VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Framework is country and stimulus is…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 80%: The culture - clothes - unique making and fabric My tears fall unnoticed. Despite my grief, I continue to stand…
The culture - clothes - unique making and fabric My tears fall unnoticed. Despite my grief, I continue to stand silent, graceful, and proud. My peplos is pinned at my shoulder, the thick linen bunching at my waist, held in place with an ornamental pin and zoni, then draping like a waterfall. The fabric is heavy and luxurious, the result of many gentle hands that lovingly cultivated the fibres of the flax plants and then carefully, expertly weaved the linen. I am a quiet symbol of my origins and my homeland.
The British claimed that the Greek Museum was not capable to maintain and preserve the marbles and according to Hannah Boulton, a spokesperson for the British Museum, said that “Elgin did a great service in terms of rescuing these artifacts”.
History I am a “Korai”, a daughter of the goddess Athena. One of six. Together with my sisters I carry the past on my shoulders, the history of my country on my head. Stories have been told of my birth. My sisters and I were born in Karyai but allied with the Persians when they invaded and now we stand frozen in time, passing on the burden of our punishment to future generations.
Culture and history and art I am the symbol of my country’s history, its art, its culture, its battles, the lives of its men and women. The Pentelic Marble was like a time machine, taking those who wished to know back to a time when Mount Pentelicus loomed large over Athens - They are not interested in the chiselled fishtail braid that was the height of fashion for ancient women or the sculpting technique of Alkamenes or Kallimachos which was popular at the time.
Excerpt from the University of Glasgow: Lord Elgin's removal of the Parthenon sculptures was illegal. At the time, Greece was under Ottoman control. Elgin received permission (a firman) from the Ottomans to:
1. Enter the Parthenon.
2. Draw, model, and dig around the ancient temples.
3. Take small artefacts that didn’t interfere with the Parthenon’s structure.
Loss of identity - she is a foreigner and does not belong. I shouldn’t be here. I am a foreigner. I’m surrounded by strangers who do not understand me. They do not speak my language here. They do not know my story. And they do not try to. To them I am just a statue. They make strange faces as they walk past me with their camera flashes and tired yawns. Few would sit with me and read my story, learn about my ancestors from the land of the
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “The whole place seemed to have been…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: Billy Wilder’s non-linear film noir Sunset Boulevard details the dark side of Hollywood and it’s destructive…
Billy Wilder’s non-linear film noir Sunset Boulevard details the dark side of Hollywood and it’s destructive effects on film ‘stars’ and writers. Although Wilder presents Norma Desmond as a tragedy in the melodrama, other character’s who lie under the film industry must also be considered as greater calamities. The contrast between illusion and reality underlines Norma’s succession into insanity. Furthermore, it is also the direct interactions with Norma which pose as a bigger threat. Ultimately, the demise and trap set by Hollywood is the most prominent issue in 1950’s film.
Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard presents mental health and denial as the root cause of the disasters shown. Norma’s isolation in her “grim sunset castle” displays as a rising event to her climax. Wilder’s characterisation of Norma through her costuming, with sunglasses indoors and leopard-patterned clothing, proves to the audience how socially unaware she is in the film, resulting in isolation. The sunglasses she ponders signify how outdoors for her is inside, how she’s crazy. However, Wilder sets this up to later reveal her denial of the outside truth, being “brushed off” by the industry. The audience may be inclined to feel empathy for Norma as Wilder conveys the message of Hollywood’s exploitative industry. Norma is seen at her climax herself after murdering Joe, smashing through the fourth wall in the film. Wilder’s inclusion of this close-up shot paired with dialogue expresses the detachment in reality she faces - otherwise known as the ‘madness’. Her once “castle” turned into a “film set” proved to the audience the obsession with fame she held, the “creepy paralysis” she was set in. Wilder’s implementation of this indicated that she had hit a maximum level of mental despair; Hollywood had consumed so much of her mental capacity. The audience now knew the true reality of being let go by the film industry - the struggles of moving on. Norma Desmond’s isolation and the aftermath of Joe’s death demonstrated the culmination of a catastrophe that strikes in Wilder’s film, truly expressing the message about Hollywood’s nature.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Jackson challenges stereotypical ways of…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 75%: In the gothic horror novel "We Have Always Lived in the Castle”, author Shirley Jackson explores the lives of…
In the gothic horror novel "We Have Always Lived in the Castle”, author Shirley Jackson explores the lives of outcasts and their struggles to fit into their expected roles in society of the time. The novel was written in 1962, during a time where counter culture movements began to rise in popularity and came into direct conflict with the entrenched structure and institutions that defined how one should live in society. Jackson’s portrayal of outsiders and their struggles against the expected way of life reflect this conflict at the time, as people who do not subscribe to the idea of the “American dream” are pushed to the edges of society. Jackson confronts society's expected social norms by highlighting how the ‘desired’ lifestyle is not suited for everyone and how this leads to prejudice against outsiders. Jackson criticises the ‘American dream’ and the lifestyle it promotes by exhibiting how family and unity is lost in a pursuit of material gain and power. Jackson further challenges the status quo of how one should live by highlighting how people have different values and goals, which results in importance being placed on aspects of life that are not a part of the “American dream”. Jackson further challenges this idea by warning the reader of the consequences that society can have on those whose ideas do not align with the expectations, highlighting the tendency to ostracise and prejudice those different to us.
Jackson criticises society's obsession with chasing the so-called “American dream” suggesting that family bonds and individuality is lost in the greed for wealth and power. This is seen through the Blackwood men, who are described as “dishonest” by uncle Julian, who can see how power and wealth corrupted his brothers into prioritising their “place in the world” over their family. Jackson uses the Blackwood men as an example of how capitalism can strip a family from togetherness and connection in favour of material positions. Jackson suggests that as a society focuses more on capital and money, we lose identity and connection to one another. This is seen in Jackson's portrayal of cousin Charles, who is driven by greed to the extent that he is stripped of humanity and empathy for his own family. When the Blackwood house is burning Charles prioritises “getting out the safe” instead of making sure his cousins are safe. Charles views the house as a “whole damn fortune” instead of a haven and sanctuary for generations of his family. His willingness to disregard family in favour of possessions “worth a great deal of money” exemplifies Jackson's idea of the severing of family bonds due to capitalism that is driven by the foundations in modern life. The contrast in values is seen between the Blackwood sisters when compared to Charles. In a way, Jackson criticises the American dream and its tendency to trump greed at the expense of humanity through her portrayal of Charles, as his desire for money causes him to lose his connection to his family.
VCE · Language Analysis
Language Analysis: stimulus 1: they won't listen, they…
VCE Language Analysis essay scoring 90%: The People's Voice My son, I am writing this as I sit under the great boa tree, searching for knowledge only…
The People's Voice
My son,
I am writing this as I sit under the great boa tree, searching for knowledge only our country can give me. I have written and torn this letter up five times, trying to turn a 60,000-year-old story about the strength and power of our people into words.
If you are reading this, my breath has left my lungs, my last footprints have been blown away, and my bones return to country. Do not mistake my silence for absence. My voice, our voice, lives on through you. Our fight is our voice. Do not let it smolder in silence. Let it roar.
Do not be sad in my passing, but carry my torch. The fire of protest, the voice of resistance, is now yours to tend. This voice has echoed since eternity — this fire for which I let blood, sweat, and the broken dreams of your aunties, uncles, and all those who came before you.
I am writing to you as it is up to you now — up to you to commemorate the ashes of the past. Spark the fire and voice of our people in the present. Our voice is heard by all. Our fire cannot be ignored by those in power.
The fire of protest.
First was your grandfather, Jandamarra. For so long his voice was suffocated, his fire nearly extinguished, his once proud open flame smothered as he was captured and tortured by British oppression.
But our fire, our protest, doesn't die.
The power of our people is greater than those in power.
Our fire, our voice, is eternal.
In 1985 we turned against the British, freed our own people, caged like ewes. This was his protest, this was his voice — a voice they couldn't ignore, the voice of protest. That singular act of protest united his people, ignited an inferno so large, so powerful it swept everything in its way.
When you light your fire, when you use your voice, it will unsettle Australia. The crackle of our fire will sink a column that once classed us as flora and fauna. A song that will sear our abductors, our silencers, our oppressors. Stoke our fire so that its embers spread wide across our country — the embers of protest, pride, and power.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “I felt caught like the cigarette in that…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 75%: A world built on manipulation and control is central to Billy Wilder’s 1950 pax-Americana film noir, ‘Sunset…
A world built on manipulation and control is central to Billy Wilder’s 1950 pax-Americana film noir, ‘Sunset Boulevard’. Set after the advent of the ‘talkies’, the film explores the exploitation encompassed in Hollywood to maintain its power over the players . Additionally, Wilder showcases a community where characters rely on illusions of others to further push their own agenda. Despite this, the film reveals that the world of Hollywood is not all governed by the evil of manipulation and control, but there are also genuine people and relationships striving of goals other than dominance . Ultimately, Wilder exposes a world driven by exploitation for self-gain, though also makes it apparent that there is hope for a world of veritable connections and true intentions.
From the outset of the film, Wilder unveils the exploitive nature of Hollywood to ensure its control over the players in the industry. For instance, Wilder indicates the financial exploitations through those in executive or managerial positions, particularly in Agent and Sheldrake, who both reject Joe's request of financial help. Benefiting from 'Poor Joe Gilis', Agent neglects his job to 'dig up a job' and instead enjoys his wealth in 'Bel air, making with the golf sticks'. Known as a 'Big faker', Wilder presents the audience with the idea that Agent has no personal care for his clients, claiming 'im your friend' but really is just in it for the '10%'.Moreover, illustrated in the lavish setting of Sheldrakes office with expensive pens, multiple telephones and awards all around, Wilder juxtaposes the opulent lifestyle of a higher up to a simple writer such a Joe. However with all this wealth, when asked to lend Joe 300$, the 'smart producer' cunningly goes on about a long explanation why he is unable to. Analogous to Hollywood, Wilder demonstrates the way those in affluent positions and power exploit those under them to perpetuate their authority overhead. Wilder further exposes the toxic rule Hollywood has over the industry, the way in which players are treated like products, showcased by its cruel beauty standards. For example, Betty proclaims how she was forced to pay '300$' for a nose job because the studio 'didn’t like her nose' . Wilder exposes the harsh reality of asthetic norms in Hollywood controlling those to succumb to their regulations. On top of that, Exhibited through a montage of extreme closeups, Wilder depicts the 'merciless series of treatments' Norma must withstand to live up to the Hollywood expectations. Encapsulated through militaristic language describing how 'An army of beauty experts invaded her house', Wilder conveys the severity and lengths one must go to be accepted by Hollywood's barbarous standards. Hence, Wilder exposes the manipulative essence of Hollywood in which they sustain power over members in the industry.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Personal journeys Title: finding my way
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 95%: When I look at the arrows scattered across the pavement in front of me, I see my life reflected in them. Each…
When I look at the arrows scattered across the pavement in front of me, I see my life reflected in them. Each arrow points to a possibility, but none of them guarantee a smooth path. Some are bold and straight; others are faint, broken, or veer off unexpectedly. Standing still, I feel the weight of choice pressing down on me. Which direction leads to belonging? Which road leads me further away? The image reminds me that life is rarely a straight journey; instead, it is full of crossroads that demand decisions, even when I am unsure.
Growing up Asian Australian, the paths before me often seemed narrower than those of others. From the moment I could speak, I carried an accent shaped by my parents’ Hakka words. At school, that difference was marked, underlined, and turned into a target. When classmates imitated the way I spoke or wrinkled their noses at the food in my lunchbox, I felt pushed towards one arrow: silence. Stay quiet, stay invisible, avoid their laughter.
Silence, for a time, became my shield. I stopped answering questions in class even when I knew the answer. I pretended to like sandwiches so I wouldn’t have to explain the noodles and dumplings my mother lovingly packed for me. Yet invisibility came with its own cost. By erasing parts of myself, I began to lose the sense of who I was. The arrows before me blurred into grey, and I wondered whether I had any direction at all.
On the street, exclusion found me again. Strangers asked the same question over and over: “Where are you really from?” I would reply, “Here,” but the question always came again, insistent, as though my face could not belong to the same soil my feet walked on. Each time, I felt myself standing once again at the crossroads of those arrows, unsure which way to turn. Should I fight, explain, or walk away?
The arrows in Stimulus 2 remind me of those moments—standing still, paralysed by the sense that no direction would be safe. For a long time, I thought my choices were only two: to reject my culture to be accepted here, or to cling to it and risk being forever seen as an outsider. Neither path
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Hadley's stories explore the challenges of…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: Exploring the difficulties of relationships within the human experience, Tessa Hadley's 2017 Bildungsroman Bad…
Exploring the difficulties of relationships within the human experience, Tessa Hadley's 2017 Bildungsroman Bad Dreams critiques the rigid societal structures that affect all relationships. Through her range of stories, encompassing the British middle class over the last century, Hadley condemns strict societal expectations for their damaging consequences on interpersonal connections within the human odyssey. Ultimately, Hadley admonishes the detrimental impact of social constructs on relationships.
Accentuating rigid social norms, Hadley highlights how societal constructs are the cause of diminished relationships within the human experience. Portraying the managerial bourgeoisie's expectation to uphold standards of outward appearance, Hadley critiques Ruby's family in Her Share of the Sorrow for imposing expected standards, thus inciting social isolation. Hadley iterates how Ruby's family's expectation to be “beautiful and tall” like Dahlia places a pressure upon Ruby that she feels inadequate to satisfy. Thus, Hadley reveals how, in order to escape this crushing pressure of external beauty, Ruby, feeling like the “jangling” of the family, must escape and spend “all day in the attic.” This repeated motif of an attic crafts a sense of hidden secrets and illustrates how the pressure to satisfy her mother's beauty will always weigh over Ruby's life. Extending the isolation from her family, Ruby “hides the key” and responds back to her mother in a “secretive” manner, emphasising how Ruby is closing off her relationship with her family due to the imposed familial expectation to be photogenic. Extending beyond the isolation caused by societal expectations of women, Nigel in An Abduction represents the exclusion men face when failing to uphold traditional hegemonic masculine traits. Nigel is framed as impotent with Daniel “shifting through the gears” in Nigel's father's car, emphasising Nigel's lack of control and thus his traditional masculinity as another man drives his father's car. Echoing this sense of isolation, Nigel feels, as a homosexual man “not much interested in girls,” tucked into his small space. Therefore, Hadley elucidates how Nigel's failure to uphold a hegemonic masculinity leads to his feeling of isolation. In this way, Hadley deplores societal expectations, framing them as the cause of social exclusion and a lack of strong relationships.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: how does Hadley explore the impact of…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: Exploring how perceived small moments can subtly shift the trajectory of lives, Tessa Hadley’s 2017 anthology Bad…
Exploring how perceived small moments can subtly shift the trajectory of lives, Tessa Hadley’s 2017 anthology Bad Dreams presents how mundane moments can alter the identity of the British middle class. Through her stories covering the last century of the British bourgeoisie, Hadley reveals how even the ordinary can be extraordinary, specifically for women stifled by a patriarchal society. Ultimately, the author brings to light the struggles that females face in a society in which even the most banal events can crush their identity or confirm their self-worth in times of struggle.
Deploring rigid societal constructs for their suffocating effects, Hadley exposes how supposedly ordinary moments can leave women isolated and lost. Reflecting how a society controlled by men leaves women exploited, Jane in An Abduction echoes Hadley’s critique of how society leaves growing women deserted. Hadley illustrates how Jane’s sexual encounter with Daniel is made to be irrelevant in a period of society which expects women to maintain a certain figure by “going outside” and not to question masculine authority, highlighted by the metaphor for Jane to “eat whatever they put in front” of her and not to be a “nuisance.” Hadley shows how, due to her parents’ endeavoring to uphold these expectations of female subservience and external appearance, Jane’s development into adulthood and germinating awareness of sexuality is dismissed and minimized by their negligence, failing to realize their daughter “was abducted.” Highlighting the consequences of minimizing such events and treating them as ordinary, Jane is left to feel on the wrong side of a “barrier” her whole life. This imagery reflects how Jane is barred from being able to access her true self and emotions due to the fact that she was never able to “assimilate the experience” in a society which ignores the sexual exploitation of women’s innocence. Thereby, Hadley explores how moments that are life-changing to young women are downplayed and ignored by society, impacting the rest of their lives.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Trevor Noah explores the complexities of…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: Set against the regime of apartheid, Trevor Noah’s memoir, Born a Crime, documents the complexities of…
Set against the regime of apartheid, Trevor Noah’s memoir, Born a Crime, documents the complexities of relationships between men and women in South Africa (S.A). Noah exposes how patriarchal power often shapes relationships between men and women, through control and violence. Additionally, Noah praises women’s resilience that carves out their independence despite cultural and social barriers. Furthermore, Noah establishes the complexities created by cultural tradition in which male dominance clashes with women's determination to define their own lives.
Noah exposes how patriarchal power often shapes relationships between men and women, through control and violence. Noah describes that “Tsonga culture” aims for a world in which “women bow” when “greeting a man”. Noah illustrates the controlling behavior instilled within the culture of Abel, foreshadowing the later expectations from his marriage. Patriarchal control is further explored as Abel expected a “traditional marriage” with a “traditional wife”. By depicting Abel's expectations, Noah contextualizes the systematic controlling demeanor implanted within the men in SA, thereby condemning the prevalence of controlling behavior over the women in SA, demonstrated by the men. Moreover, the author elucidates the abuse of patriarchal power through violent measures taken by the men. Through the use of a metaphor, Noah expresses Abel smacking Patricia as a “clap of thunder”. Noah represents Abel’s violence and aggression as unpredictable and destructive, similar to thunder, creating fear, whilst enforcing control over women and the household. Further to this, Noah depicts the frequent outbursts by revealing how Abel “beat” Patricia with “a bike”. Through the bike incident, the author exemplifies patriarchal violence as a common occurrence, as it is presented as an anecdote from Trevor's childhood perspective, thereby highlighting both the physical danger women face and the fear it instills. Therefore, Noah castigates patriarchal power for causing instability and danger in women’s lives under male authority.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: The personification of the landscape is…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: Authors of semi-autobiographical literary works often tend to utilise the external environment in which they are in…
Authors of semi-autobiographical literary works often tend to utilise the external environment in which they are in to promulgate their traumata. Within Vicki Laveau-Harvie’s non-linear memoir, The Erratics, she personifies the Canadian landscape and the family home to embody the enduring trauma of her abusive upbringing, however, it is precisely this external environment which also functions as a source of distance and detachment for Laveau-Harvie, allowing her to reframe pain and construct resilience. Laveau-Harvie depicts how the family home is a factor contributing to her traumatisation, as the claustrophobic setting mirrors her mother’s behaviour. Furthermore, the vast landscape of the Erratic’s aids in the ongoing and unresolved nature of memory and trauma as the icy climate provokes similar senses to which Laveau-Harvie received from her mother. Lastly, Laveau-Harvie highlights that though the Canadian environment can be quite daring, it is the same setting that assists her in creating physical distance from the source of her trauma.
Laveau-Harvie depicts how the interior landscape of the dysfunctional family home is a key factor which contributes to Vicki’s traumatisation, because of the memories and experiences of the past. Laveau-Harvie explicates that the family home is a place of continuous re-traumatisation, as it reminds her of the abusive upbringing which she experienced from her mother. She describes the family home as being a “fortress” that “opens” to “no one”, being “sealed off” from the rest of the world. Her depiction of the family house provokes a sense of entrapment and emotional suffocation, which reinforces how the environment mirrors her mother’s behaviour, as well as allowing her to paint a picture of how the home represents a space of exile and hostility, rather than warmth and refuge. Additionally, she reveals how the “longer” she stayed at the family home, the “less real” it made her “feel”. This disassociation suggests that her sense of self has begun to deteriorate, and how the prolonged exposure to the familial traumata experienced at the house has led to her boundary between reality and emotional numbness to be blurred. Furthermore, she shares how the family home made her question her existence and presence as a human being, labelling herself as “the daughter that never existed”, highlighting how this made her feel “transparent” at her own family’s house. By hinting at a metaphoric sense of invisibility, Laveau-Harvie elucidates that as a result of such an abusive and trauma-filled upbringing, it has led to her losing her sense of belonging and connection with her own family and the family home, highlighting how she feels like a stranger to the same environment she spent most of her life. Moreover, Laveau-Harvie illustrates that during the Christmas time, for the “average Canadian joe”, their home, having “cascades of fairy lights”, is where they can “go inside” and “feel a little better”, though for her, being a different story, highlighting the presence of a “yule void” in the family house. By emphasising the sheer contrast between her home and others around her, allows Laveau-Harvie to once again demonstrate the dysfunctionality of her family, and how they fail to celebrate an annual cultural event as one, despite it being the norm.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: How does Sunset Boulevard explore the…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: Intro: Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard interrogates the rigid gender roles of 1950s America, both reinforcing and…
Intro:
Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard interrogates the rigid gender roles of 1950s America, both reinforcing and critiquing the expectations placed upon men and women. The film exposes how Hollywood’s obsession with youth and beauty condemned women like Norma Desmond to obsolescence while allowing male figures to maintain authority well into old age. Through Betty Schaefer, Wilder captures the emergence of female ambition beyond the domestic sphere, though he reveals the persistent cultural and romantic constraints that limit her dependence. Meanwhile, Joe Gillis and Max embody the contradictions of masculinity, showing how the pressure to act as providers could collapse into dependence, exploitation, and servitude. By combining stark cinematic techniques with incisive characterisation, Wilder constructs a critique of the destructive imbalance of power between men and women, demonstrating how the rigid prescriptions of gender roles deformed lives and relationships alike.
BP1:
Norma Desmond epitomises the sexist dismissal of women in Hollywood, where female worth is bound to youth and beauty, and her decline stands in stark contrast to the enduring authority of male figures such as Cecil DeMille. Norma’s obsessive beauty rituals, facials, heavy makeup, and even the grotesque funeral for her pet money underscore the relentless pressure on women to preserve an image of desirability. Wilder reinforces this through harsh spotlighting during Normas nightly beauty regime exaggerating the wrinkles of Norma’s face, presenting her as trapped within the role of the ‘ageing starlet’, unable to accept a society that discards women once their youth has faded. Her defiant declaration, “I am big. It’s the pictures that got small”, conveys both her refusal to be erased and the hollowness of her protest, the industry has shifted to idolise younger women, leaving Norma irrelevant. By contrast, DeMille retains his authority and respect well into old age, greeted on set with reverence by actors and crew. Wilders decision to stage Norma’s humiliating visit to DeMille’s studio where she is dwarfed by the bustle of the new generation and gently placated rather than taken seriously symbolises Hollywood’s patriarchal double standard. Men could age into respected positions of power, while women were cast aside. The irony of Norma’s final breakdown, where she brandishes a gun and later descends into madness as she proclaims to the cameras, “All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up”, reflects not only her personal tragedy but Wilder’s critique of the destructive consequences of 1950s gender roles. In contrasting Norma’s decline with DeMill’s enduring authority, Wilder exposes how Hollywood’s structures are entrenched in male dominance while rendering women as disposable.
BP2:
Betty Schaefer is characterised as the emerging ambition of women seeking fulfilment outside traditional domestic roles, yet Wilder tempers her independence by exposing the persistent obstacles of a male dominated industry. Unlike Norma, Betty is introduced as youthful and unglamorous, per plain clothes and
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Create an essay/text on the threat of…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 82.5%: The Threat of Joy The presence of joy in my life is a threat to my endeavour to change, evolve, become. Joy…
The Threat of Joy
The presence of joy in my life is a threat to my endeavour to change, evolve, become. Joy is a thief. It makes the blandest moments seem important, but the monotonous after effects leave me dry, only clinging for more. It coats itself “in my mind, nailed into my heels”, just to abandon me when I need it most, dismantling the walls I have built. That's why I wear a mask of seriousness, because to feel joy is to risk losing it all. I’m not sure if I can survive that fall again.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: create an essay/text on the theme…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 85%: The Evening After Once again, I sat alone in my room the evening after the party. It felt calming, in contrast…
The Evening After
Once again, I sat alone in my room the evening after the party. It felt calming, in contrast to the voices tumbling over each other, the clattering of plates and that annoying, screaming child that always had to be there. It was too much, too loud, and above all, it felt forced on me. The celebrations were never really about me; they were for the things I did, or the things I achieved, but never for what I had become up to this point.
That's why I never really paid much mind to those parties. I focused on what I valued: my evening after. Those moments sitting in that silent room, my desk bathed in the warm embrace of my lamp, flickering as if afraid, painting the surrounding walls and furniture in a yellow tone. They were the sustenance of my rigid being.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: How is Oedipus displayed as a tragic hero?
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: Sophocles lauds the qualities of a noble leader by displaying virtues of compassion and intellect that form the…
Sophocles lauds the qualities of a noble leader by displaying virtues of compassion and intellect that form the foundation of a tragic hero’s eminence. Written in the Golden Age of Athens, the Athenian audience saw significant philosophical and social transformation, a tension that Sophocles attempts to warn through Oedipus’ privileging of human intellect over divine wisdom. From the outset, Sophocles deliberately frames his protagonist as the archetypal hero, a hope for his city and people sickened by the plague as he demonstrates admirable qualities of man. Through the employment of stage directions, with the play beginning with Oedipus “com[ing] forward, majestic but for a telltale limp”, he “slowly views the condition of his people”, highlighting strong pride of civic duty, a deeply rooted sense of responsibility towards citizens of Thebes, whom he refers to as his “children.” Having once defeated the Sphinx through
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: create your own written text on a flicker
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 80%: Flickering Voice His dreams, goals, everything. It was all crumbling down, at his feet, as if it had never been…
Flickering Voice
His dreams, goals, everything. It was all crumbling down, at his feet, as if it had never been much at all, the bedroom where he spent his youth, now a place reminiscent of his failure: to become, to be great. It felt cold, surreal, like it wasn't really the end. He flopped into the covers of his bedsheets, gazing into each grain of the moonlit ceiling, the seemingly fading light of the moon held his attention, mocking him. He knew that the world would move on without him, pretty easily even, but, there was a flicker in him; a voice that kept nagging on and on, trying desperately to keep him awake, keep him chasing that now meaningless desire.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: create your own written text on…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 80%: The Passenger “Click clack, click clack.” I snap awake to the sound of the train engine roaring, the wheels…
The Passenger
“Click clack, click clack.” I snap awake to the sound of the train engine roaring, the wheels clacking, and the horn occasionally whistling. I sit up and rub my eyes groggily. My head aches and my eyes sting as if I have opened them for the first time. I take in the layout of the cramped roomette. The old fashioned carriage feels warm, but also wrong, and reeks of the musky scent of cigars. The faint orange glow of sunlight through the window flashes into the corners of my eyes, “People…” I mutter, as I gaze at the passing shadows on the fabric sliding doors. I sit frozen, unsure if I even belonged in this place.
The air is murky with a thick haze that urges me to leave, I venture outside with uncertainty, looking around at all the people. They move past me without a glance, laughing, whispering and tapping their glowing screens. I tap the shoulder of an old man, “Hello, sir?” He looks at me with a scowl then walks away, leaving me unanswered. I stand there feeling left behind, out of place, like I’m being left out on a joke everyone else is a part of. Like I’m the unwelcomed guest in the house of a stranger…Like I am the lone passenger of a train that’s at a standstill.
VCE · Language Analysis
Language Analysis: 2025 Enhanced Games
VCE Language Analysis essay scoring 80%: Amid the announcement of the Enhanced Games, concern has arisen around the possibility of “clean” athletes…
Amid the announcement of the Enhanced Games, concern has arisen around the possibility of “clean” athletes taking part in the games. In an attempt to uncover the inherent risks involved, sports columnist Darren Kane in his opinion article “Why clean athletes will never be allowed to compete in the doping games” (The Age, 23/5/25), contends that the concept of the Enhanced Games is both dangerous and absurd, targeting both readers of The Age and all high level athletes. Knowing that many readers may be unaware of the dangers of such a concept, Kane transitions from a sarcastic to a scathing tone, arguing that it presents a multitude of health risks, introduces corruption and is not the solution for scientific advancement. With the inclusion of the two images, one depicting the performance enhancing process and the other of the results, Kane illustrates the lack of hard work and dedication that is often synonymous with high level athletes. Ultimately, he articulates the reasoning behind segregation of clean and “juiced” athletes and seeks to encourage readers to apply pressure on the organisation to stop the event from occurring.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Connections- title writing about country
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 80%: Good afternoon students, teachers and special guests, Let me ask you something, when was the last time you…
Good afternoon students, teachers and special guests,
Let me ask you something, when was the last time you walked in nature, truly walked, with no phone and no headphones? When was the last time you really stood still and felt the country beneath your feet?
For a lot of us the answer would be ‘I don’t remember’. Which is exactly the problem.
In a world constantly connected to screens, socials and systems, we are becoming more and more disconnected from our country than ever before. We are rapidly losing the land that holds memories and stories greater than any post online. We are losing the land that shapes our identity; this causes a loss of connection to self which is vital for human survival. Technology is pulling young people, us, away from the country. But not only the country is disconnecting us from identity, connection and life.
When I say country, I don’t just mean the physical land.
Its culture.
Its recollection.
Its soul.
For Indigenous Australians country is a living entity. It’s much more than a physical connection but one filled of spirit and emotions where many hold these connections from ancestral ties from thousands of years before anyone else found the land. Country offers more than we could ever get through a screen.
It offers connection.
It offers serenity.
It offers knowledge.
It offers us the ability to slow down and breathe. It offers a reminder of what truly matters in life. If we choose to ignore parts of the country we are also choosing to ignore parts of ourselves.
The wind touching our faces is a fierce reminder we are a part of something much larger than ourselves. The ‘pitiless blue sky’connects everyone in our country together to show the core of all our hearts.
However, this heart for the country is being lost, especially within younger generations. It is widely recognised; young people spend many hours each day. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics 24% of children aged 5-14 spent over 20 hours weekly on
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Discuss how stereotypes are depicted in…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 70%: Gary Ross’ 'Pleasantville,' set in the idealistic world of a 1950s sitcom, when women stayed at home to cook and…
Gary Ross’ 'Pleasantville,' set in the idealistic world of a 1950s sitcom, when women stayed at home to cook and clean, holding hands was the height of sexual relationships, and everyone kept within their own insulated community. Ross suggests that stereotypes must be challenged in order for people to discover their true selves and passions. In Pleasantville, the citizens conform to stereotypes limiting their individuality and free will. As Jennifer and David incorporate their lifestyle into Pleasantville, people start to change by gaining independence, challenging Pleasantville’s stereotypical world. After the newly founded sense of free will, characters are shown to demonstrate the discovery of their true self.
In Pleasantville, the citizens adhere to stereotypes limiting their individuality and free will. At the beginning of the film, Betty announced “what’s a mother to do?” Betty's
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Title: 'Every voice matters' Stimulus:…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 92.5%: The first time I raised my voice, it shook. My words stumbled out like pebbles against stone, fragile and…
The first time I raised my voice, it shook. My words stumbled out like pebbles against stone, fragile and uncertain. But even as the crowd of strangers towered around me, even as the police officers tightened their grip on their shields, I realised that silence weighed heavier than fear. To stay quiet was to agree that nothing needed to change. And so, trembling, I chose protest.
It did not begin with megaphones or banners. It began in my bedroom, whispering arguments to the mirror, practising how to say no. Before I could fight for others, I had to learn how to fight for myself. That was the hardest part — recognising that my anger was valid, that my voice deserved to join the chorus of dissent. Protest, I learned, was never just about marching. It was about finding the courage to believe that your story mattered.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Norma Desmond is the villain of Sunset…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 85%: Hollywood’s cutthroat nature produces and discards mass legions of hopefuls and fawning sycophants. Billy Wilder’s…
Hollywood’s cutthroat nature produces and discards mass legions of hopefuls and fawning sycophants. Billy Wilder’s film noir, Sunset Boulevard, is a snapshot into the realities of the predatory 1950s film industry. In a twisted fairytale, Wilder utilises gothic horror tropes to expose both the industry’s and the audience’s patriarchal objectification of women, presenting a compelling narrative containing multi-faceted anti-heroes and villains who are more than they appear. Leveraging the audience’s misogynistic preconceived notions and biases prevalent in the post-war period, Wilder suggests that Norma Desmond is the film’s obvious villain. Though, as the film progresses, Wilder sheds light on Desmond’s tragic circumstances and begins to reveal the film’s true villain – Hollywood itself.
Amidst a time of raging conservatism and censorship within Hollywood, as well as beyond the screen, Wilder paints an androcentric narrative, insinuating a discernible antagonist in order to uphold Hollywood expectations of the 1950s. From the outset, Wilder fulfils film industry guidelines of the 1950s by portraying Desmond as an ominous being; lurking within the confines of her “grim sunset castle”, she is constantly consumed by dark shadows wearing bug-like, soulless sunglasses that hide her aging eyes. Juxtaposed with the witty narrator Joe Gillis, it is here that Wilder first establishes Gillis as the film’s protagonist and Desmond as its obvious antagonist – the good and evil of the film – a requirement of the period’s Hays code. Reminiscent of a traditional gothic horror monster or witch, Desmond ghoulishly hides away in her decaying mansion, frozen in time and “crowded with Norma Desmonds” of the past. Progressing their cynical, parasitic relationship, Gillis accepts Desmond’s job offer as they mutually exploit each other’s involvement in the industry. Ironically, instead of earning “dough”, Gillis becomes stripped of both his financial and physical autonomy by Desmond. After losing his car, Gillis’ only means of transportation is through her old automobile, “upholstered in leopard skin”, her predatory disposition is highlighted as he is forced into her close proximity and constant “hovering”. Reinforced by her habitual clawed hands, her femme fatale role fulfils the film noir conventions audiences of the time expected to indulge in. Wilder’s deliberate employment of mise-en-scene builds throughout the film’s first act to instil a sense of unease toward Desmond, intentionally vilifying the film’s femme fatale to appeal to the misogynistic subconsciouses and biases of an androcentric 1950s film industry.
Though, as the code-stretching film progresses, Wilder exposes the tragic reality of Hollywood’s ephemeral stars as the nuance behind each character garners audience sympathies. At the midpoint of the film, Desmond’s new year’s eve party reveals the extent of her lonely and delusional state. The grand ballroom, shiny and freshly “waxed”, is completely destitute of “other guests”, and as Gillis and Desmond dance alone, they are depicted to be tiny and powerless through a birds-eye-view lens. Disillusioned, Gillis threatens to leave her, though immediately runs back after discovering her injuries. Upon his return, Desmond’s melodramatic and emotional state, with her wrists bound in bandages and her uncontrollable weeping, tugs at the audience’s commiseration as she is now depicted as more of a damsel in distress in the gothic fairytale. The feeling of abandonment is all too familiar for her. It is a reminder of the film industry’s disposal of her with the rise of the ‘talkies’, and though she sinisterly weaponizes Gillis’ concern for her, it is also all she has ever known and, in this instance, proves to be effective. In comparison, the introduction of Betty Chafer, a manifestation of innocence and
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: s.“Poor strangers...they have so much to…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 87.5%: Fear permeates Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle, manifesting in multiple forms—fear of the…
Fear permeates Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle, manifesting in multiple forms—fear of the outsider, fear of societal judgement, fear of familial betrayal, and fear of change. While many of these fears are irrational or exaggerated, Jackson positions them as deeply rooted in trauma, memory, and lived experience, making them psychologically and emotionally valid. Through her use of the Gothic mode, unreliable narration, and a claustrophobic setting, Jackson blurs the line between justified fear and paranoia, ultimately revealing that while not all fear in the novel is objectively warranted, it is subjectively inescapable. The townspeople’s fear of the Blackwoods is grounded in local lore and class resentment; the sisters’ fear of the outside world, though exaggerated, is shaped by violence and exclusion; and Merricat’s obsessive rituals, while delusional, are portrayed as a survival mechanism in a hostile world. Jackson therefore suggests that fear, in this novel, is rarely rational—but always real.
From the outset, Jackson presents the townspeople’s fear of the Blackwood family as both disproportionate and yet historically grounded in class tension. The villagers refer to the Blackwoods with suspicion and contempt, despite—or perhaps because of—their wealth and aloofness. They chant cruel nursery rhymes and spread rumours about the poisoning, reducing the sisters to local myth. The quote "Poor strangers...they have so much to be afraid of" is delivered by Merricat with an air of amusement, framing the outsiders as deserving of their fear due to their intrusion into the Blackwoods' domain. However, Jackson complicates this dynamic by suggesting that the villagers’ fear is also fuelled by their exclusion from Blackwood privilege and the family's refusal to assimilate into community life. Jim Donell’s sarcastic remark, "Not… that I ever got invited to take my dinner with them," reveals the bitterness that underpins this fear. It is less about actual danger and more about resentment of the Blackwoods’ perceived elitism. In this way, Jackson critiques the small-mindedness of insular communities who turn fear into hostility when faced with difference.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: ''Jacksons novel shows readers how…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 87.5%: In its profound exploration of isolation, Shirly Jackson’s swansong We Have Always Lived in the Castle offers a…
In its profound exploration of isolation, Shirly Jackson’s swansong We Have Always Lived in the Castle offers a sophisticated multifaceted view on the seclusion. Published in 1962, New England, We Have Always Lived in the Castle constructs a complex narrative that delves deep to untangle the intricacies between sanctuary and imprisonment. Initially the novel frames the villagers’ ostracism as a weapon that is used to impersonate the Blackwood's for their elitism. However through Merricat’s unreliable narration Jackson illustrates how Merricat fantasizes of being absolutely independent from the village as a defensive mechanism to combat their hostility. Moreover, Jackson at the resolution of the novel, Jackson suggest that deliberate seclusion could act as a form of sanctuary that emancipates individuals from social and patriarchal control. Ultimately Jackson offers a nuanced exploration of solitude that condemns ostracism, but also frames seclusion as an escape from the hostility of society.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: ‘The characters in We Have Always Lived in…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 90%: Shirley Jackson’s neo-gothic novella ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’ interrogates the ways individuals distort…
Shirley Jackson’s neo-gothic novella ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’ interrogates the ways individuals distort reality in a world scarred by exclusion, male chauvinism, and prejudice. Written in 1962, when women’s roles were confined to domestic roles while men wielded public power, Jackson sets her story against this backdrop to expose how self-deception and outward deception operate in unison to sustain fragile illusions of security. The roots of self-deception lie in trauma and social rejection pushing characters into denial and fantasy. While illusion preserves survival, they simultaneously breed paranoia and deepen isolation. Yet, Jackson also depicts deliberate acts of deception towards others, in order to survive deception is mandatory. Ultimately Jackson critiques a society that forces marginalised individuals to survive through fragile illusions rather than genuine belonging.
At the crux of Jackson’s novella lies the trauma of exclusion and the weight of patriarchal society, driving characters to retreat into denial and fantasy. Merricat, as the unreliable narrator, exemplifies this impulse through her rituals and manifestations. She creates “safeguards” such as a “box of silver dollars” forming a “powerful taunt web” designed to shield her and Constance from intrusion. This precaution elevates money from a symbol of material wealth to a superstitious charm, illustrating her attempt to impose order and control over a hostile world. Jackson’s use of witchcraft reflects both Merricat’s guilt over poisoning her family and her fear of the outside world. However, this also suggests illusion functions as a coping mechanism. Constance deceives herself by performing the role of the 1950’s quintessential housewife, seemingly content to “work like a slave”, connoting no autonomy over the matter but rather entrapment in a controlled space. Mr Blackwood has entrenched the ideals of traditional femininity prevailing past his death. While she is idealised as a domestic “fairy princess,” described as “pink and white and golden,” her quiet remark that “someday I’ll go” betrays a suppressed longing for freedom. Jackson suggests this patriarchal performance represses female autonomy, forcing women into illusions of contentment. While Merricat fully condemns societal norms, Constance’s position is more ambiguous. Her performance of domesticity is both a submission to and a subversion of the patriarchy suggesting the complexity of self-deception is not a simple escape, but a multifaceted performance tied to survival. The Blackwoods’ class prejudice intensifies this retreat, priding themselves on superiority to villagers with their “dirty little houses”, a belief that masks vulnerability as they are ostracised by men of the village. Jackson thereby positions self-deception as a product of trauma and exclusion, rooted in historical forces that deny women autonomy and elevate material success.