VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “I was not allowed to help: I was not…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 75%: Shirley Jackson’s 1950s We Have Always Lived in the Castle , based in America Vermont, blends an eerie atmosphere…
Shirley Jackson’s 1950s We Have Always Lived in the Castle , based in America Vermont, blends an eerie atmosphere with wit. The novel explores the idea of power, and the things it can do to people. Jackson exposes how authority whether domestic, patriarchal, or collective, can suppress individuality and breed fear. Yet she also warns that resistance to power, when shaped by trauma and obsession, can become just as destructive. By depicting both the domination of the powerless and the ways they reclaim control, Jackson issues a caution that power, in any form, corrodes those who wield it and those who suffer under it.
Jackson first warns of the dangers of power through the oppressive domestic hierarchy that silences and confines certain characters. Merricat’s complaint “I was not allowed to help; I was not allowed to prepare food”—captures her exclusion from the central rituals of the home, symbolising the gendered authority that governs their household. Even after her father’s death, his presence lingers through rigid routines and unspoken rules. Constance’s obsessive tidiness that “everything must be done properly”, reveals how she has internalised patriarchal control, transforming domestic order into a form of self-punishment. The kitchen, once a space of nourishment, becomes a shrine to submission. Jackson suggests that such authority not only robs women of agency but also fosters resentment and rebellion. Merricat’s act of poisoning her family, while horrifying, becomes the only means by which she can reclaim power in a system that denies her participation. Through this subversion, Jackson reveals that domination within the private sphere inevitably distorts both morality and love, turning the family home a supposed haven, into a site of repression and decay.
Jackson exposes throughout the novel that control almost in nearly every situation lead to domination. The townspeople’s sing-song taunts“Merricat, said Connie, would you like a cup of tea? “disguise cruelty beneath a veneer
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: how does the play reveal that wisdom and…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: Universally regarded as the "tragedy of fate", Oedipus the king is one of three Theban plays written by the renound…
Universally regarded as the "tragedy of fate", Oedipus the king is one of three Theban plays written by the renound playwright Sophocles in 429 BCE. Set in Athens in Ancient Greece, the dramatised folktale aims to exemplify the authority of the gods whilst also encouraging the suppression of hubris through the vehicle of the protagonist. The deterioration of Oedipus' character throughout the play demonstrates that even a noble leader can face an agonising fate. Sophocles uses a cathartic structure, created by Aristotle to position the audience to view Oedipus as a wise man, and that his determination to reveal the truth is the catalyst of his downward spiral as he meets his demise.
Sophocles initially illustrates Oedipus as a virtuous leader, revered by the people of Thebes. Described as the "first of men", Oedipus impetuously acts to save the "dying" Thebes, pleading that "[he] will do anything" to help end the plague. Oedipus explains how he has "wept through the nights" knowing his Thebans are suffering. Sophocles uses this imagery to illustrate Oedipus' empathy and further demonstrate his noble leadership qualities. The chorus endears their leader, pleading their "good helmsman" to "steer [them] through the storm". The use of nautical imagery exhibits Oedipus' bravery, as the ocean was considered a dangerous place for Athenians at the time. Sophocles utilises the role of the chorus as a means to demonstrate to the audience to also endear the protagonist and view him as a likeable character.
As Oedipus speaks about his past achievements, he mentions how the "flight of [his] own intelligence hit the mark", as a way of proving his wisdom. His eagerness to "bring [the truth] to light" further emphasises his good judgement and capabilities to lead. It is but the audiences pre-ordained knowledge during the parados that proves that Oedipus' wisdom inevitably results in pain. In order to link the two concepts, Sophocles must first position the audience to revere the protagonist in order to view him as a wise leader who chooses to act honourably.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: The Memory Police shows the impossibility…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 65%: Power is a destroyer of lives. More than just a dystopian thriller, Yoko Ogawa’s “The Memory Police” follows the…
Power is a destroyer of lives. More than just a dystopian thriller, Yoko Ogawa’s “The Memory Police” follows the lives of a small, island community struggling against the power of an authoritarian regime. Detailing the battle for control, she presents a message of hope as characters quietly find ways to resist, however she ultimately depicts the inability of the community to maintain authority over their own lives. In retaliation, various characters display great strength to find ways of maintaining agency and independence. Nonetheless, a mysterious, supernatural force wipes away memories of increasing importance, resulting in the identities of characters slowly fading away. In addition to this, in an effort to enforce the physical disappearance of correlating memories, the Memory Police use brutality to force the community into submission.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: 'Oedipus cannot use Apollo's prophecy as a…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 90%: Set against the backdrop of the plague-stricken ancient Athenian city of Thebes, Sophocles' perennial Greek tragedy…
Set against the backdrop of the plague-stricken ancient Athenian city of Thebes, Sophocles' perennial Greek tragedy titled Oedipus the King, explores the series of tragic events that led to the prophesised downfall of eponymous Oedipus. To a large extent, Oedipus cannot blame Apollo's prophecy for his downfall, as Sophocles shows that while fate shapes his destiny, it is Oedipus' own hubris that seal his tragic demise. Although fate establishes the framework of Oedipus' downfall, it is also his own personal flaws that accelerate his destiny. By portraying King Oedipus as both the agent and victim of fate, Sophocles exposes how human pride, not prophecy, seals his tragic destiny.
Sophocles presents fate as an inescapable framework within which Oedipus’ tragedy unfolds. From the onset of Oedipus' birth, he is bound by Apollo's prophecy that he will "couple with [his] mother" and "kill [his] father", a divine curse that predetermines the tragic trajectory of his life. Sophocles’ use of the verbs “couple” and “kill” evokes both sexual and violent transgression, symbolising the defilement of natural and moral order. The prophecy’s blunt, declarative phrasing strips Oedipus of agency, positioning him as a pawn of inescapable divine will. To an Athenian audience, Oedipus' tragic destiny would have reinforced the belief that mortal attempts to evade fate are futile, as the gods dictate the limits of human freedom. Sophocles establishes fate not as a passive backdrop but as an active, omnipotent force governing human existence. Additionally, although Oedipus says that it was his own "hand that" "struck" his "eyes", the blind prophet Tiresias declared from the beginning that he would become "blind", "grop[ping] his way toward a foreign soil, a stick tapping before him step by step". This dramatic irony foreshadows that Oedipus' fate was pre-determined, in that he would become blind, highlighting the insignificance of free will in Oedipus' life due to this prophecy of his downfall. These prophecies underscore the inevitability of fate in determining Oedipus’ destiny, through the divine decree. Thus, the tragedian demonstrates fate as both the framework and catalyst of Oedipus' tragic demise.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Laveau-Harvie suggests that individuals…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 72.5%: Arg1- Vicki's sister never understood her past that’s why she cant let go of her past trauma Arg2- Vicki…
Arg1- Vicki's sister never understood her past that’s why she cant let go of her past trauma
Arg2- Vicki understood her past that why she is able to reconcile with her past
Arg3- However vicki doesn’t fully undestand her past but she moves forward by feeing her past.
Contention- while understanding your past helps you recouncile with your past and others its not necessary to move forward as shown with vicki as she movwa forward with her life by fleeing her past.
Set in the backdrop of rural Canada, 'The Erratics' reflects the emotional isolation and hidden dysfunction concealed within family of that era. Vicki Laveau-Harvie's nonlinear memoir suggests that while understanding your past helps you reconcile with your past and others in order to move forward with their lives. However, it's not necessary to move forward, this is shown with Vicki who moves forward with her life by fleeing her past. Certainly understanding your past is important as Vicki's sister never understood her past that’s why she can't let go of her past trauma. Additionally this is contrasted with Vicki who understood her past and is able to move forward with her past. However Vicki doesn’t fully reconcile her past but she moves forward by fleeing her past. Ultimately this distancing both physically and mentally is what allows her to understand her past.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Laveau-Harvie suggests that individuals…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: Laveau-Harvie suggests that reconciliation with past trauma is the key to moving forward. Vicki was able to…
Laveau-Harvie suggests that reconciliation with past trauma is the key to moving forward. Vicki was able to reconcile with her past childhood trauma and move forward with her life. Laveau Harvie presents Vicki as someone who is detached from her trauma. She does this through her fragmented memory and fragmented story which suggests that in order for Vicki to move on with her life she had to forget her past. This focuses on Vicki's personal defense mechanism against trauma where she chooses to forget the past as its too painful to remember. She's 'glad to forget' her past as 'where there was nothing, there was pain', highlighting Vicki's attempt to reconcile her past through her fragmented memory. She further demonstrates this theme of memory through her storytelling. She utilizes storytelling to capture that memory is fragmented and not perfect. In doing so she is able to move
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: One is destroyed by their own flaws, not…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: In ancient Greece, it was believed that each individual has an inescapable fate. This idea is centred in ancient…
In ancient Greece, it was believed that each individual has an inescapable fate. This idea is centred in ancient Greek playwright Sophocles' tragedy 'Oedipus the King', which was first performed at the Dionysus festival in 429 BCE. Performed to an audience of ancient Athenians, Oedipus' story of discovering his identity highlights the ways in which fate cannot be avoided. Through this, Sophocles also signals that when one's own flaws prohibit fate from occurring exclusively, the outcomes of this can lead to one's downfall. Sophocles exposes that while fate sets the overarching path of one's life, it is one's own flaws and choices that influence the tragic path and suffering faced.
Sophocles champions the power of fate, because while human error can worsen outcomes, fate is what creates the opportunity for those outcomes originally. As the Messenger reveals Oedipus' identity, he warns that Oedipus would be "covered in guilt" that came from his parents. Oedipus being fated to marry his mother and kill his father is tragic, and falling into this fate would cause great amounts of pain. The dramatic irony in the fact that this has already occurred demonstrates the ways in which fate is inescapable, and can be the cause of great amounts of suffering, especially to those who try to avoid their fate by their own means. Sophocles asserts that while some fates can be tragic in nature, one's own flaw of believing fate can be escaped could become more dangerous than the fate itself. Moreover, Oedipus recognises his "destiny" as "[his] alone" after it has been revealed, therefore signalling that he is the one who must deal with the consequences of trying to escape it. To believe one is above the gods, who put fate in place, it is recognised as a hubristic behaviour, and the consequences of doing so are that one's fate will only be revealed in a harsher light. Sophocles demonstrates that those who try to ignore the power of fate, when fate is what created the outline of one's life. Therefore, Sophocles asserts that while human flaws lead to great amounts of destruction, it is fate that created the basis of this occurrence.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Laveau-Harvie suggests that individuals…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: Laveau-Harvie suggests that reconciliation with past trauma is the key to moving forward. Vicki was able to…
Laveau-Harvie suggests that reconciliation with past trauma is the key to moving forward. Vicki was able to reconcile with her past childhood trauma and move forward with her life. Laveau Harvie presents Vicki as someone who is detached from her trauma. She does this through her fragmented memory and fragmented story which suggests that in order for Vicki to move on with her life she had to forget her past. This focuses on Vicki's personal defense mechanism against trauma where she chooses to forget the past as its too painful to remember. She's 'glad to forget' her past as 'where there was nothing, there was pain', highlighting Vicki's attempt to reconcile her past through her fragmented memory. She further demonstrates this theme of memory through her storytelling. She utilizes storytelling to capture that memory is fragmented and not perfect. In doing so she is able to move on with the story, mirroring the way she moves on
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: to what extent does the idea of absence…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 62.5%: In a world plagued by authoritarian control, one's perception of the world around them can be difficult to…
In a world plagued by authoritarian control, one's perception of the world around them can be difficult to maintain when surrounded by loss. Within Yoko Ogawa's didactic fable 'The Memory Police' published fifty years post WWII, she explores a dystopian society where the inhabitant's
reaction to the absence of objects distorts their perception of reality. While those who comply with the loss, face a powerless reality, those who resist the disappearances
accept a manipulated perception of hope. Despite this, those who rebel against the authoritarian regime are ultimately estranged from society due to their lack of deception.
Throughout the dystopian novel, Ogawa utilizes apathy as a leading factor that contributes to the inhabitants deception in reality. She initially acknowledges the citizen's apathy towards the disappearances through the symbolism of ferries. When the ferries disappear it means that the only way off the island is no longer accessable, taking away the freedom of the islanders. Due to their apathy of authoritarian control, it means the islanders surrender their freedom when accepting the disappearances. Ogawa follows by using visual imagery of snow, symbolising the omni-present force of the Memory Police. The idea that the society is "covered under the snow" symbolizes the continuous surveillance and power that the Memory Police hold. Ogawa utilises that symbol to assert the inhabitant's apathy towards their absence of freedom, further resulting in a powerless perception of reality. Ogawa finalises her point by addressing the lack of hope inhabitants face as a result of the loss of objects. When an object disappears, the citizens "shrug them off and make do with what is left", illustrating how their lack of interest causes them to become accustomed with their reality, discarding any hope for independence. Ogawa illustrates the inhabitant's apathy within her didactic novel to advocate that compliance leads to a compromised freedom.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Laveau-Harvie suggests that individuals…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: Laveau-Harvie suggests that reconciliation with past trauma is the key to moving forward. Vicki was able to…
Laveau-Harvie suggests that reconciliation with past trauma is the key to moving forward. Vicki was able to reconcile with her past childhood trauma and move forward with her life. Laveau Harvie presents Vicki as someone who is detached from her trauma. She does this through her fragmented memory and fragmented story which suggests that in order for Vicki to move on with her life she had to forget her past. This focuses on Vicki's personal defense mechanism against trauma where she chooses to forget the past as its too painful to remember. She's 'glad to forget' her past as 'where there was nothing, there was pain', highlighting Vicki's attempt to reconcile her past through her fragmented memory. She further demonstrates this theme of memory through her storytelling. She utilizes storytelling to capture that memory is fragmented and not perfect. In doing so she is able to move on with the story, mirroring the way she
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: 'Oh Oedipus, king of the land, our…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 75%: Section A In Sophocles greek play 'Oedipus The King', set in 13th century BCE Athens, Sophocles explores human…
Section A
In Sophocles greek play 'Oedipus The King', set in 13th century BCE Athens, Sophocles explores human power compared to divine power held by the Gods through his examination of human qualities that may prevent them from obtaining power within the play. This is demonstrated through the underlying power of the Gods present throughout the entirety of the play, that manipulate the power obtained by characters. It is also displayed through the dangers of human flaws and acting with emotion rather than reason that hinder the characters' success in gaining true knowledge and power by the conclusion of the play.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: 'We Have Always Lived in the Castle'…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 62.5%: At the heart of Shirley Jackson's gothic literature, 'We Have Always lived in the Castle', lies deep rooted…
At the heart of Shirley Jackson's gothic literature, 'We Have Always lived in the Castle', lies deep rooted subjections to history and trauma which result in individuals acting irrationally, ultimately behaving with a lack of empathy. Delving into the mysterious nature of the characters, Jackson unveils the impacts of these behaviours, exploring how a lack of empathy creates a self perpetuating cycle of cruelty and isolation
Emphasising the absence of accountability, Jackson demonstrates how unjust behaviours may further perpetuate when empathy is not present. Through the wicked depiction of Merricat Blackwood, Jackson conveys how her monstrous actions never change, and her mental imagery worsens, ultimately disclosing Merricat’s lack of empathy. After the murder of her family, Merricat shows no sign of remorse, highlighting the perceived lack of flaw in her gruesome actions. However, due to this absence of responsibility, this impacts future encounters with individuals or situations she does not favour, as she exhibits the same grim mental processes, particularly in the village as she often "wish[es] they would die". As the novel progresses, Merricat continues to display a breadth of graphic thoughts, such as wishing Charles was "laying dead in the driveway". Consequently, it is clear that this is due to her lack of empathy, prompting the likelihood of Merricat thinking this way in the future, putting more people at risk, providing a sense of psychological discomfort in the reader. This prompts the reader to recognise the accumulating effects of events that stem from the lack of empathy.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Essay – “The characters in Hadley’s…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: In Tessa Hadley’s Bad Dreams, characters often experience quiet discontent, yet their inability to embrace change…
In Tessa Hadley’s Bad Dreams, characters often experience quiet discontent, yet their inability to embrace change stems less from personal weakness than from the ordinary inertia of human life. Through Deeds Not Words, An Abduction, and One Saturday Morning, Hadley demonstrates that moments of insight are fleeting; the narrative voice, tone, and irony consistently highlight the subtlety of internal reflection. Across the anthology, characters experience moral and emotional awareness without outward transformation, revealing Hadley’s nuanced understanding of human limitation and the small significance of consciousness within ordinary life.
In Deeds Not Words, Hadley presents discontent as a quiet, inevitable outcome of social and generational pressures, where personal insight exists alongside hesitation and restraint. Edith’s shame in experiencing intimacy for the first time captures this tension: “Edith was thirty-four and lively and not bad-looking … but humiliatingly she had to own up to Fitz that this was her first experience of love – certainly of what she shyly called ‘intimate relations’.” The use of free indirect discourse allows readers intimate access to Edith’s private thoughts, reflecting the irony inherent in her desire to feel connected while simultaneously constrained by embarrassment and social expectation. This tension is mirrored in the girls’ admiration for Miss Mulhouse, whose heroic suffragette identity inspires devotion yet confines them within societal ideals: “The girls decorated their desks in Women’s Social and Political Union colors, purple and green and white, and stuck pictures of the Pankhursts inside their desk lids.” Here, Hadley’s ironic and observational tone underscores that discontent exists not through dramatic failure, but through the quiet recognition of limitation, illustrating how social and moral awareness can be both energizing and constraining.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “In Oedipus the King, knowledge is both a…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 62.5%: Sophocles’ Oedipus the King presents a tragic exploration of the human pursuit of knowledge and the devastating…
Sophocles’ Oedipus the King presents a tragic exploration of the human pursuit of knowledge and the devastating consequences of enlightenment. Set against the backdrop of divine prophecy and human pride, the play examines how the search for truth, though noble, becomes a curse when it exposes humanity’s helplessness before fate. Through dramatic irony, the motif of sight and blindness, and the conflict between free will and destiny, Sophocles reveals that knowledge, while essential for self-understanding, inevitably brings suffering. The tragedy of Oedipus lies not in his ignorance, but in the terrible wisdom that his search for knowledge uncovers.
At the play’s beginning, Oedipus embodies the heroic ideal of rational inquiry and moral responsibility. His determination to “bring what is dark to light” frames him as a saviour seeking truth for the good of Thebes. Yet Sophocles uses dramatic irony to show how this pursuit becomes self-destructive: the darkness Oedipus seeks to dispel is his own guilt. His intellectual pride, rooted in his triumph over the Sphinx, blinds him to the warnings of divine authority. The very qualities that once defined his greatness — logic, courage, and self-belief — transform into instruments of his ruin. Sophocles suggests that the human desire to know is both admirable and perilous, for enlightenment can reveal truths too painful to bear. In Oedipus’ case, the discovery of truth leads not to freedom, but to devastation.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: ‘We demand the right to control our own…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: Jane Harrisons 2005 play, ‘Rainbows End’ explores the impact of discrimination post-colonisation of Australia…
Jane Harrisons 2005 play, ‘Rainbows End’ explores the impact of discrimination post-colonisation of Australia towards Aboriginal people during the 1950’s. Harrison showcases the journey of three generations of indigenous women and how leadership can display identity and personality. The play highlights how characters can demonstrate a sense of leadership through self-determination whereas other indigenous peoples seek opportunities in the face of injustice. However, multiple individuals took their position of leadership for granted as they segregated First Nations People due to their racist perceptions.
Characters in ‘Rainbows End’ regain power and leadership through self-determination. Harrison explores the characterisation of Dolly as she refuses to be controlled by others and chooses her own destiny. Juxtaposition is evident when Dolly argues with Errol that he’s “just assuming that his world is better,” which suggests that there is a contrast of their worlds due to living as two different ethnicities. Harrison highlights the issues between both worlds when Dolly stands her ground to be heard as it is unjust that their communities are segregated based on culture. Furthermore, Dolly reacts to Errol’s statement about wanting to offer her a “better life” which she replies that she’s “staying right [where she is] with [her]mum and [her] nan,” depicting the courage of Dollys decision to stay with her family, displaying her self-determination and independence. Ultimately, Harrison criticises the ongoing systematic issues and divided worlds between the Aboriginal and White communities during the 1950s, resulting in the long lasting segregation between both groups. Furthermore, Harrison praises the courage of Aboriginal women to control their own narrative despite the oppressive patriarchal society.
‘Rainbows End’ explores leadership through the drive for equality. Harrison showcases the clear transformation shown by Gladys, as at first, her idea of being respected is to assimilate with white culture such as wearing “white gloves” or being recognised by the Queen. This symbolism of the white gloves displays the representation of class,
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: '... the law isn't rational at all. It's a…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 85%: '... the law isn't rational at all. It's a lottery.' Born a Crime suggests that right and wrong are not necessarily…
'... the law isn't rational at all. It's a lottery.'
Born a Crime suggests that right and wrong are not necessarily what the law says.
Discuss.
Morality is the understanding and application of empathy and respect for life as a whole. Trevor Noah's autobiographical memoir "Born a Crime" details a nuanced discussion into the subjective nature of morality within a society, and highlights the ways in which legislations do not always adhere to ensuring the safety and respect of all. Via a series of satirically imbued vignettes, Noah depicts how South African law under apartheid is inherently immoral; for it instigates the disempowerment of innocent life for the gain of power. This concept is then compounded through an absurdist lens, by which Noah mocks the self-righteous nature that particularly Christian devotees follow, despite the heinous actions that apartheid reinforces by law. Conversely, Noah questions what it means to be moral, for when a system forces destitution upon a community, he demonstrates how it cannot be considered wrong in an absolute sense, when such communities refuses to be subservient to the rules that the government enforces. Ultimately, Noah condemns the argument of any potential morality being attributed to a regime that works to silence the many for the benefit of the few; as such, explains how one cannot ridicule the many, for not following the few.
Set against a backdrop of oppressive tyranny and segregation, Noah depicts how the law cannot always be a paragon of justice, for the freedom and safety of all is an essential for such a title. As under apartheid, Noah immediately illustrates how the subjugation of those seperate from the non-white diaspora, are not considered equal, and explicitly states how the decrees of apartheid intentionally aims to inflict suffering upon such people. For through the preamble that depicts the "Immorality Act", a ruling that prohibits the "carnal intercourse" of interracial couples, he highlights how an institution such as the South African government under apartheid, can never truly align itself with that of inherent morality. As to strip a community of their bodily autonomy, even if it applies to both 'whites' and 'blacks', means to take away the rights and agency of another human being, hence, Noah contends its immorality. Further, through the titular oxymoron of "Born a Crime", Noah suggests the idiocracy that such laws bring; for too condemn a human being's existence, a child innocent to the greed and pain of the world, to a life of "Crime", in Noah's eyes, is not only wrong, but absurd. Thus, Noah, through an isolation of cases by which laws are objectively immoral due to their lack of respect for life, demonstrates how following the law cannot be a true indicator of being ethical, for the harm it may cause is inexcusable.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: How does the Australian landscape enhance…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: The film High Ground is based upon the Australian Frontier war massacres of the early 1900s where settlers sought…
The film High Ground is based upon the Australian Frontier war massacres of the early 1900s where settlers sought control over land that belonged to the indigenous population in nort hern Australia. Being based upon thi s, High Ground is filmed in the northern territory, a location prominent for thriving local wildlife, varied landscape and as the home for numerous anima ls. Stephen Johnson uses the Australian landscape, depicting the resilience of indigenous Australians to purges of their identity and enhancing the threat and intrusiveness of the colonisers. Overall, Stephen Johnson uses the landscape, fauna, and flora to showcase indigenous triumph against a strong and intrusive colonial power.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: I’m high ground it is impossible for…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 70%: The film high ground which is directed by Stephen Maxwell Johnson is based on the colonisation of Arnhem Land with…
The film high ground which is directed by Stephen Maxwell Johnson is based on the colonisation of Arnhem Land with a focus on the large extent to which it is impossible for individuals to escape their past. Violence and the burden of shame and guilt make it near impossible to escape the past even if they want to, however, Johnson also suggests that moments of reconciliation offer a fragile hope of escaping this history
Johnson highlights that the violent past of white settlers is inescapable. The film argues that the violence of the past creates an unavoidable cycle that preserves trauma and is passed down through generations. In the opening scene Arnhem Land is portrayed as a place of tranquility and beauty through the use of non diegetic sound and the aerial view shot showing the sacred rock, nimbuwa. Johnson's use of the aerial shot over Nimbuwa, paired with the non-diegetic yolgnu chant, establishes the spiritual connection between the people and the land and then this harmony is permanently shattered by the colonists with the horrific violence endured during the massacre of the yolgnu tribe which leads to multi generational trauma and therefore lead to enduring resentment and fear between indigenous people and the white settlers causing more violence. The film captures the settler ideology in the blunt assertion that “you can’t share a country”, which juxtaposes indigenous peoples beliefs of a makarata and balance between the land and all that coexist on it, however this is shattered and violence is also what indigenous people turn to. All the characters are victims of a cycle of violence that they are unable to break making it impossible for individuals to escape their past
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Ogawa explores the dilemmas faced by…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: Yoko Ogawa’s The Memory Police presents the act of memory as a profound human dilemma, where to remember is to…
Yoko Ogawa’s The Memory Police presents the act of memory as a profound human dilemma, where to remember is to remain connected to one’s humanity, history, and sense of being. Yet the act of remembering carries psychological anguish and the threat of punishment under authoritarian rule. Through her characters, Ogawa demonstrates that this tension between survival and the need for memory is intrinsic to the human condition and ultimately leaves readers questioning whether resistance can ever overcome erasure.
Ogawa’s novel follows the characters journey of trying to remember the things that have been lost despite the knowledge of the punishment that will come with the act of remembering. The Narrator delivers the statement “my mother died, and then my father died”, devoid of sentiment, blunt and disconnected, portraying that she believes these tragic events are inevitable facts of life. Ogawa presents a world where the pain of remembering and re-experiencing loss triumphs over agency, and characters would rather forget their trauma then face the regimes harsh reality. Furthermore, she further demonstrates the citizens loss of autonomy through the imagery of “no one ventured into the crosswalk”, symbolising the complete inertia experiences by society. Even without The Memory Police’s authoritarian presence, society is paralysed by fear and desperate to remain anonymous, the will to move and act completely lost to humanities natural desire to remain free of suffering and punishment. However, Ogawa reveals that dilemma is a luxury in this world, the choice between two options, as “the Inui family vanished”, symbolising the absolute end to memory. Their absence reflects the collapse of the dilemma itself, where those who are erased are freed from the struggle between remembering and forgetting, leaving the living in the torment of choosing survival over memory. Ultimately, Ogawa establishes an oppressive regime that forces a dilemma between quiet survival and remembering on its citizens, the novel acting as an analysis of human behaviour.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: I’m high ground it is impossible for…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 75%: The film high ground which is directed by Stephen Maxwell Johnson is based on the colonisation of Arnhem Land with…
The film high ground which is directed by Stephen Maxwell Johnson is based on the colonisation of Arnhem Land with a focus on the large extent to which it is impossible for individuals to escape their past. Violence and the burden of shame and guilt make it near impossible to escape the past even if they want to, however, Johnson also suggests that moments of reconciliation offer a fragile hope of escaping this history
Johnson highlights that the violent past of white settlers is inescapable. The film argues that the violence of the past creates an unavoidable cycle that preserves trauma and is passed down through generations. In the opening scene Arnhem Land is portrayed as a place of tranquility and beauty through the use of non diegetic sound and the aerial view shot showing the sacred rock, nimbuwa. Johnson's use of the aerial shot over Nimbuwa, paired with the non-diegetic yolgnu chant, establishes the spiritual connection between the people and the land and then this harmony is permanently shattered by the colonists with the horrific violence endured during the massacre of the yolgnu tribe which leads to multi generational trauma and therefore lead to enduring resentment and fear between indigenous people and the white settlers causing more violence. The film captures the settler ideology in the blunt assertion that “you can’t share a country”, which juxtaposes indigenous peoples beliefs of a makarata and balance between the land and all that coexist on it, however this is shattered and violence is also what indigenous people turn to. All the characters are victims of a cycle of violence that they are unable to break making it impossible for individuals to escape their past
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Stephen Johnson’s High Ground challenges…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 67.5%: In its profound exploration of identity, power, and the enduring consequences of colonialism in 1930s Australia,…
In its profound exploration of identity, power, and the enduring consequences of colonialism in 1930s Australia, High Ground meticulously provokes its audience to re-examine their core beliefs and values. Director Stephen Johnson crafts a nuanced narrative that delves into the intricacies of power dynamics within the context of 1930's colonial Australia. It is through the uneven, and often unjust, distribution of power the film scrutinises the complexity of identity within a colonial framework, unravelling the accepted Australian narratives of power, violence, and identity. In doing so, High Ground becomes a potent tool for Johnson to confront the persistent legacy of colonial violence, compelling viewers to reflect upon their own roles within this historical narrative.
High Ground's meticulous dissection of entrenched colonial narratives culminates in the validity of violence through justice, exposing the deep-seated legacy and its multifaceted consequences. By employing the recurring motif of the high ground, not just as a strategic advantage in warfare, but as a metaphorical representation of the colonial powers' perceived superiority and dominance. This is starkly exemplified in Travis's reflection, 'when you've got the high ground you control everything,' a line delivered with a tone of hardened conviction. Here, Travis unknowingly encapsulates the very essence of colonial ideology, highlighting the inherent power imbalance and the ruthlessness with which it is maintained. The strategic use of high-angle shots and panoramic views in these moments visually reinforces this dominance, creating a sense of vastness and control that the colonial forces exert over the land and its Indigenous inhabitants. However, the film subverts this colonial narrative through its depiction of Indigenous characters navigating and reclaiming these spaces. In addition, the inclusion of symbols such as traditional Indigenous art, placed in stark contrast with the utilitarian architecture of colonial buildings, serves to deepen the film's critique of colonialism. These moments are crucial, as they challenge the colonial assertion of power and highlight the resilience and strength of Indigenous cultures. Thus, not only highlighting the cultural dissonance but also underscoring the richness of Indigenous cultures and the violence of cultural erasure perpetuated by colonial forces. Therefore, High Ground dismantles established ideas around identity, belonging, and power, compelling the audience to confront their own values and reconsider their stance in the light of historical and ongoing injustices.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Robbie Arnott’s novel ‘Flames’ explores…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 75%: Robbie Arnott's novel ‘Flames’ invites post-colonial Australians to renew their perspective of transformation to…
Robbie Arnott's novel ‘Flames’ invites post-colonial Australians to renew their perspective of transformation to end the intergenerational issue of self-destruction and disconnectedness. Arnott illustrates the disconnect of characters, the importance of coexistence and connectedness for a purposeful being. Initially, Arnott focuses on a dysfunctional family to illustrate the harm in response to the trauma of death. Arnott uses Levi’s character to demonstrate the male tendency to control and externalise grief through destructive behaviours. Arnott illustrates human greed through Allen Gibson’s possession by the cormorant, suggesting that nature will always be more powerful than humans. By tracing the broken relationship between siblings Levi and Charlotte McAllister, Arnott ultimately suggests that true transformation arises not from control, but from reconnection.
Arnott constructs that Levi McAllister's obsessive need for control over the response of grief encourages self-destruction. Arnott positions readers to perceive Levi’s desire for control as destructive over his mother's death. The supernatural return of Edith McAllister in ‘Ash’, ‘who returned two days after her ashes were spread on the Notely Fern Gorge’ drives Levi’s obsession to gain control over his sister. Levi’s fear that Charlotte also wants to continue their family's tradition is expressed through the motif of ‘the black patch of green’ on the lawn ‘glued to’ Charlottes ‘mind’ which symbolises theas he ‘wondered what form she would take when she returned to him.’ This evokes readers to sympathise with Levi, but also creates tension that his obsession may lead to self-destruction. This drives Levi to further externalise his grief through the act of building a coffin for his sister, swearing to ‘bury her whole and still and cold’, as a way of preventing Charlotte from returning in the same form of their mother. As a result, Charlotte runs away in pursuit of freedom and independence. In doing this, Arnott exposes how Levi’s inability to cope with the loss of his mother transforms his grief into a cycle of self destruction.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: I’m high ground it is impossible for…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 75%: The film high ground which is directed by Stephen Maxwell Johnson is based on the colonisation of Arnhem Land with…
The film high ground which is directed by Stephen Maxwell Johnson is based on the colonisation of Arnhem Land with a focus on the large extent to which it is impossible for individuals to escape their past. Violence and the burden of shame and guilt make it near impossible to escape the past even if they want to, however their are moments of reconciliation and hope that illustrates the possibility of individuals to change and escape their past
Johnson highlights that the violent past of white settlers is inescapable. The film argues that the violence of the past creates an unavoidable cycle that preserves trauma and is passed down through generations. In the opening scene Arnhem Land is portrayed as a place of tranquility and beauty through the use of non diegetic sound and the aerial view shot showing the sacred rock, nimbuwa. This is then a stark contrast to the horrific violence endured during the massacre of the yolgnu tribe which leads to multi generational trauma and therefore lead to enduring resentment and fear between indigenous people and the white settlers causing more violence. The film captures the settler ideology in the blunt assertion that “you can’t share a country”, which juxtaposes indigenous peoples beliefs of a makarata and balance between the land and all that coexist on it, however this is shattered and violence is also what indigenous people turn to. All the characters are victims of a cycle of violence that they are unable to break making it impossible for individuals to escape their past
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: How does Trevor Noah explore the…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 67.5%: Recounting a childhood suppressed by the confinements of a racist regime, Trevor Noah’s comedic memoir, Born A…
Recounting a childhood suppressed by the confinements of a racist regime, Trevor Noah’s comedic memoir, Born A Crime, exposes the racially divisive society left in the wake of apartheid that formed entrenched social barriers between ethnic groups. In criticising the resulting consequence of this oppressive strata as the dispossession of self for coloured people through the weaponization of speech, Noah ultimately concedes how these challenges can be transgressed through language as a means of mutual understanding.
Opening his memoir with the Immorality Act 1927 — an absurd legislation that allegedly forbade the sexual intercourse of two people from different ethnic groups, Noah discloses a dehumanising system that categorises individuals by their race. In the first two prefaces of the memoir, Noah seemingly applauds the “genius of apartheid” and how it was “perfect racism”, contextualising the extent of its oppression by praising its cruel achievements. Paired with his renaming of the event as “apart hate”, Noah drags a distant western audience to the depths of his South African childhood where they too must navigate through this brutal reality. His exposure of the ethnic hierarchy consisting of “different levels of rights and privileges”, all of which are determined from the government’s perception of one’s outward appearance, further substantiates his denunciation of the systematic oppression that ensued as a result of a divisive nation. Echoing this racial disparity, quoting the legal definition of what constitutes a white person, “one who in appearance… is obviously a white person”, Noah colloquially undermines how ridiculous and “completely arbitrary” the system was. By utilising the words “promoted” and “demoted” which have objectifying connotations of levelling up and down, people’s entire lives are reduced to the colour of their skin, Noah condemns the superficiality of race, portraying it as a social construct. If a person can ‘change’ their race, then this fabrication only serves one purpose: to fuel The National Party’s political advantage and their policies of white supremacy. This is further critiqued in Noah’s disparaging explanation of the infamous “pencil test” where one’s living situation is controlled by the government’s “eye-balling” of one’s outlook. In accentuating this preposterous apparatus, Noah contextualises a racially divided society for a western audience who is otherwise unaware of these limiting practices.
In consequence to this categorical system, Noah exposes how this then heightens the oppression inflicted upon biracial South Africans. With Noah “[defying] easy categorisation”, he criticises the implementation of a baseless regime for hindering his ability to connect with others who feared “[disavowing] the tribe”.This notion of a ‘tribe’ elicits a deep-rooted connection between a group of individuals, bounded by ancestral relations and a