2015 HL Paper 1 Text 1

2015 LC Higher Paper 1 Text 1

 

Question A

(i)

Bono suggests that the students are leaving university with intellectual capital after four long years of study. He challenges them to spend their ‘moral capital’ in questioning the norms of their society and follow the example of the great leaders of civil and human rights before them.

Bono suggests that every generation is faced with ‘moral blind spots’ in their society that must be exposed and challenged, as slavery and segregation were by previous generations. He is challenging them not to accept the ‘phony moral certitudes’ of their age but instead to go forth and expose the blind spots to make the world a better place.

Finally, Bono challenges his student audience to put their own stamp on the future, to think about the fight they want to fight in society. It could be trying to do away with poverty in Africa like him or something else; the thing that matters is that they realise the future is in their hands and they have the opportunity to ‘hammer it into shape.’

 

(ii)

He makes the point that while not every problem such as corruption can be fixed, the developed world can help by easing the debt burden, sharing knowledge about lifesaving drugs and engaging in fair trade. These ideas had a profound effect on me as I was used to thinking about Africa as a lost cause where nothing really can be done to end the problems.

The second observation by Bono that had an impact on me was his ideas on how this generation have become so self-conscious  that idealism has almost become a dirty word. Idealism is not cool and is, therefore, given no air time in the media. People have become pre-occupied with themselves and by material things and this is reflected in the media. Bono’s suggestion that it’s time to do away with indifference and stand up and ‘get your boots dirty’ is something that I find intriguing.

 

(iii)

Bono is engaging and inspiring in his address to the graduating students.  He speaks with passion and intensity to the audience. He employs features of speech writing such as an attention-grabbing opening and rhetorical questions to great effect.  Bono uses a number of rhetorical questions, which, in my opinion, engage the audience. ‘What are you doing here?’ and ‘what’s your big idea?’ speak directly to the audience, forcing them to think about their own answers and inspiring them to think beyond their university degree.  

 

 

 

 

Question B

 

                                    Cill Bay Community School,
                                                                                                                                                                                                 

                                                    23^rd April 2015

The Principal,
Cill Bay Community School,
Morton Road,
Dublin 13.

Dear Mr. Morton,

As Chairperson of the Student Council, I am writing to you to urge you to reconsider your decision not to hold any graduation ceremony for the Leaving Certificate Class of 2015. We, the Student Council, feel that this is not the right course of action to pursue. Please allow us to set out our argument against this plan of action and urge you to make your decision having considered these points.