VCE · Text Response
Text Response: In High Ground, the characters’ failure to…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: In Stephen Maxwell Johnson’s film High Ground, the devastating consequences of colonialism and racial injustice…
In Stephen Maxwell Johnson’s film High Ground, the devastating consequences of colonialism and racial injustice are explored through the inability of individuals to compromise. Set in 1919 in the Northern Territory, the film exposes the conflict between Indigenous Australians and white settlers, revealing how prejudice, revenge and the abuse of power prevent reconciliation. Through the characters’ conflicting beliefs and experiences, Johnson demonstrates that the refusal to listen to others perpetuates violence and destroys relationships. However, the film also suggests that the failure to compromise is not equally responsible for the conflict, as the oppression of First Nations people and the injustice of colonial law create the foundations for tragedy.
Johnson initially demonstrates how the refusal to challenge unjust systems of power perpetuates colonial violence and creates the foundations for tragedy. As a representative of British authority, Moran believes that colonial law must be upheld regardless of its morality. His assertion that “in THIS country we all abide by the same law” exposes his belief that British law is superior to Indigenous traditions and disregards First Nations people’s connection to their ancestral land. The capitalisation of “THIS” emphasises his authoritarian attitude, suggesting that Indigenous Australians must submit to colonial authority rather than have their rights and customs respected. Furthermore, his declaration that “I don’t need to tell you what happens if Baywarra gets a voice” reveals his fear of Indigenous resistance and his desire to suppress the truth about the massacre of Gutjuk’s family. Johnson therefore criticises the hypocrisy of colonial authorities, who claim to uphold justice while concealing their own brutality. Rather than acknowledging Indigenous sovereignty or negotiating peacefully, colonial authorities prioritise their power, allowing injustice to continue. Ultimately, the film demonstrates how the refusal to recognise alternative perspectives perpetuates suffering and prevents meaningful reconciliation.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: 14. The comic resolution of Twelfth Night…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 87.5%: In a society where delusions are more palatable than reality, Shakespeare constructs a comic resolution that…
In a society where delusions are more palatable than reality, Shakespeare constructs a comic resolution that shows the inherent harmony that accompanies internalised delusions rather than the discord that's displayed alongside the truth in “Twelfth Night, or what you will”. Shakespeare explores the convenience of the final scene of the play, using sudden substitutions of love interests and characters and the indifferent expulsion of characters that don’t fit into the mould of Shakespeare's comic resolution in the distant lens of the fool.
The comic resolution of the play revolves around the substitution of love interests, which is widely accepted by characters because it feeds into their internalized delusions. Orsino’s Petrarchan obsession with Olivia was an integral component of his character, Orsino’s delusion wasn’t rooted with Olivia as a character, but it was Orsino’s perception of Olivia that fueled the delusion. Shakespeare expertly devises the final two acts as a system to reveal internalized delusions, but to demonstrate that most characters prefer to live in sustained delusions. In act 4, Orsino proclaims that he will “kill the lamb that I love” 4.3, after Olivia referred to Cesario as “husband”. In the scene, Shakespeare plays with the idea of transitioning the plot from a melodrama into a tragedy, which is often sparked using deception as a means of manipulation. Inversely, Shakespeare constructs Twelfth Night as a play that uses deception as the ‘glue’ of the story, using deceit to interweave characters and maintain relations within moderation. This exposure of deceit in Act 4, scene 3 is quickly undermined by Orsino’s depiction of the event, arguing that the event was a “happy wreck” 4.4. This transition from evoked feelings of betrayal into an endearing, chaotic situation once Cesario’s identity was revealed demonstrates that Orsino is reverting back into his internalized delusions. Orsino’s rage is only quelled after he substitutes his “objects of affection” from Olivia to Viola, indicating that the only thing that barred the play’s transition into a tragedy, was Orsino’s decision to maintain his internalized delusions.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Sunset boulevard directed both challenges…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: Throughout Sunset Boulevard, Wilder uses female characters of Norma and Betty to expose traditional beauty…
Throughout Sunset Boulevard, Wilder uses female characters of Norma and Betty to expose traditional beauty expectations placed on women throughout Hollywood. With the stylised old aging mansion Wilder introduces Norma’s social decay using the mansion as a motif. Implementing elements of gothic horror to demonstrate a physical decay of the estate visually showcasing the discarding of aging women within Hollywood. With the use of a long wide shot as Joe states “some big mansion that looked run-down and deserted" highlighting the character of Norma who has been “given the go by” as a result of her age and looks. Originally she was a “big movie star” but now she's a “ghost” of a Hollywood star. As the film progresses, Wilder further questions roles by emphasising the consequences of expectations on females. This is showcased through Norma make over scenes. Wilder uses a close up zooming on Norma's eye expanding emphasising
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: How does Sophocles blur the boundaries…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 85%: In his blindness, man will synthesise beliefs of the world, often separated from the truth yet nonetheless…
In his blindness, man will synthesise beliefs of the world, often separated from the truth yet nonetheless frequently overlapping. In Oedipus the King, Sophocles reveals that the boundaries between perception and reality are real yet transient. He explores the complexities of ignorance and knowledge, demonstrating that the manner of which one perceives their understanding to be both true and flawed. He suggests that leaders occupy both benevolence and tyranny, and that simple understandings of rulers are never wrong yet lacking in understanding. The play is framed from a compatibilist lens, validating the complex views on fate and free will expressed throughout. And moral ambiguity remains a theme, allowing Sophocles to diminish the gap between moral understanding and moral truth.
Sophocles clouds the gap between understanding and unknowing, suggesting that man’s attainment of knowledge is never binary. Oedipus is initially established as the exemplar of understanding, both internally, through his marginalising of the possibility of mystery, stating ‘there would have been no mystery if he was present’, and externally, with the priest believing ‘no extra knowledge’ may be bestowed upon the king. Sophocles bases their perceptions in reality with his intellectually-driven ‘free[ing] [Thebes] from the Sphinx’, pointing to a man with much ability. Yet Sophocles also questions the king’s understanding through his tensions with Tiresias. An inflated perception of intellectual 'greatness' blinds him to the reality of his unknowingness. Sophocles introduces the motifs of eyes to complicate the relationship between perception and reality, as Oedipus’ belief that Tiresias has ‘lost [his] power’ due to 'eyes blind as stone' reveals his belief in a causal relationship with man’s instruments of visual perception and a grasp of reality. Sophocles uses dramatic irony to challenge Oedipus’ beliefs, with the king’s reality existing as 'precious eyes… blind to the corruption of [his] life'. Oedipus’ ultimate attainment of knowledge coincides with ‘dig[ging] [pins] down the sockets of his eyes, a product of his realising what good were the instruments of perception now that he has attained reality. Although Oedipus attains an understanding of reality while marginalising perception, Sophocles suggests a co-existence where the king’s pre-existing greatness and search for knowledge derive from man’s ability to perceive the world.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: ii. In High Ground, a desire for…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 80%: Changing Direction The thought comes to me unexpectedly as I brush dust from the banister. It's moving week, my…
Changing Direction
The thought comes to me unexpectedly as I brush dust from the banister. It's moving week, my childhood confined to cardboard boxes, my posters peeled away, leaving the walls naked and cold. Memories were cherished in this place, plucked from ordinary moments and polished until they gleamed with the perfection my parents could be proud of. No one ever forgot anything. But I did.
The garden spills towards the concrete path in tangled beds of colour. The air is thick with the sweet, almost cloying scent of syringa, mingled with the damp, mineral smell of rainwater pooled in the saucers beneath the terracotta pots. Nothing here seems entirely still. Once, a summer afternoon had been large enough to hold an entire universe, grass-stained knees, and the unbearable urgency of a game that could not possibly wait until tomorrow. Now I could cross that same ‘field’ in eleven seconds. My mother creeps up behind me, misreading the glassy rims of my eyes.
‘Strange,’ she says. ‘All your childhood, the closest you ever got to the garden was reading a book on the porch.’ My head swivels to face her. I open my mouth, but the memory I reach for feels suddenly unfamiliar.
A fear of beetles beneath the leaves, knees scraped against the asphalt, the neighbours’ children shrieking with laughter, my eye pressed to a knot-hole in the fence, waiting for someone to invite me in. My memories begin changing directions, the warmth draining from them as quickly as sunlight slipping behind a cloud. My throat tightens. Somewhere beyond the fence, a shriek cuts through the afternoon, and I am small again, watching the others scatter without once looking back. I remember the sting of gravel against my knees, the heat rising to my face, the awful stillness after their laughter faded. I had remembered the summer. I had forgotten the waiting.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: ‘What will come will come’. To what extent…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 90%: Sophocles’ moral tragedy, ‘Oedipus the King’, enacts the perilous dichotomy between human agency and divine…
Sophocles’ moral tragedy, ‘Oedipus the King’, enacts the perilous dichotomy between human agency and divine authority, reflecting the societal uncertainties of fifth century BCE Athens. Sophocles presents a portrayal on the limitations of free will in a world governed by divinity, revealing that attempts to defy prophecy are ultimately futile and may become the very means through which fate is fulfilled. In this way, Sophocles questions the constraints of free will within a divine framework, positioning fate as an inexorable destination, while suggesting that the journey toward these forgone conclusions is shaped by personal choice. Thus, Sophocles ultimately posits that the truest expression of autonomy lies not in the subversion of fate as decreed by the gods, but in an individual's approach to knowledge, responsibility and acceptance, suggesting that individuals retain personal accountability for the damage that arises from fate.
Through the events of the play, Sophocles exposes that the effort to evade prophecy is a futile endeavor, revealing to his Athenian male audience that resistance to fate's inevitabilities can often become the mechanism through which it is fulfilled, ultimately positioning fate as an inexorable end. Permeating the dialogue of his play with dramatic irony, Sophocles illuminates the tragedy of fate through this disparity of knowledge between his audience and characters. A fatalistic despondency saturates the exordium of the play, as the audience is introduced to an Oedipus who is “majestic but for a telltale limp”, positioning Oedipus as revered, yet symbolically referencing his inexorable doom and fated history. Oedipus’ name, meaning ‘swollen foot’, derived from the “misfortune” in which his “ankles were pinned together” as an infant, presents his limp as a physical manifestation of the failure to subvert divine prophecy. In this way, the characteristic limp serves as a metaphorical representation of the dichotomy between fate and free will. Though Oedipus recoils from the visible reminder of his childhood, asking the messenger, “why would you remind me of that, that old affliction?”, he cannot erase the “dreadful mark” created by his parents’ attempt to resist the prophecy. In this way, Sophocles renders fate inseparable from the very attempts made to escape it, suggesting that resistance to divine decree may alter the path towards destiny, but it cannot prevent its ultimate conclusion. Indeed, Sophocles presents suffering and limitation as intrinsic to the human condition, anticipating Aristotle’s later understanding of tragedy as a form that evokes pity and fear through the collapse of an individual whose status cannot protect them from human vulnerability. In the same vein, juxtaposing Oedipus’ blindness toward his identity and fated end with Tiresias, who is “stone-blind” yet possesses profound insight into the truth, Sophocles emphasises the limitations of human perception. Though Oedipus is famed for the “flight of [his] own intelligence”, it is ultimately revealed that this perception contradicts the reality of his identity as he has been blind toward the truth. Here, Sophocles suggests that even the “first of men” cannot breach the confines of mortal finitude, thus, he portrays the pursuit of enlightenment as fundamental to human life. Indeed, Sophocles presents the truth and its punishment as the pharmakos required to purify the polis, where Oedipus must “pay the killers back”. Thus, he suggests that the suffering that accompanies the revelation of fate is inherent to one’s life, ultimately positing that it is ignorance toward the absolution of divine decree and limitations of humankind that invites unnecessary anguish.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Title: Every Voice Matters Prompt:…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 87.5%: Every Voice Matters ESPN News Services - Opinion Andres Molina Feb 26th, 2026 9:02AM Last week, football was…
Every Voice Matters
ESPN News Services - Opinion
Andres Molina
Feb 26th, 2026 9:02AM
Last week, football was once again overshadowed by something far uglier than rivalry. During Real Madrid’s Champions League playoff first leg game against SL Benfica, the spotlight was taken off the football and onto the disturbing scenes that occurred after Vinicius Jr’s goal for Real Madrid, which proved to be the only goal in a 1-0 win for Los Blancos.
After his undeniably brilliant goal and a more controversial celebration, Brazilian winger, Vinicius Jr, became the target of racial abuse by Argentine Benfica player, Gianluca Prestianni.
Football has never been just a game. Politics have long been intertwined with the game, which has been and remains a platform for expression of social and political views by anyone to a global audience.
Protest in football can garner great attention and help catalyse positive, real change in the world.
AS IT UNFOLDED
Vinicius Jr scored what may be one of the best goals of his career last week in Portugal, and his celebration brought about controversy when he danced in front of the corner flag with a Benfica logo on it (for which he received a yellow card). Vini was then approached by Prestianni.
Prestianni could be seen, with his mouth covered by his shirt, remarking something at Vinicius, which immediately caused him to run to the referee in distress, visibly distraught and emotional.
Referee, Francois Letexier, paused the match amid the tense confrontation and Vini, in protest, ran off the pitch and sat in the dugout.
For 15 minutes, the game was abandoned as heated encounters between Real Madrid and Benfica players broke out and Vinicius conversed passionately with Real Madrid coach, Alvaro Arbeloa, and Benfica coach, Jose Mourinho.
The 15 minutes for which the match was abandoned not only brought the game to a necessary halt, but also challenged normalised silence that allows such incidents to persist. In that moment, Vinicius refused to remain quiet and used the platform football gave him to use his voice and fight for, not only himself, but for all players that have been subjected to the same abuse.
PLAYER AND MANAGER REACTIONS
After the game, Real Madrid teammates, Kylian Mbappe and Trent Alexander-Arnold, as well as coaches of both sides voiced their opinions in post-match interviews.
Kylian Mbappe revealed Prestianni called Vinicius a monkey 5 times. He refused to call Prestianni by name, stating “he doesn’t deserve it” and “he doesn’t deserve to play [in the] Champions League”. Mbappe also stated “whatever [Vini] decides, we’ll do”, revealing the players would have abandoned the game permanently in protest and support.
Alexander-Arnold labelled Prestianni’s actions a “disgrace to the sport”, reinforcing Real Madrid’s full backing of Vinicius.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: In Moonrise Kingdom, individuals are…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 100%: In Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom (2012), individuals are fundamentally dependent on society for identity,…
In Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom (2012), individuals are fundamentally dependent on society for identity, belonging and protection, yet Anderson questions whether existing social structures adequately meet these needs. Through Sam and Suzy, Anderson exposes how families, the Khaki Scouts and other institutions attempt to regulate individuals according to social expectations. Their decision to escape demonstrates that dependence on society does not require conformity, as individuals may need to separate themselves from restrictive structures to understand who they are. Ultimately, Anderson presents dependence as reciprocal: individuals need society to provide connection and security, while society must adapt when its expectations prevent individuals from belonging.
Anderson first establishes that individuals depend upon society for structure and belonging, even when those structures fail to understand them. As an orphan, Sam depends upon the Khaki Scouts for routine, skills and community, yet his position within the organisation remains unstable. When his foster family describes him as “emotionally disturbed” and explains that they will not accept him back, Anderson’s dialogue demonstrates how institutional authority reduces Sam’s complex identity to a clinical label. Similarly, the Scouts initially value Sam according to his usefulness within their hierarchical system, with Scout Master Randy Ward responding to his disappearance through commands and organised searches rather than attempting to understand why he left. Anderson therefore exposes a society more concerned with managing an outsider than understanding him. Similarly, Suzy is positioned as an outsider within her own family, where she is treated as a “problem child”. Anderson’s mise-en-scène reinforces this isolation through Suzy’s bedroom, which is physically separated from the rest of the household and filled with books, records and binoculars. The carefully arranged props are presented within Anderson’s controlled, symmetrical compositions, while their distinctive colours and placement separate Suzy’s private interests from the more conventional spaces of the Bishop household. When Suzy looks through the binoculars, Anderson uses point-of-view framing to align the audience with her perspective, while circular masking isolates what she chooses to observe from the surrounding world. This visual construction gives Suzy control over what she sees, transforming the binoculars from a simple object into a means of agency within a household where she otherwise feels powerless. Similarly, her private collection of books and records establishes an identity separate from the one her parents attempt to impose. Anderson therefore reveals that individuals cannot easily escape society because their identities and sense of belonging are shaped within it; however, inclusion within a social structure is meaningless when that structure refuses to understand the individual.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: How does Oedipus the king expose the best…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 80%: Paragraph 1: Through the tension between fate and free will, Sophocles exposes how humanity’s instinct to protect…
Paragraph 1:
Through the tension between fate and free will, Sophocles exposes how humanity’s instinct to protect can coexist with its capacity for cruelty, as seemingly benevolent choices become entangled with destructive consequences. The “frightening prophecies” that Oedipus was “doomed to kill” his father reveal how fear of divine fate can corrupt human judgement. Laius and Jocasta’s abandonment of their infant on Mount Cithaeron represents a bid for self-preservation achieved through profound parental cruelty, exposing the selfishness that can lurk beneath an ostensibly protective impulse. By revealing this history retrospectively through Jocasta’s account, Sophocles creates dramatic irony: their attempt to resist destiny instead helps bring it about. Thus, Sophocles challenges the illusion of control, suggesting that fear-driven decisions can expose humanity’s worst qualities even when they appear rational. This paradox is sharpened through Oedipus’ decision to “abandon Corinth”, an act of familial devotion intended to protect those he believes are his parents, yet one that leads him towards the violence he hopes to avoid. His recollection of how he came to “strike [Laius] down in anger”, killing “every mother’s son” and spilling his “own blood”, juxtaposes compassionate intentions with brutal actions. The bitter irony of “own blood” transforms an apparently anonymous confrontation into familial destruction, revealing how uncontrolled anger can overwhelm humanity’s capacity for love. Furthermore, the symbolism of the triple crossroads dramatises the tension between fate and free will: although its diverging paths suggest genuine choice, Oedipus moves towards a destiny already foretold. Yet Sophocles does not suggest that prophecy excuses his violence; the roads symbolise his freedom to choose how he acts, even if he cannot determine the ultimate consequences. In this way, Sophocles presents fate not as a simple explanation for human evil, but as a force that exposes the contradictory impulses within human nature. Ultimately, the best and worst of humanity emerge not as opposites, but as qualities capable of coexisting within the same person.
Paragraph 2:
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “The mighty always fall.” To what extent…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 85%: “The mighty always fall.” To what extent do you agree in relation to Oedipus the King? Sophocles reveals that,…
“The mighty always fall.” To what extent do you agree in relation to Oedipus the King?
Sophocles reveals that, under prophecy, any act of rebellion merely brings one closer to a divine destination. The prophecy that Oedipus is fated to “couple with [his] mother” and “kill [his] father” has already been fulfilled suggesting a fate that has enacted itself before the play even opens. A man “majestic” but with a “telltale limp” collapses a fatal flaw in an identity forged by admiration. Oedipus’ own name translates to “swollen foot” in the Greek language, revealing a life marked by fate from birth. Swollen feet symbolically provide evidence of a burden destined to carry, while their origins are proof of free wills paradox: Laius’ plan to sabotage prophecy by having the “boys ankles… fastened” ironically become the driving force to prevail. It is those very feet which carry Oedipus to the “crossroads” where agency and divine will collide, “three roads” representing choice. It was not Apollo who micromanaged the swing of Oedipus’ sword – the gods simply calculated the cosmic geometry to predict that Oedipus’ natural character would detonate in such precision, implying that even the mightiest fall victim to a predetermined future. This logic extends to Luais himself: it is his own refusal to yield the road, his own temper provoking the first strike, that places him in his sons path the exact moment prophecy requires. Luais is not merely fates victim but, like Oedipus, certainties unwitting instrument – his pride the mechanism through which his own death is secured. Even acts of compassion are absorbed into this design. The servant ordered to expose the infant instead spares him, handing him to a Corinthian shepherd who “pitied the little baby” rather than letting him die as commanded. This single act of mercy – itself a free, human choice – becomes the exact condition that allows the prophecy to survive and eventually be fulfilled, demonstrating that fate requires no flaw in its agents, only their agency itself. Sophocles effectively exposes how no man, not even the mighty or compassionate can reverse the trajectory of a gods will, suggesting those who push fate away merely allow themselves or others to go down with it.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: In High Ground, the desire for control is…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 85%: A western revisionist film ‘High Ground’by an Australian director Maxwell Johnson.The film is set in both 1919 and…
A western revisionist film ‘High Ground’by an Australian director Maxwell Johnson.The film is set in both 1919 and 1930s, in Arnhem land northern Australia. The film was then published in 2020. While the film is fictional it is based on a real historical event that occurred in the Youlgu country where they have been taking care of their land for ten thousand years. Their rich culture and tradition are deeply connected to land, land waterways and animals. A war known as the front tier war occurred in the 1930 this where the first nation individuals and invading British colonists continue to cross the country causing the death of hundreds of first nation people. The film follows a young indigenous man and a former British soldier as they navigate through the long lasting consequences of colonisation. Jonson attempts to question the validity of the way Australian culture has been told, by suggesting, Although the desire for control is one of the most important factors in decision-making, ultimately indigenous individuals are coerced into decision-making due to the injustice systematic law imposed upon them, while colonial characters make decisions to assert and maintain their dominance and control over indigenous communities and the land. As a result, Jonson demonstrates how indigenous individuals' decision making are a reaction for peace rather than the pursuit of power. Therefore I agree to a minimal extent.
Johnson argues that Indigenous individuals are coerced into decision making due the injustice systematic law imposes upon them. Through the scene where an indigenous elder Grandfather Sherpa attempts to negotiate a ‘makarrata’ with the British empire leader Moran. Johnson uses a long shot to contrast the difference between the two cultures, first nation individuals, are seen wearing tribal gears, and customs and the face made from the motherland blending with the environment showcasing their deep connection to the land. Juxtaposing the British soldiers, wearing formal and coloured machine manufactured attire, highlighting their authority and power. This is further reinforced when Dharrpa asked Moran, “You stand for justice? ”, questioning the legitimacy of colonial law. Johnson uses a close up to emphasise Moran's emotionless facial expression indicating his unwillingness to accept the ‘makarrata’ imposed by the indigenous leader. Criticising colonial laws being one sided as it fails to serve true justice for the first nations community. Dharppa stands up to assert dominance, Johnson uses a low angle shot which portrays Moran as powerless to the audience, stating “this is my law. It comes from mother earth” demonstrating Dharppa disapproval of colonial law, portraying it as injustice. By choosing to reject the ‘makarrata’ moran exposes colonial desire for control is not necessary, but used as a tool to deny indigenous communities rights.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: How does Sophocles blur the boundaries…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: In Oedipus the King, leadership is dually benevolent and tyrannical, with conceptions of one’s leader often…
In Oedipus the King, leadership is dually benevolent and tyrannical, with conceptions of one’s leader often crossing the realm of truth yet never fully existing in it. Establishing Oedipus as the land’s avenger, and substantiating it with tangible acts of good-heartedness - Oedipus helping a Priest to his feet and vowing to 'stop at nothing [and] search the world - Sophocles frames Thebes’ perceptions of their leader as grounded first of all in truth. Yet Oedipus mirrors his benevolence with tyranny, responding to Tiresias’ suggestions of ‘how far [he had] gone in guilt’ through accusing the seer and Creon of a 'witch-hunt', his defensiveness coming from a belief he 'must rule’ at all costs. The ‘torture’ of the shepherd furthers Oedipus’ tyranny, yet Sophocles creates a disparity in intent - Oedipus wanting the knowledge that will ‘save the city’, and the action of forcing the shepherd to 'talk with pain'. Sophocles emphasises the dual nature of
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: TITLE: “Standing Still” STIMULUS: The…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 77.5%: TITLE: “Standing Still” STIMULUS: The image/stimulus 2 As a child, I looked up to my father as if he were…
TITLE: “Standing Still”
STIMULUS: The image/stimulus 2
As a child, I looked up to my father as if he were something immovable, a tall statue set firmly on its pedestal, carved from something stronger than the rest of us. He was steady, reliable, unbreakable. Around him, conversation felt careful, something measured before spoken. I learnt quickly how to soften my words, how to swallow opinions before they became disagreements. At the time, I mistook that caution for respect, believing my silence was the very thing that kept the peace.
But as I grew older, that carefulness began to feel less like respect and more like fear. I remember the way the air would shift if I dropped a fork or spoke too loudly: the atmosphere would turn sharp and brittle in an instant. Silence stopped feeling like a choice and became a weight I carried everywhere, a shadow that trailed me long after the moments of tension had passed.
“You’ve parked too far from the shop.” I said, my voice louder than I intended. His lips pressed into a thin line, and I immediately hesitated. “It’s a bit far... but it’s fine.” He went completely still, jaw locked, eyes fixed, not a flicker of movement, like something carved rather than living. The same stillness I once mistook for strength pressed in on me now. My chest tightened. I went silent again. “You don’t need to make a thing out of it.” He gestured to the car, its grey body parked there, a weight that followed me even as I walked away. “You weren’t this difficult before,” he said. I didn’t respond, just silently walked beside him as my jaw clenched and eyes burned. The words curdled into a bitter seed at the base of my tongue; I swallowed it whole, letting it take root in the pit of my stomach. The silence branched out, a thorned thicket that snagged every new thought before it could reach the surface, pulling them back down and whispering that my voice was a useless thing.
That thicket followed us home. At dinner, the only sounds were the scrape of forks against plates, a conversation held in metal and ceramic. It hovered in the doorways as we passed each other without a word. By the time Dad took me driving, I had already learnt to grip my words as tightly as the steering wheel.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: The rewards of assuming leadership are…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 85%: Sophocles’ tragedy Oedipus the King serves as a cautionary play against the dangers that bloom in the presence of…
Sophocles’ tragedy Oedipus the King serves as a cautionary play against the dangers that bloom in the presence of unchecked leadership. Using Oedipus’ fate as a mirror to the Athenian society, Sophocles' illustrates the tension in the human condition: wanting to lead and also accepting the unknown consequences associated with this choice. Through Oedipus’ rise to valour and leadership, to his moral corruption and finally the acceptance of the consequences, Oedipus the King demonstrates the fragile balance that is necessary to be found between leading and accepting the fate associated.
By solving the Sphinx’s riddle, Oedipus establishes himself as a rightful leader for the Kingdom of Thebes. He becomes synonymous to his people as brave and an intelligent man. This is highlighted when Oedipus states “I am Oedipus”. This declarative statement cements himself as every character contains characteristics that are far from praise worthy. Thi is further demonstrated when Tiresias claims that although Oedipus critiques his temper, Oedipus is the one unaware of the “temper you live with.” This argument highlights the blindness one can have towards oneself, while berating other of the same trait. Sophocles’ employs these messages to hint at the slow but sure decay of Oedipus’s judgement the longer he is in the position of ultimate power. It is not the role but the responsibilities associated that bring rise to the dangers within oneself.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: • Sophocles suggests that balance and…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 90%: “Count no man happy till he dies, free of pain at last.” With this warning the Chorus close Oedipus the King, the…
“Count no man happy till he dies, free of pain at last.” With this warning the Chorus close Oedipus the King, the tragic drama Sophocles staged in Athens around 429 BCE. A content life can mean good fortune or a settled peace of mind. Sophocles denies mortals the first and leaves the second within reach. I contend that balance and reverence are essential to a content life, though they cannot guarantee one. Initially, Sophocles shows that lost balance destroys contentment; however, he reveals that reverence alone cannot secure it while the gods’ will stays hidden; ultimately, he presents both as the means to bear suffering nobly. In a plague year, he urges his audience to keep faith and self-control when fortune fails.
Sophocles first establishes that a content life depends on balance, since passion left unchecked destroys peace. Athenians prized sophrosyne, the moderation Apollo’s temple at Delphi urged on its visitors. An audience in 429 BCE would likely read its absence as a cause of disaster. In the second episode, Creon defends himself against the charge of treason. He asks who would “rather rule and live in anxiety than sleep in peace”. Creon’s content life rests on balance, but that balance is partly calculation, since he prefers influence without risk to the risks of a crown. Sophocles builds him as a foil whose calm exposes the king’s temper. Recalling the crossroads, Oedipus admits, “I strike him in anger!” This loss of balance wrecks his later chance of a content life, but no oracle demanded that the killing happen in a rage. The hamartia is his temper, and dramatic irony lets the audience recognise the old man as his father while Oedipus still hopes he is wrong. The second stasimon then turns the private fault into a law. The Chorus condemn the man who “cannot restrain himself from outrage”. They make restraint the line between a content life and ruin, and bind it to reverence for the gods. Sophocles gives this warning to the Chorus, the voice of the polis, so one king’s fault becomes a lesson for all Thebes. Sophocles therefore warns of the consequences of lost balance, presenting self-control as essential to a content life for rulers and citizens alike.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Sunset Boulevard explores the idea that…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 92.5%: By exposing the deceptive facade of Hollywood that masks the moral decay of reality, Billy Wilder’s American film…
By exposing the deceptive facade of Hollywood that masks the moral decay of reality, Billy Wilder’s American film noir Sunset Boulevard (1950) unveils that Hollywood is a dangerous fantasy world. However Wilder demonstrates that the illusion of the isolated dream factory can be destroyed by the consequences of the real world.
Hollywood provides impressionable dreamers with opportunities to fulfill their goal to achieve the artificial American dream. Wilder champions the hopeful for pursuing their dream in a drastic post-war era of change. Betty initially serves as a foil to both Norma and Joe. Despite not making it as an actor, she is enthusiastic of the potential roles ‘‘on the other side of the camera,’’ determined to achieve success beyond her job as a reader. This serves as a contrast from Joe’s cynicism with his eerie posthumous narration depicting the noir element foreboding his gruesome ending. Betty is a symbol of authentic artistic integrity newcomers have before succumbing to the romanticized Hollywood. Betty’s costuming represents a simple and practical attire juxtaposed with Norma’s eccentric and lavish clothing revealing her value for attention and being ready at a camera’s notice. The mise en scene of Artie Green’s New Year’s party depicts a lively and cheery community of dreamers living in the illusion as a collective to cope with the manufactured dream. Wilder structures the narrative that coping with the superficiality of Hollywood is inherently healthier than the toxic suffocating alternative. Joe and Betty collaborating symbolise a light of hope for creativity in Joe after being trapped in Norma’s Old Hollywood. Wilder praises the hopeful for adapting to the industry glamour in a healthy way to achieve their dreams.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Personal journeys
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 90%: Mum was impossible to ignore. She reminded me to eat breakfast when I was already halfway out the door, told me…
Mum was impossible to ignore.
She reminded me to eat breakfast when I was already halfway out the door, told me to drink more water when the bottle in my hand wasn’t empty, and asked if I had finished my science poster before I had even taken my shoes off. If the weather looked remotely cold, she would appear in my doorway holding a jumper as though I were incapable of recognising winter for myself.
“Take it.”
“Mum, I’m not cold.”
“You will be.”
“I won’t.”
“You always say that.”
She was usually right, which somehow made it worse.
For months, she had been sick, though I tried not to call it that. Sick sounded too permanent and too real. What she had was appointments and blood tests and tables arranged in little plastic compartments and afternoons where she slept longer than usual and mornings where she stood at the kitchen counter with both hands wrapped around her hideous yellow mug, waiting for the room to stop spinning.
I pretended I didn’t notice. I pretended she was getting better. There would be another appointment, another prescription, another week.
There was always another week.
On Saturdays, we went to the shops. Specifically, the bakery.
It was never discussed. We simply went. She would order a small, extra-hot oat latte, with one Equal, and I got an iced chocolate, with extra whipped cream, and while we would wait for our order, she would complain that I had spent too much money on drinks that were mostly ice. Then, without fail, she would reach across and steal the cherry from the top.
“You don’t even like cherries.”
“I like yours,” she would say.
“You have your own.”
“Mine doesn’t have a cherry.”
“You just said you don’t like iced chocolate.”
“I don’t. I like the cherry.”
I would pretend to be annoyed and slide the glass further away from her, knowing perfectly well she would steal it anyway.
On Sunday nights, Mum would remind me at least four times to make sure I had my uniform ready for school the next day. And every Sunday, a bit past 10 pm, it would appear on my bed, folded neatly, the scent of floral fabric softener emanating from the pile. I would always tell her, “I was just about to put it in the wash; you didn’t have to do it for me,” mildly irritated that she never seemed to believe I was capable of doing it myself. Before school photos, she’d stand behind me with my lilac comb and would nag me to stop moving and brush through my hair. It’d always get caught in the tangles, and I’d always yell at her for brushing too roughly.
Once, I asked why she bothered.
“Because otherwise you’ll complain when you see the photo.”
“No, I wouldn’t.”
“You complained last year.”
“That was different.”
“It was the same hair.”
She smiled at me through the mirror.
I looked away.
Mum became more tired eventually. The routines changed quietly without either of us acknowledging it. She stopped coming to the bakery every Saturday. Sometimes, Dad went instead, and sometimes I went alone. She still bought my Cocoa Pops at the supermarket though, even when she could barely carry the bags. She still peeled the oranges for me because I hated getting the juice under my fingernails, despite the invisible ache in her nerves. She still cut my sandwiches into four triangles, placing the two corner pieces together at the bottom of my lunchbox, even though she sometimes struggled to force the lid onto the plastic container.
“The dangerous ones,” she’d call them.
I laughed the first few times.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Personal Journeys
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 97.5%: Optimism "I hate you! I wish I were never born!" was the last thing I ever said to my mother. I ran to my…
Optimism
"I hate you! I wish I were never born!" was the last thing I ever said to my mother. I ran to my room and didn't leave until I knew she and my brother were asleep. I left my room with a bag of clothes in each hand and my mother’s diamond earrings in my pocket. I knew I had a bright future ahead of me.
That night, I slept under the stars and thought about the life I had ahead of me; a life without my mother’s nagging was waiting. It was three days before I saw a 'missing' poster with my name in bold letters. I couldn't sleep that night knowing my mother was already looking for me; the echo of my brother asking where I was consumed me. On the fourth day, I bought a ticket to the furthest states our buses went to, showering in the public bathroom before I left. Watching the mountain ranges slowly become flat plains sparked excitement for the future I had on my horizon.
It took a week and getting kicked out of three McDonald's for me to start missing home, but I couldn’t go back. I needed to find some work to distract myself. Every day I would see streets lined with women in tattered and worn-down black clothing that I never thought I’d join. However, my times were getting desperate, and the future was beginning to seem further away. I just needed some money to start my new life properly.
I saw a woman climb into a car’s backseat one day, and pictured the cash she would likely receive later that night. I asked the woman who replaced the one I'd seen what I needed to do.
"You're a doll. The girls have some clothes back here." She led me through an alleyway to a tent with piles of black clothing.
The gnawing hunger in my stomach began to drown out the echoes of my old life. As I stared at the black fabric of the clothes, blending into one another, the shame of going home finally felt heavier than the fear of staying here.
"Here, this will get you started." I took a skirt and lace top from her. "Get changed here; no one who sees you will remember."
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Personal Journeys
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 95%: Optimism "I hate you! I wish I were never born!" was the last thing I ever said to my mother. I ran to my room…
Optimism
"I hate you! I wish I were never born!" was the last thing I ever said to my mother. I ran to my room and didn't leave until I knew she and my brother were asleep. I left my room with a bag of clothes in each hand and my mother’s diamond earrings in my pocket. I knew I had a bright future ahead of me.
That night, I slept under the stars and thought about the life I had ahead of me; a life without my mother’s nagging was waiting. It was three days before I saw a 'missing' poster with my name in bold letters. I couldn't sleep that night knowing my mother was already looking for me; the echo of my brother asking where I was consumed me. On the fourth day, I bought a ticket to the furthest states our buses went to, showering in the public bathroom before I left. Watching the mountain ranges slowly become flat plains sparked excitement for the future I had on my horizon.
It took a week and getting kicked out of three McDonald's for me to start missing home, but I couldn’t go back. I needed to find some work to distract myself. Every day I would see streets lined with women in tattered and worn-down black clothing that I never thought I’d join. However, my times were getting desperate, and the future was beginning to seem further away. I just needed some money to start my new life properly.
I saw a woman climb into a car’s backseat one day, and pictured the cash she would likely receive later that night. I asked the woman who replaced the one I'd seen what I needed to do.
"You're a doll. The girls have some clothes back here." She led me through an alleyway to a tent with piles of black clothing.
The gnawing hunger in my stomach began to drown out the echoes of my old life. As I stared at the black fabric of the clothes, blending into one another, the shame of going home finally felt heavier than the fear of staying here.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Personal Journeys
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 92.5%: Optimism "I hate you! I wish I were never born!" was the last thing I ever said to my mother. I ran to my…
Optimism
"I hate you! I wish I were never born!" was the last thing I ever said to my mother. I ran to my room and didn't leave until I knew she and my brother were asleep. I left my room with a bag of clothes in each hand and my mother’s diamond earrings in my pocket. I knew I had a bright future ahead of me.
That night, I slept under the stars and thought about the life I had ahead of me; a life without my mother’s nagging was waiting. It was three days before I saw a 'missing' poster with my name in bold letters. I couldn't sleep that night knowing my mother was already looking for me; the echo of my brother asking where I was consumed me. On the fourth day, I bought a ticket to the furthest states our buses went to, showering in the public bathroom before I left. Watching the mountain ranges slowly become flat plains sparked excitement for the future I had on my horizon.
It took a week and getting kicked out of three McDonald's for me to start missing home, but I couldn’t go back. I needed to find some work to distract myself. Every day I would see streets lined with women in tattered and worn-down black clothing that I never thought I’d join. However, my times were getting desperate, and the future was beginning to seem further away. I just needed some money to start my new life properly.
I saw a woman climb into a car’s backseat one day, and pictured the cash she would likely receive later that night. I asked the woman who replaced the one I'd seen what I needed to do.
"You're a doll. The girls have some clothes back here." She led me through an alleyway to a tent with piles of black clothing.
The gnawing hunger in my stomach began to drown out the echoes of my old life. As I stared at the black fabric of the clothes, blending into one another, the shame of going home finally felt heavier than the fear of staying here.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Personal Journeys
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 90%: Optimism "I hate you! I wish I were never born!" was the last thing I ever said to my mother. I ran to my room…
Optimism
"I hate you! I wish I were never born!" was the last thing I ever said to my mother. I ran to my room and didn't leave until I knew she and my brother were asleep. I left my room with a bag of clothes in each hand and my mother’s diamond earrings in my pocket. I knew I had a bright future ahead of me.
That night, I slept under the stars and thought about the life I had ahead of me; a life without my mother’s nagging was waiting. It was three days before I saw a 'missing' poster with my name in bold letters. I couldn't sleep that night knowing my mother was already looking for me; the echo of my brother asking where I was consumed me. On the fourth day, I bought a ticket to the furthest states our buses went to, showering in the public bathroom before I left. Watching the mountain ranges slowly become flat plains sparked excitement for the future I had on my horizon.
It took a week and getting kicked out of three McDonald's for me to start missing home, but I couldn’t go back. I needed to find some work to distract myself. Every day I would see streets lined with women in tattered and worn-down black clothing that I never thought I’d join. However, my times were getting desperate, and the future was beginning to seem further away. I just needed some money to start my new life properly.
I saw a woman climb into a car’s backseat one day, and pictured the cash she would likely receive later that night. I asked the woman who replaced the one I'd seen what I needed to do.
"You're a doll. The girls have some clothes back here." She led me through an alleyway to a tent with piles of black clothing.
The gnawing hunger in my stomach began to drown out the echoes of my old life. As I stared at the black fabric of the clothes, blending into one another, the shame of going home finally felt heavier than the fear of staying here.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Personal Journeys
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 87.5%: Optimism "I hate you! I wish I were never born!" was the last thing I ever said to my mother. I ran to my…
Optimism
"I hate you! I wish I were never born!" was the last thing I ever said to my mother. I ran to my room and didn't leave until I knew she and my brother were asleep. I left my room with a bag of clothes in each hand and my mother’s diamond earrings in my pocket. I knew I had a bright future ahead of me.
That night, I slept under the stars and thought about the life I had ahead of me; a life without my mother’s nagging was waiting. It was three days before I saw a 'missing' poster with my name in bold letters. I couldn't sleep that night knowing my mother was already looking for me; the echo of my brother asking where I was consumed me. On the fourth day, I bought a ticket to the furthest states our buses went to, showering in the public bathroom before I left. Watching the mountain ranges slowly become flat plains sparked excitement for the future I had on my horizon.
It took a week and getting kicked out of three McDonald's for me to start missing home, but I couldn’t go back. I needed to find some work to distract myself. Every day I would see streets lined with women in tattered and worn-down black clothing that I never thought I’d join. However, my times were getting desperate, and the future was beginning to seem further away. I just needed some money to start my new life properly.
I saw a woman climb into a car’s backseat one day, and pictured the cash she would likely receive later that night. I asked the woman who replaced the one I'd seen what I needed to do.
"You're a doll. The girls have some clothes back here." She led me through an alleyway to a tent with piles of black clothing.
The gnawing hunger in my stomach began to drown out the echoes of my old life, and as I stared at the black fabric of the clothes, blending into one another, the shame of going home finally felt heavier than the fear of staying here.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Personal Journeys
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 85%: Optimism "I hate you! I wish I were never born!" was the last thing I ever said to my mother. I ran to my room…
Optimism
"I hate you! I wish I were never born!" was the last thing I ever said to my mother. I ran to my room and didn't leave until I knew she and my brother were asleep. I left my room with a bag of clothes in each hand and my mother’s diamond earrings in my pocket. I knew I had a bright future ahead of me.
That night, I slept under the stars and thought about the life I had ahead of me; a life without my mother’s nagging was waiting. It was three days before I saw a 'missing' poster with my name in bold letters. I couldn't sleep that night knowing my mother was already looking for me; the echo of my brother asking where I was consumed me. On the fourth day, I bought a ticket to the furthest states our buses went to, showering in the public bathroom before I left. Watching the mountain ranges slowly become flat plains sparked excitement for the future I had on my horizon.
It took a week and getting kicked out of three McDonald's for me to start missing home, but I couldn’t go back. I needed to find some work to distract myself. Every day I would see streets lined with women in small black clothing that I never thought I’d join. However, my times were getting desperate, and the future was beginning to seem further away. I just needed some money to start my new life properly.
I saw a woman climb into a car’s backseat one day, and pictured the cash she would likely receive later that night. I asked the woman who replaced the one I'd seen what I needed to do.
"You're a doll. The girls have some clothes back here." She led me through an alleyway to a tent with piles of black clothing.
The gnawing hunger in my stomach began to drown out the echoes of my old life, and as I stared at the black fabric of the clothes, blending into one another, the shame of going home finally felt heavier than the fear of staying here.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Personal Journeys
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 82.5%: Optimism "I hate you! I wish I were never born!" was the last thing I ever said to my mother. I ran to my…
Optimism
"I hate you! I wish I were never born!" was the last thing I ever said to my mother. I ran to my room and didn't leave until I knew she and my brother were asleep. I left my room with a bag of clothes in each hand and my mother’s diamond earrings in my pocket. I knew I had a bright future ahead of me.
That night, I slept under the stars and thought about the life I had ahead of me; a life without my mother’s nagging was waiting. It was three days before I saw a 'missing' poster with my name in bold letters. I couldn't sleep that night knowing my mother was already looking for me; the echo of my brother asking where I was consumed me. On the fourth day, I bought a ticket to the furthest states our buses went to, showering in the public bathroom before I left. Watching the mountain ranges slowly become flat plains sparked excitement for the future I had on my horizon.
It took a week and getting kicked out of three McDonald's for me to start missing home, but I couldn’t go back. I needed to find some work to distract myself. Every day I would see streets lined with women in small black clothing that I never thought I’d join. However, my times were getting desperate, and the future was beginning to seem further away. I just needed some money to start my new life properly.
I saw a woman climb into a car’s backseat one day, and pictured the cash she would likely receive later that night. I asked the woman who replaced the one I'd seen what I needed to do.
"You're a doll. The girls have some clothes back here." She led me through an alleyway to a tent with piles of black clothing.
The gnawing hunger in my stomach began to drown out the echoes of my old life, and as I stared at the black fabric of the pile, blending into each other, the shame of going home finally felt heavier than the fear of staying here.