VCE · Text Response
Text Response: ‘All of the characters in Sunset Boulevard…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 70%: In the face of struggle, individuals resort to taking advantage of others to achieve personal or financial gain.…
In the face of struggle, individuals resort to taking advantage of others to achieve personal or financial gain. Set in the post-war 1950’s, Billy Wilder-directed film noir *Sunset Boulevard* proposes a scathing social critique on the manipulative Hollywood industry. Throughout the film, Wilder accentuates how as a result of financial greed, individuals tend to resort to manipulation. Moreover, the director exacerbates how manipulation can also arise when seeking emotional solace and fulfillment, yet some individuals use deceptive tactics in order to support others. However, Wilder eventually unmasks the underlying motives to this supposed support, which are for self-fulfilment.
Wilder constructs a world where greed and desire for financial success catalyses individuals to take advantage of others. Joe, the protagonist is introduced as a struggling writer as the camera pans towards his “one bedroom apartment [he] can’t pay for” while he frantically types his ‘Bases Loaded’ in a bathrobe, encapsulating his financial insecurity and unprofessional work conditions. However, despite his financial struggles being sufficed by Norma offering her largesse to be a script doctor, her eventual solace in Joe becomes a tool for his manipulation - allowing him to fabricate companionship to Norma for a life of “champagne on ice, and plenty of caviar”. Here, Wilder amplifies Joe masking his greedy desperation under the guise of love for Norma. Furthermore, the filmmaker also critiques journalists who manipulate the comfort of stars for financial gain. Hollywood gossip columnist, Hedda Hopper, is initially depicted at the front line of Norma’s demise to reality as she invasively sits on her bed marketing Norma as a “forgotten star, [now] a slayer”. Wilder emphasises Hollywood and the media’s disregard and lack of sympathy for stars through Hedda’s ignorant commodification of Norma’s “state of complete mental shock”. Therefore, Wilder’s *Sunset Boulevard* criticises a greedy society that oversteps personal boundaries for financial gain.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Personal journeys
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 82.5%: Good evening everyone, teachers, families, and the class of 2025. As we take this day to celebrate the…
Good evening everyone, teachers, families, and the class of 2025.
As we take this day to celebrate the overarching achievements of my fellow graduates, I want to take a step back. 5 years ago was the start of something new and exciting. A new year with new opportunities became a place I could learn and be involved with a population of people that I can now proudly call my family. At the start of high school, we were handed a spark. Small, yet there was room for growth into a larger flame.
I want to reflect on the small light we had started out with and how the class of 2025 will carry a new level of brightness towards our future. It was not only our perseverance that got us through, but the unique way we were able to handle change, hand in hand. We had fought and lived through moments beyond academics, pushing through exhausting camps where our muscles ached and lungs burned, competitive sports events that tested not only our bodies, but our spirit. Challenges like these felt foreign, yet forged us into something stronger. So, let me commend the battles that have brought us to where we stand today. A limelight to the courageous efforts we have put throughout these incredible 5 years.
At the start of it all, I was afraid to be open. Friendships were kept sacred and I found myself struggling to speak up. However, these feelings were only private to me. Struggles were not only my own problem, instead, we all faced something that was kept hidden. An invisible weight we carried silently, like stones in our pockets that grew heavier with each passing day of isolation. It was unspeakable yet it built us up along the way. Paving our way through online learning and checking up in simple text message was our way of life. As months skipped by like pages being torn from a calendar, I saw the way time had sculpted our faces. In a flicker of a flame, who knew that 2 years could change so much about a person. Yet, being able to see us all here today, taller, smarter, wiser, it’s incomprehensible about how much we’ve grown. We are more than we realise, forged by the impossible circumstances we faced in 2020. The solid ground we were supposed to have was rocky and imbalanced. Our lives changed from that moment moving forward and I don’t think I would change that for the world. For the peers that I wish I had known sooner, I don’t blame us. The world changed and we had to adapt. These challenges would become the least of our worries, and I’m grateful for where we find ourselves now.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: “Sophocles suggests that seeking truth is…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 82.5%: In his tragic play Oedipus the King (c. 429 BCE), Sophocles explores the moral and spiritual consequences of…
In his tragic play Oedipus the King (c. 429 BCE), Sophocles explores the moral and spiritual consequences of humanity’s pursuit of truth. As one of classical Athens’ greatest dramatists, Sophocles crafts a tragedy in which a ruler’s quest for knowledge collides with the unyielding power of fate and divine law. Written during a period of plague and political uncertainty, the play mirrors Athenian anxieties about reason, piety, and the limits of human control. Sophocles advocates for truth-seeking when guided by humility and reverence for divine order, suggesting that while the revelation of truth brings pain and destruction, it ultimately leads to enlightenment and moral restoration.
Sophocles reveals that genuine insight arises only through suffering, implying that enlightenment demands humility rather than intellect. Oedipus begins as a confident ruler who believes reason can conquer fate, promising to “grant your prayers” to the people of Thebes. His determination to uncover Laius’ murderer presents him as morally courageous and selfless; yet his conviction that human intelligence can rival divine knowledge exposes fatal pride. The irony of Tiresias—blind yet able to “see the truth”—underscores that moral vision, not physical sight, defines wisdom. Only when Oedipus is physically blinded does he achieve true clarity, naming himself an “abomination” and accepting responsibility for his crimes. Through this transformation, Sophocles suggests that truth, though devastating, purifies the soul and restores moral balance. The audience experiences pity and fear, recognising that human wisdom is born through pain, not triumph.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: "Better to live at random, best we can...…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 60%: ‘Oedipus Rex’ is a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles in 429 BC as an exploration of the pursuit of truth.…
‘Oedipus Rex’ is a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles in 429 BC as an exploration of the pursuit of truth. Condemning it as a source of blasphemy against the deities, which incurs horrible punishments for Oedipus and his family. Sophocles deplores the search for truth as a catalyst for destruction, leading to Oedipus’ eventual downfall. Sophocles warns against the pursuit of truth as something not meant for mere mortals, which brings catastrophe for characters such as Oedipus and Jocasta as identity and order are destroyed.
In his search for the truth, Oedipus is issued several warnings by numerous people attempting to steer him away from his own prophesied calamity. Oedipus’ good intentions in aspiring to reveal the murderer of Laius are clouded by hubris. As he endeavours to “bring what is dark to light”, he brings only self-ruin ruin revealing himself as “the murderer [he] hunts”. Oedipus, nearing his ultimate destruction, seeks the knowledge of his birth “however base [his] birth may be”. Sophocles employs Oedipus as a warning to his audience, depicting him as a self-made tragedy through his journey for the truth. While accepting the pain that may come from understanding his birth, Oedipus knows nothing of the detrimental effects it will have, highlighting his ignorance of the true cost of truth. Creon, aspiring to save Oedipus from hubris-fueled descent into despair, urges him not to continue his search for truth, urging him not “cause pain for [himself] or [Oedipus]”. Sophocles utilises these characters as mediums throughout the play, condemning the search for truth as Oedipus becomes closer and closer to his spiralling downfall.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: change brings opportunity
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 62.5%: I wear my father’s anger like an ill-fitting hand-me-down. My mother hates how it looks on me — but I don’t…
I wear my father’s anger like an ill-fitting hand-me-down. My mother hates how it looks on me — but I don’t mind it. I find a certain solace and comfort in the hand-me-down. I don’t mind the loose threads, the old fabric, or the faded navy that looks grey now. I also don’t mind how it’s about seven sizes too big for me — it’s a man’s jumper after all. It drapes over my small, fragile frame, weighing me down. It’s almost comical, the way it fits. I hope one day I grow into it, so I can look like him. But I know my mother hopes I don’t. I know this by the way her eyes glaze over when she sees me in the jumper, and her quickness and urgency when she says I’ll catch cold. She offers me a different one from her wardrobe — but I like my hand-me-down jumper.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: In “The Erratics”, Vicki Laveau-Harvie…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 72.5%: In “The Erratics”, Vicki Laveau-Harvie argues that we can never escape the effects of our upbringing. Do you…
In “The Erratics”, Vicki Laveau-Harvie argues that we can never escape the effects of our upbringing. Do you agree?
In her memoir, “The Erratics”, Vicki Laveau-Harvie illustrates that while one may distance themselves physically or emotionally from their upbringing, its effects are deeply ingrained. Through her trauma, the lingering spectre of her mother, and the strain on her family relationships, Laveau-Harvie demonstrates that the impact of our past is inescapable, continually influencing our present and future, regardless of the distance we try to place between ourselves and our childhood experiences.
Laveau-Harvie’s persistent trauma from her upbringing illustrates that despite her efforts to move beyond her past, its effects continue to shape her life. Although she appears “normal” to the casual observer, Laveau-Harvie exists in a constant and ever-present “fog” - a fog that is “impenetrable to the untrained eye”. This fog represents a lasting emotional burden that she must carry, invisible to everyone around her. It clouds her perception and experiences, causing her to “stumbl[e]” blindly at times throughout her life, “obscur[ing]” her true self. The metaphorical fog has become a defining aspect of her identity, rendering her sense of self fragmented. Furthermore, the portrayal of of Laveau-Harvie’s emotional state as being “petrified in grief” illustrates the sense of stasis she feels. She is emotionally frozen in a place of sorrow and pain, unable to completely move forward. This sense of being “petrified” highlights how her trauma has had a paralysing effect, preventing her from being free of the weight from her past. As such, Laveau-Harvie’s efforts to present a composed and stable exterior contrast sharply with her internal reality. The juxtaposition between the public image she maintains and the emotional turmoil she endures emphasises this great dissonance. Even as Laveau-Harvie builds a home away from her traumatic childhood, exemplified by her life under the “luminous skies” of Sydney, she remains tied to her past. This duality highlights the central argument of the memoir - that no matter how much she tries to distance herself from her traumatic past, its effects are deeply ingrained and continue to affect her sense of self and her daily life.
The ongoing effects of Laveau-Harvie’s childhood shows that she is never able to escape the influence of her mother. This illustrates how the toxic relationship she endured continues to shape her adult experiences. She has never forgotten her mother’s threat - that she will “get” Laveau-Harvie and her sister, and they “won’t even know [she’s] doing it.” This haunting declaration, uttered in her childhood, is a testament to the psychological power her mother wields. Even decades later, the memory of this threat lives on, occupying a significant space in her daughter’s consciousness. The fact that Laveau-Harvie is vigilant in her distrust of her mother, even after so many years, underscores the depth of the psychological scars left by this relationship. Her mother’s words are not just a memory, but a constant and lingering presence in her mind, shaping how she navigates relationships and vulnerability in her adult life. Laveau-Harvie’s recollection of this chilling promise serves as both a vivid reminder of her mother’s manipulation and her own lack of agency. Her perpetual state of hypervigilance highlights that the mother’s influence transcends their physical separation. Laveau-Harvie may be geographically distant from her mother and Southern Alberta, but emotionally, she remains tethered to these painful memories and the toxicity that marked her childhood. This suggests that her mother’s destructive presence is not bound merely by physical proximity, but has woven itself into the very fabric of Laveau-Harvie’s emotional being. Even as Laveau-Harvie tries to move on, her mother’s influence still affects her daily life, and keeps her tied to painful childhood memories.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Differences in play.
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 82.5%: Title: Differences in play. Good evening ladies and gentleman, players and coaches, officials and fans and…
Title: Differences in play.
Good evening ladies and gentleman, players and coaches, officials and fans and particularly all those joining us from around the country. It is my sincere pleasure to stand before you today, as commissioner of the Australian football league, to celebrate our prestigious Brownlow medal evening. *pause*
As we recount the wonderful season it has been, I ask you to consider the Differences in play we see all around the league. whether teams game plans, players unique playstyles or even the variety of fanbases we see. These Differences are what shape the backbone of our great league, allowing it to blossom. In similar fashion Differences are what shape Australia, not one person in this room today let alone the entire country is exactly the same. Contrast is what allows us to truly value uniqueness. Tonights awards provides us an opportunity to celebrate an individuals Differences, for what has led them to win a Brownlow medal is not trying to play the same as others, instead we celebrate their success in Difference in play. If all 46 players, 23 from each team, were to run out onto the field and play the game as we love it would not be the same. *pause* and *applause*
Whilst receiving the Brownlow medal tonight is a prestigious honour, a similar message I have heard over the years from winners is
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: How does Sunset Boulevard explore the…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 75%: Billy Wilder post-war film nor, 'Sunset Boulevard' (1950) explores the devastating impacts on the 'Unforgiving…
Billy Wilder post-war film nor, 'Sunset Boulevard' (1950) explores the devastating impacts on the 'Unforgiving Hollywood Machine' on its workers. Ultimately, Wilder's film permeates his critique that the industry's unsympathetic expectations upon its 'products' ultimately leads them to psychological, moral, and physical decay.
Wilder throughout the majority of the film highlights through its dark, and corrosive tone the harsh reality that a decline in fame subsequently leads individuals of the film industry to psychological ruin. Wilder integrates the films corrosive tone through his introduction of the famous 'has-been' Norma Desmond. Highlighted in her grad mansions wide-shot – Wilder captures a physical manifestation of Norma's mental state, and career. In the mis-en-scene, Wilder's inclusion of her decrepit, unkempt home symbolizes to audiences Norma's apparent mental absence; contributing to the film noir's dark tone. Furthermore, Wilder asserts to audiences that the impact of lost fame leads individuals to psychological decline. Wilder's inclusion of intertextuality in Norma's seemingly never-ending script, 'Salome' highlights her ambition to return to Hollywood; Which, when her plan ultimately fails, leads her to total mental destruction. Illustrated in Wilders ending mis-en-scene, encapsulating in a wide-shot, Norma's piercing gaze as she transcends down her grand staircase, symbolizing to audiences Norma's literal, and metaphorical descent into madness. By showcasing Norma's 'mental plight' towards the camera's, Wilder illustrates the harsh impacts of lost fame within Hollywood; leading individuals like Norma to a mental decline amongst the industries harshness.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: 'Theres nothing else. Just us, and the…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 60%: Hollywood has long been known for its illusions of wealth and success, influencing all viewers to desire the ‘fame’…
Hollywood has long been known for its illusions of wealth and success, influencing all viewers to desire the ‘fame’ and ‘relevancy’ built within the Film industry. Billy Wilder’s film noir ‘Sunset Boulevard’ (1950), contends that deception is prevalent within Hollywood, luring most individuals into its dangerous nature. Set in a post-World War 2 context, amongst Americas ‘Golden Age’, Film studios like Paramount utilised a ‘studio system’ which revolved around having full control over its stars and discarding of them when they no longer deemed relevant. Wilder Suggests that all individuals will either respond to the Artifice of Cinema including the audiences “out there in the dark” by relentlessly chasing the factory dreams, depicted through the Allegory of Norma Desomond, or will use the harsh standards of Hollywood to adapt and find genuine success built off integrity. Ultimately Wilder highlights that success built off the external desires of Hollywood will lead to destructive consequences, leaving contemporary audiences to critique the corrupt morals of the Film Industry.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Should AI companies restrict the…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 65%: Imagine you wake up one day to find a humiliating video of yourself surfing through group chats and social…
Imagine you wake up one day to find a humiliating video of yourself surfing through group chats and social media. This video looks and sounds real and spreads like wildfire, but in reality, the video is fake. It looks so real that you yourself cannot disprove it. Emotions build up within you, and you fear how you will even show your face in public anymore. This is not science-fiction, it is a glimpse of the risks we face as artificial intelligence becomes more powerful and accessible.
AI is a revolutionary accomplishment in our progression of technology. Implementing AI has led to innovation in the medical, engineering as well as public administration fields. When used suitably with an intention to better society, it has been one of the greatest tools humanity has ever developed, but when found in the wrong hands, AI can be an instrument of corruption and mayhem
This poses the question, should everyone have the same access to AI?
Good morning/afternoon fellow government advisers and industry regulators. I stand before you in hopes to create a sense of urgency regarding the issue of wrongfully using AI in society. Recently artificial intelligence has shown to be more problematic than positive. We have witnessed AI being misused for identity theft, extortion, exploitation and other crimes. These topics require serious attention from policy makers and enforcers. We should push for regulations that require AI companies to limit public access to advanced features, while allowing qualified researchers and scientists full access for legitimate innovation.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: title: Resist and Persist stimulus:…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 80%: Resist and Persist 18/03/2007 To: leesha.Stevens@email.com From: Gabby_Short123@email.com RE: Resist and…
Resist and Persist
18/03/2007
To: leesha.Stevens@email.com
From: Gabby_Short123@email.com
RE: Resist and Persist
Hi Leesha,
You may not remember me, but I sure remember you.
We grew up together in Nazareth House children’s home, a place I’ve spent 40 years trying to forget, as I’m sure you have too.
Why I am writing to you today is not to re-provoke the pain we suffered together, but to instead ask you to help us deal with the pain together.
Growing up in state care we endured through injustices no child should ever have o experience.
Persisting through the nuns beating us during potty training,
Persisting through having our heads slammed against the wall for speaking when not spoken to,
Persisting through being starved and locked in a cupboard for stepping out of line,
Persisting through being forced to work in laundries,
Persisting through being stolen from our families.
For me this led to a lifetime of shame and guilt that has left an unbearable weight hanging over me. For decades I believed that I was responsible for what happened to me, what happened to us. Like I deserved to be punished for a crime I had forgotten I committed. It is only now in my 60s that I am finally looking back and accepting it was never our fault.
I searched and searched to find a way to contact you because I needed to make sure you too don’t continue dealing with the pain of our experiences in Nazareth House alone like I did.
Once I retired last year, I started looking into what happened in those orphanages. Looking to find others who experienced what we went through, looking for proof that I’m not crazy and others unfortunately shared our horrific experience.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: 'At what cost'
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 65%: ' At what cost ' I still remember waking up that morning, half-asleep, grabbing my phone as usual, but as I…
' At what cost '
I still remember waking up that morning, half-asleep, grabbing my phone as usual, but as I flicked through my feed I didn’t see game stats nor results, rather abuse. Abuse targeted at me, my teammates and even family. Slurs. Monkey emojis. Just pure hate. In that moment I learned what change can cost. The cost of staying silent, the cost of standing out. I felt a sense of shame and embarrassment wash over my face, until I saw an image. The image showed someone graffitiing the wall, but through a different perspective I saw the sun shining in the background, it symbolized hope to me, because if I was knocked down yesterday why not stand up today.
Dear Football Fans,
This is not a post. It’s a protest.
I wanted to reach out for some time now as a player and a person with a message that is close to my heart. Over the years I’ve been playing football, I’ve come to realize that the demand for change exists everywhere, not just on the field, change is needed everywhere. If we do not fight for change we are just maintaining the status quo. The truth is change comes at a cost, if we don't fight for it we pay a price, a different kind of price - the cost of silence.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Finding my Way
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 90%: 7th July 2024 I bought a plant the day he left. It wasn’t planned, I just couldn’t walk home empty-handed. The…
7th July 2024
I bought a plant the day he left. It wasn’t planned, I just couldn’t walk home empty-handed. The florist said it was a devil’s ivy, “hard to kill,” she joked. I remember wishing the same could be said about me. I placed it on the kitchen windowsill, watered it once, and forgot about it.
The days after blurred into sameness. A cold coffee, unread messages, the hum of silence where laughter used to live. The plant began to droop, its leaves curling inward. I knew it needed sunlight, but I couldn’t bring myself to open the curtains. The room stayed dim; so did I.
19th August 2024
Mum called. She asked if I was okay. I told her I was fine, though the word felt heavy. After she hung up, I saw the plant again, one leaf still stubbornly green. Somehow, that tiny defiance unsettled me. I opened the curtains for the first time in weeks. Light flooded the kitchen, touching everything I’d left to fade.
I poured a little water into the pot. The soil drank greedily. I wish healing worked like that, one drink, and you bloom again.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: The Memory Police demonstrates how…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 67.5%: TMP demonstrates how important memory is for our sense of identity. Discuss. An individuals ability to remember…
TMP demonstrates how important memory is for our sense of identity. Discuss.
An individuals ability to remember is crucial in shaping and maintaining ones identity. Yako Ogawa's orwellian novel The Memory Police, set on an oppressed island, illuminates the contrast between people that can remember and those that cannot. The ability to hold onto memories allowed an individual to connect with their past, as well as maintain meaningful relationships. However, the loss of memory can cause an individual to lose their personal identity. Ogawa illustrates that Memory and identity are parallel in a world where memories are directly stripped and must be protected.
Throughout the novel, Ogawa emphasizes the gift of memory to allow individuals to connect with their past. Before the "birds were disappeared", the narrator can remember all sorts of "[sitting on [her]] father's lap and [studying] the creatures". These memories of the birds allowed the narrator to remember her late husband. After their disappearance the bird "was unable to elicit any feeling in [her] at all,". The symbol of birds serves as a contrast between the connection people have with objects before and after their disappearance. Birds were associated with the narrator's "ornithologist" father, meaning when they disappeared, so did many of the narrator's connection to her father. These childhood memories were a crucial part of her identity, which therefore began to wither as her memory altered. Ogawa suggests that memory is the keystone in maintaining identity. Furthermore, a strong connection to past is portrayed as the narrator's mother describes the forgotten object of "perfume". She is reminded of wearing it while "courting with her husband", the narrator describes her as "more lively" when she talked about this "little bottle". The description of perfume is juxtaposed between one that can remember and one cannot, highlighting the immense joy that the mother feels and the disconnect that the mother displays. Her "lovely" tone when describing her memories punctuates her ability to retain identity, which the narrator struggles to do. Thus, Ogawa postulates that memory is dominant in holding onto ones past, and that ones past shapes their identity.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Personal journeys
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 82.5%: Good evening everyone, teachers, families, and the class of 2025. As we take this day to celebrate the…
Good evening everyone, teachers, families, and the class of 2025.
As we take this day to celebrate the overarching achievements of my fellow graduates, I want to take a step back. 5 years ago was the start of something new and exciting. A new year with new opportunities became a place I could learn and be involved with a population of people that I can now proudly call my family. At the start of high school, we were handed a spark. Small, yet there was room for growth into a larger flame. I want to reflect on the small light we had started out with and how the class of 2025 will carry a new level of brightness towards our future. It was not only our perseverance that got us through, but the unique way we were able to handle change, hand in hand. We had fought and lived through moments beyond academics, pushing through exhausting camps and competitive sports events that was not our usual. So, let me commend the battles that have brought us to where we stand today. A limelight to the courageous efforts we have put throughout these incredible 5 years.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: No prompt - paragraphs to memorise and…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 62.5%: Intro In Billy Wilder’s 1950’s post-war, gothic film noir Sunset Boulevard, set in the ‘Golden Age of Hollywood’,…
Intro
In Billy Wilder’s 1950’s post-war, gothic film noir Sunset Boulevard, set in the ‘Golden Age of Hollywood’, the idea of… is…. This is depicted through characters such as Norma Desmond who… and Joe Gillis… Manufactured by Hollywood…. Wilder intends to use Sunset Boulevard to warn against the dangers of fame and illusion crafted by Hollywood.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Title: playing my part Stimulus…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 95%: They say the world is a stage, but no one ever tells you what to do when the leading man exits mid-scene. I…
They say the world is a stage, but no one ever tells you what to do when the leading man exits mid-scene.
I remember the smell of chalk and sweat that clung to me after gymnastics training. The way the fluorescent lights hummed above as I grabbed my bag from the lockers. He was supposed to pick me up, like he always did. Our routine was unremarkable, sacred even. He would pull up in the battered kia carnival, radio humming softly, and say “How was practice, champ?”I would roll my eyes pretending I was too old for nicknames, though I secretly waited for it every time.
But that day the car never came.
The lilies at the front of the church were too bright, their scent lingered in the air, cloying, almost theatrical, as if the world itself had prepared the stage. The coffin sat beneath the stained glass windows, the light falling across it in fractured colours. I stood behind the podium, hands cold against the paper I knew I wouldn't need to read.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: How does Sophocles explore the notion of…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 72.5%: Sophocles explores the notion of relentless search for the truth driven by hubris and arrogance and how it can…
Sophocles explores the notion of relentless search for the truth driven by hubris and arrogance and how it can lead to one's downfall, thus a tragic experience of human life. Oedipus, king of Thebes and a tragic hero is demonstrated to the audience from the beginning as one that is too prideful and arrogant. His hubris and arrogance is evident when he imperatively demands Thebes to "let [him] grant [their] prayers", taking upon a god-like figure and believing he has the capabilities and powers of the Gods, when in reality he is just a "mere mortal". It is this self-belief and growing pride that drives Oedipus into uncovering the truth of the "plague" in Thebes, ultimately propelling him into the unbreakable cycle of believing that it was his duty to find the source of the "corruption". Although having that strong desire to save the city like he did before with the "riddle of the Sphinx" is benevolent in intent, his hubristic and ignorant nature makes him blind to the reality of the truth and the repercussions of uncovering it.
Sophocles further accentuates Oedipus' flawed self-belief and excessive pride, through his constant use of first-person possessive pronouns such as "I" and "my", which illustrates his self-pride and egotistic mindset. This is evident when he proudly announces that the "world knows my fame", emphasising that it is his fame, no one else's. This self-centered perception blinds Oedipus to the broader implications of his actions and decisions, illustrating his hubris. His determination to
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: ultimately, Jacksons novel highlights the…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 82.5%: Through displaying witchcraft as an overt resistance to power, Jackson critiques societies fearful rejection of…
Through displaying witchcraft as an overt resistance to power, Jackson critiques societies fearful rejection of this female agency. This trajectory of power and oppression is highlighted most starkly by the fierce protagonist Merricat. Her overt resistance to the patriarchal institution of domesticity through the parricide of her family successfully removes the male threat within the home and enables the growth of her female power. Her strength against the 1950s institution is symbolised by the motif of the “spider” which Constance insists is the reason she washed out the bowl. Merricat’s routine burial of special objects within the grounds of the blackwood property forming a “powerful taut web” that “held fast to guard” them uses imagery to further develop Merricats power as spiderlike. This gothic trope of witchcraft positions Merricat as a female who has achieved power through the submission of
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Play our way
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 75%: The following is a transcript from one of our youth speakers, Phoebe Harford from ‘plenty voices’ event held…
The following is a transcript from one of our youth speakers, Phoebe Harford from ‘plenty voices’ event held last weekend. You can view phoebe talk online here. Phoebe speaks about her experiences of beginning high school during the covid-19 lockdowns.
I still remember the day the first lockdown was called. I was at my sister’s primary school fair, playing with my now year seven friends causing mischief. Our mums were working together on the sausage sizzle, and when we returned to them that’s when they broke the news – a statewide lockdown beginning at 11:59pm. I was twelve so the implications didn’t fully hit me as I thought it would only be at most a week in quarantine – not knowing that it would be for two years. I did know though that my basketball game that night in Geelong was cancelled. I did know that my play date with my friend Tobey the next day was cancelled. It felt personal. What were we going to do? How were we going to play? It what ways were we going to play?
Before covid, we were free to play our way. We were free to play however we liked. For some of us kids, that didn’t dramatically alter. I still have friends that spent the whole of 2020-2021 in a field in Minecraft barely leaving their bedrooms, and when we were free to leave our homes they barely even looked up. But for most of us, the way we played was under threat. We were forced to play in our fantasy rather than in reality. For us kids who loved competitive sport and hanging out with our friends in the real world, the lockdowns were a challenge like nothing that we had every experienced before – for our parents as well. Our parents at the same age and time in their life were able to play their own way, a way that they wanted to. However, for us, we had to adapt and play a different way. The implications of this are now only being uncovered and are unsurprisingly significant.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: "Psychopaths sell like hotcakes" Hollywood…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: Billy Wilder’s film noir, Sunset Boulevard exposes the sadistic desires of Hollywood, exploring how the industry…
Billy Wilder’s film noir, Sunset Boulevard exposes the sadistic desires of Hollywood, exploring how the industry powers the longing for wealth and acknowledgement through rewarding inauthenticity and deteriorating worth and identity.
Wilder’s tragic death scene in the film exposes Hollywood’s deterioration of creativity in its work, highlighting how this fuels materialistic desires over genuine passion. Wilder physically portrays the destructive nature of Hollywood, through the death of Joe himself, however, the symbolic allusion in Norma, the representation of delusion and loss of self, being the murderer indicates Wilder’s portrayal of this ambition for fame. Joe’s passion is reignited by the conclusion of the film, before being “killed” by the deluded lifestyle he was initially encapsulated in. This indicates how Hollywood creates false promises that deteriorate the passion, and individuality of people. Wilder portrays Norma to be the one of power in this scene, indicating how delusion overrides the ability to confront reality within Hollywood. This is continued through Norma being “one of the best” old Hollywood stars, highlighting how this scene symbolises Hollywood being the destruction of individuality, as Norma, the representation of delusion, is the image of stardom. Furthermore, the commotion of press agents arriving at the scene, all seeking insight into the representation of destroyed creativity, highlights Hollywood’s sadistic nature and desire for destruction, showing how Hollywood fuels and celebrates the destruction of creativity and seeking fame rather than pure passion. Continuing the exposure of Hollywood rewarding materialism, Joe falling into the pool which “he always wanted”, as he dies, signifies how, once passion and confrontation with reality is destroyed, the fortune promised by Hollywood is given in exchange. The pool acts as a motif, paired symbolically with Joe’s ability to confront reality. When first filled, the character has fully submitted to the deluded lifestyle, and Wilder continues this symbolism into the conclusion of the film, as Gillis dies within his materialistic desires. Through the death of Joe, Wilder symbolically exposes Hollywood’s desire to destroy creativity, fueling the desire for wealth over passion, ultimately fueling the need for fortune within the industry.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: In Twelfth Night, constancy, rather than…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 85%: ding of love is really shallow and conceited. By incorporating this imagery, Shakespeare alludes to how lust can…
ding of love is really shallow and conceited. By incorporating this imagery, Shakespeare alludes to how lust can often overshadow love, even without the individual being conscious of so. In a way, the playwright warns of the dangers of indulging in feelings of love, thus criticising those who tend to yearn simply for the sake of it. Similarly, this idea can be seen through the experiences of Malvolio, who believes that the forged letter is confirmation of Olivia's love for him, asserting that he "will be point-device." Through the symbolism of the letter, Shakespeare condemns those who allow their intense emotions to cloud their judgement, once again reinforcing how love can be intense if not controlled. Thus, Twelfth Night illustrates how declarations of overpowering enamourment are not genuine and are instead elevated by one's unchecked feelings.
Shakespeare sustains that constancy and authenticity are indicators of true love, particularly through the actions that pose potential risk. Despite
not only reveals the eternal and silent suffering of a woman in love, but also alludes to the classical myth of Echo and Narsissus, illustrating how passionate love is inherently undying. As such, Shakespeare unveils how supposed intense declarations of love can sometimes be sustained, however, he cautions that this is only the case when individuals are truthful.
Whilst presenting love as a feeling that is prominent throughout life, Twelfth Night draws upon the duality of such a robust & emotion. Ultimately, Shakespeare's primary concern is to highlight the inconsistancies of love when precipitated by passion, instead emphasising how real love is honest and can be maintained.
VCE · Creative Response
Creative Response: Title: At What Cost (Stimulus: “If not…
VCE Creative Response essay scoring 85%: Good morning, If not now, when? For years that question has echoed through the halls of power, across…
Good morning,
If not now, when? For years that question has echoed through the halls of power, across classrooms, and inside the minds of those who can already feel the air shifting. We have measured, modelled and debated, but we have not truly acted. Climate change is no longer a prediction—it is a present reality. Fires devour our summers, floods erase our towns, and the air we breathe carries the smoke of our own hesitation. The planet has been sending us warnings in every language it knows: in cracked soil, in silent forests, in coral turned ghost-white. Yet we keep answering with delay.
At what cost do we keep postponing responsibility? We tell ourselves progress takes time, yet time is the one thing we no longer own. Every fraction of a degree is a sentence written against the most vulnerable: island nations watching their shorelines vanish, farmers watching skies that no longer rain, children learning to fear the future they are meant to inherit. The science is not uncertain. The only uncertainty left is how much loss we are willing to accept before we decide that enough is enough.
For too long, we have mistaken comfort for safety. Convenience has become our quiet addiction. We cling to it as seas rise and species fall. But comfort cannot shield us from consequence. Each time we choose ease over effort, we push the planet a little further toward the edge. Every plastic bottle, every short flight, every moment we turn away from the evidence—we are signing a slow contract with disaster. The longer we protect our habits, the higher the price our children will pay. They will inherit an atmosphere thick with excuses, a planet heavy with regret.
VCE · Text Response
Text Response: Sophocles present suffering as essential…
VCE Text Response essay scoring 77.5%: Sophocles presents suffering as essential to learning and growth in Oedipus the king. Discuss. Sophocles Oedipus…
Sophocles presents suffering as essential to learning and growth in Oedipus the king. Discuss.
Sophocles Oedipus the king retells the legend of Oedipus, presenting him as the quintessential tragic hero who elicits profound pity and fear from his Athenian audience through his eventual self-inflicted downfall. While Sophocles contends that for some, suffering enables growth and learning, for others suffering only arises destruction. Thus, the playwright presents divine will as the source of power in the play. The playwright presents characters who attempt to deny divine will as punished with destruction in addition to suffering arising due to the blind pursuit of the truth. Although, once the truth is revealed, some characters are able to grow and learn as leadership is justly enacted.