Dís (Leaving Cert Irish): Model Answers
Dís, 2021 (H1 Sample Answer)
'Tugtar léiriú dúinn ar shaol bhean Sheáin agus ar an tionchar a bhí ag cuairt bhean an tsuirbhé uirthi sa ghearrscéal 'Dís'.' Déan plé ar an ráiteas sin. (2021)
'We are given an insight into Sean's wife's life and the impact that the survey woman's visit had on her in the short story 'Dís'.' Discuss that statement. (2021)
Approaching the Question
Planning your answer will keep you focused and help you include all the key information.
Marking for the Prós, Filíocht and Litríocht Breise questions:
- 30 marks available
- 5 marks for the quality of Gaeilge.
- 25 marks for eolas (knowledge-how well you know and understand the text).
To achieve the 'Sármhaith' (22-25 marks) category in your answer, here's what the marking scheme requires:
- Plé an-chuimsitheach ar an ráiteas. (A very comprehensive discussion of the statement.)
- Tuiscint an-shoiléir léirithe sna pointí eolais. (A very clear understanding expressed in the points of information.)
- Tagairtí sármhaithe, sárthéagartha don téacs. (Excellent, well-structured references to the text.)
- Smaointe forbartha go sármhaith. (Excellently developed ideas.)
This may seem overwhelming, but it's a question you can prepare really well for!
- Make sure you have a solid understanding of the texts – know the plot, key moments, characters, their relationships, and any important writing or film techniques.
- Practice exam questions - they are very repetitive!
- However, it's important to avoid reciting a memorised answer. You must answer the question in front of you to score highly. Don't just summarise the text!
- Refer to the question frequently throughout your answer. This is easier than it sounds! All you need is a few key phrases that you can adapt to tie in any exam question, such as:
- Aontaím leis an ráiteas seo. (I agree with this statement.)
- Is léir go bhfuil… (It is clear that)
- Léiríonn sé seo go… (This shows that)
- Tá sé seo an soiléir ón gcaoi… (This is very clear from the way…)
- Feicimid go… (We see that…)
- Gan aon amhras ar bith… (Without any doubt…)
- Tip: Refer back to the question at the end of each paragraph!
- Personal response shows that you understand and are engaged with the text. You could use phrases like:
- Dar liom… (According to me…)
- Creidim go bhfuil…. (I believe that…)
Check out our 'Prós: Essential Vocabulary' notes for a full list of useful phrases and examples!
Question Breakdown
What is the question asking?
The question is asking us to discuss a statement.
'Tugtar léiriú dúinn ar shaol bhean Sheáin agus ar an tionchar a bhí ag cuairt bhean an tsuirbhé uirthi sa ghearrscéal 'Dís'.' Déan plé ar an ráiteas sin. ('We are given an insight into Sean's wife's life and the impact that the survey woman's visit had on her in the short story 'Dís'.' Discuss that statement.)
Elements of the question:
- What insight are we given into the life of Seán's wife?
- What impact did the survey woman's visit have on Seán's wife?
Use your introduction to set the scene: Seán's wife is a housewife who spends all of her time at home. She's responsible for all of the house duties and feels pretty lonely. It's only through her chat with the survey woman that we realise just how unhappy she is- in both her life and marriage.
Addressing both elements of the question in the introduction shows the examiner that you understand the question and are jumping straight in, not just giving a summary.
What examples from the story support this statement?
- Sean's wife takes part in a survey about unhappy women, showing us that she is unhappy with her own life.
- The survey woman's visit makes her think; this woman has her own job and earns her own money.
- Seán wasn't happy that his wife took part in the survey, showing us the tension and lack of respect in their relationship.
- She reflects on the status of women's in society, considering old traditions.
- Her marriage lacks communication and respect, which we see when Seán falls asleep behind the newspaper.
Discuss each point in its own paragraph. At the end of each paragraph, link the example back to the question, explaining how it supports the statement.
Check out our 'Prós: Essential Vocabulary' notes for useful phrases on linking your answer to the question!
Freagra
Faighimid léiriú an-soiléir sa ghearrscéal "Dís" ar shaol bhean Sheáin. Is bean an tí í agus caitheann sí a cuid ama go léir sa bhaile. Gach lá, déanann sí dualgais tí. Ní maith léi an múnla traidisiúnta seo. Úsáideann an t-údar cuairt bhean an tsuirbhé chun míshonas bean Sheáin mar bhean tí a léiriú.
We get a very clear insight in the short story "Dís" into the life of Seán's wife. She is a housewife and she spends all of her time at home. Every day, she does household tasks. She does not like this traditional mould (arrangement). The author uses the survey woman's visit to show Seán's wife unhappiness as a housewife.
Feicimid an míshonas seo nuair a ghlacann bean Sheáin páirt sa suirbhé faoi mná nach bhfuil sásta ina bpoist. Glacann an bhean páirt sa súirbhe mar bhí sí crosta le Seán toisc nach raibh aon airgead aici chun sorn nua a cheannach agus níor thug Seán aon aird uirthi. Tá an léiriú seo ar shaol bhean chéile Sheáin an-tábhachtach.
We see this unhappiness when Seán's wife takes part in a survey about women who are not happy in their job. The woman took part in the survey because she was cross with Seán because she had no money to buy a new stove and Séan did not give her any attention. This insight into Sean's wife's life is very important.
Faighimid léiriú tábhachtach eile ar shaol na mná nuair a fhoghlaimid go raibh sí ag iarraidh post bean an tsuirbhé a líonadh le linn a saoire máithreachais. Is bean uaigneach í. Caitheann sí na laethanta léi féin, lena babaí sa teach fad is atá Seán ag obair. Chuir bean an tsuirbhé í ag machnamh. Bhí a post féin aici agus thuill sí a gcuid airgid féin. Thug sí faoi deara gur mhaith léi a bheith ina bean oibre in ionad bean tí. Tháinig an smaoineamh di nuair a chonaic sí bean an tsuirbhé ag obair.
We get another important insight into the woman's mindset when we learn that she was looking to fill the survey woman's job during her maternity leave. She is a lonely woman. She spends her days by herself, with the baby in the house while Seán is working. The survey woman got her thinking. She had her own job and she earned her own money. She realised that she wanted to be a working woman instead of a housewife. This thought came to her when she saw the survey woman working.
Cruthaíonn an suirbhé teannas idir Seán agus a bhean chéile. Thug sí eolas pearsanta do bhean an tsuirbhé faoin gcaidreamh atá aici le Seán. Ní raibh Seán sásta gur ghlac sí páirt sa suirbhé agus gur thug sí le fios do bhean an tsuirbhé go raibh sí míshásta sa saol. Léiríonn sé seo an easpa meas atá ag Seán dá bhean chéile. Is cuma leis nach bhfuil a bhean sásta lena saol.
The survey creates tension between Seán and his wife. She gave personal information to the survey woman about the relationship she has with Seán. Seán wasn't happy that she took part in the survey and that she let the survey woman know that she was unhappy in her life. This shows the lack of respect Seán has for his wife. He doesn't care that his wife isn't happy with her life.
Chuir bean an tsuirbhé an bhean ag smaoineamh ar an easpa saoirse a bhí ag cur isteach uirthi sa saol agus easpa saoirse na mban sa tsochaí i gcoitinne. Mothaíonn sí mar sclábhaí sa phósadh. Luann bean Sheáin an áit thábhachtach a bhí ag mná i sochaí na hÉireann fadó. Dúirt sí go raibh meas ag daoine ar a gcuid eolais agus taithí. Anuas ar sin, dúirt bean Sheáin go searbhasach go raibh ciall ag baint leis an nós a bhí ag na Sínigh mná chéile a dhó nuair a fuair an fear céile bás. D'úsáid sí na tagairtí seo chun a chur in iúl nach bhfuil seasamh nó stádas ar bith ag mná seachas a bheith ag tabhairt aire do leanaí agus do na fir agus a bheith ag obair sa teach an t-am ar fad.
The survey woman got the woman thinking about the lack of freedom affecting her life and the lack of freedom of women in society in general. She feels like a slave in her marriage. Sean's wife mentions the important place women had in Irish society long ago. She said that people respected their information and experience. On top of that, Seán's wife said sarcastically that there was sense associated with the tradition the Chinese had to burn their wives when their husband died. She used these references to show that women have no standing or status except for taking care of children and men and working in the house all the time.
Níl saol sásta ag bean Sheáin lena fear céile. Níor thug Seán aon aird ar a bhean. Tá easpa meas agus easpa cumarsáide ina gcaidreamh. Ní dhéanannn Seán aon iarracht a bheith ag caint léi. Feicimid é seo nuair a thiteann an fear ina chodladh ag deireadh an scéil. Cuireann an easpa cumarsáide idir í féin agus a fear céile isteach uirthi.
Seán's wife does not have a happy life with her husband. Seán doesn't give her any attention. There is a lack of respect and a lack of communication in their relationship. Seán doesn't make any effort to talk to her. We see this when the man falls asleep at the end of the story. The lack of communication between her and her husband affects her.
Ar deireadh, tuigimid go bhfuil an bean seo míshuaimhneach ina caidreamh lena fear céile agus ina ról mar bhean tí. Cé gur thug bean an tsuirbhé dóchas don bhean, níor athraigh aon rud. Is cuma le Seán agus níl sé ag éisteacht leis an meon diúltach atá aici ar a bpósadh.
In the end, we understand that the woman is unhappy in her relationship with her husband and in her role as a housewife. Even though the survey woman gave her hope, nothing changed. Seán doesn't care and he isn't listening to the negative attitude she has towards their marriage.