VCE · Language Analysis
Language Analysis: In WHALITC it is better to be an…
VCE Language Analysis essay scoring 70%: To be considered an outsider from any social group is typically seen as prejudiced or uncharitable to those who…
To be considered an outsider from any social group is typically seen as prejudiced or uncharitable to those who are excluded. In the case of the Blackwood family of Shirley Jackson’s 1950’s gothic, thriller “We Have Always lived in the Castle” that appears to be untrue. In the novel Jackson endeavours to highlight what she sees as the benefits to living in isolation, whereas in reality she illustrates the consequences and entrapment of physical and social separation from society. Jackson uses two main social groups to display the useless interactions between them. The main social groups of the novel are the Villagers being the outsiders from the insider’s group of the Blackwood family. In the context of the novel the Blackwood’s can be referred to as both the insiders or the outsiders as the perspective of which group is considered as insider or outsider depends on the reader. In this interpretation the immediate Blackwood family will be explored as the insiders and others such as the villagers and cousin Charles will be analysed as outsiders to the Blackwood’s. However, the consequences of being an insider or an outsider differ depending on the character. For Mary- Katherine (Merricat), Jackson depicts her with the most amount of niche insider groups with little movement in and out of those groups, highlighting the benefits of being an insider for Merricat. Whereas for Constance she appears to be involved in more social groups that interact with the outsiders, suggesting that for her being an insider may impact her life and cause her to suffer. Conversely, Cousin Charles despite being a member of the Blackwood family is not considered an insider, initially by Merricat and eventually by Constance and Uncle Julian as well, emphasizing that ignoring Charles’ desires to be an insider that he is still considered an outsider. Overall, the categorisation of characters into both internal and external social groups of the Blackwood family benefit some characters more than others.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: The Ordinary is never insignificant In…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 70%: Succinctly alluding to Blaise Pascal’s Pensées, which delves into the “brevity of life”, Malouf’s short story…
Succinctly alluding to Blaise Pascal’s Pensées, which delves into the “brevity of life”, Malouf’s short story collection *Every Move You Make* examines the intersections between the ordinary and extraordinary experiences of the human condition. Malouf contends that embracing the ordinary can prompt personal transformation. Through the depictions of quiet reflection and ordinary environments, Malouf captures the potential for introspection and self-discovery. Moreover, Malouf furthers this exploration by examining the fixation on the extraordinary, framing it as a constraint on genuine self-development. Hence, Malouf affirms that a true human experience derives not from Grand narratives, but from the ability to find the beauty and meaning within everyday life.
Malouf suggests that ordinary environments serve as transformative forces towards introspection and transformation. Through his depiction of familiar settings, such as the Australian landscape and the domestic household, Malouf proffers that a basic alignment with one’s surrounding enables them to tap into a state of reflection and personal growth. The Short Story ‘The valley of lagoon’ encapsulates the potential for individuals to attain a sense of renewal and self-fulfilment, following Angus’s longing to be “changed” when initiating himself in the annual trip to the valley of lagoons. Malouf’s imagery of the “grey green nondescript wilderness” depicts the Australian setting as simple and subdued, yet it is a transformative force that allows Angus to “feel happily at home in [him]self”, suggesting that external environments have the potential to influence internal peace and stability. Angus’ progression “into the solitude of the land” awakens an internal shift where he forgets his “own disruptive presence”. Here, Malouf proposes that the conflation between and an individual and their surroundings can dissolve internalised shame and criticism. Similarly, the short story “Mrs Porter and the Rock” captures the art of noticing significant landmarks, within an environment, and their true beauty. As Dulcie Porter finally recognises “the rock”, she experiences an “immediate and unaccountable happiness”, suggesting that ordinary moments of acknowledging the natural world possesses a restorative power that can reconnect individuals to states of joy and content. Hence, Malouf insists that significant personal transformation can arise not from grand gestures, but from a quiet attunement to the simplicity and ordinariness of the Australian landscape.
VCE · Language Analysis
Language Analysis: VCAA 2020 Drone Article
VCE Language Analysis essay scoring 80%: The rise of recreational drone use and the threat that this poses to the farming industry of Victoria’s Shire…
The rise of recreational drone use and the threat that this poses to the farming industry of
Victoria’s Shire of Byways has been a point of concern. In response, Warwick Bandle’s
speech at the shire’s council meeting implores that rigid licensing procedures must be
implemented for both recreational and commercial drone use, to ensure the prosperity of
both the farming and tourism industries. Speaking with an urgent, and at times, confounded
voice, Bandle appeals to the wider Byways Shire community with particular focus on its
council members in an attempt to raise awareness of the dangers posed by recreational
drones in their present state and prompt action towards more rigid regulation of their use.
Bandle begins with an ominous depiction of the threat that inept drone usage presents to
the valued farming industry. Impugning that the unskilled engagement with such
technologies is a ‘costly problem’ for ‘us farmers,’ he appeals to his listeners’ hip pocket
nerve, utilising ‘us’ to quickly include all farmers as victims of this economic threat, and thus
imply that his concerns should, too, be of their utmost interest. As he prompts readers to
‘just imagine’ these ramifications, he imparts a sense of limitlessness and immensity to
them, thus crafting the need to address them as all the more imperative. Providing
materialistic examples of these consequences, he alliterates that the inexperienced users of
these drones may come ‘crashing through crops’ in pursuit of their fallen vehicles; an
audible attempt to evoke the concern of his listeners who are farmers – and heightened by
the barbaric, destructive connotations exuded by the verb ‘crashing.’ This is visually
reinforced by his accompanying photograph, depicting one of such drones wedged at a
cumbersome angle in an expansive patch of grass that is likely representative of farmers’
precious land – and thus the physical damage that such technological malfunctions may
induce. Further, the jovial body language of the person in pursuit of the drone –
characterised by her impractical dress and cardigan as someone who is likely not a farmer
herself – elicits an air of ignorance towards the damage she is inadvertently, and likely
unintentionally, causing.
Bandle then moves to implore that Byways’ farming industry deserves a higher level of
concern as such an intrinsic component of the Shire’s prosperity. As he asserts that these
workers are Byways’ ‘backbone,’ this metaphor imparts notions of dependence and
reliance, thus, insinuating that the Shire will be somewhat dysfunctional in the absence of
the farming industry, thus, elevating the importance with which it is prioritised. Affirming
that the workers of this industry have resided in the area ‘for generations,’ he constructs a
sense of longevity to their existence and value. This serves as an understates juxtaposition
to the fleeting, short-lived nature of ‘the tourists’ who are currently of the council’s express
concern, thus, positioning such as order of priority as all the more trivial and in need of reevaluation.
Bandle’s focus then takes a shift, as he explicitly expounds the value of drones
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “Travis has no sense of duty, no sense of…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 70%: Johnson depicts how loyalties transition depending on the lens of morality, propounding that loyalty is…
Johnson depicts how loyalties transition depending on the lens of morality, propounding that loyalty is ever-changing. Johnson promptly deconstructs the way loyalty is inherently expected, in the way the opening massacre is depicted to be a tactical surrounding of the peaceful indigenous tribe. In his introduction, Travis seemingly embodies the same ominous destruction that was brought upon the indigenous, as his horse tramples and gallops into the tainted landscape. In his entrance, Johnson pays homage to Travis’ background in war; thus, depicting Travis in alignment with the destruction brought upon by colonialism. However, the author suddenly subverts Travis' character in the way he bluntly shoots the stationman, who excitedly exclaimed "did I get her?". In a concise manner, Travis' loyalties and background as a colonial power is inversed, as he displays the violence incurred onto the Indigenous back onto its vengeful perpetrators. In this way, Travis' character exists as an oxymoron toward his position and white background; subtly shown to veer further from his post and duties toward the white settlement. In his demeanour, Travis abandons his police attire, compounded by the choice to grow “hair … like a girl”. Doing so, Johnson depicts how the guilt in enduring while innocent die in Travis’ watch rids him of ties toward symbols of eurocentrism. Thus, the author contends that the expectations to blindly follow colonial dogma is dependent moral alignment.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: "What will come will come" Does sophocles'…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 72.5%: The phrase, "what will come will come" gives the idea that life is predestined, and is bound to occur, regardless…
The phrase, "what will come will come" gives the idea that life is predestined, and is bound to occur, regardless of human attempt to intervene. Sophocles' play, Oedipus the king explores the inevitability of fate, and how every outcome is predestined through the tragic downfall of Oedipus, in an ancient greek tragedy.
The consistent unfolding of prophecies validate the inescapable fate that is set for Oedipus' future. Through Tiresias, a blind prophet, fate is symbolised as an unavoidable event and any intervention in attempt to avoid it is impossible. Sophocles highlights what is predestined and what can be changed. Tiresias warns Oedipus, "if you love your own life, call off this search," implying the horrid consequences of Oedipus's actions for pursuing the unknown truth, illuminating themes of fate, and how it is unpreventable. Sophocles presents prophecy as a important higher power in control, such as the Oracle of Delphi, relating to Ancient Greece and the prophecies that people would seek from the oracles, priests and gods in ancient Athens. Through this, Sophocles aims to affirm the idea of the solidified fate through the greek gods and the power imbalance between the gods and Oedipus, by Jocasta's line, "No skill in the world, nothing human can penetrate the future." Human actions are only so futile, and have no effect on fated events, and Sophocles strengthens this idea of definite fate that Oedipus cannot avoid by the shepard stating "If you are the man he says you are, believe me, you were born for pain." further reiterating Oedipus' fated suffering through an uncontrolable higher power's prophecies.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Framework: Protest Title: The truth…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 90%: I am honoured to be standing here under the harsh lights of this sterile conference hall, at this year’s…
I am honoured to be standing here under the harsh lights of this sterile conference hall, at this year’s Environmental Ministers Meeting as a Tasmanian activist speaking on the topic of salmon farming.
Let me be honest with you. The Tasmanian salmon farming industry is one of the most unethical in the world. Since 2016, Tassal, Petuna, and Huon Aquaculture have used a combined total of 125,000 seal bombs in our waterways. Imagine you are scuba diving in Hobart and you are interrupted by flashing lights from across the harbour making you feel blind, high-pitched noises, and loud frequencies that are so deafening it’s going to burst your eardrums. Here I am revealing a day in the life as a seal at Macquarie Harbour.
After a recent intervention into the fatal impact of the seal crackers, Tassal and Petuna reduced their use of the bombs by 75%. But Huon Aquaculture? In a shameless move, they went the other way and secretly increased their usage by 10%, showing a complete disregard for environmental and animal welfare. Speak up! Because this isn’t right.
Former Greens leader Bob Brown recently published a reel on Instagram revealing covert footage of these obnoxious looking salmon coined ‘frankenfish’. The genetically modified organisms are bred to grow and fatten at unnatural rates. Blindness. Spinal deformities. Damaged fins. There is no denying that these deformities are the price these creatures pay for companies that maximise profit over ethical principles. The salmon farming companies are hiding the truth from you. Perhaps I should have brought one here today like Sarah Hanson Young did in parliament so you could get the whole picture! Use your platform to make this issue known. Because together we can fight to make some real change.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: 'How does Born a Crime reveal the…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 70%: Set during and after the apartheid regime in South Africa, 'Born a Crime', a memoir written by Trevor Noah explores…
Set during and after the apartheid regime in South Africa, 'Born a Crime', a memoir written by Trevor Noah explores that resilience is not just an act of endurance but also a transformative form of defiance and hope. Through his mothers moral faith and humor, Noah learns that survival amid the harsh apartheid system requires steely ability to overcome suffering. Noah presents his mothers resilience as a combative form of resistance that became a model for his own challenges. Noah uses humor as an emotional tool to reframe the struggle that he experiences, overcoming trauma and suffering. Noah then portrays resilience as the tool to adopt and upgrade oneself to reclaim identity and agency. Noah highlights Patricias resilience as a combative form of defiance that inspires his own approach to challenges. He references Patricias "ability to forget" the "pain", as not just literally but a unique focus that enshrines her optimism towards life. Allowing Noahs mother to have a 'keep moving forward' mentality, which helps her withstand certain challenges. Noahs praises for Patricias definite and "independent" character credits her stable foundation that provides Patricia with the initial capability to be a symbol of challenge which towers the apartheid. Among this, Noah also remembers that in moments of despair "we didn't have food" but his mother would recognise that "we had the lord". Revealing Patricias faith as a psychological barrier that would bring about a new positive mindset, which Noah thanks her for making him "stronger". Furthermore, Noah also applauds Patricias refusal to conform to the apartheid logic of hate, teaching him "to love" even if it's "dangerous". Showcasing his mothers wisdom of acceptance of all people, not wishing to mirror the same aspects of apartheid hate or separation. Noah puts those that stand above basic moral philosophies on a pedestal commemorating their unique way of defying the system. Patricias character can be contrasted with other individuals such as Abel, as she presents a more calm and quick witted faith. Compared to Abel, who becomes easily enticed to the most miniscule of circumstances, unleashing his hatred ever so quickly. Evident when after Abel "shoots" Patricia, Noah elaborates how she "walked away from death laughing". Demonstrating the miracle that was able to assist Patricia in surviving, symbolising her defiance against the brutality of the patriarchal system, where Patricia's character stands petty ethical actions within the ignorance of the police. Through his mother, Noah reveals resilience as a moral courage, a choice to meet injustice not with "bitterness" but instead compassion and optimism. Further becoming a model for Trevor's life later on, dedicating "Born a Crime" as a gift to his mother. Noah utilises humour as an emotional and narrative element to divert pain, delicately it can challenge truama and suffering. Through Noah's constant humorous retelling of his childhood in the first chapter labelled "run", he highlights how he would "hide from police" because of his "mixed race" identity. Hiding at the apartheid houndstics by facing humiliation and difficult situations into empowerment for Noah's unique storytelling utilising his comedic personality, Noah proceeds to tell about "my mother's" race being different to "my race" making it look like a "crime scene", implying the
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: country section b- shaped over time
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 90%: Shaped Over Time Introduction Australia is a country layered with stories, yet too often those stories run…
Shaped Over Time
Introduction
Australia is a country layered with stories, yet too often those stories run parallel rather than intertwined. Our national identity is one of striking landscapes and deep time, but also of (_____), silences, divisions, and fences both visible and invisible. Nowhere did I feel this (______) more sharply than when travelling through Hermannsburg, a small town in the red heart of the Northern Territory. There, in a place where Country itself seemed alive with memory, I saw the lines that separate Indigenous and settler Australia, lines that have been shaped over time by history, misunderstanding, and fear.
The Physical Divide
We stayed in a caravan park on the edge of Hermannsburg, a space meant for visitors like us. What struck me first was not the view of the MacDonnell Ranges, nor the sweep of desert sky, but the fence: towering wire topped with barbs, circling the park like a clenched fist. At night, the gates were locked. From inside, we looked out, and from outside, perhaps they looked in. The message was silent but clear: separation, suspicion, mistrust.
That fence was more than metal. It embodied the physical (____) that still scars this country, The way colonisation has built walls, both concrete and psychological, between First Nations communities and white Australia. Once, this land had no borders. Country was known by story, by kinship, by the pathways of rivers and the tracks of ancestors. But settlers arrived and began to draw lines where none had existed before- On maps, on deeds, and later on fences. Each line carved into the land reshaped the way people related to it, slicing what had been whole into fragments, turning (___into___)
Over generations, this (______) hardened, moulded into the fabric of our towns and streets, shaping the very way we see each other. What I felt most strongly in Hermannsburg was not safety, but estrangement: as if we settlers, in locking ourselves in, had admitted we had never truly learned how to belong.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: How does the play explore the idea of…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 75%: Within Ancient Greek civilizations, the idea of blindness has often been associated with ignorance towards societal…
Within Ancient Greek civilizations, the idea of blindness has often been associated with ignorance towards societal truths. Similarly, Sophocles’ tragedy, Oedipus the King, explores how it is socially expected that individuals stay reverent towards divinity by accepting truth determined by fate, as a means of avoiding blindness. Those who are unable to comply with these notions are deemed as socially unaccepted, being punished for their blindness in life, while others who follow the divine are rewarded for their avoidance of blindness.
In an Ancient Greek society, Sophocles illustrates the social expectation that individuals are to be reverent to the divine, specifically truth determined by fate to avoid being blind. Within the text, Sophocles portrays Delphi, a metaphorical representation of divine message, as having “gold vaults” to demonstrate its surface value and importance in determining what is true or not to the chorus, a representation of Ancient Greek society. In this way, the idea that divine authority distinguishes what is true or not is emphasized, whereby individuals are encouraged by wider society to accept their prophecies to not be blind. Likewise, the society of Thebes is depicted as having the “truth” being “learned” from prophets and oracles, thus highlighting the absolute authority that divinity commanded when determining what was to be followed or not. As such, to be a viable Ancient Greek citizen, it is expected that individuals stay reverent and obedient to the divine, being accepting of their fates and thus being able to see what is right, which is the truth. Additionally, the chorus expects that all individuals “serve” under the “commands of Lord Apollo” as a means of showcasing their respect and obedience towards the gods. By doing so, individuals are perceived as being reverent, and hence, displaying an active decision to avoid being blind to social incompatibility. Furthermore, during times of struggle, individuals are expected to “hear” from the “voice of gods” as a means of seeking guidance. In doing so, it is displayed that they seek truth determined by the gods, and thus, are able to not be blind by society’s standards. Sophocles demonstrates that in order for individuals to not be blind, they must seek truth determined by the divine order.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: ‘conceal me what I am.’ How does…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 75%: In Shakespeare's romantic comedy play 'Twelfth Night', first performed in the early 1600s, the ambiguity of…
In Shakespeare's romantic comedy play 'Twelfth Night', first performed in the early 1600s, the ambiguity of identity and the conventions they reside in are challenged by Elizabethan society. The deceptive nature of mistaken identities and outward perception is exposed by Shakespeare, demonstrating the fragility within physical identities. Through the performance of self-confidence and climbing social ambitions, Shakespeare condemns those that incorrectly base their identities off selfish ambition. Shakespeare challenges the ambiguity of gender roles within Elizabethan society, and the constraints, critiquing the fragility of distorting reality through a changed identity. Shakespeare reveals identity as fragile, unstable, and dependent on illusion, demonstrating it is not an unchangeable truth, but a performance shaped by others perceptions and social expectations.
Shakespeare presents identity as a fragile performance constructed through illusion and maintained by the perceptions of others, regardless of inner truth. Through Viola's disguise and dramatic irony, Shakespeare exposes how identity functions as a theatrical performance with the notion of "conceal me what I am", exposing the paradox of survival being reliant on suppressing ones authentic self. By positioning identity as reliant on physical characteristics, Shakespeare critiques the dependence on outward appearance to define an individual, revealing how the fractured personal authenticity due to social expectations. Similarly, the mistaken identities that drive the comedic elements of 'Twelfth Night' highlight the trouble in perception distorting the truth. In Orsino's exclamation "one face, one voice, one habit, and two persons!", the comic misunderstanding dismantles the notion of stable identity, with the interchangeability of an individuals association of identity with their identity being tied to their external appearance.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Protest essay title: revolution…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 67.5%: Revelation • 2024, may 25th - melbourne The road hums beneath thousands of shoes. Each step carries a story,…
Revelation
• 2024, may 25th - melbourne
The road hums beneath thousands of shoes. Each step carries a story, like asphalt pressed in fingerprints. Flags ripple above our heads, as the afternoon sun warms our backs. I walk beside people I've never met, but somehow, they all feel familiar. We are here because michael long is walking again, twenty years after the first long walk, when he protested against racism and demanded change in the AFL.
• ABC News Clip, may 25th
"Two decades after the historic protest, michael long leads thousands in the 20th anniversary of the long walk. Calling for unity and respect."
They call it a celebration, but to me it feels more like a reminder that the fight isn't over.
Dad told me about the first long walk, he sat on the couch and turned on the news, proud and hopeful. He thought it would change things forever.
He was wrong.
I remember playing my first AFL game last season, hearing the same racist words that were shouted twenty years ago. The club said it was 'disappointing'. The league said it was 'unacceptable'. Then it was forgotten.
• AFL Statement April 2024
"The AFL remains committed to eradicating racism out of our game."
These words are powerful when spoken, but weak when nothing follows.
I hear the chants "always was, always will be." A group of students next to me hold a banner that reads, "Still we walk." I join the rhythm, the clapping in time, feeling the beat rise through my chest.
I think of Adam Goodes standing alone on the SCG as the crowd booed him. I think of Eddie Betts, smiling through interviews that barely hid the pain. Then I think of dad, giving up playing because he was tired of feeling like a target on the field.
"protest is a way of forming resilience, to those afraid to stand up.
This is what michael referred to when he started walking again, its simple, but means everything.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: When We Roar”
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 72.5%: The air smelt of smoke sweat and hope. It was October 2022, the night Melbourne joined the women, life and…
The air smelt of smoke sweat and hope.
It was October 2022, the night Melbourne joined the women, life and freedom marches that ripped across the globe. Rain smudged the chalk slogans drawn on Swanston Street: "Stop killing Women", "Her name was Savannah". Umbrellas became sheilds, wet cardboard placards drooped like exhausted arms. But no one left. No one could.
Standing shoulder to shoulder, I thought of the generations of women who had stood before us, women who protested barefoot with voices hoarse from years of dismissal. My mother, who marched for equal pay in 1972. My grandmother, who never marched at all because good girls do not cause trouble.
We are there trouble now.
The chants started soft, almost hesitant: "My body, my choice!". Then louder: "No justice, no peace". The city trembled with the sound of resistance. Protest is inheritance. Each generation passes down both wounds and the will to fight.
Around me, a mosaic of women surged forward. Nurses, students, mothers, migrants. A girl with purple hair climbed the steps of the State Library holding a candle like a sword. She shouted, "We are done being afraid!". Her voice cracked, and in that crack was power, the sound of something breaking and something else beginning.
VCE · Language Analysis
Language Analysis: 2024 VCAA exam section C
VCE Language Analysis essay scoring 70%: Since the termination of the funding towards Our Local Gym fitness club, many from the Gym committee have begun…
Since the termination of the funding towards Our Local Gym fitness club, many from the Gym committee have begun to question the consequences of the future of the club. Notably, Sandy Gestalt, the chair of the Our Local Gym committee, speaks to the members of the gym, voicing the concerns regarding the council subsidy being withdrawn. She supports her assertion that in order for the club to continue thriving, the members must vote upon the merge between the club and Long Live Lollies. Gestalt addresses not only the members of the committee, but more indirectly the wider community of the customers those responsible for exacerbating the situation, to present her message with efficiency - in hope that direct action, will be taken for the future of the Gym.
From the outset, Sandy Gestalt overlays the significance of the Gym through it's inclusion and intentions - candidly illustrating the magnitude to which the Gym must remain standing. By beginning the speech with a concerned yet hopeful voice Gestalt recognises the ability for the committee to "work together" to save the Gym, followed by a pun, "worked out together". By incorporating a combination of humour & inclusive language, Gestalt appeals to her direct audience by beginning on a positive note, thereby encouraging hope and from the members while also offering them authority and control in determining the future of the Gym. Furthermore, Gestalt shifts to comparing Our Local Gym to other competing Gyms, yet through this comparison she bluntly reveals her bias through the use of connotated terms. While referring to her Gym as "safe", "young-at-heart" and "accepting", while she frames other local gyms as "competitive", and "obnoxious", Sandy Gestalt utilises juxtaposition to capture the inclusivity and welcoming nature of Our Local Gym, while framing other surrounding Gyms as simply materialistic and judgmental, thus signifying the necessity for the Gym to continue running as it attracts a wide range of locals, as oppose to other Gyms. This, incidently, inclines the committee members attending the meeting to side with Sandy Gestalt and support the movement in saving the Gym.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Section B - Creating a text…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 70%: Uprising "I cant breathe." Those were George Floyd's final words as he was forcibly held down by a white police…
Uprising
"I cant breathe." Those were George Floyd's final words as he was forcibly held down by a white police officer who chocked him until his last breath. It was not fair. It was not fair that one white man would take the life of an innocent Black man and only receive a 22.5 year prison sentence when Floyd's daughter forever lost the one person she could call her father, the person who was her rock in life. It was not fair that a dozen protests had to be conducted in order for justice to be brought to the forefront. It was not fair that Floyd's family had to bury their own son, father and loving boyfriend, and be dismissed, being told it was justice. What kind of justice is that? What kind of country is America?
George Floyd was not just buried underground in the hands of Derrek Chauvin, alone. But by the sickness of America, its greed, its racism, it unequivocal cowardice. That same America that brought Breonna Taylor, Emmett Till and Treyvone Martin to the ground. Your system pledges to protect the whole of America, except us. The world still asks "But what did the police officer do wrong?" Ignoring racist abuse & silence against Black American was easy by physically burying their bodies and bold voices. It is easier to oppose justice. It is easier to silence voices you know hold an immense amount of power.
And, America, where were you? While Floyd was be suffocated in pain as he merely watched his life be stolen from him, You sat in silence and chose not to speak up until us Black Americans did and gave your Government a horrible
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Hog-Eye, turn that light back where it…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 67.5%: Sunset Boulevard, directed by Billy Wilder, is a film noir which explores the impact of the shift between the…
Sunset Boulevard, directed by Billy Wilder, is a film noir which explores the impact of the shift between the silent film era and the talkies in the 1950s (30 years later). Whilst Sunset Boulevard challenges traditional gender expectations, it also reinforces them. Wilder’s use of character interactions, film techniques, characterisation, and choice of dialogue all represent his view that at that time, males had the most power in Hollywood. The quote “Hog-eye turn that light back where it belongs.” said by director Cecil B DeMille, orchestrates that the film industry was run by men.
Throughout the film, certain characters challenge traditional gender expectations in a range of alternate ways. At the beginning of the film, Norma Desmond, once Hollywood’s most beloved star, meets script writer Joe Gillis who she later on commands to complete a range of tasks including script reading, going shopping with her, romantically dancing with her and ultimately filling the void of her significant other. Wilder draws attention to Norma’s claw-like and predatory hands and the leopard print present in her costume. The leopard print is portrayed mainly when she is with Joe, representing the way she has him caught in her trap, and the power dynamic between the pair. In addition to this, Norma’s former husband, Max Von Mayerling, gives up his main role as a film director to serve her as a personal butler, representing a reversal of typical gender expectations where the man wouldn’t change his life for a female. Max explains to Joe that he “discovered her when she was eighteen” and that he “made her a star”, demonstrating his willingness to change his life for Norma. This moment clearly shows how Max reverses traditional gender roles. Instead of being the powerful, career-driven man, he gives up his position as a successful film director to serve Norma as her butler. His decision to dedicate his life to caring for her demonstrates loyalty and emotional sacrifice, traits that were typically expected from women at the time. Rather than focusing on his own success, he chooses to support Norma completely, challenging the expectation that men should always be dominant and in control. Essentially in Sunset Boulevard, Norma holds major control and power over Joe, demonstrating that the woman in the relationship is the most dominant, and Max gives up his career to serve as a butler for a woman, both challenging gender expectations.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: TITLE: The power within us all.…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 85%: Good afternoon all. Today, I stand before you all, before Australia to deliver one simple message. Stand up for…
Good afternoon all.
Today, I stand before you all, before Australia to deliver one simple message. Stand up for those who can’t speak for themselves. That is power, the power we are all so blessed with.
While we are extremely fortunate in this country, it’s no so often that we are exposed to injustice and the blatant violation of human rights. While injustice is not common, on the rare occasion is does, our lack of speaking up remains too prevalent. In such a modern society like this one we all call home, we must ask ourselves, how could we let this happen, how can we not protest, to not protest is acceptance?
It’s time as a united nation; we come to face to face with the injustice faced by those attempting to seek refuge in this country. Use the power to speak within us for good. Thousands of people are seen as just another person, another number. We shall not reduce them to that, they are unique individuals just like you and I, with families and a story to tell.
The problem in this country stems from how we welcome these refugees into our country we should be considered privileged to call home. Families escaping treacherous conditions from their home country, come here as a restart. How do we welcome these survivors? With detention cells.
Refugees already have been through a risky ordeal to reach Australia, and we are supposedly meant to welcome them with open arms, instead we throw them into worse conditions. That is our power and privilege going to waste, allowing for this absolute disgrace. If we are not to stand up against, we accept we accept the support system in place for those seeking asylum in this country in which is an absolute disaster. We as an accepting collective subject human beings to overcrowding, filthy conditions while not even having the guarantee of the right to basic privacy. It’s time we no longer stood by this.
After everything these individuals, not stats individuals have been through. They have been from hell and back and have survived. They are survivors. They have turned their will to survive into power; it’s time we use our power to stand up for them.
It’s time to embrace these survivors, their values, their strength, their bravery. These are values we as a nation should learn from. It’s time to see the arrival of these survivors as an opportunity to grow and wrap our arms around them, as they can be our future. But instead, they are left alone and helpless, unable to give anything to their new community, as we sit back and allow for them to striped of everything, and their words silenced.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “Least here we do things our own way- no…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 70%: Rannu's End Practice Paper Plannin Yasmin . M 'Least here we do things our way - no one breathing down our necks!'…
Rannu's End Practice Paper Plannin
Yasmin . M
'Least here we do things our way - no one breathing
down our necks!'
Home is central to identity in Rainbows End
To what extent do you agree?
Rainbow's End a play written by Jane Harrison is set in the 1950's rural Australia, the play explores how home has a direct link to the way a person views themselves in some scenarios. It presents how from the physical place of home is able to set the views and perspectives a person has on themselves and on where they fit into the world. As well as this Harrison also demonstrates that the home made by the people one's surrounded by can also effect one's perspective on how they live and act. Lastly it is also shown that the home a person is brought up in, isn't representative of themselves & how they want to live at all.
In Rainbow's End Jane Harrison displays how home is able to create and shape a persons views, helping discover their true identity. Characters throughout the play are represented by their home by it being able to shape their place and purpose within the community. When Nan Dear expresses that the Murray River is her home as she exclaims she was "born there, and by crikey I'm gonna die here". Suggesting the deep connection she was with her place of birth, it can be seen as a place that helped her grow and become the strong, resilient woman she is now. In relation to this sense of belonging is also illustrated when Gladys claims "I'm not an interloper - I belong here - this is my land". The statement portrays the love and connection to country Gladys is able to give her something to fight for, helping her find her powerful and resilient personality. Additionally minor characters such as Nancy Woolthorpe is also another example how home
heavily influences identity. Nancy , a white character which grows up in a white prejudice community against Aboriginals has seen to heavily influence her identity. Her nasty comments towards Dolly at the ball is an example how growing up in a prejudice place has caused a prejudice mindset. As shown through several characters, Harrison was able to suggest how the physical place of home is able to direct how a person creates their place in a social hierarchy is able to influence the way they live.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Rainbows End depicts the impact of racism…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: The First Nations play 'Rainbow's End' by Jane Harrison follows a family of three indigenous women as they…
The First Nations play 'Rainbow's End' by Jane Harrison follows a family of three indigenous women as they traverse the difficulties of day-to-day life in an emerging White society. Set in 1950s Australia, an era of discriminatory policy and deeply entrenched racism towards the indigenous population, the play explores the notion that racism destroy First Nation confidence and general psyche. However, it also asserts that, despite facing immense amounts of discrimination, through communal support indigenous individuals can seek self-empowerment.
The effects of discrimination directly contributes to the destruction of indigenous self confidence. The racist White society presented in the play demonstrates the denigration of Indigenous self worth. Although not appearing significantly throughout the play, the subtle reveal of Aunt Esters character to be "at the cork trees, drinking with the goomies" due to the forceful snatching of her children highlights the ruin of Indigenous confidence as a direct consequence of discriminatory policy such as the Stolen Generation. Harrison also alludes to the notion that the racism faced by the First Nation population denigrated them from individual to collectives that are rendered helpless with no choice other than resorting to alcohol. The destruction of Indigenous confidence extends as far as to youth highlighted by Dolly's concern of 'what will happen to Errol?' in the climax with Cher I. Not only is Dolly's question directed to Errol but also the audience who Harrison tasks with deciphering the consequence of Errol's choice which intentionally reveals the struggles and mindset of the youth, who rather than confidently attend a social gathering, are forced to question their legitimacy. Thus, demonstrating the immediate and ingrained effects of discrimination on First Nation's Peoples' confidence.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: turning points
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 82.5%: “The Night Refuses to End” There’s something about 3:41 a.m. that feels eternal. A time too late to be night,…
“The Night Refuses to End”
There’s something about 3:41 a.m. that feels eternal. A time too late to be night, too early to be morning — a hollow between worlds. That’s when I hear it: the creak of my ceiling, the hum of silence louder than sound, the thud of my own thoughts begging to rest.
But I don’t sleep. I haven’t in weeks. Not really.
Insomnia isn’t just the absence of sleep — it’s the presence of everything else. Every doubt. Every unfinished assignment. Every version of myself I promised I’d become by now.
The First Descent
It started small. Year 12 pressures. Procrastinated essays. “I’ll do it after dinner.” “After this episode.” “After I fix my life.”
Spoiler: I never fixed my life.
I told myself I was waiting for motivation. What I was really doing was negotiating with failure.
Sleep became collateral damage — traded in for late-night productivity that never arrived. I wasn’t staying up to work. I was staying up to avoid the shame of not working.
But the work didn’t get done. And the guilt? It festered.
Every morning I’d wake with an ache behind my eyes and a pit in my stomach.
I became two versions of myself. the frantic dreamer and the exhausted drifter.
I walked through school like a spectre. Eyes bloodshot. Words sluggish. Heart racing from too much caffeine and not enough conviction.
My friends called me “high functioning.” My teachers called me “potential.”
I called myself a fraud.
The Illusion of Control
One night, I sat at my desk. Homework splayed around me like corpses on a battlefield. My laptop glowed a ghostly blue.
The clock read 2:09 am.
I blinked.
3:32.
I hadn’t typed a word. Just stared. Trapped in thought-loops like vines choking the last breath out of me.
That’s when I realised: I wasn’t living. I was performing. Rehearsing the perfect student. Pretending to be the student I thought everyone expected. Pretending to carry it all.
But I was Sisyphus, and my boulder was built from overdue deadlines, unmet expectations, and sleepless nights.
And every morning, I rolled it uphill.
And every night, it crushed me again.
The Fracture
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Title: Resist and Persist Stimulus: If…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 87.5%: Nia The morning air clung to Nia's skin - thick, smoky and alive. She adjusted the mask on her daughter's…
Nia
The morning air clung to Nia's skin - thick, smoky and alive. She adjusted the mask on her daughter's face, the soft pink one patterned with flowers. Sky always rebelled, wearing the mask upside down, a small gesture that made Nia smile despite her stomach tightening. The gesture steadied her hands. The mask she realised, was more than protection. It was the small space between fear and hope, between was what has been hidden and what was still dared to be seen through collective persistence.
Around them, the city pulsed. Drums echoed down the street, and a thousand breaths rose into the same heavy sky. Nia had been to many protests before, but this one carried more weight. Not louder, not larger, just weighted against years of oppression. It was as if history itself was pressing down on the air. Each chant carried persistance, something ancient and aching.
Say their names.
The words throbbed through her chest like a heartbeat. Although, Nia was not going to fall back into line, being swallowed by the crowd. She was going to stand up, with her breath short beneath her mask.
Her mother had said similar words years ago, though masks were different back then - thinner, handmade, pulled tight repetitively against gas and fear. You wear it to protect yourself, her mother told her. Don't let it silence your resistance. Continue to stand up and persist. That voice clung to her now, hovering just behind the chanting crowd.
She looked down at Sky, her small hand clutching a sign sticky with apple juice and glitter. The letters shimmered in the sunlight, crooked but defiant. My Life Matters. Nia's breath caught again. The sign looked fragile, childlike even, but there was an act of resistance in the letters that was unbreakable behind the the mask of glitter, something radiant.
As they moved forward, the air thickened. A line of officers stood ahead, masks blank and identical, their faces unreadable. They stood with a tremendous amount of persistence, not moving an inch despite rebellion from the crowd. It was as if they could hear Nia's mothers voice masked behind the crowd, telling them to continue standing against the defiant crowd.
Sky's hand trembled in hers, their joined breaths syncing for a moment before Nia realised - she was holding not just her daughter's hand, but the fragile thread of belief that the world could still be fair.
Then Sky let go.
For a split second, Nia's breath stopped altogether. The crowd swelled around her, the chant breaking apart into shouts and static. Nia searched desperately, eyes burning, pushing hard against the defiant protesters, until she saw the flash of pink shoes weaving through the legs of strangers, Her daughter, standing tall against the wall of black masks.
Nia wanted to scream, but no sound came. She could only watch as Sky lifted her glittering sign toward the light.
Sky
Sky didn't really know what a protest was. To her, it felt like a parade - voices, colours, drums. Everyone wore masks, even the police, and that made it hard for her to tell who was smiling and who was cross. Her own mask smelt like soap and crayons. Every breath she took, the inside of it warmed and fogged. It felt like talking to herself - like her breath was trying to tell her a secret.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: ‘…language even more so than colour…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 67.5%: Born a Crime, a memoir writter by Trevor Noan about growing up In Past Apartheid South Africa explores how his…
Born a Crime, a memoir writter by Trevor Noan about growing up In Past Apartheid South Africa explores how his colour, and use of language created peoples perceptions of him while showcasing that despite preconceptions based off appearance, you can still become your own person with your own identity. Trevor Noah explore aso demonstrates why language over colour was a deciding factor in his treatment growing up in South Afvica, and indicative of his. future success.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: frame work of protest
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 87.5%: Aayan English rough draft section B The vibrant rays of the sun crept through the sheer curtains like pale…
Aayan English rough draft section B
The vibrant rays of the sun crept through the sheer curtains like pale silk, tumbling onto the linen sheets of a bed much too large for solo occupancy. The sheets, white as flawless snow, rustled softly beneath Abraham as he shifted beneath them. The morning light twirled off the glossy silver frames on his walls, his family beaming in smiles too perfect to be real. It fell on the new leather covers of Bibles of various colours, spines uncreased, lined up together on a shelf of blackwood. They gleamed not through use, but through being displayed, faith as decor, morality as ornament.
Outside, somewhere beyond the panes of manicured lawns, the faintest light of dawn struggled to make its way between the gaps of another roof, corrugated iron, rusted and tired, barely hanging on. It fell on Belly's temple, rousing him awake before birds could muster the courage to sing. That single strip of light was always the first to find him each morning, carrying the faintest promise of a day yet to come.
He moved softly across the patched floorboards, walking around the weak spots that groaned under pressure. His father was on the couch, the smell of alcohol lingering like regret. Belly smiled softly; his father drank what he pleased, but still worked every day, still said "son" proudly. He washed his school shoes in the metal bucket, the water turning grey, and hoped maybe today it would be different.
Abraham's breakfast was set on porcelain. He read headlines while his butler poured a glass so transparent it appeared invisible with orange juice squeezed fresh. His father entered, a politician with a too-practiced smile, thanking his son for his latest "effort," a charity social media posting, applauded by people who'd never known hunger. Abraham smiled. He wanted to make the world a better place, to do good, as his father professed.
That afternoon, his vehicle drove through the poorer parts of town, a first for cracked pavement, peeling paint, and faces that didn't look up as he passed. There he saw the small restaurant, the rusty sign, the faded letters, the smell of oil and salt. He peeked inside. The food was old, possibly expired, the walls stained by smoke. But there was laughter there, families sharing meals that wasn't perfect, but theirs. What Abraham did not know was that this small restaurant catered to the poverty line, people for whom this was the single place they could afford to eat. To him, who was brought up amidst disinfectant and glass, it was unhygienic, unsafe. He told himself people were better than that, that shutting it down would save them.
He called the authorities.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: What does Jackson suggest about the…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 75%: In a world where societal inclusion is determined by the acceptance of tradition, where those who do not abide by…
In a world where societal inclusion is determined by the acceptance of tradition, where those who do not abide by societal standards experience great adversity - both from external and internal factors - Shirley Jackson's 1962 gothic novel 'We Have Always Lived in The Castle' depicts the struggles of individuals who are exposed to the pressures of conventional expectations of post-war American society. Through societal norms and the alienation of the other, Jackson examines how tradition offers individuals little room for independence and prosperity. However, Jackson ultimately maintains that people are not bound to uphold these norms and may still flourish by reclaiming these conventions in order to embrace order and agency over one's life.
Jackson condemns how society's cruel perception of unconventional leaves individuals to turn to isolation as a survival mechanism between painful interactions with the outside world. Explored through Merricat's correspondence with the village, Jackson illustrates how the isolation of the Blackwood sisters comes as a result of the torment and suffering experienced at the hands of the village people. From the onset, Merricat's vivid description of the "little horrified laugh" echoed by the villagers as she grocery shops reveals the cruel nature of the townspeople that provoke and jeer her while she is simply trying to complete a mundane task. Jackson's employment of the word "horrified" connotates the detestation the villagers associate with Merricat, illustrating their collective tendency to dehumanise the Blackwood family and perceive them as outsiders. Jackson thus critiques post-war American society's inclination to perceive women that lack subservience to conventiality, contributing to their ostracisation. Jackson furthers this notion through the inclusion of the children chanting a song of Constance asking Merricat if she would "like a cup of tea?". This not only reaffirms the hostility of the villages, but also depicts how such cruelty is perpetuated through younger generations. Reflecting on the 1690s New England fascination with witchcraft, Jackson shadows a similar segregation and laments the hopelessness of ever escaping such cycles of ostracisation of women that do not conform to strict societal confines. Merricat's fear of the villagers "swerving" when she crosses the road and her own hatred of the "unchangingly grey" village betray how her and Constance's initial isolation is based on fear rather than agency. In symbolically illustrating the cruel perception of society, Jackson affirms how society takes power over women that are 'othered' and forces them into separation from the broader world. As such, Jackson attests how societal perception, often fueled by hatred, can strip individuals of agency and control, confining them to the strict boundaries of public opinion and resulting in its victims behaving based on fear rather than self-actualisation.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Protest piece
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 77.5%: Protest Piece - Cry Out Dear diary, Newyork feels different tonight, It feels as if it's holding its breath,…
Protest Piece - Cry Out
Dear diary,
Newyork feels different tonight, It feels as if it's holding its breath, as if the city is afraid of the very machines they once invited in. As I stand at my window, I can't help but notice the sense of resistance, how alive it all is, people down below surging through 'do not enter' signs, moving like a single heartbeat against the cold of the networks that govern us. Their chants rise high, cancelling out any static from the drones lurking above them all, bouncing off glass towers where glowing billboards scream messages written by algorithms, not people.
At first I was scared of the artifical vocies that beam through the fearless streets, sounding inhuman, almost like thunder programmed to strike on command. The blinding red lights scanning the air in search of warm human breaths, trying to pick a target. In the moment, I was scared, I wanted to hide, close the curtians, hide my face, so they beleive I was complaint - invisible.
As I looked closer, I saw families, friends, feelings, something these cold ones would never understand, form together like one, clasping hands together in warmth and power, and signs lifted above heads painted with words AI could not predict - messy, human, imperfect. Faces were lit, not by the harsh glow of drones above, but from hope and courage, something so unpredictable, so powerful, that no code could over wright it.