English A1 Paper 1 HL May 2011: An Examiner's Observations

Many candidates had trouble with the prose text. They could not grasp the ironic tone, matter, and situation. A lot of them misread it as some kind of an emotional farewell speech, completely overlooking the bitter tone of the narrator. They thought the narrator had a very close and intimate relationship with his students. The narrator’s wife was not discussed in most cases. This is because she is only briefly mentioned in the text, and candidates might have easily overlooked her.

The treatment of the issue of history in the text gave rise to problems among candidates. This, I think, has to do with the fact that it is ambiguously stated by the author. The character Price’s last comments about history were not satisfactorily discussed by most. Most simply did not know what to make of them.

The significance of the parentheses in the text was almost always ignored by candidates. If it was noted, the analysis that followed was usually superficial and ineffective.

Many did not comment on the speech being imaginary. As far as most candidates were concerned, this was an actual speech that the narrator delivered in front of his favourite class.

The poem, a lot more transparent, was less problematic. Even then some candidates failed to appreciate the ambiguous tone of the speaker. Some thought the snow was death itself; some interpreted it to be a Christian poem about the afterlife (this was especially true among Christian candidates). The vagueness of stanzas 4 & 5 gave some candidates problems. Some thought it was a thoroughly pessimistic poem about life, missing the optimistic tone in the last stanza entirely.

Most candidates knew how to structure a commentary (although it largely depends on the centre). The one area that most candidates excel in is “literary terms.” Many centres, I suppose, have advised their candidates to learn them by heart. Quite a few candidates also knew how to incorporate quotes properly into their arguments.

It was clear in some cases that the candidates were prepared only for either prose or poetry. Some centres do this thinking that it will benefit the candidates to focus only on one discipline. There is the general perception that poetry is more difficult than prose, with the result of quite a few centres preparing their candidates only for the latter. This was unfortunate because the prose text was obviously less transparent this year. Many candidates suffered because of this one-sided approach to the paper.

The better scripts were usually the ones discussing the poem. A fair number of candidates were well-prepared for poetry. The one weakness that I tended to come across in poem commentaries was the labelling of poetic devices. Many candidates simply churned out labels (This is an “anaphora,” etc.) without commenting on their effects.

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The Ins and Outs of the English A1 Part 2 Oral

It is very well possible that your own English A1 instructor has sufficiently informed you of all the guidelines regarding the Part 2 Oral (Internal Assessment). In that case, all this entry could hope to do is to add to what you already know. The Part 2 Oral is, conventionally speaking, the oral component that terrifies candidates and causes them to perform less well than expected. This is completely avoidable if the candidate bears in mind the following steps:

1. Always read the given passage from beginning to end. This may seem like a given, but when a candidate is under stress, he/she may neglect certain lines/paragraphs without realising it.

2. You may write on the passage, so DO IT. Plan your oral on the passage itself or on another sheet of paper. Always plan for approx. 10 minutes and not less.

3. When you start delivering the oral, state your name, candidate number, the title and author of the passage. Before you start, place the passage back into the original work. Where does it come in? What comes before and after it? This is crucial as it shows you know the work.

4. Start PARAPHRASING the passage. This part should last no more than 2 minutes. Time yourself. An overlong summary will cost you. You should paraphrase the passage from beginning to end, never skipping a speech (if it is a play), a line (if it is a poem), or a paragraph (if it is a novel). You may of course group speeches/lines/paragraphs together which are (thematically) linked.

5. From this point on, there are several approaches, and it greatly depends on what you are comfortable with (or your teacher may have opted for a particular approach). In any case, you should be structured at all times and your points should not be shallow.

-          Speaker/Narrator/Character

-          Tone & mood

-          Style

-          Language/linguistic, dramatic, poetic devices

-          Theme

This is not a strict order, and you should not attempt to discuss all the listed items. You should be selective and decide which are relevant to your passage.

Some candidates opt for the chronological approach, which means they discuss the passage from top to bottom, commenting on the items as they encounter them on the way down. There is nothing wrong with this approach, as long as you remain structured.

6. Needless to say, you must use the correct literary terms and prove your point by referring to the right place. The recommended structure is: Exact line – literary term – its effect – your explanation.

7. Be prepared for a five-minute discussion at the end of the oral.

8. Be fluent but not too fast. Hesitating for a few seconds is fine, but too many long gaps in your oral will give a poor impression. Remember it is recorded.

9. How to get high scores?

- Familiarise yourself with the assessment criteria. What is  your score for the Part 4 oral presentation? If it is low, you will have to work much harder for this one.

- Read the Part 2 works involved IN DETAIL. Your instructor should have discussed the key passages with you in class.

- Do a mock if you can. It will help tremendously.

- Be confident and have a blast!

Questions? Leave them at the bottom of this entry...

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Chapter 2 - The Men

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

De Saint-Exupery's professional sense of honour becomes even more apparent in this chapter, where he eulogises about two 'comrades': Mermoz and Guillaumet. The descriptions of the two men and their experiences are full of fitting hyperboles. This convinces the reader that the flying profession is one riddled with deadly moments, and that 'comradeship' is the only way for the pilots to trust and relate to one another.

Mermoz, a pilot killed in service, is portrayed in the best possible light. De Saint-Exupery says, in relation to Mermoz, that in the mould of the flying profession a new breed of men has been cast. These words are important in that they tell us De Saint-Exupery sees himself and his colleagues as an exclusive club of men who would lay down their lives for the service of the common people.

The episode about Mermoz's last moments is told with suspense and longing. It tells the reader that when pilots lose one of their 'comrades' it is the worst thing imaginable. But the hurt that comes from loss also binds the pilots together: "Life may scatter us and keep us apart; it may prevent us from thinking very often of one another, but we know that our comrades are somewhere "out there". The romanticising of Mermoz stresses this point. He goes on to say that there is a moral message in Mermoz's sacrifice: "We understand better, because of him [Mermoz], that what constitutes the dignity of a craft is that it creates a fellowship, that it binds men together and fashions for them a common language. For there is but one veritable problem - the problem of human relations." Evidently, De Saint-Exupery is of opinion that there is "no hope of joy except in human relations."

De Saint-Exupery then relates a desert experience that involved him and his comrades spending the night together in possible danger. This is where the title of the book appears: WInd, sand and stars. But what does it mean? While spending the night with his 'comrades' under the stars, he realised that they were "infinitely poor", and all they had were "wind, sand, and stars", and yet "their memories were sharing invisible riches." Is De Saint-Exupery saying that one may be poor (materialistically) but if one can share oneself with one's comrades, one is infinitely rich? I will let you draw your own conclusions.

Before Part I ends, an important point is made: "Each man must look to himself to teach him the meaning of life. It is not something discovered: it is something moulded." This is to say that life can only have meaning once you have made the effort to learn about life. It is a tough journey, not a chance discovery.

Part II is entirely about Guillaumet, whom De Saint-Exupery describes in lofty terms. Guillaumet has had a near-death experience, and this experience is retold by De Saint-Exupery to the reader. Authorial perspective is of importance here. Note that the author keeps using the more personal "You" when speaking about Guillaumet, instead of the less personal "He". The scene is created in such a way that it is as if the author were having an intimate conversation with his friend.

Guillaumet's experience itself is fascinating, but it, like Mermoz's account, contains a moral message as well. Guillaumet said that the only way for him to resist the temptation of sleep (which would have killed him in the extreme cold) was to think about his family and how they would hope for his survival. De Saint-Exupery praises his courage, but says "his moral greatness consists in his sense of responsibility." Guillaumet had kept himself alive for his service and his comrades, and that, thinks De Saint-Exupery is why he was such a great man. He goes on to say that to be a man is to be responsible. This underlines the author's idea of comradeship: no-one exists by himself. What he does should benefit others. A generous man is a nobleman, concludes he before the chapter draws to a close.

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Wind, Sand and Stars - The Craft

The opinions expressed here are mine and are not the be-all and end-all. If you have other opinions or questions, leave them at the bottom of this entry so that all of us can read them. These opinions are not meant to substitute your lessons or contradict what your teacher may have to say in class. Their intention is to jump-start an interesting discussion. The quotes used have been taken from the Harbrace edition published in 1967, translated by Lewis Galantiere,

 

An aviator who loved his occupation, his 'comrades' and life on Earth - this was the man of passion that was Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Wind, Sand and Stars (Terre des Hommes), a picturesque memoir, is De Saint-Exupery's tribute to the flying profession and the mysteries of life. Abstract, at times deeply philosophical, this is a book that requires the reader to think along with its author.

The opening chapter, 'The Craft', immediately sets the prideful tone that will echo throughout the rest of the memoir. De Saint-Exupery was clearly a man who took pride in his profession, one which was beset by mortal dangers. He writes that some of the pilots would sometimes "fail to come back" and they would then be eternally revered. This is because up in the air nature is unpredictable. What may seem peaceful to someone on the ground may turn out to be a pitfall for a pilot. This is further proved by the author's summary of Mermoz's experience and mention of Lecrivain, who "had not landed at Casablanca [and] would never again land anywhere."

The perilous nature of the profession meant one thing for De Saint-Exupery: that what he was doing was of a noble nature: "If, some day, the crew are hooked by a cliff it will not have been in the interest of tradespeople that they will have died, but in obedience to orders which ennoble the sacks of mail..." The author also writes these critical words about the "tradespeople" or bureaucrats: "You, like a termite, built your peace by blocking up with cement every chink and cranny through which the light might pierce ... You have chosen not to be perturbed by great problems." He is scornful of bureaucrats because he thinks they are "hardened clay", incapable of realising their potential. De Saint-Exupery was a man appreciative of nature's mysteries. This is expressed in a cryptic paragraph about coffee-drinking: "Amidst all these stars there was but one that could make itself significant for us by composing this aromatic bowl that was its daily gift at dawn. And from that earth of men ... our ship was separated by astronomical distances. All the treasures of the world were summed up in a grain of dust now blown far out of our path..." He mourns the fact that humans are no longer capable of understanding their significance in the universe. The joy of living, he says, lies in "the remembered sensation of that first burning and aromatic swallow." He is speaking of the beauty of simple things. Even a simple act like drinking coffee with one's friends at dawn should inspire one to "hold communion with the earth."

De Saint-Exupery stresses how important it is for a pilot to stay connected with the elements of nature, as he "looks to them to tell him the direction of the wind or the progress of the storm, and the quality of the night to come." He is far from romanticisng nature. In fact, he says the pilot's problems are "set him by the mountain, the sea, the wind." In order for the pilot to survive, he must learn to read nature's signs.
 

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