Sample exam question and answer - OCRAnalysing Non-Fiction- Sample answer three

Question

Refer to both Extract 1 and Extract 2.

Compare how the two writers convey different attitudes towards helping homeless people.

In your answer, you should:

• compare their attitudes
• compare the methods they use to convey their attitudes
• support your ideas with quotations from both texts

Ireland and Dickens have different attitudes towards helping homeless people. Whereas Ireland’s article is upbeat and celebrates one charity’s success in “preventing homelessness and helping people into accommodation”, Dickens employs a more accusatory tone, stating that “the growth of corruption”, meaning greed and the wrong values, has led to a terrible situation where homeless people are not receiving the help that they need.

Ireland opens with an image of volunteers “at the ready” as though they are eager to help, like a sprinter ready to compete. The adjective “brave” implies their willingness to face the cold and help those in need. Dickens opens with a tense situation, “face to face”, “frightened by one another”; he is shocked by the homeless man and only tries to help as the situation arises. However, he uses this anecdote to educate others on the need to help homeless people.

Ben Ireland uses quotations and anecdotes to emphasise the real human stories and create a personal feel to his article. He quotes Mr Kershaw’s metaphor that “the charity was close to his heart”, the word “heart” implies how emotionally involved the volunteers can be. The anecdote about a formerly homeless man saying “thank you” moves the reader as they see the difference that the help has made to one individual. Although Dickens also focuses on an individual, he has a more distant attitude towards helping. He describes his act of charity as trying to give the “ugly object money”. The adjective “ugly” implies disgust at the man’s appearance. The noun “object” dehumanises the homeless man.

In Extract 1, the pun “Box Factor”, hinting at the show ‘X Factor’ and use of a “Robin Hood” theme creates a lighter tone to the article. The allusion to Robin Hood implies that we should give to those who are less fortunate. The positive language choices, eg “popular”, “important”, “great”, “welcoming” work together to persuade the reader to help the charity too. Directly address “it might surprise readers” also involves the reader further. On the other hand, Dickens uses a far more serious tone in his essay, describing the homeless man’s clothing as a “loose bundle of rags”. The phrase “bundle of rags” makes the reader imagine dirty scraps of material. The verbs “shivered” and “chattered” convey Dickens’ attitude that the man desperately needs help.

At the end of the article, Ireland employs statistics, eg “brought in more than £30,000” and directs the readers to when the next ‘Big Sleep Out’ is and how to sign up. This persuades readers to agree with his attitude that helping is making a difference and that everyone should try to help. Like Ireland, Dickens encourages his reader to think about being more responsible. By focusing on the plight of the homeless children, Dickens arouses sympathy in the reader. A series of adjectives describe their desperate fight for survival as they “fight”, “dart”, “dive” and “dodge”. The noun “savage” makes them sound wild and primitive. However, rather than fear them, Dickens’ metaphor “the rain of their naked feet” makes them sound innocent and vulnerable, he feels sorry for them.

Both writers persuade their readers that communities should help homeless people. Ireland leaves the reader feeling positive and “at the ready” while Dickens evokes guilt, persuading his audience that more must be done to help those in need.

Feedback - even better

This answer:

• has an introduction and a conclusion, both of which refer back to the question
• uses details from the text, embedded into sentences, to support the points it makes
• uses connectives throughout to show clear comparison between the texts
• selects the most striking words/phrases and explores their connotations
• identifies methods, eg adjectives and anecdotes
• analyses both language and structure – also considers form and purpose
• compares how each text might affect the reader and leave them feeling
• demonstrates perceptive inference when exploring the writer’s attitudes, eg ‘naked feet’ makes the children sound innocent and vulnerable in Dickens’ view
• makes a number of comparative points throughout the answer – always bringing the focus on the writers’ attitudes into their analysis