Paper 2 Works on Part 3: Texts and Contexts –
1. It could be argued that in some societies or cultures women are at a disadvantage to men or even actively discriminated against. To what degree is this evident in the way
women are represented in the two works you have studied?
2. The depiction of violence in some form (cultural, political, physical, psychological, etc) is a central preoccupation of many works of literature. In the two works you have
studied discuss how violence is depicted and explore its significance.
3. “Nature is fleeting and life is in a state of flux.” What is the significance of brevity and/or change in the two works you have studied?
4. How do authorial choices regarding setting (time and place) create order and influence meaning in the two works you have studied?
5. In the past it was believed that literature achieved its importance due to its ability to show people the way to goodness and virtue. To what extent can this be said of the
importance of the two works you have studied?
6. Symbols can help a writer convey ideas, develop characters, establish atmosphere, etc. To what effect were symbols employed in the two works you have studied?
-- Questions from Language and Literature Paper 2, November 2014
Paper 2 Preparation – You will write about your knowledge on Literary Devices and Context through the lens of the question, how they help shape the reading of the novels,
supporting your arguments, and stating their effects on the reader. Select how the writer’s choice of stylistic features relate to the question and state their effects. Go deeply
into a few, rather than hitting the surface of several. How are they used to construct meaning and how do they connect to the question? What are their effects? Each paragraph
needs to have the ASEQ structure:A-Analysis through answering the question; S-support; E-Effect on the reader; Q-Link to the question.
What to analyze:
THEME
“Is there a theme or central
purpose that makes itself
known? What beyond the
essentials of plot, is the object of
the account? How does this
relate to the main character or
point of view? What is the
author’s objective in writing this
piece?”
Also consider what has the
author tried to do in the novel?
What are the work's moral
attitudes, its view of life, and its
wisdom about the human
condition?
-Paper 2 Support Material
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Or The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
The Visit by Friedrich Dürrenmatt
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PLOT/CONFLICT
“Central and secondary conflicts
(internal, between characters,
between characters and
fate/environment). How are these
conflicts resolved?”
-Paper 2 Support Material
SETTING:
“What is the setting? When and
where does it takes place and
why might this be significant?
What part does the setting take
in the narrative and on the values
and norms of the
characters? How does the
setting effect your reading of the
text?”
-Paper 2 Support Material
“Consider not just general
geographical location and
cultural context, but all details of
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place and time (e.g., the
weather, a description of the
furniture) for contribution to the
following: mood and local color,
contrast, symbolism, conflict,
realism.”
-Sandra Stoneman, AASSA 2014
CHARACTERIZATION
“Who are the main characters in
the text? How does the writer
characterize them? Through
dialogue, detail, action? Are the
characters static, dynamic,
round, flat? Why?”
-Paper 2 Support Material
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NARRATIVE POINT OF VIEW
“What is the point of view? Who
speaks? Are they reliable? Does
this change throughout the
work? What makes us question
the identity of the subject? What
is the effect of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd
person narration? Is it limited,
omniscient, peripheral?”
-Paper 2 Support Material
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Consider:
What are the dominant traits of
major characters? What are the
characters' major functions (e.g.,
contrast, catalyst, commentator)?
What internal/external forces
shape the characters' actions and
personalities? What are the
methods of characterization
(direct description, through
thoughts, actions and speech,
through other characters'
perceptions)? What is the use of
minor characters (to emphasize
themes, serve as foils)?
-Sandra Stoneman
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STRUCTURE
“What seems to be the apparent
and obvious structure? If it is a
poem, are stanzas of a consistent
length? If prose, are paragraphs
and/or sentences long? Are they
short? How much consists of
dialogue, either direct or in the
form of reported speech? Are
there lengthy descriptions? Are
there long internal monologues?
How do these relate to the
reporting of actions of evens?
Are there major structural
divisions? Is there a significance
of title and chapter headings, if
any? A unique handling of time
(in medias res, chronological,
fragmented, flashbacks, contrast,
foreshadowing, etc.)? Consider:
parallel scenes; climax; subplots;
What happens in the opening and
concluding chapters?
What are the effects of these
elements?”
-Paper 2 Support Material
DICTION, SYNTAX and TONE
“Use of language (colloquial,
formal, informal, direct,
figurative); tone (reflective,
formal, informal, intimate,
solemn, playful, ironic, objective,
etc.); sentence length and
patterns; quality and kinds of
dialogue; comic or satiric
elements (understatement,
hyperbole, parody); irony
(situational, verbal, dramatic,
cosmic); how would you
characterize the author's
language and sentence
structure?”
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-Paper 2 Support Material
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE and
IMAGERY
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“Description (elaborate, full of
realistic detail, simply and quickly
sketched?); imagery; allusion;
figures of speech, symbols,
motifs, poetic devices.”
-Paper 2 Support Material
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HISTORICAL CONTEXT
“How does the context help
shape the reception of the text?
How does the historical context
help shape your reading? What is
the effect? How does the life of
the author help shape the
reading of a text? Consider the
changing historical, cultural and
social contexts in which
particular texts are written and
received (production vs.
reception).”
-Paper 2 Support Material
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CRITICAL RECEPTION/THEORY
“How can the works be read
through the different literary
theories we have learned
(Feminist, Marxist, Psycological,
Queer)
“Theory should be seen as yet
another ‘lens’ through which a
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text can be viewed, and not as
the “correct” reading in any way.
In fact, one goal of the course is
to allow students to understand
the way in which a critical
viewpoint is influenced by the
historical and cultural context
and that their own consideration
of the work constitutes, in a way,
yet another “criticism” of the
text.”
-Paper 2 Support Material
PERSONAL CONTEXT
“Every reader brings with him or
her a set of values, beliefs and
life experiences that shape the
ways in which a text is
interpreted or understood.
How does your own personal and
cultural context help shape your
reception of the texts?
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-Paper 2 Support Material
IBO.org, Online Curriculum Center, Teacher Support Material
"Language A: Language and Literature Teacher Support Material."Language A: Language and Literature Teacher Support Material. IBO, n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.