VCE · Text Response
Text Response: How does Rainbow's End explore traditional…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 67.5%: Jane Harrison writes 'Rainbow's End' as a direct response of 1950s Australia. The play utilizes the characters to…
Jane Harrison writes 'Rainbow's End' as a direct response of 1950s Australia. The play utilizes the characters to demonstrate the power imbalance of white people and black people and the lasting impacts. Harrison includes Errol to provide an example of a traditional white Australian family, highlighting the power structure. Gladys's career of picking is a direct contrast to the bank manager and his ignorance towards Gladys. However Rainbow's End also displays more modern concepts at Gladys takes a stand in an attempt to assert dominance.
The typical white power structure of colonisation in Australia is portrayed by Errol. During a discussion between Dolly and Errol, Errol reveals that he must refer to his father as "sir". This instantly introduces male dominance within white families as Errol's family use formal language towards one another. Errol presents this idea again when he proposes to Dolly that she should move away with him. He believes he has the right to tell her she needs to move. This authority is traditional within white families.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: How does Vicki Laveau-Harvie’s memoir…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 62.5%: Within a memoir that reflects the long-term impacts of an unhappy childhood, Laveau-Harvie’s, The Erratics,…
Within a memoir that reflects the long-term impacts of an unhappy childhood, Laveau-Harvie’s, The Erratics, portrays the at times inescapable memories and obligations that surrounds one’s family dynamics. The author exhibits the scars and emotional damage that she and her sister carry as a consequence of the toxic family dynamics and offers through er non-linear memoir an exploration of the role that an unhappy childhood plays on one’s past and present.
The memoir sheds light on Vicki’s sense of repressive coping as she attempts to overcome the pain of her past through the distancing of her emotions, repression of her memory and her geographical separation. Narrating that "I feel reasonably safe because I do not carry a lot of my past. My sister carries it for me”, Laveau-Harvie highlights the distinct ways that people process their pasts. Indeed, while she finds her way forward by not dwelling on the trauma that raises the “grief” inside her, her sister in contrast appears to be stuck, carrying the unresolved emotional weight. Certainly, Vicki’s sister is still trapped by their trauma "her foot in the bear-trap of (their) childhood”. This metaphor underscores how the painful memories of their unhappy childhood still holds the sister captive which in turn has left her volatile with “rage”. Moreover, while Vicki chooses to leave Alberta and escape to Australia narrating that she went to “far flung places”, the sister by contrast remains in Canada “trying to see over (the parents’) rejection.” Therefore, Vicki uses geographical distance to help her to escape from the haunting memories and the threat of her mother’s presence. Indeed, by physically distancing herself from her trauma, the geographical separation from Canada to Australia serves as a physical barrier, allowing her to escape the haunting memories and the impending presence of her mother.
The memoir is forwarding of the idea that only when the past is dealt with and faced, can the abuse and trauma from childhood be overcome. Laveau-Harvie explores the depth of her psychological suffering though her reference to the underlying grief that she struggles inwardly with. The image of a deeper layer that both, her and her sister hide within, is reflected through the memoirist’s acknowledgement that “Scratch me and you get grief.... Scratch my sister at your peril however, because you’ll get rage, a geyser of it’. This exhibits the contrast between the two sisters where despite them both carrying scars from their childhood well into their adulthood, the actual emotional ramification differs between each sibling. Vicki’s sister is clearly more emotional in her behaviour feeling everything too strongly and bitterly and “cry(ing) out from the heart” when faced with her mother’s cruel antics. This suggests that despite their shared past trauma and the bond between them to be there for each other as “blood calls to blood”, the two sisters, are divergent in their
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: 'the people of the village always hated…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 62.5%: In We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Shirley Jackson explores the tension between isolation and society, and…
In We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Shirley Jackson explores the tension between isolation and society, and the destructive impact of fear, prejudice, and patriarchal intrusion through the experiences of Merricat and Constance Blackwood. Using Gothic imagery, symbolism, and narrative perspective, Jackson critiques society’s cruelty and the limitations imposed on women, revealing how these forces shape identity, survival, and rebellion. Ultimately, the text demonstrates that isolation can serve as both protection and imprisonment, and that rebellion against oppressive norms is both necessary and inevitable.
Jackson presents society as hostile to difference, showing how fear and prejudice drive cruelty and ostracism. Merricat notes that “the villagers have always hated us,” highlighting habitual disregard for the sisters’ feelings. The village functions as a symbol of judgemental society, and the repetition of always underscores how hatred becomes normalized. She further observes that “the world is full of terrible people,” which emphasises tlack of empathy is pervasive, leaving the sisters vulnerable. This is reinforced when Merricat says, “I could feel the evil from the villagers pressing against our walls,” symbolising how cruelty and emotional indifference physically and psychologically oppress those who are different. Through these examples, Jackson critiques a society that fails to understand or care for others, showing how the absence of empathy isolates individuals and fosters fear and prejudice.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: In Oedipus the King, all who deserve it…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 70%: Performed in the festival of Dionysus in the 5th century, the golden age of ancient Greece, Sophocles’ tragedy…
Performed in the festival of Dionysus in the 5th century, the golden age of ancient Greece, Sophocles’ tragedy Oedipus the King serves as an allegorical reflection of his own Athens. Providing an essential insight into the consequences of one’s own actions, Sophocles, through his play, subscribes to the notion that individuals who sin suffer adequate punishment. Initially presenting Thebes as a plague-stricken city, both physically and metaphorically, Sophocles builds the foundation on which to justify his characters’ punishments. Ostensibly, as the play continues, Sophocles condemns blasphemous actions by having it serve as the reason retribution is warranted. As the play culminates with Oedipus’ self-mutilation, Sophocles utilises his characters’ downfall as a vessel to denounce heretical actions, through its illustration as justified punishment.
Holistically, from the outset of the play, Sophocles presents hubris as a central flaw that justifies one’s eventual punishment, a judgment foreshadowed by the miasma polluting Thebes. During the prologos, the people of Thebes herald Oedipus as Thebes's “greatest power” and the one who will guide them through the “red waves of death” and free them from the “fiery god of fever who hurls down upon the city”. By portraying Oedipus as a “good helmsman,” Sophocles employs nautical imagery to emphasise Thebes’ dependence on his leadership during times of crisis. This depiction inflates Oedipus’ sense of authority and ultimately propels his hubris. Sophocles constructs Oedipus’ arrogance as the catalyst for Oedipus’ downfall, underlining it as the justification for judgment. An ancient Athenian audience would have denounced Oedipus’ actions, as it challenged their views on the omnipotence of the gods, due to their pious nature. Furthermore, Oedipus’ prideful attempt to “grant [his citizens’] prayers” despite them “pray[ing] to the gods” accentuates his stature as akin to that of a god, rather than that of a human. In a historical milieu where divine power is held in absolute regard, his overconfidence and attempt to equate his status to that of the divine are perceived as an act of transgression, foreshadowing his tragic demise. Thus, through highlighting Oedipus’ hubris as his hamartia, Sophocles cautions his audience against excessive pride, having it serve as the justification for his tragic downfall.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: In We Have Always Lived In The Castle the…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 75%: Shirley Jackson’s ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’ explores a storyline of how women are superior than men in…
Shirley Jackson’s ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’ explores a storyline of how women are superior than men in possessing emotional and psychological strength when dealing with adversity. In the gothic novel – set in a society of post war in 1950s America – Jackson depicts the patriarchy system that challenges not just the men but the women to overcome adversity in times of crisis. Through the main protagonist females, we are able to identify and examine the contrasting behaviour between them and the antagonist men. Jackson highlights how the female characters possess key characteristics in comparison towards men; consisting of having the ability to be independent and isolated from society, priorities family loyalty, and keeping control and power. Ultimately, Jackson demonstrates how the fragile and self-destructive personalities of men are overpowered by the sympathetic and controlled lifestyles of females.
Shirley Jackson positions ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’ to highlight the idea how the independent and isolated behaviour from the main female individuals acted as a symbol of strength rather than a sign of weakness. Jackson further explores the two sisters’ – Merricat and Constance - exclusion from the rest of world as they develop a deep relationship with escaping the challenging patriarchal society that lies around them. Merricat’s imaginative remark, “Everything’s safer on the moon,” showcases her will and her amount of comfort towards having total independence from the judgmental world. Jackson uses this dream-like imagery as a prominent and key characteristic of Merricat’s personality to critique the behaviour and the emotional consequences of post war 1950s America placed onto others. Jackson utilises Merricat’s want for escape as a placeholder to show self-realisation within that social rejection is accepted against a cruel patriarchal society. The idea of women in ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’ having the emotional awareness to see isolation to re-strength power and control is additionally proven through Merricat’s demand for the removal of her cousin, Charles. The demanding remark, “I wanted him to leave,” reinstates the want for isolation and separation from the rest of society, even close family individuals, as well as questioning the authority that Cousin Charles aims to achieve within the Blackwood home. Jackson portrays the demand to show her audience that the disempowering society, particularly on women, doesn’t faze Merricat and it empowers her to regain control and power within her home. Jackson uses Merricat to emphasise and represent the individuals who acted against social norms throughout 1950s America.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Discuss how Shakespeare’s twelfth night…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 70%: More than that merely a frivolous comedy of manners, William Shakespeare Tewlfth Night unveils how social status…
More than that merely a frivolous comedy of manners, William Shakespeare Tewlfth Night unveils how social status and power can be overturned under the presence of wit or love, but not always the presence of both. Upholding the previous statement, Shakespeare presents characters who demonstrate wit as wisdom and love as a motivation to peruse a more comfortable life of security. Additionally, Shakespeare has written that characters who are blinded or become blinded by love, which is unusual for the time period, tells us that Illyria is a place where love rules. However, Shakespeare presents how an excess of love of ones- self overpowers wisdom and leave characters without the power and love they desire. In this way the play explores how traditional hierarchy is easily disrupted by intelligence and charisma, especially by women is disguise.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: "the people of the village disliked the…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 70%: In Shirley Jackson's 1962, gothic, post-war novel "We Have Always Lived In The Castle", illustrates a society,…
In Shirley Jackson's 1962, gothic, post-war novel "We Have Always Lived In The Castle", illustrates a society, oppressive society, prison like society for females and run by patriarchal structures. Jackson depicts that females in power can threaten patriarchal structure and the refusal can society threaten patriarchal structures and also is beneficial but can Jackson depicts females in power threaten the way things people's perceptions of the way things should be in the 1950s but doesn't always seen as threatening will be suffered. Jackson demonstrates that feminine power can threaten patriarchal structures and also is unusual. However, Jackson expresses how women empowerment should be deemed safe and useful.
Firstly, Jackson demonstrates that feminine power can threaten patriarchal structures. The patriarchy was highly enforced and prominent in the 1950s, this is represented by the Blackwood family. John Blackwood is seen as the head of the family and even all his possessions will go to the girls youngest brother. Merricat wants to love and power, that her parents would say "bow down to our most beloved daughter, Mary Katherine," illustrates and their not receiving autonomy justifies for killing of her family. Jackson comments that these oppressed patriarchal structures- how anger and violence is an appropriate response to being oppressed in a patriarchal society. Furthermore, the fire that takes place represents symbolises renewal and a fresh start from a house that "held anger" of the past trauma, oppressive legacy and also ridding of the patriarchal smear of the house. Merricat's that internal dialogue "once I have behaved "Mary Katherine is never punished", alludes to the events of the past, that enslaved this events, the pipe being a symbol of the patriarchy is what Merricat wields to burn down the house and restart, outlining that feminine power can destroy the patriarchy. Thus, Jackson outlines how female power scares the patriarchal structures as it's destructive.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: All the characters in ‘We Have Always…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: In the riveting novel ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’ the author, Shirley Jackson forms an insightful…
In the riveting novel ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’ the author, Shirley Jackson forms an insightful narrative centred amongst the backdrop of the traditional gender strictures apparent during the 1960’s in America, exploring the oppressive and overbearing nature of a stratified society. Throughout her profound novella, Shirley Jackson elucidates the deep-rooted patriarchal roles, and generational class divides as a sole catalyst to a society that subjugates everyone. Thus, Jackson illuminates a world ensnared by fear, obsession, and an impulse to conform to the societal expectations that keep individuals imprisoned.
Jackson suggests that the stratification of wealth classes within the social hierarchy cultivates hatred between the working and affluent class and begets violence between the two. Adopting characterisation of Charles, Jackson portrays a world controlled by the power of money. Charles openly condemns the blackwood sisters’ access to money through his expression that the Blackwood women “alone” should not “keep money in the house”, thus highlighting a narrowminded perspective and underlying expectation of being deserving of a patriarchal position of power within the Blackwood family. This obsession with money is further reiterated through Charle’s “shouting” as he emphasises it “is terrible” for the sisters to have control over the inheritance and that Merricat has “no right to hide” the money. Underlining Charles obsession towards wealth unveils the hatred and jealousy that divide the wealth classes, reflecting broader class tensions. Suggesting that greed and an obsession over others material wealth encourages resentment that entraps a community into a hostile and hateful mindset. Furthermore, inclusion of symbolism throughout the novel elucidates that the shackles of the class system leave individuals confined. After the fire takes place Jim Donell “smashes” a rock through the “tall glass window”, this destruction of the house symbolizes breaking down a physical embodiment that represents the barriers present between the wealthy and working-class individuals. This public display of outrage from one individual unleashes a wave of communal violence, forming a societal catharsis due to the pent-up hatred within the wealth hierarchy. Ergo, Jackson underlines that the community is trapped by their resentment and envy which prohibits the two classes from forming a connection. In doing so, the notion of the American dream and an idyllic world is unveiled as a façade that limits everyone by encouraging a desire and obsession for materialistic wealth.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: ‘Sunset Boulevard explores the idea that…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: The world of Hollywood is often portrayed not as a reflection of reality but as a carefully constructed illusion,…
The world of Hollywood is often portrayed not as a reflection of reality but as a carefully constructed illusion, where glamour hides decay, relationships are driven by self-interest, and identity becomes inseparable from performance. Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard (1950) isn’t just a staple of film noir, it’s also a sharp critique of Hollywood itself. The film shows us that Hollywood doesn’t mirror reality so much as it manufactures illusions, elevating youth and beauty, turning relationships into transactions, and reducing identity to nothing more than performance. Through techniques like shadow lighting, voiceover narration, symbolic props, and the constant clash between fantasy and reality, Wilder strips back the glamour to reveal an industry built on denial, exploitation, and self-deception. By tracking the obsession with fame, the manipulative relationships that fuel it, and the collapse of personal identity into performance, the film exposes Hollywood as a fantasy world entirely divorced from the real one.
The pursuit of fame in Hollywood often turns ambition into delusion, with surface appearances valued above genuine artistry. One of the clearest ways the film presents Hollywood as a fantasy is through its obsession with fame. In this world, ambition twists into delusion, and image matters far more than substance. Norma Desmond embodies this obsession. Her famous line, “I am big. It’s the pictures that got small,” perfectly captures her refusal to face reality. Instead of accepting the passing of time, she blames the industry, clinging to the idea that her stardom is eternal. Wilder reinforces this visually through the mise en scène of her mansion: the portraits, dusty relics, and heavy curtains turn her home into a shrine, or more accurately, a tomb of her past glory. The beauty treatment montage hammers the point home. Quick cuts of facials, cosmetic procedures, and masks show not rejuvenation but compulsion, while harsh lighting ironically highlights her wrinkles. Rather than concealing time, the scene underlines its inescapability. Her self-penned Salome script, designed as her “comeback” vehicle, pushes this even further: for Norma, art only exists as a way to project an image. Wilder shows that in this fantasy world, Hollywood worships surface above all else, shutting out reality in the process. Hollywood’s obsession with appearances becomes a closed loop, with individuals mistaking cosmetic rituals for salvation. As Wilder shows, when surface outranks depth, the industry severs itself from any connection to the real world.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: ‘But no one ever complains.’ in the memory…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 65%: Within ‘The Memory Police’, Ogawa emphasises the insidious impact of inactivity in the face of oppression through…
Within ‘The Memory Police’, Ogawa emphasises the insidious impact of inactivity in the face of oppression through the characters’ lack of willingness to resist their own maltreatment. The characters of the novel face great, impactful loss, such as when the narrator forgets the existence of “birds”, one of her only remaining connections to her late father, who was an “ornithologist”. Each of them react to these devastating “disappearances” with apathy, allowing the “beautiful” and less useful items to vanish without a trace, without a morsel of rebellion or embrace for the fading items. When the birds are disappeared, the narrator allows the memory police into her house to “riffle through [her] father’s papers… unceremoniously”, rather than standing up, stopping them, and preserving a piece of herself through this. The way that the characters respond to these initial disappearances, the more glamorous things like “perfume” and “emeralds” that they believe they can live without”, paves the way for the
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: We Have Always Lived in the Castle by…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 75%: Section A Shirley Jackson's gothic novel 'We Have Always Lived In the Castle' demonstrates through the isolation of…
Section A
Shirley Jackson's gothic novel 'We Have Always Lived In the Castle' demonstrates through the isolation of the Blackwood family how isolation can be a sanctuary as well as a prison. Isolation allows the Blackwood sisters to find safety. The Blackwood estate allows the Blackwood sisters to find safety behind its walls from the societal pressures of gender roles and specifically male authority. However while it provides a safe haven for the sisters it also imprisons them as the longer they stay isolated, the more that they become afraid of the outside and what it brings. Even when the Blackwood sisters are isolated away from the rest of the village, they still seek a more isolated place however they are trapped within the walls of the estate.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: 'Every decision that Oedipus makes is…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 72.5%: From the prologos onward, Sophocles crystallises a vision of existence in which suffering is not an accident of…
From the prologos onward, Sophocles crystallises a vision of existence in which suffering is not an accident of fate but an inevitable consequence of humanity's dual nature. The same rational impulse that drives Oedipus to act with integrity also fuels his blindness to divine law, revealing that human reason and hubris are inseparable forces within tragic condition. Sophocles crafts this paradox through the diction of light and clarity that pervades the prologos. Oedipus' vow to "bring everything to light" employs the imagery of illumination to symbolise rational truth and civic duty. Yet this language of sight and revelation foreshadows the irony of his blindness as the very discourse of rationality collapses into the rhetoric of blindness. Sophocles encodes the main theme of human limitation in the very staging of Oedipus' entrance. As the king enters with his "tell tale limp" the visible scar of the prophecy he once sought to outrun, his body becomes an emblem of the futility of human control. This
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: One is destroyed by their own flaws, not…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 85%: 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' tragic story of discovering his true identity highlights the ways in which fate cannot be avoided. Throughout 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.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: No character in Rainbow’s End can protect…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: Set in 1950s Australia, the contemporary play, Rainbow’s End, displays the social marginalisation that separates…
Set in 1950s Australia, the contemporary play, Rainbow’s End, displays the social marginalisation that separates Indigenous Australians and the superior white society, in which agonising strain for many individuals. Throughout Rainbow’s End, playwright Jane Harrison argues that while systemic racism renders Indigenous characters vulnerable to suffering, protection is not impossible but is instead redefined through acts of communal resilience and political defiance, contrasting sharply with the unexamined security of the white society. Harrison displays that while some characters succumb to the societal injustices that they face, many characters persevere and some are in positions of power where they do not need to contend with struggle.
Harrison challenges the idea that no individuals held protective capabilities by displaying that the white Australian society did not need to contend with suffering and struggles. This is highlighted through the bank manager, who holds power over his life and is well. The bank manager has “his glasses”, “his desk” and on which he has “a tray with two china cups of tea, [a] milk jug and [a] bowl”, all of which symbolises the wealth and comfort of many white Australians as they enjoy luxuries that others do not. Harrison also depicts that the “Bank manager sits behind his desk” as Gladys walks into the office, to further assert the sense of security that he and the white society have over their lives, as well as the separation in power the between white and Indigenous Australians. Harrison amplifies this notion through the young Nancy Woolthorpe, who epitomises the prevalent white, Australian privilege. Nancy is portrayed as a winner who lacks any sorrow as she becomes “Miss Mooroopna-Sheparton” as the “prettiest little gal in town”, indicating the lack of struggle and need for protection that many in white society required. Harrison purposefully hides any ache that Nancy may experience to highlight the lack of harm that many white Australians faced thanks to their self-empowerment and the lack of oppression that they see. While struggle is prevalent in Rainbow’s End, Harrison delineates the safety and comfort that can be experienced as a result of a life of freedom, in white Australian society.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: sunset blvd shows that the pursuit for…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 90%: Introduction Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard is not merely a critique of Hollywood; it is a brutal exposé of the…
Introduction
Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard is not merely a critique of Hollywood; it is a brutal exposé of the emotional and moral destruction caused by the obsessive pursuit of fame. In a world where celebrity is worshipped and discarded in equal measure, Wilder presents fame as a deeply perilous journey—one that traps individuals in delusion, corrodes their identity, and demands moral compromise. Through an array of narrative and cinematic choices, including symbolism, characterisation, and visual framing, Wilder reveals how the promise of stardom becomes a psychological cage. Fame, in Sunset Boulevard, is not a prize — it is a performance with fatal consequences.
Body Paragraph 1 – Fame as a Psychological Addiction That Distorts Identity
Wilder presents fame as a psychological compulsion that overtakes identity, warping perception until reality becomes unrecognisable. Norma Desmond is not merely a faded actress — she is a woman who has internalised her own myth. Her descent down the staircase in the film’s final scene, bathed in soft-focus lighting and spotlighted like a star, encapsulates the climax of her delusion. Her declaration, “Alright Mr DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up,” is not triumphant, but tragic — the line signifies the collapse of her identity into performance. The camera’s staging, along with the film-in-film structure, blurs boundaries between fiction and reality, revealing that Norma’s addiction to fame has consumed her entirely. This is reinforced earlier when Joe watches her in horror — a reverse shot from his perspective frames her as almost theatrical, unrecognisable. Through this juxtaposition, Wilder doesn’t just depict her madness — he implicates the audience in it. The pursuit of fame, once internalised, is shown to be more than dangerous — it is an identity-erasing addiction.
Body Paragraph 2 – Delusion as a Prison Built by Fame
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: ‘Journeys end in lovers meeting, every…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: Shakespeare's comedic play “Twelfth Night”, set in the mystical and enigmatic world of Illyria, explores complex…
Shakespeare's comedic play “Twelfth Night”, set in the mystical and enigmatic world of Illyria, explores complex layers of love and the difficulties it elicits for characters. Shakespeare's representation of deluded, and mislead displays of love, as well as immature and unbalanced affections, highlights that not all streams of love are worth pursuing or rewarding. The play is set in the early modern period, during the celebration of the twelfth night of Christmas, where madness and foolery reign supreme over characters' lives. These forces create absurd situations and comedic performances, however this results in the exposure of truth to the characters, which inspires balanced, rightful love. Which is ultimately depicted as worthwhile. Overall the play highlights Shakespeare's subversion on the excessivity of the early modern period, demonstrating that a virtuous life is one full of love, as all “journeys [of life will] end in lovers meeting”. But the journey can only commence when characters transcend from their lives of deception, immaturity and distortion.
In the play, Shakespeare depicts how performative acts of love and deluded perceptions of affection, can bring about struggles and challenges for characters. Through Shakespeare's voice, Orsino is embodied as the petrarchan lover. His values intensified idealisations of women, which he displays through exaggerated performances. This is seen in his soliloquy as he is so compelled by the sweetness of love, and how it “breathes upon a bank of violets”, illustrating how his intentions of love are driven by an excessive affection for performance, rather than for Olivia. Further, Orsino's distorted pursuit of love, through theatrics and melancholic performances, ultimately provide him with heartache and despair, depicted through his allusion to actaeon the greek hunter, who had his own “cruel hounds pursue him”, orsino underscores that he feels hunted by his own “hart” because of his intense infatuation with love. Through Orsino, Shakespeare critiques that a twisted sense of love will not reward characters with peace or harmony. Similarly, Shakespeare represents that during the early modern period, love was defined as an overpowering force that encompasses pain and torment as a demonstration of love. This excessive and overly intensified expectation, drove characters like Viola to idealise feelings of “suffering” when expressing love. These values are evident when Olivia analogises her unprecedented affections towards cesario like “catching the plague”, illustrating a distorted perception that love could only be felt through pain, rather than joy. Shakespeare demonstrates through this unlikely relationship, that excessive and deluded perceptions of love, do not provide characters with equal unionship or happiness.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: In We Have Always Lived in the Castle,…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle, explores Societal views and reactions to Female Agency.…
Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle, explores Societal views and reactions to Female Agency. Written in Mid Century America, the gothic novel displays proto-feministic views through exploration of androcentric society, where firm female expectations are held, and criticism is directed towards those who do not fit within them. Merricat and Constance's female agency is viewed as abnormal, subjecting them to negative actions driven by fear from outsiders. They eventually overcome attempted suppression of this Autonomy, causing a deeper fear from others.
Shirley Jackson demonstrates how female empowerment and independence is stigmatised and suppressed. Merricat and Constance are introduced to readers as independent female figures, living dependent on solely eachother. This is displayed to trigger the outsiders, the villagers, to act violently and maliciously, driven by fear of difference. In the beginning of the novel, Merricat goes into the village, not by the harrassment of the Harris Boys chanting "Merricat said Connie, Would you like a cup of tea? Oh no, said Merricat, You'd poison me!". This is the first time readers are properly shown the attitudes of villagers towards the sisters. This chant is repeated several times throughout the novel, and is significant as it captures the violent act of 'poisoning' through the stereotype of female roles, where women are expected to act courteously and hospitably, such as offering a cup of tea. While rumors of Constance being responsible for the murders are heavily the influence of the taunting. It can be argued that the taunting would not occur in the instance that there was still a male control figure in the immediate family of the sisters, causing them to be seen in a less 'strikingly different' light which would be less confronting abnormal to characters who are to be complicit with patriarchal society. The absence of the male figure is enough to trigger fear associated relating to Misogynism, where a differing opinion or way of life is consequenced with hostility.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Sunset Boulevard plays with the notions of…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: Sunset Boulevard plays with the notions of gender in compelling ways. Discuss. In a world where one's ability to…
Sunset Boulevard plays with the notions of gender in compelling ways. Discuss.
In a world where one's ability to fulfill an assigned role determines their inherent value, there are those who defy expectation, alluding to a complex narrative. Billy Wilder's 1950 gothic noir film "Sunset Boulevard" offers a meticulously masterful and unsettling critique of Hollywood, challenging the fundamentally traditional gender roles placed upon those concealed within the industry. Through the complex relationship dynamics driven by power and the demanding and sexist nature of the industry, Wilder correlates a powerful judgement and juxtaposition of how such norms and standards influence individuals.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Sunset Boulevard both challenges and…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 90%: Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard is a gritty noir subverting traditional gender expectations in portraying an older,…
Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard is a gritty noir subverting traditional gender expectations in portraying an older, controlling woman in a relationship with a subservient man. Through masterful cinematography and costuming, the film illustrates the predatory nature of this unconventional relationship, adhering to societal values towards female dominance. Although the female-led film engages in critical discussion of Hollywood’s treatment of older women, it ultimately punishes women’s rejection of gender norms, reinforcing the deeply embedded misogyny in 1950s America.
The imbalanced relationship of a wealthier, older woman with the struggling younger man she employs is portrayed through a male lens, which centres around his loss of control and agency over female empowerment. The entanglement between the “older woman who is well-to-do” and “younger man who isn’t doing too well” is described by her love interest, Joe Gillis, who narrates the film’s events from his perspective. The non-linear structure of Sunset Boulevard allows Gillis’ death to be foretold before introducing Desmond, allowing its audience to speculate on her involvement in his tragic end. The two begin as employer and employee, making Desmond hold more power in the relationship. Desmond’s advances towards Gillis were not reciprocated initially, infringing on an abuse of power, as indicated in Gillis’ comment on how she is “forgetting she was (his) employer” when she clutches his arm. The protagonist also admits to being “an unknown writer” compared to Desmond, whom he calls a “great star”, beyond her superior success compared to him; Gillis is also financially dependent on her. Wilder purposefully establishes Desmond as greater in age, status, and material possessions compared to Gillis to challenge societal expectations for men and women. The audience of the time would then be invited to share Gillis’ belief that he is emasculated in this relationship. Feeling “caught, like the cigarette in the contraption on her finger”, Gillis is unhappy complying with Desmond’s requests to ensure a source of income. To link Desmond with Gillis' loss of agency, Wilder uses Gillis’ car as a symbol. Gillis thinks losing his car is equivalent to having his “legs cut off”, as he is no longer free to travel as he pleases. Since he lacks the money to pay the bank, his car is towed away, forcing him to rely on Desmond’s luxury foreign car. This implies that Desmond is the master of Gillis’ only mode of transportation, as his movement is reliant on her permission for him to leave her side. In breaking out of oppressive expectations for men and women in relationships, the liberation for Sunset Boulevard’s female character is largely neglected by the film in favour of exploring the male protagonist’s surrender of power.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “Malouf’s use of language and imagery in…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 82.5%: The exploration of our normal world gives us a glimpse into natural influence and profound humanity. Adapting…
The exploration of our normal world gives us a glimpse into natural influence and profound humanity. Adapting from Homer’s IIiad, David Malouf writes a novel titled Ransom to reflect his aftermath of merciless World War II where he struggled from considerably violence and isolation. Malouf justifies living earth power that ultimately fosters personal transformation in terms of the strength of exposure. Nevertheless, conflict also brings ever-lasting influence that surrounds us every day, worthing our appreciation as well. The nuanced humanity within the nature and interpersonal connection reflects eternal concept of the world. As such, Malouf opines that the natural power and humanity is what we really appreciate when it comes to things surrounding us.
With the contrast in Malouf’s imagery, he accentuates that the cost of conflict is so significant that demands our appreciation and occupation. Rift poses unrepairable danger that surrounds us all the time. Priam and Somax’s displacement underpin a lighter tone, whereas their journey
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: In Rainbow's End, hope triumphs over pain.…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: Section A - 2024 VATE VCE Exam Set during a period of immense suffering, blatant discrimination, and complete…
Section A - 2024 VATE VCE Exam
Set during a period of immense suffering, blatant discrimination, and complete disarray for Aboriginal Australians, Jane Harrison's expository play 'Rainbows End' explores the inherent yet complex link between trauma and hope, in light of the First Nations People's fight for their rights. In her piece of historical faction she underscores the power of hope that is to be used to find empowerment while exposing the difficulty of resilience due to societal pressures, overall showcasing how the pain that minorities are forced to endure celebrates them to stay hopeful. Ultimately, Harrison celebrates the strength of marginalised individuals who maintain hope despite societal constraints while ultimately unveiling how the pain inflicted upon minorities acts as encouragement to not lose hope.
Harrison praises the courage of First Nations People who find empowerment through hope despite painful circumstances. This dynamic is explored through Gladys' infatuation with the Encyclopedias that Errol sells, as despite her initially rejecting the idea, reluctantly urging him to sell them to the "fancy white fella", instead she is incapable of discarding the business card, putting it down the "front of her dress" for safekeeping. When she eventually buys her first set, Harrison utilises "celestial music" to signify the hope that inspires within her, and as she "touches the pages lovingly" before giving it to Dolly, she attempts to instill the same hope within her, encouraging her to "get a good job" in the future. By incorporating the symbolic encyclopedia set which acts as a beacon of hope for Gladys, Harrison reiterates how First Nations people can remain hopeful amidst their situations. This level of hope within the Aboriginal Australians is reiterated after Dolly's tragic assault, when she is left pregnant and confides in Nan Dear that she's 'scared she won't love' her child. Nan promptly dispels her fears, reassuring her by referring to her own experience "becom[ing] a mother at '[Dolly's] age', and emphasising that you 'still love 'em the same' regardless of 'how they came into the world'. This moment of vulnerability and compassion between the two women closes their generational gap and empowers Dolly with hope that she 'feel[s] [she] could love' her daughter. Through Nan and Dolly's intimate interaction, Harrison exemplifies how strong familial bonds can support individuals in maintaining hope, even throughout extraneous hardships. Thus, Rainbow's End reveals the power gained by minorities who remain hopeful.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “There is nothing tragic about being 50,…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 87.5%: Introduction Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard (1950) operates as both a gothic tragedy and a biting Hollywood…
Introduction
Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard (1950) operates as both a gothic tragedy and a biting Hollywood satire, exposing the corrosive effects of a culture that prizes youth and appearance above integrity and truth. Through his incisive blend of noir aesthetics and black comedy, Wilder critiques the way postwar American society, embodied in the Hollywood dream factory, commodifies beauty and discards individuals once they cease to embody vitality. By framing ageing as a form of social death and illusion as a mechanism of survival, Wilder condemns the industry’s moral hypocrisy and its manipulation of both art and identity. Ultimately, he positions Hollywood’s infatuation with youth as emblematic of a broader cultural anxiety — one that reflects America’s obsession with reinvention and its fear of decline.
Paragraph 1: The commodification of youth and beauty
Through Sunset Boulevard, Wilder critiques the commodification of youth and beauty as a process that dehumanises and objectifies, transforming individuals into disposable symbols of glamour. The film’s decaying mise-en-scène — Norma Desmond’s crumbling mansion, the “creeping paralysis” of its interiors, and the heavy curtains that shut out daylight — functions as a metaphor for the spiritual rot beneath Hollywood’s shining façade. Wilder constructs a visual and moral opposition between light and darkness to expose an industry built on surfaces and spectacle. Norma’s obsession with reclaiming her lost stardom, her elaborate makeup, and her delusional belief that “the pictures got small,” encapsulate how Hollywood manufactures identity only to destroy it. Wilder’s satire lies not in mocking Norma’s madness, but in exposing the system that bred it — a culture that idolises women when they are young, then abandons them when their beauty fades. This reflects Wilder’s own scepticism toward postwar consumerism and the myth of perpetual renewal. By aligning the industry’s obsession with youth with a moral vacuum, Wilder implies that the cost of fame is not only personal degradation but also the loss of artistic authenticity. In this sense, Sunset Boulevard becomes a cautionary allegory about a society that confuses value with visibility.
Paragraph 2: The illusion of eternal youth as self-destruction
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: All of the characters in Sunset Boulevard…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 75%: Sunset Boulevard, written by Billy Wilder, is a 1950’s melodrama film noir that investigates the dark and twisted…
Sunset Boulevard, written by Billy Wilder, is a 1950’s melodrama film noir that investigates the dark and twisted reality of hollywoods film industry, and encourages a social fixation on the glory of celebrities. Throughout the film, Wilder explores the behaviour of individuals desperately trying to achieve success in the industry. Sunset Boulevard's characters, while trapped in their own desires and delusions, use constant manipulation in order to reach their own personal gain. Webs of deceit and lies ultimately lead to tragic downfalls. The film presents a grim world where emotional control, false promises, and self-deception prevail.
Manipulation in Sunset Boulevard is often rooted in emotional control, where characters exploit affection, guilt, or dependence to dominate others. Wilder portrays this through the former silent film star Norma Desmond. After the downfall of her career, Norma isolates from the rest of the world in her decaying mansion, with a butler as her only companion. This leads her to be reclusive and emotionally unstable. With the arrival of the main character Joe Gillis, it leads her to cling to him immediately and emotionally controls Joe when he tries to leave by threatening that “[she’ll] do it again”, meaning she will harm herself. Norma tells Joe to go, but by repeating her suicide threat, it makes it clear that he cant. This illustrates how dependent she is towards Joe, and how she will do anything to keep him in her grasp, including manipulating him emotionally as he’ll stay there out of guilt. Another instance of this is shown through the character of Max Von Mayerling. It is revealed that he had a career before being Norma's butler as a film director, and was the one who “descovered” Norma. Max proceeds to shield Norma from the reality that she is no longer in the spotlight and repeatedly enforces that “madam is the greatest star of them all”. This quote shows that Max doesnt want Norma to be destroyed by the truth that she is no longer loved as she once was by the film industry and media. This use of manipulation is Max’s way of keeping Norma within his reach as the truth could potentially result in him losing her. Max feels deeply attached to her from being previously married, and feels like hes has a responsibility to protect even if it means to lie. However, its the manipulation and lies that are making her crazier in the first place- If the lies were revealed it could risk Norma committing suicide, or he could keep telling them and make her condition even worse. The use of manipulation in the film is often linked with emotions and the need to keep control over others lives.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: How does High Ground explore its…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 60%: Individuals and their relationships with their environment is frequently influenced by their culture and…
Individuals and their relationships with their environment is frequently influenced by their culture and upbringing. Set against the backdrop of Arnhem land, colonial Australia, Stephen Johnson's revisionist western film 'High Ground' depicts the contrasting relationships between the colonisers and First Nations people with the land. Ultimately, Johnson seeks to illustrate the varying understanding of their natural surroundings.
Johnson presents that the First Nations people have a holistic understanding of the land which is grounded by their respect of Country. This idea is epitomised through the bush plum symbol. It can be seen when Baywara teaches Gutjuk about his cultural dance, and again when Gutjuk offers some to Travis when they're tracking Baywara. In both of these instances the bush plums serve as a source of food and highlight the First Nations people's understanding of the land and their reliance on the land for survival. Through this, Johnson reveals the deep knowledge of the land that the First Nations people exhibit. Bolstering this idea, Johnson employs an establishing shot of the First Nations people during the meeting of the bosses. Their cultural attire and ochre painted bodies blend in with their natural surroundings. Thus, exemplifying their greater understanding and mutualistic bond with the land. By blending in, it demonstrates the First Nations people desire to be one with the land and their respect for the sacred country. To reinforce his view, Johnson bookends the film with Nimbuwah rock accompanied by First Nations people's cultural music. By coupling these together, Johnson highlights the symbiotic relationship. As a result, presenting the central importance of country for First Nations people. Ultimately, Johnson celebrates the bond First Nations people share with the land as they demonstrate a deep level of respect and care.