VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Change is unwelcome in we have always…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: Jackson positions unpredictable change as a force that threatens an individual's ability to maintain stability…
Jackson positions unpredictable change as a force that threatens an individual's ability to maintain stability over their lives, by emphasising characters’ efforts to repel these intrusions. The structure of the Blackwood house serves as a symbol of the sisters' resistance to change. By ensuring that she ‘locked the gate’ and that the path to the Blackwood house was closed forever,’ Merricat perpetually prevents the unpredictable outside from intruding into the property. Through this, Jackson emphasises the reality that change as a force is never welcome into the lives of the Blackwood sisters. Additionally, the word ‘always’ in the title implies that life within the ‘Castle’ is lived through permanent structures which dictate the outcome of the sisters’ lives, ensuring that they have full control over minimising the change that threatens these stagnant routines. In doing so, Jackson emphasises Merricat’s perception that life within the Blackwood house has never changed, and will never change; that their existence before the introduction of the ‘monster’ Charles in the first third of the gothic tripartite
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Change is unwelcome in we have always…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 70%: Jackson positions unpredictable change as a force that threatens an individual's ability to maintain stability over…
Jackson positions unpredictable change as a force that threatens an individual's ability to maintain stability over their lives, by emphasising characters’ efforts to maintain these intrusions. The structure of the Blackwood house serves as a symbol of the sisters' resistance to change. By ensuring that she ‘locked the gate’ and that the path to the Blackwood house was closed forever,’ Merricat perpetually prevents the unpredictable outside from intruding into the property. Through this, Jackson emphasises the reality that change as a force is never welcome into the lives of the Blackwood sisters. Additionally, the word ‘always’ in the title implies that life within the ‘Castle’ is lived through permanent structures which dictate the outcome of the sisters’ lives, ensuring that they have full control over minimising the change that threatens these stagnant routines. In doing so, Jackson emphasises Merricat’s perception that life within the Blackwood house has never changed, and will never change; that their existence before the introduction of the ‘monster’ Charles in the first third of the gothic
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Change is unwelcome in we have always…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 70%: Jackson positions unpredictable change as a force that threatens an individual's ability to maintain stability over…
Jackson positions unpredictable change as a force that threatens an individual's ability to maintain stability over their lives, by emphasising characters’ efforts to maintain control over change. The structure of the Blackwood house serves as a symbol of the sisters' resistance to change. By ensuring that she ‘locked the gate’ and that the path to the Blackwood house was closed forever,’ Merricat perpetually prevents the unpredictable outside from intruding into the property. Through this, Jackson emphasises the reality that change as a force is never welcome into the lives of the Blackwood sisters. Additionally, the word ‘always’ in the title implies that life within the ‘Castle’ is lived through permanent structures which dictate the outcome of the sisters’ lives, ensuring that they have full control over minimising the change that threatens these stagnant routines. In doing so, Jackson emphasises Merricat’s perception that life within the Blackwood house has never changed, and will never change; that their existence before the introduction of the ‘monster’ Charles in the first third of the gothic
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “There’s nothing tragic about being 50,…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 60%: Wilder exposes the cruel nature of the Hollywood machine, illustrating how in an inherently patriarchal industry,…
Wilder exposes the cruel nature of the Hollywood machine, illustrating how in an inherently patriarchal industry, profit and youth are valued over talent and skill, utilising the characterisation of Sheldrake. Sheldrake suggested that “If we make it a girls baseball team” instead of a boys baseball team the script would be better and would sell, emphasising that women are used as mere images, commodifying them in a way to be able to sell their films. Sheldrake also calls Betty “Ms. Kramer” in a casual, dismissive tone and doesn’t even look up at her. Wilder utilises this acting choice to illustrate the patriarchal power dynamic as Sheldrake does not feel the need to acknowledge Betty in the slightest or show her basic respect, viewing Betty as an individual who’s beauty is required or talent is not valued. Wilder further scutinises this fact by bringing into play Betty’s story of how she decided to become a reader. She came “from a picture family” and “naturally they expected me to become a great star” so she had “10 years” of lessons to be a good actor, “Then the studio made a test. Well they didn’t like my nose… So I went to a doctor and had it fixed, they made more tests and they were crazy about my nose, only they didn’t like my acting.” This dissects the priorities of the Hollywood’s factory of forgotten dreams as they are first criticising
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Rule maker or rule breaker?
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 60%: The White Line The line in the middle of the road used to lie there with its delicate height distinction over…
The White Line
The line in the middle of the road used to lie there with its delicate height distinction over the rest of the asphalt. It divided the drivers on the left from the drivers on the right. It’s almost certain that even without the line, the drivers would still follow this rule. I saw these cars perfectly aligned behind one another, each life passes by, adhering to the line’s subtle presence, yet significant impact in providing leeway.
I remember when I was a kid, we’d imagine we were walking the line while safely observing the road from our driveway. He would walk the right side, whereas I’d take the left side. We’d take turns attempting to balance on our line like it was a wire hanging high in the sky; where he’d have to go left and I go right. My brother and I would perceive victory as being stable on this line and adhering to the rules just like a car would. If he or I failed, we’d think the end of the world was upon us; we’d cry, wondering if our unsteadiness foreshadowed a world where we can’t listen and obey. Abiding was this serious in every situation, even beyond the asphalt. When we played king of the castle, neither of us were allowed to break the sacred rule derived from those my brother had created with his friends. When we played monopoly, every fine would be taken with extreme maturity and accountability; We would own up, admit, just like the line.
In school, the line’s omnipresence became more evident.
Corridors were separated.
Desks were assigned without question.
Unspoken expectations like paying full attention and being cooperative became clear when the teacher would raise their tired voices, testing their vocal cords after a horrendous night’s sleep. These invisible structures revealed themselves not through moral lessons, but through the unspoken, sharp consequences of breaking them.
Back at home, these habits and routines were seen essential to the family. Moving plates to another cabinet was replied to with my Mum’s sharp breath intakes and Dad’s tightened jaw. Conversations within the family were always calculated to ensure no one’s feelings were hurt. No half measures were ever taken; only full measures to ensure order and understanding, even if the changes in space and alignment were marginal.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Photo of a statue being pulled down
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 60%: The Noise we Made At first, it was only a couple young voices in the square fighting against the morning fog.…
The Noise we Made
At first, it was only a couple young voices in the square fighting against the morning fog. Shoes scuffling against stone that hadn't been moved in centuries. A statue loomed over us, a man cast in bronze with his arm permanently extended as if mid speech. Someone passed out placards and signs, the cardboard still smelling of glue and impatience, the words were sharp and absolute written in thick black marker, ”Change will be had”. I brandished the sign proudly, although I didn't know what it meant, or who it was for.
By midmorning, the square filled slowly. More people arrived drawn by social media and word of mouth. The noise increased, as did people’s hunger to be heard. Drums and megaphones flooded the once peaceful streets, like a king tide. Chants began to build, bouncing off the nearby buildings, progressively getting louder, as if the city was joining in. I felt a part of something larger than myself. It was intoxicating. I could feel the rhythm of the crowd in my chest, a collective heartbeat driven by change.
Around me, faces glowed with determination, the goal to stop fossil fuels. They contended change was not only necessary but urgent. Anything slower was an obstacle. Anyone who questioned it was a part of the problem. Reluctantly, I nodded along, unable to question. Holding my sign above my head, allowing myself to be carried by the current of voices. Still I had questions, which would be left unanswered. Still I hesitated.
The protest had started with a promise, to save our town, our country, our world. The protesters confirmed the current laws are outdated, a relic of older times. Maybe that was true, but my father and his father had built their lives around it. So had my neighbours, the small shop on the corner and the delivery driver who comes at dawn. All of us relied on something that was now deemed wrong.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: What does Nora’s journey suggest about…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 75%: Through Nora’s journey towards self identity, Ibsen critiques the gender roles and patriarchal values of society.…
Through Nora’s journey towards self identity, Ibsen critiques the gender roles and patriarchal values of society. Initially, Nora conforms to her role as a wife, and does not mind her ‘doll-like’ existence. However, as the play progresses, Nora gains awareness about how Torvald and the rest of society treats her due to her status as a woman and mother. This condescending view is clear when Torvald dismisses Nora’s concerns as being “just like a woman” (pg 149), a phrase that immediately positions female behaviour as inferior. In reinforcing the stereotype that women are less logical or capable than men, Ibsen reveals Torvald’s controlling personality and how the patriarchal society of 19th century Norway normalised belittling women. By exposing this normalisation, Ibsen forces the audience to recognise the great extent to which societal gender roles are integrated and how they dictate the actions of characters in the play.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: "The Truth"
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 95%: The Truth The salt air here has a way of stripping things back to their bones. In the capital, the air was…
The Truth
The salt air here has a way of stripping things back to their bones. In the capital, the air was thick with the scent of polished marble and heavy drapes—materials designed to muffle the world. Here, on this barren coastline, there is nowhere for the sound to hide. I am left with nothing but the rhythm of the tide and the itch of what they have taken from me.
They call it a liberation. I call it an eviction from reality.
For twenty years, I was the steward of a necessary silence. My citizens lived in a world where the ledgers always balanced, where the grain silos were always full, and where the future was a straight, paved road. It was a masterpiece of administration. Yes, the numbers were an invention. Yes, the prosperity was a ghost. But it was a comfortable ghost. I understood that the collective peace of a nation depends entirely on what the people do not know.
I was bold enough to build a world out of nothing. I dared to believe that I could sustain a civilization on the strength of my own conviction, shielding them from the jagged edges of a failing economy and the rot of a dying state. I thought my boldness was the foundation.
I was wrong. I had forgotten that silence is not the absence of sound; it is merely a held breath.
It began with a single tremor. A minor official, a man whose name I have already scrubbed from my memory, found a single, misaligned number in the ledger. He didn't shout; he whispered. But in a room built for silence, a whisper sounds like a gunshot. I expected the machinery of the State to swallow him, to render his "truth" as nothing more than the rambling of a madman. I thought a solitary voice could never echo in halls I had so carefully muffled.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: "The Truth"
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 85%: The Truth The salt air here has a way of stripping things back to their bones. In the capital, the air was…
The Truth
The salt air here has a way of stripping things back to their bones. In the capital, the air was thick with the scent of polished marble and heavy drapes—materials designed to muffle the world. Here, on this barren coastline, there is nowhere for the sound to hide. I am left with nothing but the rhythm of the tide and the persistent, nagging itch of what they have taken from me.
They call it a liberation. I call it an eviction from reality.
For twenty years, I was the steward of a necessary silence. My citizens lived in a world where the ledgers always balanced, where the grain silos were always full, and where the future was a straight, paved road. It was a masterpiece of administration. Yes, the numbers were an invention. Yes, the prosperity was a ghost. But it was a comfortable ghost. I understood that the collective peace of a nation depends entirely on what the people do not know.
I was bold enough to build a world out of nothing. I dared to believe that I could sustain a civilization on the strength of my own conviction, shielding them from the jagged edges of a failing economy and the rot of a dying state. I thought my boldness was the foundation.
I was wrong. I had forgotten that silence is not the absence of sound; it is merely a held breath.
It began with a single tremor. A minor official, a man whose name I have already scrubbed from my memory, found a single, misaligned number in the ledger. He didn't shout; he whispered. But in a room built for silence, a whisper sounds like a gunshot. I expected the machinery of the State to swallow him, to render his "truth" as nothing more than the rambling of a madman. I thought a solitary voice could never echo in halls I had so carefully muffled.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: "The Truth"
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 87.5%: The Truth The salt air here has a way of stripping things back to their bones. In the capital, the air was…
The Truth
The salt air here has a way of stripping things back to their bones. In the capital, the air was thick with the scent of polished marble and heavy drapes—materials designed to muffle the world. Here, on this barren coastline, there is nowhere for the sound to hide. I am left with nothing but the rhythm of the tide and the persistent, nagging itch of what they have taken from me.
They call it a liberation. I call it an eviction from reality.
For twenty years, I was the steward of a necessary silence. My citizens lived in a world where the ledgers always balanced, where the grain silos were always full, and where the future was a straight, paved road. It was a masterpiece of administration. Yes, the numbers were an invention. Yes, the prosperity was a ghost. But it was a comfortable ghost. I understood that the collective peace of a nation depends entirely on what the people do not know.
I was bold enough to build a world out of nothing. I dared to believe that I could sustain a civilization on the strength of my own conviction, shielding them from the jagged edges of a failing economy and the rot of a dying state. I thought my boldness was the foundation.
I was wrong. I had forgotten that silence is not the absence of sound; it is merely a held breath.
It began with a single tremor. A minor official, a man whose name I have already scrubbed from my memory, found a single, misaligned number in the ledger. He didn't shout; he whispered. But in a room built for silence, a whisper sounds like a gunshot. I expected the machinery of the State to swallow him, to render his "truth" as nothing more than the rambling of a madman. I thought a solitary voice could never echo in halls I had so carefully muffled.
But then, the whisper found an echo.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: The original prompt and title was "The…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 82.5%: The Truth The salt air here has a way of stripping things back to their bones. In the capital, the air was…
The Truth
The salt air here has a way of stripping things back to their bones. In the capital, the air was thick with the scent of polished marble and heavy drapes—materials designed to muffle the world. Here, on this barren coastline, there is nowhere for the sound to hide. I am left with nothing but the rhythm of the tide and the persistent, nagging itch of what they have taken from me.
They call it a liberation. I call it an eviction from reality.
For twenty years, I was the steward of a necessary silence. My citizens lived in a world where the ledgers always balanced, where the grain silos were always full, and where the future was a straight, paved road. It was a masterpiece of administration. Yes, the numbers were an invention. Yes, the prosperity was a ghost. But it was a comfortable ghost. I understood that the collective peace of a nation depends entirely on what the people do not know.
I was bold enough to build a world out of nothing. I dared to believe that I could sustain a civilization on the strength of my own conviction, shielding them from the jagged edges of a failing economy and the rot of a dying state. I thought my boldness was the foundation.
I was wrong. I had forgotten that silence is not the absence of sound; it is merely a held breath.
It began with a single tremor. A minor official, a man whose name I have already scrubbed from my memory, found a crack in the facade. He didn't shout; he whispered. But in a room built for silence, a whisper sounds like a gunshot. I expected the machinery of the State to swallow him, to render his "truth" as nothing more than the rambling of a madman. I thought a solitary voice could never pierce the velvet curtains I had drawn shut.
But then, the whisper found an echo.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Hadley explores the power of…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: Hadley explores the power of relationships. Discuss. Relationships form the basis of one’s life, shaping…
Hadley explores the power of relationships. Discuss.
Relationships form the basis of one’s life, shaping personalities and motivations. Tessa Hadley’s ‘Bad Dreams and Other Stories’ explores the lives of ten female protagonists sprawled across twentieth and twenty-first century Britian. In the anthology, Hadley follows her female subjects through the mundane everyday life of Britain, detailing the trials and tribulations they face. Throughout these interactions, the author postulates that relationships are powerful forces, shaping both positive and negative experiences. She postulates that relationships are disempowering for many women, reducing self-esteem and catalysing change. Moreover, Hadley suggests power imbalances within relationships create tension. Fundamentally, ‘Bad Dreams and Other Stories’ implies that relationships cement gender roles, perpetuating archaic societal structures. Ultimately, relationships are complex and multi-faceted forces, sculpting every aspect of characters’ lives.
Hadley suggests relationships can be disempowering, as she explores the complexity of interactions. This is prevalent in ‘Deeds Not Words’, an echo of the suffragette motto, initially through the ‘intimate relationship’ between Edith and Fitz. Hadley proposes that Edith bears the burden of the illegitimacy of this relationship, thus exploring its disempowerment. Edith’s fear that ‘they would be found out, and she would be disgraced’ illuminates this. Hadley’s stark pronoun swap, from ‘they’ to ‘she’, implies only Edith should be outcast in the wake of this sexual activity, whilst Fitz would be unscathed. Thus, she denounces society’s tendency to allow men to escape the repercussions of their illegitimacy, whilst women are chastised for their promiscuity. Simultaneously, the parallels drawn between Laura and Edith illuminate this disempowerment as a ubiquitous female experience. By suggesting that ‘in their shame they could hardly bear to look at each other’, Hadley postulates that both women have suffered the same disgrace, one from their ‘first experience of love’ and one from the desertion by the WSPU party. Thus, Hadley depicts torn relationships as a disempowering force, whereby women are exposed to the shame before men. In a similar manner, Ruby of ‘Her Share of Sorrow’, experiences mass disappointment within her familial relationships. As her family ‘cruel[ly]’ ‘hollows out the best thing that she’d ever done’, Ruby is further juxtaposed from her ‘high-flying’ family. The notion that her family ‘hollowed’ Ruby, connotes a sense of entire disembodiment and removal of internal elements from her body. This metaphorical language conveys the extent to which their ‘laughing’ at Ruby’s story disempowered her newfound ‘writerly love’. Through this, Hadley illuminates the way social outcasts are disempowered by their interactions with surroundings. Ultimately, relationships have a marginalizing impact, removing characters self-esteem.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Change is unwelcome in We Have Always…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 65%: Written in 1962, Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle explores the limitations placed upon the…
Written in 1962, Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle explores the limitations placed upon the aristocratic Blackwoods as a result of the patriarchal and formal society in which they live. Depicted through the psychologically damaged narration of Merricat, Jackson explores the notion of rigid societal norms through the restriction of change, which leads to a bleak society in which individuals are forced to conform. Ultimately, Jackson works to not only condemn the harsh patriarchal norms that societies are based upon, but also demonstrate the effort required to reject these conventional societal values by unwelcoming change.
Jackson depicts Cousin Charles' arrival as a resurgence of patriarchal authority, symbolising the endurance of the rigid social and gender structures that threaten the fragile independence the sisters have cultivated. Amidst Charles's arrival, Merricat, who is portrayed as a figure of resistance to patriarchal norms, feels threatened by the change, which is portrayed through the masculine symbols such as Charles's smoking pipe and his newspapers, which were left “lying anywhere,” infecting the house, symbolising the change in dominance Charles asserted towards the Blackwood sisters. This illustrates the covert nature of Charles to gain control and power over his brother's family, which is opposed by Merricat's past trauma of John Blackwood “punishing her,” inciting her fear of the patriarchal household. Jackson underscores the recurring notions of constant pressures of conformity by highlighting the absurd prevalence of male dominance and societal expectations, even with Merricat's consistent rejection. Conversely, this further depicts the rigidity of overcoming societal pressures, demonstrating how change is ultimately unwelcome within societal expectations and also recognising the power Merricat exerts through this constant rejection of change. Moreover, Charles motives of materialism lead to avarice, which represents his obsession with “money” as a medium by which the outsiders conform, juxtaposing the sisters rejection of materialism despite their aristocratic status. Charles's materialism is exposed when he fixates on the buried gold watch chain as he refers to it as a “valuable thing” that's “worth money”. Jackson suggests the family's obsession with wealth epitomises their reluctance to change, illuminated in Mericat's defence of her father as he was “never a man to give things away easily”, reinforcing the generational entrenchment of the Blackwoods rigid values. Therefore, Jackson illustrates how patriarchal intrusion within the household threatens the fragile matriarchal dominance that the sisters hold.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Personal Journies
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 62.5%: As I lift the kettle off the stove, steam curls into the air and the smell of cinnamon tea rises to meet me.…
As I lift the kettle off the stove, steam curls into the air and the smell of cinnamon tea rises to meet me. For a moment, I am no longer standing in my kitchen. I am back in Sri Lanka, sitting beneath a slow spinning fan with a chipped mug warming my hands.
I did not expect ten days to change me.
At Melbourne Airport, my mum hugged me twice before I walked through security. I remember feeling steady, almost proud. Service work sounded meaningful — something I could handle. But when I arrived at Diyagala Boys’s Town, the idea of it dissolved into heat and unfamiliar routine. The dorm rooms were bare. The showers ran cold. At night I laid awake listening to insects and distant traffic, missing the quiet certainty of my own bedroom.
We woke before sunrise each morning. We painted classrooms, carried bricks, and ran activities for the local boys. Sweat soaked through my shirt before breakfast. I smiled when they laughed, but in quiet moments I counted how long it would be until I could call home. I missed my parents in a way that embarrassed me. I had chosen to come.
Then the rain came.
What began as distant thunder grew into sheets of water slamming against tin roofs. They told us it was a cyclone – infamously named Ditwah. By afternoon the power cut out. The fans stopped mid spin. The lights died. My phone battery dropped to nothing. When the signal disappeared, I stared at the blank screen as if it might change its mind.
I could not call home.
The storm raged through the night. Rain hammered the roof so loudly we had to raise our voices to be heard. Some of the younger boys joked about it. Others watched the windows with wide eyes. I felt small and very far from everything familiar.
In the blackout, I sat beside one of the local boys in the hall. The only light came from a single torch between us. We talked to pass the time — about school, about Australia, about what he wanted to do when he was older – he told me he wanted to become an electrician.
Then, in the same steady voice, he told me his best friend had taken his own life the year before.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Are you an Ismene or are you an Antigone?
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 75%: The disagreement between Ismene and Antigone in the prologue embodies the internal battles that I’ve faced…
The disagreement between Ismene and Antigone in the prologue embodies the internal battles that I’ve faced conforming to what I believed was expected of me and learning to recover my sense of individual identity. I used to resonate with Ismene, who is depicted as cautious, afraid, and a figure of compliance. When she chooses not to assist Antigone in the burial of her brother, she is abiding to the laws she is obligated to follow as a citizen of Thebes. Additionally, Ismene adheres to the gender-based stereotypes that Creon bestows upon women. In the past, I’ve often minimised myself due to the fear of others seeing me as too emotional, and I’ve felt compelled to suppress who I am to avoid judgement, mistreatment, and being perceived as overwhelming. After experiencing a rupture with someone I once considered my closest friend, I started
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: In we have always lived in the castle,…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 60%: Jackson denotes how the Blackwood sisters respond to the intrusion of a patriarchal figure in matriarchal…
Jackson denotes how the Blackwood sisters respond to the intrusion of a patriarchal figure in matriarchal hierarchy, juxtaposing how women rebel against it while others succumb to it. Characterizing Merricat as a solipsistic and autocratic woman, Jackson illustrates that the arrival of Uncle Charles provoked her fear of losing control as he attempted to position himself as the authority figure in the family however she rebelled against this, describing Charles as a "ghost" that "could be driven away". As Charles transformed to "[look more] like father", Merricat grew more envious causing her to develop and act on malicious desires in an attempt to get rid of Charles. This in turn resulted in her igniting a fire, causing Charles to escape from the fire and disappear from the family. Reinforcing this notion, Jackson indicates how the fear of losing control incites an individual to act on irrational decisions, warning that the cost of power
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Hadley depicts the oppression of women.…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: Hadley depicts the oppression of women. Discuss. Gender, a societal construct, has influenced the actions and…
Hadley depicts the oppression of women. Discuss.
Gender, a societal construct, has influenced the actions and guided the lives of everyone, shaping the world since the beginning of time. Tessa Hadley’s ‘Bad Dreams and Other Stories’ (2017) depict ten female protagonists in twentieth and twenty-first century Britain, demonstrating the hardship of female life. Throughout her anthology, Hadley underscores the oppression of women, condemning society’s placement and objectification of this demographic as inferior. ‘Bad Dreams and Other Stories’ accentuates power imbalances within relationships, suggesting men’s power is destined. Moreover, Hadley highlights the condemning of women to carrying burden. Ultimately, Hadley portrays the ubiquity of female oppression, projecting that this injustice is engrained in British society constantly. The collection fundamentally denounces the domestication of women through its multi-perspective narration.
Hadley postulates that imbalance of power is embedded in relationships, criticizing the favouring of men. Archaic androcentric structures persisting into the modern-day result in men remaining dominant in sexual relations. This is particularly apparent in ‘Under the Sign of the Moon’, a story exploring the layers of Greta’s life in Liverpool, using a non-linear chronology. During the flashback, Ian claims he is able to ‘see the atomic structure of the pavement’ and ‘consents to the laws of physics’ detailing to a sense of power. Through this characterisation, Hadley suggests Ian perceives his place in the relationship as almost God-like, believing he controls not only Greta but the fundamentals of science. Thus, the notion that he requests Greta to ‘consummate their marriage’ ‘under the sign of the moon’ connotes a sense of expectation for her to conform to his expectations, just like the laws of physics do. Here, Hadley exemplifies the power imbalance within this relationship. However, this superiority complex contrasts his fatal ending, ‘dying in a car crash’, alluding that he is neither immortal nor better than Greta. Thus, Hadley criticizes the patriarchal societal mechanisms that delegate power in a masculine favouring way. This is also present in ‘Bad Dreams’, the titular piece exploring the tensions within domestic environments during the mid-1900s. Hadley’s imagery of the father’s opulence ‘shiny trumpet, case open’, ‘silver-framed wedding photo’, contrasts the mundane everyday depicted in the mothers’ possessions. The notion that the ‘sewing machine was an engine that drove their day’ connotes the feminine position as retaining balance in the household, whilst the riches of male life remain unavailable. Thus, Hadley suggests the mother in ‘Bad Dreams’, who’s outward appearance mirrors the typicality of femininity in the nuclear family, is unfamiliar to and not worthy of opulence, in the way that the father is. Here, Hadley condemns the contrast between female and male entitlements as highlighted in her anthology.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: why protest is vital in democracy (or…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 60%: A democracy is a system of government where political power is vested in the people or population of a state.…
A democracy is a system of government where political power is vested in the people or population of a state. To put it simply, rule by the people. Candidates promise benefits to get your vote, then go back on what they said and we don't get what we were assured, however they. This is where we implement protest, to hold the politicians accountable.
Protest is defined as a public action of disapproval or opposition of something. Protest is opposition, and with no opposition, you would know what we are? A dictatorship. We will be like North Korea and China, which I'm certain all 25 million Australian citizens would disapprove of. We can't allow this to happen, which is why we must keep persisting with protests.
Have you ever played a sports game without an opponent? No, because without competition there is no change, no improvement, no accountability. This is what protesting provides. Protest is a tactic which communicates our concerns to those that have the power to make change happen. Small steps like letters, emails and individual comments on social media post are not enough to inflict any amendments. Protest sends our message loud and clear to the public eye and government, ensuring we cannot be ignored any longer.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: ‘Sunset Boulevard’ is ultimately a…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 60%: Silhouetted against the milieu of 1950 America, director Billy wilder's film noir 'Sunset Boulevard' critiques the…
Silhouetted against the milieu of 1950 America, director Billy wilder's film noir 'Sunset Boulevard' critiques the complex nature of the 'dark side' of the Hollywood film industry, yet simultaneously unveils participants own roles in manifesting its ramifications. By establishing the androcentric nature of Hollywood wilder exposes the power disparity between genders subsequently enabling objectification to dictate female relevancy to the industry. Extending upon its manipulation and exploitation of women, wilder discloses the industries allure of immortal fame to be a masquerade for futile and transient stardom that is isolating and psychologically deleterious. However, in the pursuit of success, wilder accentuates that refusing to sacrifice integrity with obsession, promotes the positive navigation of Hollywood's film industry, proffering a hopeful future imbued with self - righteousness.
Archaic gender roles can impose severe inequity in a society. By accentuating Hollywood's androcentric nature, wilder unveils the systemic power disparity between genders in the film industry. Once a "star" but now "Yesterday's Glamour Queen", Norma Desmond epitomises Hollywood's belittlement of women as her objective "Glamour" defines her career's value. Through a wide shot depicting Norma's old, decaying, "abandoned" mansion which mirrors Norma's phycological deterioration, wilder draws a parallel between its state of disregard and Hollywood's treatment of aging female actresses. In extension to this comparison wilder harnesses Joes description of the mansion being a "big white elephant of a place" - implying its arduous maintenance and lack of value - in order to expose Hollywood's tendency to itemize women rather than humanize them, as being able to modernize the industry with new trends and beauty standards by simply replacing items is less troublesome than feeling obligated to respect and maintain the metaphorical "white elephant" of aging actresses careers. In contrast to women's short lasting careers in Hollywood, wilder accentuates, men's industry longevity through coupling a close up shot of DeMille's, wrinkled facial features with the power he exerts directing at "Paramount studio's" despite his old age. This description of DeMille compounds upon the audiences growing awareness of powerful positions being occupied by older men in Hollywood following wilders portrayal of Joes meeting with Sheldrake an older Hollywood executive whose expresses relaxed body language In juxtaposition to Joes uptight forward leaning positioning. This scene further accentuates the relentlessly decisive power of men in the industry as joes financial stability is dependent on Sheldrake liking his film pitch, enabling wilder to foreshadow the psychological and emotional detriment women faced as victims of distorted yet enforced masculine ideologies. As a result of DeMille's noticeable power and relevancy in the industry at an old age, wilder stipulates the intense marginalization of older actresses, as well as reveals the systemic sexism in Hollywood manifesting in harsh double standards.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Personal journey
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 85%: “Could Ryan make his way to Court 11?” A dense yet welcoming atmosphere hung over the outskirts of the Sunken…
“Could Ryan make his way to Court 11?”
A dense yet welcoming atmosphere hung over the outskirts of the Sunken Tennis Court. Walking out onto the court, the warmth of the sun pierced through the clouds, illuminating the stadium with a soft glow. Excitement flowed through him — this was the kind of stage he had dreamt of playing at. The crowd, the stadium, and the atmosphere dwarfed the suburban courts he was so used to playing on. Nationals was a domain reserved for the elite, and after a phenomenal season and countless hours of hard work, he had earned his place there. The feeling was ethereal; he felt capable of performing beyond his best, in an atmosphere suitable for a professional. Sweat and tears suddenly seemed worth it — a chance to be validated, admired, and envied by everyone watching.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Title: Now! Chosen Stimulus: Picture:…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 67.5%: Now! Executive Summary The wealth management team for Mr. John Williams has concluded despite the recent…
Now!
Executive Summary
The wealth management team for Mr. John Williams has concluded despite the recent increase in protests against Mr. Williams and the new tax code, severe backlash has been mitigated. Planning has been completed to ensure media and public opinion has remained neutral for Mr. Williams, yet favourable perception of him is unlikely to be possible at this stage.
An estimated $10 million has been spent on mitigating public campaigns, with another $15 million being spent to target individuals with no prior knowledge of Mr. Williams. This budget has aimed to decrease the backlash on Mr. Williams, remaining contained in protests and does not spread to widespread media and the general public.
Due to the severity of this situation, this report has been constructed aiming to reduce risk as early as possible.
The following documents file information on expenses, risk mitigation and employees.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: While the Blackwood sisters have seemingly…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 85%: Shirley Jackson’s 1962 gothic novella, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, is a scathing critique of the rigid…
Shirley Jackson’s 1962 gothic novella, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, is a scathing critique of the rigid patriarchal structures that governed mid-century American life. While the death of John Blackwood—the family patriarch—initially suggests a liberation for his daughters, Constance and Merricat, Jackson posits that the domestic sphere remains fundamentally haunted by male authority. Through the psychological residue left by their father and the subsequent physical intrusion of their cousin Charles, Jackson illustrates that patriarchal control is not merely a person, but a pervasive systemic force. Ultimately, the sisters' retreat into a domestic ruin highlights the impossibility of true female autonomy within a society that demands patriarchal oversight.
Even after his death, the presence of John Blackwood remains the dominant architectural and psychological force within the household. The sisters live in a "museum" of their father’s making, adhering to a "schedule" and "rules" that were established to maintain his order. Merricat’s obsession with "safeguards" and "magic" is, in many ways, a defensive reaction to the strict, punitive environment her father created. The fact that the sisters preserve his study and keep his "possessions" untouched suggests that they have internalized his authority; they do not live as free agents, but as curators of a dead man's legacy. Jackson uses this atmospheric tension to show that the patriarchy does not need to be alive to exert control; its "shadow" is cast through the very traditions and structures it leaves behind.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Ogawa demonstrates that humanity is eroded…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 72.5%: Set in a dystopian world, Yoko Ogawa’s “The Memory Police” explores a mysterious force which induces memory loss.…
Set in a dystopian world, Yoko Ogawa’s “The Memory Police” explores a mysterious force which induces memory loss. While “The Memory Police” demonstrates that humanity can degrade once memories are lost, it also suggests that it can be maintained and recovered through resistance. This is shown through the strange ability of some to remember, as well as Narrator’s own effort to resist and the old man’s inability to do so. Overall, Ogawa is emphasising that resistance is essential to preserving identity.
Ogawa uses the orientation of the novel to establish that it is possible to possess a natural resistance to enforced erasure. This is illustrated through the characterisation of Narrator’s mother, who is able to remember everything that has disappeared despite ‘everyone else forget[ting]’ on the island. Her mother is shown to be ‘at her most lively’ when talking of things she remembered, highlighting how she was able to maintain these items as part of her identity, thus evading the erasure that comes with the disappearances. This innate resistance is also seen in others throughout the novel, such as the crazed woman at the book burnings, who exclaims ‘no one can erase the stories!’, presenting the idea that even without physical reminders, memories can still be retained. Ogawa uses these characters to show that despite the disappearances affecting many on the island, memories can still be kept by those who can resist, and therefore have a continued contribution to an individual’s identity.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Choosing Sides
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 70%: “The March Manifesto (How to start a revolution)” by Jake Plugo - 23/3/39 Imagine you’re walking down the…
“The March Manifesto (How to start a revolution)” by Jake Plugo - 23/3/39
Imagine you’re walking down the streets of Melbourne, headphones in, phone in hand. Just a normal Saturday, right? You pass by the protesters that smell of a slight char after burning of flags. You hear the ground rumble from their march. Suddenly, the signs are being ripped off their holders, and the trembling fades into the beating of batons. You don’t even turn your head, rushing to turn up your music to drown out all the commotion. The government violently suppressed yet another protest, and you didn’t even care to look at the lives being taken. How much longer can we let this happen? Indifference is the softest baton of all, and right now we must fight back against our oppressors instead of supporting them through inaction.