english hl essay 7 example

Top 8 Tips for Earning a Level 7 on the IB English HL Essay

• What is the IB English HL Essay?

Demands of the IB English HL Essay

• Examples of Level 7 IB English HL Essay Titles
• 1. Consider the Source you Wish to Write About
• 2. Decide on your Topic by Brainstorming Wider Themes

3. Consolidate your Line of Argument in a Thesis Statement

• 4. Identify the Strongest Evidence for your Argument

5. Plan, Structure, and Research

6. write a first draft with citations.

• 8. Re-write if Necessary

What is the IB English HL Essay

The IB English HL Essay is usually written at the end of the first year of IB English in international schools and constitutes 25% of the IB English grade. For IB HL English Language & Literature, the source for the 1200-1500 word essay will be a non-literary or literary text studied in the course; for HL English Literature, this will be a literary text studied in the course.

This external assessment will be unlike any English essay students will have written so far, as it requires learners to develop their own question, argue in the framework of an academic essay, and use citations.

In this way, the scope and direction of the IB HL Essay for English can be quite hard for learners to understand and master. Candidates need to research literary commentary to supplement their arguments and create a polished piece of literary criticism based on significant literary or thematic elements studied in the IB English curriculum.

Even the process of constructing an essay title and narrowing down the scope of the essay is challenging in itself. When our IB English tutors teach our students, we first prioritise this conceptual foundation. 

Examples of Level IB English HL Essay Titles

Here are some examples of previous IB English HL Essay titles which have secured 7s: 

The Inversion of Social Construct in Primo Levi’s If This is a Man

Masculinity and Strength in Yukio Mishima’s The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea  

Alienated Masculinity in Katherine Mansfield’s The Garden Party and Other Stories 

IB English HL Essay Overview

Having written an IB English HL Essay ourselves (‘Written Assignment’, during our time), our private IB English tutors know that many IB English students will find it challenging to elevate their analysis to an essay of this length while staying laser-focused on the topic.

This kind of sophisticated analysis is required for a Level 7 in IB English HL, so we model how we tutor based on the learning style of the student to best refine their line of argument.

Here is a broad outline of how we would structure the IB HL English Essay research and writing process. It also serves as a good checklist to keep in mind when writing any high school essay, especially for the IB.

1. Carefully Consider the Source you Wish to Write About

This seems like an obvious point, but some candidates choose what they believe to be the easiest option (e.g. a text with more obvious discussion points), even if they do not particularly like the text. Though this may be a good option for some, we have seen students struggle with researching, writing, and perfecting an IB English HL essay on a text they ultimately are not interested in. This can affect the strength of the line of argument, and how convincing the essay is.

2. Decide on your Essay Topic by Brainstorming Wider Themes

By narrowing down the most significant themes of the source, it is much easier to settle on a suitable topic. This is usually quite challenging, and we advise students to turn to private IB English tutoring if they struggle with this.

Along with constructing a suitable essay question, consolidating a strong line of argument, i.e. thesis statement, is crucial for a 7 in any IB subject, especially English. This will form the foundation and direction of the essay.

4. Identify the Strongest Pieces of In-Text Evidence for your Argument

This is a generalised suggestion, and the specific evidence to use will differ depending on the source and question that each candidate chooses for their IB English HL Essay. Essentially, your main arguments must be supplemented by the strongest two to four pieces of in-text evidence. In the IB English HL Essay, these are the primers for your analytical insights.

This is the most important part of the essay writing process and the make-or-break moment for IB English HL Essay success. You should produce a coherent plan, with main points clearly supplemented with the strongest in-text evidence and references to broader literary commentary.

Following appropriate introductory, analytical (PEAL), and conclusion structures should be familiar at this point from other IB essays, even outside of English. The challenge is now to express yourself in formal and persuasive language, while referencing research appropriately.

The first draft of any essay will require heavy editing to ensure that it is structurally organised and well-executed. At BartyED, our private IB English tutors regularly advise students in this crucial stage of the IB English essay. Our support ranges from fixing the tone of an essay to cutting down words (almost all students end up with more words than they planned for).

8. Re-Write If Necessary

Depending on the quality of the essay, the final steps of completing the HL English Essay will be making the relevant edits and refining expression as per the IB English Essay mark scheme. All of the assessment criteria must be met, which can pose a considerable challenge in itself. 

Follow these steps, and with a good tutor, the HL English Essay is sure to be polished and high-level. Check out our website for more information about BartyED IB English tutoring programmes and frequently asked questions about the course. Or, contact a BartyED IB English tutor today to make sure you secure top marks for your coursework!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the essay requirements for ib english hl.

Students must complete an academic essay of between 1200-1500 words, developing a particular line of inquiry. The essay should be based on a literary work studied during the IB English course, and cannot be the same text as used in either a student’s IO or Paper 2.

How long should the IB English HL essay be?

Between 1200 and 1500 words.

How much is the HL essay worth?

It is worth 25% of a student’s total grade.

What is the HL essay limit?

The limit is 1500 words.

How do you write a good IB English essay?

It is important that students develop a unique line of inquiry when writing their HL essay. Students should avoid broad questions, rather focus on the specifics of a work of fiction, such as how an author uses a particular literary technique to explore a theme.

How do I choose a HL essay topic?

Students should pick a topic that they are genuinely interested in. The HL essay requires considerable research and writing and a student’s level of interest in the topic will come through when read by an examiner.

What is the format of the IB English essay?

The format of the IB English essay is that of a standard academic piece of writing. It should contain an introduction, a number of body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Students should also include citations in their text, as well as a bibliography.

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IB English HLE Explained

Free introductory guide to IB English Higher Level Essay (HLE) by IB44 and IB45 graduates Lareina Shen and Saesha Grover.

In this guide, LitLearn students (and 2022 IB grads!)  Lareina Shen and Saesha Grover share their wisdom on how to conquer the IB English Higher Level Essay (HLE).

Lareina achieved an IB44, and Saesha achieved an IB45 as well as the coveted IB7 in IB English Literature HL, so you are in safe hands.

Meet your instructor Jackson Huang, Founder of LitLearn. His mission is to make IB English as pain-free as possible with fun, practical lessons. Jackson scored an IB45 and was accepted to Harvard, Amherst, Williams Colleges, and full scholarships to University of Melbourne & Queensland.

What is IB English HLE?

The HL Essay (HLE) is a 1200-1500 word essay about a text studied in the IB English course. For Lang Lit, the work you choose to analyze can be literary or non-literary, but for IB English Literature the text must be literary.

The HLE will make up  25% of your final IB English HL grade , and it is graded externally. You must choose your own line of inquiry   (i.e. a question that you will answer in your HLE–more on this later).

How do I choose my text for HLE?

Do NOT choose the “easiest” text. Life is always better when you do things you're interested in, and that advice applies to the HLE, too. Choose the literary / non-literary work that interests  you the most, so that you can (semi?)-enjoy the HLE planning and writing process.

You could start by thinking of a theme that you find particularly interesting and determining which text studied in class demonstrates this theme well.

How do I choose my line of inquiry for HLE?

The line of inquiry is the core question that you will answer in your essay. A quick example might be:

"To what extent is masculinity undermined by the characterisation of Little Thomas?"

Now, it's your job to forge your destiny and come up with your own line of inquiry. But it's not a complete free-for all! There are rules. The main rule is that your line of inquiry must fall under one of the 7 main concepts of IB English (see below for a quick summary).

This summary is vague, so let's go in-depth on a couple of these concepts to really show you what you should be doing in the HLE.

Identity is what makes you, YOU. Here are some questions the concern your own personal identity:

• What is your favourite colour? And why is it your favourite?
• What makes you different from others? Why do you think these qualities came to be?
• How would someone describe you in three words?

Now apply this same logic to characters within your text.

• How would you describe this character in three words?
• How do their actions within a text influence your view of their identity?
• How has the author crafted this character to make you view the character in a certain way?

Let's take a look at a concrete example of how we might choose evidence and quotes for a HLE on cultural identity. This example is based on a Vietnamese work in translation “Ru” by author Kim Thúy. For context, “Ru” is an autobiographical fictional account which explores Kim Thúy's move from Vietnam to Canada as an immigrant and her consequent struggles. The structure of her novel is largely lyrical and poetic.

Let's look at a section from her novel that may help us come up with an essay idea based on the concept of Identity. When she returns to Vietnam, she attends a restaurant, however this becomes a major awakening for her in terms of how she views her own personal identity. Kim narrates within her novel:

The first time I carried a briefcase, the first time I went to a restaurant school for young adults in Hanoi, wearing heels and a straight skirt, the waiter for my table didn't understand why I was speaking Vietnamese with him. Page 77, Rú

This is a perfect quote for the Identity concept. Can you see why? Let's think through it together…

Why would the waiter be confused if Kim, a “briefcase”-carrying individual in “heels” and a “straight skirt”, was speaking Vietnamese with him?

What does being “Vietnamese” look like to the waiter? Why does Kim not conform to his expectation? Was it perhaps due to what she was wearing?

Now, if we look at the section which follows this in the novel, we are able to see the impact this had on the character of Kim's sense of identity.

the young waiter reminded me that I couldn't have everything, that I no longer had the right to declare I was Vietnamese because I no longer had their fragility, their uncertainty, their fears. And he was right to remind me. Page 77, Rú

Here, we can clearly see that this character is now questioning her Vietnamese cultural identity. This is just one example that demonstrates the concept of Identity.

Culture seems to be this confusing thing.  Does it have to do with religion? Race? Beliefs? What does it mean? Does the monster from Frankenstein fit into a certain culture?

The easiest way to put it is this:  Culture is the way someone lives. It is their “way of life.” Think of it as an umbrella term. “Culture” can include so many different things; the list just goes on, for example religion, values, customs, beliefs, cuisine, etc.

Now think, how would I form an essay from this concept?

• When you read a text in class, you will notice that authors let you form an opinion on the culture of certain characters or groups within a text, but how is this done?
• How does the author represent the culture of a certain community?
• What types of patterns in daily routines are discussed?

It seems odd writing an essay about “creativity” because… like… how can anyone definitively say what ‘counts' as being creative–or not? When I say the word creativity , I think of new inventions, or maybe those weird and wacky art installations living inside those ‘modern art' museums. But hey, what's creative to me might not be creative to you!

When formulating a HLE on the concept of creativity we have two main pointers for you. Look for:

• Interesting + Unique techniques or literary devices used within a text by the author. You can learn more in the  Learn Analysis section of LitLearn.
• Recurring stylistic choices by the author

Now, for this concept, let's look at how we might select supportive evidence and quotations for a HLE on creativity within the narrative style of author Mary Shelley in “Frankenstein”. The narrative style uses  epistolary narration . This is a narrative technique in which a story is told through letters. This was something that I found both interesting and recurring within Frankenstein, which I believe worked to create a personal touch within the novel.

Additionally, Mary Shelley allows different characters to narrate Frankenstein during different volumes. Let's investigate this! I have written out different character profiles of the narrators below:

These 3 characters, each relate a part of the novel Frankenstein. This is an example of a creative authorial choice that allows us, as readers to explore different points of view within the text. This is just one example of a creative aspect of a text which you can analyze for your HLE.

Representation

Representation is all about how something is  portrayed, conveyed, shown, described, illustrated, depicted . There are many different things that can be ‘represented' within a text, and it doesn't have to be tangible.

For instance, you can look at how a belief, idea or attitude is depicted within a text through different characters or devices.

Again, let's explore a concrete example to make things clear: this time the graphic novel “Persepolis”. We'll consider an HLE on how a text  represents the  impact of political turmoil on society .

Chapter 10 of “Persepolis” highlights societal changes occurring due to the Iranian Revolution. The panels below list the authorial choices relevant to the negative representation of political change in a society. When looking at the techniques highlighted in the slides below, think about how you feel when you look at the panels below. Can you sense a more positive or negative feeling?

Cool, but what do we do to turn all this into an actual HL essay? Here is a sample response. The introduction might begin like this:

In the captivating graphic novel “Persepolis,” the author Marjane Satrapi explores the social and political impacts of the Iranian revolution. In particular, Satrapi conveys a disapproving viewpoint on political turmoil within the text. Throughout the graphic novel, Satrapi carefully represents how social isolation, hypocrisy and confusion is experienced by a young girl living in Tehran, as a result of political turmoil.  Example HLE Introduction

Then, in a body paragraph, on one of the key ideas mentioned above, we could analyze the different literary techniques. For example, Panel 1 is a great representation of the experience of confusion in the midst of political turmoil:

Marji is the younger girl pictured in the panels above. While her parents appear quite concerned by the news on the TV, she appears to not be in full comprehension of the cause for their distress. This is demonstrated by the visual imagery and dialogue, in panel 7, for instance, if you observe the facial expressions by each of the characters. Example of analysis in body paragraph

This is just a short example from one particular text. To help you unpack any text, try look for the following when analyzing chapter to chapter:

• What is the main idea of the chapter?
• Why did the author write it? What purpose does it serve?
• What do you believe is the overarching importance of the passage?

Brainstorming Tips

If you're having trouble picking your text and line of inquiry, then use this simple 20-minute process to brainstorm potential questions for your HLE:

• For each text / non-literary work, go through each concept in the table below.
• Write down a question for each of the two prompts for each category.
• Repeat for all of your texts.
• Pick the question-text combination that has the greatest potential for strong analysis.

How do I ensure my HLE question has a good scope?

Choosing a question with good scope is extremely   important, and it's one of the biggest challenges in the HLE. Here's why:

• If your scope is too broad , you may have too much to write about in order to answer the question, and therefore you won't be able to write deep analysis (which is super important–more on this later…)
• If your scope is too narrow , you may not have enough to write about and end up overanalyzing unnecessary and obscure details. Also something to avoid!

So, to help you get the balance just right , here are three examples of HLE questions, specifically for the concept of  Identity which we mentioned in the table above (by the way, the example is a made-up novel for illustration purposes).

• Too broad: “How does Irene Majov in her novel  Deadly Men effectively make her narrator a powerful mouthpiece?”
• Too narrow: “How does Irene Majov in her novel  Deadly Men effectively make her narrator a powerful mouthpiece for the concerns of Asian-Americans toward discrimination in the workforce in the 21st century?”
• Just right: “How does Irene Majov in her novel  Deadly Men effectively make her narrator a powerful mouthpiece for the concerns of Asian-Americans in the 21st century?”

How to get a 7 on IB English HLE

There are many things that contribute to a 7 in your HLE and your IB English grade overall. But if we had to boil it down to one secret, one essential fact… then it'd have to be this: Get really good at analysis .

Analysis is the key to a 7 in IB English. It doesn't matter if it's Paper 1, Paper 2, HLE, IO… You must learn how to analyze quotes at a deep level, and structure your analysis in a way that flows and delights your teachers and examiners.

Start with the basics

Start with the basic foundations of analysis for free inside LitLearn's Learn Analysis course.

Our free and Pro resources have helped IB English students skyrocket their grade in weeks, days and even overnight...   Learn Analysis for IB English , the simplest guide to a 7 in IB English.

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Since you're in HL, you'll also be needing Advanced Analysis skills if you want to impress your examiner. We've got all of that covered inside our Pro lessons.

Advanced Analysis

Finding Quotes

Also, you'll need to find good quotes for your text. Some good sources where you can find relevant quotes include  Goodreads , SparkNotes ,  LitCharts , and Cliffnotes . Of course, you could just find quotes yourself directly–this will ensure your quotes are unique.

Understanding the IB English HLE rubric

An essential step to getting a high mark on the HL Essay is understanding the rubric! It is SO important that you know what IB English examiners are looking for when grading your essay, as this helps you to shape the content of your essay to match (or even exceed) their expectations.

The IB English HL Essay is graded out of 20 marks . There are 4 criteria, each worth 5 marks.

Use the checklist below to make sure you're not making simple mistakes! Note that this is not the official marking criteria, and I strongly recommend that you reading the official rubric provided by your teacher.

Criterion A: Knowledge, understanding, and interpretation

• Accurate summary of text in introduction
• Focused and informative thesis statement
• Effective and relevant quotes
• Relevant and effective summary and ending statement in conclusion

Criterion B: Analysis and evaluation

• Relevant analysis of a variety of stylistic features 
• Relevant analysis of tone and/or atmosphere
• Relevant analysis of broader authorial choices i.e. characterization, point of view, syntax, irony, etc.

Criterion C: Focus, organization, and development

• Introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion
• Organized body paragraphs – topic sentence, evidence, concluding statement/link to question
• Appropriate progression of ideas and arguments in which evidence (i.e. quotes) are effectively implemented

Criterion D: Language

• Use expansions (e.g. “do not”) instead of contractions (e.g. “don't”)
• Use of a variety of connecting phrases e.g. “furthermore”, “nonetheless”, “however”, etc.
• Complete sentence structures and subject-verb agreement
• Correct usage of punctuation
• Appropriate register – no slang
• Historic present tense : the use of present tense when recounting past events. For example, we want to write “In  The Hunger Games , Peeta and Katniss work   together to win as a district” instead of using the word “worked”.
• Avoid flowery/dictionary language just to sound smart; it is distracting and difficult to read. As long as you concisely communicate your message using appropriate language, you will score a high mark under this criterion.

Here's everything we discussed:

• IB English HLE is tough work! Start early.
• Brainstorm using the table of concepts to come up with a strong HLE question. Don't give up on this!
• Analysis is the key to a 7 in IB English HLE (and in fact all IB English assessment). Check out LitLearn's course  Learn Analysis for IB English   for immediate help on the exact steps to improve in IB English analysis.

Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor 💪

Book citations

• Satrapi, M., & Aarne, T. (2007). Persepolis Marjane Satrapi. Like.
• Shelley, M. W. (2014). Frankenstein, Mary Shelley. Spark Publishing.
• Thúy, K. (2009). Ru. Libre expression.

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Past Paper 1 Solutions

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Higher Level Essay

Crash course on HLE basics.

Creating the English HL Essay: Turning Analysis into a Thesis Masterpiece

Updated: Jul 8, 2023

The English HL essay is undoubtedly the flagship assessment of Higher-Level English. At its core, the HL essay depends on the same analytical skills as any other piece of English assessment. However, the HL essay sets itself apart by requiring a more specific and conceptual line of inquiry, and overall greater depth of analysis. With these requirements, the HL essay is often the single most daunting assessment in the HL English calendar. So, to help you on your HL essay journey, this blog will detail some useful tips and considerations to get you heading on the right track.

1) The Line of Inquiry

The line of inquiry is the central question around which the entire HL essay rests. A good line of inquiry will set you up for a terrific analysis, while a bad line of inquiry will leave your essay stuck and directionless. But what actually makes a good line of inquiry?

The trick is to allow the line of inquiry to focus your analysis. Take this hypothetical line of inquiry: “ How and why does J.R.R. Tolkien use the race of Men as a philosophical discussion of agency and its relationship with mortality in books within the Lord of the Rings? ”.

Starting with the imperatives “how” and “why”, this line of inquiry immediately constrains your analysis to keep you focused on technique (the how) and purpose (the why). This protects you from straying off track; so long as you keep talking about the hows and the whys, you guarantee yourself those marks that are for focus and relevancy.

This line of inquiry further keeps on task by explicitly stating the feature of your text that speaks to some real literary concept. In this case, we can see that the student using this line of inquiry is arguing that the race of Men is a tool that Tolkien has used to talk about agency and morality. Agency and morality are the literary concepts, the race of Men is the feature. By connecting them in the line of inquiry, you make it significantly easier to keep making that connection all the way throughout the entire HL essay. Not only this, but by connecting in-text features with a concept, it becomes significantly easier to produce the kinds of insightful arguments that push you into the top band of Criterion A.

The line of inquiry makes or breaks your HL essay (no pressure). That said, the HL essay is an ongoing journey. It is both common and perfectly okay to change or even completely scrap a line of inquiry partway through the drafting process.

2) The Analysis Itself

The analysis in the HL essay itself takes a very similar shape to analyses elsewhere in English assessments: technique, implications, authorial purpose, text type, audience positioning, evaluation, link to paragraph thesis, and so on. These avenues of analysis are the backbone of English in general and so it should come as no surprise that they are the backbone of the HL essay as well.

Where the HL essay can diverge from the other assessments is the points that you are arguing within the body paragraphs. Body paragraphs in the paper 1, for example, often cover how individual categories (say, visual techniques) contribute to the overall meaning of the text. The HL essay body paragraphs are considerably more related to the concept that you are arguing.

Taking the Lord of the Rings example above, you could have one paragraph about the race of Men and how Tolkien portrays their culture as a means of questioning the futility of having agency in light of definitive mortality. Then, you could have a second paragraph about how the race of Men is made distinct against other races in the Lord of the Rings as a tool of evaluating the role of mortality in driving personal choice, and so on for further paragraphs.

As you can see, rather than targeting specific groups of techniques, the HL essay paragraphs first address the conceptual discussions created within the text, and then the techniques are brought in to explain how these discussions emerge and what commentary the author is trying to make.

3) Structure and Terminology

There is no definitive go-to structure for the HL Essay. So long as there is an introduction and a conclusion framing a series of body paragraphs that each contain a thesis point, analysis, evidence and connections to the line of inquiry, then you are fulfilling the requirements of formal essay structure mandated by Criterion C.

Similarly, there is no required number of body paragraphs. Given the word count, 3-4 paragraphs is a good number to ensure that you are creating detailed points without repeating ideas. But, you are free to add more or less paragraphs and there are sometimes situations or texts where that may be necessary.

Criterion C and D are somewhat more check-boxy than A and B. How you fulfil Criterions A and B can be more variable depending on your text, as individual text types have defining features that lend themselves to potentially different directions of analysis. A short story, for example, would contain dialogue and so an analysis of speech and language takes on a completely different form than it would in a poem. But Criterion C and D are relatively consistent.

As long as you have a cohesive and formal essay structure as said above, combined with clear, analytical, and explicit vocabulary and tone, Criterion C and D are as good as guaranteed to you. Key things to consider when ensuring that these criteria are fulfilled include your tone (academic and unemotive), punctuation, and sentence variety (mixture of simple, compound, and complex sentences).

Closing Remarks

The HL essay is a task aimed to allow students to demonstrate the extent of their literary skills that they have learnt over their time in the diploma program. It can be daunting, and absolutely must be difficult in order to provoke insightful analysis, but it is just as possible to get a 7 on it as on any other assessment in any other subject. My final recommendation? Draft, redraft, redraft, and redraft again. Even if you’re just rewriting the same ideas every time, constant revision and review builds a crucial familiarity with the concepts and theses that you are arguing.

Good luck on your HL essay journey!

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Being able to see really good model examples is essential to learning skills. All the better if those models are truly assessed by examiners as part of a session, and if they adhere to our guidelines for organising and structuring an excellent essay. This page ticks all of those boxes and gives us a glimpse of high-quality Level 7 work.

Writing a Level 7 response

The general structure of effective analysis can be seen in many places throughout this site, but is clearly outlined in this discussion of Paper 2:  Paper 2 - Structuring an Essay . Of course, the HL Essay is about one work (or body of work), not two, and therefore is not comparative as this structure shows for Paper 2. However, a fairly simple glance at things suggests how this exact same structure can be used for the HL Essay. This student did exactly that, submitting this essay for the M22 session and gaining a Level 7 with 19/20 (5-5-5-4 on the criteria):

In what ways does García Márquez imply criticism of the Catholic Church in Chronicle of a Death Foretold ?

The concept of honour presents a peculiar scenario of moral relativism, melding the ubiquitous nature of moral law with the idiosyncratic interpretations of individuals, which inherently fosters a degree of ambiguity across different contexts. The novel Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez explores the notion of honour multidimensionally, persistently interweaving an investigative style and biblical allegory, which ultimately allows him to adopt a sociocritical stance towards the Catholic Church. García Márquez grounds his social criticism in the reoccurring motif of hypocrisy, capitalising on magical realism to challenge accepted realities in an implicit manner. Through the symbolic characterisation of the bishop, recurrent use of biblical allusions and the depiction of Santiago Nasar’s pungent smell as a symbol of guilt, García Márquez implies multi-faceted criticism of the Catholic Church.

García Márquez employs the use of outer dialogue to characterise the bishop, which unveils an

antithetical conflict between his conduct and Christian morality. At his arrival, ‘the bishop began to make the sign of the cross in the air opposite the crowd on the pier, and he kept on doing it mechanically afterwards, without malice or inspiration’ (p.16), which reflects blatant disinterest in the people he was appointed to serve. The juxtaposition of ‘inspiration’ and ‘malice’ in negation highlights the bishop’s lack of fervour and emotion through contrast, which is tautologically reinforced by the adverb ‘mechanically’, underlining the bishop’s superficial and somewhat constrained conduct. His evidently apathetic attitude towards the community stands in sharp contradiction to his doctrinal duties and responsibilities as an ordained minister, elucidating hypocrisy in the demeanour of high-ranking church officials. This idea is further emphasized by the bishop’s failure to acknowledge and appreciate the great lengths gone to by the town to prepare for his arrival. The unmarked dialogue between the first-person narrator and Plácida Linero reveals that ‘he [the bishop] won’t even get off the boat [...]. He’ll give an obligatory blessing, as always, and go back the way he came. He hates this town.’ (p.6), exemplifying the author’s use of anaphora to structurally depict the bishop’s visit as a procedure rather than a festivity, which accentuates the bishop’s emotional detachment from the townspeople. The phrase ‘obligatory blessing’ implies a sense of compulsion, which highlights his disinterest and lack of personal engagement, underlining a clear disconnect between the hierarchy of the Catholic Church and believers. As an overseer of a diocese, the bishop should lead by example, following the principles enshrined in the Bible with meticulous care, yet his dispassionate conduct and indifferent attitude towards the community underlines a clear breach of biblical teachings, namely the love for one another. The fact that the bishop doesn’t descend from the platform on his boat to greet the townspeople reflects a patronizing attitude, as he physically sets himself above the other believers, which reinforces the divide between the hierarchy of the Catholic Church and the commoners. Such a self-imposed sense of superiority is condemned in the Christian faith, as the Bible preaches that everyone is equal before God, which shows that the core doctrinal values don’t lie close to the bishop’s heart. Through the characterization of the bishop, Márquez thus implies criticism of the Catholic Church, reprimanding the hypocritical conduct of its high-ranking figures and the superficiality of Catholic doctrine.

This idea is further buttressed by García Márquez’s use of biblical allusions to imply the innocence of Santiago Nasar, hence underscoring the hypocritical behaviour of the ostensibly pious townspeople through irony. Throughout his novel, García Márquez employs a non-discursive and journalistic style, utilizing succinct descriptions to facilitate an allegorical depiction of Santiago Nasar and his death. In the opening chapter, the first-person narrator recalls Santiago Nasar wearing ‘white linen that had been washed in plain water’ (p.5), which draws a symbolic parallel between him and Christ, depicting Santiago Nasar as a sacrificial lamb for the sins of his community. The adjectives ‘white’ and ‘plain’ symbolise purity and moreover embody the biblical principle of integrity, implying that Santiago Nasar, like Jesus Christ, was innocent on the day of his death, which foregrounds the vicarious nature of his demise. This reoccurring motif is further accentuated through the use of a spiral narrative structure, allowing for intricate details to be emphasized, such as the fact that Santiago Nasar is impaled on a wooden door and suffers a ‘deep stab in the right hand’ (p.76), which engenders an allegorical depiction of him as the crucified Christ. García Márquez draws these biblical parallels to depict the flagrant breach of Christian teachings by the town, ironically juxtaposing Santiago Nasar’s brutal murder with biblical narrative to imply the superficiality of Catholic doctrine. The Vicario brothers asseverate that they ‘killed him [Santiago Nasar] openly’ (49), yet contend that they are innocent ‘before God and before men’, as ‘it was a matter of honour’, showing complete ignorance of intrinsic Christian principles. The Bible preaches that life is a sacred gift, which ought to be sanctified and perpetually honoured as the greatest good by humanity, yet the fact that the Vicario brothers are blinded by their idealistic perception of honour and feel more inclined to adhere to a social code than the principles of Catholicism is a blatant attest of a dearth of profound faith. Despite the grotesquely brutal description of ‘Pablo Vicario [giving] him [Santiago Nasar] a horizontal slash on the stomach and all his intestines [exploding] out’ (p.121), the townspeople and even Father Amador appear accepting of the Vicario brothers’ justification, whereby García Márquez underscores the superficiality of Catholic belief; the fact that the Vicario brothers break multiple of the Ten Commandments to restore the honour of their family and use biblical values to rationalize the brutal murder emphasizes that the piousness of the town is merely an outer façade. As true Christians, the townspeople would have endeavoured to follow the Catholic doctrine of love and altruism by warning Santiago Nasar and the Vicario brothers would have refrained from taking matters into their own hands, astutely leaving all judgement and punishment to God alone. Through the use of biblical allusions and parallels, García Márquez thus emphasizes the fundamental disconnect between the conduct of the ostensibly pious townspeople and cardinal Christian principles, criticising the lacking depth of Catholic doctrine.

García Márquez furthermore depicts the pervasion of Santiago Nasar’s illusory scent as a symbol of communal guilt to accentuate the blatantly unregenerate attitude of the townspeople through juxtaposition, thus tacitly criticising the disproportionate importance placed on church pomp and outward appearance by the Catholic Church. The first-person narrator recounts that ‘everything continued smelling of Santiago Nasar that day’ (p.78) and moreover recalls Pedro Vicario mentioning that ‘no matter how much [he] scrubbed with soap and rags [he] couldn’t get rid of the smell’ (p.79), which metaphorically underscores the ubiquitous shadow of guilt that tenaciously looms over the town, following the murder of Santiago Nasar. The diction choice ‘scrubbed’ suggests an act of vigour and thus figuratively limns the Vicario brothers’ desperation of vindicating themselves of the moral culpability, yet instead of turning to Christ and his atoning sacrifice, as envisaged in Catholic doctrine, Pedro Vicario ‘[convinces] his brother that they [have] nothing to repent’ for. This juxtaposition of antithetical ideas fosters an ironic undertone, allowing García Márquez to criticise the void created by the prioritisation of superficialities by the Catholic Church, as evident in the town’s reliance on superstition and the supernatural, as opposed to faith. Despite Colonel Làzaro Aponte being apprised of the Vicario brothers’ grievous intentions by Officer Leandro Pornoy, he ‘[gets] dressed calmly, [ties] his bow several times until he [has] it perfect, and around his neck he [hangs] the scapular of the Congregation of Mary, to receive the bishop’ (p.56), which epitomises his faithless betrayal of Santiago Nasar to ironically preserve an outwardly illusion of sanctimony and piousness. Through the use of the diction choice ‘calmly’, García Márquez depicts Colonel Aponte as seemingly unaffected by Santiago Nasar’s impending fate, as he appears to resume his preparatory routine without skipping a beat. The fact that Colonel Aponte’s preparation to greet the bishop is solely concerned with his outward appearance underlines the lack of importance placed on profound belief, which is further accentuated by the casual undertone of the diction choice ‘hang’, thus highlighting that the scapular of the Congregation of Mary merely serves a decorative purpose in the eyes of Colonel Aponte. Through the use of antithetic juxtaposition, García Márquez thus foregrounds the townspeople’s divergence from Catholic doctrine to accentuate and criticise the religious void resulting from the prioritisation of outwardly superficialities over true Christian belief by the Catholic Church.

Although García Márquez conveys his criticism of the Catholic Church implicitly throughout, his animadversions shape the figurative meaning of the novel Chronicle of a Death Foretold , prompting the audience to reflect on the notions they are presented with. García Márquez’s criticism is multi- facetted in nature and transcends the pages of the novel by addressing multiple aspects of Catholic Church, grounded in biblical allusions.

Word count: 1480

Bibliography

Marquez, Gabriel Garcia. Chronicle of a Death Foretold . Penguin Books: London, United Kingdom; 2014.

The examiner's comments read as follows:

A There is excellent knowledge and understanding of the work demonstrated here.

B There is consistent focus on evaluating and interpreting the test as well as the characters and stylistic features.

C The line of inquiry is well developed, and the integration of quotations is well done.

D Although not entirely seamless, the language is sophisticated and effective.

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