(3041014) -1- NC40(E)(F18)V

Hoërskool Bekker
ENGLISH HOME LANGUAGE

GRADE 11

TASK 11: Literature

Paper 2

16 November 2020

EXAMINER: MRS. R POTGIETER

MODERATOR: MS. M STRAUSS

TIME: 2 HOUR PAPER

TOTAL: 55 MARKS

THIS PAPER CONSISTS OF 10 PAGES.

English HL Grade 11 Task 11: Paper 2 2 November 2020

TIME: 2 HOURS
MARKS: 55

INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION

1. Answer ALL THREE questions from Section A.

2. Answer ONE question from SECTION B.

3. Read ALL the questions carefully.

4. Number the answers according to the numbering system used in this

question paper.

5. Write neatly and legibly. You may not make use of highlighters on your
answer sheet.

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English HL Grade 11 Task 11: Paper 2 3 November 2020

SECTION A: POETRY

QUESTION 1: EATING POETRY by MARK STRAND.

Read the poem and answer the questions that follow.

EATING POETRY
Mark Strand

1. Ink runs from the corners of my mouth.

2. There is no happiness like mine.
3. I have been eating poetry.

4. The librarian does not believe what she sees.

5. Her eyes are sad
6. and she walks with her hands in her dress.

7. The poems are gone.

8. The light is dim.
9. The dogs are on the basement stairs and coming up.

10. Their eyeballs roll,

11. their blond legs burn like brush.
12. The poor librarian begins to stamp her feet and weep.

13. She does not understand.

14. When I get on my knees and lick her hand,
15. she screams.

16. I am a new man.

17. I snarl at her and bark.
18. I romp with joy in the bookish dark.

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English HL Grade 11 Task 11: Paper 2 4 November 2020

QUESTIONS

1.1 Briefly explain your understanding of surrealism as a concept. Refer to the

poem to substantiate your answer. (3)

1.2 What do the burning dogs represent and why do they come up the stairs after
“the poems are gone”? (2)

1.3 How does Strand portray joy and darkness in “Eating Poetry”? (2)

1.4 Critically discuss the symbolism of the librarian in the context of the poem. (2)

1.5 Why do you think Strand uses so many full stops in this poem? (1)
[10]

OR

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English HL Grade 11 Task 11: Paper 2 5 November 2020

QUESTION 2: LONDON by WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

Read the poem and answer the questions that follow.

LONDON
William Wordsworth

1. Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour:

2. England hath need of thee: she is a fen
3. Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen,
4. Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower,
5. Have forfeited their ancient English dower
6. Of inward happiness. We are selfish men;
7. Oh! raise us up, return to us again;
8. And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power.
9. Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart:
10. Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea:
11. Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free,
12. So didst thou travel on life's common way,
13. In cheerful godliness; and yet thy heart
14. The lowliest duties on herself did lay.

2.1 Read line 6 again. What effect does the caesura in the line have on the
meaning? (2)

2.2 According to the speaker, what is England’s inheritance? (1)

2.3 What does the simile, ”Thy soul was like a star, and dwelt apart”, reveal about
the speaker’s view of Milton? (2)
2.4 Explain the words ‘altar’, ‘sword’ and ‘pen’ in the context of the poem. (3)
2.5 If the speaker addresses someone throughout the poem, what is it called? (1)

2.6 In your opinion, why does the poet use the word ‘Oh’ in line 7? (1)
[10]

OR

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English HL Grade 11 Task 11: Paper 2 6 November 2020

QUESTION 3 – UNSEEN POETRY (COMPULSORY)

Read the poem and answer the questions that follow.

WEST LONDON
Matthew Arnold

1. Crouched on the pavement close by Belgrave Square

2. A tramp I saw, ill, moody, and tongue-tied;
3. A babe was in her arms, and at her side
4. A girl; their clothes were rags, their feet were bare.
5. Some labouring men, whose work lay somewhere there,
6. Passed opposite; she touched her girl, who hied
7. Across and begged, and came back satisfied.
8. The rich she had let pass with frozen stare.
9. Thought I: Above her state this spirit towers;
10. She will not ask of aliens, but of friends,
11. Of sharers in a common human fate.
12. She turns from that cold succour, which attends
13. The unknown little from the unknowing great,
14. And points us to a better time than ours.

QUESTIONS

3.1 Refer to line 7: “and came back satisfied”. Relate the incident that resulted in
the girl returning “satisfied”. (3)

3.2 Identify which group of people presented in the poem share the “common
human fate” (line 11) of the tramp and her family? (1)

3.3 Explain the effect of referring to the rich as “aliens” (line 10). (2)

3.4 How does the oxymoron in line 12 affect your understanding of the poem? (2)

3.5 Do you agree with the value judgement expressed in line 13: “The unknown
little from the unknowing great” in the context of the poem? Justify your (2)
answer. [10]

SECTION A TOTAL [30]

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English HL Grade 11 Task 11: Paper 2 7 November 2020

SECTION B
NOVEL – THINGS FALL APART – CHINUA ACHEBE

CONTEXTUAL QUESTIONS

QUESTION 4

Read the extracts below and answer the questions.

EXTRACT A

1. The contest began with boys of fifteen or sixteen. There were only three
2. such boys in each team. They were not the real wrestlers; they merely set
3. the scene. Within a short time the first two bouts were over. But the third
4. created a big sensation even among the elders who did not usually show
5. their excitement so openly. It was as quick as the other two, perhaps even
6. quicker. But very few people had ever seen that kind of wrestling before. As
7. soon as the two boys closed in, one of them did something which no one
8. could describe because it had been as quick as a flash. And the other boy
9. was flat on his back. The crowd roared and clapped and for a while
10. drowned the frenzied drums. Okonkwo sprang to his feet and quickly sat
11. down again. Three young men from the victorious boy’s team ran forward,
12. carried him shoulder high and danced through the cheering crowd.
13. Everybody soon knew who the boy was. His name was Maduka, the son of
14. Obierika.
15. The drummers stopped for a brief rest before the real matches. Their bodies
16. shone with sweat, and they took up fans and began to fan themselves. They
17. also drank water from small pots and ate kola nuts. They became ordinary
18. human beings again, talking and laughing among themselves and others
19. who stood near them. The air, which had been stretched taut with
20. excitement, relaxed again. It was as if water had been poured on the
21. tightened skin of a drum.
22. Many people looked around, perhaps for the first time, and saw those who
23. stood or sat next to them.
24. “I did not know it was you,” Ekwefi said to the woman who had stood
25. shoulder to shoulder with her since the beginning of the matches.
26. “I do not blame you,” said the woman “I have never seen such a large crowd
27. of people. Is it true that Okonkwo nearly killed you with his gun?”

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English HL Grade 11 Task 11: Paper 2 8 November 2020

REFER TO EXTRACT A

4.1 Refer to lines 8 and 9: “And the other boy was flat on his back.”

4.1.1) Discuss the first time this phrase is used in the novel and why it
relates to Okonkwo. (2)

4.1.2) Give 2 reasons why wrestling might be important to Okonkwo. (2)

4.2 Refer to line 15.

Critically explain the spiritual significance of the drummers within the Ibo
culture. (3)

4.3 Refer to line 24.

Who is the woman Ekwefi recognises and what is her role within the clan? (2)

4.4 Refer to line 27.

Explain the foreshadowing in this line and why it is effective in illustrating

Okonkwo as a tragic hero. (3)
(12)

EXTRACT B

1. Umuofia had indeed changed during the seven years Okonkwo had been in
exile.
2. The church had come and led many astray. Not only the low-born and the
outcast
3. but sometimes a worthy man had joined it. Such a man Ogbuefi Ugonna, who
4. had taken two titles, and who like a madman had cut the anklet of his titles and
5. cast it away to join the Christians. The white missionary was very proud of and
he
6. was one of the first men in Umuofia so receive the sacrament of the Holy
7. Communion, or Holy Feast as it was called in Ibo. Ogbuefi Ugonna had thought
8. of the Feast in terms of eating and drinking, only more holy than the village
variety.
9. He had therefore put his drinking horn into his goatskin bag for the occasion.
10. But apart from the church, the white men had also brought a government. They
11. had built a court where the District Commissioner judged cases in ignorance. He
12. had court messengers who brought men to him for trial. Many of these

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English HL Grade 11 Task 11: Paper 2 9 November 2020

13. messengers came from Umuru on the bank of the Great River, where the white
14. men first came many years before and where they had built the centre of their
15. religion and trade and government. These court messengers were greatly hated
16. in Umuofia because they were foreigners and also arrogant and high-handed.
17. They were called kotma, and because of their ash-coloured shorts they earned
18. the additional name of Ashy Buttocks. They guarded the prison, which was full
of
19. men who had offended against the white man’s law. Some of these prisoners
20. had thrown away their twins and some had molested the Christians.

REFER TO EXTRACT B

4.5 Refer to the extract as a whole.

Comment on the attitude of the missionaries towards the religion of the Ibo. (2)

4.6 Refer to line 2.

Explain in your own words why the issue of the admission of outcasts to the
church is a good example of the theme of the clash of cultures. (3)

4.7 Refer to line 9.

Define the function of the drinking horn and the goatskin within the Ibo culture, (2)

4.8 Refer to line 10.

Why is it impossible for the clan to rid themselves of both the church and the
government of white people? (3)

4.9 Refer to line 17.

Who are the kotma? (2)

4.10 Refer to lines 19 and 20.

Where did the Ibo dispose of their twins? (1)

(13)
[25]

OR

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English HL Grade 11 Task 11: Paper 2 10 November 2020

QUESTION5 – LITERARY ESSAY

THINGS FALL APART by CHINUA ACHEBE

Although women do not play a major role in Things Fall Apart, Ekwefi and Ezinma stand out
as two individuals who break the stereotype of Ibo womanhood.

In an essay of 350 – 400 words, consider the role that each of these women plays in the
novel and show how their relationships with Okonkwo are developed.

Your essay must have an introduction, a body and a conclusion.

You are required to hand in a planning as well as a neat final copy with evidence of editing.

SECTION B TOTAL [25]

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English HL Grade 11 Task 11: Paper 2 11 November 2020

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English HL Grade 11 Task 11: Paper 2 12 November 2020

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English HL Grade 11 Task 11: Paper 2 13 November 2020

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English HL Grade 11 Task 11: Paper 2 14 November 2020

Hoërskool Bekker
ENGLISH HOME LANGUAGE
MEMORANDUM

GRADE 11

TASK 11: Literature

Paper 2

November 2019

EXAMINER: MRS. R POTGIETER

MODERATOR: MS. M STRAUSS

TIME: 2.5 HOUR PAPER

TOTAL: 80 MARKS

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English HL Grade 11 Task 11: Paper 2 15 November 2020

MEMORANDUM

SECTION A

QUESTION 1 – EATING POETRY – MARK STRAND

1.1 Surrealism was an art movement that was based on creativity from the
unconscious mind.  Surrealism is usually unorthodox/unusual, even strange
 For example, Strand describes how ink runs from the speaker’s mouth.  (3)

1.2 After the poems are gone, the dogs are symbolic of what happens after all the
joyous inspiration is gone.  Once the joy is gone, some of the speaker’s
darker thoughts and feelings are revealed. They come up the stairs because
(2)
there is a shift in tone/ the speaker’s thought process. 

1.3
Joy = eating poetry (personal enjoyment)
Darkness = burning dogs (happy moments don’t last forever) (2)

1.4 The Librarian symbolizes those that don’t understand  the living experiences
of the real world.  (2)

1.5 Wants us to stop and take a moment to consider each line by itself before
elaborating/explain.  (1)

QUESTION 2 – LONDON – WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

2.1 The aesura causes a natural pause.  It creates a contrast – happiness and
selfish man.  (2)

2.2 “Inward happiness” (1)

2.3 He regards Milton as being above convention ad society.  He lived “apart”

and had a superior, almost divine perspective, “like a star”. Milton I seen as a
saviour who can bring about positive changes.  (2_

2.4 Altar – church

Sword – military
Pen – arts (3)

2.5 Apostrophe  (1)

2.6 It is a desperate call for help.  (1)

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English HL Grade 11 Task 11: Paper 2 16 November 2020

Question 3 –WEST LONDON – MATTHEW ARNOLD

5.1 The girl was sent across the road by her mother to beg for money. The
mother is a “tramp” with a child and a baby, so often begs here. The girl was
successful in collecting money from some workers in the area.  (3)

5.2 Workers, or “laboring men” identify with the needs of the tramp and her (1)
family.

5.3 The rich live in this area and are locals but they are alien to the beggar
woman who comes from a completely different walk of life. The word “alien”
also suggests the beggar woman feels that the rich are different and (2)
disturbing.

5.4 The oxymoron “cold succor” emphasizes the irony in that those who can help
(the rich) turn away from this duty. They are “cold” or insensitive to the needs
of the poor in their midst and refuse to help.  (2)
5.5 The poor and needy “tramp” and her children rely on small or “little” donations
and gifts in order to survive. For them a small contribution is life-changing.
The generous laboring men who help them do not understand the extent of
their generosity and is seen as “unknowing great”. (2)
[10]

SECTION B

QUESTION 4

4.1 A) This phrase refers to the beginning of the novel when Okonkwo wrestles the Cat,
Amalinze. OKonwko was able to throw the Cat unto his back, an impressive feat. (2)
B) Wrestling is an important showcase of strength and masculinity in Ibo culture
Wrestling helped Okonkwo make a name for himself in Umuofia. (2) (any two valid
reasons)
4.2 The drummers are a good example of the belief that people can take on spiritual
maifestations. The earlier part of the day belongs to the drummers and the musicians
are possessed by the spirit of the drums, which have an intoxicating rhythm. When the
drummers stop for a rest between matches, the become ordinary human beings.
During the final wrestling match, they become the very heartbeat of the people. (3)
4.3 Chielo. She is the Priestess of Agbala. (2)
4.4 Okonkwo was angered by Ekwefi and tried to shoot her with his gun in a rage. This gun
incident refers to Okonkwo accidently killing a boy at a funeral when his gun shoots
unexpectedly. This is effective in illustrating Okonkwo as a tragic hero because it
foreshadows his inevitable death at the end of the novel, because his pride and fear of
being perceived as weak has caused him to kill others. (3)
4.5 They do not respect it, see it as false and idolatrous, and condemn it utterly. They do
not make any effort to understand it. (2)
4.6 The Ibo regard certain people as sacred to particular gods. Such people are not
regarded as normal people of the clan, and are forced to live apart from them.
Conventional interaction between an outcast and another member of the clan is
forbidden. To the Christians, the outcasts are equal with all people in the sight of God.
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English HL Grade 11 Task 11: Paper 2 17 November 2020

But the influence of this taboo is strong, and the other converts from the clan find it
difficult to accept the outcasts into the church. (3)
4.7 The drinking horn is carried with the user and used to drink palm wine out of. The
goatskin is the roll in which everything is carried. (2)
4.8 It is impossible for three reasons. Firstly, the white people have an army based in
Umuru and would be able to defeat the warriors of Umuofia. Seco9ndly, many of the
Ibo have embraced the new religion and rejected the customs of the clan, and so the
clan is divided and weakened. Lastly, it is still a crime for the Ibo to kill another
member of the clan. (3)
4.9 The Kotma are black court messengers. They are regarded by the clan as foreigners,
as they come from a different region of Nigeria. (2)
4.10 The Evil Forest. (1)

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English HL Grade 11 Task 11: Paper 2 18 November 2020

QUESTION 5

In telling an African story, it is impossible to do so without mentioning the women who take
part in many of the activities in a society. This is why different stories bring out women and
their roles in the society although the stories may not be talking about a woman as the main
character. Things fall apart is no different in bringing out the role of the women in a
traditional African setting.
Women play pivotal roles in Educational, Religious and Social care in the book Things Fall
Apart by Chinua Achebe
In Things fall apart, women are featured as the main children’s educators. They do these by
telling them stories, teaching them the ethics of socializing with other people and good
behavior especially to the girl child, “¦children sat around their mother’s cooking fire telling
stories,” The children are taught good values and morals by their parents and in this case,
their mothers, who encourage them to develop social values and good interaction skills. The
woman was regarded as an inferior object in the society but this did not turn her down from
performing her societal roles especially that of being the educator of the children.
We see that Ekwefi has heroic qualities in her character. She is bold, brave and courageous.
Her judgment about gun and about sufficient food for feast was correct comparing to her
husband, the protagonist of the novel.
Ekwefi seemed fond of wrestling and big fan of Okonkwo as a wrestler. Such things reveals
portsmanship in her character. To face the challenges and practised tolerance are exposed
by her character. To find Okonkwo she left her husband. If he would not be a wrestler she
might not prefer to marry him. Her love for Okonkwo was due to her love of wrestling. She
listened her heart’s voice as living in a society of men it was not allowed.
“It is true indeed, my dear friend .I cannot yet find a mouth with witch to tell the story”. She
did not say that he had right to do so .Her words show that she was shameful on it. Ekwefi
had manners. Though she was tired extremely but she sent a message to her hostess
“Ekwefi asked Nwoye’s mother and Ojiugo to explain to Obierika’s wife that she would be
late.” When the priestess took her daughter that night she consoled Ezinma “don’t be afraid”.
On turning back she did not mention the horrible things happened last night but she asked
her wisely, “have you slept well”.
Though “terror seized her” and ”her heart beat violently” she chased the priest in dark night.
Neither did she care of society, nor the deities. She did not afraid of the possible dangers in
deserted paths in darkness. Unpaved paths with weeds or rotten branches could not stop
her. She seems like a warrior who is running for the sake of her daughter’s life. Nothing in
the world can stop her.She is ready to face the deities and even to sacrificed her life. “She
swore if she heard her cry: she would rush into the cave to defend her against the gods in
the world .she would die with her.”
Regardless, Ekwefi is the most spirited of Okonkwo’s wives and frequently stands up to him
and talks back. But she also takes her punishment with gritted teeth and without complaint.
This kind of strength and boldness has something masculine about it, which emerges even
more strongly in her daughter, Ezinma.

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English HL Grade 11 Task 11: Paper 2 19 November 2020

Ezinma, Okonkwo’s favorite daughter and the only child of Ekwefi, is bold in the way that
she approaches—and even sometimes contradicts—her father. Okonkwo remarks to himself
multiple times that he wishes she had been born a boy, since he considers her to have such
a masculine spirit. Ezinma alone seems to win Okonkwo’s full attention, affection, and,
ironically, respect. She and he are kindred spirits, which boosts her confidence and
precociousness. She grows into a beautiful young woman who sensibly agrees to put off
marriage until her family returns from exile so as to help her father leverage his sociopolitical
power most effectively. In doing so, she shows an approach similar to that of Okonkwo: she
puts strategy ahead of emotion.
She was known to be ready to take the tasks of the boy. Also, she was talking with a lot of
courage which depicts that of a man and has a temper fret like Okwokwo, her
father.However, she adhered to the traditional values and cultures by performing the gender
roles and knows how to demarcate her boundaries, an attitude which did please her father
so much. However, in the case of her mother, she calls her with her own name and she had
the authority to ask her so many questions which most of the women in Umofia would have
found annoying. However, given the boldness of her mother, she could be able to withstand
it. The trait of Enzima thus makes her be a unique character in the whole book.

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