VCE · Text Response
Text Response: In ‘Oedipus the King’, there are no right…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 87.5%: Written against the historical backdrop of the Peloponnesian War and the plague of Athens, the ancient Athenian…
Written against the historical backdrop of the Peloponnesian War and the plague of Athens, the ancient Athenian tragedian, Sophocles composed the tragedy, ‘Oedipus the King’ in the collection of ‘the Three Theban play’ to reflect the turbulent era. According to Socrates’ philosophy of ‘rationalism’, Sophocles utilizes the play to suggests that the concept of ‘choice’ is a sense of illusion. Initially, Sophocles presents the human autonomy as a mortal flaw that ultimates in deconstruction. Furthermore, Sophocles endeavours to illustrate the notion that all sense of human deliberation is well manipulated by the divine orchestration. In doing so, the tragedian suggests all ‘rational’ decisions in mortal perspectives are pre-determined. Therefore, Sophocles frequently utlises the characters and the structure of the play to deliver the requisition to withstand and maintain the wisdom of ‘sophrosyne’.
Sophocles initially presents the triumph over divine decree in order to seize the illusion of autonomy is a sense of ‘desire’, an illustration of blasphemy. Under the presence of dramatic irony, the pre-requisition of the tragedy’s context from the audience, the playwright’s portrayal of Oedipus deliberation to ‘flee from Corinth… gauging its landfall only by the stars’ as a response to the inquiry of the prophecy: ‘you (Oedipus) will couple with your mother (Jocasta)’ and eventually ‘cut your (Oedipus) father (Laius) down’ is rational. ‘Running, always running’, stemming from Oedipus’ fear and his altruistic characteristic, the mortal audience are likely to resonate with his response to the Oracle. However, due to the existence of the heavily felt off-stage characters, the divine orchestration, Oedipus eventually resulted at the ‘crossroads’. Although, the ‘crossroads’ definition, owing to literature, suggested a symbol of ‘choices’ and directions, it ultimately becomes an exercise of divine orchestration. As a result of the chance-meeting of Oedipus and Laius, the tragic protagonist committed the serious crime in the ancient Greek era, patricide. Therefore, the juxtaposition between Oedipus’ rational response and the overwhelming divine orchestration further reinforces Sophocles’ message of human agency is an illusion. Furthermore, Laius’ response to the Oracle, sending Oedipus to the ‘barren, trackless mountain’ and the decision to ‘fasten his (Oedipus) ankle’ is likely to be interpreted as a release from the prophecy. Ironically, owing to the divine ordainment, the chance-meeting of the Theban shepherd and the messenger from Corinth ‘(un)fastened’ Oedipus. Therefore, both Oedipus and Laius are ‘(re)fastened’ to the ‘Oracle of Delphi’. Hence, the tragedian, Sophocles lucidly delivered the message that free will is a sense of illusion and will be overshadowed by the gravest kinds.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: How does 'The Memory Police' reveal the…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 75%: How does 'The Memory Police' reveal the impact of oppression? Set on an unnamed island plagued by the gradual…
How does 'The Memory Police' reveal the impact of oppression?
Set on an unnamed island plagued by the gradual disappearance of objects, Yoko Ogawa's Japanese novel, 'The Memory Police', published in 1994 and translated by Stephen Snyder in 2019, examines the multifaceted nature of oppression, interrogating the dangers of ideological conditioning and the existential threats it poses to humanity. Ogawa reveals the physical and emotional consequences of sustained subjugation on individuals living within a hollowing society, while also warning against the threat of systemic collapse under a mysterious governing force. The novel explores the physical impacts of authority on an individuals daily life, portrays the emotional damage and trauma that is inflicted by relentless marginalisation, and demonstrates the risk of systemic autophogy under an authoritarian figure.
Ogawa depicts the physiological and direct consequences of sustained corrosive authority on individuals living within a totalitarian society. Ogawa first depicts the physical oppression of individuals on the island when the family is taken away by the Memory Police, toward the beginning of the novel. The narrator describes how the family was "loaded into the truck" in the street. Ogawa goes on to describe the "young girl... with knobby knees", underpinning the innocent nature of the girl who can remember through this descriptive imagery. By further portraying the girls fear after she "scrambles to get up" when falling over, Ogawa illustrates the forced oppression of individuals who can remember, creating public fear and encoraging complacency within society by exemplifying the ruthlessness of the Memory Police, not showing any mercy, even for a young girl. This concept of the physical confinement of individuals under authority is most clearly noted through R's forced confinement in the secret room to resist discovery by the Memory Police. By going into hidding, quitting his job and leaving his family, R is forced into completing everyday mundane tasks such as "polishing the silver" or "organising the tax book". Through this intellectual deprivation, Ogawa demonstrates the power of authority in controling an individuals daily life, dictating their actions. The physical toll this confinement has on R is exemplified through the narrators description of R as "feel[ing] the outline of his body blurring, his blood thinning". Through these connotative words, Ogawa evokes a sense of weakening of R due to the sustained confinement to the hidden room, further exemplifying the physical toll prolonged hidding has had on R's body. In doing so, Ogawa depicts the long-term physical consequences that corrosive oppression has on an individuals physical health, and quality of life.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: To what extent is Sunset Boulevard about…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 75%: Having control over one's life decisions is vital for the unconstrained expression of oneself. Billy Wilder,…
Having control over one's life decisions is vital for the unconstrained expression of oneself. Billy Wilder, renowned Hollywood director of the mid-1900s, explores this idea through his 1950s film noir Sunset Boulevard and how control is very much limited for individuals in the Hollywood Realm. He explores the different facets of lost control, such as that over one's perception, their future and sanity, and their common throughline, being the malicious motivations of Hollywood. Thus wilder the contends that Hollywood thrives off of gained control over others, and thus, Sunset Boulevard largely revolves around the lost control of Hollywood artists.
Wilder the presents Hollywood as a narcissistic entertainment industry that controls the trajectory of its aspirants. Wilder places the “first husband" of Norma Desmond, Max von Mayerling, as a symbolic representative of the Hollywood machine. Thus, as Max takes "Mr Gillis's bags" and "naturally" brings the rest of Joe’s belongings into Norma’s “haunted sunset castle”, Wilder the uses Max's eager characterisation to take Joe into Norma's environment to symbolise and reflect Hollywood's similar enthusiasm to take in young aspirants such as “17 year old norma” and entrap them in the “prison” of Hollywood. As the film progresses, it becomes increasingly evident that Max facilitates the course of action which both Joe and Norma take, being of ultimate peril. During the denouement of the film, as a close-up with harsh striking lighting captures norma presenting herself to the “press agents”, Max is seen to eagerly take on the director's role, commanding “action”. Wilder thus uses this to illustrate Max's ultimate role in Norma’s life, being her destructive enabler. He does this to further reflect the similarly destructive and selfish nature of Hollywood dictating the outcomes of its by you serving their power over said outcomes.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: In Sunset Boulevard, it is the capacity…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 90%: Confined within the illusory glamour of a Hollywood machine built on youth and disposability, Billy Wilder's…
Confined within the illusory glamour of a Hollywood machine built on youth and disposability, Billy Wilder's cynical film noir Sunset Boulevard interrogates the destructive role of self-delusion within the exploitative studio system of 1950s America, exposing its unyielding dominance over fame and wealth. Through manipulative relationships, such as the transactional bond between Joe and Norma, Wilder reveals how power and financial motives become corrosive within the world of Hollywood. He further explores the blurred distinction between illusion and reality, exposing the ways individuals construct false identities to escape the harshness of their circumstances in a desperate bid to preserve their fading relevance. Yet Wilder ultimately positions Hollywood itself as the manufacturer of this capacity for delusion, critiquing an industry that commodifies individuals, values youth and success, and ruthlessly discards those who no longer serve its interests.
Built on a condemnation of Hollywood’s brutal reality, Wilder critiques the ways in which individuals become tied to the pursuit of financial freedom. From the outset, Wilder introduces his doomed protagonist through an opening scene that begins where the film ultimately ends: with Joe Gillis’s death. This non-linear structure creates a closed, fatalistic cycle, symbolising Hollywood’s tendency to discard principles, ambition and idealism. Wilder highlights the financial struggles of unsuccessful screenwriters through the symbolic loss of Joe’s car, which is threatened by the “repo men” before Norma dismisses the issue, stating that “we only need one car.” Through this act of financial manipulation, Wilder frames Norma's control over Joe as suffocating, one that steadily severs him from the creative world he once belonged to. Joe’s gradual submission to Norma’s controlling behaviour and financial generosity reflects the oppressive illusion surrounding her world, while also exposing the social façade of appearing successful in 1950s Hollywood. Although Joe attempts to maintain the image of prosperity, he becomes increasingly trapped within Norma Desmond’s distorted reality. Within Norma’s gothic mansion, Joe is frequently dwarfed by wide camera shots, particularly as he moves up the grand staircase, visually diminishing him and foreshadowing his entrapment and separation from the outside world. The non-diegetic voice-over further disrupts Norma’s illusion; Joe’s cynical, world-weary tone directly addresses the audience, cutting through Norma’s melodrama and repeatedly drawing them back to the distorted truth and the underlying reality of his murder. Through this posthumous narration, Wilder reinforces the noir fatalism surrounding Joe’s story and how his deluded pursuit for financial freedom can ultimately become destructive.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: In Oedipus the King, Sophocles suggests…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 87.5%: In Oedipus the King, Sophocles suggests that seeking the truth is dangerous, as it unearths the tragic and…
In Oedipus the King, Sophocles suggests that seeking the truth is dangerous, as it unearths the tragic and misery-filled lives they all truly live. While Oedipus’s aggressive pride and intellectual arrogance accelerates his catastrophic downfall, attributing the tragedy solely to human ego oversimplifies the play. Sophocles ultimately demonstrates that whilst Oedipus’s hubris is what blinds him from reality, the tragedy is fundamentally written by his inescapable prophecy and a relentless civil duty that weaponizes truth against the protagonist. Through the unravelling of Thebes, the playwright exposes how human agency is systematically flawed by design, where attempting to learn ones true destiny only guarantees ones destruction.
Sophocles establishes early that Oedipus’s unchallenged hubris and faith in his own intellect directly catalyzes the tragedy of his journey. From the beginning of the play, Oedipus views himself as the savior above mortal limitation, declaring to suffering Theban citizens, “You pray to gods? Come, Let me answer your prayers”. This outlandish overconfidence blinds him to the boundaries of human knowledge. When the blind prophet Tiresias gently attempts to guide him away from the truth, Oedipus’s pride weaponizes his intellect, leading him to accuse both Tiresias and Creon, rather than humbling himself before the prophecy. His temper and demand for absolute control means that every step he takes to ‘solve’ the murder of Laius is driven by his ego in that he can outthink his own destiny. Consequently, Sophocles frames Oedipus’s ruin as a natural and destruction sequence of a mortal who mistakes his cleverness for supremacy.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: In Oedipus the King, there are no right…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 72.5%: Hailed as the pinnacle of Greek tragedy, Sophocles Oedipus the King explores the inescapability of fate, steeped…
Hailed as the pinnacle of Greek tragedy, Sophocles Oedipus the King explores the inescapability of fate, steeped in dramatic irony, Oedipus attempts to thwart fate by trying to outrun it and instead runs towards its eventual succession. Throughout the play, Sophocles explores the fine line between leadership and hubris. Although actions taken throughout the play in response to major events could be classified as actions that serve the polis and actions that serve the self, ultimately fate is intertwined in all actions taken by characters such as only the course of their destiny is altered but never their fate.
To begin with, Sophocles explores how actions can be taken that embody leadership and serve the polis. Firstly, Oedipus, the King of Thebes, after hearing the way to rid the miasma from the polis, believes that he “will bring all to light” and promptly opens an investigation into the murderer of King Laius, the father to Oedipus and the previous King of Thebes, though this investigation begins the downfall of Oedipus, Sophocles uses his actions to exemplify the traits ancient Greeks believed those in leadership should have. Next, after it is revealed that Oedipus is the murderer of king Laius, Oedipus with his last order as a leader asks to become exiled, instead of covering up the findings of the incident, Oedipus accepts both his mistakes and his punishment for his ignorance and his blind faith in human autonomy. Sophocles highlights to the Athenian audience when provided with the chance to serve himself or serve the polis, a renewed Oedipus aligns himself with the traits of a leadership and chooses to serve the polis at the price of his position as king and his image as the saviour of Thebes. Finally, Creon, the brother of Jocasta considered to be the foil of Oedipus, instead of sending Oedipus immediately to be exiled allows him the chance to speak to his daughters one last time. Through this Sophocles positions the Athenian audience to understand that true leaders are not always rigid in their ways and are able to express empathy and understanding to the plight of others. Ultimately, Sophocles examines how choices can take that can serve the polis and exemplify the qualities of leadership
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: The characters in Rainbow's End are driven…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 90%: Harrison characterises her women as forcefully driven by the need to achieve personal agency due to the despotic…
Harrison characterises her women as forcefully driven by the need to achieve personal agency due to the despotic nature of the white society they live under, and reveals the differing generational ideals towards this achievement. Throughout the play, the Dears are subject to severe institutional control that dictates their lives, treatment and individual freedoms. Harrison explores this within her characterisation of Nan, where her bitter reflection “They… forced us to leave Cummergunja. Our home.” exposes the historically continuous dominion that white Australia imposes upon Indigenous peoples as a means of eroding their cultural roots in a move towards white conformity. Nan’s own endeavour towards personal agency is performed as a reclamation of these cultural roots where her declaration “My birth certificate says Murray River. Born there and by crikey, I’m gunna go back and die there.” crystallizes her deep internalised desire for self-determination within her connection to the land. This act of defiance holds true to her cultural bonds as the imposition of dying on her land represents the ultimate form of resistance against a regime that denies her agency over her life. This
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Discuss how identity and the struggle for…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 85%: Stephen Maxwell Johnson's 2020 film High Ground, set in the aftermath of the 1919 Gan Gan massacre, serves as a…
Stephen Maxwell Johnson's 2020 film High Ground, set in the aftermath of the 1919 Gan Gan massacre, serves as a visual condemnation of Australia's colonial era, illustrating how the violent imperatives of white settlers act as the primary catalyst for the systemic disruption of Indigenous existence. Johnson delineates a stark binary between Indigenous and colonial ontologies; while the Yolngu people are defined by ancestral tradition, intrinsic spiritual value, and an immutable connection to Country, the colonisers are driven by a Eurocentric ideology of violence and absolute subjugation. Yet, even as Johnson maps this defining cultural chasm, he simultaneously complicates the notion of a predetermined, static identity by exploring the psychological fractures endured by individuals cast into the liminal spaces between the Yolngu and colonial worlds.
Johnson frames High Ground as an uncompromising celebration of Yolngu sovereignty, suggesting that despite the relentless frontier violence inflicted by imperial forces, Indigenous identity remains steadfast in its cultural integrity. This resilience is primarily epitomised by Grandfather Dharrpa, a Yolngu Elder whose profound wisdom and quiet strength anchor his community against the existential threat of the colonial project. When the central protagonist, Gutjuk, undergoes a spiritual reclamation of his heritage after a childhood of forced assimilation at the mission, Dharrpa serves as a crucial guiding figure, instructing him to “listen to Father Sky. To Mother Earth, to what she is telling you.” Through this interaction, Johnson emphasizes that maintaining an unbroken connection to Country is the ultimate form of anti-colonial resistance. The enduring power of Yolngu identity is visually manifested during the film's climactic confrontation, wherein Gutjuk fiercely declares, “My name is Gutjuk, you killed my family, say it!” This emotionally charged assertion transforms Gutjuk’s reclamation of his birthright into an act of supreme defiance. By capturing this moment through a distinct low camera angle, Johnson visually elevates Gutjuk into an imposing figure of resistance, while simultaneously positioning the colonisers as physically threatened and vulnerable. This subversion of typical frontier iconography directly invokes the historical reality of Indigenous guerrilla warfare, celebrating it as a symbol of power and survival. Furthermore, Johnson reinforces the conceptual superiority of the Yolngu worldview by juxtaposing Gutjuk’s later realization that “when you’ve got the high ground, you can see everything,” against Travis’s earlier tactical instruction that the high ground allows one to “control everything.” This deliberate contrast between holistic sight and violent surveillance elevates the Yolngu identity as one rooted in ecological harmony, balance, and peaceful coexistence.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: High Ground serves as a condemnation of…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: Within his 2020 film High Ground, Stephen Maxwell Johnson strongly condemns the injustices experienced by…
Within his 2020 film High Ground, Stephen Maxwell Johnson strongly condemns the injustices experienced by Indigenous peoples during Australia's colonial era. As a result of the Eurocentric ideology forced upon the Yolngu people of Arnhem Land, Indigenous Australians were ultimately subject to an attempted forced assimilation, leading to dispossession as a result of colonial violence. Whilst Yolngu culture ultimately persisted despite the colonist's efforts to dispossess them, Johnson criticises the colonial ideology and illustrates the devastating impact their imperialist movement had on Indigenous populations.
From the outset, Johnson exemplifies the stark impact colonial violence had on the Yolngu peoples. Through the initial massacre scene, where colonists remorselessly destroyed protagonist Gutjuk's community, Johnson delineates the chauvinism of the settler's movement, suggesting that they undoubtedly reigned supremacy over the consequently vulnerable Yolngu people. Johnson reinforces this idea through Eddy, a strong-minded police officer, representative of the white supremacy ideology at the forefront of the colonialist movement. When in conversation with Travis, he exclaims that "what matters is that we work as unit," blatantly disregarding the violence and brutality the Yolngu were subjected to in the opening sequence. Johnson's deployment of a close-up shot depicting Eddy, conveying his violent and negligent attitude, heightens the tension between him and Travis, characterising Eddy as a poster figure of the colonial project, shifting the audience's attention towards his own perception of the settler's movement. Johnson reinforces this idea through Moran, the police chief of the mission and an authoritative figure entrenched in the deeply rooted injustices of the colonial system. Johnson employs Moran's position of power and control to exert his perspective of the Yolngu peoples, which Johnson ultimately condemns through his representation of the destructive impact colonial violence had on the Yolngu community. During the film's final sequence of the shootout, Moran is unequivocally determined to finally eliminate Gutjuk and his community, commanding that "they get all of them this time!" Through Johnson's characterisation of Moran, he portrays the influence of authority and control in conducting the colonial movement, ultimately condemning the use of violence to spread the Anglocentric ideology. Through his depiction of colonial brutality, Johnson reject the colonial system, exemplifying its impact on the Indigenous experience of injustice.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Sunset Boulevard shows how illusions and…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 90%: Billy Wilder’s 1950 noir gothic horror film ‘Sunset Boulevard’ exhibits that the foundation of Hollywood itself- an…
Billy Wilder’s 1950 noir gothic horror film ‘Sunset Boulevard’ exhibits that the foundation of Hollywood itself- an illusion- is the very thing which destroys its creatives. Wilder presents Hollywood as being built on gender roles and power dynamics, which allow it to exude an unattainable facade of youth and beauty for its audience to idolise. Wilder reveals that the pursuit of success and aspiration within Hollywood depends on deception, lies and self-delusion. Ultimately, Wilder exposes the paradox at the heart of Hollywood: the very illusions that sustain its stars are also what ultimately destroys them.
Perhaps the most consistent underlying theme in Sunset Boulevard is that of the roles and beliefs instilled on characters in Hollywood based on their gender- most of which aren’t a reality. Women are both the backbone and victim of Hollywood’s ‘star system’- it is revealed to Joe that Norma entered the industry because of Max, the butler telling Joe, ‘I discovered her when she was eighteen. I made her a star’. Through revealing Norma’s origin story, Wilder demonstrates how young, naive actresses are lured into Hollywood by the sensationalised promise of undying fame and adoration, only to be disregarded at the first glimpse of age to preserve the facade of young, untouchable beauty on the screen- this unattainable standard keeping the audience satisfied. Essentially, Wilder presents Hollywood as deceiving its female stars as a means to deceive its audience. In Sunset Boulevard, this role of women to maintain the illusion of youth is starkly different to that of the male figures in Hollywood. In many scenes- such as when Joe is speaking to Betty on the Paramount film set- the camera angle is such that Joe is above Betty; looking down at her, a clear power dynamic established despite their conversation appearing equal. This exhibits that gender roles in Hollywood are ever-present, regardless of the fact Betty is not an actress. Male power is inherent in every aspect of the industry, and Betty is not immune just because she’s behind the camera. Men can act, direct, maintain relevance without the hindrance of age, whilst their female counterparts are disregarded and left ‘sleepwalking along the giddy heights of a lost career’, still chasing the illusion they were promised. Wilder communicates that the ‘star system’ so fundamental to Hollywood’s success relies on manipulating its female stars to present a false fantasy to its audience.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: to what extend does rainbows end show that…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 75%: Harrison champions Indigenous individuals’ determination to elevate their place within society through familial…
Harrison champions Indigenous individuals’ determination to elevate their place within society through familial motivation, allowing them to challenge and potentially overcome their marginalisation. When rejecting Nan Dear’s pessimistic dismissal of her hopes surrounding the Inspector’s report as mere “daydreams”, Gladys is revealed through Harrison’s stage directions to intend to make her aspirations “come true”. Through this determined response and the concurrent symbolism of hope embodied in Gladys’ character, Harrison elevates Indigenous individuals’ determination to preserve their familial bonds and overcome the institutionalised barriers imposed upon them by ethnocentric society. Harrison’s almost-certain portrayal of Gladys’ internal resolve to maintain her family’s unity and improve their living conditions illustrates how familial devotion can generate optimism even within an oppressive society. In doing so, Harrison champions the hope of Indigenous individuals in 1950s Australia to preserve their familial relationships and challenge the segregationist policies that seek to marginalise them. Subsequently, through the juxtaposition of Gladys’ aspirations with Nan Dear’s pessimism, shaped by her previous experiences of institutionalised discrimination, Harrison suggests that
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: In High Ground, Johnson shows the…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 67.5%: In High Ground, Johnson shows the colonisers and the colonised cannot live in peace. Discuss. Set in Arnhem land,…
In High Ground, Johnson shows the colonisers and the colonised cannot live in peace. Discuss.
Set in Arnhem land, Stephon Maxwell Johnson’s revisionist neo-western film(2020) ‘High ground engages in truth telling of post colonial Australia, specifically the injustices and unlawful discriminations First nations people endured. Through confronting cinematography, Johnson promulgates that a society under colonial authority will fail to live in peace with it’s victims, unless justice and reconciliation is achieved. However, he also puts forth that to live in peace, there must be a relationship of mutual respect and recognition of Indigenous lore to enable the “balance” required to pave the way for Makkarata. Through exploring the consequences of political dominance displacing Indigenous sovereignty, the patterns of institutional oppression are made clear, demonstrating the unforgivable actions of colonisers. However, its also conveyed that those with prevailing moral consciences are able to actively work against these systems to from interracial relationships.
From the outset, Johnson condemns the lack of rectification of injustices by western patriarchs, exposing how this further perpetuates cycles of violence, thus causing a greater dichotomy between colonisers and the colonised. During this period, defined as the frontier wars, racial discrimination was prevalent and widespread, leading to the physical and cultural genocide of thousands of Indigenous Aboriginals. Demonstrated from the opening scene, the subjective camera angle through Travis’ rifle scope frames native families swimming in a tranquil oasis. This is juxtaposed to the deadening diegetic sound which follows consisting of birds squawking, bodies falling and guns shooting. Johnson visually positions the audience as complicit observers to this mistreatment and pacification of these people; mirroring colonial surveillance and control. Through the quick transition from calm to chaos, Johnson prompts the recognition of unwarranted murders of families and children and the normalisation of power wrongfully exerted. This is consistent with the station men who reveled in the killings, even viewing it as entertainment as one exclaims, ‘Did i get her?’. Not only does Johnson frame the inhumane and horrifying mindsets of colonial authority, but he reveals the depravity and trauma inflicted to Indigenous Australians brought to subjugation. Further emphasised by the contemptuous characterisation of Moran, a key stakeholder “representing the king’, his incongruous unnaturally white and clean suit representing his lack of appreciation and knowledge for native culture and sovereignty. Not only does he represent the mentality of Western supremacy, he acts as a sole power refusing to 'negotiate' with and ‘concede’ to the laws from mother earth’ despite the fact that ‘his law comes from across the sea’. Johnson purposefully juxtaposes the different parties from their appearances to their beliefs to propound that if justice is not served then there is no hope for healing and reckoning, especially when oppressors refuse to comply or submit their power. Ultimately, Johnson validates that when systems are designed against a marginalised party, there is no room for forgiveness without true recognition of indigenous ownership and humanity.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: In Oedipus the king, Sophocles suggests…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 87.5%: Sophocles demonstrates how those who seek knowledge are often blinded by ignorance and pride which causes them to…
Sophocles demonstrates how those who seek knowledge are often blinded by ignorance and pride which causes them to disregard the truth that is placed before them and hurt those around them. Throughout the play, Sophocles illustrates a common theme of physical blindness due to excessive hubris. Oedipus begins to suspect Tiresias as “the blind seer [that] can see”, despite being physically blind. Here, Oedipus has a “terrible fear” that Tiresias understands something that he cannot. The irony is that Oedipus can see physically but remains ignorant of his own identity, which emphasises the symbolism of blindness and sight. sophocles challenges the audience to recognise that genuine understanding comes from acknowledging the truth, not simply trusting what appears to be obvious. through his increased arrogance and excessive pride, Oedipus insults Tiresias stating his “eyes [are] blind as stone” because he assumes that physical blindness makes him incapable of understanding the world. his aggressive language reveals his own ignorance and his inability to recognise that Tiresisas possesses knowledge he lacks. additionally, there is a contrast between oedipus’ first interaction with Tiresias and later on in their argument. when Oedipus prays for help, tiresias presents himself leading to him being praised by Oedipus stating that he is “the one shield and the one saviour” whilst also rejecting him when he refuses to help and “remains at a distance". This shows how drastically Oedipus’ character becomes hasty and impulsive through his desire to solve Thebes’ curse. Furthermore, Tiresias turns Oedipus’ insults back on him exposing that he is “blind to the corruption of [his] life” revealing that the king cannot recognise the truth about his own family or identity. Sophocles demonstrates that people can remain ignorant of the truths closest to them particularly when pride prevents them from questioning their own assumptions. Sophocles shows how the obsession of pursuing the truth can lead to one’s blindness due to their excessive hubris and lack of knowledge.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “Oedipus the King suggests that human…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 82.5%: Section A - Oedipus the King by Sophocles (text 8) prompt ii. In Sophocles' fifth century BCE play Oedipus the…
Section A - Oedipus the King by Sophocles (text 8)
prompt ii.
In Sophocles' fifth century BCE play Oedipus the King he explores the struggle between fate and free will through the Oracle of Delphi and its predetermined events contrasting the agency humans have over their choices. Sophocles consistently trumps human choice by the divinely ordained world, though preserves a narrow domain of agency in how, not whether fate is met. Traced through the prophecy's precedence over choice, the failure of every attempt to defy the gods and a complication locating limited agency in response.
As the play unfolds, Sophocles reveals that all choices that seemed to have free will, were already predetermined. Before the play begins, as the audience already know the story of Oedipus' conception and birth, as a consequence of Laius' actions. Laius and Jocasta are given this prophecy before Oedipus was born, showing that Oedipus' entire life has been ordained by the gods and the inevitability of his tragic life. Continuing the back story of Oedipus, when he kills the roadsmen on his way to Thebes, this random act, is mostly seen as a self satisfying act for Oedipus' hubris, when instead Oedipus has unwittingly killed his father King Laius. In what initially felt like a spontaneous, rash choice, the cross roads killing fulfills part of the prophecy.
Furthermore as Oedipus has finally had his anagnorisis the Chorus says "You'll never find a man on Earth, if a god leads him on, who can escape his fate." Sophocles uses the Chorus of Thebian women to demonstrate that this was common knowledge, and that the gods power should be known throughout society. Sophocles warns his ancient Athenian audience to not think so highly of themselves & not believe human choice is prevalent in a world that is divinely ordained. As the perception of having free will is a fallacy when prophecy rules over humans.
Sophocles compounds his warning by highlighting those that attempted to defy the gods, Throughout the play, Jocasta defies, negates and even speaks out against the gods, refusing to admit to their power, as she says to Oedipus "have no dread of (the oracle)." But not having fear, or not believing in the oracle does not stop its fulfillment, as the exodos of the play reveals the prophecy to be true and the anagnorisis of Oedipus to be public. Sophocles uses Jocastas dismissal of the gods to demonstrate the inevitability and strong will of the gods, that they do not bend to the will and choices of humans. Additionally in Oedipus' flight from Corinth, he attempts to use will power against fate, which through dramatic irony, the audience knows, delivers him directly in the prophecy's plan. Directly highlighting fate triumphing over free
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “Oedipus the King suggests that human…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 87.5%: Introduction Sophocles wrote Oedipus the King for an Athenian audience who already knew the myth, so the tragedy…
Introduction
Sophocles wrote Oedipus the King for an Athenian audience who already knew the myth, so the tragedy lies not in what will happen but in watching a capable man walk toward it. Through the figure of the tragic hero, Sophocles tests whether humans can shape their lives against the will of the gods. To a large extent, the play supports the view that humans are powerless against fate, since every attempt to escape the prophecy fulfils it. Yet Sophocles does not reduce Oedipus to a puppet. His hubris and persistence shape how destiny unfolds, and his greatest power emerges only after the anagnorisis, in his capacity to answer for what he has done. By combining inevitability with responsibility, Sophocles challenges confidence in human control while elevating humility and self-knowledge as the truest form of wisdom.
Body Paragraph 1
Sophocles first establishes fate as inescapable by making every attempt to avoid the prophecy the very means of fulfilling it. Oedipus’ decision to flee Corinth is a rational choice meant to defeat the oracle, yet it carries him directly to the crossroads where he kills Laius. The crossroads functions as a symbol of choice, but Sophocles ensures that every road leads to the same destination, and the retrospective narration of the encounter lets the audience recognise each decision as a step toward ruin. The motif of Oedipus’ swollen foot reinforces this, since the wound inflicted on him as an infant is the mark that will later identify him, showing that his identity was fixed before he could act at all. Jocasta, meanwhile, dismisses prophecy altogether, insisting that “chance rules our lives. Not a man on earth can see a day ahead.” Her confidence is steeped in dramatic irony, because the audience knows her son stands beside her, and her denial becomes the blindness that hastens the truth. Sophocles’ intent is to expose the limits of human foresight, whether it takes the form of avoidance or of disbelief. For an Athenian audience who valued reasoned planning, watching every sensible choice feed the prophecy produces dread and a sobering sense of how little they command. In this respect, humans are largely powerless to prevent what has been ordained.
Body Paragraph 2
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: 2024 VCAA EXAM 19.ii
VCE Text Response essay scoring 85%: Set against the social milieu of cold war paranoia, Shirley Jackson’s proto-feminist novella ‘We Have Always Lived…
Set against the social milieu of cold war paranoia, Shirley Jackson’s proto-feminist novella ‘We Have Always Lived In The Castle’ (1962) critiques the mid twentieth century McCarthyism bleeding from small town communities. Jackson demonstrates how fear disrupts social cohesion and drives division between those who conform and those who are seen as ‘other’. In doing so, Jackson manifests how fear leads to toxic isolation. Yet, conveys the concept of change in insular societies as daunting and unwanted. However, Jackson considers that fear through isolation protects those who do not conform from the prejudice views of 1950s America societies.
Foremost, Jacksons manifestation of fear being the cause of toxic isolation is revealed through the novel. Before the events taken place in the novella, Jackson alludes to the prior patriarchy of the blackwood’s home fearing Merricat. The sequence of them attempting to conform her to the rigid nuclear family expectations of a young women caused the alienation of Merricat as she was consistently “punished” by consequences like being “sent to bed without… dinner”. Jackson alludes to the idea that the Blackwood home feared their youngest daughter because she was different because she wore clothes that looked “un-lady like” and acted strangely, relating to gothic tropes like “always want[ing] to be a werewolf”. Thereby the Blackwood home reconciled their daughter as a threat because she was different, thus they began to fear her and treated her harshly. Further, Merricat’s relationship with the village can highlight the toxicity in isolation she has through fear. For instance, the separation between the village and where the Blackwood’s home is can decipher the isolation the Blackwood’s sisters are in due to their agoraphobia. When Constance comes to meet Merricat after her visit to the village, she refers to “how far [she] has come because she is in the attempt of facing her fears. Merricat quickly shuts this down with her fears saying “its too far” as she more then Constance knows about “the village always hat[ing] [them]”. This is was intended by Jackson to emphasize the social division of between those who are seen as different and those who conform to be toxic.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: The tragedy of Oedipus lies not in fate…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 95%: Performed before an Athenian audience in the fifth century BCE, Sophocles’ “Oedipus the King” exposes the fragility…
Performed before an Athenian audience in the fifth century BCE, Sophocles’ “Oedipus the King” exposes the fragility of human certainty. Sophocles presents human beings as agents who must act with partial knowledge inside limits they cannot see, so that suffering, dignity and moral responsibility arise from the way a person answers those limits rather than from the limits alone. Sophocles initially reveals that attempts to escape destiny, together with the anger that greets every warning, turn mortal choices into the instruments of the outcome they seek to avoid. This tension then extends to the pursuit of knowledge, where sight and blindness expose the gap between confidence and understanding. From there, Sophocles examines leadership, in which pride and civic duty become entangled with the moral health of the community. Ultimately, he turns to the aftermath of suffering, where acceptance restores dignity without restoring control.
Sophocles dramatises mortal agency as a paradox in which every effort to escape a prophecy becomes the means of its fulfilment. The pattern begins before the protagonist can choose, when his ankles are fastened and he is flung onto “a barren, trackless mountain”, yet the Shepherd’s pity, which sends the child “far away”, delivers him to a rescuer who “saved him for this, this fate.” It continues in his own response to Apollo’s words, “I heard all that and ran”, where the phrase “running, always running” compresses a life into flight. For an Athenian audience that regarded oracles as binding divine law, the belief that a mortal could outrun Apollo’s word would have signalled secular hubris, a dangerous overconfidence in human ingenuity. Sophocles stages this confession when “The Chorus draws away, leaving Oedipus and Jocasta side by side”, so that the two people most entangled in the prophecy are isolated on stage as they speak of it as though it were defeated. The crossroads then gives the paradox its setting. Jocasta locates the killing where “two branching roads, one from Daulia, one from Delphi, come together”, a phrase that holds the possibility of choice and the fact of convergence within a single image. Both travellers are on the road because of Apollo’s oracle, since Laius “went to consult an oracle” and Oedipus “set out for Delphi”, which suggests that paths which seem to branch from free decision were already drawing toward one another. The roads exist only in speech and never on stage, so Oedipus’s later cry, “O triple roads—it all comes back”, addresses the place as a witness, asking “you still remember me?” and turning geography into moral memory. Sophocles thereby presents choice as real yet bounded, so that the tragedy lies in the response that makes the prophecy unavoidable.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Being a leader has great benefit, but…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 62.5%: Silhouetted against the milieu of 429 BCE Athens, where intellectuals within the Athenian society had begun to…
Silhouetted against the milieu of 429 BCE Athens, where intellectuals within the Athenian society had begun to question the legitimacy of the oracle and the traditional gods, famous Greek tragedian Sophocles' Oedipus the King examines the devastating consequences of a sovereign leader who challenges the divine power. Sophocles presents leadership as a burdensome obligation that increases the exposure of personal danger while magnifying the impact of their decision on others. Nevertheless, the suffering accrued during leadership can be beneficial as it forces individuals to recognise the limitation of human understanding and develop greater wisdom.
Initially, Sophocles establishes that leadership carries inherent risk, as it obligates them with responsibility to confront threats that ultimately endangers themselves. Beginning the play with Oedipus firmly addressing the plague, confidently, as he asserts “I'll bring it all to light”, while he demonstrates his willingness to act nobly to save the polis from the unknown plague. His willingness to “do anything” implies his eagerness for the truth, suggesting that the apparent virtue that initially makes Oedipus a good ruler may eventually contribute to his suffering as he overlooks potential risks and the limitation of his power. For the Athenian audience, they will clearly connect Oedipus' impudence to improve the suffering of his people serves as a catalyst of Oedipus' downfall as it unveils the literal meaning of a “sovereign” ruler. Sophocles therefore highlights the good intention of a leader can ultimately devastate themselves. Similarly, the threat Creon receives “wanted dead” also symbolises the unjust leader may face despite good intention. Sophocles overall portrays Creon as a rational leader as he seeks “clarification of duties” towards the god and regarded “no fool” in the past.Likewise, his attempt of saving the polis is mistaken as an attempt to overthrow Oedipus as he presents unfavourable truth. Creon's role as an investigator demonstrates that he will face cruel truth in the process, yet his unwavering attitude towards threats emphasises the courage and vigour needed to become a respected leader. Sophocles therefore highlights the inherent danger. Thus, Sophocles presents leadership as a form of responsibility rather than merely privilege.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: How does Marquez use elements of magical…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 90%: Shrouded in the ubiquitous guilt of a community that becomes complicit instruments to an honour-killing, the murder…
Shrouded in the ubiquitous guilt of a community that becomes complicit instruments to an honour-killing, the murder of Santiago Nasar is transformed into an inexorable fate, sealed by the town's collective paralysis. Whilst Gabriel García Márquez’s allegorical novella Chronicle of a Death Foretold demonstrates how the community’s rigid adherence to indoctrinated values, emanating from 1950s Colombia, establishes the human motive for this 'own crime,' it is the interwoven use of magical realism that elevates the event from a social failure to a fated inevitability. Subsequently, by examining the narrative’s surreal omens and the destabilisation of linear time through its oxymoronic achronicle structure, Márquez renders Santiago’s death both divinely predestined and tragically inescapable. However, the trompe l'oeil narrative, paradoxically concedes that his death was not inevitable, but merely labelled ‘fated’ as a conduit for the townspeople's abdication of guilt and culpability. Ultimately, the suffusion of the novella with a mystical quality acts as a catalyst for Marquez’s broader critique of a community that weaponises the veneer of destiny to insulate itself against the uncomfortable reality of its own complicity.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Sunset Boulevard ultimately displays power…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 75%: Sunset Boulevard, explores the ideas of control and power and how they affect the world of the film. Directed by…
Sunset Boulevard, explores the ideas of control and power and how they affect the world of the film. Directed by Billy Wilder, the film is a satirical exploration of the loss of power within the Golden Age of Hollywood. Wilder depicts power as something which severely impacts the lives of those in the industry. Wilder critiques the disposable nature of Hollywood, while also illustrating how individual pursuits of power in relationships is never successful. However Sunset Boulevard does propose the idea that adaptability to change can lead to entities becoming extremely powerful,
The disposable nature of the Hollywood Industry reveals how individuals stand only yo lose the power they have. Throughout Sunset Boulevard the disposable nature of the Hollywood Industry encapsulates how individuals can only suffer a loss of power. Normas Mansion signifies this loss. In the initial establishing shot Joe addresses Normas mansion as a "big white elephant of a place" and "the kind crazy movie people built" His tone of reverence at the splendour of a lost reality signifies the grandeur that Norma once held within the Hollywood Industry. Her insidious decline is reflected through the later shots of her mansion. The fleeting montage the dilapidated tennis courts and swimming pool with rats in it are symbolic of not only her loss of status but her loss of power as well. Norma loss of power came directly as a result of the Hollywood star system, Max discovered her (Norma) at 16, “you made her a star.” However once she has been “given the go by,” she loses all her power and relevance within the industry. This is best personified when the security guard states, "Norma who?" and she is unable to comprehend the fact that he doesn’t recognize her. This is to starkly contrast with her previous status and impact on Paramount. "Without me there wouldn't be any Paramount Studios". This showcases the nature of the Hollywood industry and reflects its extreme disposability. Furthermore, the Wilder uses the mise en scène of all Norma’s pictures to represent how she is trying to recapture that power, while Joes voiceover continues to expose it as her trying to defy the nature of her "celluloid self". Thus, Sunset Boulevard critiques how the disposable of the nature of Hollywood continually strips individuals of their power within the industry.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “I stopped the Sphinx. With not help from…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: Famous Greek tragedian and playwright Sophocles’ anthropological play Oedipus the King examines the tragic hero’s…
Famous Greek tragedian and playwright Sophocles’ anthropological play Oedipus the King examines the tragic hero’s downfall of the intelligent leader of Thebes. Silhouetted against the milieu of Athens in 429 BCE, where the intellectuals within Athenian society had begun to question the legitimacy of the oracle and the traditional gods. Through development around the theme of human agency and fate, Sophocles delineates that although strength and intelligence are the essentials of ideal leadership, they may become insufficient under the influence of predetermined fate. Additionally, Sophocles reveals that in the individual brilliance of a leader, without recognition of his own ability and control poses problematic risks for others; therefore, Sophocles underscores the necessity of religious humility in order to maintain the safety of a polis.
From the outset, Sophocles establishes intelligence and authority as a positive virtue that can foster respect from people; yet, considering the destined fate, those characteristics might still be incapable of guaranteeing stability of the polis. At the outset of the play, Oedipus steps forward with “[majesty]” and confidently claims that “ [he] will bring it all to light”, asserting his determination to solve the plague of Thebes that is bothering his people. Sophocles utilises Oedipus’ strong, confident language to express Oedipus’ confidence in addressing the issue, as he previously “defeated the Sphinx”, demonstrating Oedipus’ intellectual capability of combating challenging riddles and his unwavering attitude towards the divine prestige. This bravery and success also provide Oedipus with praise surrounding his past achievement, as the Chorus describes him as “the best of man”, displaying that Oedipus’ ability is not merely self-confident, but also widely recognised by the Theban community. Through Oedipus determination “to help”, Sophocles initially presents Oedipus as an admirable leader that has many desirable traits such as intellectual capability and sympathy towards his people that allows him to foster respect. Nevertheless, Sophocles meticulously crafts the motif of “swollen ankle” via Oedipus’ “telltale limp” during his entrance. This connects the idea with Oedipus got tied around his ankle and got “fling” away, hence advocating that the tragic prophecy will eventually be fulfilled despite Oedipus’ temporary nobility. Playing on the familiarity of the tragic hero’s identity among Athenian audiences, Sophocles foreshadows the destined tragedy of Oedipus that leads him to be the “murderer of his father” and “husband of his mother”, as the literal meaning behind Oedipus name is a symbolic physical manifestation of Oedipus for being the eponymous hero after his maimed feed, symbolising the inextricable fate that comes with excellent leadership. Therefore, Sophocles mourns the dire reality that despite one’s success in the area of leadership, good morals alone are insufficient to alter the fate that is determined before the birth of humans.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: ‘Sunset Boulevard’ reveals the dark side…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 85%: Exposing the powerlessness of naïve ‘dream’ of fulfilment against the toxicity of celebrity which has ‘seized…
Exposing the powerlessness of naïve ‘dream’ of fulfilment against the toxicity of celebrity which has ‘seized [their] heart[s]’, Billy Wilder’s quintessentially American film ‘Sunset Boulevard’ poignantly unveils the dark side of fame that is inextricable from Hollywood’s allure. Compounded by the skilful overlaying of a gothic lens, this noir mystery performs as a deep meditation on the brutality of this business, and a sardonic, yet subtly sympathetic, depiction of the victims of its endless cycle of sadism. Through his intelligent blend of fiction and meta-cinema, Wilder’s iconoclastic opus emerges as a powerful vivisection of the dangerous illusions of stardom.
Personifying this complex world as a dystopian nightmare, Wilder satirically contextualises the hidden horrors of Hollywood. Immediately referencing a classic trope of film noir, a disturbing amalgamation of fantasy and sobering realism is established through the eerie posthumous narration of this ‘poor dope’, with this non-linear structure exposing this inevitable tragedy from the outset. Heightening this strange sense of unease, the foreboding non-diegetic string music of Franz Waxman’s pertinent score warns the audience of this ensuing horror. Indeed, ‘Sunset Boulevard’ itself can no longer be hopefully associated with fame and luxury; rather, its disconcerting introduction in a gutter with ‘dead leaves’ and ‘scraps of paper’ alludes to its burgeoning corruption, as literally emphasised by the titular finiteness of ‘sunset’. Ominously towering over this decrepit street, the silhouetted palm trees embody personified judges of the ‘distorted’ and ‘blown out’ stories that ‘Hollywood columnists’ weave, as fortified by the intense chiaroscuro lighting. Similarly, although swimming pools were an iconic image of glamour, the floating corpse ironically exposes that this perpetual chase of fame is a deadly enterprise. As a poignant reflection of this danger, the toxic relationship between Joe Gillis – our cynical antihero – and Norma Desmond – the stereotypical antagonist of a femme fatale – is inherently doomed. This Gothic synthesis of old and new Hollywood thematically foreshadows their demise, as both are dangerously delusional: one is confined by their obsolescence, the other ensnared in the shallowness of the present. Symbolising the subordination that defines their affair, the loss of Joe’s car is a ‘matter of life and death’ that resolutely deforms him into an item of Norma’s possession, as fame is too often synonymous with prostitution. Subverting the traditional gender stereotypes of their time, Edith Head’s pertinent costumes of shared leopard print – a predominant motif of Norma’s wardrobe, which is also reminiscent of her silent-era glamour – illuminates the oppression that this pursuit of celebrity has manufactured. In a house with no locks, Joe is already irreparably caught in the predatory grip of Norma’s atrophic talons, and thus, by extension, trapped by the noxious allure of Hollywood. Functioning as a provocateur to brazenly ‘bite the hand that feeds him’ (Mayer), Wilder controversially deplores the deceptive façade of fame through his pioneering direction.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “In Oedipus the king, there are no right…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 87.5%: In Sophocles' tragedy “Oedipus the king”, the idea of control and fate is demonstrated as an interconnected…
In Sophocles' tragedy “Oedipus the king”, the idea of control and fate is demonstrated as an interconnected force, both ruling over life equally. Performed in 429 BCE, Sophocles explores the role of fate and human agency through the plight of gods,role of polis in Theban society and the overall message the play conveys. Set against the backdrop of the Athenian plague and rising beliefs of sophist and philosophy, Sophocles ultimately utilises the tragic downfall of his protagonist to interrogate the illusion of human autonomy. While characters desperately attempt to outmaneuver the divine decrees of the oracle, the playwright suggests that true hubris lies not in defying fate, but in failing to recognize the inescapable boundaries set by the gods.
Initially , Sophocles demonstrates that even when characters attempt to exercise autonomy, every choice they make merely reinforces and perpetuates the decree of the oracle. This existential trap is immediately evident in the opening scenes through the desperate pleas of the priest and the citizens, who view Oedipus not just as a king, but as a god-like savior capable of lifting the plague. Yet, when Oedipus vows to hunt down Laius's killer “as if he were my father”, his resolute assertion that he will find the murderer is laced with dramatic irony. By vowing to "drive out the defilement" himself, his very attempt to act as a righteous ruler and protect the polis becomes the exact mechanism that fulfills the curse. Sophocles further reinforces the idea that human autonomy plays no role in the will of gods through Laius the former ruler. Laius' actions to “bind” his son's feet and leave him on a mountain side only led to Oedipus becoming prince of Corinth, and eventually fulfilling the oracle by killing his father and marrying his mother. Sophocles thus suggests that human agency is entirely subverted; whether choosing to flee Corinth, hunt the murderer in Thebes and even attempting to defile the gods, the characters' decisive actions are rendered into empty illusions, acting on a story already told.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Born A crime is a story of overcoming…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 67.5%: Trevor Noah's memoir 'Born A Crime' details the pervasive limitations experienced by disadvantaged groups in…
Trevor Noah's memoir 'Born A Crime' details the pervasive limitations experienced by disadvantaged groups in Apartheid and post-Apartheid South Africa. Although the memoir documents resourceful and valiant attempts in overcoming arbitrary constraits, Noah ultimately condemns the deeply entrenched restrictions as unable to overcome with only personal resilience or without luck. Noah celebrates the resourceful nature of Patricia in overcoming poverty, while condemning a society that makes it near impossible to break the cycle of poverty. Furthermore, Noah champions language as a 'tool' in attempting to bypass cultural barriers. Finally, Noah condemns a patriarchal society that prevents an intrinsic culture of violence to be subdued. Ultimately, Noah condemns the limitations of disadvantaged South Africans as deeply entrenched and difficult to overcome without resourcefulness and luck.