VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “Sophocles presents human suffering as an…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 95%: Set against the rigorous sociopolitical landscape of fifth-century BCE Athens, where the stability of the polis…
Set against the rigorous sociopolitical landscape of fifth-century BCE Athens, where the stability of the polis remained intimately connected to reverence for divine authority, Sophocles' tragedy Oedipus the King serves as a sobering indictment of human fallibility. By juxtaposing the apparent enlightenment of mortal reasoning with the inexorable machinations of divine destiny, Sophocles exposes the precariousness of human authority and the ontological limitations of mortal existence. Nevertheless, the playwright complicates absolute fatalism by presenting autonomous agency as both an unwitting instrument of moira and a means through which suffering is intensified. Ultimately, Sophocles reveals that while divine destiny establishes the immutable conditions of tragedy, humanity's inherent epistemic vulnerability and freely chosen actions shape the devastating experience of its consequences.
Sophocles situates human suffering within a predetermined cosmic framework, presenting Oedipus’ anguish as the inevitable consequence of a fate that human agency cannot ultimately evade. As the Corinthian messenger initially seeks to deliver the passing of Polybus, Sophocles constructs the Messenger as a catalyst for Oedipus’ tragic peripeteia. The Messenger destabilises Oedipus’ assumed paternal lineage by revealing that “Polybus was nothing to you […] not in blood.” Although Polybus’ death appears to confirm Oedipus’ successful circumvention of cosmic order, temporarily alleviating his suffering, the Messenger’s benevolent intervention paradoxically accelerates the revelation of an already fulfilled Moira. Within the fourth agon, Sophocles renders the Shepherd as a participant whose compassionate intervention inadvertently facilitates the fulfillment of divine prophecy. Upon being interrogated by Oedipus, the Shepherd retrospectively recounts his compassionate decision to preserve the infant’s life, revealing that “[He] pitied the little baby, master, hoped he’d take him off to his own country, far away, but he saved him for this, this fate”. The Shepherd's pity becomes the very condition through which the prophecy unfolds. Yet Sophocles does not condemn compassion itself; rather, he exposes the tragic disjunction between moral intention and catastrophic consequence. Benevolence offers no immunity from moira, revealing that suffering need not arise from deliberate wrongdoing. Additionally, Sophocles employs visual dramaturgy to foreshadow Oedipus’ impending anagnorisis, as the titular protagonist “strains to see” the approaching Shepherd “[who] enters slowly, reluctant to approach the king”. Oedipus’ determination to ‘see’ the approaching Shepherd dramatises his tragic myopia, as his voluntary pursuit of genealogical truth inadvertently precipitates the belated anagnorisis through which his predetermined suffering becomes fully apparent. The Shepherd’s gradual approach stages Oedipus’ impending recognition through dramatic pacing where the son of Laius will be confronted with his tragic fate. Ultimately, the Shepherd precipitates Oedipus’ anagnorisis by exposing the corruption of his oikos and his unwitting patricide.
Confiding in Jocasta, Oedipus retrospectively recounts his flight from Corinth, unwittingly revealing how his autonomous attempt to circumvent moira facilitates his fulfillment. Moreover, Oedipus describes his “abandonment” of Corinth as guided “by the stars”, where he was “always running toward some place where [he] would never see the shame of all those oracles come true.” Ironically, Sophocles constructs a semantic field of displacement through ‘abandoned’, ‘running’ and ‘toward’, foregrounding Oedipus’ desperate assertion of autonomous agency in his futile attempt to circumvent moira. Yet the iterative repetition of “running, always running” exposes the futility of his attempted escape, as his physical departure inadvertently directs him towards the fulfillment of moira. Furthermore, the celestial imagery of ‘by the stars’ symbolically situates Oedipus’ apparent freedom beneath an overarching cosmic order, exposing the tragic paradox whereby his efforts to circumvent prophecy become instrumental to its fulfilment. Thus, Sophocles elucidates the paradox of mortal autonomy within an inexorable cosmic framework, whereby freely chosen actions unwittingly facilitate the fulfillment of divine prophecy and its attendant suffering.
Sophocles complicates the inevitability of human suffering by revealing how mortal agency intensifies the consequences of an already fulfilled moira. Oedipus' combative self-assurance transforms his legitimate pursuit of civic salvation into an instrument of personal devastation.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: We Have Always Lived in the Castle…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 70%: Section A Written and set in 1960's North America, Shirley Jackson channels her own social isolation into We Have…
Section A
Written and set in 1960's North America, Shirley Jackson channels her own social isolation into We Have Always Lived in the Castle, suggesting that whilst detachment from a community can provide comfort to those who seek to avoid social interaction it eventually will lead to a degenerating lifestyle of unhappiness. Furthermore, Jackson critiques those who settle for isolation, suggesting that a community must remain cohesive to prevent individuals from becoming unhappy.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Prompt: “Ghost Wall warns of the dangers…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 75%: The recent centre of modern Britain, Brexit, has ignited a divisive rhetoric within Britain through nationalistic…
The recent centre of modern Britain, Brexit, has ignited a divisive rhetoric within Britain through nationalistic and patriotic views among Britons, particularly in lower-class Britain. Set within the Northumberland landscape, Sarah Moss’ contemporary bildungsroman novella, Ghost Wall, explores how the romanticisation of the past serves as a destructive mechanism that alleviates the visceral and suppresses female agency.
In her novel, Moss contends that the glorification of the ancient and ‘pure’ Iron Age past acts as a bulwark against an individual’s lower socio-economic identity. Through experiencing the physical discomfort of “splintery banks”, Moss deploys sensory imagery to depict how the absence of physical pleasure and the determination to endure pain is a ploy to mask incompetence and masculine fragility within the Iron Age. Rather than affirming masculine hegemony within a setting characterised by secularism and urbanism, the Northumberland setting regresses to the patriarchal conditioning of men. The patriarchal conditioning of male suffering and sacrifice is displayed through Bill’s belief that “folks need a change”. Here, Moss illustrates that the requirement of a man to experience physical pain underlines how men seek discomfort and physical pain as a performative ritual used to validate their insecurities and give Bill a sense of comfort away from his lower-class position. The Northumberland setting, where the place in the scene of the professor and Bill’s “ceremonial drumming” is accompanied by the Northumberland setting, emphasises how men’s regression into primitive behaviour and barbaric practices indicates the removal of civilisation. Here, Bill’s transgression of class boundaries, displaying dominance over the professor and his son, is a sign of establishing dominance. However, Moss’ inclusion of the northern past is crucial in her portrayal of national pride and its relationship with class identity. For Bill’s preclairtat background, when he clings to historical nationalistic pride in the Iron Age, his antagonistic dialogue towards the professor announces “Boudicca” as “Boadicea”. This further emphasises the lack of education that accompanies his class identity and identifies how intimately connected individuals within a lower-class Britain feel a sense of purpose due to their national identity, because it grants them purpose. The idolisation of history is used as a tool to compensate for a lack of education and disparity of class; however, it only reinforces an individual’s northern identity and prevents them from overcoming that barrier.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: in the memory police, the greatest threat…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 65%: Shaped by past trauma and censorship of the Japanese war, Yoko Ogawa’s 1994 novel posits an island where systemic…
Shaped by past trauma and censorship of the Japanese war, Yoko Ogawa’s 1994 novel posits an island where systemic losses occur in a dystopic world. Following the experiences of an unnamed novelist, the novel demonstrates how oppression and loss intertwine. Ogawa contends that the Memory Police’s forceful methods to physically remove people and objects lead to passive compliance, inhibiting freedom. However, the most impactful destruction is the loss of valuable connections, as it destroys connections to self and society, limiting the ability to resist. Through contrasting characterisation, Ogawa reveals how the totalitarian regime acts as a catalyst for the loss of individualism. Furthermore, the recurring motif of the loss of memories creates the islanders’ forced compliance and passivity, showing their reduced ability to resist as a whole. Ultimately, through magical realism, Ogawa warns of the overall power imbalance between the islanders and the regime when the citizens’ liberty is stripped away from them.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: A dozen press agents working overtime can…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 90%: In Billy Wilder's 1950 film noir Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood is presented as a toxic industry that destroys the…
In Billy Wilder's 1950 film noir Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood is presented as a toxic industry that destroys the very individuals it promises to celebrate. Released during a period of post-war optimism, the film challenges the American Dream by exposing the corruption beneath Hollywood's glamorous image as a 'dream factory'. Cecil B. DeMille's observation that 'a dozen press agents working overtime can do terrible things to the human spirit' reflects an industry that manufactures unrealistic expectations of fame and success, only to abandon those who can no longer maintain them. Through Norma Desmond's dependence on admiration, Joe Gillis's moral compromise and the destructive consequences of maintaining illusion, Wilder reveals how Hollywood corrupts identity, relationships and personal values. Ultimately, he suggests that Hollywood's toxicity lies not only in its exploitation of individuals, but in encouraging them to participate in their own destruction.
Wilder initially presents Hollywood as a toxic industry through its ability to manufacture unrealistic identities, encouraging individuals to measure their worth through fame rather than personal fulfilment. Hollywood's promise of lasting success becomes particularly destructive when individuals are discarded by the very industry that once celebrated them. This is evident through Norma Desmond, a former silent film star whose identity remains entirely dependent on the admiration she once received. Her declaration, 'I am big. It's the pictures that got small,' reveals her inability to accept Hollywood's changing expectations, as she blames the industry rather than confronting her declining relevance. Wilder reinforces this illusion through the Gothic mise-en-scène of Norma's decaying mansion, where enormous portraits, photographs and reminders of her former career dominate the interior. The contrast between its past grandeur and present neglect symbolises Hollywood's tendency to celebrate its stars before abandoning them when they are no longer profitable. Furthermore, the low-key lighting and oppressive shadows create an atmosphere of isolation, exposing the emotional suffering concealed beneath material wealth. Wilder deepens this criticism through Norma's visit to Paramount Studios, where the temporary attention she receives convinces her that Hollywood still values her. However, the dramatic irony of the scene emerges when it is revealed that the studio's interest concerns her luxurious vintage car rather than her return to acting. Her public recognition briefly restores the illusion of stardom, while the industry's actual priorities reveal how completely she has been replaced. Significantly, DeMille's observation about the destructive influence of press agents suggests that Norma was not always consumed by her own importance; rather, Hollywood helped cultivate the identity that now imprisons her. Wilder's casting of real silent film star Gloria Swanson, alongside footage from her earlier film Queen Kelly, further blurs the boundary between cinematic fiction and Hollywood's history. Through these techniques, Wilder condemns an industry that encourages individuals to build their identities upon public admiration, yet offers them little dignity or security when that admiration disappears.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “Fate controls every aspect of Oedipus the…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 85%: In his play, Oedipus the King, Sophocles explores the influence of fate on the trajectory of characters' lives. The…
In his play, Oedipus the King, Sophocles explores the influence of fate on the trajectory of characters' lives. The playwright suggests that although fate ultimately dictates the fortune of one's life, individuals can retain limited free will on the path taken to their destiny, which is ever-subject to the will of the gods.
In Oedipus the King, Sophocles illustrates how despite the crushing power of fate, characters retain limited free will. Towards the beginning of the play, Oedipus is depicted fleeing Corinth, refusing the prophecy at the crossroads, rendering them a symbol of predestiny. Sophocles uses the crossroads to express the illusion of choice Oedipus has, where his violent act of killing Laius, represents the very mechanism that completes the oracle. Through the play, Oedipus is “running always running” from his fate, in an attempt to escape his predestined fate. Despite being unable to change the outcome of destiny and ultimately fulfilling the prophecy by killing his father (Laius) and marrying his mother (Jocasta), Oedipus retained minimal control over the journey taken, as conveyed through him running from Corinth. Furthermore, Jocasta and Laius are illustrated delaying their tragic fate, by having “a henchman fling [Oedipus] away on a barren, trackless mountain”. This displays how the actions taken by man can delay the outcome of one’s destiny, as such, changing the path taken to their preordained outcome. Sophocles emphasises the minimal agency characters possess over the way their fate unfolds.
The playwright conveys how fate ultimately controls the overall trajectory of characters’ lives. Sophocles illustrates this through Oedipus being fated to live a painful life. This is first illustrated when Oedipus first enters, “majestic, but for a telltale limp”. This motif of his swollen ankle highlights how Oedipus fails to question the meaning of his name and the significance of his swollen ankle, causing him to ignorantly dismiss the inevitability of fate.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: How does Bad Dreams and other stories…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: Furthermore, Hadley emphasises that the crossing of familial and psychological boundaries creates a rupture in…
Furthermore, Hadley emphasises that the crossing of familial and psychological boundaries creates a rupture in relationships and uncovers unseen tensions. Hadley illustrates this in ‘Bad Dreams’ through the child and the mother. Her nightmare about her favourite book ‘Swallows and Amazons’ where the deaths of her favourite characters and Susan living to a ‘ripe old age’ while being the ‘dullest’ of the Swallows enforces a sense of fear for the young protagonist as it creates a realization of the horror of a mundane future. Even while the child knew the epilogue only ‘existed in her dream’ it was ‘clinging to her thoughts.’ Hadley uses this epilogue to illustrate that sometimes it is inevitable for young children to be confronted with death and the ordinariness of life. The crossing of the child’s psychological boundaries causes the child to gain a ‘sudden passion to break something’ and to ‘disrupt the world of her home’ implying a loss in agency and morality due to her visually disturbing nightmare. Subsequently, through the limited third person narrative the mother is portrayed as an unsatisfied housewife. Her act of being ‘happy [at the new freedom of her married life]’ but later beginning to ‘resent’ the brooding neighbours unveils the ironic reality that the mother holds similar repressed dissatisfaction of a domesticated life like ‘Susan’ from the Swallows. Through her child’s act of destroying the chairs the mother is forced to assume it’s the husband. Hadley uses her assumption of the husband as ‘childish’ and her act of being ‘fed up’ by his ‘bad temper’ to signify the fracturing of relationship between the husband and the wife within the household. Even after her view of the
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: How does Bad Dreams and other stories…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: Furthermore, Hadley emphasises that the crossing of familial and psychological boundaries creates a rupture in…
Furthermore, Hadley emphasises that the crossing of familial and psychological boundaries creates a rupture in relationships and uncover unseen tensions. Hadley illustrates this in ‘Bad Dreams’ through the child and the mother. Her nightmare about her favourite book ‘Swallows and Amazons’ where the deaths of her favourite characters and Susan living to a ‘ripe old age’ while being the ‘dullest’ of the Swallows enforces a sense of fear for the young protagonist as it creates a realization of the horror of a mundane future. Even while the child knew the epilogue only ‘existed in her dream’ it was ‘clinging to her thoughts.’ Hadley uses this epilogue to illustrate that sometimes it is inevitable for young children to be confronted with death and the ordinariness of life. The crossing of the child’s psychological boundaries causes the child to gain a ‘sudden passion to break something’ and to ‘disrupt the world of her home’ implying a loss in agency and morality due to her visually disturbing nightmare. Subsequently, through the limited third person narrative the mother is portrayed as an unsatisfied housewife. Her act of being ‘happy [at the new freedom of her married life]’ but later beginning to ‘resent’ the brooding neighbours unveils the ironic reality that the mother holds similar repressed dissatisfaction of a domesticated life like ‘Susan’ from the Swallows. Through her child act of destroying the chairs the mother is forced to assume it’s the husband. Hadley uses her assumption of the husband as ‘childish’ and her act of being ‘fed up’ by his ‘bad temper’ to signify the fracturing of relationship between the husband and the wife within the household. Even after her view of the
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: To what extent does oedipus rex present…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 72.5%: "Oedipus The King" is an ancient Greek tragedy written by playwright Sophocles. Within the play, Sophocles…
"Oedipus The King" is an ancient Greek tragedy written by playwright Sophocles. Within the play, Sophocles explores the complex relationship between retribution in the forms of divine authority, fate, moral justice and human limitation. Sophocles warns ancient Greek audience members that retribution is a consequence which cannot be evaded, and disapproves acting with an elastic moral compass as it may accelerate one toward an undesirable fate. Sophocles presents this idea through the use of the recurring motif of blindness, dramatic irony, concept of catharsis and characterisation.
Sophocles suggests that the role of the divine authority regarding fate is a powerful one which would be foolish to mock due to the omnipotent nature of the Gods. Sophocles expresses disapproval for acts which are disrespectful to the Gods, and aims to promote a sense of alignment with religion to Greek audience members. Oedipus is emphasised as an individual who perceives himself to be of a similar hierarchical standing to that of the Gods when he boasts, "You pray to the Gods? Let me answer your prayers." Sophocles emphasises the egotistical manner in which Oedipus claims to be of similar ability to that of the divine authority and deems this perception of oneself as foolish. Sophocles further highlights disapproval of Oedipus' hubris via the dramatic irony of Oedipus' punishment being fulfilled at his own hand, but due to finding out he fulfilled the prophecy the gods he claimed to be alike to set for him. Sophocles aims for this dramatic irony to serve as a warning to Greek audience members about the undesirable fate one will likely receive if they disrespect the gods. Jocasta also mocks the gods when stating she wouldn't "look right or left" regarding the prophecy. Via stating she won't look "right or left" Sophocles highlights the manner in which Jocasta is acting blind to the powerful nature of the divine authority, and mocking the power the prophecy holds due to desire for it to be untrue. Sophocles warns Greek audience members that wilfull blindness and neglect towards the gods is an ignorant act deserving of punishment. Sophocles pulls focus to the justification of Jocasta's punishment via the scene of death at her own hand in the plays exoudus. Jocasta's suicide is emphasised as a punishment due to neglect of devine authority as her suicide was a result of the truth of the very prophecy she tried to ignore, serving as dramatic irony to Greek audience members. Her death & Oedipus' demise also serves as a point of catharsis as Greek members who may be feeling guilt for displaying similar mockery towards the gods, encouraging them to act in a pious manner due to fear of undesirable retribution.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Márquez suggests that despite the…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 90%: The truths recounted by individuals are heavily influenced by personal biases, collective values and the desire to…
The truths recounted by individuals are heavily influenced by personal biases, collective values and the desire to preserve honour, the moral code by which a community lives. Gabriel Garcia Márquez’s novella, “Chronicle of a Death Foretold”, constructs a narrative where the 'absolute truth' remains perpetually unreachable, suggesting that in a society governed by rigid codes of honour, the pursuit of justice is often sacrificed for the sake of a convenient victim. Through the narrator’s reliance on shattered recollections of Santiago Nasar’s death, a society governed by the sacred laws of honour, and the eventual decay of the official investigation, Márquez critiques a community blinded by its own social roles, where the objective reality of the crime is permanently lost to a thousand shreds of a contradictory testimony.
After twenty-seven years, memory becomes a tool for self-preservation rather than a vessel for objective truth; individuals recall events not as they were, but in a manner that absolves them of culpability. Victoria Guzmán recalls a “radiant morning with a sea breeze,” while others retrospectively describe the day as 'funereal' and drizzling. Through these disparate accounts, Márquez suggests that the 'absolute truth' of the event has been subconsciously reconstructed by the townspeople to align with their own emotional responses to the tragedy. The 'funereal' drizzle serves as a pathetic fallacy, a manifestation of a collective guilt that attempts to paint the murder as a sombre, fated event rather than an avoidable act of violence. This fragmentation of truth is further compounded by the narrator’s own role as a bewildered detective, attempting to piece together a broken mirror of a narrative that refuses to reflect a single reality. Márquez deliberately leaves the official legal record rotting in a “flooded basement” symbolically suggesting that the 'absolute truth' is not only unreachable but physically decaying under the weight of time. By highlighting contradictions, such as the 'golden' or 'drizzling' light, Márquez critiques a society that uses the passage of time to sanitise their complicity. Ultimately, the 'abundance of testimony' serves not to clarify the crime, but to bury it, ensuring that Santiago’s guilt or innocence remains a 'liquid' truth, forever reshaped by the town’s collective need for moral comfort."
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Márquez suggests that despite the…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: The truths recounted by individuals are heavily influenced by personal biases, collective values and the desire to…
The truths recounted by individuals are heavily influenced by personal biases, collective values and the desire to preserve honour, the moral code by which a community lives. Gabriel Garcia Márquez’s novella, “Chronicle of a Death Foretold”, constructs a narrative where the 'absolute truth' remains perpetually unreachable, suggesting that in a society governed by rigid codes of honour, the pursuit of justice is often sacrificed for the sake of a convenient victim. Through the narrator’s reliance on shattered recollections of Santiago Nasar’s death, a society governed by the sacred laws of honour, and the eventual decay of the official investigation, Márquez critiques a community blinded by its own social roles, where the objective reality of the crime is permanently lost to a thousand shreds of a contradictory testimony.
After twenty-seven years, people don't remember things to tell the truth; they remember things in a way that makes them look innocent. Victoria Guzmán, recalls a “radiant morning with a sea breeze,” while others retrospectively describe the day as 'funereal' and drizzling. Through these disparate accounts, Márquez suggests that the 'absolute truth' of the event has been subconsciously reconstructed by the townspeople to align with their own emotional responses to the tragedy. The 'funereal' drizzle serves as a pathetic fallacy, a manifestation of a collective guilt that attempts to paint the murder as a sombre, fated event rather than an avoidable act of violence. This fragmentation of truth is further compounded by the narrator’s own role as a bewildered detective, attempting to piece together a broken mirror of a narrative that refuses to reflect a single reality. Márquez deliberately leaves the official legal record rotting in a “flooded basement” symbolically suggesting that the 'absolute truth' is not only unreachable but physically decaying under the weight of time. By highlighting contradictions, such as the 'golden' or 'drizzling' light, Márquez critiques a society that uses the passage of time to sanitise their complicity. Ultimately, the 'abundance of testimony' serves not to clarify the crime, but to bury it, ensuring that Santiago’s guilt or innocence remains a 'liquid' truth, forever reshaped by the town’s collective need for moral comfort."
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Prompt: 'You can't share a country…' High…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 85%: Stephen Johnson's 2020 film, 'High Ground', set in Arnhem land Australia in a post World War one timeframe, reveals…
Stephen Johnson's 2020 film, 'High Ground', set in Arnhem land Australia in a post World War one timeframe, reveals the difficulties in coloniser and colonised living in peace. Johnson portrays the forceful actions of colonisers, united action between coloniser and colonised, and the destructive implications of withheld anger, ultimately suggesting that despite attempts for peace, it truly is impossible for coloniser and colonised to live in peace.
The brutal nature of the colonist force compromises the possibility for coloniser and colonised to live in peace. In the opening scenes of the film, a massacre portrays the unjust killing of First Nations women, men, and children. Johnson employs a close-up shot through the perspective of Travis' rifle scope, with a visible circle boundary at all times. Panning the camera across different interactions such as women sitting, children playing, the restrictive perspective provided to the audience reveals how the presence of white colonists in the lives of the Yolgnu people greatly restricts the freedoms and choices which the First Nations peoples can make, limiting their peace through desire for control. Later in the film, over 12 years since the initial massacre, Eddy lunges at Tommy (Gutjuk), in search for knowledge surrounding his uncle, Baywara. Johnson's use of a POV shot, looking down at Tommy, suggests that the white colonisers feel physically superior to the First Nations, which is amplified by the scared expression on Tommy's face. Furthermore, Eddy's instinctive action to lunge at Tommy reflects the concept that colonist beliefs to use violence as a means of resolving disputes, further limits the mutual peace between colonisers and the colonised. During the meeting scene, between Dharrpa and his mob, and Moran with Shakaman, Moran emphasises the colonist belief that the country belongs to no-one, Terra Nullius, repeatedly saying 'in this country', whilst Dharrpa interrupts saying 'My country', Moran's perseverance in the colonist belief reveals how peace is limited between the colonists and the colonised because neither side is willing to compromise the values and land which they abide by. Johnson is able to reveal how the selfish and inconsiderate actions of the white colonisers limits the peace between the Yolgnu people and the white colonisers.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: 'Apartheid, for all its power, had fatal…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 72.5%: Trevor Noah, through his memoir Born A Crime, embarks on South Africa’s extreme prevalence of racial oppression.…
Trevor Noah, through his memoir Born A Crime, embarks on South Africa’s extreme prevalence of racial oppression. Through exploring the memoir, Noah powerfully critiques the imperfections of an unjust system, such as leading to poor living standards, leaving people to sustain a crucially despaired livelihood, as well as the system creating an inescapable cycle of social immobility for many. Noah also illustrates the social challenges that was created from the unjust system.
Noah reflects on how the architecture of apartheid being imperfect, has led to disproportionately poor living standards. Soweto was a township built to abuse poor labour, to keep black people located in one area. Noah embarks on the living standards, highlighting the 'matchbox houses' which were extremely small, yet overcrowded. In line with these houses, Noah recalls a key part of his livelihood as a child, the outhouse which for toilet paper, had '...a wire hanger with newspaper...' This showcases the inhumane standards that people in Soweto had to endure, due to the imperfections of a system built on inequality. Noah recalls most houses having driveways, yet almost none having cars. Noah utilises driveways as a symbol of the absence of necessities, yet a desire for them, in Soweto, demonstrating the presence of poor living standards, being in a livelihood that is below what people aspire to have. This showcases the poor living standards of Soweto, created as a flaw of the unjust system, apartheid. Overall, Noah condemns the inequality-based system of apartheid, as it led to poor living standards.
While embarking on poor living standards, Noah also illustrates how the imperfections of racial subjugation has led to an inescapable cycle of social immobility. Noah reflects on his time post-Apartheid in Alexandria and its 'gravitational pull...' leaving one permanently stuck from where they started. He utilises the juxtaposition of 'maximal effort...' yet 'minimum gain,' to illustrate how black people in South Africa progressed at a miniscule scale, despite hard work. This violates the structure of general successful society, the idea that working hard equates to higher gain, untrue in South Africa's apartheid. This illustrates a flawed societal system; a system built on inequality.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: A leader must be aware of their own…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 85%: In Sophocles’ Oedipus The King , the protagonist, Oedipus, persists upon a single pursuit of truth that eventuates…
In Sophocles’ Oedipus The King , the protagonist, Oedipus, persists upon a single pursuit of truth that eventuates towards the result of his awareness towards his own limitations and strengths. While the divine will of the god’s appeared to strip the protagonist's agency, it is seen to show how Oedipus’ own hubristic choices led to findings of his own limitations whilst his strengths were blurred by his false sense of comfortability. These limitations come into fruition as the play unfolds, displaying Oedipus’ true vulnerability as a leader and an idolized figure within the people of Thebes.
Sophocles suggest that true leadership skills are seen within one's own agency to contradict whether or not their own strengths are capable enough to lead others. This can be seen through Oedipus and his poor awareness around his own abilities, often seeing himself greater than others around him, which would have led to his own hubris crowding his judgement upon his own leadership skills. Sophocles creates a true contrast between leaders being Oedipus and Creon, with Oedipus being the rash and confident leader whilst Creon is the more measured and noble leader of the two. A purposely placed episode can be seen through Creon re-offering Oedipus’ throne back to him after the events of the completion of the prophecy. This positions the audience to grow a liking for Creon as he is seen as the more suited leader, often at times exercising his agency before jumping into a rash decision.
Through the preachings of Tiresias, can we really see the true vulnerability of Oedipus’ true awareness around his judgement upon both his strengths and weaknesses. By bluntly declaring, “you are the murderer you hunt”, Tiresias forces Oedipus to confront the uncomfortable reality that his own actions, rather than just the god’s decrees, are the source of the plague. This really shows that not only was Oedipus unaware of his power, but his own hubris got in the way of his reign, mistaking power for strength, which ultimately led Oedipus to perceive his royal ascension as a gift rather than the exact event that almost certainly resulted in his downfall.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Prompt: Sunset Boulevard is about loss of…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 87.5%: Sunset Boulevard (1950) by Billy Wilder is a film noir that discusses the horrendous truth about the film…
Sunset Boulevard (1950) by Billy Wilder is a film noir that discusses the horrendous truth about the film industry hiding behind the blinding glamour of Hollywood which abuses its power to fully take over its actor’s life. Through its gothic and horror atmosphere, Wilder exposes how Hollywood manipulates and holds the control to its actors’ lives, robbing the character’s true self as they begin to solely depend on the industry. The film highlights how blind love can undoubtedly influence someone to fall into misery—proving that idealised love might cause unintended harm to someone’s life. Compounded by the contrast in wealth between characters, the illusion of fame acts as the primary means of deceiving an aging actress until she loses her sense of self in pursuit of ‘fake success’—ultimately separating hopeless characters from their reality.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Prompt: Sunset Boulevard is about loss of…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 82.5%: Sunset Boulevard (1950) by Billy Wilder is a film noir that discusses the horrendous truth about the film…
Sunset Boulevard (1950) by Billy Wilder is a film noir that discusses the horrendous truth about the film industry hiding behind the blinding glamour of Hollywood which abuses its power to fully take over its actor’s life. Through its gothic and horror atmosphere, Wilder exposes how Hollywood manipulates and holds the control to its actor’s life, robbing the character’s true self as they begin to solely depend on the industry. The film highlights how blind love can undoubtedly influence someone to fall into a misery—proving that idealised love might causes unintended harms to someone’s life. Compounded by the contrast in wealth between characters, the illusion of fame acts as the primary means of deceiving an aging actress until she loses her sense of self in pursuit of ‘fake success’—ultimately trapping hopeless characters from their reality.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Prompt: Sunset Boulevard is about loss of…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 75%: Sunset Boulevard (1950) by Billy Wilder is a film noir that discusses the horrendous truth about the film industry…
Sunset Boulevard (1950) by Billy Wilder is a film noir that discusses the horrendous truth about the film industry hiding behind the blinding glamour of Hollywood which abuses its power to fully take over its actor’s life. Through its gothic and horror atmosphere, Wilder exposes how Hollywood manipulates and holds the control to their actor’s life, robbing the character’s true self as they begin to solely depend on the industry. The film highlights how blind love can undoubtedly influence someone to fall into a misery—proving that idealised love is able to manipulate someone’s life. Compounded by the contrast in wealth between characters, the illusion of fame acts as the primary means of deceiving an aging actress until she loses her sense of self in pursuit of ‘fake success’—ultimately trapping hopeless characters as they have no control over their own lives.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Prompt: Sunset Boulevard is about loss of…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 67.5%: Sunset Boulevard (1950) by Billy Wilder is a film noir that discusses the horrendous truth about the film…
Sunset Boulevard (1950) by Billy Wilder is a film noir that discusses the horrendous truth about the film industry hiding behind the blinding glamour of Hollywood which abuses their power to fully take over their actor’s life. Through its gothic and horror atmosphere, Wilder exposes how Hollywood manipulates and holds the control to their actor’s life, robbing the character’s true self as they begin to solely depend on the industry. The film highlights how blind love can undoubtedly influence someone to fall into a misery—proving that idealised love is able to manipulate someone’s life. Compounded by the contrast in wealth between characters, the illusion of fame acts as the primary means of deceiving an aging actress until she loses her sense of self in pursuit of ‘fake success’—ultimately trapping hopeless characters as they lose control over their own lives.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: In High Ground, the characters’ failure to…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: In Stephen Maxwell Johnson’s film High Ground, the devastating consequences of colonialism and racial injustice…
In Stephen Maxwell Johnson’s film High Ground, the devastating consequences of colonialism and racial injustice are explored through the inability of individuals to compromise. Set in 1919 in the Northern Territory, the film exposes the conflict between Indigenous Australians and white settlers, revealing how prejudice, revenge and the abuse of power prevent reconciliation. Through the characters’ conflicting beliefs and experiences, Johnson demonstrates that the refusal to listen to others perpetuates violence and destroys relationships. However, the film also suggests that the failure to compromise is not equally responsible for the conflict, as the oppression of First Nations people and the injustice of colonial law create the foundations for tragedy.
Johnson initially demonstrates how the refusal to challenge unjust systems of power perpetuates colonial violence and creates the foundations for tragedy. As a representative of British authority, Moran believes that colonial law must be upheld regardless of its morality. His assertion that “in THIS country we all abide by the same law” exposes his belief that British law is superior to Indigenous traditions and disregards First Nations people’s connection to their ancestral land. The capitalisation of “THIS” emphasises his authoritarian attitude, suggesting that Indigenous Australians must submit to colonial authority rather than have their rights and customs respected. Furthermore, his declaration that “I don’t need to tell you what happens if Baywarra gets a voice” reveals his fear of Indigenous resistance and his desire to suppress the truth about the massacre of Gutjuk’s family. Johnson therefore criticises the hypocrisy of colonial authorities, who claim to uphold justice while concealing their own brutality. Rather than acknowledging Indigenous sovereignty or negotiating peacefully, colonial authorities prioritise their power, allowing injustice to continue. Ultimately, the film demonstrates how the refusal to recognise alternative perspectives perpetuates suffering and prevents meaningful reconciliation.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: 14. The comic resolution of Twelfth Night…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 87.5%: In a society where delusions are more palatable than reality, Shakespeare constructs a comic resolution that…
In a society where delusions are more palatable than reality, Shakespeare constructs a comic resolution that shows the inherent harmony that accompanies internalised delusions rather than the discord that's displayed alongside the truth in “Twelfth Night, or what you will”. Shakespeare explores the convenience of the final scene of the play, using sudden substitutions of love interests and characters and the indifferent expulsion of characters that don’t fit into the mould of Shakespeare's comic resolution in the distant lens of the fool.
The comic resolution of the play revolves around the substitution of love interests, which is widely accepted by characters because it feeds into their internalized delusions. Orsino’s Petrarchan obsession with Olivia was an integral component of his character, Orsino’s delusion wasn’t rooted with Olivia as a character, but it was Orsino’s perception of Olivia that fueled the delusion. Shakespeare expertly devises the final two acts as a system to reveal internalized delusions, but to demonstrate that most characters prefer to live in sustained delusions. In act 4, Orsino proclaims that he will “kill the lamb that I love” 4.3, after Olivia referred to Cesario as “husband”. In the scene, Shakespeare plays with the idea of transitioning the plot from a melodrama into a tragedy, which is often sparked using deception as a means of manipulation. Inversely, Shakespeare constructs Twelfth Night as a play that uses deception as the ‘glue’ of the story, using deceit to interweave characters and maintain relations within moderation. This exposure of deceit in Act 4, scene 3 is quickly undermined by Orsino’s depiction of the event, arguing that the event was a “happy wreck” 4.4. This transition from evoked feelings of betrayal into an endearing, chaotic situation once Cesario’s identity was revealed demonstrates that Orsino is reverting back into his internalized delusions. Orsino’s rage is only quelled after he substitutes his “objects of affection” from Olivia to Viola, indicating that the only thing that barred the play’s transition into a tragedy, was Orsino’s decision to maintain his internalized delusions.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Sunset boulevard directed both challenges…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: Throughout Sunset Boulevard, Wilder uses female characters of Norma and Betty to expose traditional beauty…
Throughout Sunset Boulevard, Wilder uses female characters of Norma and Betty to expose traditional beauty expectations placed on women throughout Hollywood. With the stylised old aging mansion Wilder introduces Norma’s social decay using the mansion as a motif. Implementing elements of gothic horror to demonstrate a physical decay of the estate visually showcasing the discarding of aging women within Hollywood. With the use of a long wide shot as Joe states “some big mansion that looked run-down and deserted" highlighting the character of Norma who has been “given the go by” as a result of her age and looks. Originally she was a “big movie star” but now she's a “ghost” of a Hollywood star. As the film progresses, Wilder further questions roles by emphasising the consequences of expectations on females. This is showcased through Norma make over scenes. Wilder uses a close up zooming on Norma's eye expanding emphasising
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: How does Sophocles blur the boundaries…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 85%: In his blindness, man will synthesise beliefs of the world, often separated from the truth yet nonetheless…
In his blindness, man will synthesise beliefs of the world, often separated from the truth yet nonetheless frequently overlapping. In Oedipus the King, Sophocles reveals that the boundaries between perception and reality are real yet transient. He explores the complexities of ignorance and knowledge, demonstrating that the manner of which one perceives their understanding to be both true and flawed. He suggests that leaders occupy both benevolence and tyranny, and that simple understandings of rulers are never wrong yet lacking in understanding. The play is framed from a compatibilist lens, validating the complex views on fate and free will expressed throughout. And moral ambiguity remains a theme, allowing Sophocles to diminish the gap between moral understanding and moral truth.
Sophocles clouds the gap between understanding and unknowing, suggesting that man’s attainment of knowledge is never binary. Oedipus is initially established as the exemplar of understanding, both internally, through his marginalising of the possibility of mystery, stating ‘there would have been no mystery if he was present’, and externally, with the priest believing ‘no extra knowledge’ may be bestowed upon the king. Sophocles bases their perceptions in reality with his intellectually-driven ‘free[ing] [Thebes] from the Sphinx’, pointing to a man with much ability. Yet Sophocles also questions the king’s understanding through his tensions with Tiresias. An inflated perception of intellectual 'greatness' blinds him to the reality of his unknowingness. Sophocles introduces the motifs of eyes to complicate the relationship between perception and reality, as Oedipus’ belief that Tiresias has ‘lost [his] power’ due to 'eyes blind as stone' reveals his belief in a causal relationship with man’s instruments of visual perception and a grasp of reality. Sophocles uses dramatic irony to challenge Oedipus’ beliefs, with the king’s reality existing as 'precious eyes… blind to the corruption of [his] life'. Oedipus’ ultimate attainment of knowledge coincides with ‘dig[ging] [pins] down the sockets of his eyes, a product of his realising what good were the instruments of perception now that he has attained reality. Although Oedipus attains an understanding of reality while marginalising perception, Sophocles suggests a co-existence where the king’s pre-existing greatness and search for knowledge derive from man’s ability to perceive the world.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: ‘What will come will come’. To what extent…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 90%: Sophocles’ moral tragedy, ‘Oedipus the King’, enacts the perilous dichotomy between human agency and divine…
Sophocles’ moral tragedy, ‘Oedipus the King’, enacts the perilous dichotomy between human agency and divine authority, reflecting the societal uncertainties of fifth century BCE Athens. Sophocles presents a portrayal on the limitations of free will in a world governed by divinity, revealing that attempts to defy prophecy are ultimately futile and may become the very means through which fate is fulfilled. In this way, Sophocles questions the constraints of free will within a divine framework, positioning fate as an inexorable destination, while suggesting that the journey toward these forgone conclusions is shaped by personal choice. Thus, Sophocles ultimately posits that the truest expression of autonomy lies not in the subversion of fate as decreed by the gods, but in an individual's approach to knowledge, responsibility and acceptance, suggesting that individuals retain personal accountability for the damage that arises from fate.
Through the events of the play, Sophocles exposes that the effort to evade prophecy is a futile endeavor, revealing to his Athenian male audience that resistance to fate's inevitabilities can often become the mechanism through which it is fulfilled, ultimately positioning fate as an inexorable end. Permeating the dialogue of his play with dramatic irony, Sophocles illuminates the tragedy of fate through this disparity of knowledge between his audience and characters. A fatalistic despondency saturates the exordium of the play, as the audience is introduced to an Oedipus who is “majestic but for a telltale limp”, positioning Oedipus as revered, yet symbolically referencing his inexorable doom and fated history. Oedipus’ name, meaning ‘swollen foot’, derived from the “misfortune” in which his “ankles were pinned together” as an infant, presents his limp as a physical manifestation of the failure to subvert divine prophecy. In this way, the characteristic limp serves as a metaphorical representation of the dichotomy between fate and free will. Though Oedipus recoils from the visible reminder of his childhood, asking the messenger, “why would you remind me of that, that old affliction?”, he cannot erase the “dreadful mark” created by his parents’ attempt to resist the prophecy. In this way, Sophocles renders fate inseparable from the very attempts made to escape it, suggesting that resistance to divine decree may alter the path towards destiny, but it cannot prevent its ultimate conclusion. Indeed, Sophocles presents suffering and limitation as intrinsic to the human condition, anticipating Aristotle’s later understanding of tragedy as a form that evokes pity and fear through the collapse of an individual whose status cannot protect them from human vulnerability. In the same vein, juxtaposing Oedipus’ blindness toward his identity and fated end with Tiresias, who is “stone-blind” yet possesses profound insight into the truth, Sophocles emphasises the limitations of human perception. Though Oedipus is famed for the “flight of [his] own intelligence”, it is ultimately revealed that this perception contradicts the reality of his identity as he has been blind toward the truth. Here, Sophocles suggests that even the “first of men” cannot breach the confines of mortal finitude, thus, he portrays the pursuit of enlightenment as fundamental to human life. Indeed, Sophocles presents the truth and its punishment as the pharmakos required to purify the polis, where Oedipus must “pay the killers back”. Thus, he suggests that the suffering that accompanies the revelation of fate is inherent to one’s life, ultimately positing that it is ignorance toward the absolution of divine decree and limitations of humankind that invites unnecessary anguish.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: In Moonrise Kingdom, individuals are…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 100%: In Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom (2012), individuals are fundamentally dependent on society for identity,…
In Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom (2012), individuals are fundamentally dependent on society for identity, belonging and protection, yet Anderson questions whether existing social structures adequately meet these needs. Through Sam and Suzy, Anderson exposes how families, the Khaki Scouts and other institutions attempt to regulate individuals according to social expectations. Their decision to escape demonstrates that dependence on society does not require conformity, as individuals may need to separate themselves from restrictive structures to understand who they are. Ultimately, Anderson presents dependence as reciprocal: individuals need society to provide connection and security, while society must adapt when its expectations prevent individuals from belonging.
Anderson first establishes that individuals depend upon society for structure and belonging, even when those structures fail to understand them. As an orphan, Sam depends upon the Khaki Scouts for routine, skills and community, yet his position within the organisation remains unstable. When his foster family describes him as “emotionally disturbed” and explains that they will not accept him back, Anderson’s dialogue demonstrates how institutional authority reduces Sam’s complex identity to a clinical label. Similarly, the Scouts initially value Sam according to his usefulness within their hierarchical system, with Scout Master Randy Ward responding to his disappearance through commands and organised searches rather than attempting to understand why he left. Anderson therefore exposes a society more concerned with managing an outsider than understanding him. Similarly, Suzy is positioned as an outsider within her own family, where she is treated as a “problem child”. Anderson’s mise-en-scène reinforces this isolation through Suzy’s bedroom, which is physically separated from the rest of the household and filled with books, records and binoculars. The carefully arranged props are presented within Anderson’s controlled, symmetrical compositions, while their distinctive colours and placement separate Suzy’s private interests from the more conventional spaces of the Bishop household. When Suzy looks through the binoculars, Anderson uses point-of-view framing to align the audience with her perspective, while circular masking isolates what she chooses to observe from the surrounding world. This visual construction gives Suzy control over what she sees, transforming the binoculars from a simple object into a means of agency within a household where she otherwise feels powerless. Similarly, her private collection of books and records establishes an identity separate from the one her parents attempt to impose. Anderson therefore reveals that individuals cannot easily escape society because their identities and sense of belonging are shaped within it; however, inclusion within a social structure is meaningless when that structure refuses to understand the individual.