IB Literature A English
Developing a plan for an individual oral:
Global Issue: Morals/Virtues
Text/Passage 1: Excerpt from: The old
woman’s story
“We has scarcely disembarked when some
blacks of a hostile faction turned up to carry
off my pirate’s booty, of which were the
most precious part except for the gold and
diamonds. I then witnessed a fight such as
you would never see the like of in European
climates. Northern races are not sufficiently
warm-blooded; their lust for women does
not reach the mania that is so common in
Africa. It seems that Europeans have milk in
their veins, but it’s fire and vitriol that runs
in the veins of those who live on Mount
Atlas and round about. They fought like the
lions, tigers, and serpents of their country to
decide who should have us. A Moor seized
my mother by the right arm, and my
captain’s lieutenant held her by the left; a
Moroccan soldier took her by one leg, while
one of our pirates clung to the other. Almost
all of our women were immediately
disputed in the same fashion by four
soldiers apiece. My captain kept me hidden
behind him, and with his scimitar slew
everyone who confronted him. In the end I
saw my mother and all our Italian ladies
torn limb from limb, slashed, and massacred
by the monsters that fought for them. All
were killed, both captors and captives, my
companions, the soldiers, sailors, blacks,
whites, and mulattoes, and finally my pirate
chief; and I myself lay dying on a heap of
corpses. Scenes such as these took place all
over that country, as I know full well---and
it is three hundred leagues across. Yet they
will not miss one of the five daily prayers
prescribed by Mahomet” (52-53)
Text/Passage 2: Extract from: The Ghost
Soldiers
“In a way I wanted to stop myself. It was
cruel, I knew that, but right and wrong were
somewhere else. This was the spirit world. I
heard myself laugh. And then presently I
came unattached from the natural world. I
felt the hinges go. Eyes closed, I seemed to
rise up out of my own body and float
through the dark down to Jorgenson's
position. I was invisible; I had no shape, no
substance; I weighed less than nothing. I
just drifted. It was imagination, of course,
but for a long while I hovered there over
Bobby Jorgenson's bunker. As if through
dark glass I could see him lying flat in his
circle of sandbags, silent and scared,
listening. Rubbing his eyes. Telling himself
it was all a trick of the dark. Muscles tight,
ears tight—I could see it. Now, at this
instant, he'd glance up at the sky, hoping for
a moon or a few stars. (198) But no moon,
no stars. He'd start talking to himself. He'd
try to bring the night into focus, willing
coherence, but the effort would only cause
distortions. Out beyond the wire, the
paddies would seem to swirl and sway; the
trees would take human form; clumps of
grass would glide through the night like
sappers. Funhouse country: trick mirrors
and curvatures and pop-up monsters. "Take
it easy," he'd murmur, "easy, easy, easy,"
but it wouldn't get any easier. I could
actually see it. I was down there with him,
inside him. I was part of the night. I was the
land itself—everything, everywhere—the
fireflies and paddies, the moon, the
midnight rustlings, the cool phosphorescent

Author’s attitude toward the global issue
(remember to include how the issue is
portrayed in the passage itself AND how
this passage relates to the work as a whole):
The author’s attitude towards the global
issue of virtue shifts is positive because the
woman who is experiencing this moral
change is portrayed as wise by Voltaire. Her
ability to develop her own beliefs regarding
controversial issues such as gender
inequality and religion is depicted as
admirable by Voltaire as both the
impressionable Cunegonde and Candide
gain respect for her. Her ability to spread
her newfound teachings is a reflection of
Voltaire’s own beliefs, as he too similarly
believes in ideas such as hypocrisy within
religion.
Key strategies used in the passage to
develop the author’s point about the global
issue:
● Symbolism- Voltaire utilized the old
woman as a mode or host to reflect
his own beliefs onto his other
ignorant characters, which are
Candide and Cunegonde.
● Caricature- The old woman
becoming ugly is a reflection of the
hardships she endured.
● Foil/comparison- The old woman
and Cunegonde experienced a
shimmer of evil—I was atrocity—I was
jungle fire, jungle drums—I was the blind
stare in the eyes of all those poor, dead,
dumbfuck ex-pals of mine—all the pale
young corpses, Lee Strunk and Kiowa and
Curt Lemon—I was the beast on their lips—
I was Nam—the horror, the war” (198-199)
Author’s attitude toward the global issue
(remember to include how the issue is
portrayed in the passage itself AND how
this passage relates to the work as a whole):
The author crafts his work as a whole using
shifts of point of view. For example, he utilizes
third person and first person generously, and
includes differing perspectives from different
characters. By using all three methods, he
contributes to the complex ideas and stories
which he is sharing with his readers. Using first
person demonstrates a deeper, more personal
and true connection with his stories, which adds
to the realistic qualities of his fiction, and the
ability to make his readers feel emotion. Using
third person allows for generalizations to be
made, and a sense of detachment throughout his
story to be conveyed.
Key strategies used in the passage to
develop the author’s point about the global
issue:
Tim O’Brien develops the global issue of death
throughout his story, and romanticizes it. The
author utilized tactile imagery which created an
image of tranquility in his readers’ minds
despite describing a scene of death in his story.
While death is usually viewed as a disturbing
and gruesome subject, Tim O’Brien instead
worked to portray the scene as beautiful and
serene. The author described sunlight to
illuminate on Curt Lemon’s face, which allowed
him to shine moments before his death.
 similar life yet have differing
outlooks.
● Religion/value shift- “Yet they will
not miss one of the five daily prayers
prescribed by the Mahomet” (53).
The old woman in this way conveys
her shifting ideology on religion,
and acknowledges the hypocrisy of
those who follow religion.
Lemon’s death was narrated in an angelic
fashion in order to show the author’s differing
perspective of death, being one disassociated
with fear. This placid scene portrayed with
imagery and diction develops the author’s view
of war and death, being that beauty must be
found in horrific situations to allow individuals
to cope and endure hardship.

● Ridicule/mockery- The old woman

in this way conveys her shifting
ideology on religion, and
acknowledges the hypocrisy of those
who follow religion yet create such
harm.