VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “Apollo commands us – he was quite clear –…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 85%: ‘Oedipus The King’ is a Greek tragedy, written by Sophocles in 429 BCE, and performed in Dionysia – a festival for…
‘Oedipus The King’ is a Greek tragedy, written by Sophocles in 429 BCE, and performed in Dionysia – a festival for the god Dionysus. The play centres Oedipus - the king of Thebes, praised and crowned for saving Thebes from the Sphinx. Despite the triumph, Oedipus is not free from human flaws, which later leads to his downfall. Further to be shown, a plague strikes down to Thebes, from Apollo’s command – to “drive the corruption from the land”, to “root [the corruption] out”, Oedipus is actually stepping away from the truth by the hubris and the inability to find out the truth despite his determination of pursue the truth at all costs, contributing to the continuation of Thebes’ suffering.
Sophocles illustrates how hubris can badly lead Oedipus to his own ruin, extending Thebes’ suffering. By being able to solve the Sphinx’s riddle that no one can solve, this creates a foundation of Oedipus’s hubris when he is triumphed to be the king of Thebes after Laius’s death. Oedipus believes he possesses an incredible intelligence that can be equivalent to gods, to “grant the prayers”, believes that he is destined to bring the plague away, further accentuates when he has the highest authority throughout Thebes despite the words came from the priest that he “cannot equal the gods". Oedipus lives on the demand of gaining people’s respect, wanting his name to be renowned throughout the world, “the world knows [his] fame, [he is] Oedipus”. This is further portrayed during stichomythia between Creon and Oedipus, Oedipus accuses everyone is conspiring against him, including Creon who is “equal” to Oedipus thinking “[Creon], plotting to kill me, kill the king—I see it all”; or Chorus, the people he is fighting for, after they begs for the pair to meditate for good intentions, assuming they "want [him] banished or want [him] dead", without realising the absurdity of this false logic. Oedipus is overshadowed by his own hubris, and thus cumulatively being more reckless and impulsive as a leader or “the tyrant”. This delays the resolution of the truth, thereby prolonging Thebes’ suffering.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Oedipus The King suggests that suffering…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 85%: ‘Oedipus The King’ is a classic Greek tragedy, written by Sophocles in 429 BCE. The play centres on Oedipus, a…
‘Oedipus The King’ is a classic Greek tragedy, written by Sophocles in 429 BCE. The play centres on Oedipus, a noble protagonist, who is prophesised to kill his father and marry his mother. By attempting to escape the oracle’s decree, Oedipus ultimately leads to own inevitable suffering by reconcile himself to the price of his own eyesight for the truth and restoration of Thebes. However, Sophocles suggests that while humans do not have control over their own fate, they have the power to define their character on how they respond to that suffering.
Firstly, Sophocles emphasises the unavoidability of fate that binds mortal lives within an inescapable loop. The play begins when Oedipus decides to flee Corinth after hearing the oracle’s prophecy, believing he has self-autonomy without any deities’ active control. However, this attempt paradoxically leads Oedipus closer to fulfilling the revelation, as he encounters the “triple crossroads”, where he unknowingly kills Laius, his true father. The “triple crossroads” here symbolises fate, evidently establishing how Oedipus is bound to his fate no matter what path he chooses, it is futile. Sophocles uses Oedipus to represent the human belief in self-control, illustrating the tragic consequences of hubris and hamartia when they arrogantly defy the omnipotence of the gods. After successfully becoming the ‘saviour’ of Thebes from the Sphinx, Oedipus builds a foundation of hubris, which subsequently leads him toward to be a theomaniac. Despite the Priest’s reminder that he is “not equal to the gods”, his ego leads him to believe he can “grant” the prayers of the people, once more attempting to save Thebes from the destructive plague by investigating Laius’s murder. Ironically, this investigation is the factor that pushes Oedipus into his “ruin” as each step taken in pursuit of truth brings him closer to the fulfilment of the prophecy and ultimately his destined suffering. Sophocles suggests that attempts to challenge fate ultimately result in suffering, as Oedipus’ pursuit of truth only draws him closer to his inevitable downfall.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Does Sophocles present a world where…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 75%: The Greek Tragedy ‘Oedipus the King’ written by Sophocles, explores the overarching tension between human agency…
The Greek Tragedy ‘Oedipus the King’ written by Sophocles, explores the overarching tension between human agency over the unavoidable fate that is governed by the gods. The ancient playwright aimed for 5th century ancient Athenian audiences reminds society of the implications of defying omnipotence. Through the tragic downfall of Oedipus, Sophocles examines the complex relationship between destiny and personal choice, illustrating how fate determines the trajectory of human existence whilst individual actions contribute to the way in which that destiny unfolds. Through the manner in which Oedipus exercises his freewill and his compulsive desire for truth, Sophocles establishes the subsequent collapse that suggests that human volition is ultimately powerless.
Sophocles advocates the notion that fate is inescapable as he uncovers the governing nature of gods. He contends that the divine of authority of the gods is unparalleled as he suggests that to defy the gods is subject one to their downfall. From the outset of the play, the prophecy delivered by the oracle of Apollo at Delphi informs Oedipus that he will murder his father and marry his mother which functions as the foundational foreshadowing whilst the plague impacting Thebes functions as both a literal crisis and a metaphor for the moral corruption that stems from unresolved divine judgment. Oedipus is initially a greatly admired leader, looked up to as he “stopped the sphinx”, he promises to save his people, however the audience becomes aware through dramatic irony that he himself is the source of the city's problems. This irony reinforces Sophocles' suggestion that fate operates beyond human understanding as one “cannot equal the gods”. The interaction between Oedipus and Tiresias is particularly significant in illustrating the supremacy of divine knowledge over mortal perception. Tiresias, the blind prophet, possesses true insight, while Oedipus, who can physically see, remains blind of his own identity. The recurring motif of sight and blindness highlights the limitations of human reason when confronted with divine truth. Sophocles demonstrates the true nature of fate to be ruled by the gods, as he argues that attempts to control it is futile.
VCE · Language Analysis
Language Analysis: Climate Change
VCE Language Analysis essay scoring 85%: Baum continues her speech by further attacking the government for their actions towards cutting funding for…
Baum continues her speech by further attacking the government for their actions towards cutting funding for CSIRO’s scientific research. She accompanies a visual presenting a boat at medium shot, exemplifying the mass study towards marine life, which was dedicated by Baum in classifying this “hard-earned profession” as an amount unable to “ever [be] recogis[ed]” by the government to display the lack of over-reliance on external funding. Portraying the government as a greedy figure because they are unable to fund action towards climate change in the future, and instead provoking excuses towards Australian voters to characterise them as collecting rather than distributing, Baum instils aggression within her constituents and Australian voters concerned about climate change. They are positioned to view the government as a repulsive force in that rejecting their importance in funding these high-level companies when required. Compounding her argument with a contrasting tone when acknowledging how the funding is “allocated to other social services” in the opinions of the audience, which reject this proposal, amplifying the concern that the private funding can ensure the “best resources and greater incomes” to maximise the research around climate change,
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: “Protest enables marginalised groups…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 92.5%: It was a dreary morning on the way to work - the kind where the sky hangs low and heavy, pressing a dull…
It was a dreary morning on the way to work - the kind where the sky hangs low and heavy, pressing a dull weight against everything below. The windscreen wipers dragged rhythmically across the glass, smearing the drizzle into streaks of blurred light. Then, without warning, that song crackled through the speakers.
For a moment, I froze.
These were the lyrics that had anchored our cause and aided our voice, forcing passersby to hear the pleas of the marginalised.
We refused to be silent; we knew we couldn’t if real change was to happen. The struggle was never going to be over. We were certain that we couldn’t go quietly; being placid would never get us heard.
There was no room for passivity; we were fuelled by our desire for change, each and every one of us unwavering in our drive to lead young people to a brighter future. Like Martin Luther King once boldly stated, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter”, and that day, I felt like I was going to live forever.
A diverse tapestry of students gathered, from the salt-sprayed coastal towns to the quietest regional towns, coalesced to fight for the future of our planet.
Kaleidoscopic sprawls of youth filled the streets of the city, replacing the honking of horns and engine roars with our homemade signs and our incessant determination. We pushed the boundaries that once held us back, drowning out the drones of voices that tried to silence us.
Not even the methodical and mechanical procession of businessmen and CEOs, shielded by a world that prioritised profit over the planet, could keep us back.
We understood that to remain silent was to accept defeat, and that we had to stand up for what we believed. Acting as a constant reminder of what we were assembled to do, Taylor Swift’s lyrics echoed through my mind, “Only the young can run.”
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Write an oral speech presenting an…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 90%: Before you leave the house tonight, make sure your phone is charged. Walk the lit road, not the shortcut. Keep…
Before you leave the house tonight, make sure your phone is charged. Walk the lit road, not the shortcut. Keep your keys between your fingers, just in case. Hood up, music off, eyes up. Text me when you get there and don't leave your drink alone. Wear something that covers you, you don't want to suggest anything, but not so long you'll trip if you have to run. Always scream fire, never help.
We don't hand this list to boys. We have never handed this list to boys. We give it to girls before they're old enough to understand why, and by the time they're old enough to ask, they've already memorised it. Nobody decided what to hand boys instead. The manosphere decided for us.
Over the last decade, an ecosystem of podcasts, forums and posts built itself around that gap, telling boys that women are objects for their entertainment, showing emotion is weak and for girls, and feminism is the reason they feel lost and can’t get a girlfriend. This is the manosphere, and it did not create misogyny, but it has industrialised it.
The manosphere is not a single website or a single man. It is a misogynistic subculture that operates across platforms, characterised by anti-feminist, misogynistic viewpoints and the promotion of rigid, aggressive models of masculinity, according to UN women. Andrew Tate is one such model. This ‘man’ has publicly stated that he is “absolutely a misogynist”, “that women are inferior and morally deficient beings who are good only for sex” and if a women accuses a man of cheating the appropriate response is “bang out the machete, boom in her face, grip her up by the neck … and you go f her”. He is awaiting trial for rape and human trafficking. He has ten million followers. Boys are still searching his name. This is who is raising our boys while we aren't looking.
When a culture repeatedly tells young boys that showing emotions and vulnerability is for girls, and men should toughen up and deal with it, it should not surprise us when those boys grow into men who respond to vulnerability with violence. The ABS recorded 40,087 reports of sexual assault against women in 2024, and estimate 92% of sexual assaults go unreported, that’s an additional 461,000 more women. The manosphere didn't pull the trigger, these men did. What it did do was provide them with a loaded gun and spare bullets. Bullets aimed at women and the very movement fighting for their rights.
Feminism is not a textbook definition, it is the apparently radical belief that the girl walking home tonight deserves to do so without a list of rules. The idea that women are people and not vessels for someone else’s dinner, children and desires. Yet these forums, podcasts and ‘male advocates’ have twisted this word to fit their own misogynistic views. The manosphere didn't just discredit feminism, it took a word used to describe one of the most powerful and impactful movements in human rights advocacy and framed it as oppression, hate and the loss of rights for men.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “Desire for fame destroys morality” Discuss
VCE Text Response essay scoring 87.5%: The 1950s Pax Americana social zeitgeist revealed an era in film where any social criticisms of the time were…
The 1950s Pax Americana social zeitgeist revealed an era in film where any social criticisms of the time were ludicrously cloaked behind the red velvet curtains and silver screens of Hollywood. Yet even such a glamorous industry could not conceal the gaudy and intoxicating culture of the screens that had perhaps never been so removed from the American Psyche. Billy Wilder’s 1950 cynical noirish melodrama, ‘Sunset Boulevard’, is a meta-cinema allegory which critiques how individuals’ endless pursuits for fame often come at the great cost of personal morality. Primarily, Wilder postulates that the erosion of morality in ‘Sunset Boulevard’ is fundamentally rooted in the desperate fear to stay relevant and famous. Wilder further portrays how individuals engage in a cycle of mutual exploitation and psychological manipulation to achieve the falsified dream promoted by Hollywood. Finally, Wilder lambasts the consequences of prioritizing the hollow dream of fame over ethical integrity as a tragic fall into self-destruction. Thus, this gothic horror film serves as a reflection of not only Hollywood’s superficiality, but also of a broader cultural mindset that prizes visibility, recognition and public validation above all else. Ultimately, each successive age functions as a renewed indictment of an industry overshadowed by an inevitable decline, where the “sun will forever set”.
From the outset, Wilder posits that the initial decay of integrity is triggered by fear and an insatiable ambition to keep success in a city that portrays those who lack success as failures. From the beginning, Wilder non-diagetically overlays Joe Gillis’ postmortem voice, depicting the nature of the crime scene where he describes himself as “nobody important, really. Just a movie writer,” which dismissively portrays how Joe is a fading movie writer, setting up his pathway and endless pursuit for wealth and recognition within the writing industry. Wilder portrays through a posthumous, omniscient third person narrator that the desire for success stems from the fear of fading. Moreover, Wilder continues to portray how fear is the trigger to desire fame through Norma Desmond, and the meta-casting and allusion to the real life actress Gloria Swanson, particularly through the depiction of “Queen Kelly” in the background of a scene in ‘Sunset Boulevard’. Ironically, the film stars Gloria Swanson at the age of 30 playing a 16 year old church girl, which Wilder uses to critique how women are cast as young girls because that is what the industry values, and mirrors it to an aging star within the film ‘Sunset Boulevard’, Norma Desmond to draw a correlation to her disconnect from the industry displaying why she is desperate for success in an industry that portrays a lack of success as failure. Additionally, Wilder continues to encapsulate Norma’s stemming of insatiable ambition for fame through her declaration that she is “big. It’s the pictures that got small”. Norma denies how the spotlight has shifted from her, further emphasising her endless pursuit of not being forgotten. She blames the pictures for her lack of recent success, not her aging, which Wilder paints as her subconscious fear. In essence, Wilder portrays how the erosion of morality is fundamentally rooted in the desperate fear of failure and lack of success.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: About play. Title: Time to play,…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 87.5%: Time to play I am a superhero who can run as fast as cheetah, each time my foot contacts the sand I feel it…
Time to play
I am a superhero who can run as fast as cheetah, each time my foot contacts the sand I feel it retract, the ground falls beneath my feet and in this moment I am unstoppable. But I realize no matter the grandness of my imagination, no matter the distance created between my superhero persona and the real body that made it up, my escape is limited to what exists in my eleven-year-old mind. I can’t remain here, for the very hand that abruptly ends my time to play is the one that pushes on the boundaries of childish innocence. An arm wraps tightly around my waist and in that moment, I can tell by his refusal to let go that we were no longer playing the same version of tag.
I recall so vividly the slapping sounds of bare feet on wet sand, the sound of carefree, childish giggling being carried away by small waves crashing harshly onto nearby rocks. Somehow the feeling of being pulled abruptly out of my fantasy is even more memorable. I feel cheated by a breach to the rules of a game I never signed up for. My body physically strained by his grasp, what kind of superhero is seen like this? Suddenly the sand between my toes no longer represents fragments of the ground, broken from my immense strength, it actually starts to itch and discomfort settles in. The cold wind doesn’t feel so rewarding blowing on my face, my lips crack and salt is all I taste. The freedom and innocence of play I felt as a kid showed not to compare to the imposition of more mature strategies being made to win a different prize As a child who hadn’t yet been handed the script of how older kids play or been shown what to fix my tactics on, play would revert to instinct.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: In what ways does Macbeth explore the…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 87.5%: Shakespeare reveals that the repercussions of remorse and immoral deeds lead to a shameful reputation, a burdened…
Shakespeare reveals that the repercussions of remorse and immoral deeds lead to a shameful reputation, a burdened mind and a broken society. In Act 5 Scene 8, Macduff proclaims ‘Look here I have Macbeth’s head’, which demonstrates a stark contrast to the beginning of the play where Macbeth was the one celebrated for displaying the rebel’s head on a stick. Shakespeare exposes that Macbeth’s immoral sins-such as committing regicide- and his subsequent guilt ultimately transformed him from a ‘loyal thane’ to being described as the ‘dead butcher’, demonstrating to the Jacobean audience that power stripped of morality guarantees a legacy of infamy, not honour. Additionally, Shakespeare emphasises through the character of Lady Macbeth that the fruits of guilt and immorality are a tainted conscience that cannot be salvaged. In the play’s exposition, Lady Macbeth is portrayed to possess a fierce, dominating and masculine personality as she tells her husband ‘Look like the innocent flower but be the snake underneath’. Shakespeare utilises this metaphor to convey how Lady Macbeth was challenging traditional gender roles and to imply that Lady Macbeth was the ‘snake’
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Write an oral speech presenting an…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 90%: Before you leave the house tonight, make sure your phone is charged. Walk the lit road, not the shortcut. Keep…
Before you leave the house tonight, make sure your phone is charged. Walk the lit road, not the shortcut. Keep your keys between your fingers, just in case. Hood up, music off, eyes up. Text me when you get there and don't leave your drink alone. Wear something that covers you, you don't want to suggest anything, but not so long you'll trip if you have to run. Always scream fire, never help.
We don't hand this list to boys, we have never handed this list to boys. We give it to girls before they're old enough to understand why, and by the time they're old enough to ask, they've already memorised it.
Over the last decade, an ecosystem of podcasts, forums, algorithms and posts have been born, telling boys that women are the enemy and the root cause for their insecurities and troubles. That vulnerability and emotion are weak and not masculine, and the reason boys feel lost is feminism. This is the manosphere. It did not create misogyny, but it has industrialised it.
The manosphere is not a single website or a single man. It is a misogynistic subculture that operates across platforms, characterised by anti-feminist, misogynistic viewpoints and the promotion of rigid, aggressive models of masculinity, according to UN women. Andrew Tate is one such model. This ‘man’ has publicly stated that he is “absolutely a misogynist”, “that women are inferior and morally deficient beings who are good only for sex” and if a women accuses a man of cheating the appropriate response is “bang out the machete, boom in her face, grip her up by the neck … and you go f her”. He is awaiting trial for rape and human trafficking. He has ten million followers. Boys are still searching his name. This is who is raising our boys while we aren't looking.
When a culture tells boys that vulnerability is feminine, and feminine is weak, it should not surprise us when those boys grow into men who respond to vulnerability with violence. The ABS recorded 40,087 reports of sexual assault against women in 2024, and estimate 92% of sexual assaults go unreported. Thats 461,000 more women. The manosphere didn't pull the trigger, these men did. What it did do was provide them with a loaded gun and spare bullets. Bullets aimed at women and the very movement fighting for their rights.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: From memory the propmt was about…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 85%: There I was sprinting, and a half Kilometers, my body felt exhausted yet I kept going, my lungs felt exhausted…
There I was sprinting, and a half Kilometers, my body felt exhausted yet I kept going, my lungs felt exhausted as if there was no oxygen yet I kept going, nothing was going through my mind yet I kept going. Why? because I was on track on beating my personal best, I was on track on makin many happy, but most importantly, I was on track on beating my fathers five Kilometer time.
It had been my thriving goal to beat his time, but he was a fast man, a prodigy, a olympian. Yet here I was now with years of hard training, on track to beat it, the body breaks steady state with only four hundred meters left, I break my breathing as a last ditch attempt oxygen now coming through my mouth instead of the nose.
Three hundred meters left, my muscle cant hold it any more, it produce more lactate acid the my body can, my legs go from feeling like feathers to tungsten, every step is peacefull but every time I extend my legs up I experience the gates of hell.
Two hundred meters, the cheers of the audience, my peers, my coach is all muffled, as I get faster and faster the arteries and veins to my brain vasoconstrict reducing the blood flow to my brain, my body is now priotizing my muscles than my concouse.
One hundred meters, the final sprint begins, my final sprint begins, my recruits every muscle fibre in my body trying to reach the intensity needed, my breaths now sound like a air pump, trying to get as much oxygen it can, contraction relaxation contraction relaxation contraction relaxation, everything in my body is working at its peak.
My body drops, I start to very, heavy breaths my body is still workin just to get rid of the waste produced by my body. News reporters come towards me, wanting to hear the reaction of the new five Kilometer world record holder, and yet my body feels more empty then it was
during the run, I had just achieved my long life goal, and yet now there was nothing to do.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Fuller reveals the consequences of…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 65%: Ghost bird is a novel written by Lisa Fuller; it follows Stacey Thompson as she sets on a journey to find her…
Ghost bird is a novel written by Lisa Fuller; it follows Stacey Thompson as she sets on a journey to find her missing twin and reaccept aboriginal spirituality back into her life after her Nan's death. Fuller explores the impacts of colonisation through the erasure of Stacey's culture and the systemic racism Stacey faces when searching for her sister. However Fuller also highlights the enduring strength of Aboriginal culture though its continuation.
Fuller explores the impacts of colonisation on culture through its erasure. Following Nan’s death Stacey turns her back on her culture and relies on Western beliefs and reasoning over her own cultural teachings. She describes Western reasoning as “reason“and Aboriginal Spirituality as “superstition“. This highlights the developed internal colonial attitudes of Stacey; how she positions Western beliefs as superior to Aboriginal spirituality. This reflects a major impact of the colonisation of Australia; white colonizers sought to devalue Aboriginal teachings. Fuller highlights the disregard for aboriginal preservation. At the History Centre, Stacey observes that the information kept there was “wall to wall white history “This hyperbole emphasises the deliberate institutional erasure of Indigenous narratives, inevitably leading to the parts of their culture being lost to time. Fuller demonstrates Connection to Country through the personification of the land. When Stacey was driving up to the Potters place, she described the trees as “sentries… to protect or warn” “comforting and feel like home”, the personification of the trees encourages the reader to connect to the land as the way Stacey does, to understand her connection to Country, how the land is not just land but more akin to a family member. So, when they are “poisoned" the emotional impact on the reader is increased, this encourages the reader to understand that to Stacey the poisoning of the trees is not just environmental destruction but destroying a connection to her culture as a result of colonisation.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: It is fear, rather than the supernatural,…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 72.5%: In her novel Ghost Bird, Lisa Fuller explores the themes of racism, trauma, grief and family. The novel follows…
In her novel Ghost Bird, Lisa Fuller explores the themes of racism, trauma, grief and family. The novel follows Stacey Thomson as she sets on a journey to save her sister from supernatural forces and to re-accept Aboriginal spirituality into her life. Fuller illustrates the theme of grief and trauma through a plethora of characters, specifically Stacey’s mother and elders. The elders in Stacey's life disguise their trauma as protection as they refuse to teach Stacey about the mountain, and Stacey's mother’s grief isolates Stacey in her journey to find Laney. However, Fuller demonstrates that fear does not just isolate but can bring communities together.
Fuller explores how intergenerational trauma can be disguised as protection through the stories of the elders. In her journey to find Laney, Stacey travels to the “mountain” and incredible taboo place to her culture. Stacey knew that Laney was trapped in the mountains, however due to the trauma from her elders her Mob refused to search the area, leading to Stacey going alone. Fuller demonstrates how the ignorance of Stacey and the fear from the elders was disguised as protection, resulting in the isolation of Stacey as she investigated for her sister.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: ‘I’m not the same girl who walked into…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: In her novel Ghostbird, Lisa Fuller explores themes of family, duality and identity through Stacey's…
In her novel Ghostbird, Lisa Fuller explores themes of family, duality and identity through Stacey's transformation and her journey as she struggles to find her missing twin and re-accept Aboriginal spirituality back into her life. Fuller develops the theme of duality and identity through Stacey and Laney being mirror twins, but to save her twin Stacey needs to extend beyond the mirror image she associated herself with. Stacey begins the novel relying on Western reasoning and as she continues on her journey accepts Aboriginal knowledge as truth, reflecting the theme of cultural identity. However, Fuller also explores how familial connections in Mob withstand transformations and contribute to the courage of individuals.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: How does Sophocles present the concept of…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 85%: Sophocles's tragic 405BC play, Oedipus the King presents Pride as catalyst of Oedipus's downfall and potrays the…
Sophocles's tragic 405BC play, Oedipus the King presents Pride as catalyst of Oedipus's downfall and potrays the gain of wisdom when pride is abscent. Based on Athenian history and performed in the Athenian Golden age, the play acts as a fierce warning to show respect to the Gods and the distressing outcome of prideful defiance. The playwright illustrates this by potraying the negative impact of pride as well as the positive knowledge gained when pride is diminished using dramatic and language conventions.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: “I really like to stay in my nest and…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 70%: Sometimes it is easier to hide away in the walls of your own mind; at least then you don't have someone telling…
Sometimes it is easier to hide away in the walls of your own mind; at least then you don't have someone telling you, ‘It’s all going to be alright’. It irks me just enough to clench my jaw and lower my gaze to my fidgeting hands, but not enough to open my mouth. My friends, family, teachers, and strangers will ask you if you're ok, their voices overflowing with unwavering concern and sympathy. And sometimes it's a thousand times easier to conceal the hurt than to say the singular word, ‘no’.
I cling to the comfort the sadness offers me, though it makes my life stagnant, unmoving from the deep hole I reside in; the nest is safer than confronting the fear that controls me. It’s a new day, and my mother has found her place next to the frames of my doorway, a slight smile and a tinge of worry plastered on her face, “Are you going to clean up your room? Why can’t you keep your room clean like your brother does?” Next to my face is dinner from last night, a dusty desk untouched for weeks, and clothes thrown neatly into the corner of my bed. I opened my eyes with all the strength I had, only to close once again to avoid my mother’s stares, you can possibly guess what my response was: silence.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: analysing a sustainable farm created…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 85%: MY SUSTAINABLE FARM, GRACE901, 27-4-2026 Introduction My sustainable farm design is set in a temperate…
MY SUSTAINABLE FARM, GRACE901, 27-4-2026
Introduction
My sustainable farm design is set in a temperate grassland biome in Australia. Its main purpose is to feed the community, breed animals and produce crops to reach the high-demand of goods from places all over the world. There’s a loading bay on the edges of the island, suitable for transportation of goods to other countries.
Suitability of temperate grasslands
The temperate grassland is the most suitable candidate for a farm because its soils are deep and are rich in organic matter due to the decay of dense grass roots. They contain essential nutrients such as potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus that are crucial for crop production. Temperate grasslands have moderate temperature meaning they are not too hot or too cold. The soil is loose and fertile, letting the roots expand easily and the moderate rainfall allows the solid to be moist but not runny. The warm summers help crops grow better while in the winter, it reduces the number of pests. Taking up more than ninety-five per cent of the farm, grasses are suitable for grazing and are perfect for livestock!
Sustainability Choices
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: To what extent is fear used to control and…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 72.5%: George Orwell's allegorical novel demonstrates how fear is used extensively to manipulate and control animals on…
George Orwell's allegorical novel demonstrates how fear is used extensively to manipulate and control animals on the farm. Through Napoleon's use of propaganda, violence and psychological manipulation, Orwell criticises totalitarian governments and warns readers about how abuse of power can destroy independent thought and weaken resistance.
Orwell reveals how fear allows those in power to manipulate truth and control without resistance. When commandment 4 about beds is altered to only omit sleeping "with sheets", the animals are left confused and uncertain about what they originally agreed to. This is shown to be exactly what Napoleon and the pigs want, as it is revealed that animals who doubt their memory are too uncertain of themselves to ever fight back. Through this, Orwell demonstrates how authoritarian regimes manipulate the truth to weaken collective resistance. Although some animals begin to notice something is wrong, the ominous and intimidating presence of Napoleon's dogs means that even any trace of resistance is enough to get one killed. Through this, it is shown how such fear does not just stop the animals from acting, but it will stop the animals from even thinking about acting. This reinforces the idea that fear is an effective weapon when violence is used to eliminate resistance and enforce obedience, as only one animal questions the alteration. This becomes even more powerful, shown through Squeeler's rhetorical speech of whether the animals "had dreamed" of the original commandments. When Squeeler suggests that their memories cannot be trusted, the animals are left with no solid evidence to fight back as they no longer know what is real. Orwell's warning becomes increasingly unsettling for the reader, as Napoleon demonstrates that totalitarian leaders do not just control their subjects' behaviour, but also their thoughts. This is shown to be very important, as it reveals that Napoleon's reign is based on propaganda, and he never had true power. Orwell warns that this is the most dangerous form of oppression, because a society that has lost trust in its own memory has lost the chance to resist entirely.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: "While the Christians in the play preach…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 60%: Written in 1598, William Shakespeare’s play ‘The Merchant of Venice’ demonstrates how during the Elizabethan era,…
Written in 1598, William Shakespeare’s play ‘The Merchant of Venice’ demonstrates how during the Elizabethan era, although the Christians reveal that it is good to have mercy, they do not often show it themselves. Through Portia telling Shylock to have mercy then later mercilessly oppressing against him in the courtroom, as well as the Venetian citizens constantly discriminating against Shylock, it is mostly shown that Christians often do not show compassion to others. Ultimately, Shakespeare uses his play ‘The Merchant of Venice’ to criticise Venetian Christians’ for not displaying core values which they preach that one should show.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Write a piece that explores the idea…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 90%: I was at a family dinner over Easter earlier in the year, and one of my aunts asked me a seemingly-innocuous…
I was at a family dinner over Easter earlier in the year, and one of my aunts asked me a seemingly-innocuous question that made me quite uncomfortable. Usually, I am an upbeat, bubbly person, and most would tell you that I have high confidence. Unfortunately, the opposite is true: every day I question the choices I have made and the impact they have had on my relationships.
When I entered high school, I was faced with a rather uncomfortable choice: I would have to pick a school sport to play during winter, or join a band. The extracurricular lady peered at me over her bifocals, frowning, eyebrows drawn together and raised like little anthills. The only band that had any space was the orchestra, and they needed a piccolo player.
Now, anyone who is acquainted with woodwind instruments would know that the piccolo is a tiny, shrieking version of the flute, and that it should be played only by an experienced flautist with excellent tone. But for a reason unknown both to my parents and myself, I, standing in my oversized blazer with my dress almost at my ankles, boldly offered my services to the school band. The lady in charge of extracurriculars frowned a little harder, and I could almost imagine the tiny ants running in and out of those hills. Then she sat back, sighed, and put my name down, one eyebrow still raised.
Obviously, I was terrible. However, I started practising more and more. I took a certain tormented delight in knowing that while other students were tucking into dinner, or doing a little homework, I was running up and down the same five notes with deliberate focus. As painful as my practice was for all within earshot, the improvement it allowed me in the orchestra gave me surging motivation.
Sometimes in life, you are captured by an idea which is inexplicable to those who haven’t felt it. The sense of mastery I felt playing the piccolo made all other subjects at school pale in comparison. What was maths, with all its useless formulae repeated over and over, when music was a space with infinite room for improvement? Where every day’s practice contributed to notable growth, however small? Music was not just a hobby for me, but a pursuit which gave me the deepest sense of meaning. Over time, I came to love the piccolo more than anything else.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Write a piece that explores the idea…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 80%: I am born. Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by…
I am born. Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.
–
I am a child. I don’t know my name. Do I have a name? What is a name? What’s in a name? I’m cold. Is that the right word for what I am experiencing? How do I speak words? Can I speak words?
Mum is here. Dad is here. Now they are gone. Where did they go? Will they come back? What do I do? What should I do? What can I do? What can’t I do?
Who will tell me?
I’m happy now. Was I happy before? There is water falling from the sky and it goes creecky-criicky-creecky-cricky as it jumps and dances and clatters and shatters against the tiles on the roof. It is sense-alteringly beautiful.
I am alone now. Where did everybody go? Will they come back? It is dark. Now the water is falling not from the skies but from my eyes.
Will it ever stop?
–
I am young – though I don’t feel it. In fact, I feel old. Or, perhaps, world-weary is a more apt phrase. My teacher called me a cynic today. I think she meant it affectionately – at least, that’s how it sounded – but I’m not sure I want to be a cynic. Not really.
I’m lying awake in bed thinking this. The thoughts form on the surface of my mind like mayflies or geckos, pitter-pattering across the surface tension. One wrong move and they would break through, drowning in the depths of what lies beneath.
Is it normal to be frightened of my own mind?
I feel like the barrier is gossamer-thin between smug self-assurance and bottomless, pitiless, lonely despair. Does everyone feel this way?
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: a short play script about the theme of…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 82.5%: FINAL SCRIPT ( Act I, Scene I [Sally skips in with a vibrant expression, clutching onto her teddy bear. She…
FINAL SCRIPT
( Act I, Scene I
[Sally skips in with a vibrant expression, clutching onto her teddy bear. She goes to sit at the dinner table straight across from her father.]
Sally (enthusiastically): How was your day Dad?!
Dad (coldly, eyes on his food): Fine.
[Silence.]
Sally (looks around the room for a way to break the ice): Mom, I’ve been waiting for 10 minutes, when is the food coming?
[Mom rushes into the room, sitting next to Sally with two plates in her hands. Her clothes are stained]
Mom (to Dad, in a low voice): Did you pay her school fees?
Dad (looking up, offended and irritated): How could you even doubt me? If you’re so worried about it, maybe you should pay it yourself for once.
Mother: But I-
Dad (cutting her off, raising his voice): No, don’t you start again. I’m the only one doing anything around here! All you do all day is sit down and bicker at me. There’s no point! (Sally runs to hide under the table, squeezing her teddy bear) I’m tired of both of you and your daughter, and all your nonsense. If it weren’t for her (pointing at Sally) I would’ve left by now.
[The mother’s expression is tense and she is looking down. The daughter’s eyebrows twist, head bows down.
Suddenly, Dad pushes his chair back loudly and storms out of the room. Mom breathes heavily, then grabs a plate and exits shortly after.
Sally is left alone at the table. She looks down at her food, untouched, her face small and withdrawn- completely isolated.]
ACT 1 SCENE 2
[Sally opens a door leading into her room and rushes in. She sits at her table and starts writing on a piece of paper, wiping out the tears that are falling from her eyes.
Mother enters.]
Sally: Mom! You scared me. What are you doing?
Mom (loudly): Come outside! You’re always hiding away in your room writing in those little books of yours, God knows doing what. What did I do to deserve a daughter like you? [She exits]
ACT II SCENE 1
[Mum is seated comfortably on a hospital bed. Sally is sitting beside her holding her hand.]
Mum: I was never happy with your dad. I never wanted to be with him, but my parents had expectations of me.
Mum (long breath, ashamed): I’ve never loved him. Years of abuse day after day. He wanted a child, I gave him one, but it wasn’t enough. All because you were a girl.
But still not enough for him, nothing was. I did everything to make that house a home. But it could never be one.(Anxiously)
Mum (Sobbing): I tried my hardest. Living a life I didn’t want. And now I’m here (looks around the room) regretting everything with what- ifs flooding my head. But I can’t change anything. It’s too late now.
[Sally holds her mum's hand. Mum goes limp.]
Sally: Mum? Mum?!
[Flat lines are seen on the monitor. Sally weeps.]
Act II, Scene II
[Sally is at her parents’ house, packing boxes.]
Sally (talking to herself): This brings back memories
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: ‘Arrogance is ultimately punished with…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 90%: Sophocles’ Greek tragedy, Oedipus the King, explores the importance of humility in a society that condemns…
Sophocles’ Greek tragedy, Oedipus the King, explores the importance of humility in a society that condemns egotistical disposition. The punishments of hubris are exemplified through Oedipus’ magnified fulfilment of his prophesied downfall, as well as intellectual blindness that exposes personal flaws and prevents individuals from true understanding of the world, which in conjunction, serves as root of shame in the Ancient Greek setting. Thus, while Sophocles warns that excessive pride ultimately dismantles social standing and facilitates one’s own self-destruction, he invites readers to sympathise with victims of both their hamartias and their unavoidable fate.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: How does Shakespeare use characters…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 60%: Written in 1598, William Shakespeare’s play ‘The Merchant of Venice’ demonstrates that in such Venetian societies,…
Written in 1598, William Shakespeare’s play ‘The Merchant of Venice’ demonstrates that in such Venetian societies, appearances are presented as unreliable as people and objects often hide their real intentions behind clothes and words. Through the caskets deceiving suitors by its appearance and Portia dressing up as a judge to benefit her side, it is revealed that appearances cannot be trusted. Ultimately, Shakespeare uses ‘Merchant of Venice’ to criticise how prejudice, materialism and false appearances distort justice and human relationships.