Choosing the right texts for Paper 2 is crucial as it directly impacts the depth and quality of your analysis under timed conditions. A text you fully understand will allow you to recall key moments, literary techniques, and authorial intentions with ease. This familiarity makes it easier to construct a well-supported argument, integrate meaningful comparisons, and respond flexibly to different types of prompts.
1. Checklist for Choosing Text(s)
When selecting each text individually for Paper 2, consider the following factors to ensure you can analyze it effectively across different types of prompts:
1. Text Engagement
Have I read the entire text on my own, rather than just summaries or class discussions?
Do I feel confident that I understand the story, characters, and themes without needing to rely on outside explanations?
Was this a text I enjoyed studying, making it easier for me to recall details and write an analysis on an unseen prompt?
2. Authorial Choices and Intent
Can I explain why the author wrote this text and what central ideas or messages they wanted to convey?
Do I understand how the historical, cultural, or social context influenced the author’s perspective?
Am I able to discuss how the author’s choices shape the reader’s interpretation of the text?
Can I analyze the text from multiple angles, such as character development, narrative structure, and other stylistic authorial choices?
Do I have at least 3-5 significant quotes or moments memorized that I can use to support my analysis?
3. Personal Strengths
Have I written successful essays on this text before?
Does this text align with my strengths (e.g., text type, genre, theme, etc.), making it easier to write a well-structured, insightful response?
When selecting the best combination of the two texts for your Paper 2, consider the following factors to ensure you can craft a strong, comparative essay:
1. Comparative Potential
Do the texts share enough similarities to create meaningful connections (e.g., common themes, character arcs, or stylistic choices)?
Are there clear contrasts that will allow for insightful analysis of differences?
Can I effectively compare the texts without one overshadowing the other?
2. Coverage of Prompts
Do the texts together cover a broad spectrum of possible prompt topics (themes, techniques, context)?
Can I use both texts to respond to different types of questions with depth and flexibility?
Do they allow for exploration of different perspectives or interpretations?
Can I pivot my argument if the prompt requires a different focus than expected?
2. Developing a Comparative Mindset (C&C Chart)
A Compare & Contrast (C&C) chart will be your essential study tool for the Paper 2, helping you systematically compare and contrast two texts in preparation for the exam. To achieve this, you need to adopt a comparative mindset that examines connections and differences between your chosen works. This structured approach allows you to organize key literary elements, making it easier to identify similarities, differences, and patterns across different prompts.
How to Use the C&C Chart for Effective Paper 2 Preparation:
1.
Break Down Authorial Choices: Focus on key literary elements such as narrative voice, structure, themes, characters, setting, and literary techniques. Identifying how each author constructs meaning will strengthen your ability to analyze their intent.
2.
Compare Text A and Text B: Detail how each text handles those authorial choices. Look for both parallels and contrasts, as a strong essay must integrate both.
3.
Analyze the Impact: Consider how these choices affect the reader’s understanding, emotional response, and interpretation of the text.
4.
Practice Applying to Prompts: Use the chart as a reference when practicing with different Paper 2 questions, ensuring you can adapt your comparisons to various types of prompts.
5.
Memorize Key Evidence: Organizing significant quotes, scenes, and moments in the chart will make it easier to recall them quickly during the exam.
Example Chart:
Text A: 1984 by George Orwell | Comparison | Text B: Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman |
Winston’s home is not a private refuge but a site of constant surveillance, with the telescreen monitoring his every move, reinforcing the Party’s omnipresence.
→ presented as systemic oppression from an authoritarian regime. | Setting – subverting the symbol of home as a place of privacy and security, the home is depicted as a space of danger, making the protagonist feel exposed and vulnerable.
Intention: both reveal the existing power dynamics between the protagonist and antagonist and its psychological impact on the protagonist | Paulina’s home becomes a site of confrontation and trauma as she imprisons and interrogates Roberto, blurring the lines between victim and oppressor.
→ presented as a personal and psychological aftermath of political violence. |
The Party uses Newspeak and words like “Victory Gin” and “Ministry of Love” to reshape perception, ensuring that even language limits independent thought and becomes a form of control.
→ Winston succumbs to the Party’s lies, demonstrating how truth can be entirely reconstructed to distort an individual’s perception of reality. | Theme – language as a tool of manipulation
Intention: both highlight how those in power weaponize language to manipulate truth as attempts to maintain control | Roberto and Gerardo construct a false narrative to convince Paulina to release Roberto, showing how language can be used to fabricate reality for self-preservation.
→ Paulina fights back by manipulating the truth herself, raising the question of whether the”real real truth” can ever be fully known. |
… | … | … |
3. Strategically Approaching the Prompt
Choosing the right prompt for Paper 2 is essential because not all prompts will apply to the texts you’ve studied. Since schools use different sets of texts, the IB ensures that at least one prompt will be relevant to what you’ve studied. It’s important to select the prompt that best aligns with the themes, techniques, and ideas in your two chosen texts. By doing this, you can ensure your essay remains focused and that you can provide a well-supported response, demonstrating your understanding of both works effectively.
5 Step Guide to Selecting the Best Paper 2 Prompt:
1.
Determine the Type of Question
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Identify whether the focus of the prompt is an authorial technique, theme, or context. Understanding the focus will guide your argument.
2.
Underline Important Words
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Look for key terms and specify if necessary.
For example, in a prompt like “How do two or more authors you have studied explore the concept of freedom?”, underline “freedom” and note its broad interpretative possibilities.
3.
Check for Plurals
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If the prompt mentions “themes” or “techniques,” ensure you analyze more than one.
4.
Check for Conjunctions
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If the prompt mentions “and,” make sure you discuss both.
“In what ways do the form and content of the two works you have studied reflect the time and place in which they were written?”
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If the prompt mentions “or,” make sure you pick one.
“Discuss the ways in which philosophical or aesthetic ideas are represented in the two works you have studied.”
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If the prompt mentions “and/or,” feel free to discuss either or both.
“Discuss the significance of the rural and/or the urban in the two works you have studied.”
5.
Utilize Ideas from the C&C Chart
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Incorporate the C&C chart’s key points into your body paragraph outline to help you identify whether the two texts clearly relate to the prompt.
4. Reading and Note-Taking Techniques
Preparation is key to tackling any prompt confidently. Your reading and note-taking process should focus on depth, precision, and adaptability.
4 Step Guide to Becoming an Active Reader:
1.
Close Reading
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Pay attention to how techniques are used to support themes or ideas while reading the text and record recurring themes, key moments, and standout quotes in a separate document.
2.
Annotate Context
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Research historical or cultural factors influencing the text after complete reading.
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For instance, Achebe’s Things Fall Apart reflects the tension between traditional Igbo culture and colonial intrusion, while Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale critiques patriarchal control in a speculative dystopia.
3.
Conduct Online Research
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Read plot and character analysis and thematic breakdowns from various websites (e.g., SparkNotes, LitCharts, CliffNotes) to explore different interpretations of character motivations and actions.
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Investigate additional and/or more specific research through AI-platforms (e.g., ChatGPT).
Example Command: How is the plant used as a symbol in A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry to convey a theme?
Example Command: How is Guy Montag from Fahrenheit 451 similar to Winston Smith from 1984? What is different?
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Ensure that you cross-check these interpretations with your own analysis to avoid misinterpretations and to support your own insights.
4.
Transfer into C&C Chart
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Organize your notes about recurring themes, key moments, and standout quotes in the C&C Chart.