VCE · Text Response
Text Response: "Thats not why," said Clotilde Armenta.…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 82.5%: Garcia Marquez’s novella Chronicle of a Death Foretold demonstrates the merging of victims and perpetrators as a…
Garcia Marquez’s novella Chronicle of a Death Foretold demonstrates the merging of victims and perpetrators as a result of flawed social constructs. Garcia Marquez highlights that by conforming to social pressures, individuals lose their sense of autonomy and morality. Consequently, he illustrates that the loss of agency caused by social expectations drives individuals to commit irredeemable sins, ultimately condemning themselves to guilt. Furthermore, he underscores that by seeking absolution without true purpose, no genuine understanding is gained and cycles of victimisation persist. Thus, Chronicle of a Death Foretold blurs the line between victim and perpetrator by exposing the corrupt nature of the society that shapes them.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: "Thats not why," said Clotilde Armenta.…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 85%: SACS Topic 2 Garcia Marquez's novella "Chronicle of a Death Foretold" demonstrates the merging of victims and…
SACS
Topic 2
Garcia Marquez's novella "Chronicle of a Death Foretold" demonstrates the merging of victims and perpetrators, due to flawed social constructs. Garcia Marquez highlights that by conforming to social pressures one loses their sense of autonomy and morality. Consequently, the author illustrates that due to losing agency as a result of social expectations one will commit indispensable sin and condemn themselves to guilt. Furthermore, Garcia Marquez underscores that by seeking absolution without purpose, knowledge is not gained and victims continue to be created. Thus, "Chronicle of a Death Foretold" blurs the line between victim and perpetrator due to innately corrupt social norms.
Garcia Marquez elucidates that due to overarching social pressures and expectations, individuals that are victimised lose their sense of morality. Through Pura Vicario's description of having "brought up the boys to be men" and the females reared to be married", Garcia Marquez exposes the impact of harsh gender patriarchy in a familial context, as the females are stripped of autonomy and the males are forced to uphold a masculine image. This central expectation is further emphasised through the Vicario Twins learning in search of their sister's lost honour as the representation of the males of the household needing to restore a females honour is symbolic regardless of the detrimental effects a social obligation thus on individuals, as they do not commit the murder out of free will but rather of of social expectation. Through this, Garcia Marquez underscores the deleterious effects of conforming to social honor codes as one will pervert their sense of morality in order to uphold a socially acceptable appearance. Following, Garcia Marquex uses the Vicario Twins proclamation that "before god and before men... it was a matter of honour" to demonstrate how following the an innately corrupt social construct, warps one's sense of morality. In doing so, Garcia Marquez uses the motif of honor and reveals how by being under social pressure to constantly uphold honor it creates systemic flaws in an individuals sense of judgement, ultimately resulting in their victimisation. Thus, Garcia Marquez highlights that those under stringent social pressure to uphold an honorable appearance are condemned to become victims of an unjust society.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Love is at the center of Sophocles' play…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: From the onset, love is depicted to hold vast importance to the progression of the play, playing a central role in…
From the onset, love is depicted to hold vast importance to the progression of the play, playing a central role in evoking the actions of those in the beginning and emphasising the eventual tragedy. Sophocles places great emphasis on the centrality of love at the start of the play in order to contextualize the original intentions behind many of the characters. For example, Oedipus’s love and care for the people of Thebes is evident in the prologue. Oedipus claims “not one is as sick as I.” in reference to the persistent Plague which beckons on the city. This sickness Indicates Oedipus love for Thebes, and ultimately is a driving cause of his relentless pursuit of the truth in the play. Sophocles presents this in the prologue to help the audience of the time identify Oedipus’s complexity of character. By presenting him as a loving king at the start, it
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Love is at the center of Sophocles' play…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: From the onset, love is depicted to hold vast importance to the progression of the play, playing a central role…
From the onset, love is depicted to hold vast importance to the progression of the play, playing a central role in evoking the actions of those in the beginning and emphasizing the eventual tragedy. Sophocles places great emphasis on the centrality of love at the start of the play in order to contextualize the original intentions behind many of the characters. For example, Oedipus’s love and care for the people of Thebes is evident in the prologue. Oedipus claims “not one is as sick as I.” in reference to the persistent Plague which beckons on the city. This sickness Indicates Oedipus love for Thebes, and ultimately is a driving cause of his relentless pursuit of the truth in the play. Sophocles presents this in the prologue to help the audience of the time identify Oedipus’s complexity of character. By presenting him as a
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Action is needed now
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 75%: Action is needed now My own dear family lined up in the blistering heat, day, and night to fight for job…
Action is needed now
My own dear family lined up in the blistering heat, day, and night to fight for job opportunities as they did not know when the economy would finally stablise. Yet we didn't have to.
My own dear family budgeted their limited supply of money to be able to live in times of financial hardships and unfair economic policies that had taken place. Yet we didn't have to.
My own dear family were compelled to prioritied their expenditure of savings and sacrifice their health as money was tight. Yet we didn't have to.
Indonesia was once known for its scenic, stunning, and vibrant landscape. Now it is known for the declining economic crisis, difficult livability and exploitation of all citizens. Those innocent people were civilians simply trying to making a living, trying to navigate through the packed streets. They walk, drive, and even crawl through the dangerous congested streets. No one was there to bring them safely back to their homes, every day was a battle to stay alive and make money. Cries of help are ignored and neglected, President Prabowo Subianto does not care. Consequentially, Indonesia started to sink into the depts of adversity.
The election
On the 20th of October 2024, President Prabowo Subianto Djojohadikusumo was formally sworn into office as the 8th president of Indonesia. Prior to this arrangement he launched a promising campaign which swayed more than half the population. He had slogans such as 'Bersama Indonesia Maju' (together Indonesia advances) and 'Menuju Indonesia Emas ' (towards a golden Indonesia). Both of which slogans promised that a better Indonesia was being marched towards. At home in Australia, my mother, father, and I were sitting on the couch watching it unfold live. It felt indescribable, we left our family over there subject to his authority and control. Was he actually going to help us? The feeling of guilt consumed me as I went to bed that night. No one said it, but it was definitely a thought. Should we have go back?
The beginning of the crisis
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “Those who jump to conclusions may go…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 72.5%: Sophocles' Greek tragedy “Oedipus the King”, set in 13th century ancient Athenian Greece, displays the reason…
Sophocles' Greek tragedy “Oedipus the King”, set in 13th century ancient Athenian Greece, displays the reason behind poor judgement of mortals through the emphasis of the fragility of human authority. This is demonstrated through the denial and consistent dismissal of the divine power of the gods that ultimately uplifts horrific fates and characters active avoidance of prophecy only cementing it further. Furthermore, it is displayed using characters' inflation of mortal power and ability through ignorance of the Gods and divine intervention. Additionally Sophocles also portrays the dangers of characters acting in emotion rather than reason driving poor decision making during the play.
Firstly, Sophocles demonstrates the poor decision making of mortals through the ignorant dismissal of the abilities and the intent of the Gods, and the belief that prophecy and divine intervention is able to be avoided. This is illustrated by his use of foreshadowing the fate of Oedipus losing his vision after saying that he “would be blind to misery”, suggesting that the Gods predetermined prophecies are unavoidable through human intervention and they are always an underlying factor in the fates of characters. Foreshadowing is also perpetuated through tragic irony as Oedipus believes that by “avenging Laius [he] defends [himself]” displaying that no mortal is immune to the wrath of the Gods. Before the play takes place, Laius and Jocasta attempt to avoid the prophecy of their son, but through their avoidance it only further solidifies the prophecy’s power. Moreover, Jocasta constantly dismisses the Gods by judging that the prophecies are “neither her nor there” which possibly cemented her lethal fate of suicide and is a possible consequence of her poor decision making. This is similar to the efforts of Oedipus as he flees Corinth for Thebes in an attempt to avoid the same prophecy which furthers the idea of mortals being unable to escape their inevitable destinies written by the Gods.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: how does Wilder portray the world as an…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 90%: In addition to the flaws of a deceptive industry, Wilder explores the connection between the flaws of other…
In addition to the flaws of a deceptive industry, Wilder explores the connection between the flaws of other charcters in his film Sunset Boulevar, and flawed 1950s America. Joe Gillis, a jaded, deceptive, world-weary scriptwriter is a significant example of the repercussions of living a flawed lifestyle despite pursuing noble desires in a competitive industry. Joe's desire for a higher-class, more comfortable life is symbolised through the motif of the pool, a status symbol emblematic of success and proft. It is a yearning that is so heavily imbued in Gillis that, even as he is shot, he continues his determined stumble to the floodlit pool, drawn to it like a moth to the flame. Indeed Joe sardonically states himself, "he always wanted a pool" and "got himself a pool", with his own life as the hefty "price". In Joe's pursuit of the pool and
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: To what extent do the characters find…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: In a cruel world filled with resentment for those who don’t abide by society's social constructs, individuals…
In a cruel world filled with resentment for those who don’t abide by society's social constructs, individuals find power within themselves and the environment in which they reside, as explored in Shirley Jackson's Gothic novella, “We Have Always Lived in the Castle,” published in 1962. The novel, portrayed through the perspective of a mentally unstable protagonist, allows insight into society's suppressive values and zeitgeist in mid-20th-century America. The sustained patriarchal oppression often leads to characters denouncing their social identity and retreating into a world where they establish their own hierarchy and authority free of any constraints.
Jackson also reiterates the notion of isolation as a means of finding peace and serenity in a world determined to render them powerless. Contrastingly, the villagers present the idea of a world where even isolation isnt enough to escape their harsh demeanour. Furthermore, Jackson’s novel prompts an overreaching idea of empowerment through the creation of a delusional construct and imitative magic to flee from an oppressive society that ostracises subversive figures. Collectively, these ideas present the lengths to which individuals go to achieve authority within a structurally oppressed sociality, whether through isolation by establishing physical boundaries or imaginative constructs, sympathetic magic and rituals.
In an insular 20th-century society where rigid gender roles were established to preserve masculine authority, women were often domesticated while being persecuted by their male counterparts. The authoritative disparity between the genders left women to undermine the zeitgeist and retreat to a secluded environment. This is evident in Jackson's novel, where the Blackwood sisters establish their own authority through the means of isolation to reclaim feminine autonomy whilst disassociating themselves with toxic masculinity. This is portrayed where Merricat makes sure the gates are “locked” thoroughly every time she comes back from the village. However, they are capable of being broken; the locks suggest not only the physical, but also the metaphorical motif of the lock being used as a source of disconnection from society, allowing the audience to conclude that both the physical and social distancing the Blackwood sisters have observed from the villagers is to re-establish their own authority. Furthermore, intrinsically, the patriarchy within Blackwood Estate was wiped out, further prompting the degree to which androcentrism affects womanhood and strips them of their own rights, where a psychologically neglected daughter ends up murdering her whole family to regain authority. Jackson’s use of the eerie setting of the Blackwood estate amplifies her message of isolation in regards to feminism and that women ultimately find strength within isolation.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “Pride breeds the tyrant.” Sophocles…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 75%: In the Ancient Greek tragedy, playwright Sophocles’ ‘Oedipus the King’ ( 429 BCE ) suggests that arrogance can be a…
In the Ancient Greek tragedy, playwright Sophocles’ ‘Oedipus the King’ ( 429 BCE ) suggests that arrogance can be a main force of tragedy. Sophocles firstly displays how some, even when all other aspects are well polished, can fall due to their hubristic nature. Sophocles then argues that it is the overstepping of human boundaries that is a result of hubris that can lead to one’s downfall. Sophocles lastly recommends that although hubris can be a part of one’s suffering, it can be noted that humility and noble responsibility is often used as a way to remain tragic but also as a means of redemption.
In the prologue of the play, Sophocles warns his Athenian audience, who, at the time, were at their golden age of innovation and technology, with some losing faith in the gods as they believed they had more control. This is done through foreshadowing and the use of parallels with Oedipus and Pericles, who was the king of Athens and had died to the plague which had killed a third of the Athenian population. The play begins with the opening of doors, a mighty entrance for a singular person who is Oedipus, Thebes’ well-respected king. This is paired with his self introduction which includes the fact that “[they] all know [him]” and that “[he] is [Oedipus]”. Establishing him as a hubristic person and someone who is god-like to the citizens, which parallels Pericles as being a respected king. The intentional use of Oedipus’ introduction is designed to remind the Athenian audience of their late king but also pick up on his Hamartia, his “telltale limp” that is his hubris. This is then further emphasised by the priests who “[pray to him at his altar]”, a sign of religion and piety, but towards Oedipus, who is just a human, with human flaws. This is done by Sophocles to enforce the position of power that Oedipus holds as his citizens add to his perception of almighty-ness, him being “first of men”, perfect. Through this all, Sophocles is highlighting the power of his character, and setting up Oedipus’ downfall as a great one, one that will be remembered. The tragedian suggests the underlying nature of hubris and warns his Athenian audience of this through parallels and foreshadowing.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: resist and persist
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 90%: [Mary steps out onto the stage. The lights soften to a muted glow as she approaches the microphone. A long…
[Mary steps out onto the stage. The lights soften to a muted glow as she approaches the microphone. A long exhale escapes her lips; the crowd falls silent. Her voice trembles at first — fragile, yet fierce.]
MARY: To those denied the right to speak — silenced by the walls of prejudice and buried beneath the crushing weight of injustice — I hear you. I feel you. I feel the times we’ve gone unheard. The moments when the world looks at us but never sees us. When the weight of systemic oppression chips away at our spirit until we are told we are nothing.
It began in 1619 — the year we were stolen, chained, and sold like objects. The year slavery began.
But it was never just about labour; it was about breaking us, stripping away our voices so we could no longer stand tall.
We must resist this oppression.
We are all human- beings
All flesh and bone.
Yet, too often, we are treated as less — as wild things to be tamed.
Every time I step outside, I feel it: the tightness in my chest, the eyes that follow, the words that sting. The ride home isn’t a journey — it’s a reminder. “Go back to the field, negro.” “You’re just a black coon.” Their voices cling to me like cobwebs, but I refuse to be caught in
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: how does Wilder portray the world as an…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 90%: Wilder presents the world of the 1950s as mostly flawed through the corrupt, mendacious film industry. The…
Wilder presents the world of the 1950s as mostly flawed through the corrupt, mendacious film industry. The imperious Norma Desmond a victim of the Star System, is a resounding, yet tragic example of the horrific effects of imperfection and flaw in a profit-driven industry. The artificial characterisation of a Hollywood stae is grotesquely exemplified through the terrifying visual of masks, straps and bandages. The Frankenstein's-monster-esque imagery of the bygone star who is a ''smashed idol'' held together and refixed in order to perform for ''cameras'' that will ''never turn'', is a sobering representation of the devastating impacts of a mendacious film industry. In post WW2, where every industry strive to revive the American economy by increasing profit margins, the last semblances of humanity in every indsutry was ravaged, and Hollywood was no exception. A film industry where "looks" mattered, actors were fetishished for their external beauty and glamour. This tragic truth is poetically reflected in Norma's final descent down the staircase of her
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Brontë suggests that there is contentment…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 90%: Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre rejects the notion that there is contentment to be found in servitude. Through her…
Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre rejects the notion that there is contentment to be found in servitude. Through her portrayal of oppressive authority, rigid religious systemic imbalanced, and gendered inequality, Brontë exposes servitude (through thraldom) as a source of suffering rather than that of peace. While Jane is often required to submit to figures of control, her greatest moments of fulfilment emerge when she asserts her independence and moral integrity. Brontë presents self-determination, equality, and the freedom to act according to conscience as the true and outstanding foundations of happiness. In doing so, she critiques the Victorian notions being that, obedience and humility could lead to spiritual or emotional reward.
Bronte condemns religious servitude as a corrupt force that denies individuality and moral truth. Through the figure of Mr Brocklehurst, Bronte portrays Evangelical authority as hypocritical and cruel. His insistence that the girls’ hair be arranged “plainly” and that they live in “unsophisticated accommodation” reflects a doctrine of deprivation that seeks to defeat self-expression. The description of Brocklehurst as a “black pillar” and “ standing erect” conveys oppressive dominance and cold, unbending faith. Jane’s description of him as her “interrogator” transforms religion into an instrument of fear rather than guidance. Bronte further juxtaposes Brocklehurst's false piety with the gentle spirituality of Helen Burns, whose acceptance of suffering is serene but not depicted as liberty. While Helen finds temporary solace in her belief that “God is my friend,” her early death symbolises the inefficiency of passive endurance. Jane learns from Helen’s example that blind submission (even when motivated by faith) results in silence and stagnation. At Lowood, as the typhus epidemic shatters students, the disease proves as a metaphor for the moral decay bred by institutional servitude. Jane’s survival and her ability to “enjoy full the beauties of the scene” reflect Brontë’s conviction that resilience and self-awareness, not religious obedience, provide the ultimate path to peace.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Stimulus 3- “the caterpillar…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 90%: The morning sky sagged, heavy with clouds that refused to decide whether to stay or break. She pressed her…
The morning sky sagged, heavy with clouds that refused to decide whether to stay or break. She pressed her forehead against the car window, tracing the condensation with her fingertip as unfamiliar streets blurred by. Melbourne looked washed-out greys and greens bleeding into each other a stark contrast to the syrupy light of Singapore, where humidity clung like a second skin and buses hummed like clockwork.
The air smelled of wet asphalt and eucalyptus; even the rain here felt different, colder, more deliberate. At fourteen, she arrived carrying two suitcases and a silence she hadn’t yet learned to fill. The hijab she pinned that morning framed her face in soft folds, but she wondered if it marked her as someone foreign, someone the wind could unravel.
In the schoolyard, laughter rang like wind chimes that are bright, effortless, and just out of reach. She unpacked her lunch beneath a jacaranda tree, the scent of turmeric and cardamom rising into the crisp air. Around her, vegemite sandwiches and meat pies crinkled in plastic wrap. She closed her container quietly, pretending she wasn’t hungry.
Each day carried its own forecast: bursts of confidence followed by sudden drizzle. She mimicked accents, studied slang, watched the clouds of conversation pass and waited for one
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: "If you are neutral in situations of…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 85%: Good morning, Councilors, welcome guests and members of Melbourne's community. Thank you all for giving me the…
Good morning, Councilors, welcome guests and members of Melbourne's community. Thank you all for giving me the opportunity to speak at the Melbourne City Hall. My name is Erik. I am a legal advocate with a background in public law. Over the years, I have worked with legal aid services and reform initiatives to bring attention to how systems affect vulnerable communities. Today, I will be discussing an issue within the judicial system, the bail system and why it needs change to promote fairness and justice.
The moral imperative to stop injustice has created changes throughout history for the betterment of society. When we apply this to the bail system, we must confront and question its failures. The original bail system was created to ensure returns to trial and minimize risk to society. Our contemporary bail system has lost its original purpose. Instead, modern bail imprisons individuals for being poor, designed in a way that disproportionately affects people of disadvantaged backgrounds. Effectively, bail treats freedom as a matter of money. While 'being tough on crime' appeals to a sense of security, using bail to embody this idea only functions to exacerbate the existing oppression of people with lower financial status. The bail system in Australia treats cases as 'poor crimes' and 'rich mistakes'.
A recent study conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that 41% of Australia's prisoners are on remand. Under the principle of the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, all pre-trial detainees are 'legally innocent'. Obviously, these people in pre-trial detention are still being treated as if they were proven guilty and are being punished through imprisonment. To bail, being unable to pay a sum of money decides
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “In Sunset Boulevard, illusion offers…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 87.5%: Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard (1950) presents a haunting exploration of ambition, illusion, and human fragility…
Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard (1950) presents a haunting exploration of ambition, illusion, and human fragility within Hollywood. Through the intertwined lives of Norma Desmond and Joe Gillis, the film interrogates the tension between fantasy and reality, exposing the moral and emotional consequences of pursuing validation at any cost. Wilder crafts a world in which glamour conceals decay, illusion sustains life even as it destroys it, and the desire to be seen can warp both identity and morality. By combining film noir, Gothic melodrama, and meta-cinematic critique, Wilder constructs a narrative that reflects the corrosive nature of ambition, the seductive danger of illusion, and the isolation inherent in a world defined by performance.
Hollywood itself is depicted as a space of alluring artifice. Norma’s mansion, described by Joe as a “great big white elephant of a place,” embodies both faded grandeur and entrapment. The opening image of a corpse floating in a swimming pool—a symbol once of wealth and glamour—immediately signals the corrosive undercurrent behind Hollywood’s façade. Non-diegetic strings by Franz Waxman heighten this sense of foreboding, warning the audience of the fatal consequences of ambition and delusion. The “dead leaves” and “scraps of paper” littering Sunset Boulevard reinforce its hollowness, while silhouetted palm trees, rendered in chiaroscuro, act as silent judges of the “distorted” stories Hollywood perpetuates. Through this, Wilder portrays the industry itself as a machine that creates and consumes its stars, turning desire for recognition into a form of imprisonment.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: We can have a kind of sympathy as well as…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 87.5%: Billy Wilder’s 1950s acerbic film noir, Sunset Boulevard, is orchestrated as a cautionary and eye-opening tale…
Billy Wilder’s 1950s acerbic film noir, Sunset Boulevard, is orchestrated as a cautionary and eye-opening tale that exposes the brutal toxicity of Hollywood. The director presents the gulf between Hollywood’s celebration of youth and its erasure of obsolescence that fatefully leads to the demise of the principal characters who seek their own respective desires. Wilder’s melodrama encourages the audience to become ambivalent and conflicted on the opinions of the characters. The exploration of exploitation and the various power dynamics invigorates appeals of hatred and empathy. It is also the ethical considerations of one’s mischievous actions that can argue the outlook of their characters. Lastly, it is fundamentally the grand scheme of the film industry that alleviates the vain emotions of hate for these characters.
Wilder’s coordination of deception and the acts of controlling another incites the audience to despise Norma Desmond. The director initially introduces the themes of manipulation and control through a recurring motif of the “contraption on her finger”. The utilisation of the minor prop married with the soliloquy of Joe depicts how he was “caught, like the cigarette” in Norma’s trap and was ultimately under her reign. Joe, who has passively surrendered his authority right into Norma’s hands, his existential defeat encourages empathy towards Joe and hatred towards Norma, who has benefitted psychotically. The director’s implementation of a symbol paired with a metaphor of the estranged and exotic companion further dictates the relationship of Joe and Norma. Joe, who approaches the “great big white castle” is unaware of his role, being the replacement of the “organ grinder” Norma isolates herself with. Wilder’s exploration of the characterisation of Norma is clever, where he contrasts Norma’s lack of acknowledgement for human life, the callousness she conceals to present the true femme fatale in this film noir. The antagonist is coldly represented through mise-en-scene and the lack of consideration for humans detaches any positive emotions and only encourages disdain.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “In Sunset Boulevard, Wilder explores the…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 90%: Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard (1950) is a haunting exploration of the illusions that define both Hollywood and…
Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard (1950) is a haunting exploration of the illusions that define both Hollywood and human desire. Through its dissection of fame, power, and delusion, the film reveals the moral decay festering beneath the shimmering surface of the film industry. Wilder exposes a world in which identity and worth are constructed through perception, where characters cling to fantasies to escape obsolescence and insignificance. Ultimately, Sunset Boulevard interrogates the dangerous interplay between ambition and illusion, revealing how the pursuit of validation—whether artistic, romantic, or social—can consume the self entirely.
Wilder immediately positions Hollywood as a machine built on illusion, one that both sustains and destroys. Norma Desmond’s decaying mansion—described by Joe Gillis as “a great big white elephant of a place”—serves as a physical embodiment of faded grandeur and the psychological cost of clinging to past glory. Once a “goddess” of the silent era, Norma has been discarded by a system that worships novelty and youth. Her desperate insistence that “I am big, it’s the pictures that got small” encapsulates the delusion that sustains her: she refuses to see herself as obsolete because doing so would mean confronting the truth of her irrelevance. In this way, Wilder uses Norma not just to expose the dark side of celebrity, but to explore a universal human fragility—the terror of being forgotten.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “In Sunset Boulevard, Wilder explores the…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 90%: Through his masterful fusion of film noir, Gothic melodrama, and meta-cinematic critique, Billy Wilder’s Sunset…
Through his masterful fusion of film noir, Gothic melodrama, and meta-cinematic critique, Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard (1950) exposes the destructive interplay between illusion, ambition, and identity within the machinery of Hollywood. The film explores a world where fantasy corrodes truth and the pursuit of success consumes integrity. By dissecting the lives of those entrapped in this deceptive system, Wilder not only reveals the dark side of fame but also interrogates the fragility of human aspiration and the moral decay that festers beneath the industry’s dazzling façade. Sunset Boulevard thus emerges as a cautionary tale about the dangers of confusing performance with authenticity, and the human cost of surrendering oneself to illusion.
Personifying Hollywood as a dystopian dreamscape, Wilder constructs a world where glamour and rot coexist. The film’s posthumous narration, opening with the self-aware voice of this “poor dope,” instantly blurs the boundary between reality and performance, foreshadowing the inevitability of moral and physical decay. Franz Waxman’s haunting non-diegetic strings, paired with the unsettling image of a corpse floating in a swimming pool — once a symbol of wealth and aspiration — transform the familiar iconography of success into one of death and corruption. The imagery of “dead leaves” and “scraps of paper” littering Sunset Boulevard evokes a sense of spiritual desolation, while the titular “sunset” itself symbolises the finitude of fame. Through chiaroscuro lighting and the shadow of towering palm trees, Wilder evokes silent judges watching over the “distorted” narratives Hollywood perpetuates through its “columnists.” The toxic dynamic between Joe Gillis and Norma Desmond epitomises this corruption: their relationship fuses exploitation and delusion, with each character representing a distorted response to the industry’s cruelty. Norma, the fading star, clings to the illusion of relevance, while Joe, the disillusioned writer, commodifies himself for survival. The loss of Joe’s car — “a matter of life and death” — literalises his surrender to dependence, revealing how ambition often collapses into moral servitude. Edith Head’s leopard-print costumes become emblems of entrapment and shared degeneration, subverting gender stereotypes and portraying fame itself as a predatory force. Trapped in a mansion “with no locks,” Joe becomes both captive and accomplice in a parasitic exchange that mirrors Hollywood’s exploitation of its talent. Through this, Wilder critiques not just individuals but an entire system that devours those who once fed it.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: ‘Sunset Boulevard’ reveals the dark side…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 90%: Exposing the powerlessness of naïve ‘dream[s]’ of fulfilment against the toxicity of celebrity which has ‘seized…
Exposing the powerlessness of naïve ‘dream[s]’ of fulfilment against the toxicity of celebrity which has ‘seized [their] heart[s]’, Billy Wilder’s quintessentially American film ‘Sunset Boulevard’ (1950) poignantly unveils the dark side of fame that is inextricable from Hollywood’s allure. Compounded by the skillful overlaying of a gothic lens, this noir mystery performs as a deep meditation on the brutality of this business, and a sardonic, yet subtly sympathetic, depiction of the victims of its endless cycle of sadism. Through his intelligent blend of fiction and meta-cinema, Wilder’s iconoclastic opus emerges as a powerful vivisection of the dangerous illusions of stardom.
Personifying this complex world as a dystopian nightmare, Wilder satirically contextualises the hidden horrors of Hollywood. Immediately referencing a classic trope of film noir, a disturbing amalgamation of fantasy and sobering realism is established through the eerie posthumous narration of this ‘poor dope’, with this non-linear structure exposing this inevitable tragedy from the outset. Heightening this strange sense of unease, the foreboding non-diegetic string music of Franz Waxman’s pertinent score warns the audience of this ensuing horror. Indeed, ‘Sunset Boulevard’ itself can no longer be hopefully associated with fame and luxury; rather, its disconcerting introduction in a gutter with ‘dead leaves’ and ‘scraps of paper’ alludes to its burgeoning corruption, as literally emphasised by the titular finiteness of ‘sunset’. Ominously towering over this decrepit street, the silhouetted palm trees embody personified judges of the ‘distorted’ and ‘blown out’ stories that ‘Hollywood columnists’ weave, as fortified by the intense chiaroscuro lighting. Similarly, although swimming pools were an iconic image of glamour, the floating corpse ironically exposes that this perpetual chase of fame is a deadly enterprise. As a poignant reflection of this danger, the toxic relationship between Joe Gillis – the cynical antihero – and Norma Desmond – the stereotypical antagonist of a femme fatale – is inherently doomed. This Gothic synthesis of old and new Hollywood thematically foreshadows their demise, as both are dangerously delusional: one is confined by their obsolescence, the other ensnared in the shallowness of the present. Symbolising the subordination that defines their affair, the loss of Joe’s car is a ‘matter of life and death’ that resolutely deforms him into an item of Norma’s possession, as fame is too often synonymous with prostitution. Subverting the traditional gender stereotypes of their time, Edith Head’s pertinent costumes of shared leopard print – a predominant motif of Norma’s wardrobe, which is also reminiscent of her silent-era glamour – illuminates the oppression that this pursuit of celebrity has manufactured. In a house with no locks, Joe is already irreparably caught in the predatory grip of Norma’s atrophic talons, and thus, by extension, trapped by the noxious allure of Hollywood. Functioning as a provocateur to brazenly ‘bite the hand that feeds him’ (Mayer) Wilder controversially deplores the deceptive façade of fame through his pioneering direction.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: In Oedipus the King, all who deserve it…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 90%: Set in the fifth century BCE, Sophocles’ Oedipus the King explores the tensions between divine retribution and…
Set in the fifth century BCE, Sophocles’ Oedipus the King explores the tensions between divine retribution and human morality. In the rigid cosmic order of ancient Thebes, punishment is delivered not according to human notions of fairness, but to uphold the gods’ sense of justice. Sophocles suggests that all who deserve punishment receive it - whether due to the defiance of prophecy or the presence of human flaws. Although some characters, like Oedipus, act without ill intentions, their resistance to fate or moral failings ultimately justify the suffering they endure.
Sophocles clearly suggests that those who are defiant and attempt to escape or resist fate are inevitably and justly punished. In the world of ancient Greece - a time marked by a growing skepticism toward the gods - this idea is exemplified through the characters of Oedipus, Laius, and Jocasta. Jocasta, Queen of Thebes and both mother and wife to Oedipus, actively rejects the power of prophecy. She and Laius attempt to avoid their fate by ordering the death of their infant son, a direct act of defiance against the divine order. Jocasta later dismisses prophecy entirely, claiming, “no skill in the world, nothing human can penetrate the future,” and even mocks the gods, asking, “you prophecies of the gods, where are you now?” Her confident tone is steeped in dramatic irony, as the very truth she denies is about to destroy her. Similarly, when the blind prophet Tiresias reveals Oedipus’s role in the curse, Oedipus responds with hostility and disbelief. He insults the prophet, calling him a “scheming quack” and a “sanctimonious prophet,” accusing him of plotting to overthrow him. His refusal to accept the prophecy reflects his pride and blindness to the truth. Ultimately, both Oedipus and Jocasta suffer tragic downfalls as a result of their resistance. Sophocles implies that had they not denied the will of the gods, their suffering might have been less severe. Their punishment is not just for their actions, but for their arrogance in believing they could outwit fate.
While the consequences may seem extreme, Sophocles presents the punishment of human flaws as justified, revealing a tragic universe governed by fate, where even unintentional errors must be accounted for. Throughout Oedipus the King, the destructive power of pride (hubris) consistently overrides rational thought, setting the tragic events in motion. One of Oedipus’ first acts of violence in the play is his killing of Laius "in anger" at the "triple crossroad" - an impulsive reaction
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: "What is play", 'work and play are…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 70%: What is play? Ladies and Gentlemen, I appreciate you all doing yourselves a favour by attending our…
What is play? Ladies and Gentlemen, I appreciate you all doing yourselves a favour by attending our motivational "more to life" seminar, I am Edward Halley.
Today, my question to you all is, what is play?
Many of you are tired of living, attending jobs you do not like and wondering why you feel as if your lives aren't as fulfilled as you wish them to be.
Many of us here depict play as children's fun and something only children can take a part of, but many of us don't realise our choices determine if we continue play in our lives or not.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: High Ground suggests that some conflicts…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: Johnson depicts the internal turmoil which individuals face when placed in adverse situations, however he…
Johnson depicts the internal turmoil which individuals face when placed in adverse situations, however he celebrates the cultivation of morality in spite of this struggle. Travis, throughout the film is torn between two cultures: the one he is a part of and which he morally stands by. Regardless of this disparity, Travis acts consistently throughout the story, always aiming to stand up for what he considers to be right and always having Indigenous safety as a high priority. He cares for and seeks to protect Gutjuk to the extent that Eddy snidely comments that he “cares about that black piece of shit more than himself”. Johnson utilises this sardonic jab in order to signify and champion Travis’s conduct. He purports that internal struggle is never an excuse to act immorally, utilising Travis as the ultimate representation of altruism despite the constant adversities he faces. In order to further
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: The Memory Police is much about gain as it…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 70%: In her dystopian novel “Memory Police” Yoko Ogawa presents an island where objects, individuals and memories are…
In her dystopian novel “Memory Police” Yoko Ogawa presents an island where objects, individuals and memories are disappearing continuously under the control of the authoritarian regime. Ogawa illustrates the many events which present simultaneously acquiring and losing, in addition both being separately shown to occur. Ogawa portrays the attempts of individuals to attain their safety, however losing their ability to be free. On the contrary, she explores loss through jobs taken away from citizens and their passion as well. Ogawa further underscores the gains of the individuals within the society as a means of interconnection between other people.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Wilder's film reveals the devastating…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 75%: Introduction Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard presents a haunting critique of pride and its destructive Dout bare…
Introduction
Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard presents a haunting critique of pride and its destructive Dout bare consequences, exposing the tragic downfall of those who cannot control one's desires to
achieve fame and wealth. Through the character of Norma Desmond. Wilder examines how regapks
on characters unchecked pride fosters delusion and isolation, ultimately leading to self-destruction. n
Similarly, Joe Gillis'reluctant entanglement in her world highlights the dangers of pride in the
pursult of ambition and material comfort. By utilising certain filming techniques and
veiceevers, Wilder explores how Hollywood perpetuates illusions ofsplendour that catch
individuals in a cycle of denial and despair. The film's narrative and visual elements reinforce
the idea that pride, when taken to extremes, is not a flaw but a force that erodes identity and
leads to tragic consequences. ☑ cnclear.
Body Paragraph 1: Norma Desmond's Delusional Pride and Isolation
Norma Desmond epitomises the destructive consequences of unchecked pride, as her
inability to accept the decline of her career leads to her psychological and social isolation.
Her assertion that, "I am big. It's the pictures that got small," reveals her belief in her own signifcance, despte Hollywood'srejetion. Wilders use of capturing the ntero of aalysi's house further amplifies her delusion, as seen in the pervasive clutter of her mansion, with
needed countless photographs of her past self. This visual highlights her obsession with her own geod
image and her unwillingness to confront the present. Gillis' voiceover deepens the
audience's understanding of Norma's detachment from reality, describing her as "Still
subject: her celluloid self."The imagery of sleepwalking evokes a sense of helplessnessTy to
suggesting that Norma is trapped in a dreap of glory, unable to recognise her irrelevance. make a
Her pride not only blinds her to reality but also isolates her from meaningful human
connections, as she surrounds herself with an artificial world that no longer exists. By Moic divect
portraying Norma as a tragic figure whose pride has destroyed her ability to adapt, Wilder pride.
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critiques Hollywood as they foster such delusions, leading individuals to a state of loneliness
and despair../Your disewecion is a bit too generalited kere.
Body Paraeraph 2: Joe Gillis and the Corruption of Pride Aontusa
e Gillis' downfall arises from a different form of pride through his belief that he can chalacteое
ntopir manipulate situations for his own benefit without consequence. Initially, Gillis disliked stay in feutencAtorma'sdelusions, but his own desperation and ambition lead him to accept her for her presont wealth, despite recognising the immoralty of it. ills explains that "ahe would lake me for teuse
she has control over his own life in exchange for comfort. His positioning in scenes