developing other characters or conveying ideas. To what extent have you found
this to be true of at least two works you have studied?
26. “Drama, even in its darkest moments, underscores the strength of the human spirit.” How and to what
extent is this true of at least two of the plays you have studied?
27. Referring closely to at least two of the works in your study show to what extent and in what ways
dramatists use the irrational behaviour of their characters to further the action of their plays.
28. Is action that happens off-stage as important as that which happens on the stage? Refer closely to at
least two of the works you have studied.
29. Dramatic conflicts arise when dominant individuals or groups regard themselves as the norm against
which others are to be measured. With reference to specific scenes from at least two plays you have
studied, discuss the significance of such conflicts and how they are explored.
30. “What we aspire to and what we achieve are not always the same.” In what ways and to what effect have
at least two playwrights you have studied explored this human experience?
31. “What is drama but life with the dull bits cut out?” To what extent do you find this statement applicable
in at least two plays you have studied?
32. A dramatist often creates a gap between what the audience knows and what the characters know. With
reference to at least two plays, discuss how and to what effect dramatists have used this technique.
33. “Comedy exposes human weakness; tragedy reveals human strength.” How and to what extent does this
claim apply to at least two of the plays you have studied?
34. A change in status of the characters in a play (a success, for example, a loss or exposure) helps to
convey the ideas and/or values of the dramatist. How and to what extent has change in status contributed
in this way to at least two of the plays you have studied?
35. The desire for power drives many of the tensions of drama. Discuss the ways in which dramatists have
presented tensions which arise from the desire for power in at least two plays.
36. “In drama there are more interesting roles for men than for women.” Discuss to what extent you agree
with this statement and what it is that makes a role interesting. Refer closely to at least two plays you
have studied.
37. “In drama there are more interesting roles for men than for women.” Discuss to what extent you agree
with this statement and what it is that makes a role interesting. Refer closely to at least two plays you
have studied.
38. How do guilt and/or blame contribute to conflict and the overall effect in at least two of the plays you
have studied?
39. “To succeed in creating a convincing character, the dramatist needs to give the audience a sense that
characters have inner thoughts and feelings.” To what extent, and in what ways, does this statement
apply to two or three plays you have studied?
40. Setting can often reflect the underlying ideas in a play. In the light of this statement consider the
importance and use of setting in two or three plays you have studied.
41. With reference to two or three plays you have studied, examine the dramatic significance of failures in
communication.
42. Consider the ways in which scene changes may highlight the development of the characters and their
relationships in two or three plays you have studied.
43. “In dramatic construction there must be variation of pace and rhythm, monotony of any kind being
certain to induce boredom.” Comparing at least two plays you have studied in the light of this
statement, show how variations of pace and rhythm have been used to attract or heighten the interest of
the audience.
44. To what extent can the plays you have studied be seen to have, directly or indirectly, a social or political
purpose? Refer to two or three plays, exploring how they achieve their purposes.
45. Comparing the opening scenes of at least two plays, discuss what audience expectations are aroused and
how.
46. “Drama explains individuals, not relationships.” Paying close attention to how individuals and
relationships are presented in two or three plays you have studied, say how far you find this statement
to be true.
47. “Some plays are either serious or light-hearted; others include both elements.” Consider some of the
ways in which either or both sorts of element are presented in two or three plays that you have studied
and discuss their importance for the understanding of the plays as a whole.
48. Some dramatists make more significant use of physical elements such as stage scenery than do others.
Discuss the extent of the use of such features and their impact on meaning in two or three plays that you
have studied.
49. How do characters and the choices they make contribute to meaning in two or three plays you have
studied?
50. Compare and contrast how dramatists create and use suspense in the development of two or three plays
you have studied.
Compare and Contrast Essay Organization
Compare and contrast essays have two obvious organizational patterns. Either format is an acceptable and
effective way to organize a paper.
Pattern 1
Intro
Similarity 1
Difference 1
Difference 2
Conclusion
Pattern 2
Intro
Subject 1
- Similarity
- Difference
Subject 2
- Similarity
- Difference
Subject 3
- Similarity
- Difference
Conclusion
**
Below is a third and, arguably, better way, to format a compare and contrast essay. This format encourages a
sustained focus on making a strong argument.
Intro
Minor Point
Major Point 1a
Major Point 1b
Conclusion.
In this format, writers construct a multi-sentence thesis that makes two claims. The first claim, or the minor
point, is dealt with in one body paragraph. The second claim, or the major point, is elaborated over the course of
two body paragraphs.
**
Paper 2: Essay Rubric
Criterion A: Knowledge and understanding
• How much knowledge and understanding has the student shown of the part 3 works studied in relation to the
question answered?
0 The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.
1 There is some knowledge but virtually no understanding of the part 3 works in relation to the question
answered.
2 There is mostly adequate knowledge and some superficial understanding of the part 3 works in relation to the
question answered.
3 There is adequate knowledge and understanding of the part 3 works in relation to the question answered.
4 There is good knowledge and understanding of the part 3 works in relation to the question answered.
5 There is perceptive knowledge and understanding of the part 3 works in relation to the question answered.
Criterion B: Response to the question
• How well has the student understood the specific demands of the question?
• To what extent has the student responded to these demands?
• How well have the works been compared and contrasted in relation to the demands of the question?
0 The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.
1 The student shows little awareness of the main implications of the question, and ideas are mainly irrelevant
and/or insignificant. There is little meaningful comparison of the works used in relation to the question.
2 The student responds to some of the main implications of the question with some relevant ideas. There is a
superficial attempt to compare the works used in relation to the question.
3 The student responds to most of the main implications of the question with consistently relevant ideas. There
is adequate comparison of the works used in relation to the question.
4 The student responds to the main implications and some subtleties of the question, with relevant and carefully
explored ideas. The comparison makes some evaluation of the works used in relation to the question.
5 The student responds to all the implications, as well as the subtleties of the question, with convincing and
thoughtful ideas. The comparison includes an effective evaluation of the works in relation to the question.
Criterion C: Appreciation of the literary conventions of the genre
• To what extent does the student identify and appreciate the use of literary conventions in relation to the
question and the works used?
0 The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.
1 Some literary conventions are identified but there is limited development relevant to the question and/or the
works used.
2 Examples of literary conventions are sometimes correctly identified and developed, with some relevance to
the question and the works used.
3 Examples of literary conventions are satisfactorily identified and developed, with relevance to the question
and the works used.
4 Examples of literary conventions are clearly identified and effectively developed, with relevance to the
question and the works used.
5 Examples of literary conventions are perceptively identified and persuasively developed, with clear relevance
to the question and the works used.
Criterion D: Organization and development
• How well organized, coherent and developed is the presentation of ideas?
0 The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.
1 Ideas have little organization; there may be a superficial structure, but coherence and/or development are
lacking.
2 Ideas have some organization, with a recognizable structure, but coherence and development are often
lacking.
3 Ideas are adequately organized, with a suitable structure and attention paid to coherence and development.
4 Ideas are effectively organized, with a very good structure, coherence and development.
5 Ideas are persuasively organized, with excellent structure, coherence and development.
Criterion E: Language
• How clear, varied and accurate is the language?
• How appropriate is the choice of register, style and terminology? (“Register” refers, in this context, to the
student’s use of elements such as vocabulary, tone, sentence structure and terminology appropriate to the task.)
0 The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.
1 Language is rarely clear and appropriate; there are many errors in grammar, vocabulary and sentence
construction, and little sense of register and style.
2 Language is sometimes clear and carefully chosen; grammar, vocabulary and sentence construction are fairly
accurate, although errors and inconsistencies are apparent; the register and style are to some extent appropriate
to the task.
3 Language is clear and carefully chosen, with an adequate degree of accuracy in grammar, vocabulary and
sentence construction despite some lapses; register and style are mostly appropriate to the task.
4 Language is clear and carefully chosen, with a good degree of accuracy in grammar, vocabulary and sentence
construction; register and style are consistently appropriate to the task.
5 Language is very clear, effective, carefully chosen and precise, with a high degree of accuracy in grammar,
vocabulary and sentence construction; register and style are effective and appropriate to the task.
Total: _____
Comments
Criterion A:
Criterion B:
Criterion C:
Criterion D:
Criterion E:
The following pages contain five sample paper two essays. Use the sample
essays provided to get a sense of the following:
-
Organization and structure
Length
Discussion of literary conventions
Volume of evidence
Type of evidence: direct quote vs. paraphrase
Ratio of evidence to analysis
Engagement with the prompt
Style: word choice, sentence structure, sentence patterns
What IB graders like
What IB graders do NOT like
Official IB scores and explanations are provided at the end of the packet.
HL English Paper Two Samples
Sample One
Prompt: Though plot may be said, at its simplest level, to be a sequence of events, what truly
distinguishes prose fiction is the use of narrative disruption: impediment, detour, diversion or
digression. In at least two works in your study, how have writers created narrative disruption and
to what effect?
Narrative disruption is a literary technique that many prose authors use to describe an
impediment, detour, diversion, or digression in the plots of their novels or short stories. It is used
to alter the flow of the plot to add other elements. In both the novels Atonement by Ian McEwan
and Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, narrative disruption acts as a vital component of the
plots. Neither of these stories follow a conventional chain of events because of various imbedded
disruptions. In Atonement, McEwan uses Paul Marshall’s character and Briony’s character as
impediments to the fairytale-like romance between Robbie and Cecilia, and in Slaughterhouse
Five Vonnegut uses detour and diversion to describe how Billy Pilgrim is unstuck in time.
Robbie and Cecilia are both characters who have lived near each other their entire lives,
and who attended college together. They never really interacted because of subliminal limitations
of class difference; Robbie relied on Cecilia’s family funding for his own medical education, and
was obvious guilt attached to that. However, the summer after college, the two of them were
confined within the isolated estate of the Turners, and this confined quality of the setting
provoked their interaction. At this point of the novel, each detail of their brooding relationship
was constringent on the preceding detail, and everything seemed to flow chronologically. For
example, Robbie and Cecilia engaged in a mall argument by the fountain which slowly escalated
into the physical breaking of Cecilia’s family vase: an important vase revived from Ancient
China. This fight led to heightened tensions between the two of them because there was
importance attached to the vase. Following this event, Robbie composed an apologetic letter to
HL English Paper Two Samples
Cecilia and sent it to her, but accidentally sent her a more risqué message. This led to Cecilia’s
changed perception of Robbie, which ultimately led to their making love in the library.
McEwan takes the reader on a chronological journey through their relationship. The
reader is left feeling tense during their argumentative scenes, and is fully curious as to how this
relationship will unfold. The slow, chronological nature of this first part leaves the reader rooting
for the success of Robbie and Cecilia. However, McEwan does not continue writing the story
with this hyper-focus chronology. He puts the love story in the eyes of Briony, Cecilia’s sister
and rewrites this exact chain of events focusing on her perspective. She views the fight that
Robbie and Cecilia have from the small window in her room. The small size of the window
symbolizes the limited sense of this relationship that Briony holds. She is an eleven-year-old girl
who is motivated solely by her selfishness and desire to grow up. Naturally, she uses this
perspective to interpret the fight at the fountain to be about a different topic than it actually was
about. She receives the letter from Robbie to deliver to Cecilia and with a childish curiosity,
opens it up before it gets to Cecilia. This is the first time Briony is exposed to the sexual
vocabulary in the letter, and immediately assumes that if Robbie is using these words, he is a
deranged man.
This change in perspective but repetition of events is McEwan’s way of diverting the plot
and tampering with chronology. The reader knows that the nature of Robbie and Cecilia’s
relationship was from mutual love, not from Robbie’s insanity. However, this lack of clarity that
Briony has causes her to obtain a false sense of certainty. Her perception of Robbie as an insane
man causes her to ultimately accuse him of raping her cousin, Lola, when it was really Paul
Marshall who did it. Briony’s uncertainty acts as an impediment to the plot of the story and
Robbie and Cecilia’s fairytale-like relationship is cut short.
HL English Paper Two Samples
McEwan strengthens his use of impediment by describing Robbie’s steep decline in
satisfaction from the beginning of the novel to the middle/end of the novel. At the beginning of
the story, during the scene when he is in his room composing the letter, he remarks on his own
sense of freedom and daydreams in great depth about his future as a doctor, and his future with
Cecilia. He goes off on a long tangent about the books that would fill the shelves of his future
home, and how he would expose himself to human suffering through literature. This stands in
stark contrast to his characterization as he is spending time in the army (the punishment for
“raping” Lola). He describes the rhythm of the war and how he was never taught how to live
with the common sense and need for survival that he currently lives with, He is directly exposed
to human suffering, in contrast to when he daydreams about his literacy. He is later killed off by
the war. This is all due to Briony acting as an impediment to the story because she was guided by
selfish motives.
In “Slaughterhouse Five”, Vonnegut also uses narrative disruption because Billy
Pilgrim’s entire perspective is non-chronological. Billy Pilgrim is suffering from hallucinations
that take him to his entire life before, during, and after his time in World War II. He hallucinates
as a coping mechanism as to what he was exposed to in the war. The diversions that take place in
the novel through time symbolize the vast change in fighting in the war. This use of disruption
shows how the story goes against the conventional chronology of a war story. At the beginning
of the story, Kurt Vonnegut himself narrates it in first-person, explaining his motives for telling
Billy Pilgrim’s story. Before the narrative even begins, Vonnegut speaks to a man who believes
war to be inevitable, and that war will always come based on the chronology of life. The man
compares war to glaciers, and says “writing an anti-war story is about as impossible as writing an
anti-glacier story.” This man’s fervent conviction that war cannot be either satirized or avoided
HL English Paper Two Samples
in a novel is bolstered by his comparison to glaciers. However Vonnegut disproves this by use of
diversion throughout the story.
Billy Pilgrim’s hallucinations often take him to the planet of Tralfamadore, a place where
tralfamadorians do not believe in the chronology of time and view every event in life to be
occurring at once. They describe their view of events as being the same as a human’s view of a
mountain range; seemingly unlimited, vast, and jagged, but everything is occurring at once. The
tralfamadorians view the human perception of time as absurd and they are pitying of the human’s
inability to predict death, war, and the end of time itself. Billy Pilgrim adopts his values from
these of the Tralfamadorians, and they influence the way he lives the rest of his diverted life.
This perspective allows him to devalue death, symbolized by his frequent use of the phrase “so it
goes” after any character in the story dies. Billy Pilgrim no longer feels the insatiable need to
reason events out chronologically.
Pilgrim’s affinity toward diverted time is outlined when he watches a ware movie
forward and backward. As he is watching the movie backward, Vonnegut describes the details of
the movie. He note the bombs being sucked back into the planes, the soldiers turning in their
uniforms and going back to high school, and he describes Billy Pilgrim extrapolating these
events to the beginning of human existence, Adam and Eve. Vonnegut again satirizes the idea of
the inevitability of war in this scene. He strengthens the idea of being able to alter time to find an
inner peace by showing how Billy Pilgrim altered the time in the movie to eventually lead him to
the peaceful images of Adam and Eve – pure biblical figures.
Narrative disruption is used in Atonement to show how a child’s selfish motives can ruin
the relationship of two adults. Briony’s impediment and the use of diversion to her perspective
shows how an entire plot can be destroyed by misinterpretation. This story could have been told
HL English Paper Two Samples
chronologically, but Briony’s perspective ruins this sense of chronology. In Slaughterhouse Five,
narrative disruption is used to satire the idea that war is inevitable. It is used to show that war can
be avoided if people are not so focused on chronology. Narrative disruption is an important tool
in both of these novels to show how chronology does not necessarily define a story.
Word Count: 1394
HL English Paper Two Samples
Sample Two
Prompt: Consider the presentation and function of memories that could be seen as dark or
negative in at least two works you have studied.
“Black Boy” by Richard Wright and “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya
Angelou are two autobiographical memoirs that take place in the harsh setting of the American
South in the early 1900’s. Both works of nonfiction describe the memories and experiences of
each author during their childhood and adolescence. By using selected moments and anecdotal
references, the reader is provided with individual insight into the struggle each author endured
with the ongoing theme of severe racial segregation and the oppression and hatred that was
caused. There is a large scope of memories presented by Angelou and Wright, executed in a
different manner and pace. Along with the inclusion of fleeting joyous moments, there is a large
selection of rougher or “dark” and “negative” memories. Often the most violent and destructive
memories that can be similarly compared in both works, are the ones from which a positive
lesson was learned.
Both young Maya and Richard were able to resort to the comfort of literature, as a way to
deal with their difficult individual experiences. Some of the most painful encounters led each
character to this form of escape, something that helped them strive for their interests and
continue to remain true to their identity. For young Maya, this event was remembered as a
horrific sexual violation, when Mr. Freeman raped her at the age of eight. After several occasions
of molestation, Mr. Freeman took advantage of her youth through the most extreme sexual
assault, whilst instilling a sense of fear and guilt in her mind. He made her promise not to tell a
soul, however after the truth was revealed which led to his eventual fate of death, Maya felt she
was to blame. For two years after she rarely spoke and internalized all of her emotions. Maya at
age eight had completely lost her value of self-worth and respect. Mrs. Flowers became one of
HL English Paper Two Samples
her role models as she introduced her to the idea of expressing herself through reading aloud, and
eventually writing. Mrs. Flowers helped her find her sense of dignity and self as well as
affirming the power of the human voice. As she state: “Words were different than set on paper. It
takes the power of the human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning.”
Parallel to this exploration of literature after such a catastrophic event, young Richard is
able to develop his talent of writing through the rejection of religion. For members of Richard’s
family, following an extremist religion was part of the status quo. With his grandmother being a
member of the “seven day Adventist” church and his Aunt Addie a protestant, everyone had high
expectations. Richard states that he does not need religion as he believes he was a formed human
before introduced to faith. His mother encourages him to attend a baptism, though all he can pay
attention to is the existence of religious hypocrisy. He comes to the conclusion that, “This
business of saving souls had no ethics. Every relationship was shamelessly exploited” (182). Due
to his complete rejection of religion, nearly all of his family members disowned him as their
relative. With their lack of understanding his motives, domestic violence and abuse towards
young Richard reached a climax. Like the sexual abuse that Maya endured, this terrifying
physical abuse drives him further from his home and closer to his love of writing. Literature
becomes his own form of religion, becoming his single drive to keep living. Amongst extreme
poverty, hunger, and domestic abuse, Richard writes and publishes his own story in the local
paper before the age of ten. The library becomes her place of refuge, and books become her
protection.
In both memoirs, the mention of a specific graduation is an example of a negative
memory caused by severe racial oppression. Richard is chosen to be the speaker at ninth grade
graduation, and he is told he cannot read his own speech due to the expectations of the two white
HL English Paper Two Samples
guests attending. He exhibits an example of his strong sense of morale and ability to stand strong
by reading it despite the lack of encouragement. This shows how he did not become a victim of
the reigning power the “whites” had. In “Caged Bird”, there are two white speakers who come to
Maya’s graduation. They emphasize the lack of intellectual potential for the Black School in
stamps by referring to the renovations of the white school. After being downgraded by two single
men, the entirety of the audience falls in to despair. Following this downfall, in order to raise
their spirits, the valedictorian Henry sings the “negro national anthem”. Slowly the entire room
joins in, and their collective ability to fight against sheer hatred is renewed. Maya reflects in
Chapter Eight; “We were on top again. As always again. We had survived.” This once again
shows the positive function of displaying moments of racial violation, highlighting the sense of
community and companionship.
Finally, one more clear similarity can be made between Maya and Richard’s first
encounter working for a white family. Each character is shown complete disrespect by their
bosses, and in return, they remain true to their self-respect and leave their jobs. Maya’s boss
chooses to call her “Mary” instead of her full name “Margueritte” because it is “easier to utter”.
In response she smashes plates in order to get kicked out of the house. In Richard’s case, his boss
disregards his ability to write, “you will never be able to write. Who put such ideas in your
Nigger head?” Richard feels completely disrespected by her act of ignorance and racial hatred
that he vows to never return again. This selection of mentioning these events shows how strong
and independent Maya and Richard are as young people, and their ability to walk away from
something so negative and discouraging.
Though the inclusion of similar memories for each memoir serves a similar function, the
presentation of these “snapshots” as well as selection is quite different. The aspect of narration
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falls under the organization of function, and each author has chosen to narrate these experiences
and lessons in a different manner. Angelou has chosen to tell her own story often from “young
Maya’s” perspective. An example of this is shown through Maya’s youthful interpretation of the
rape. Her naiveté and innocence highlights the extremity of this sexual violation, and exhibits her
lack of understanding as a young girl. This youthful register that is applied to the narrative, helps
the reader interpret events in a more personal way. Opposing this writing style, Wright has
chosen to take the stance of an Adult, weaving his thoughts and interpretations into his childhood
and “coming of age” memories.
The selection and portrayal of these “dark” or “negative” memories also differs between
authors. Though both “Black Boy” and “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” highlight important
life changing moments, Angelou brings them into context. She is able to “zoom out” on specific
events and show their ultimate effect on the course of her life. A reference to this takes place
when Maya’s brother Bailey is at her bedside after the rape in the hospital. She recounts how he
cried next to her, and how that would be the last time she would see him cry for the next fifteen
years. This shows how rare it is for Bailey to act in such a way, therefore reinforcing the
seriousness of this event.
Though each author presents these defining moments of “memories” in a different way,
the largest struggles for each character are what made Maya and Richard into such strong people.
Through these dark times and terrifying experiences, they were each able to come out the other
side with wisdom and new knowledge. Though one may interpret these moments as constricting
and confining their opportunities, they were able to find positive reinforcement with literature
and strive for the best. As concluded at the end of Wright’s “Black Boy”: “This is the culture
from which I spring, this is the terror from which I fled” (303).
Word Count: 1,344
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Sample Three
Prompt: “Drama is created by placing ordinary people in situations of crisis.” Explore some of
the methods used to create drama in this way in at least two of the plays you have studied.
In writing, connecting with the audience is imperative for one’s work to be successful.
Within drama, this is difficult to achieve with the classical tragedy, which center around the
downfall of someone from royal blood or other position of prominence, since most audience
members are not royal themselves. However, Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams have written
works centered on the tragic downfalls of common men in Death of a Salesman and A Streetcar
Named Desire respectively. Using ordinary men in these works allow more people to connect
with these characters than in a classic tragedy. Also, by using ordinary citizens in crisis
situations, true drama is created. Miller and Williams create drama with the introduction of new
or old characters, conflicts with minor characters, and with setting.
One method used by Miller and Williams is the introduction of new or old characters to
the plot. Miller introduces a character from Willy’s past, his brother Ben, to show Willy’s desire
to be successful and for his children to be successful. In the scenes with Ben, which occur all as
flashbacks or dreams, it is clear to the audience how much Willy admires Ben. He attempts to
impress Ben with his boys, his work, and his living quarters. Through all of this, Willy wants
Ben’s approval and to learn his secret to being successful. Unfortunately, Willy does not receive
the approval he hoped for. The only thing he can take from his brother to pass on to Biff and
Happy is Ben’s attitude. He says many times how he walked into the jungle as a boy and came
out and was rich. This vague attitude is all Willy can pass along from Ben to his boys. In a
similar way, a new character creates drama for Stanley and Stella. Stella’s sister, Blanche, moves
in with the couple and turns things upside-down for them. Stanley is suspicious of Blanche’s
affairs and investigates into her life prior to joining him and Stella in New Orleans. This
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investigation leads Stanley to learn of the questionable behaviors Blanche had been involved
with and he is able to see the truth behind her pleasant mask she wears. The conflict gets ugly
when Stanley confronts Blanche about her business at the Flamingo Hotel when Stanley’s
unpleasant nature, even more so now than usual, is unleashed. In both these instances, drama is
created, but the type of drama is different. The audience has sympathy for Willy who is trying to
help better the lives of his children. However, the audience feels disgust for both characters in
Williams’ example: Blanche, for her actions in the past, and Stanley, for his current abusive
actions.
Another method used to create drama is conflicts with minor characters by the main
characters. It is obvious that the main plot and conflict drive the drama, but other conflicts help
add to the drama in the particular scene and to the work as a whole, as it reveals more about the
characters. In Death of a Salesman, Willy has a genuine dislike for his neighbor. While shooting
casino late at night, creates drama and conflict by condescending him and insulting him. This
reveals Willy’s arrogance and hatred for people more successful than him. Also, while playing,
we see how Willy’s mind is leaving him as he cannot focus on the game, but rather he sees Ben
in a dream. This confirms the thoughts earlier in the play that Willy is losing his mind. At the
same time, it adds to the immediate conflict between Willy and Berchard’s father. Williams
creates additional drama by creating the conflict between Mitch and Stanley. Mitch is genuinely
interested in dating Blanche to make his sick mother happy, who wants to see him settle down.
However, Stanley knows the truth about Blanche’s past and wishes to save Mitch from her.
Stanley does not keep Mitch from taking Blanche out on a date, but the effort is made. Drama is
created in both instances and information is revealed about both of the main characters. The
audience sees how Willy treats others, but can pity him due to his declining mental health. In
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regards to Stanley, despite his vulgar and rude nature, he does show what type of friend he is. He
is trying to save Mitch from what he feels is a trap. This is an admirable trait in an otherwise
unpleasant character.
A third method used to create drama is the use of setting. In Miller’s work, Willy and his
family are in a New York suburb. During a flashback, the audience sees a particularly chaotic
scene with a young Biff scurrying around. At this time, the neighborhood is still under
construction and Biff and Happy are stealing supplies from the sites. Willy is not angry at Biff
for this and is even supportive, which is ironic. This is an example of how Willy was an enabler
of Biff’s. Willy did not set a good example for him in this way. In the present time of the play,
the neighborhood is now built up. This makes it nearly impossible to grow any plants or
vegetation in a garden. Despite knowing this, Willy symbolically plants seeds in the yard just
prior to his death. A Streetcar Named Desire takes place in New Orleans, specifically in an area
of the city that housed many working class people, such as Stanley. This means that domestic
disputes are likely commonplace in this neighborhood. This culture makes many of Stanley’s
rages seem acceptable to their neighbors. This cultural acceptance of these behaviors, such as the
poker dispute which led to the radio being thrown through the window, likely molded Stanley
into the man he is. These uses of setting both contributed to the drama present in each work.
Willy’s approval was a glimpse into his failure as a parent when Biff was in high school. He
encouraged Biff to cheat, steal, and liberties with women, all because Willy thought the ends of
being liked would justify the means. This particular neighborhood of New Orleans has a culture
that did not prevent domestic issues from occurring. These domestic disputes caused numerous
conflicts between Stella and Stanley and the greatest one, Stanley’s rape of Blanche. The
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effective use of setting, as well as the stage directions to describe the settings, significantly added
to the drama in this work.
Both of these works outline ordinary people in unfortunate situations at their onset. The
use of other literary devices, such as characters and settings, helps to heighten the drama present
in both works. Despite these works not fitting the classical definition of drama, they still contain
a man’s fall from grace. If anything, the use of ordinary men help give the works a larger, more
diverse audience. The more people that can connect to these works, the more people can learn
and take away from the tragedies of these characters.
Word Count: 1,150
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Sample Four
Prompt: A writer once said that the reader should be able to return to the first pages of a novel or
short story and find the resonances of the entire work. With reference to at least two works you
have studied, consider the importance of the beginning to the work as a whole.
Openings introduce themes and also major characters to the readers for the first time. The
question asks me to consider the techniques used to open novels, and the ways in which writers
then use the openings to develop the plot. Therefore, this essay will consider the opening
passages of two novels– Passage to India by E.M. Forster, and Things Fall Apart by Chinua
Achebe. In the opening of Passage to India (Passage), the writer uses personification of the
landscape to describe the scene he sets. These personifications are repeated throughout the work.
In Passage the location – India and Chandrapore – is very important to the work, as you can see
from the title. In Things Fall Apart (Things), the main character, Okonkwo, is introduced through
the use of two contrasting styles of narrative voice. One is an informal, storytelling tone, which
delivers anecdotes that seem to assume the reader is familiar with Ibo culture. The other is a
formal and distant tone, like a history text book. Both these narrative conventions are used
throughout the texts and again at the end. Clearly, both Achebe and Forster saw the opening
passages of their works as important to the work as a whole, as they used the first few pages to
establish the important themes, ideas and characters of the rest of the novel.
The chosen openings of a novel set up the approach the writer makes to their subject
material. Forster’s novel is very focussed on the issues and concerns of colonisation, so his
opening chapter is all about the land that has been colonised. India is a living being in Passage,
as can be seen from Forster’s method of description in the opening sentences. Chandrapore is
described as ‘it’, in the descriptions “it trails the river”. This personifies the town as an
individual, which firstly seems to be following the river aimlessly, as if it has no idea what else
to do, and then later seems to be the actual cause of the “rubbish” in the Ganges – rather than the
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people who live in the town. The trees of the town are later described in detail, and personified,
as “greeting” one another, and “building cities for birds”. The earth and the sky, are also
described in this chapter, and personified, and the sky, which “settles everything”, is given the
power to make India beautiful or ugly. People are only mentioned once, when they are described
as ‘mud moving’. The overall impact is to strongly emphasise the importance of the landscape in
Forster’s novel, and to give it God like power, while people are made to seem unimportant and
powerless. Forster regularly returns to this personification of the landscape throughout the novel;
for example in the following chapters the soil of India is described as “hostile” to walkers, and
the moon is spoken of as “she”.
Achebe also chooses to write about colonisation and the effect it has on people who live
in colonized lands; however, he takes a different approach to Forster, and you can see this
straight away in his opening pages. Where Forster focuses on the landscape, Achebe begins
chapter 1 of Things by introducing Okonkwo. Achebe uses flashbacks, presented in a humorous,
storytelling tone, which he mixes with description of Ibo customs delivered in a scientific and
formal tone to encourage the reader to feel great interest in, and yet also a kind of detachment
from the main characters of the novel. For example, Achebe opens the novel with a detailed
account of Okonkwo’s great wrestling victory, which seems to draw the reader in to Ibo life. The
opening sentence, “Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond”,
seems to assume that the reader knows where these nine villages are, and who lives there.
Okonkwo’s personality is then described by humorous description of his “bushy eyebrows”,
“severe look”, loud breathing and the way he pounces on people. All of this description seems to
assume the reader has a cultural familiarity with the Ibo culture as no explanation is offered for
any of the Nigerian cultural references, such as “harmattan”, or the sleeping arrangements of
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Okonkwo’s “wives and children”. This familiar tone is continued in the offering of the detailed
personal anecdotes about Okonkwo’s father, which make the reader feel sympathy for
Okonkwo’s fear of failure, and his surface hardness and coldness. This technique is regularly
continued, and the writer returns repeatedly to Okonkwo’s former victories. For example, the
way in which Okonkwo came to meet his favourite wife, Ezinma’s mother Ekwefi, is told as a
very personal anecdotal flashback, at the end of which we are leave Okonkwo and Ekwefi about
to make love for the first time.
Also at the beginning of the novel and mixed in with the anecdotal flashbacks, Achebe
takes a different tone and narrative approach that seems designed to distance the reader from the
Ibo. For example, when Achebe explains the ritual of conversation between Unoka (Okonkwo’s
father) and Okeye, he says: “Among the Ibo”. This is used again in the description of Okonkwo
which comes after the stories about Unoka. The expression, “among these people” is used to
introduce an explanation of Ibo values. The expression makes the reader feel separate to
Okonkwo and the Ibo, creating a feeling that you are observing the action of the story. The effect
of this is to make the reader feel like they are some sort of anthropologist. This is important to
Achebe, as it seems that he would also wish his readers to judge Okonkwo – and the Ibo – and
see their merits and value without any emotion. Achebe uses this scientific tone again in the last
sentence of the book, when the district commissioner uses it, this time unfairly and in contrast to
the reader’s own ‘scientific’ understanding, when he dismisses Okonkwo’s life as only worthy of
a paragraph in his own book, “The pacification of the tribes of the upper Niger”.
Forster repeats actual words, images and structures from his opening throughout the
novel, regularly using the personification of the landscape, which he makes seem eternal and
enormously powerful. Forster uses the same descriptive tone and approach to set the scene at the
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opening of each section of the novel. The first section is called “Temple”. The second section,
called “Caves”, also opens with a detailed description of the timeless, hostile landscape of the
Marabar caves. As in the opening of “Temple” the human characters of the book are not
mentioned. In the opening chapter of “Caves”, the power of the Marabar hills is described in
terms of infinite nothingness. Even the opening paragraph emphasises that the land around the
Marabar hills has been covered by “no ocean”, and that even Buddha who once passed through
the region left “no legend of struggle or victory” on the Marabar hills. When speaking of the
caves themselves, Forster uses immediate repetition (epizeuxis) of the word ‘nothing’ several
times to describe and emphasise what they contain, and what they are worth. Yet these are the
caves that have the power to destroy the lives and dreams of the characters presented in the book.
The caves reduce all speech and language to the sound “Ou--‐boum”, which is the most
important image presented in the novel. The physical landscape of India has the power to destroy
everything – even Mrs Moore’s belief in God. This echo is again personified, as Mrs Moore
imagines the caves whispering that courage and faith are the same as filth, and the
personification makes the message Forster wants readers to take from the book seem even bigger
and more frightening. The power of the landscape is also given the final word in the novel, when
the landscape of India seems to break the friendship of Aziz and Fielding, during their final horse
ride together.
It can therefore be seen that in these two novels the writers seem to have agreed with the
writer quoted in the question that the opening of the work is important to the rest of the work.
Achebe’s uses contrasting narrative tones to create a contrasting attitude in his readers. In this
way Achebe causes his readers to experience the ‘falling apart’ of the old culture of the Ibo
nation from both an external, anthropological viewpoint, and from a deeply personal involved
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viewpoint. The final words of the book come from the District Commissioner, and they are cold,
analytical and present a kind of heartless judgement of the Ibo as a people to be pacified. These
words contrast with the words of Obierika, Okonkwo’s best friend, who expresses the sorrow
and anger the reader feels at Okonkwo’s manner of death. The reader can also experience both
the sorrow and anger at the passing of the old, but also a sense of belief and hope in the strength
of people to make a new culture. Some of the main characters who survive Okonkwo show that
they are more resilient than he is, and that they will be able to make the invading culture part of
their own. Thus the final words of the District Commissioner are not as ‘final’ as he clearly
thinks, and the reader feels scorn and amusement at his arrogance.
Forster leaves the reader with a final sentence containing images and ideas from the
opening pages. Aziz and Fielding have been making a final horse ride together. Aziz tries to
embrace Fielding, saying “then you and I shall be friends”. “But the horses didn’t want it--‐they
swerved apart; the earth didn’t want it, sending up rocks through which the riders must pass
single file”. The list of landscape items that “do not want” the friendship of Aziz and Fielding
continues, ending with the sky which, as in chapter one, “settles everything”. The sky “speaks”
the final words: “no, not here”, which officially ends the friendship of the two men. The land
cannot be taken over by any one race of people, because it is eternal, as the central image of the
echo in the Marabar cave shows. Forster makes the reader think about the insignificance of
humans, and the stupid pointlessness of racial and religious divisions. The actions of Forster’s
characters, both good and bad, are made to seem meaningless against the backdrop of the eternal
landscape, which actually is in control of both Indians and colonisers alike. As with Achebe’s
text, the final words of Forster’s text pick up images and ideas from the beginning. So you can
see that the beginnings of these works are important to the whole. Word Count: 1758
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Sample Five
Writers of fiction do not always relate events in the order in which they seem to occur in the
worlds of their novels or short stories. Choosing two works by writers you have studied, show
how variations of chronological order can be seen to serve the purposes of the stories.
Remembering Babylon by David Malouf and Heart of darkness by Joseph Conrad are
two works that use variations of chronological order to create a variety of effects. Although
almost a hundred years separates the writing of these two works, there are some similarities in
the issues they deal with, and the historical setting of both works is roughly the same time, the
mid to the end of the nineteenth century. In Remembering Babylon, Malouf explores ideas about
identity and the clash of cultures: on the one hand the Australian aboriginal culture and on the
other white settlers who have travelled from Britain to make their lives in Australia. The
Belgium colony of the Congo is the setting for the story within the story in Heart of darkness as
Marlowe tells a story of his reactions to the Belgium colonizers, whom he despises, and the
indigenous people whom he sees as being victims of the colonizers, but who also represent some
sort of absolute evil of which we may all be capable. Neither work follows a strict chronological
order, but the ways in which this is done and the effect of using the technique, contrasts
markedly.
Remembering Babylon is a short novel arranged in twenty chapters that span a period of
around seventy years. The chronological shifts are linked to the chapters, allowing for the same
incident to be shown from different points of view, and furthering our understanding of some of
the significant characters. In the last chapter there is also a variation in the way time is handled
when the story leaps fifty years into the future, tying up some loose ends in the plot for the reader
and showing more clearly the significance of the central relationship between Gemmy, Lachlan
and Janet. Also a short novel, Heart of darkness uses a different technique. On the whole, the
story Marlow tells of his experience as captain of a steamer that travels up the Congo River to
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the inner station of an ivory trading company managed by a man called Kurtz, is related in the
order in which the events occur. However, Conrad makes occasional breaks in the chronology of
the story telling, during which Marlow interacts with his listeners. The effect of this is to add
authenticity to Marlow’s story and to highlight comparisons between the quiet, orderly setting in
the Thames and the dramatic steamy events in the steam tropics of the Congo.
Perhaps the most significant reason for using variations in the chronology in
Remembering Babylon is to gradually reveal Gemmy’s background as he feels his way towards
understanding his identity and allegiances. The plot of the novel is driven by a surprising
incident, related in the present (which is ‘one day in the middle of the nineteenth century’).
Lachlan, a twelve year old boy, is leading his cousins Janet and Meg in a game of make believe
when a figure, taken at first for an aborigine, leaps on to the railing of a fence and declares itself
to be a ‘British object.’ The object is Gemmy, who was thrown off a ship when he was thirteen,
washed ashore on the coast of Queensland and taken in by an aboriginal community. The subject
matter could be dramatic and sensational, but Malouf treats it with understatement and it is only
gradually that we learn more about Gemmy so that we can understand his decision to return to
his aboriginal people and the land. Our understanding of the tensions between the white and
aboriginal cultures is partially developed through Gemmy’s unfolding memories of his English
life and these are introduced to him, and us, as he forms relationships with various members of
the settlement. One technique that Malouf uses to take the reader into increasingly complex
issues of language and culture is to move back and forth in time, showing the same incident
through different perspectives.
To illustrate this technique, I will use a central incident that occurs midway through the
book and has far reaching effects on Gemmy, Lachlan and Janet. Through this incident Malouf
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directs our sympathies to the aborigines and prepares us for Gemmy’s eventual return to them.
One Thursday afternoon, when Gemmy was working outside, two members of his aboriginal
family come silently to sit with him for a short time. The meeting is seen by Andy, an intolerant
white settler, who is fearful of what lies outside the town’s boundaries and of the unknown
aborigines. It is from Andy’s point of view that we first see the implications of the incident; he is
excited about having his suspicions confirmed, and keen to be the centre of attention as he tells
some of the other men what he saw, embellishing it to include the handing over of a rock to
Gemmy and presenting it as a threatening encounter, the beginning of something dangerous.
Successive chapters go back to around the time of the visit from the blacks, first showing us
Jock’s intuitive support for Gemmy that makes him more aware of the distance that is growing
between him and other men in the community. We are then taken forward slightly to the small
incidents that are noticed, and the disgusting shit smeared shed, threatening Gemmy. It is only in
the next chapter that we are taken back again to the visit from the aborigines and we are shown
the real interaction between them, which is presented as civilized and gentle, compared with the
suspicious and brutal responses of some of the white community. It is this encounter that shows
Gemmy who his only mother is – the land – and which brings back his energy, leading to his
final departure from the settlement to join his black family.
The fifty years leap forward in the last chapter of Remembering Babylon is another
variation in the chronology of narration. It is through Janet’s thoughts of Lachlan that we learn
third hand that Gemmy has been murdered by white men in what they refer to disturbingly as a
‘dispersal’. In giving us the perspective from fifty years after the central incident, Malouf brings
our focus on things we may have missed, for example the effect on Lachlan and his regret at
keeping Gemmy at a distance once he realized he had to choose between his standing with the
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other boys and Gemmy. It also shows more of Janet, her frustrations of being an Australian born
girl, without the authority of Lachlan, the boy, brought out to Australia as a nine year old and
thus having had the ‘real’ experiences of the European world.
Although his technique and ideas are different from those of Malouf, Conrad also uses
chronological variations in different ways. An example of the way in which the order of
Marlowe’s narrative is interrupted is when the steamer is nearing Kurtz’s station and is attacked
by natives (an attack that we later discover has been ordered by Kurtz himself). In his first telling
of the incident, Marlow describes briefly how the unnamed helmsman, an African, grabs a gun,
opens the shutter and starts shooting, repelling a native who is trying to board the boat. As a
result, the helmsman is killed and as he bleeds to death, his blood seeps into Marlow’s shoes,
whose revulsion to which is described at some length in the first telling of the incident. In this
first account, Marlow also dwells on the idea of Kurtz, and how much he regrets that he won’t
(as he imagines) get the opportunity to meet this extraordinary man. However, Conrad takes us
back to the telling of the same incident a little later, thus varying the chronological order In this
second account of the same incident of the attack, Marlow focuses more on his feeling towards
the helmsman. This is a clever device that Conrad uses to show Marlow as capable of reflecting
on his experience, and of seeing the helmsman as a person, with whom he might have “some
distant sort of kinship”.
Conrad also occasionally uses the technique of taking the reader into the future. An
example in Heart of darkness is where Marlow is relating the increasingly threatening nature of
the trip up the Congo in the steamer and is finally learning more about the mysterious Kurtz, who
is constantly being mentioned, but about whom we know very little. As he tries to explain his
feelings towards Kurtz, both attraction and revulsion, he speaks excitedly to the listeners,
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breaking off, finding himself unable to tell the story in a way that makes them understand the
situation. When Marlow begins his story again, he is still struggling to explain his fascination
with Kurtz’s words (the horror, the horror) and he takes his listeners forward in time, mentioning
Kurtz’s Intended – the girl - without any context. At this point we also hear that Kurtz has died,
although it’s not until later that we learn the circumstances. The effect of using these
chronological breaks in the narrative seems to highlight Marlow’s struggle within himself to
come to terms with the experience, and the difficulty he has in conveying his thoughts and
feelings.
Another effect of the time shifts in Heart of darkness is to emphasise the difference
between the calm atmosphere on the Nellie compared with the heat and confusion of the Congo.
Conrad seems to be suggesting that it is only the influences of European culture - the houses,
shops, work routines and so on - that saves man from falling into depravity. It is through the
voice of Marlow that the idea is introduced and it is through the short interludes that bring us
back to the listeners on the Nellie that he challenges them with the idea of what they would do if
they didn’t have the security of an established, orderly life, or if they had to cope with the
extremes of the tropics.
Malouf and Conrad both vary the chronological order of their stories although their
techniques, and the effect of these, are different. The Heart of darkness is an intense, compelling
story, compared with Remembering Babylon, which seems more objective. Perhaps this is
because Malouf has historical distance between the events that form the background to his story,
whereas Conrad was living through the events, and it is commonly assumed that the story has
some foundation in his own experiences in the Congo. However, the difference could also be
partly because of the techniques used by the two writers, and the occasional variations in the
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order of events in the Heart of darkness seems particularly suited to the first person narrative
style used by Conrad.
Word Count: 1766
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Official IB Scores for Paper Two Samples
Sample One Examiner’s Comments
Criterion
A B C D E Total
Marks available 5 5 5 5 5 25
Marks awarded 5 5 4 4 5 23
Criterion A
There is a strong, detailed knowledge of the texts with perceptive understanding of the
complexities of the works both in relation to the stories and the narrative structures.
Criterion B
There is a very good focus on the question in relation to impediments within the story and at the
level of plot constructions. The argument includes detailed and specific description of the works.
Criterion C
Reflected here is the fact that there is some confusion at times between impediments that are
clearly conventions or developed as an intricacy of the telling of the story, and those that are part
of the action or aspects of character.
Criterion D
There is a good structure with effective development but also a tendency to ramble into plot
relation or to lose the thread of an argument that could have been more pointed or persuasive.
Criterion E
The language here is precise, clear, effective and highly accurate.
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Sample Two Examiner’s Comments
Criterion
A B C D E Total
Marks available 5 5 5 5 5 25
Marks awarded 4 4 2 4 4 18
Criterion A
The essay shows good knowledge and understanding of the works. There are detailed references
to the events depicted in both texts and there is clearly an understanding of the pivotal moments
in the depicted lives of these authors. There is also a judicious selection of appropriate examples
despite a tendency towards narrative.
Criterion B
Despite the fact that there is not a strong focus on features or conventions used to present
memories, there is a tight focus on the memories themselves, the nature of the memories, and
their importance to the authors. At times the discussion is more observational in relation to these
events rather than analytical in terms of the role of the presentation of memories in the work
(rather than in the lives of the authors).
Criterion C
Despite the mention of some conventions (such as “pace” and “anecdote”) the paper does not
develop a discussion of these elements. There is not a clear sense of how memories are actually
shown or how the particulars of presentation might relate to meaning and effect.
Criterion D
The essay is effectively but not persuasively organized. While the paragraphing is well structured
and there is a sense of balance between the two texts in each paragraph, overall development is
somewhat lacking.
Criterion E
There are some grammatical errors and some inconsistencies in sentence construction. There are
also moments where the language could be more accurate (especially in relation to literary terms
but even in relation to the description of particular emotions relevant to the discussion of
memories).
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Sample Three Examiner’s Comments
Criterion
A B C D E Total
Marks available 5 5 5 5 5 25
Marks awarded 4 3 3 4 4 18
Criterion A
There is good understanding here, shown through a strong discussion of major issues in the
works supported by pertinent details. There is an understanding of the main tensions in the plays
as well as some key dramatic moments.
Criterion B
The essay starts off well in relation to the question but quickly veers into other methods of
creating drama. At times, the discussion of elements such as new characters and setting are not
clearly relevant to the question. The response is adequate, though, in that the implication often
remains that these elements are effective because they are tied to the ordinariness of these
“heroes”.
Criterion C
While some key conventions are discussed, there is not a very strong sense of the works as
drama. Discussion tends to focus on what happens rather than on dramatic presentation and
particular conventions. Description of the setting, for example, is evocative but not clearly the
description of what might be a “set”.
Criterion D
While the argument feels somewhat underdeveloped in the end, there is a strong focus and a
clear progression to the discussion.
Criterion E
The language is clear throughout while some of the words used to describe the play and the
characters lack precision.
HL English Paper Two Samples
Sample Four Examiner’s Comments
Criterion
A B C D E Total
Marks available 5 5 5 5 5 25
Marks awarded 5 4 4 4 4 21
Criterion A
This candidate is clearly attentive to the novels, with a strong sense of plot and character brought
to bear on the openings of both works. There is a good sense of how the two works are alike and
different, addressing the elements of colonization, of the cultural and physical landscape.
Criterion B
The candidate responds to some of the obvious and underlying implications of the question,
tackling directly how the writers use openings and why they are important to the whole. The
issue of “resonances” may be a bit challenging at this level, but the candidate has detail and
judgment to bring to “the importance of the beginning.” Comparison and evaluation are both in
play in this essay.
Criterion C
Conventions of the novel are addressed, e.g., the need for the reader to know who, what, when,
where from the outset. The approach and central concerns of the two works and delivery of
background information are considered as well as reiterations of opening words and images.
Tone is handled relevantly as are details. The point of the inclusion of some details is not always
clear.
Criterion D
There is a good sense of organization with an alternating method of addressing the two chosen
texts. Transitions between paragraphs could be more graceful, but the handling of a conclusion,
often problematic for students, is handled by some valid conjecture about effects on the reader.
Criterion E
Although there some minor slips in idiom and some abrupt sentences, the student generally uses
language that clearly communicates ideas about the works.
HL English Paper Two Samples
Sample Five Examiner’s comments
Criterion
A B C D E Total
Marks available 5 5 5 5 5 25
Marks awarded 5 4 4 4 5 22
Criterion A: Knowledge and understanding
The two facets of criterion A—the degree of the knowledge or familiarity with the literature—
complemented by understanding of the part 3 works in relation to this topic, are well addressed.
The student has a strong overall sense of the arrangement of events, and because this knowledge
is demonstrated by details as to time span, chapters, and the general nature of the shifts and
variations in the narrative line, the performance in this criterion is 5. The student is perceptive
both about the works and the ways to use them in an essay on this question.
Criterion B: Response to the question
The specific demands for this question—both from the general instruction to “compare and
contrast” and from the question, as to the “variations of chronological order” serving the
“purposes of the stories”—present a triple challenge for the responder. “Chronological order”,
though not explicitly defined, seems to be well understood. The comparative factor—the
encounters between different cultures—is set out early on, against a proposed differential in
technique, and each novel is explored in some detail. Clearly the student has grasped the
demands of the question but there could be more explicit evaluation of the comparative success
with chronological narrative.
Criterion C: Appreciation of the literary conventions of the genre
Narrative order is clearly a focus of the question and that convention is consistently addressed
through the response. The convention is, of course, clearly delivered by the question, which may
not always be the case. The student consistently addresses the effect of authorial choices, which
is a positive feature of the essay.
Criterion D: Organization and development
The essay has a solid logical structure and points are systemically and coherently developed.
Criterion E: Language
The demands of level 5 in this criterion are quite consistently addressed in this essay, certainly
meeting the standard of a “high degree of accuracy” in spite of an occasional faltering in syntax
and grace.