Paper 2 practice Billy Lynn
English mark scheme:
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Past papers.
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Quotes to memorize:
Memorize all quotes but not every explanation
Chapter 1
The blue quote shows the overcaffeinated people are attacking Billy with praise. The word
trampolined has connotations of attack. It also suggests that the people jumped out of nowhere all
of the sudden. Tag teams indicate that there is this big amount of people ready to “attack”. It also
presents the American people as children. Trampoline and overcaffeinated give off childish
vibes/connotations because only kids use trampolines and kids are usually overenergetic. This
shows they are annoying, overbearing, ask silly questions etc. It could suggest that the people don’t
know the real truth just like kids don’t know the truth. The truth is hidden from them so their
fantasy can carry on and their feelings don’t get hurt, this is a parallel to children. The fact that the
,grateful citizens are exhausting suggests that Billy has a different understanding of war than they
do, and that the citizens don't understand that Billy is struggling to deal with their praise. Their
constant praise also shows that they don't necessarily view him as a full person who might need
some time to himself. Instead, they view Billy as a hero who belongs to the people
The effect of dialogue and language used in book: The language is very colonial and teenager like.
The effect it has is that its relatable and its easy to understand the personalities of these soldiers.
They’re juvenile, uneducated etc.
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p. 3-4: But overlying all the small, petty, stupid, basically foreordained fuckups looms the
ever-present prospect of the life-fucking fuck up
This quote shows the absurdity of war, all Billy thinks about during war is not "fucking up". He
doesn't think clearly, he's just afraid of losing his life or messing up someone else's life. The line
indicates that even small, petty, stupid things acceptable in normal everyday routines can
destroy your life in a war. One of the things the United States military excels at is training its
soldiers to compartmentalize. Focus on the mission, the task at hand. Break it down into
discrete parts and execute each one in turn. It teaches soldiers how to prevent "fucking up".
That may well get you through the moment. You might even be able to get through an entire
war that way, but sooner or later, on some level, you’re going to find the why question coming
down on you. Sanity demands it. Human nature demands it. This is what makes war absurd, it
disregards the demands of human nature because of the constant fear of "fucking up".
,p.11: As if sorrow is the true reality? ...he’s come to believe that loss is the standard
trajectory
This quote relates to the theme of heroism and humanity and the absurdity of war. "loss is the
standard trajectory" is a phrase that suggests that the trauma/PTSD caused by war makes
people depressed and feel like they're always losing something even when they're not in war.
This is even expressed in the first part of the quote, Billy only being 19 believes that life only
consists of hardship and melancholy. Billy's PTSD fills his mind with surreal imagery of war and
death. Going back to the theme of heroism and humanity, the quote proves that behind every
hero there is a tale of tragedy. A hero's job is to save people, but obviously they can't save
everyone which is why loss is part of everyday life.
"Women, actual females" is a quote that shows stereotypes of traditional masculinity. The line
reminds the readers that the soldiers are still young men who want girlfriends. It reminds us that
the men have been in war for a while and are surprised to see women (especially women yelling for
them to roll up their windows). It encourages the impression that traditional masculine men are
quick to acknowledge women. The word "actual" suggests that the soldiers are fazed by the girls,
they had to take a second look to know that they were "actual females".
"A pale, spongy Twinkie of a human being crammed into starched blue jeans and fancy cowboy
boots". This quote paints an image of a man trying to find into the standards of traditional
masculinity and it's clear he's trying very hard. The word pale and spongy give imagery of a man
who doesn't go outside a lot and isn't muscular which opposing traditional masculinity. Sponges
have holes in them which could represent the holes of insecurity of the twinkie of a human being
trying to fit/cram into stereotypes. The word cram has connotations of trying to fit, the man is
trying hard to fit in the expectations of what a "real man" is like. He wants to seem strong and cool
by wearing fancy cowboy boots even though he clearly doesn't get involved with real labor. This
could suggest that traditional masculinity is toxic and creates unrealistic standards which causes
people to buy unnecessary things just to blend into expectations. This quote is on the first page of
the book and already foreshadows that masculinity will be a big part of Billy's life, especially in the
army. An example of this is when he makes digs at Billy's masculinity, when it's revealed a girl will
be playing Billy's character in a movie.
"Was never in the military myself, the man confided, swaying, gesturing with his giant Starbucks,
but my granddaddy was at Pearl, he told me all the stories". This quote suggests how traditional
masculinity may have changed over time. The quote proves that back in the day masculinity was
more of a big deal which is why almost every man was required or felt required to join the army.
While now, traditional masculinity may not be as influential/relevant which is represented by the
man gesturing with his big Starbucks. The use of the word "grandaddy" kind of gives childish
connotations, this can suggest that the decrease of traditional masculinity expectations in the new
generation are leading men to be less mature and independent.
, “Bravo is nicely blazed on Jack and cokes thanks to the... limo’s minibar”. They aren’t in a long limo,
they’re in a military limo to present an image to the public that they fought for the country and
their heroes. The inside of the limo represents the reality, what you see on the inside of the limo is
young boys making fun of each other, drinking beer, acting juvenile etc. However, the public sees it
differently when the Humvees with the privacy windows are presented.
In the beginning of the book there is a world cloud which represents Billy’s thoughts. It shows us
how hangover Billy is, how nervous he is that he can't take all the information in.
Billy remembers a TV reporter asking him what he was thinking during the battle, and Billy was only
able to say that he wasn't thinking. The fact that Billy is unable to answer the reporter's question
suggests that there's a major disconnect between the way that civilians like the reporter think
about the war and the way that soldiers like Billy do. While the reporter thinks about war as though
it's something logical, Billy will say several times throughout the novel that he just followed his
training, which indicates that the Army turns soldiers' responses into reflexes, not logical thoughts.
We’re gonna platoon it... Hilary’s extremely interested”. Albert introduces the world of Hollywood
as a third world for consideration in the novel, alongside the warzone and America's home front.
Hilary Swank wanting to merge two characters into one suggests that in Hollywood, the actual truth
of a situation matters very little. Instead, creating a compelling story and getting big names involved
are of the utmost importance, as that's what will sell.
“’Stop anal rape in IRAQ!’ the sign reads, below which someone has scrawled, ‘heavens to bestey’.
Bravo howls.” The sign serves as a reminder to the reader and to Bravo of the absurdity of the war.
The sign's content also suggests that civilians have very different thoughts and priorities about the
war than the soldiers do. Bravo is laughing at how clueless Americans are to the war, how not
seriously they take it.
Chapter 2
Dime is untypical for a US army soldier not only because he comes from privilege and has
benefited from a college education. He also clearly seems to be sceptical of the whole ‘War on
Terror’ narrative. Unlike most soldiers, Dime isn’t conservative and is referred to “Fuckin
Liberal” in the army. “He got a golf scholarship... Hiss dad’s a judge, you know what that means,
