Example of an Individual Oral graded as sufficient for the International Baccalaureate Diploma (HL level) in 2021.
Discusses women empowerment in 'Disgrace' by J.M. Coetzee and Michelle Obama's speech for the Young African
Women Leaders Forum in 2011.
0. Introduction
In this individual oral the global areas of politics, power and justice are discussed concerning
the empowerment of women, which is present in the first edition of the novel Disgrace from
J.M. Coetzee, published in 1999, and in the speech of Michelle Obama for the Young African
Women Leaders Forum in 2011. The relevance of this global issue becomes apparent due to
the ongoing inequality between males and females, even in first world countries where women
fight for equal pay and thus speak up for the empowerment of women.
In Disgrace, the male protagonist David Lurie experiences different situations in which Coetzee
tries to explore the situation of living in modern South-Africa with all of the correlating political
standards and cultural aspects of society.
In the speech of Michelle Obama, the keynote address at the Young African Women Leaders
Forum is delivered with the message that the current generation can improve the position of
females in society and the degree of political stability.
The novel and the speech both connect to the empowerment of women because they reflect
upon the oppression of women in South-Africa and how women can fight against it.
1. Disgrace - J.M. Coetzee
To begin with Disgrace, the emancipation of women is evident in the novel Disgrace by J.M.
Coetzee as a result of female characters. Coetzee aims to bring attention to the empowerment
of women among other issues in South-Africa, mainly because he grew up in the country and
hopes to make a difference by educating others. He does this through a simple but complex
story often containing self-talk from the protagonist, which is never reflected upon and thus
giving the audience space for interpretation. This also happens in the parts where the
empowerment of women is shown through these female characters.
Examples are Melanie, the student of the main character David Lurie, and Lucy, the lesbian
daughter of Lurie, which will be discussed in the evaluation of the corresponding extract.
Melanie has an affair with Lurie at the beginning of the novel. She is first portrayed as a
vulnerable girl who accepts the superiority of men. However, as the story progresses, the
reader learns that she used her experience with Lurie to become stronger as an individual: she
resumed her studies and continued with theatre-work. The fact that Melanie decided to take
matters into her own hands and work on her future, shows ambition and motivation and
consequently the empowerment of women. Coetzee declares this in chapter 21, where Lurie
is watching Melanie perform on stage, and explains that ‘she is altogether more sure of herself
than before’.
Thus, as a result of the female character Melanie and her ambition to do better than before her
oppression by her male teacher, the empowerment of women is present in Disgrace.
3. Disgrace - Extract empowerment of women (Lucy)
To further prove that this issue is evident in the novel, an extract can be examined. For this
assignment an extract which involves a conversation between Lurie and his daughter Lucy
about her pregnancy due to a rape serves as an example, because it contains multiple signs
of women empowerment. Lucy has decided to keep her baby and Lurie does not understand
why. In this extract she gives a reaction to his behaviour and questions around the matter. First
of all, Lucy starts the conversation with explaining the impact of Lurie on her life and how she
disagrees with his decisions towards her as a person. She explains in lines 1-6 that major and
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