VCE · Text Response
Text Response: ‘Memories mean more than just past events…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 62.5%: In Yoko Ogawa's dystopian novel 'The Memory Police', published in 1994, investigates the reality of living on an…
In Yoko Ogawa's dystopian novel 'The Memory Police', published in 1994, investigates the reality of living on an isolated island controlled by a dictatorship where ordinary items seemingly disappear. Ogawa illustrates through the slow deterioration of characters as items and memories disappear further. Ultimately, she explores that memories not only resemble the past, but if forgotten, impact relationships, and the way characters feel about themselves.
Ogawa centres her novel around the significant significance memory has on an individual, and how it acts as a foundation for identity, suggesting that forgetting is equivalent to losing one's humanity. The inhabitants of the island experience the abnormal loss of everyday objects such as birds, roses, and photographs, however the true loss is not in the disappeared items, but in the gradual erosion of the emotional memories they carry. As the narrator observes these disappearances, her internal self begins to replicate the outside world 'as things got thinner, more full of holes, our hearts got thinner too' demonstrating that not only does the outside world diminish, so too does the inhabitants hearts and souls. The stillness that remains after the disappearance is described as 'eyes as still as a lonely swamp' mirroring the emotional numbness that remains as a result of the ongoing passivity. Through the silent acceptance of the losses, Ogawa explores the dangers of compliance in a society that suppresses memory, implying that memory is not only to recall the past, but to distinguish one another through their experiences, asserting their humanity. In this way, memory operates as an essential connection between emotion and ones existence, protecting themselves from complete erasure.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: How is the Blackwood estate both a refuge…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 70%: In Shirley Jackson’s unsettling novel ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’, her primary concern is the nature of…
In Shirley Jackson’s unsettling novel ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’, her primary concern is the nature of the Blackwood estate, concluding that it goes through many changes, acting as a refuge until the intrusion of external forces destroy the safe space created. The estate begins as an isolated place acting as a protective barrier against a daunting society, but the arrival of Charles exposes the flaws of security and protection. The climatic fire, forcing the sisters into complete isolation, helps to reestablish the estate as an extreme version of a refuge, which when viewed from the outside seems to have multiple traits of a prison.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Title; change Stimulus; image of…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 77.5%: Dear intrigued readers, I was recently on Pinterest creating my 2026 vision when I came across the following…
Dear intrigued readers,
I was recently on Pinterest creating my 2026 vision when I came across the following image…Now, I know you're probably wondering what's so special about a couple of pebbles on water, well when I first saw it, it really got me thinking about not just my future, but also my past. With the new year fast approaching it all really hit me about how much is going to change. If you've been a long time reader, you would know I am steadily approaching the end of my high school years. Which, yes, I am absolutely ecstatic about, however I also can't help but feel a sort of dread and loss. I feel like this picture represents my life at the moment. As I've grown older, I've been leaping from pebble to pebble, from kinder to primary school, to high school, but what's next? That is the one thing I am totally unsure about.
Throughout my life, I've obviously experienced a lot of change. I've changed sports and friend groups and subjects and with the changes always comes the fear, of what happens if I slip up? Will I find myself in shallow water and easily be able to stand back up and get back on track, or will I instead be neck deep in the water, with no choice but to fling my limbs around hoping to somehow find my footing and get back up?
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: All of the characters in Oedipus the King…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 72.5%: Set in the ancient Greek city of Thebes and performed at the Festival of Dionysus, Sophocles’ Oedipus the King…
Set in the ancient Greek city of Thebes and performed at the Festival of Dionysus, Sophocles’ Oedipus the King presents a world in which divine power governs human destiny, rendering individuals powerless to escape their fated ends. By illustrating how both action and inaction lead to inevitable tragedy, Sophocles challenges the belief in human autonomy and reinforces the idea that the gods alone determine the course of mortal life, making humanity victims of the gods. Throughout the play, Sophocles explores how despite efforts to resist or alter their paths, many are ultimately unable to avoid fulfilling the very prophecies they seek to escape, highlighting the futility of human agency in the face of divine will. Some individuals not only suffer under this divine control but also become reluctant instruments of it, further emphasizing the gods’ absolute authority. Ultimately, it is not only central characters who are subjected to the gods but the entirety of Theban society.
Throughout the play, the actions of several characters reflect how their destinies are ultimately dictated by divine will, regardless of their efforts to resist or alter the course of their fates. Once learning of his supposed destiny, Oedipus expresses great burden and worry in the second episode to avoid his predetermined end, “abandon[ing] Corinth” to a place where he would never experience “the shame of all those oracles come true.” Despite his efforts to avoid his future, every decision he makes unknowingly leads him to fulfilling the prophecy, resulting in his anagnorisis and acceptance of being “born for torment.” Sophocles utilises Oedipus's futile endeavours and tragic realisation to convey the unstoppable nature of the gods' will and urge his Athenian audience to acknowledge the limitations of human power and agency. By doing so, Sophocles further encourages greater piety from the audience, reminding them of the merciless consequences mortals may experience in the face of divine justice whilst highlighting the supremacy of divine knowledge over human attempts to reason. Additionally, Jocasta, Oedipus's wife and mother, also falls victim to the gods' will, despite her attempts to deny the influence of divine power. Her initial dismissal of the gods’ authority and request of Oedipus to “free [himself] of every charge” proves to be futile, resulting in her agony in discovering the truth of “[her] husband” and her tragic death. Sophocles incorporates her suicide to portray the submersion by the divine will she had once denied, inviting his Athenian audience to confront the limits of human control and recognize the profound power that the gods wield over human lives. Utilising her self inflicted death, Sophocles critiques scepticism of the gods and overconfidence in human freedom, emphasising the inescapability of prophecy and the absolute authority the gods possess.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: country is the way you live, not the…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 90%: Dear future generations, I want to tell you a story — not of borders, or governments, or politics, but of…
Dear future generations,
I want to tell you a story — not of borders, or governments, or politics, but of something much older, deeper, and quieter. A story of connection.
I once saw an old man sitting under a gum tree one afternoon, his back hunched slightly, his fingers moving slowly and surely across the strings of a weathered guitar. The tune was gentle, almost as if it came from the ground itself. Beside him sat a young boy, no older than five, wearing a wide blue sunhat and a grin that could outshine the sky. The man didn’t speak much, but he didn’t have to — the music said everything. The boy watched closely, his small hand reaching out to strum the strings. Between them sat a small Aboriginal flag, its colours bright and alive in the sunlight.
That moment — so simple, so unplanned — said more to me about Country than any textbook, law, or slogan ever could. It reminded me that Country is not about what you own, what you wear, or how you look. It’s about how you live. How you listen, how you share, how you honour the world and people around you.
For so long, Australia has misunderstood what it means to belong to this land. We’ve thought of it as ownership — as something we can divide, measure, and name. But Country isn’t a possession; it’s a relationship. It’s a living, breathing entity that holds memory, identity, and story. It speaks through the wind, the trees, the rivers, and even the silences in between.
The old man under that tree knew this. The boy beside him was learning it. And as I watched, I realised that I was learning it too — not through words, but through witnessing the quiet bond between two people connected by something far greater than appearance.
That is what it means to live on Country. It’s not about skin colour or ancestry alone. It’s about living with respect, curiosity, and care — understanding that every step we take leaves an imprint on something sacred.
When I think of the phrase “Country is the way you live, not the way you look”, I think about how divided we’ve sometimes become as a nation. We label, we separate, we assume who belongs and who doesn’t based on what we see. But as Thomas Jefferson once said, “The greatest good we can do for our country is to heal its divisions and make it one people.” Those divisions don’t heal through policies or slogans — they heal through understanding, compassion, and shared action.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: inclusion not exclusion
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 90%: Inclusion not exclusion Country is not just land. It is breath and heartbeat, song and silence. It stretches…
Inclusion not exclusion
Country is not just land.
It is breath and heartbeat, song and silence.
It stretches beyond what your eyes can see, across ridgelines, rivers, and red dust, into the very place where memory and identity live.
When I say Country, I don’t mean a patch of earth or a name on a map.
I mean the stories held in the soil, the echoes carried on the wind, the warmth of ancestors still walking beside us.
Every step we take leaves an imprint.
Not just on the ground, but on the spirit of this place.
The land remembers who we are, even when we forget.
It remembers the sound of laughter around campfires, the whispers of old songs carried through generations, the tears of mothers and fathers who never stopped caring for it.
Country is not just where we live.
It’s who we are.
It shapes our hearts, our thinking, our belonging.
When I look at the land, I see my own reflection, my story written in the folds of the hills and the bends of the river, the gumtrees that hold our memories where their roots reach deep into the stories of time.
But Country isn’t something that belongs to one person or people alone.
Country belongs to everyone who respects it.
That’s what our old people taught us: Inclusion, not exclusion.
Country opens her arms wide, not to divide, but to bring together.
You don’t need to be born to this soil to walk with it.
You just need to listen, really listen to what it tells you.
Learn the rhythm of its breath, the quiet lessons it offers when you stop trying to own it and start trying to understand it.
Because Country doesn’t speak through power or possession.
She speaks through connection.
Through care. Through humility.
Through the way you treat her and the way you treat each other.
To live with Country is to live
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Dicuss how shakespeare uses the theme of…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 62.5%: Initially, Shakespeare orchestrates disguise both as a shield and trap, revealing how concealment offers…
Initially, Shakespeare orchestrates disguise both as a shield and trap, revealing how concealment offers protection but causes individuals to drift away from authenticity. During an interaction between Viola and Olvia in Olivia’s court, Viola reveals “I am not that I play,” highlighting Shakespeare’s view that individuals are often not what they appear to be. Through paradox and antithesis, Shakespeare exposes the tension between authenticity and performance, revealing [link back to main idea] how disguise shields individuals yet distances them from their true sense of self. By orchestrating this contradiction, Shakespeare critiques a society that forces individuals to conceal vulnerability, valuing social conformity over honesty where he upholds the value of authenticity, suggesting that truth can only emerge when illusion is stripped away. In the same vein, Viola declares to herself in an aside outside Olivia’s house, “Disguise, I see, thou art a wickedness,” emphasising Shakespeare’s perspective of concealment as a mechanism for moral corruption. Through the apostrophe and
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Sunset Boulevard both challenges and…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: Billy Wilder's 1950 gothic noir film "Sunset Boulevard" encapsulates the consequences of strict gender expectations…
Billy Wilder's 1950 gothic noir film "Sunset Boulevard" encapsulates the consequences of strict gender expectations within Hollywood. Through the femme-fatale, Norma Desmond, Wilder critiques the industry's obsession with youth and desireability, displaying its consequences on ones mental stability. While the anti-hero, Joe Gillis, underscores the moral detachment that reinforces the patriarchal society of Hollywood. Wilder exposes Hollywood's expectations of women, and it's severe detrimental effects that it can have, Wilder, moreover, confronts the distinction of stereotypes between males and females, exemplifying how males are not kept to the same standards. Ultimately, through Sunset Boulevard, Wilder critically examines how traditional gender expectations affect interactions within Hollywood, exploring how stereotypes are both condoned as well as condemned.
Wilder investigates how Hollywood reinforces the traditional gender expectations for women by exploring the of success and the challenges that limit this from being achieved. While Norma aims to relinquish her fame, the unrealistic standards set by Hollywood on beauty and age prevent her from doing so. Her obsession with youthfulness stems from the stereotype that being young and beautiful is the only thing desired by people within Hollywood. Wilder presents this through Norma's unwavering determination to reframe herself back into the spotlight through her own film "Salome". By receiving a multitude of extravagant treatments, filmed in the form of a montage, coupled with a non-diagetic score of classical tango music to emphasise Norma's mental decline. Wilder critiques the dehumanisation of women promoting how Hollywood aims to manufacture actresses to fit a feminised standard. Furthermore, Norma's visit to paramount is met with uncertainty by those, being labelled sarcastically as "a million years old" by one of Cecil. B. DeMille's assistants. The bustling youthfullness that fills the film set highlights the ageism of Hollywood, while Wilder explores the easiness associated with discarding women once their youth fades. Wilder does not limit these beauty standards to just Norma either, essentially the only other female charachter, Betty Schaeffer, is also subject to the severe beauty standards even at her youthful age. Having expressed that they "didn't like [her] nose" exposes the dark-side of Hollywood and its ability to judge based on physical apperance rather than acting talent. Betty's casual delivery of the line posits the naturalness of sexism within the industry. Through both Norma and Betty, Wilder analysises how female worth is shaped and limited by an industry that values beauty over ability.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: creative essay on prompt of protests,…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 82.5%: “I’m not really into politics” — because you can afford to be. Being unbothered by protest is an act of…
“I’m not really into politics” — because you can afford to be.
Being unbothered by protest is an act of protest itself.
Ria Antony
SEP 7, 2025
Protest has always been humanity’s loudest answer to silence. From the suffragettes demanding the right to vote, to the marches for Palestinian freedom at the State Library in the city, it has always been spreading like wildfire. These crucial moments remind us of the power of protest and the necessity it brings.
It also reminds us of confronting those who choose to stay in a place of complacency. It reveals to us how silence is also a political act.
Growing up where being opinionated was seen as rebellion, I was exposed to different cultural attitudes towards politics as my family moved from country to country.
So, when discussing human rights issues or recent political events with others, and someone responds with “I’m not really into politics”, it makes me realise just how privileged they are, and how they engage with the world around them.
We have this view, through news on the TV or even through TikToks and Instagram reels, that protest is only loud. That it’s only violent. And it doesn’t help that what’s usually covered for us is that protest is limited only to marches or violent clashes in the streets, or altercations between police and protesters.
Yet protest isn’t confined to just the streets. It extends to the choice we make.
It’s in what we buy, who we decide to vote for, and what we choose to scroll past and ignore.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Play hard, Play smart, have fun
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 90%: Title: Play Hard, Play Smart, Have Fun. Good Evening, players, coaches, families and all those joining us live…
Title: Play Hard, Play Smart, Have Fun.
Good Evening, players, coaches, families and all those joining us live around the country. As commissioner of the Australian Football League I express our gratitude from the league as a whole to all of you. *pause*
Tonight, we come together not just to honour athletic excellence but to engage with the deeper spirit of our sport, the ideas, the values that give the game meaning beyond the final siren. Tonights celebration of the Brownlow Medal may glisten with prestige, yet what it truly represents is not success but embracing failure. In a world that often celebrates the loudest voices and swiftest victories, our game resists that simplification. The Brownlow begs us to consider something far more complex, what is the true meaning of being the best and fairest? *pause* It is here that our great game becomes more than spectacle, it becomes an example on how power should be exercised and how character comes to light under pressure.
Throughout the season, we witness acts of skill, courage and endurance. But beyond the statistics lies something far richer, the quiet moral decisions made in split second moments of contest, choosing to pull out of a dangerous tackle, a captain standing up for a rookie, a fan showing respect to the opposition. These moments might never appear in the history books, yet they shape the backbone of our sport. They remind us that playing, like life, is not only about achievement, but the kind of person one becomes in the pursuit of it. *applause* The Brownlow
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: "It dominates the landscape...roped off…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: In Vicki Laveau-Harvie's memoir 'The Erratics', Harvie uses the landscape as a symbolic mirror of her experiences…
In Vicki Laveau-Harvie's memoir 'The Erratics', Harvie uses the landscape as a symbolic mirror of her experiences in dealing with the repercussions of her family, specifically her mother’s abuse. Through the navigation of revisiting her family, Harvie uses the physical setting to explore her mother’s manipulative nature, her own consequential survival and her eventual journey toward reconciliation.
Throughout Harvie's memoir, the landscape is used to represent the Mum's nature and actions towards her family. The prologue of the memoir describes the rock formation, known as the 'Okotoks Erratic', as being "unsafe", a "danger", "dominat[ing] the landscape...roped off and isolated". Ultimately foreshadowing the actions of the mother with her tendency to lie such as when she claimed that her only children had already passed away, neglecting Vicki's existence. Additionally, the description of the Erratics being "dominat[ing]" highlights the Mum's everlasting presence and subsequent linger in Vicki's life that seems nearly inescapable. Moreover, the description of the "banks of fog" symbolise the unpredictable character of Mum and her shielding of the truth and clarity specifically by hiding Dad's current physical state. Emphasising not only the disconnect within their family but also represents a barrier between the past and present and her journey into confronting her 'concealed past'. Similar to this the description of the "black ice" which is typically clear on the road making it hard to see and slippery reflects the mothers deceitful and 'erratic nature' which is directly demonstrated when Mum says to Vicki "I’ll get you and you won't even know I’m doing it". Finally, the parents’ home in Canada is described as 'Hotel California', an allusion to the song 'Hotel California' where a particular lyric reads 'you can check out at any time you like but you can never leave'. Harvie highlights that even though herself and her sister are able to "flee" their parents and 'check out' they are unable to leave behind the scars of their traumatic childhood. Like 'Hotel California' they are haunted by their mother.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Rainbow’s End presents family as both a…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: Family, at times, can be the strongest source of strength for an individual with the love it provides, but in turn,…
Family, at times, can be the strongest source of strength for an individual with the love it provides, but in turn, it can also cause frustration to surface and conflict to occur despite love being expressed in immense amounts. This is reflected in Jane Harrison’s “Rainbow’s End”, a historical play which follows the lives of three generations of Koori women as they address their disappointments, navigate love and conflict in 1950s white Australia, a period characterised by hegemony and oppression. Harrison suggests that although family provides refuge and love, prominent in times of hardships, it also becomes a catalyst for conflict sourced from inner frustration.
As Dolly navigates her world around her, Nan Dear illustrates her overprotection for her granddaughter by staying far away from wider society, whilst Gladys expresses her desire to the opposite, manifesting conflict. Dolly is invited to the “Miss Mooropne Shepparton” dance, an event attended by both Indigenous and white individuals; however, Nan Daer expresses her worry about Dolly involving herself with white individuals from her own trauma: “You were taken advantage of?” of being sexually assaulted by a white man. Gladys is met with conflict with Nan Dear as she argues. “She needs to know the world is bigger than this”, acknowledging her desire for Dolly to further integrate herself outside their community and progress. This resulted in fighting for her autonomy over making decisions in the family, especially for her own daughter, “I’ll be the one making decisions for Dolores, thank you”, as she illustrates an inner frustration that has been dismissed from Nan Dear’s own views. “She doesn’t need to know anymore of this world she is in”, of what Dolly should do. Harrison ultimately wants audiences to understand, even if family can present you with their best intentions, it can lead to frustration and result in conflict if your own views aren’t addressed and acknowledged.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: 'Play the game as well as you can and…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 75%: The sound of the ball hitting the court used to sound like freedom with an unimaginable joy rushing across my…
The sound of the ball hitting the court used to sound like freedom with an unimaginable joy rushing across my body exhilarating my senses. Now it feels like a countdown to the dooming pressure that I feel is inevitable to explode inside me. Every dribble I possess rings a message in my ears- ‘Play the game as well as you can.’ Coach has been drilling this in my brain for as long as I can remember, however I now realise that it doesn’t inherently apply to basketball; playing the game of life and balancing the impending doom that basketball brings with it is my present goal. As I contemplate my struggles, I wonder how basketball turned into a game of playing to enjoy, to playing to perform.
I don’t remember the exact moment in which basketball became such a toll on my existence, however I struggle to remember the vivid joy I would experience when playing. I used to feel as if I was on top of the world and what I was judged on was my extraordinary ability to capture the attention of all around me whether dribbling past defenders, shooting shots from all angles or chasing down those who dared to challenge my defense. Now as I play, I feel the weight of every stare hanging from my shoulders. It has dragged me down into a shell of my former self as the jersey felt heavier every season. As I enter the arena to pull on the jersey that has weighed me down for so long, I question why it is that I still play. My family has held me to such overwhelming standards, that I can feel myself letting them down every time I step out onto the court, afraid as I continue my downward spiral that has been caused by the pressure of the game I once loved. The dividing line between passion to play and fear of failure has taken over my life as the scales tipped vastly to the side of fear.
VCE · Language Analysis
Language Analysis: the section C english exam material…
VCE Language Analysis essay scoring 75%: With the increased usage of recreational drones in regional Victoria, farmer Warwick Bandle's speech given on…
With the increased usage of recreational drones in regional Victoria, farmer Warwick Bandle's speech given on an unknown date to the Byways Shire Council aims to bring awareness to the issue. The transcript firmly asserts that those flying drones need more vigorous training to be able to do so, with the amount of harmful incidents on the rise.
Bandle begins his speech by promptly stating the issues he as a farmer has been faced with from other drone users. The example of them "crashing at the sky" being potentially 'lethal' aims to evoke fear from the council, to have them wonder if the thrill of flying these 'toys' is really worth a life in exchange. The agricultural implications mentioned like irresponsible drone users 'crashing through crops' and 'letting livestock out' are evidence that personally effects not only Bandle, but also the other local farmers who are the 'backbone of the community'. Being able to provide such direct examples efficiently provoke council members to view the issue from the speakers perspective and truly see how it is impacting so many who live in the area. The image of the crashed drone heavily dramaticises the scenarios aforementioned, with the women trampling towards the drone to retrieve it.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: In Oedipus the King, Leadership leads to…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: Monarchs, leaders and individuals in power to lead populations have been at the Centre of controversy due to the…
Monarchs, leaders and individuals in power to lead populations have been at the Centre of controversy due to the unchecked influences they hold on masses. Dark yet didactic, Sophocles' Play Oedipus the king explores the troubles and advantages they intentionally or unintentionally bring. While he expresses that hubristical leaders only bring burdens, Sophocles also illustrates that Pious leaders can be a Privilege to the Country, People, and themselves.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Topic: Go, Went, Gone suggests that it is…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 65%: Empathy is one’s ability to truly understand the situation of others, extending to feel their pain and suffering;…
Empathy is one’s ability to truly understand the situation of others, extending to feel their pain and suffering; empathy leads to deeper comprehension than merely pitying another. Jenny Erpenbeck’s 2015 novel ‘Go, Went, Gone’ explores the contemporary European refugee crisis, critiquing society for their ultimate lack of empathy. Erpenbeck’s novel explores how the refugees’ vignettes were captured to create feelings of empathy amongst readers, but are not reciprocated to privileged German individuals who view these as pity stories instead. She confirms that pity does not embody empathy. The novelist emphasises that once empathy is achieved, it will take more than one mans beginnings to eradicate the global refugee crisis. Thus, she explores whether readers can move beyond pity. If so, she suggests audiences will begin to gain a true understanding of one another, aiming to inspire many privileged individuals to enact empathy.
Erpenbeck demonstrates that while storytelling is a potential pathway to empathy, it often stalls at superficial pity when the listener, like Richard, fails to comprehend the story's human depth. The narrative shifts to Awad’s perspective in chapter 15 where he has a “pounding headache” and cannot erase the violent imagery of “shards”, “shattered”, “bullets and beatings” out of his conscience. By employing free indirect discourse to plunge the readers directly into Awad’s suffering before the protagonist Richard does, Erpenbeck forges an immediate empathetic bond that Richard, as an external observer, is incapable of forming. This structural choice positions the reader to recognise Richard's subsequent pity as a profound failure of understanding. Moreover, the narrative shifts once again to Apollo in chapter 27 who questions “if his parents… sold him?”. This poignant question positions readers to understand the emotional weight of his trauma, beginning to empathise. However, Erpenbeck reinforces that Richard once again cannot understand the concept of empathising with one another like the readers are gaining insight into. This is illuminated through his failure of efforts to remember the basic human dignity of their own names as they were “too difficult” to remember. Richard renames Awad to “Tristan” after the French words “Triste” meaning sad, ultimately limiting his humanity to one emotion. Richard also renames “Apollo” and Rashid to “thunderbolt hurler” after Greek mythology. Richard reduces the men to literary archetypes and symbols of his own understanding, erasing their complex identities. This act of intellectual colonisation is a manifestation of pity, which seeks to categorise and control, rather than empathy, which seeks to understand. Thus, through shifting the narrative perspective, Erpenbeck depicts that it takes listening to achieve empathy. It takes understanding and a level of maturity to move beyond pity. She ultimately encourages her readers to do so to gain a true understanding of one another and help resolve some of the human rights violations of the refugee crisis.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: In Oedipus the King, Leadership leads to…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 67.5%: People. Whilst Oedipus the king has written over 25 Centuries ago, both ancient audiences and Modern audiences…
People.
Whilst Oedipus the king has written over 25 Centuries ago, both ancient audiences and Modern audiences are left with a timeless reminder that when they elect or appoint in power roles of leadership is both a privilege serious and may either become burdensome or a privilege. In the Exodus the Sophocles states through the chorus that as they "wait" and "watch" that they should be careful as they cannot "Count no man" happy if the hubristic leader is dead.
Sophocles' play Oedipus the king states that leadership is a privilege if held with the right individuals.
As the Play progresses, during the agon between Creon, Jocastas brother and Oedipus, former king of Thebes, A Stark Contrast can be identified between the Pair. Oedipus is described as "brutal" in his rage and "Sullen" in Yielding his Power to Creon, his brother in law and uncle. Whilst Oedipus accuses Creon it is observed that Creon is living by the Principle of Sophrosyne as though he does not lash out in anger. Whilst both have been Put in Similar Circumstances, as both accused eachother for being the "Corrupt". One leader is impetuous whilst the Other is Calm and Stoical.
In this agon, Sophocles' deliberately juxtaposes both leaders and uses Creon as a foil against Oedipus, as Creon Stayed Calm and collected in his Rational and logos, he has bestowed the title, king of Thebes, Privilaged and blessed however Oedipus was left exiled, blind, and in Agony due to the "rage" he had. Futhermore in the episode 3 of the Play due to Creon not being impetuous the truth of "Polluter" was Revealed to be Oedipus thus the Country was informed and given the Privilage to know who caused the Corruption of the land and killed Laius, the former king of Thebes. Athenian audiences are given Multiple examples of a leader who exemplified how leadership is a Privilage, but due to the righteous morals that he held, this invites the audience to consider what attributes and Qualities a leader Should have to lead his People
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Title: 'Peace begins with us'…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 72.5%: To: Residents of planet Earth, CC: All Postcodes BCC: All countries Subject: ‘Peace begins with us’ From:…
To: Residents of planet Earth,
CC: All Postcodes
BCC: All countries
Subject: ‘Peace begins with us’
From: wakeuptodisadvantage@gmail.com
Dear Residents,
Protest is not always loud. Sometimes it’s silent battles against stairs without ramps, against systems that say ‘you don’t belong here’. Today, I protest the world’s failure to see people with disabilities and its refusal to educate individuals on humane peaceful notions of treating those who may appear ‘different’ to us.
This world was never built for them.
But if peace means solving complex issues, could this world be build for them?
We live in a world that applauds convenience at the cost of leaving others behind. We live in a busy world that fails to take a breath and find peace. A father I follow on social media teaches his son who has cerebral palsy how to walk with his new walking frame. He teaches him how to lift the cold, hard, and clunky walking frame over the curves of the footpath. But the curves of the footpath to him are like the height of Mount Everest. A challenging feat only few can accomplish. Yet, the boy gives it his best shot: he tries over and over again until he falls to the hard, cold and bumpy concrete that slices into his palms. He cries out of sheer exhaustion “why can’t I do it?”.
Why must his effort be met with defeat when others like me get to run freely?
This world was never built for them. It was not built for him.
But, the peace to solving this crisis begins with us.
Peace that will address the challenges that weigh him down.
“Dis-ability”, the inability to, the lack of. Its in the name. Its in the word itself. It aims to define them. It openly criticizes those for their differences. Society holds a stigma towards those with a disability, resisting peace to accept.
I know this because I have lived it.
My brother has an intellectual disability and has fought battles each day on the standards society expect of him. But how can we create a society that accepts those with disabilities?
Through peaceful protest. Through empathy. Peace is the only option. It promotes humanity and knowledge. But how can we promote empathy in a world that often lacks it? Through dialogue, education, knowledge and through humane ways.
Ignorantly, I do not know the pain experienced by a starving child in Niger as I have been fed my whole life. So through the storytelling of my own experience and through the storytelling of others experiences we can step into a different world even for just a short amount of time. And that may just be the trigger to promoting empathy peacefully.
So here is my experience through my brothers’ eyes to give you insight into his hardships.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: "In a society where everyone must…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 62.5%: Writing About Protest if anyone finds this, know that we did not all bow. Not all surrendered. I write these…
Writing About Protest
if anyone finds this, know that we did not all bow. Not all surrendered. I write these words while they still allow me breathe, though I know it will not last. Around me, the city move's like a machine, every face the same, every step measured and controlled. They call it Order, I call it a cage.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Title: ‘The truth’ ( stimulus is a…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 75%: I twitch my legs up and down as my anxiety started to increase. The judges call my name out and my knees start…
I twitch my legs up and down as my anxiety started to increase. The judges call my name out and my knees start to tremble. I walk onto the stage where the spotlight glares into my pupils and my mind starts to race. (deep breath) Many faces began to gawk at my presence, but I started to think about my statements I practiced all night. I thought to myself as an 18-year-old student what my purpose was and then I began. What would happen if Earth died? Where would we live? (starts pointing to the viewers) As a young individual in high school, I started to dig into the realism of our planet. Earth is dying and carbon emissions are increasing; so, I need your help individual (starts pointing to the audience again). To be honest as Australians we must reduce the usage of energy and acknowledge the presence of renewable energy resources. The flaws of carbon emissions from cars and combustion of gas, fuel the greenhouse effect. Leading to the increase of temperatures on Earth.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: In Jane Eyre, Bronte reveals that the need…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, an intense and deeply personal study of moral conviction, emotional resilience, and…
Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, an intense and deeply personal study of moral conviction, emotional resilience, and the pursuit of independence, explores the conflicts between passion and principle, selfhood and social expectation. Throughout her novel, Bronte depicts the desire to belong as being a powerful desire but not outrightly the most powerful. Bronte illustrates the need for women to feel included and that they belong in society, despite the expectations of them in the Victorian period. In spite of the strong human need to belong, Bronte portrays that the aspiration for freedom is just as powerful. Bronte illustrates the conflicting nature of freedom and belonging, expressing the difficulty in finding both within a relationship. It is in this way that Bronte highlights the desire of belonging but also the power of other needs.
Through her observations of Victorian society, Bronte outlines the aspirations of women to feel embraced by and belonging to a society that has entrenched limitations upon them. During her arrival at Thornfield, Jane is greeted by a maid who treats her “like a visitor”, providing her with a warm reception which was “little expected” by Jane. Bronte highlights how Jane has never been treated like anything more than a servant, with her “anticipating only coldness” upon arriving at Thornfield. Through Jane encountering far different conditions than expected, Bronte illustrates Thornfield as being a place in which Jane belongs and has a sense of worth. This is furthered by Mrs Fairfax instructing Jane to “draw nearer to the fire”, with fire having connotations of warmth and comfort; thus, Bronte is symbolising the sense of belonging that Jane is encouraged to feel at Thornfield. Upon being left in her room, Jane describes her feeling of being “at last in safe haven”, continuing the connotations of warmth but also being protected. Similar desires for belonging are shown when Jane meets St John and his sisters. Once she has settled into Moor House, Jane reveals her feelings towards the Rivers family, stating how she has “found a brother” and “two sisters”. Through Jane developing a familial bond, Bronte establishes her newfound sense of belonging at the Moor House, with Jane further emphasising the “wealth to the heart” that she is experiencing as a result of this belonging. Bronte illustrates the state in which Jane “had nobody” before arriving at the Moor house to “now three relations”, further indicating the security she has found. Bronte ultimately emphasises Janes rediscovery of belonging when she stays with Rivers and how this allows her a new sense of joy.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: "The truth lives inside him, him alone."…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 85%: The ongoing pursuit of knowledge is what enhances the destructive or redemptive qualities of its findings. It is…
The ongoing pursuit of knowledge is what enhances the destructive or redemptive qualities of its findings. It is this which plagues Sophocles’ Greek tragedy, Oedipus The King. Through his complex exploration of truth-seeking, Sophocles contends that the information acquired through this experience can be both physically and spiritually harmful and negative, dependant on context. Firstly, Sophocles explores the suffering that knowledge brings spiritually. Then, he explores the unpleasant physical impacts brought upon by information. However, by the end, Sophocles illuminates the empowering effects of truth.
Initially, Sophocles alludes to the mentally taxing consequences of truth through horror, pity, and guilt. This is exemplified in the Shepherd’s cry to “wish to god [he’d] died that day,” and the Messenger’s plea, “No—god’s sake, master, no more questions!” which reveal the profound guilt and terror that accompany the recognition of what they had done - freeing Oedipus, fulfilling the prophecy, and enabling the “red waves of death” on Thebes. Sophocles’ use of the em dash in this scenario exaggerates these emotions through an abrupt pause that connects denial (“No”), to regret (“god’s sake… no more questions!”). With this, Sophocles draws upon the remorseful and destructive impacts that truth can have, particularly focusing on the Messenger and Shepherd. Additionally, by placing both moments of anagnorisis within stichomythic dialogue, Sophocles enhances the tension, contributing to catharsis. Through this, Sophocles evokes a greater sense if pity from the audience when the plot reaches its conclusions, further connecting them to the idea that knowledge can bring regretful outcomes. Additionally, Sophocles focus’ on the moral crisis that comes with knowledge via Oedipus’ recognition of the physical “torture” he inflicted. This is seen in the development of the king’s initial hubristic nature, offering to “grant… prayers” compared to his later devastation that he is “Cursed in [his] birth, cursed in marriage, cursed in the lives [he] cut down with these hands!” With this, Sophocles highlights the mental degradation of Oedipus by his differing perceptions on what he has brought to the people of Thebes, thus connecting to the mental pain knowledge brings. Sophocles further accentuates this idea by mirroring Oedipus’ structure of previous acclamations like “[he] is Oedipus” to contrasting claims that “[he] is misery.” In this, Sophocles powerfully draws upon the earlier times of the play through the similar phrasing of each statement, and allows for an easy comparison between the opposing attitudes. Moreover, Sophocles extends Oedipus’ spiritual suffering from self-centred to family related by recalling his children’s “doom [as] clear: [to] wither away to nothing, single, without a child.” Through this, Sophocles adds to his idea of spiritual suffering by building upon his notion through ones spiritual suffering making aware and impacting others futures. Conclusively, Sophocles sheds light on how truth leads to spiritual suffering, not just for the individuals whom pursuit knowledge, but those related to it too.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: personal journey
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 85%: Kaelen had lived for centuries. He had seen empires rise and fall, the sky filled with war, the earth reborn…
Kaelen had lived for centuries. He had seen empires rise and fall, the sky filled with war, the earth reborn with life. On the battlefield where he was meant to die, he was granted a strange gift — eternity. He walked through fire unharmed, fell from heights unscathed, outlived kings and histories. Yet one thing remained constant: he could not die.
What began as a blessing soon curdled into a curse. His victories grew hollow; the world moved forward while he remained still, a relic trapped in an hourglass that no longer flowed.
Khyati stared at the ceiling as the clock ticked relentlessly. Each sound reminded her that time was slipping away. She had once dreamt of greatness — of publishing her own book — but now she felt herself sinking, paralysed as her friends built lives without her. In her South Asian household, the only choices were medicine, engineering, or failure. Her parents’ words echoed: “A writer? That’s not a real career.”
Every tick of the clock pressed against her chest. She told herself time didn’t affect her — but deep down, she knew she was stuck.
In Kaelen’s world, a man’s worth was measured by the wars he won, the blood he spilled, the lives he claimed. Yet no one spoke of what came after: the guilt, the sorrow, the endless regret when the drums fell silent. Kaelen began to wonder whether the gods had cursed him — not with life, but with meaninglessness. Perhaps he had never truly lived at all.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: 'Sunset Boulevard' portrays Hollywood as a…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 72.5%: 'Sunset Boulevard' portrays Hollywood as a place where manipulation and illusion are both universal and…
'Sunset Boulevard' portrays Hollywood as a place where manipulation and illusion are both universal and destructive. Do you agree?
Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard (1950) presents a dark view of Hollywood, showing it as a place where manipulation and illusion are everywhere. The film explores how people live in fantasies, use others for personal gain, and change themselves to fit Hollywood’s expectations. However, these illusions and manipulations ultimately lead to downfall and destruction. Through the tragic character of Norma Desmond, the struggles of Joe Gillis, and the industry’s obsession with fame, the film highlights the dangers of believing in Hollywood’s false promises.
Sunset Boulevard highlights how Hollywood creates illusions that trap people in the past, preventing them from accepting reality. Norma Desmond’s character in Sunset Boulevard demonstrates the destructive nature of illusion, as she refuses to accept that her fame has faded. Once a famous silent film actress, Norma still believes she is a star, insisting, “I am big. It’s the pictures that got small.” This shows how she is trapped in the past, unable to accept that Hollywood has moved on. Her mansion, described by Joe as “the kind that crazy movie people built in the crazy twenties,” symbolizes her fading dreams and isolation not being able to move on. She clings to the illusion that she will make a grand return to the screen, saying, “I’ve been waiting 20 years for this call,” when, in reality, the industry has forgotten her. Max, her butler, fuels this illusion by writing fake fan letters, stating, “She never will, that is my job, and it has been for a long time.” His devotion to Norma keeps her from facing reality, as he believes, “I made her a star. I cannot let her be destroyed.” This manipulation allows Norma to continue believing in her fantasy, preventing her from adjusting to the real world. By the end of the film, completely lost in her fantasy, Norma declares, “I’m ready for my close-up,” believing she is still a star as she descends into madness. The tragic nature of Norma’s character reveals how dangerous it can be to live in an illusion, as it isolates her from reality and ultimately leads to her downfall.