An example of how to answer the ordianary-level english exam

Leaving Certificate English 2001 (Ordinary Level) Paper 2

Section 2 A Question I

General Comments

In answering questions on the Comparative Study it is not necessary to display an exhaustive knowledge of the texts you are using. Reference to key moments or to particular aspects of the texts you are using will suffice. Highlighting your own responses as a reader of the texts is encouraged. When asked to compare texts, you may discuss similarities and/or differences between them.

(Source: Department of Education and Science "Assessment advice for students")

Candidates will discuss, analyse and comment on the above statement as it relates to their chosen texts. There will be individual interpretations of "new and interesting" and they will offer critical commentary choosing key moments by way of illustration. Statements of preference, enjoyment etc. are appropriate.

(Source: Department of Education and Science "Marking Scheme 2001")

The Question

A comparative course introduces a reader to all sorts of new and interesting places.

Compare the texts you have studied in your comparative course in the light of the above statement. Support your points by reference to the texts.

In the opening paragraph identify your main texts and show what approach you are taking to the question.

There is no doubt that in the three texts I have studied for the comparative course - the novel, Lies of Silence, written by Brian Moore, the play Philadelphia Here I Come and the novel The Road to Memphis - a wide variety of different places are shown throughout all three.

The background of each text is introduced. Each point which is made on the texts shows the different geographical and social settings of the texts.

In the novel Lies of Silence we are introduced to the war-torn city of Belfast at a time when the terrorist troubles are predominant.

On the other hand, in the play Philadelphia Here I Come we learn all about typical rural life in Ireland in the 1960s.

The novel The Road to Memphis is set in Mississippi during the period1939-1942. Most of the action in the story takes place in the capital city of Jackson. The colour issue is a strong feature of this novel. In it we gain a deep vision of the lifestyle of these people in this particular part of America.

The novel Lies of Silence is discussed here. Note how there are examples from the novel of striking things in the city of Belfast.

The opening chapters of the novel Lies of Silence begin by drawing a picture of a man named Michael Dillon who is manager of a large hotel in Belfast. We see images of the lifestyle in that city early on in the novel.

Michael is finished work and as he drives along the Malone Road to meet Andrea his lover, he sees five policemen wearing combat jackets and revolvers.

This gives us an insight into the realistic political background of the story.

Michael is forced to plant a bomb in the hotel where he works by a group of young men who claim to belong to the IRA. As the story unfolds we see how these three men take Michael and his wife Moira hostage in their own house and how they force Michael to drive his own car in order to plant a bomb in the hotel car park. The IRA plans to kill an Ulster Unionist minister by the name of Dr Pottinger.

We are given various images from a typical modern city torn by terrorism and war.

Throughout this novel, we are given some vivid insights of the city of Belfast. We see the students coming and going from Queen's University. We catch many glimpses of the dark war-torn streets of Belfast, with its hints of violence and war, and the fear and threat within these people.

This paragraph contrasts with the previous one by showing us a rural town with its different type of characters.

On the other hand, in the play Philadelphia Here I Come, we learn about Gar O'Donnell who lives in a remote townland called Ballybeg. He is a young man who wishes to escape from the monotony of life in this rural town, and to search for a more exciting life in America. We see the typical characters who inhabit this community, including the local schoolteacher, Master Boyle, who is an alcoholic and a failure as a poet and teacher. We also meet the Canon whom Gar mocks several times because he, too, is ineffective and lacks the capacity to fulfill his duty as a canon. Senator Doogan is a character who represents the classic small town politician. This is a typical rural community where everyone knows everyone else.

We get some realistic insights into the type of people who lived in this rural part of Ireland in the 20th century.

Some of these people are very humorous and entertaining. For example, the "boys" are adolescents who fail to face the reality of their lives and indulge in imaginative fantasies about their various exploits. They engage in this type of behaviour in order to compensate for their failure to grow up and accept the reality of Ballybeg and their lives there.

Gar spends a lot of time in the play mocking his own father, S.B., because of his predictable ways, his routine speech patterns and his style of dress. His father owns the local grocery shop and again we see the typical man who is caught in a rut and unable to change his ways.

The answer concludes by referring to the question asked and making a short statement about all three texts dealt with in the answer.

There is no doubt that the view of life given to us in all three texts is both rich and varied. We are exposed to many different types of worlds, learning all about life in a small rural town in Ireland in the 1960s and gaining an insight into Mississippi just before the second World War. We also see the reality of late 20th-century Northern Ireland in the throes of the troubles and the effect which this has on its people.