Paper 2 - structure and writing practice

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 4

Paper 2

Structure & Writing Practice

Objectives

• Recognise the Paper 2 structure
• Plan the structure of your own practice essay

Question

Some say ignorance is bliss. How is “not knowing” presented in the two works that you have studied and to what effect?

Introduction

Both novels, Never Let Me Go and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close are characterised by their protagonists and the way in which they include the reader on a quest driven by curiosity. Oskar, the protagonist in Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close comes to terms with the death of his father, who he lost in the 9/11-attacks, through searching for a lock to match the key he found going through his father’s closet. Kathy, the protagonist in Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, slowly unravels the meaning of her fate, which is to give up her vital organs and die at a relatively young age, as part of a state-authorised donorship programme. Although the two protagonists differ in their approach to the unknown, not knowing is a crucial concept in each work and often depicts pivotal turns in the plot. The author’s of both novels use ambiguity in their themes, style, and tone to the effect of leaving the protagonist, as well as the reader, in the dark.

Characteristics of the introduction:

- Introduction of the works

- Link to the chosen question

- Thesis statement

Choose 2 books you would like to discuss. Write an introduction sentence.

Write a sentence which link the works to the question: a short summary focusing on the main component

Choose one point of analysis you could discuss.

Now write a thesis statement:
point of analysis + purpose / link to the question.

Body paragraph (1)

Never Let Me Go portrays the motif of artwork to symbolise the humanity of the clones, and as a means of communication between the clones, and the ‘normal’ outside world. Madame, a character who embodies ambiguity herself through how little is revealed about her, pays frequent visits to Hailsham, the place where Kathy and her fellow clones have grown up, to collect artwork to present to the outside world. The motif embodies two elements of ambiguity used by the author to raise questions amongst readers. Firstly, the students, or clones, at Hailsham remain largely unaware as to why their creativity and production of artwork is so important. Secondly, the failure of this project that has been organised by Madame to use the artwork to show the ‘humanity’ of the clones reveals the wilful ignorance of the people in the dystopian society. Their moral integrity bothers them, and they would rather see the clones as robot-like figures than to imagine their human qualities.

Characteristics of the body paragraph:

- Topic sentence (P)

- Example from the novel (I)

- Explanation/analysis (E)

1 = focus on one novel

Body paragraph (2)

Both authors use stylistic features to integrate ambiguity in order to create confusion amongst readers. Ishiguro uses euphemisms such as “to complete” and puns such as the “possible” to mystify important concepts in the novel. For a long time, it remains unknown to the reader that Kathy and her friends are clones, and that by saying “to complete” rather than “to die” the reader only gradually learns what Kathy’s fate will be. In Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Safran Foer includes images and photographs which frequently suggest an unknown link to the protagonist, Oskar. Even when the link is evident, such as in the image of the falling man, paralleling Oskar’s hope that his father fell rather than was burned to death, the reader is never told who the falling man is, or whether or not it is Oskar’s father. Oskar zooms in on the picture, but as the pixels become blurred, he learns even less. This symbolizes the many forms the unknown can take on; even up close, things remain mysterious.

Characteristics of the body paragraph:

- Topic sentence (P)

- Example from the novel (I)

- Explanation/analysis (E)

2 = focus on two novels

Write a topic sentence:
Point of analysis + purpose/function (make sure it supports the TH)

Write an Illustration to support the P (quote or paraphrase)

Write an Explanation in which you analyse the example with regards to the topic sentence

Conclusion

In conclusion, Safran Foer uses style, structure, and tone to develop the theme of communication and develop ambiguity in readers. Ishiguro uses the frame of reference he created for his dystopian novel, to create a pervasively ambiguous tone throughout his novel. Although in both works, ambiguity can be explained in the context, the question of whether the characters are better off ‘knowing’ or ‘not knowing’ is largely left to the reader to decide.

Characteristics of the conclusion:

- Reference to the question and/or thesis statement

- Summary of arguments

-  Closing sentence (= optional)