VCE · Text Response
Text Response: The Limits of Power in Oedipus the King
VCE Text Response essay scoring 75%: Introduction Sophocles’ Oedipus the King presents a harrowing meditation on the fragility and boundaries of human…
Introduction
Sophocles’ Oedipus the King presents a harrowing meditation on the fragility and boundaries of human power. Through Oedipus’ rise as a revered ruler and his catastrophic downfall, Sophocles interrogates humanity’s illusion of control within a cosmos ruled by divine will. The tragedy demonstrates that no matter how brilliant or virtuous a man may be, he cannot transcend the constraints imposed by fate, ignorance, and pride. Ultimately, Sophocles suggests that power without humility blinds individuals to truth and to the moral and existential limits of their authority. In Oedipus the King, the quest for mastery—over destiny, knowledge, or oneself—culminates not in triumph, but in ruin.
Paragraph 1 – The limits of human power before divine will
Sophocles situates human power within the boundaries of divine sovereignty, eluding to the fact that the God’s reign supreme. In the prologue of the play Oedipus is deemed “the first of men” and a majestic ruler, illustrating his well respected authority in the early stahes of the play. Howver, his rashness and temper accompanied with his suspicision of conspiracies underpin his miasma. (spiritual pollution). The plague that ravages Thebes is a divine punishment, signalling that mortal rule operates under the gaze of the gods. Sophcoles [postulates that the truth becomes destructive, signifying that this very knowledge seals Oedipus fate. When Oedipus vows to “bring everything to light,” his determination to act as both king and moral arbiter collides with Apollo’s inscrutable will. In an attempt to suppress Oedpius past the sheaprd states “Damn you, shut your mouth,quiet” demonstrates the limits of human understanding as well as Oedpius metaphorical blidness. Paradoxically. Once blind Oedpius gains a moral vision, finally understanding the power of prophercy and the weight of his fulfilment stating “what man alive, more miserable than I”, serving as a stark reminder of the moral responsibility in Greek tragedy extending beyond intent. Sophocles’ endoreses hubris as a moral warning, suggesting that equalising divine will only seal ones fate.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Where were you when the silence became…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 67.5%: Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury; Where were you when...? I'll let you fill in the blanks here; with a major…
Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury; Where were you when...? I'll let you fill in the blanks here; with a major event, or a seemingly insignificant action that resulted in incomprehensible damages.
As the representative of Olivia Caldwell in this court of law, I stand here before you today with one job, to honour, and fight for the dignity and loving Memory of Livvy. See the facts in this case are in no way disputed, Livvy Caldwell was shamelessly, brutally murdered by Officer Jaxon Hayes, for simply exercising her god given right to protest. Livvy simply walked to the front steps of parliament house, with a sign and a dream. A dream that a seemingly shy, average kid such as herself could influence change in this ever-declining landslide that we call a government. She came unarmed and unwavering to any signs of defeat. After an hour or so, Livvy was forcefully dragged away from the protest and beaten to death by Officer Jaxon Hayes. Her life taken, while her rights were oppressed and stripped away from her. A cruel, heinous, act of injustice stricken upon an innocent woman.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: is an overarching crafting text with…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 67.5%: “Keep the light alive.” That was what Mum whispered as the doctor closed the door behind him. I didn’t…
“Keep the light alive.”
That was what Mum whispered as the doctor closed the door behind him. I didn’t understand what she meant then, not really. But those words echoed through every sleepless night that followed, a reminder, a burden, and eventually, a truth.
Year 12 was supposed to be the year I proved myself. It was meant to be about leadership roles, perfect grades, and preparing for the future. Instead, I spent most of it sitting in the dim light of hospital corridors, tracing cracks in the linoleum floor while the machines beside my brother hummed in rhythm with my heart. Each beep felt like a countdown I could not stop.
At school, the world continued to move while mine stood still. My friends spoke about formals and university offers, but my mind remained in Room 312, where time folded in on itself. I was there, yet not. A ghost walking through corridors lined with laughter that no longer felt real. Teachers would ask if I was okay and I would nod, swallowing the words that pressed at the back of my throat. How could I explain that my world had dimmed and no one seemed to notice?
Depression arrived quietly, like fog seeping under a locked door. Some mornings I would sit in the car before school and stare at the steering wheel, unable to move. My body went through the motions of smiling, studying, and submitting, but my spirit remained behind in that hospital room. My mind replayed the same images over and over: my brother’s pale skin beneath fluorescent light, the sterile smell of antiseptic, the silence that filled the space between heartbeats.
When he passed, time did not stop like I thought it would. It simply changed shape. The days blurred together and the world lost its colour. People said he was in a better place, but all I could think was that I wasn’t. I began to fear sleep, not because of nightmares but because of the quiet that came before
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Where were you when the silence became…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 67.5%: Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury; Where were you when...? I'll let you fill in the blanks here; with a major…
Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury; Where were you when...? I'll let you fill in the blanks here; with a major event, or a seemingly insignificant action that resulted in incomprehensible damages.
As the representative of Olivia Caldwell in this court of law, I stand here before you today with one job, to honour, and fight for the dignity and loving Memory of Livvy. See the facts in this case are in no way disputed, Livvy Caldwell was shamelessly, brutally murdered by Officer Jaxon Hayes, for simply exercising her god given right to protest. Livvy simply walked to the front steps of parliament house, with a sign and a dream. A dream that a seemingly shy, average kid such as herself could influence change in this ever-declining landslide that we call a government. She came unarmed and unwavering to any signs of defeat. After an hour or so, Livvy was forcefully dragged away from the protest and beaten to death by Officer Jaxon Hayes. Her life taken, while her rights were oppressed and stripped away from her. A cruel, heinous, act of injustice stricken upon an innocent woman.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Where were you when the silence became…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 62.5%: Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury; Where were you when...? I'll let you fill in the blanks here; with a major…
Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury; Where were you when...? I'll let you fill in the blanks here; with a major event, or a seemingly insignificant action that resulted in incomprehensible damages.
As the representative of Olivia Caldwell in this court of law, I stand here before you today with one job, to honour, and fight for the dignity and loving Memory of Livvy. See the facts in this case are in no way disputed, Livvy Caldwell was shamelessly, brutally murdered by Officer Jaxon Hayes, for simply excersing her god given right to protest. Livvy simply commuted to the front steps of parliment house, with a sign and a dream. A dream that a seemingly shy, average kid such as herself could influence change in this ever-declining landslide that we call a government. She came unarmed and unwaivering to any signs of defeat. After an hour or so, Livvy was forcefully dragged away from the protest and beaten to death by Officer Jaxon Hayes. Her life taken, while her rights were oppressed and stripped away from her. A cruel, intrepid act of injustice stricken upon an innocent woman.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: to what extent do yo agree that rainbows…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: Set in the 1950s, Jane Harrison’s Rainbow’s End highlights the hardships faced by three generations of vulnerable…
Set in the 1950s, Jane Harrison’s Rainbow’s End highlights the hardships faced by three generations of vulnerable Aboriginal women during a time of assimilation. Rainbow’s End underscores that, in order to overcome barriers such as racism, oppression, and sexism—which ultimately create social and cultural obstacles—vulnerable characters must show toughness and ambition. Harrison demonstrates that without collective resistance to oppression, individuals will continue to feel neglected and powerless. Furthermore, the play emphasizes that knowledge acts as a key symbol of hope that enables characters to overcome these barriers. Ultimately, relationships are also vital in addressing systemic racism and overcoming cultural divisions.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: High Ground suggests that resolving…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 72.5%: Stephen Maxwell Johnson's, 2020, revisionist Western film, "High Ground" explores the deep and enduring power…
Stephen Maxwell Johnson's, 2020, revisionist Western film, "High Ground" explores the deep and enduring power imbalance, oppression, violence and brutality experienced by First Nations people at the hands of colonial settlers. Set in the Northern Territory during the early 20th century, the film follows characters Gutjuk (young adult Yolngu man) and Travis (ex solider turned officer) as they navigate through tensions between the First Nations people and colonial settlers. Matt Johnson contends that conflict resolution is not possible with an oppressive colonial context. It's are depicted in the film that a system built on oppression and bias limits resolving conflicts, differences in culture and traditions causes divisions between groups, preventing resolution of conflict, and the use of violence and brutality against the oppressed, leads to vegenence and retalliation, preventing resolution of conflict.
Throughout the film, Johnson highlights that a system built on oppression and bias limits solving conflicts. Moran is a character that is the captain of the colonial police, enforcing law and "justice" amongst the First Nations people and the colonial settlers. However, Moran has to enforce the "law when Baywara committed the crime of killing a white woman in retaliation against the colonial police for the massacre against the killings of his family. Darrpa came on behalf of his son, to make peace and resolve the tensions and conflicts between the two groups, this is when Moran states "I'm not here to negotiate." This moment reveals the colonial polices' unwillingness to come to a resolution, believing the only way to resolve the issue is through their law and traditions. Here, Johnson shows the viewers that the colonial police/settlers have a restricted -
perspective and viewpoint and refuse to stand the First Nations point of view and approaches. Later in the scene Moran states "...This crown represents the King... the law I am duty-bound to uphold." This moment demonstrates the hypocrisy of the colonial police. In the ruling of a white woman' requires justice and consequences, but they're not held to the same standard when "seventeen dead" due to the brutal massacre against First Nations people. Through the use of Moran's badge, it symbolises the abuse of power and superiority, using "the law" to justify violence and injustice against the First Nations people. Here, Johnson reveals that a system that is built on oppression & bias limits resolving conflicts.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Essay Prompt: Oedipus only achieves true…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 70%: Sophocles’ Oedipus the King explores the tension between knowledge and ignorance through the recurring motif of…
Sophocles’ Oedipus the King explores the tension between knowledge and ignorance through the recurring motif of sight and blindness. While Oedipus begins the play physically sighted and intellectually confident, his understanding of himself and his world is clouded by pride and denial. It is only after he blinds himself—literally removing his physical vision—that he finally perceives the truth of his origins, actions, and fate. Sophocles uses this tragic reversal to suggest that genuine insight comes not through the senses, but through painful self-awareness and moral recognition. Thus, Oedipus only achieves true vision once he loses his physical sight.
At the start of the tragedy, Oedipus appears to embody both intelligence and leadership, yet his understanding of truth is deeply flawed. As the saviour of Thebes who once solved the riddle of the Sphinx, he believes his intellect makes him capable of uncovering all mysteries. When confronting the city’s plague, he declares himself “Oedipus, whom all men call the Great,” displaying both confidence and arrogance. However, this certainty blinds him to the limitations of human understanding and the role of fate in shaping events. His obsession with uncovering Laius’s murderer, though seemingly noble, is ironically the path to his own ruin. Sophocles uses Oedipus’s investigative zeal to highlight the paradox of sight: those who think they see most clearly are often those most blinded by pride and assumption.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Sunset Boulevard shows that the pursuit of…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 65%: The 1950s classic Sunset Boulevard, directed by Billy Wilder, provides a critical inquisition of the influence of…
The 1950s classic Sunset Boulevard, directed by Billy Wilder, provides a critical inquisition of the influence of the Hollywood industry, and its glorification of fame and success that ultimately leads to the fatal downfall of those who seek it. Through his exploration of the disconnect between delusion and reality, Wilder highlights the short-lived nature of success in the eye of the industry and the effect this has on those deemed no longer fit for the spotlight. Furthermore, he demonstrates the inevitable dangers associated with the sacrifices that the fame-seeking must compromise in order perpetuate their position in the industry. However, Wilder ultimately articulates the harsh reality of this system, emphasising on the ruthless price of this calamitous quest. As such, Wilder’s film serves as a cautionary tale, warning audiences against the Hollywood industry’s irreversible influence in conjunction with their seductive allure that proves dangerous to those enamoured and entangled in the dream.
Wilder initially presents the fleeting and fading nature of fame within the Hollywood industry through the willingness of the industry to discard its former stars from the spotlight. This is primarily shown through the characterisation of the faded “old time star”, Norma Desmond. As a reminiscent figure of what Hollywood used to be, Norma has become a stagnant figure in time since her glory days, with her inability to adjust to reality preventing her from accepting a change in status, to which she protests that “[she is] big, it the pictures that got small.” This comment in conjunction with a shift in her body language to create a more dominating presence as she attempts to make herself physically bigger in the frame showcases her efforts to manifest the status she believes she holds, regardless to resembling the shell of the woman she once was. Despite her governing spirit, Norma showcases her lack of control of her fame, with her current lifestyle no longer aligning with the social glamour and glitz she once exuded, with her own alluring mansion now standing in the shadows of the ostentatious life she once possessed. Wilder highlights this slipping grasp through the exterior of her home, where the “ghost” of a tennis court stands detached, with ‘faded markings” reflecting abandonment and neglect from not only her social life, but her career additionally. Norma is also described to be frequently accompanied by her old friends from the silent film days, with mere “dim figures you may still remember.” dressed to the nines, dissociated from the current era. As lifeless reminders of her past glory, Wilder puts emphasis on these discrepancies in order to show the division between the life Norma believes she lives, and the true reality, where she stands in the wings, casted off of the central stage. Wilder highlights these juxtapositions in order to display the Hollywood industry’s unrelenting character towards those who no longer meet their standard, and how this ordeal enforces individuals to become disconnected from not only society, but from reality.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: what we carry
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 65%: Mother The first time I held you, I said his name. I didn’t mean to. It escaped like a sigh in winter - seen…
Mother
The first time I held you, I said his name. I didn’t mean to. It escaped like a sigh in winter - seen for an instant, then gone.
You blinked, but it felt like a flinch. Or maybe it was me.
We had chosen Elias months before, when everything still looked possible on the ultrasound screen. I stitched it into a tiny blanket we never used. When the bleeding began, I folded that blanket away and shut the drawer. We told no one except each other.
Then you came, six months later, quiet and furious. The nurse wrapped you in a fresh hospital sheet and asked for a name. My mouth remembered before my mind caught up. Elias.
It felt like I was keeping a promise, even though no one had asked me to.
You were your own child. And yet, every time I wrote your name on school forms, I saw the ghost handwriting over mine. Each birthday cake felt like lighting candles for someone who never arrived.
Father
I painted the nursery twice.
The first time, I rolled pale blue onto the walls, a colour we had both agreed on. We bought a crib second-hand, sanded it, and joked about splinters. I left a small pencil mark on the skirting board: 32 weeks.
After we lost him, I painted over the blue with off-white. Practical, I told myself. A neutral canvas.
When you came, we never spoke about the colour again. We just moved you in. Your mother whispered your name like a secret she had been holding in her mouth for too long. I didn’t say it at all. I called you “champ,” “kid,” anything but Elias.
One night, when you laughed, it sounded like the echo of a heartbeat we heard once on a monitor that went silent too soon. So, that night I took down the ultrasound photo we had kept tucked behind the clock. But the rectangle of dust stayed. I didn't tell your mother.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Nothing is truly forgotten in TMP. Discuss.
VCE Text Response essay scoring 67.5%: Yoko Ogawa's psychological dystopian novel, ‘The Memory Police’, translated by Stephen Snyder, explores an island…
Yoko Ogawa's psychological dystopian novel, ‘The Memory Police’, translated by Stephen Snyder, explores an island upon which items mysteriously disappear, and an authoritarian government brutally enforces the vanishings on its citizens, forcing them to let go of their memories. Within her novel, Ogawa depicts that even in the face of adversity, the individuals cling onto most of their memories and are not completely drained of the remnants of their old, free, rich life. Whether it be because some characters do not forget at all, or because of the intricate intertwining between disappeared items and their loved ones, many characters refuse to forget, however as a collective, the citizens forget the value of human connection.
Throughout the novel, many individuals can recall disappeared items when faced with them, displaying that the memories live deep within their “empty heart[s]”. As the narrator navigates her increasingly restrictive island town, she frequently thinks back to the items her mother once pulled out of their set of drawers, such as “perfume”, “ribbons” and an “emerald”. Those memories, held close to her heart due to their association with her mother, are stronger than the disappearances, refusing to be forgotten even when remembrance can lead to the tragic fate of death. The narrator is still able to vividly name each one of them when writing, and even acknowledges their existence in her own novel about the young typist. Even after her own legs have disappeared, her character retains the concept of “footsteps”, illustrating that the narrator has not completely forgotten legs and feet. Her awareness of the disappearances in itself, implies that she has not completely released her grasp on the world she once lived in, on the things she once had, like her legs. Ogawa highlights this to suggest to her audience that resistance is not a futile act, but rather the citizens of the island are never too far gone to rebel and eventually gain back their memories, because of the sliver of past they hold in their hearts. They are not as “full of holes” as they believe, as remembrance, even in a slight and unconscious form, remains. Ogawa illustrates this through the pacing of her novel. At the beginning, the narrator often refers back to the disappeared items she once knew, the “birds”, the “maps”, she can look back on them all, displaying their ability to return to the way things once were. As the novel progresses, this motif of looking back to memories of the past diminishes, but it does not completely vanish, once again highlighting that it is never too late to seek justice and change, even if it is harder now. The memories are still present within each and every character, no matter the degree.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: To what extent are the characters in the…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 60%: Commenting on the lack of agency exhibited by resistant communities during Nazi Germany, Yoko Ogawa’s novel The…
Commenting on the lack of agency exhibited by resistant communities during Nazi Germany, Yoko Ogawa’s novel The Memory Police, a dystopian work infused with elements of magical realism, explores an unnamed island where objects, language, and abstract concepts mysteriously disappear due to oppressive forces. Ogawa portrays a society where control and disappearance erode individualism. While individuals appear compliant in their own expression, Ogawa demonstrates that their complicity stems from authoritarian control. In particular, this is evident through authoritarian surveillance, which enforces passivity within individuals. Additionally, Ogawa shows that power and repression result in complicity. The novel illustrates the citizens’ neglect in recognising storytelling as a form of empowerment and remembrance, which could allow them to escape the cycle of complicity.
Reflecting totalitarian regimes during the fascist era, Ogawa exposes the impact of authoritarian surveillance, suggesting it results in a cycle of complicity. Bearing a striking resemblance to soldiers in Nazi Germany, the “Memory Police,” described as dressed in “green uniforms” with “heavy belts” and “guns to their hips,” are portrayed as oppressive, militarized forces that gain control through intimidation and brutality. This demonstrates that the physical display of power instils constant fear within individuals, forcing them to comply with authoritarian regimes. Following the disappearance of the birds, the people are lawfully aware of their ancestors’ decrease; the protagonist notes that the Memory Police take items “to [her] father’s face,” demonstrating their systematic monitoring. Ogawa’s use of imperative sentences underscores the dominance of the Memory Police and the cumulative sense of suppression through their surveillance of the islanders. As they search for objects, “they seem to know exactly where they [are] going,” suggesting that the citizens’ movements have been closely monitored, enabling the authorities to locate objects without assistance.As a result of this heavy surveillance, the narrator is forced to dispose of her “novels,” sacrificing her career and, in turn, part of her identity. This is exemplified when birds are removed from the island; their ability to fly is considered symbolic of freedom. Their mysterious disappearance demonstrates that the Memory Police’s passivity has led to her losing autonomy. By characterising the repression as both a human and an oppressive entity gradually disappearing into oblivion, Ogawa emphasises that the dangers of complicity rely
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: VCAA SECTION C 2023 NHT
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 60%: SECTION C VCAA NHT 2023 Responding to listeners' concern about the fast fashion crisis or Gabrielle Arcy's…
SECTION C VCAA NHT 2023
Responding to listeners' concern about the fast fashion crisis or Gabrielle Arcy's podcast episode on garment gab, raises awareness about the environmental and economic impacts of fast fashion. She oscillates between an outraged and urgent tone as she hopes to encourage listeners interested in pressing issues in the textile industry, to adopt alternative shopping options to fast fashion, to combat the impacts of the fashion industry. Aptly supporting her podcast transcript is an edited photo of a "fashionista" standing on a mountain of landfill.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: "You dare mock my blindness, do you? But I…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 72.5%: Written during the Peloponnesian Wars and plague, Sophocles classical Greek tragedy, 'Oedipus the King', created…
Written during the Peloponnesian Wars and plague, Sophocles classical Greek tragedy, 'Oedipus the King', created in 429 BCE, responds to Greek societal concerns such as fate, the pursuit of truth and free-will. The play depicts the metaphorical blindness of hubris as a limitation of possessing power and explores the contradiction of physical sight versus true insight of moral & spiritual. Lastly, Sophocles utilises ones' blind eye to question who truly holds power.
'Oedipus the king' depicts the metaphorical blindness of hubris as a limitation of possessing power. Through the employment of the hierarchical class back in Ancient Athens, Sophocles illustrates how a hubristic ruler possesses no true power. The depiction of Oedipus to be a boastful leader who's blind to his own sins and identity, is reflected on Thebes' moral and spiritual corruption. His hubristic characteristics emphasises his lack of true power and leadership skills as he boasts, "I am the man who can save you from the plague... Now I am Oedipus the king." The motif of the plague only affecting the citizens of Thebes while Oedipus and the ruling class remain untouched, emphasises the imbalance of power and responsibility one possesses while blinded to their own hubris and power. The dramatic irony of Oedipus claiming to save Thebes from the plague, regardless of the main cause being his uptake of the throne, demonstrates the audience of how ones' own excessive pride and power is questioned through the lack of sight they hold. Through such motifs and notions, Sophocles sends the message of the true holder of power being evaluated through their judgement and responsibility rather than the hubristic characteristics they exercise. Hence, the play demonstrates the metaphorical blindness of hubris to a limitation of holding responsible power.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Title: The power within us all…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 85%: Hi everyone, Thank you for allowing me to quickly speak today in your AFL board meeting, sorry for the late…
Hi everyone,
Thank you for allowing me to quickly speak today in your AFL board meeting, sorry for the late notice. As a former player and current coach, I’d like to bring to the table an issue that I know we are all more than aware of. I want to put into perspective what it is like for these AFLW athletes to be treated differently to the AFL every single day. I think it is fair to say the AFL has had their time of being ahead of the women’s game. These men are handed full time contracts, pristine facilities and access to whatever stadium they want, whenever they want. It’s time we start investing into AFLW and stop continuously investing into the men’s game when it doesn’t need it, it’s only making the gender gap bigger, not bridging it.
Listen to this, AFL players on average receive a salary of 459 000 AUD, in comparison to AFLW players who on average earn 80 000 AUD, these men are getting paid almost 6 times more than the men. This is not okay, us women are forced to work overtime, part time contracts mean early morning trainings, 8-hour workdays at our second job and then straight back to the club for a main training session. Yet this sport continuous to treat them secondary. Do you genuinely think this is fair on them? Not only is the gender pay gap an issue in itself here, but alone these women are not earning enough to rise with the line of inflation. I want to put this into perspective for you, the average person spends around $5000 on the basic costs and living alone in an apartment, but they only make on average $1500 per week, it’s so clearly not sustainable for these female athletes. You are putting them under both financial and emotion stress, that is not healthy for their wellbeing and only restricts their ability to perform at a high standard. The gap at hand is so much more than a number, you are handling the men’s resources like no other, yet you can’t even let the AFLW grand final be played at Marvel Stadium. A stadium where your men’s players play every single week, with no questions asked. Why is that? Because you’re not willing to take a leap of faith and take a risk. These women have played their part, they have invested far beyond necessary, and in return, you as the board of AFL need to do the same.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: ‘High Ground suggests that some conflicts…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: Stephen Johnson’s film High Ground depicts conflicts between First Nations people and European settlers during the…
Stephen Johnson’s film High Ground depicts conflicts between First Nations people and European settlers during the 1920’s, inspired by Australia’s frontier wars. As the traditional owners of the land, the First Nations Yolngu people experienced major conflict with colonisers who claimed the land as their own. The film demonstrates how resolving conflict is a complex process that does not guarantee a peaceful ending. Although some characters in the film attempt to come to a compromise, the two groups cannot come to an agreement, suggesting that long-lasting conflict cannot simply be overcome.
‘High Ground’ displays how conflict often results in a cycle of violence and revenge. In the opening sequence of the film, the audience is immediately positioned to view a brutal massacre of the Yolngu people. This chaotic scene is comprised of loud gunshots, muffled screaming, and cries of fear, emphasising the pain and trauma of the First Nations people. Through this, Johnson depicts a raw representation of racial prejudice causing conflict, where violence is used beyond its means. The root of the conflict is something incredibly minor, where two Indigenous men “killed a cow”, yet the consequences leave “17 dead”. As a result of such a discriminatory situation, the protagonist’s fierce uncle Baywara goes on a quest for revenge to get justice for his people who were murdered. This only leads to more violence and conflict, with Baywara “wreaking havoc, killing livestock, [and] burning stations”. The fire symbolises anger and the motivations fuelled by a burning desire to get revenge, however this spontaneous behaviour does not resolve the conflict between the colonisers and First Nations people. Instead, Baywara is hunted down and shot, ultimately making his efforts futile. Another character who turns to violent revenge is Gulwirri, who is motivated to “keep fighting”, because “your anger is all you have”. This leads to her brutally killing the men who abused her, ultimately inflicting further conflict. While this helps her feel a sense of justice, it does not undo the tension between the First Nations people and British colonisers. The ancient principle of ‘eye for an eye’ revenge means that one conflict sparks a domino effect of never-ending conflict. Johnson portrays the violent nature of conflict to present how it causes a repetitive desire for revenge.
Johnson demonstrates how all parties involved in conflict must be willing to negotiate to move forward. The protagonist’s grandfather Dharrpa requests a meeting with the leader of the mission Moran, to discuss the crimes brought about by his son Baywara. Johnson employs a
VCE · Language Analysis
Language Analysis: Sarah Greenaway Mumbrella opinion…
VCE Language Analysis essay scoring 75%: Marty Sheargolds recent derogatory statements regarding the Matildas female soccer team has created turmoil…
Marty Sheargolds recent derogatory statements regarding the Matildas female soccer team has created turmoil within the world of Womens Sports, sparking an opinion piece to be written by Sarah Greenaway to Mumbrella. Greenaways utilisation of an upset yet annoyed tone emphasises her opinion that it is actions like Sheargolds that are leading to the decrease in young girls participation in sports. Through attempting to appeal to the hearts of Mumbrella readers, Greenaway highlights that it is important for young girls to continue to participate in sports.
Greenaway opens her piece by saying that 'Marty Sheargold's attitude across the matildas is why girls quit sport' to immediately spotlight the power that people with influence's words and statements can have on young girls throughout the nation. The use of words such as 'humor and jokes' are designed to elicit the idea that people with influence get away with saying vulgar things which can diminish the 'professionalism' of the Matildas but also 'reinforce the outdated trope' that women in sports don't deserve the same respect as men. Greenaway's blatant disgust attempts to persuade readers to inform themselves on the carelessness of people who have a platform. Greenaway contradicts the idea that women in sport don't deserve respect by highlighting the progressiveness in Womens sports and that womens sport is not 'laughable or less important' than
This depiction is further seen in the image Greenway included which hones in on a Matilda's player signing the shirt of a young girl with what seems cloud behind her, emphasizing to the readers that womens sport shouldn't be classed as yet something to.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: ii. To what extent do the characters find…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: In We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Shirley Jackson explores how the Blackwood sisters, Merricat and…
In We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Shirley Jackson explores how the Blackwood sisters, Merricat and Constance, find ways to reclaim power in a society that despises and isolates them. After the poisoning of their family, the two sisters are shunned by the townspeople and trapped within their home. Despite being seen as powerless women, they build their own world where they control their surroundings and protect each other. Jackson shows that while society strips them of traditional power, they find a different kind of strength through isolation, imagination, and defiance.
Merricat, in particular, finds power through her imagination and rituals, which allow her to feel control in a world that has rejected her. From the beginning, Merricat is aware of her powerlessness, admitting that “the people of the village never liked me.” Yet she refuses to submit to their hatred. Instead, she invents her own magical system — burying objects and saying protective words — as a way of controlling her reality. These rituals, while childish, give Merricat the illusion of strength and authority. When she says, “I wished them dead,” it shows how her imagination becomes a weapon against the cruelty of others. Jackson presents Merricat’s fantasy world as both her escape and her rebellion. Even though her magic is not real, it gives her confidence and a sense of control over the chaos around her. Through this, Jackson suggests that imagination becomes a form of power for those who have been stripped of it in the real world.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “As he loses what he loves, the fate of…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 85%: Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex remains one of the most powerful tragedies in world literature, not only because of the…
Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex remains one of the most powerful tragedies in world literature, not only because of the inevitability of Oedipus’ fate, but because of how profoundly it makes the audience value what he loses. As Oedipus’ downfall unfolds, Sophocles invites us to reflect on the fragility of human power, the destruction of identity, and the irreplaceable worth of love and family. Through the king’s gradual loss of control, self-knowledge, and emotional connection, we come to understand the true cost of his fate. His suffering compels the audience to value the very things he once took for granted—authority, truth, and love—revealing the timeless human truth that we only recognise the worth of what we have when it is lost.
The Loss of Power and Control
At the beginning of the play, Oedipus is portrayed as a man of immense confidence, admired for his intelligence and leadership. The people of Thebes revere him as their saviour, declaring, “You freed us from the Sphinx’s riddle, you lifted our curse!” This image of Oedipus as the great solver of problems establishes his initial power and control over both his people and his own destiny. He is not merely a king by title but by merit; his quick thinking and courage define him as the ideal ruler. His words—“I, Oedipus, whom all men call the great”—reflect the pride and certainty with which he approaches life. Yet this pride becomes his fatal flaw, his hamartia. His belief that he can outwit fate and uncover every truth ultimately leads to his ruin.
As the plague devastates Thebes, Oedipus’ determination to find Laius’ murderer demonstrates both his moral strength and his tragic blindness. He promises, “I curse myself as well… if by any chance he proves to be an intimate of our house.” In his pursuit of justice, he unknowingly seals his own doom. The irony of his words deepens the audience’s sense of pity, as we recognise that Oedipus’ downfall stems not from evil but from the very qualities that once made him admirable. As the truth unfolds, his authority crumbles; the man once seen as a saviour becomes a source of pollution. “It was Apollo, friends, Apollo,” Oedipus cries, acknowledging that divine will, not human reason, governs fate. By the play’s end, he is stripped of his title, power, and dignity, reduced to a blind outcast begging for exile. This fall from greatness to despair evokes Aristotle’s idea of catharsis—the purging of pity and fear—as the audience witnesses how fragile human control truly is. Through Oedipus’ loss of power, Sophocles reminds us that greatness and pride are fleeting, and that humility before fate is perhaps the only true wisdom.
The Loss of Identity and Self-Knowledge
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: play, title: time to play
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 70%: If time travel were possible, most adults would probably use it to correct mistakes — to fix, restore, or redo.…
If time travel were possible, most adults would probably use it to correct mistakes — to fix, restore, or redo. But children, if handed the same machine, would simply play with time: leap from past to future, experiment with paradoxes, or visit a day twice just to see what changes. That difference says something profound. As adults, we treat time as a resource to be managed; as children, we treat it as a landscape to explore. Perhaps this is why, when the responsibilities of adulthood harden around us, we begin to forget how to play. The question, then, is not whether adults can play, but whether we can afford not to.
On one hand, play is far more than a childhood pastime — it is a fundamental human instinct that continues to shape creativity, empathy, and wellbeing throughout life. Psychologists from Freud to Stuart Brown have argued that play is essential to cognitive flexibility: it allows the mind to rehearse possibilities without consequence. In adulthood, this manifests not in games of make-believe, but in imaginative risk-taking — a scientist tinkering with a hypothesis, a designer sketching without a plan, or a parent inventing a bedtime story that makes a child laugh. In each case, play becomes a mental time machine, allowing us to step outside the strict present and explore alternative futures. When we play, we loosen the grip of the clock and rediscover curiosity, the engine of innovation. Many modern workplaces recognise this; the world’s most inventive companies build spaces for “creative play” precisely because unstructured thought often leads to structured breakthroughs.
However, proponents of the opposing view argue that adulthood requires focus and productivity rather than playfulness. Life’s obligations — careers, bills, families — compress time into schedules and deadlines. Within such constraints, play can appear frivolous, even self-indulgent. An engineer who daydreams too long may miss a deadline; a parent absorbed in hobbies may seem to neglect their responsibilities. In this view, maturity demands control: the ability to delay gratification, to replace whimsy with discipline. Where a child can afford to “lose track of time,” an adult must measure it carefully, lest opportunities or security slip away. For many, play belongs to leisure, not to life’s serious business.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: 'The Blackwood sisters' rituals are a way…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 72.5%: Shirley Jackson's 1962 gothic novella 'We Have Always Lived in the Castle' explores how routine and superstitions…
Shirley Jackson's 1962 gothic novella 'We Have Always Lived in the Castle' explores how routine and superstitions act as protection for Mary Katherine (Merricat) and Constance. Jackson's novella reveals that the sisters use personal routines and superstitions as a way to gain agency in a world that aims to render them powerless women despite their considerable wealth. The sisters' actions consolidates the isolation they seek from the hostile and insular villagers. Ultimately, Jackson suggests that when challenged, these rituals and superstitions become unsuccessful in their intended aim of keeping the sisters safe and separated, but ironically they re-emerge as an imagined utopian world to help emancipate the sisters from their insular community.
Jackson explores how routine, but more commonly superstitions, take the role of control and dominance in an attempt to remove the sisters from the patriarchal structures that surround them. Merricat's three "words of strong protection" symbolise her attempt to assert control over a world that threatens to disrupt her sanctuary, particularly the arrival of Charles, who embodies traditional male power. Her hope that "no change would come" if these words weren't spoken aloud reflects her desire to preserve the female power that remains within the Blackwood estate. When Charles later arrives, bringing with him the dominance and authority of the outside world, this showcases the exact change Merricat sought to prevent through her superstitions. Jackson thus highlights how superstitions are used by Merricat to resist the social norms of the time, where male power worked to oppress the independence of women. Additionally, Jackson characterises John Blackwood as a symbol of the nuclear family ideal, the patriarchal structures that the sisters rituals and superstitions seek to escape. His death, a response to the punishment of Merricat being "sent to bed without her supper", highlights Merricat's defiance of male centred power and rule. The superstitions and rituals that follow, including the burying of "treasures" illustrates the creation of new female dominated rules and secrets. In doing so, Jackson critiques the norms of the nuclear family, whilst revealing how superstition and ritual become a means for women to claim autonomy within an oppressive society.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: play, title: time to play
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 72.5%: Time travel may be impossible, but imagination allows us to bend the rules of time every day. For many…
Time travel may be impossible, but imagination allows us to bend the rules of time every day. For many adults, though, imagination — and its close companion, play — is left behind in childhood, stored away with forgotten toys. Yet, as life becomes busier and more structured, the question arises: is play still essential for adults, or merely a nostalgic indulgence?
On one hand, play appears vital for maintaining creativity and mental health in adulthood. Psychologists often argue that play fuels innovation by encouraging risk-free experimentation — the same spirit that allows a scientist to test new ideas or an artist to explore without fear of failure. In this sense, play becomes a kind of time travel: a return to the freedom of youth, when time was elastic and curiosity endless. Many workplaces now incorporate “playful thinking” sessions precisely because they understand that imagination, not rigidity, sparks progress.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: play, title: time to play
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 75%: If I could travel through time, I wouldn’t visit the future or the past — I’d linger in the moments in between.…
If I could travel through time, I wouldn’t visit the future or the past — I’d linger in the moments in between. The pauses between heartbeats, the flicker between decisions, the seconds before you realise you’ve just created something wonderful. That, to me, is where play lives — in the timeless spaces where imagination takes control.
Time travel is the ultimate act of play. It’s the fantasy of stepping outside the rules — bending physics, rewriting outcomes, exploring “what ifs.” But isn’t that what we do every time we play? When children turn cardboard boxes into spaceships, when writers resurrect the dead with words, when gamers pause the apocalypse to save a digital friend — all of us, in our own small ways, are travellers in time. We blur the line between what is and what could be.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: To what extent does Sophocles suggest that…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 87.5%: In Oedipus the King, Sophocles examines humanity’s perpetual conflict between fate and free will, revealing the…
In Oedipus the King, Sophocles examines humanity’s perpetual conflict between fate and free will, revealing the tragic illusion that mortals possess agency over their destinies. Through the relentless fulfilment of Apollo’s prophecy, the playwright constructs a cosmos governed by divine order, where human intellect and determination merely advance the will of the gods. Oedipus’ pride in his capacity for reason, the metaphor of blindness that pervades the play, and the chorus’s reverence for divine justice together illustrate the limits of human autonomy. Sophocles ultimately portrays free will not as liberation from fate but as the very mechanism through which fate accomplishes itself, demonstrating that insight and humility, not defiance, constitute the highest form of wisdom available to humankind.
Oedipus initially embodies humanity’s faith in rational mastery, believing that intellect grants control over circumstance. Introduced as the saviour of Thebes, he declares confidently, “Here I am myself, you all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus.” The irony embedded in this self-assertion, his name meaning “swollen-foot,” the mark of his prophesied suffering foreshadows his ignorance of the destiny he already inhabits. His triumph over the Sphinx, claimed with prides, “I stopped the Sphinx! With no help from the birds, the flight of my own intelligence hit the mark” exemplifies his conviction that reason can outwit divine design. Yet this faith in intellect becomes the root of his downfall. When he vows, “I’ll bring it all to light myself,” the audience recognises that his determination to uncover truth is precisely what will expose him as Laius’ murderer. Sophocles transforms Oedipus’ intelligence into hamartia, his fatal error of hubristic self-reliance. Dramatic irony sharpens his tragic blindness when he swears to “fight for him as if he were my father,” an oath that condemns him through its literal fulfilment. Through such reversals, Sophocles dismantles the illusion of self-governance, suggesting that human freedom exists only within the predetermined orbit of fate.