How Many Miles to Babylon?

# Essay Prompt: *How Many Miles to Babylon?* by Jennifer Johnston **Prompt:** In *How Many Miles to Babylon?*, Jennifer Johnston explores the unexpected friendship between Alec Moore and Jerry Crowe to highlight the strict class divisions of early twentieth-century Irish society. **Write a well-structured essay in which you argue how Johnston utilizes this cross-class relationship to critique the social and political systems that ultimately lead to the downfall of both characters.** In your essay, be sure to: - Analyze how Alec's and Jerry's different backgrounds influence their identities and decisions throughout the novel. - Examine the role of World War I as a backdrop that both reflects and intensifies the class tensions present in Irish society. - Discuss how Johnston employs narrative structure — particularly Alec's reflective voice from his prison cell — to frame themes of inevitability, guilt, and complicity. - Support your argument with specific textual evidence, including dialogue, imagery, and key plot moments. **Suggested length:** 800–1,200 words **Assessment focus:** Argument development, textual analysis, thematic insight, and use of evidence.

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# Essay Prompt: *How Many Miles to Babylon?* by Jennifer Johnston **Prompt:** In *How Many Miles to Babylon?*, Jennifer Johnston explores the unexpected friendship between Alec Moore and Jerry Crowe to reveal the strict class divisions present in early twentieth-century Irish society. **Write a well-organized essay arguing how Johnston uses this cross-class relationship to critique the social and political structures that ultimately lead to the demise of both characters.** In your essay, make sure to: - Analyze how Alec's and Jerry's differing backgrounds influence their identities and their friendship. - Examine Alec's mother as a symbol of class rigidity and social control. - Discuss how the backdrop of World War I acts as an extension — rather than a cause — of the social forces already influencing Ireland. - Support your argument with specific textual evidence, such as dialogue, imagery, and narrative structure. **Suggested length:** 4–6 paragraphs (approximately 600–900 words)

aqa · leaving_cert · ib_lang_lit · ap_lit

# Essay Prompt: *How Many Miles to Babylon?* by Jennifer Johnston **Prompt:** In *How Many Miles to Babylon?*, Jennifer Johnston explores the unlikely friendship between Alec Moore and Jerry Crowe to reveal the strict class divisions present in early twentieth-century Irish society. Write a well-structured essay arguing how Johnston uses this cross-class relationship to critique the social and political systems that ultimately lead to the downfall of both characters. In your essay, make sure to discuss: - How Alec and Jerry's friendship either challenges or reinforces class boundaries - The role of Alec's mother as a representation of social repression and control - How the context of World War I serves as a parallel to — or an extension of — the class conflict at home - The importance of the novel's framing narrative (Alec writing from his prison cell) and what it implies about agency, fate, and complicity Support your argument with specific examples and analysis from the text.

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