IOC Prep

Couldn't figure out how to attach so I emailed it to you.

Passage

“Hold on, Tommy.” Did she actually say your art was ‘rubbish?’”

“If it wasn’t ‘rubbish’ it was something like it. Negligible. That

might have been it. Or incompetent. She might as well have said

rubbish. She said she was sorry she’d told me what she had the last

time because if she hadn’t, I might have sorted it all out by now.”                                     

        “What were you saying through all of this?”

        “I didn’t know what to say. In the end, she actually asked. She

said: ‘Tommy, what are you thinking?’ So I said I wasn’t sure but that

she shouldn’t worry either way because I was all right now. And she

said, no, I wasn’t all right. My art was rubbish, and that was partly                                    

her fault for telling me what she had. And I said to her, but what

does it matter? I’m all right now, no one laughs at me

about that any more. But she keeps shaking her head and saying: ‘It

does matter. I shouldn’t have said what I did.’ So it occurs to me

she’s talking about later, you know, after we leave here. So I                                             

say, ‘But I’ll be all right, Miss. I’m really fit, I know how to look

after myself. When it’s time for donations, I’ll be able to do it really

well.’ When I said this, she starts shaking her head, shaking it

really hard so I’m worried she’ll get dizzy. Then she says:

‘Listen, Tommy, your art, it is important. And not just because it’s                                    evidence. But for your own sake. You’ll get a lot from it, just for yourself.’”“Hold on. What did she mean, ‘evidence’?”

        “I don’t know. But she definitely said that. She said our art was important, and ‘not just because it’s evidence.’ God knows what she meant. I did actually ask her, when she said that. I said I    didn’t understand what she was telling me, and was it something to do with Madame and her gallery? And she did a big sigh and said: ‘Madame’s gallery, yes, that’s important. Much more important than I once thought. I see that now.’ Then she said: ‘Look, there are all kinds of things you don’t understand, Tommy, and I can’t tell you all about them. Things about Hailsham, about your place in the wider world, all kinds of things. But perhaps one day,you’ll try and find out. They won’t make it easy for you, but if you want to, really want to, you might find out.’ She started shaking her head again after that, though not as bad as before, and she says:‘But why should you be any different? The students who leave here, they never find out much. Why should you be any different?’ I didn’t know what she was talking about, so I just said again: ‘I’ll be all right, Miss.’”

What is the tone of this passage, and how is it established through the characters’ words and, when applicable, body language?

What greater themes does this excerpt speak to (and how)?

Grade:
A: Knowledge and Understanding of the Text--9
        References to the origin of the book, such as dates, author, and the style of the book. Also, many references to the text are cited to further support the argument. The references to the text are not only in the passage but also in other parts of the book so it shows deep connection throughout the novel.

B: Understanding of the Use and Effectiveness of Literary Elements--7
        There is good awareness to literary elements. Both dialogue and tone are explained but not extremely in depth. Also, the effect on the reader were not extensive, they were mere statements and not deeply explained.

C: Organization--3
        The commentary started out organized and then as time passed the commentary began to head in many different directions and became less structured.

D: Language--5
       Did not find any problems with language being inappropriate. Also, the language was precise and accurate for the commentary.