Modern times: Literature from 1945 to the present day: exemplar student response

Below you will find an exemplar student response to a Section B question in the specimen assessment materials, followed by an examiner commentary on the response.

Paper 2B, Section B

Unseen text

Explore the significance of isolation in this extract. Remember to include in your answer relevant detailed analysis of the ways that Ali shapes meanings.

Band 3 response

In this extract, Ali shows us a young girl from Bangladesh who is isolated from her friends and family back home because she has been sent to London for an arranged marriage to an older man. It is a sad extract because Nazneen appears to be imprisoned in their flat and so isolated from people she might make friends with.

The extract begins with Nazneen waking up with her husband but wishing for something different: 'I know what I would wish.' She then waves to someone outside the flat and we know that she has never met this lady because she has been stuck in the flat: 'Nazneen had never been close enough (never closer than this, never further) to decipher the designs.' Nazneen then imagines escaping from the flat and going to visit the tattoo lady and enjoying each other's company: 'the tattoo lady would smile and Nazneen would smile and perhaps they would sit together by the window.' Nazneen decides against this idea because she thinks that the fact she 'could only say two things in English: sorry and thank you' would annoy people.

Instead she decides to 'spend another day alone' and the extract then tells us about how she spends her day preparing the evening meal and making sure things are clean: she would rinse the glasses and rub them with newspaper to make them shine.' She also reads the Holy Qur'an which seems to make her happier: 'The words calmed her stomach.'

Although there are books where characters feel lonely even when they are in a familiar place or surrounded by people because those people don't understand them or don't like them, here the character is physically isolated because of being in a strange country and also stuck in her flat every day. Although other characters are mentioned, the extract focuses on Nazneen and the story is told from her point of view only. This helps the reader to understand Nazneen's loneliness as we only hear her thoughts in the same way that she only has herself for company.

Throughout the extract Ali helps the reader to understand the impact of physical isolation because Nazneen lacks confidence. This is shown through the way she constantly questions herself. When she thinks about wishing, she asks 'Was it cheating?' When she thinks about visiting the tattoo lady, she asks 'what would be the point?' When she thinks about making dinner for Dr Azad, she asks 'What if it went wrong?' Ali uses some short sentences to show how Nazneen is trying to convince herself that everything will be alright: 'It was only dinner. One dinner. One guest.' Ali is helping the reader to understand that when you are isolated from everything you know and you do not have contact with other people from your new situation, your confidence can be knocked so that you doubt yourself. Moreover, as Nazneen has only been married to Chanu for six months, Ali is showing how young girls who find themselves in arranged marriages to older men probably are desperate to impress them so that their new life is less lonely.

The reader does not know for sure if Chanu does not allow Nazneen to leave the flat or if it is her lack of confidence in a strange place that stops her. Ali repeats the word 'never' to suggest that Nazneen is imprisoned and repeats 'another day' to show how this is ongoing. However, if Nazneen is not allowed she is not likely to be daydreaming about visiting the tattoo lady. If it is only a lack of confidence stopping her then that is really sad. Ali shows how, because Nazneen cannot escape the flat, she turns to her religion for comfort. This is a part of her culture that she has not had to leave behind and so something which helps her feel less isolated. Ali shows the importance of religion when you are feeling alone: 'She was composed. Nothing could bother her.'

In conclusion, this extract is about the consequences of physical isolation. Nazneen feels isolated because she is away from her familiar surroundings (Bangladesh) and because she is stuck in a flat so cannot make friends with people in her new home (London). The main consequence of this is a lack of confidence.

The extract is taken from the novel 'Brick Lane' and was written in 2003. It is very relevant today as the news is still full of stories about the difficulties of Muslims living in Britain because of the ongoing terrorism associated with their religion which makes it difficult for them to integrate into Britain. The extract is interesting as it deals with this idea through the eyes of a young Muslim wife.

Examiner commentary

AO1

The response includes a fair amount of relevant material and is organised though the candidate structures ideas by 'going through' the passage in the first part of the answer and then offers some straightforward analysis of the extract. The expression is clear and accurate though not sophisticated.

AO2 

Although, at times, the candidate writes about the main character as if they are real, (s)he does offer straightforward analysis of relevant meanings and the writer's methods, as required by the question. (S)he looks at point-of-view, use of questions, short sentences and repetition but there is little developed comment on language. There is appreciation of the nature of Nazneen's isolation.

AO3 

There is some straightforward awareness of the problems faced by Muslims who wish to integrate into British society but the ideas are not developed and are not explicitly linked to specific parts of the extract. The candidate does, however, link the character's lack of self-confidence to the loneliness of an arranged marriage to an older man.

AO4

By writing about the representation of physical isolation, the candidate has connected with the concept of isolation as it is presented more widely in literature of the period. A valid point is made about how differently loneliness can be represented in other works, although the point is not developed.

AO5

Some progress is made towards an interpretation of the thoughts and actions of the character, although in lieu of detailed analysis we are often given only straightforward description or quotations without comment. The candidate does however begin to engage with different possible ways of interpreting Nazneen's decision not to leave the flat.

Overall: Straightforward and relevant. 'This response seems to fit into Band 3'

This resource is part of the Modern times - Literature from 1945 to the present day resource package.