My 23/25 (A*) essay, with the examiner's comment, from the 2023 A-level exam on: Compare how the authors of two texts present ideas about the incompatibility of lovers?
Anthology poems used are Wyatt's 'Who so list to hunt I know where is an hind' and Lovelace's ‘The Scrutiny’.
Compare how the authors of two texts present ideas about the incompatibility of
lovers? (23/25 - 2023 A-level exam)
Examiners comment: Again another intellectually sharp, perceptive and assured response across all
assessment objectives. The candidate's writing style is pacy and enjoyable to read. Another
exceptional essay. Band 5+.
In Fitzgerald's jazz age novel, 'The Great Gatsby', the incompatibility of lovers is rife as seen
by the amount of infidelity and how arguably not one couple is in a happy, compatble
relationship. This is personified by Daisy and Tom's marriage where they both cheat with
others of a lower class. Yet, inevitably they come back together which shows that lovers can
be incompatible due to class. Similalry, this can be seen in Wyatt's 'Who so list to hunt I
know where is an hind' and Lovelace's ‘The Scrutiny' where the male speaker versus the
woman it is adressed to are incompatible due to superficial reasons.
Despite Daisy and Gatsby's love for each other, Fitzgerald presents their love as
incompatible due to their difference in class and too much time having passed! This mirrors
Fitzgerald's own relationship with his wife Zelda as she would not marry him when they first
met until he proved himself a success/Gatsby reinvents himself from Jay Gatz who was 'Mr
Nobody from Nowhere' into the succesful Gatsby. Yet, this succesfulness was obtained by
unsavoury means - such as criminal activities like bootlegging or selling false bonds (which
was the main job in the 1920s/ his wealth is tainted Despite becoming new money, he could
never be compatible with Daisy and her old money world. Fitzgerald illustrates this through
his use of symbolism, like his parties which Daisy finds distasteful, his carictural phrase of
'old sport' which he believes is sterotypically old money but instead causes people to laugh
at him, or similarly his yellow 'cricus wagon' car that stands out too much unlike Tom's blue
'coupe. Thus, due to their difference in class Gatsby could never be truly compatible with
Daisy. Additionally, his wealth is much more unstable than Tom's due to his occupation.
Consequently, Daisy chooses Tom over Gatsby at the end as she sees women's role in
1920s society as a 'beautiful little fool" emphasised by her downcast tone. Rather than
challenging the views of patriarchal society, instead she complies to the life she is expected
to live - which Tom better provides. Likewise, although she doesn't appear to have much
attachment to her daughter Pammy, she still best understands that she would have a more
stable life with Tom as her father. This is why Daisy 'sobbed' when Gatsby throws his shirts
down to her when showing off as emphasised by Fitzgerlad's polyndetic listing of shirts with
stripes and scrolls and plaids and coral and apple-green lavender which emphasises his new
wealth. Hence, her saying 'it makes me sad because I've never seen such - such beautiful
shirts before' and stuttering is clearly not about the shirts and instead about Gtabsy's new
found wealth - as she mourning over their incompatobility, as although he has gained wealth
it is too late as she is already married to Tom and it can never be enough.
Similarly, in Wyatt's 'Who so list to hunt I know where is an hyde', he presents the speaker's
and his desire to be with the hind (who can be seen as an extended metaphor of a woman)
as incompatible due to the barrier of class as personified by Cesar who owns the hind.
Wyatt's use of a 13 lines structure is purposeful and effective, as it is one line short of being
a sonnet, reflecting how the narrator's desire for the hind is incompatible from the outset.
Wyatt's volta does not add any new information as a volta typically does, which suggests the
narrator is holding back something as he is insecure. Arguably this is due to his position in
the chase as 'farthest cometh behind', which on a larger level represents his lower status in
comparison to the man who owns the hind. 'Cesar' refers to the title of a Roman emperor -
an immensley powerful man of a much higher status than the narrator. It could also be an
allusion to King Henry 8th whom Wyatt had an affair with his wife Anne Boleyn and he was
imprisoned, which serves as a warning that no one else can get the hind. Therefore, like
Tom who physically blocks Gatsby from Daisy due to his 'cruel' body, they both also block
the men through their power in society. On the hind's neck, as an almost collar - which
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