ACSI 2022 Prelims Paper 1 Marking Notes

1 English A: Language and Literature (HL/SL) 2022 Year 6 Prelims Paper 1: Textual Analysis General marking instructions (adapted from IB marking notes) These notes to examiners are intended only as guidelines to assist marking. They are not offered as an exhaustive and fixed set of features which all answers must include. Answers which do not follow the approach suggested in the guiding question but have provided an alternative formal or technical focus should be rewarded appropriately in line with the assessment criteria. Q1. - How do text and image convey the tone and attitude of Goldstein? From the provenance: The following webpage features narrative photography from photojournalist Dina Goldstein. Text type: Narrative Photography Narrative photography: An image or a series of images to tell a story. Audience: general readership Content Creator: Dina Goldstein Webpage Conventions Layout: Masthead introduces the collection of narrative photography, ‘Fallen Princesses’. Capitalized fonts – attention-grabbing - Authorial choice of narrative photography allows her to muse and reflect with a clear focus on her message. - Use of the title ‘Fallen Princess’ heightens the misery of the characters. - Not all these girls are technically Princesses. Color composition: Fallen Princesses font in yellow and framed in red. • Name of the content creator on the left, same color scheme frames the write- up. • Striking colors juxtaposed with capitalized font creates a brand voice for Goldstein. • Color scheme: Red could possibly suggest a powerful message through the narrative. • Follows a natural reading path: placement of Dina Goldstein in vertical navigation next to the write-up, framing the content and introduces Goldstein

2 as a new mother and feminist and indicates her perspective on the collection that she has named, ‘Fallen Princesses’. Title: ‘Fallen Princesses’; “fallen” has biblical allusion; in this context, it is not as though they are cast out of heaven but cast out of the fairy tale, the make-believe world. 1st Excerpt • The text type expresses an opinion ie the thoughts, feelings, and concerns of the writer. It clearly articulates the contrast between fact and fiction through the tone and attitude of the author. • In this excerpt, the author’s attitude seems to be full of disdain and pessimism. This is implied using specific words and phrases and references to real life situations, and references to fairy tales – which are familiar and easily recognizable. • She subverts the iconic representations of Disney princesses and engages readers with a different perspective on representations of women ‘humanized fairy tale’ , to show that someone has the qualities, weaknesses, etc. that are typical of a human, in a way that makes you more likely to evoke sympathy for them. • She critiques traditional representations of female protagonists whose lives show false ideas and standards of beauty. These characters are placed in real -life situations ‘cancer, addiction, obesity, war, environmental degradation.’ FIRST VISUAL The text is entitled ‘Snowy’ alludes immediately to Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. ‘Snowy’ is the short form for ‘Snow White. • Placement of write-up and the photo of Snowy (2008) serve as a prelude to the main content of the 10-piece collection. • Students will not to be penalized if they are not able to identify this character as Snow White. • This image serves as a prelude to the write-up that follows: • Incongruous and absurd – attire, expressions, decor of the room – far removed from the fictional fairy tale of Snow White. • Snow White gazes at the reader in her Princess costume. The setting seems to be of a living room in a contemporary society and not a castle thus farfetched from the scenario of a typical fairytale. The living room is dirty with scraps of food. The room has a modern setting of a house; there is a fireplace, a potted plant, wall to wall curtains and two armchairs; there is a coffee table with an open bag of chips. This setting bears no resemblance to that of a castle where the prince is supposed to live with Snow White. The idealized fairy tale setting is non-existent. • The woman carrying two crying toddlers is probably Snow White as she is dressed in her typical outfit as portrayed by Disney in red, blue, yellow, and dark blue which is recognizable. The hair band on her head in red is also her stereotypical princess dressing. She looks burdened with her

3 hands full with one child on each arm. Her other child is demanding her attention while another child in the background is unattended. The children look very young probably born one after the other, suggesting how exhausting childbearing must have been for her. Her face is serious, and her mouth is drawn showing how she must be exhausted having to care for 4 children. Her expression is grim, and she looks fatigued and disappointed, gazing at the reader as if questioning the surreal unrealistic. • The man in the background is dressed like the recognizable Prince Charming of the Disney version as he wears a red cape, long white sleeve shirt and black tights. The way he is seated suggests that he has no care in the world except the TV program in front of him. He is a stereotypical male spouse of the family who would not lend a hand to his wife. Prince Charming is thus portrayed to be indulging in his own activity drinking beer and watching horse racing. Interestingly, he is not on a horse but watching horse racing - a popular entertainment. Contrast the body language between Snow White (hands full) and Prince Charming (slouched on the couch). • Scene shows a modern familial household. There is a stereotypical gender role of the mother taking care of the house and the fatigued father after a day’s work to earn enough money to provide for the finances required to run a home. • Goldstein engages the reader on the reality of the happily-ever-after notion and the stark contrast between reality and fantasy. Snow White is plagued with everyday problems of a housewife and mother and lacks spousal support in the image, challenging the reader on the representation of the female protagonist’s happily-ever-after ending in fairy tales. 2nd Excerpt • In the 2nd excerpt the tone reflects Goldstein’s perception – reality as opposed to the idealized stereotype Western society has of women. The formal tone then shifts to an informal, conversational one but addressing the reader – “Ok, we know…” (collective pronoun as a shared understanding) • ‘Surreal’ indicating unbelievable, irrational, fantasy/fairy -tale and Allegorical - referring to depictions of women in fairy tales of Grimm, Disney, and Andersen, ‘This surreal and allegorical world….’ • The author’s feminist attitude and tone condemn the male perceptions of stereotypes, ‘ long dead European men ’ and how these stereotypes have perpetrated into generations of little girls. • Conveys her scathing attack on societal expectations placed on women ‘as a feminist’ and how young girls grow up idealizing these characters ‘as her perspective of a new mother’ (as in ‘Snow White/ Snowy’) • The surreal is contrasted with the real world here. Wealth is contrasted with financial stability in the real world, ‘everlasting happiness is contrasted with spouses who cheat, disappoint us, embarrass us’ and ‘we will not live in a castle but lucky enough to buy a condo.’ • She suggests that childhood is romanticized, pleasant, joyful. ‘Candy-colored childhood’, the depictions of female protagonists with unrealistic beauty standards and as weak and submissive characters who rely on Prince

4 Charming. • Such childhood dreams have ceased to exist, ‘have long evaporated’ • It belongs to another context and imaginary