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O-LevelLiterature in EnglishPoetry2010/12 · Oct/Nov 2015 · Q425 Marks

How does Jennings movingly convey her feelings about her parents to you in One Flesh? One Flesh Lying apart now, each in a separate bed, He with a book, keeping the light on late, She like a girl dreaming of childhood, All men elsewhere – it is as if they wait Some new event: the book he holds unread, Her eyes fixed on the shadows overhead. Tossed up like flotsam from a former passion, How cool they lie. They hardly ever touch, Or if they do it is like a confession Of having little feeling – or too much. Chastity faces them, a destination For which their whole lives were a preparation. Strangely apart, yet strangely close together, Silence between them like a thread to hold And not wind in. And time itself’s a feather Touching them gently. Do they know they’re old, These two who are my father and my mother Whose fire from which I came, has now grown cold? (Elizabeth Jennings)

  1. How does Jennings movingly convey her feelings about her parents to you in One Flesh?[25]

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2015). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

  1. [25-23] Answers in this band have all the qualities of Band 2 work, with further insight, sensitivity, individuality and flair.
  2. [25-23] They show sustained engagement with both text and task.
  3. [25-23] Sustains a perceptive, convincing and relevant personal response
  4. [25-23] • shows a clear critical understanding of the text
  5. [25-23] • responds sensitively and in detail to the way the writer achieves her/his effects
  6. [25-23] • integrates much well-selected reference to the text

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About this question

Topic
Poetry, O-Level Literature in English (syllabus 2010). Structured question, 25 marks.
Source
O-Level Literature in English, Oct/Nov 2015 Paper 1 Variant 2, question 4.

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