Choose one of the following questions to write a detailed and considered response to
Ian McEwan’s novel Atonement, explicitly addressing narrative techniques.
‘Imagining what it is like to be someone other than yourself is at the core of our humanity…’
Ian McEwan (‘Only love and then oblivion…’ The Guardian, 15th September 2001).
1. ‘Nothing is random in the world created by the author.’
How does Ian McEwan use narrative features to explore ideas in his novel Atonement?
The quotation is designed as an introduction to the question and reinforces the central notion of the curriculum
statement that texts are deliberate constructions on the part of the author. The question has two aspects, which must be
addressed. You need to specify the features of the text type (the text type in this case being a novel), and acknowledge
that a novel has features peculiar to that genre, which the question classifies more specifically as “narrative”. The best
answers would show how McEwan uses such features in an integrated way to explore specific ideas in his novel. Less
successful responses might overlook the phrase ‘narrative features’ and gloss over techniques to write about ideas alone.
2. What techniques does Ian McEwan use in his novel Atonement to explore the idea that one
person’s perception of reality may differ from that of another?
It is not the intent of this question for students to refute the idea, but rather to support it within their discussion. A
successful response should demonstrate a sound grasp of a number of techniques to allow students to discuss the
different perceptions of reality. This is a more general expression of the idea also contained in topic five.
3. In what ways does Ian McEwan’s use of setting reinforce the central ideas of Atonement?
You are asked in this question to consider the link(s) between central ideas and setting and the ways in which setting is
used as a means of presenting and developing, or at least enhancing, ideas. The intention in using the word ‘reinforce’ is
that in many texts the setting is more than a backdrop to the story. The setting is not passive, nor is it incidental; rather,
it has some relation to the ideas in a text. The question assumes this and asks students to consider ‘in what ways’. The
plural also directs them away from a simple description. Establishing a connection between setting and the central ideas
was essential to answering the question successfully.
4. Show how Ian McEwan uses one or more of the following as a device to reinforce ideas in
his novel Atonement:
 Irony
 Foreshadowing
 Changes in time
 Changes in place
 Recurring symbol(s)
 The way the text ends
You may choose any number of the range of devices on the list, but beware of making your argument too ‘thin’ by
doing so. While it is also appropriate for you to mention additional devices that might help explain the use of those on
the list, it is inappropriate to incorporate a lengthy discussion on any other devices not listed in the question. It is
essential that you explain how the device is used to reinforce ideas, rather than simply showing that the device is in the
film. Irony may include dramatic irony; ironic turn of events; poetic justice; ironic statements in dialogue, etc. It is
acceptable to write in reasonable detail about the events that are foreshadowed and how they also are used to reinforce
ideas. A change in time is not an obvious device in Psycho, but the use of episodes (Marion, Norman, Lila, perhaps) is
relevant, and after the spiral out of Marion’s eye, the film’s pace certainly changes. On the other hand, changes in place
is significant, particularly in the idea of journeys; the contrast between places. You may read this as significant changes,
for example, from Marion’s ‘world’ to Norman’s, or seemingly insignificant changes, for example, the contrast between
the settings of the Bates Motel and the family home. You may examine just one symbol or many, and your reading of
the term ‘symbol’ can be quite broad and may include visual symbols, symbolism in a setting, the symbolism of
recurring images, etc. However, the symbol must be one that is recurring. You should not simply recount the ending,
but explain how it is used to reinforce ideas. In doing this, you may refer to other parts of the film in order to clarify its
ending. Defining it is relatively easy for Psycho: the ‘coda’ that contains the juxtaposition of the court psychiatrist’s
public ‘reading’ of Norman / mother’s psychosis, and the disembodied private voice of the (m)Other in the jail cell.
5. ‘What is exceptional about the novel as a form – and here it exerts its superiority over
movies, over theatre – is its peculiar ability to get inside minds and to show us the
mechanics of misunderstanding… And misunderstandings can stretch from something
that is mild and social and comic, to the deepest forms of hatred.’ How does Ian McEwan
demonstrate his claim for the novel’s ‘peculiar ability’ through Atonement?
The key ideas in this quotation from an interview with Ian McEwan, are the focus on focalisation and point of view –
the novel form’s ‘peculiar ability to get inside minds’ – and the theme of ‘misunderstanding’. Both of these are clearly
vital to McEwan’s characterisation of the adult Briony exploring the tragic misunderstanding of her childhood self
through the writing of a novel. A more subtle but equally important point to explore is McEwan’s idea that
‘misunderstandings’ are not simply social faux pas (false steps), but that such societal embarrassments are actually
linked (‘can stretch’) to tragic conflicts (‘the deepest forms of hatred’). This would be both the personal animosity the
teenage Briony senses in Robbie and her sister in Part 3 of the novel, as well as the global conflict of WW2 behind the
novel’s second part. Other ‘misunderstandings’ such as the social acceptance of the immoral Paul Marshall, class
distrust of the capable and generous working class Robbie Turner, not to mention a range of romantic liaisons including
Robbie and Cecilia, or Briony and Luc Cornet, all show us ‘the mechanics of misunderstanding’ which can only be
bridged by ‘get(ting) inside (the) minds’ of others: something McEwan the writer attempts on almost every page.
6. How does Ian McEwan explore the idea in his novel Atonement that passionately holding
on to a belief can both sustain and destroy?
The word ‘passionately’ should act as a signpost, encouraging you to consider how the sense of passion is created and
used in the novel. There could be an ironic parallel here between Briony’s childish passion for stories that tell the ‘truth’
as she sees it, and Robbie’s passionate belief in returning to Cecilia. The question directs you to consider ‘both sustain
and destroy’, but you are not invited to prove or disprove the proposition. Rather, you should show how McEwan
explores the proposition in the novel through a focus on technique. You may show that McEwan’s exploration indicates
an emphasis on sustaining (Robbie’s POV as a soldier in France? Briony’s POV as an adult writer?) or destroying
(Briony’s role as a child witness?), but you need to focus on his exploration not your own views about passionately held
beliefs. ‘How’ in the question demands a focus on technique, avoiding any tendency to simply recount the plot; while
‘passionately’ should not be confused with persistence; and the implications of both ‘sustain’ and ‘destroy’ need to be
carefully considered.
7. In what ways does Ian McEwan explore the idea that it is seemingly civilised people who
abuse power in Atonement?
This question uses the stem ‘in what ways’ and so you should explore the choices that McEwan had made in order to
communicate ideas. However, ‘ways’ is a broader term than ‘techniques’ and so you may not always label the device
that is being used, but may read the question in terms of the way McEwan has approached the theme. The question is
written with the idea as a truism. It is not appropriate for you to focus your argument on the notion that it is only
uncivilised people who abuse power; or that civilised people are shown as being the victims of the abuse of power
rather than perpetrators of it. The concept of ‘seemingly civilised’ suggests that appearances can be deceiving. You
must explore the idea of seeming to be civilised, and must also explore aspects of the abuse of power, for which Paul
Marshall would be an obvious focus. But while he is an obvious ‘villain’ in this context, you should also examine the
way McEwan extends his social critique beyond Marshall (and Lola?) to take in the British class system and even the
geopolitics of war.
In addition to reading the Stage 2 SACE assessment design criteria, it may be helpful for you to
consider more explicit grade band quality indicators for a single text essay (on page three)
Assessment Design Criteria
Your performance in the shared studies will be judged by the extent to which you demonstrate:
Knowledge and Understanding
Application
KU1. Knowledge and understanding of authors’ use of stylistic
features and language techniques to communicate ideas and
influence the reader’s response.
Ap1. The use of language skills and techniques to
create coherent texts that address the
meaning and intention of the task.
KU2. Knowledge and understanding of ideas, values, and beliefs in
texts.
Ap3. The use of evidence from texts to develop and support a
response.
KU3. Knowledge and understanding of the textual conventions of
different text types.
Communication
Analysis
An1. Analysis of the interplay between what authors present in texts
and the experiences, ideas, values, and beliefs of readers.
C1.
Accuracy, clarity, and fluency of expression.
C2.
Appropriate form and register for audience and purpose
.QUALITY
INDICATORS FOR A SINGLE TEXT ESSAY
A-GRADE BAND (13–15)
 Well-focused and sustained answer to the question at a level of depth throughout the essay.
 Personal, reflective, and evaluative engagement with the text, conveyed in an expressive and natural style of writing.
 Depth of understanding, synthesis, and interpretation of the central ideas of the text.
 Depth of understanding and analysis of such textual features as plot, character, setting, and their significance in the
world of the text.
 Analysis and interpretation of the author’s construction of text.
 Textual references incorporated naturally and fluently in the line of discussion and integrated with the student’s own
response and language.
 Essay is written with expressiveness, a sophisticated vocabulary, fluency, and precision, and in a style and register
appropriate to the topic.
B-GRADE BAND (10–12)
 Clearly structured and focused discussion of the question or topic.
 Personal and reflective engagement with the text.
 Perceptive understanding and analysis of the text and its central ideas.
 Perceptive insights into such textual features as plot, character, setting, and so on.
 General understanding of the author’s construction of text, but with a partial grasp of the effects of the stylistic
features on the reader’s understanding and response.
 Textual references incorporated naturally and fluently in the line of discussion.
 Essay is written clearly and correctly, with an appropriate vocabulary and in a style and register appropriate to the
topic.
C-GRADE BAND (7–9)
 Sound focus on the requirements of the question and how it relates to the text.
 Sound understanding of the text, with a tendency to make inadequately supported generalisations or to lack
discrimination in the selection of material to illustrate a point.
 Clear understanding of the details of the text, more likely to be evident through descriptions and summaries of
character and plot, rather than through an exploration and analysis of characters and issues.
 Some awareness of the author’s craft, with a limited exploration of how it is evident in the text.
 Use of relevant references to the text.
 Clear and fluent writing, generally accurate in spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
D-GRADE BAND (4–6)
 Little attention given to the question or topic.
 Essay structure tends to present lists of details from the text, with little or no developed line of thought.
 Superficial or simplistic understanding of the text, often with textual inaccuracies.
 Focuses on concrete aspects of the text, often dealing with character and plot, usually chronologically, with little
reference to the main ideas of the text.
 No reference to, or understanding of, the stylistic features of the text.
 Textual references not integrated into the discussion.
 Simplistic or faulty expression, sentence structure, vocabulary, spelling, and punctuation.
E-GRADE BAND (1–3)
 Answer inadequately addresses the question.
 Substantial inaccuracies or gaps in the student’s knowledge or understanding of the text.
 Often a very short answer.
 Faulty language expression, with frequent errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar.