VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Question 14 Use the following…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 65%: We Can’t Blame the Technology when we make the mistakes. To my fellow American Citizens Bombs are not the…
We Can’t Blame the Technology when we make the mistakes.
To my fellow American Citizens
Bombs are not the problem of the modern era; we are.
We talk about the devastating effects that the atomic bombs do to our land, killing our family, friends, and homes and taking so much away from what we loved. We say that it’s the reason wars get so out of hand and lead to global wars such as WW1 and 2.
We complain, talk and cry, but we don’t fix.
How do you think the bombs are created? Created by magical fairies hidden beneath our soil?
No! We, the humans that walk upon this earth, are the ones that create the poisonous bombs.
We build and build till the earth has nothing left to give, then we move onto the next. No remorse, no second thought.
A goal, programmed into our minds, that it’s the only solution to all our problems.
So when we cry about the damage they inflict onto our own homes, our land. We don’t stop to rethink our actions.
No,
We look to our own machinery, and hope it inflicts worse upon our enemies. We get stuck in a never-ending cycle with no sense of leaving it, nor any desire to do so.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: In 'The crucible', fear is more powerful…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 85%: In 'The Crucible', fear is more powerful than reason in shaping people's actions. To what extent do you agree? In…
In 'The Crucible', fear is more powerful than reason in shaping people's actions. To what extent do you agree?
In his allegorical play, 'The Crucible', set as a backdrop in the 1692 Salem Witch trials, Arthur Miller critiques the destructive power of fear in society. Individual's actions are molded by fear rather than reason. Miller explores the mass hysteria in society caused due to the effect of fear, and also how some characters in the play uses fear to maintain control over the society. However the protagonist prevail over this fear and doesn't give in to the mass hysteria as he doesn't want his good name to be stained with lies.
Miller highlights how fear makes individuals turn on each other, leading to mass hysteria. This mass hysteria is catalysed by Abigail Williams who uses her jealousy towards Elizabeth Proctor as vengence. She resented Elizabeth and wanted to take the position of being John Proctor's wife, so she "stuck two inches in the flesh of her belly" and accused Elizabeth for causing it. Through this people in society began accusing each other of witchcraft. Miller critiques the fear caused by witchcraft and parallels it to the tense environment in 1950s America during the Red Scare. The people were afraid of spies in their country, so they accused each other of being a communist. Those accused of a communist were striped off their land and goods, they lost their jobs. Reverend Hale saw the events unfold and warns that "the Devil is alive in Salem, and we dare not quail to follow wherever the accusing finger points". He highlights the absurdity of hysteria in the society and precautions the society to not believe the "vengence of a little girl", Abigail. Miller critiques the fear caused by witchcraft and parallels it to the tense environment in 1950s America during the Red Scare. the poeple during that time were afraid of spies in their country, so they accused each other of being a communist. Those accused of a communist were striped off their land and goods, they also lost their jobs and the people in the society paid them no respected. linking this to 'the crucible', Miller intended the audience to realise how fear influenced the characters to start the Salem Witch Trials, caused one not to believe others leading to mass hysteria. Ultimately fear influenced the character to start the Salem Witch Trials.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: How does the crucible demonstrate the…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 65%: Arthur Millers play, The Crucible, unveils the cruel reality of a Puritan society, exposing how the Salem community…
Arthur Millers play, The Crucible, unveils the cruel reality of a Puritan society, exposing how the Salem community exploited the 1693 witch trials to gain power and ruin innocent lives. Whilst Miller partially affirms that corrupt authority is present in Salem, he explores how despite all the power from the court, they cannot change a man's moral identity. Miller introduces corrupt authority by tying religious knowledge to self worth, the outcome of a poorly maintained and corrupt society, and the moral courage presented even when it requires the greatest sacrifice.
Miller constructs the play utilising symbolism to explore how the religious corruption that occurs inside and out of God's church. John Proctor, the complex protagonist of the play is depicted as the morally upright individual, but due to his poor church attendence, Reverend Hale, a corrupt official of the court visits him to collect information about the ongoing witch accusations. Hale establishes he is at the Proctor household exclusively to gain knowledge of individuals who are linked with the Devil. Hale begins by asking about Proctors poor church attendance, and in response Proctor claims "he [Parris] preach nothin' but golden candle sticks". Miller discusses golden candle sticks as within a contemporary church, with the candles representing purity and belonging, whereas in Salem they are only of bragging and material worth with minimal religious prayers tied into it. Moreover, when Proctor is questioned about his knowledge of the 'ten commandments', he constantly stutters and forgets to include the commandment of adultery, secretly exposing his guilt after his affair with Abigail. Hale immediately recognizes his mistake, represents a theology which "is a fortress; and no crack in a fortress may be counted small". Hale actively uses his court authority to pick any imperfections within Proctor and associate it with Devil. Hale relates religious knowledge to power and authority, which is evident especially in a theocratic society such as Salem. Miller also mentions the "high court", as in modern society the high court represents truth and justice, whereas in Salem the high court criticises is manipulated by corruption. Miller utilises Hale to demonstrate how when power is given to the wrong individual, it can lead to dangerous assumptions of witchery, especially since Hale strongly believes that religious knowledge is directly related to worth. Ultimately Hale employs symbolism to contrast what a 1693 theocratic community is compared to modern society.
HSC · Persuasive Writing
Persuasive Writing: Is artificial intelligence creating…
HSC Persuasive Writing essay scoring 75%: Is artificial intelligence creating more opportunities than problems for society? Real talk, is AI really…
Is artificial intelligence creating more opportunities than problems for society?
Real talk, is AI really creating more opportunities than problems to our society? The way I see it, I think Ai has created more harm and then good to our society. Many different generations use AI for everything now, to the point it has become a big part of their everyday routine. I mean who really doesn’t use AI for everything now. Every time we open our phones, or any digital device, we are using AI without even knowing we are. I can’t lie AI can be very useful, by helping complete our daily tasks and work, managing our home and lifestyle, and especially for learning, basically everything. However, behind all the good things that AI can do for us, AI has eroded our trust through spreading false information, weakening our critical thinking, and especially ruining our economic and environmental state.
For the past 9 years, AI has made it possible to create deepfakes and generate false information, causing harm to many generations. People who are chronically online will know the amount of AI videos, audio or images, maybe even ads that would come up on their socials while scrolling. While some AI uses are done for innocent fun, others have used this as an advantage to spread false information. Spreading misinformation about health-related problems creating havoc. By using AI deepfakes and voice cloning, fraudsters have had the advantage of hijacking medical authority, endorsing dangerous “miracle curses”, unproven protocols, or fake remedies for chronic disease like diabetes. To some people, they may see AI as their friend, someone they can talk to, or just someone to agree with them. One major example was reported by the NYC post where ChatGPT may have fuelled the delusions of a former Yahoo manager to think his own mother was a Chinese Spy trying to kill him. Leading the man to kill his own mother, then taking how own life not long after. AI can never be our friend, it doesn’t have feelings, and it’s not real. AI is just a bunch of codes and systems put together.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: The characters of Oedipus the King suffer…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 85%: Oedipus the King—an ancient Greek play written by Sophocles. The play is a classic tragedy that highlights the…
Oedipus the King—an ancient Greek play written by Sophocles. The play is a classic tragedy that highlights the adventure of seeking the truth of the noble protagonist, Oedipus, who gets trapped in a curse of the god since he was born, his life filled up with dramatic events after his parents abandon him, leading to a terrible outcome for him and his biological parents. Revolving around the misfortune of Jocasta, Laius, and Oedipus, Sophocles clearly shows how characters' poor decisions could lead to their catastrophic consequences.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: To what extent does the desire for…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 87.5%: To what extent does the desire for connection guide characters in the Memory Police? In a world where identity is…
To what extent does the desire for connection guide characters in the Memory Police?
In a world where identity is systematically suppressed, connection becomes a form of protection against the loss of one’s self. The complexity of human connection is explored in Yoko Ogawa’s haunting dystopia The Memory Police (1994), where memories and objects are forcibly erased from both the physical and metaphysical realms, thus depriving individuals of their autonomy and eventually their physical selves. While Ogawa presents the longing for meaningful relationships as the primary force guiding characters towards self-actualisation and safeguarding their agency, she further suggests that when relationships are built on a fragmented identity, connection is inevitably rendered futile in preserving one's sense of self. Ogawa carefully articulates this notion through the narrator's internal resistance built on care and empathy for R – gradually manifesting externally into active defiance. This is thrown into relief by the inhabitants' unquestioning passivity facilitated by the fractured sense of self engineered by the regime.
Ogawa initially presents the compulsion to connect as a mechanism of internal resistance against the regime’s mechanically fragmented reality where sentience and empathy are forcibly reduced to stagnant numbness. Therefore, Ogawa suggests that connection isn’t merely a natural instinct but a tool guiding the preservation of one’s selfhood. Ogawa presents this by juxtaposing the inhabitants’ inability to emotionally comprehend the severity of loss with the narrator’s pleas to see the Old Man ‘in person’, despite her awareness of the regime’s apparent brutality. By highlighting the narrator’s efforts to confirm the Old Man’s safety ‘in person’ through physical proximity rather than general assumption, Ogawa effectively distinguishes the narrator’s sentience from the inhabitants’ apathy towards the disappearance of people. In doing so, Ogawa suggests that, beyond connection itself, the narrator’s desire to connect has liberated her from the communal apathy imposed by the state. Thus her insistence isn’t merely a plea but rather a proof of her emotional agenda against the regime’s systemically manufactured numbness. Through the narrator’s relationship with R, Ogawa further exposes the narrator’s reclamation of her emotional agenda, guiding her endeavors to understand the act of remembering itself. R’s role as the preserver of memories fuels the narrator’s internal voice, as she hopes that if she waited long enough she ‘might discover where [her] memories had gone’. Her effort to ‘discover’ what has been disappeared highlights the arbitrary cruelty of the regime, where she can internally resist the state’s desensitisation to loss, despite the arduousness of revolting. Through this, Ogawa asserts that the desire for connection can revive one’s emotional agency, enabling individuals to subconsciously resist the emotional numbing imposed through a series of oppressive measures. Ultimately, Ogawa’s careful articulation of cognitive resistance positions connection as integral to preserving agency in environments of control and surveillance.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: "I felt caught like the cigarette in that…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 97.5%: Billy Wilder's 1950 film noir Sunset Boulevard presents downfall as the product of both personal choice and the…
Billy Wilder's 1950 film noir Sunset Boulevard presents downfall as the product of both personal choice and the destructive environment of Hollywood. Within a world governed by fame, wealth and commercial relevance, Wilder's characters repeatedly compromise their integrity in pursuit of security and recognition. While Norma Desmond and Joe Gillis are subjected to forces beyond their control, neither is entirely powerless in determining their fate. Through Norma's refusal to relinquish the past, Joe's willing sacrifice of independence for material comfort, and Hollywood's exploitation and abandonment of its inhabitants, Wilder ultimately suggests that downfall is largely self-made, but never entirely so.
Wilder initially presents Norma's downfall as largely self-inflicted, as her inability to relinquish her former fame causes her to retreat further into illusion. Once celebrated as a silent-film star, Norma refuses to recognise that Hollywood has moved beyond her, insisting, “I am big. It's the pictures that got small.” The contrast between Norma's perception of herself and the reality of her declining relevance reveals the pride underlying her delusion; rather than adapt to change, she reconstructs reality around her former importance. Wilder reinforces this through the Gothic mise-en-scène of Norma's decaying mansion, which functions as a physical manifestation of her psychological entrapment. Although filled with photographs and reminders of her former success, the mansion is isolated from contemporary Hollywood, symbolising Norma's decision to exist within an idealised past. Max's fabricated fan letters certainly contribute to her delusion, yet Norma willingly embraces these illusions because they preserve the identity she cannot surrender. By the final staircase sequence, Wilder's close-ups and theatrical staging reveal the complete collapse of Norma's distinction between performance and reality. Her imagined return to the cameras therefore becomes a tragic consequence of her persistent rejection of reality. Through Norma, Wilder warns that downfall becomes self-made when the preservation of ego becomes more important than confronting uncomfortable truths.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Oedipus the King ultimately suggests that…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: Sophocles concedes that knowledge is beneficial, as a precondition to heroic action benefitting others. Through…
Sophocles concedes that knowledge is beneficial, as a precondition to heroic action benefitting others. Through their attainment of knowledge, Tiresias and Jocasta are able to attempt to shield Oedipus from the pain caused from understanding. Through imploring Oedipus to ‘send [him] home’ without revelation of the truth, warning him of the ‘terrible’ nature of Oedipus’ potential knowledge, Tiresias uses his own knowledge to provide Oedipus with an opportunity to avoid his eventual downfall. In addition, Jocasta’s attempts to ‘call of this search’, suggesting this is an action beneficial ‘for [his] own sake’, serve as further chances for Oedipus to avoid the disastrous realisation of the truth. Although Tiresias and Jocasta both fail in their attempts to shield Oedipus from knowledge, Sophocles contends that their knowledge augments their attempts to act outside of self-interest and protect the innocence of another. Oedipus, too, is able to act
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: In what ways does Harvey's portrayal of…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: In Samantha Harvey's lyrical and deeply meditative novel Orbital, the international space stations serves as the…
In Samantha Harvey's lyrical and deeply meditative novel Orbital, the international space stations serves as the microcosmic stage through which she explores the complexities of the human condition. Through the experiences of the astronauts above earth Harvey encourages the reader to question humanity's relationship with the uncontrollable universal desire for connection. Ultimately revealing the profound interconnectedness between individuals, the natural setting and the vast universe. Rather than portraying connection as merely the act of joining or state of being joined she redefines it as the uncontrollable invisible desire of the crew that exist in the biological, psychological and physical capacities of the crew. While Harvey acknowledges that the universal need for connection she ultimately argues how it appears both as a biological and psychological need, yet also as the desire for earth and its inhabitants. Through the physical and biological incapable intimacy, The crews psychological disconnect and their desire for earth Harvey explores connections incapable bands. Ultimately orbital reveals that Harvey presents connection in multiple forms encouraging the reader what it truly means to be human.
Harvey invites the reader to reconsider connection by revealing its inescapable biological aspects. This idea is encapsulated in how Harvey describes their relationship as "Anton the spaceships heart, Pietra its mind... Nell its breath, Chie its conscious", here she metaphorically transforms the six astronauts into vital organs of a single organism, the ISS. It highlights the dissolution of individual self in orbit and how survival in extreme environment requires a transition from individual self into the collective function. She does this in order to Invite the reader to recognise the different forms connection adopting its universal aspects. Similarly, the astronauts themselves describe how "we are one. We drink recycled urine" as a result the use of visceral imagery regarding their shared fluid underscores the inescapable intimacy and biological dependence of the crew. Harvey employs the collective "we" in order to illustrate the "merging" of disparate lives into a singular species. Beyond this, it is further exemplified through the character flashbacks as "it is described how "Nell had dreams of flying as a child the others did too" Thereby this flashback connects the characters childhood aspirations to the current celestial reality, framing their journey as a fulfilment of a primal human instinct. Emphasizing that despite their different cultures they all share a fundamental "being" destined for this celestial perspective connecting each one of them. Harvey continues to extend this idea as the astronauts describe themselves as being "one" and "sharing a common mind in a common voice" in doing so this structural choice to use a collective voice connects the six crew into a single entity. This then echoes the novels broader themes, that humanity is one interconnected species. Through this exploration Harvey contends the universal need for connection through the biological and physical dependance of the crew.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “Sophocles uses blindness to demonstrate…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 85%: In his Greek tragedy, ‘Oedipus Rex,’ Sophocles delves into the consequences befalling the hero of Thebes, Oedipus.…
In his Greek tragedy, ‘Oedipus Rex,’ Sophocles delves into the consequences befalling the hero of Thebes, Oedipus. Through a motif of blindness, Sophocles demonstrates that human understanding and knowledge are separate entities. Oedipus’ hubristic pride metaphorically blinds him, preventing him from recognizing the truth even when explicitly presented. In contrast, Tiresias' physical blindness grants him the ability to see the prophecy, knowledge above the limitations of the human psyche. By juxtaposing Oedipus’s and Tiresias’ adoptions of sight in the play, Sophocles explores both physical and psychological interpretations of sight. Ultimately, Sophocles portrays sight as the complement to knowledge in the play whilst highlighting the irony of Oedipus' inability to recognise the truth even when presented to his face.
Sophocles’ portrayal of Tiresias as a juxtaposition to Oedipus reveals how physical blindness directly contrasts his ability to perceive and understand the prophecy that Oedipus is blind to. During a hearing with Oedipus, Tiresias forewarns him that “This day will bring forth your birth and your destruction.” Here, Sophocles immediately outlines Tiresias’ ability to see the events of the future whilst simultaneously revealing Oedipus’ refusal to accept divine prophecy. When this idea is coupled with the aftermath of the protagonist's actions, Oedipus’ blindness to the truth becomes even more apparent, contrasting Sophocles’ rendition of Tiresias as the blind messenger with Oedipus’ inability to accept the truth. Although Tiresias possesses access to information beyond human knowledge, his lack of physical sight is a testament to this fact. Even when robbed of his physical sight, Tiresias condemns Oedipus as being “blind to the corruption of [his] life,” thus revealing his intellectual superiority concerning aspects of the future. Through this, Sophocles portrays Tiresias as an intermediary between higher orders of being (fate) and the mortal realm, ultimately implying that through his physical blindness he is able to breach the border between omniscience and human comprehension. Moreover, through Tiresias, Sophocles foreshadows Oedipus’s eventual cecity. In the exodus, Oedipus is forced to adopt Tiresias’s state of cecity after being unable to bear the ‘stab of memory raking [him] insane.’ Only after gouging out his own eyes, Oedipus is able to bear the burden of supernatural knowledge, thus Sophocles strengthens his didactic warning that physical blindness in the play is required to access or endure divine truths. Ultimately, through the antithesis between Oedipus and Tiresias, Sophocles unveils the notion that physical blindness acts as an enabler of divine insight.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “Sophocles uses blindness to demonstrate…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 85%: In his Greek tragedy, ‘Oedipus Rex,’ Sophocles delves into the consequences befalling the hero of Thebes, Oedipus.…
In his Greek tragedy, ‘Oedipus Rex,’ Sophocles delves into the consequences befalling the hero of Thebes, Oedipus. Through a motif of blindness, Sophocles demonstrates that human understanding and knowledge are separate entities. Oedipus’ hubristic pride metaphorically blinds him, preventing him from recognizing the truth even when explicitly presented. In contrast, Tiresias' physical blindness grants him the ability to see the prophecy, knowledge above the limitations of the human psyche. By juxtaposing Oedipus’s and Tiresias’ adoptions of sight in the play, Sophocles explores both physical and psychological interpretations of sight. Ultimately, Sophocles portrays sight as the complement to knowledge in the play whilst highlighting the irony of Oedipus' inability to recognise the truth even when presented to his face.
Sophocles’ portrayal of Tiresias as a juxtaposition to Oedipus reveals how physical blindness directly contrasts his ability to perceive and understand the prophecy that Oedipus is blind to. During a hearing with Oedipus, Tiresias forewarns him that “This day will bring forth your birth and your destruction.” Here, Sophocles immediately outlines Tiresias’ ability to see the events of the future whilst simultaneously revealing Oedipus’ refusal to accept divine prophecy. When this idea is coupled with the aftermath of the protagonist's actions, Oedipus’ blindness to the truth becomes even more apparent, contrasting Sophocles’ rendition of Tiresias as the blind messenger with Oedipus’ inability to accept the truth. Although Tiresias possesses access to information beyond human knowledge, his lack of physical sight is a testament to this fact. Even when robbed of his physical sight, Tiresias condemns Oedipus as being “blind to the corruption of [his] life,” thus revealing his intellectual superiority concerning aspects of the future. Through this, Sophocles portrays Tiresias as an intermediary between higher orders of being (fate) and the mortal realm, ultimately implying that through his physical blindness he is able to breach the border between omniscience and human comprehension. Moreover, through Tiresias, Sophocles foreshadows Oedipus’s eventual cecity. In the exodus, Oedipus is forced to adopt Tiresias’s rendition of sight after being unable to bear the ‘stab of memory raking [him] insane.’ Only after gouging out his own eyes, Oedipus is able to bear the burden of supernatural knowledge, thus Sophocles strengthens his didactic warning that physical blindness in the play is required to access or endure divine truths. Ultimately, through the antithesis between Oedipus and Tiresias, Sophocles unveils the notion that physical blindness acts as an enabler of divine insight.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “Sophocles uses blindness to demonstrate…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: In his Greek tragedy, ‘Oedipus Rex,’ Sophocles delves into the consequences befalling the hero of Thebes, Oedipus.…
In his Greek tragedy, ‘Oedipus Rex,’ Sophocles delves into the consequences befalling the hero of Thebes, Oedipus. Through a motif of blindness, Sophocles demonstrates that human understanding and knowledge are separate entities. Oedipus’ hubristic pride metaphorically blinds him, preventing him from recognizing the truth even when explicitly presented. In contrast, Tiresias' physical blindness grants him the ability to see the prophecy, knowledge above the limitations of the human psyche. By juxtaposing Oedipus’s and Tiresias’ adoptions of sight in the play, Sophocles explores both physical and psychological interpretations of sight. Ultimately, Sophocles portrays sight as the complement to knowledge in the play whilst highlighting the irony of Oedipus' inability to recognise the truth even when presented to his face.
Sophocles’ portrayal of Tiresias as a juxtaposition to Oedipus reveals how physical blindness directly contrasts his ability to perceive and understand the prophecy that Oedipus is blind to. During a hearing with Oedipus, Tiresias forewarns him that “This day will bring forth your birth and your destruction.” Here, Sophocles immediately outlines Tiresias’ ability to see the events of the future whilst simultaneously revealing Oedipus’ refusal to accept divine prophecy. When this idea is coupled with the aftermath of the protagonist's actions, Oedipus’ blindness to the truth becomes even more apparent, contrasting Sophocles’ rendition of Tiresias as the blind messenger with Oedipus’ inability to accept the truth. Although Tiresias possesses access to information beyond human knowledge, his lack of physical sight is a testament to this fact. Even when robbed of his physical sight, Tiresias condemns Oedipus as being “blind to the corruption of [his] life,” thus revealing his intellectual superiority concerning aspects of the future. Through this, Sophocles portrays Tiresias as an intermediary between higher orders of being (fate) and the mortal realm, ultimately implying that through his physical blindness he is able to breach the border between omniscience and human comprehension. Moreover, through Tiresias, Sophocles foreshadows Oedipus’s eventual cecity. In the exodus, Oedipus is forced to adopt Tiresias’s rendition of sight after being unable to bear the ‘stab of memory raking [him] insane.’ Only after gouging out his own eyes, Oedipus is able to bear the burden of supernatural knowledge, thus Sophocles strengthens his didactic warning that physical blindness in the play is required to access or endure divine truths. Ultimately, through the antithesis between Oedipus and Tiresias, Sophocles unveils the notion that physical blindness acts as an enabler of divine insight.