HSC Advanced English
Revision Booklet
Common module: Texts and Human
Experiences
What is expected in this module
In this common module students deepen their understanding of how texts represent
individual and collective human experiences. They examine how texts represent human
qualities and emotions associated with, or arising from, these experiences. Students
appreciate, explore, interpret, analyse and evaluate the ways language is used to shape
these representations in a range of texts in a variety of forms, modes and media.
Students explore how texts may give insight into the anomalies, paradoxes and
inconsistencies in human behaviour and motivations, inviting the responder to see the world
differently, to challenge assumptions, ignite new ideas or reflect personally. They may also
consider the role of storytelling throughout time to express and reflect particular lives and
cultures. By responding to a range of texts they further develop skills and confidence using
various literary devices, language concepts, modes and media to formulate a considered
response to texts.
Students study one prescribed text and a range of short texts that provide rich opportunities
to further explore representations of human experiences illuminated in texts. They make
increasingly informed judgements about how aspects of these texts, for example context,
purpose, structure, stylistic and grammatical features, and form shape meaning. In addition,
students select one related text and draw from personal experience to make connections
between themselves, the world of the text and their wider world.
By responding and composing throughout the module students further develop a repertoire
of skills in comprehending, interpreting and analysing complex texts. They examine how
different modes and media use visual, verbal and/or digital language elements. They
communicate ideas using figurative language to express universal themes and evaluative
language to make informed judgements about texts. Students further develop skills in using
metalanguage, correct grammar and syntax to analyse language and express a personal
perspective about a text.
The Texts
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Nineteen EightyFour, George Orwell
Useful Links
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https://vimeo.com/625954512
https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/1984/
https://dc.edu.au/1984-orwell-hsc-texts-and-human-experiences-study-guide/
What is Nineteen Eighty-Four about? (Matrix Education)
Before we go into detail about George Orwell’s plot, we should familiarise
ourselves with the dystopian world in Nineteen Eighty-Four (note that it’s
Nineteen Eighty-Four, not 1984).
The world of Nineteen Eighty-Four
In Nineteen Eighty-Four, the world is separated into 3 big nations as
opposed to hundreds of smaller countries:
● Oceania (United States, Britain and its allies)
● Eastasia (China and its allies)
● Eurasia (Soviet Union)
The novel takes place in Oceania (specifically Airstrip One, where London
used to be) and Ingsoc is the tyrannical government of the state with the
enigmatic Big Brother as its ruler. The citizens are expected to worship him
and maintain an unconditional loyalty to his regime, even if this involves
betraying their closest family or friends. The world is constructed to deprive
the individual of any happiness, as they are solely devoted to Big Brother
and Ingsoc.
Ingsoc is bound by 3 principles. They are: “War is peace. Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.”
These principles are demonstrated through the 4 ministries which govern
the nation, these are all named ironically:
● Ministry of Truth: This is the ministry of propaganda. Their
absolute control over the media enables them to rewrite history
and inform the public with false information that supports their
regime.
● Ministry of Love: This is a powerful institution that administers
fear and suffering to brainwash rebellious citizens (including
Thought Criminals). This is where Room 101 is located: the
torture chamber where the Party uses a “thought criminal’s”
worst nightmare and fears to break and convert them.
● Ministry of Peace: The Ministry of Peach is in charge of Oceania’s
wartime affairs and decisions, including the armed forces. They
orchestrate the perpetual war against Eurasia and Eastasia to
maintain their citizens in a state of wartime poverty and hardship.
This status quo ensures that the government will maintain
supreme power indefinitely.
● Ministry of Plenty: This ministry is in charge of the economy. It is
responsible for rationing all food and supplies. Ironically, it also
ensures the nation is kept in a state of scarcity rather than
prosperity. This is another method to maintain power, as the
citizens, party members, and proles will never have the resources
or desire to challenge the government because they have either
forgotten, or have never experienced, better living conditions.
However, there is an underground organisation that attempts to overthrow
the government: The Brotherhood. Big Brother claims that the leader of this
organisation is a powerful and dangerous subversive, Emmanuel Goldstein.
These rebels believe in free will and individual rights. So, their members
commit crimes like cheat and murder to betray Big Brother.
However, in Part 3 of the novel, we find out that The Brotherhood may not
really exist. Instead, it is a false flag operation and Big Brother’s way of
weeding out rebellious individuals so they can be publicly tried and
brainwashed into compliance.
Plot Summary: Nineteen Eighty-Four
The novel commences with Winston (an Outer Party member who works at
the Ministry of Truth) returning to his dilapidated home.
He is very cautious and wary of the surveillance. There are telescreens
everywhere – including his home, the bathroom, and the streets – watching
for any sign of non-conformity, which the Party refers to as “thoughtcrime”.
Citizens are denied all freedoms and blindly follow the Party doctrine to
avoid persecution. Persecuted individuals are tortured until they admit to all
the crimes that the Party falsely accuses them of, hung in front of a live
audience, and their existence is completely vaporised — that is, the
individual’s existence is removed from all written media and denied by all
other citizens (any mention of a vaporised person would be a
thoughtcrime).
Winston shows disdain for the Party’s strict regime and despite the risk of
persecution, he engages in increasingly severe acts of rebellion against the
Party as the novel goes on. This includes recording his free thought in a
diary (even the act of obtaining a diary is illegal), engaging in an intimate
relationship with fellow Party member Julia, and eventually attempting to
join The Brotherhood by reaching out to Inner Party member O’Brien, who
he suspects is secretly a traitor to the Party.
Ultimately, we discover that O’Brien was manipulating Winston and is in
fact dedicated to the Party’s mission to maintain “power for the sake of
power”. O’Brien reveals to Winston and Julia that their rebellion was always
being monitored by the Party, but they simply allowed them to continue to
offer then false hope and subsequently crush any hope for freedom. After
being tortured and humiliated in the Ministry of Love, Winston and Julia are
defeated and left disillusioned. They betray one another with no desire to
reunite. The novel ends with Winston expressing how he regrets betraying
Big Brother and announcing his unconditional love and loyalty to the Party
as fantasises about being executed to serve the party.
Important characters
Winston Smith
Winston is our protagonist. As an Outer Party member, his freedoms are
strictly confined by the regime and he is not ranked highly enough to
receive any privileges. He is 39 years old and the novel makes several
references to a varicose vein on his leg. He rebels with a dream to
overthrow Big Brother’s regime.
Big Brother
Big Brother is the figurehead of Ingsoc and the totalitarian dictator of
Oceania. It’s not clear whether Big Brother is a person who actually exists,
but even the belief that there is a greater power looking over the nation is
enough to command loyalty from most citizens.
The Brotherhood
The Brotherhood is thought to be a coordinated underground rebellion
against the Party. Like Big Brother, we never see proof that it actually exists.
Nevertheless, the belief that it exists motivates Winston and Julia to rebel.
Julia
Julia is Winston’s younger lover who claims to have had multiple affairs
with Party members. Julia rebels for fun and personal enjoyment. She is far
more pragmatic than Winston who has grand hopes to overthrow the
regime.
O’Brien
O’Brien is an Inner Party member who Winston believes is a member of the
Brotherhood. However, he turns to be a true Party supporter and seeks to
obliterate rebels like Winston and Julia.
Emmanuel Goldstein
Similar to how Big Brother figureheads the Party, Goldstein figureheads The
Brotherhood. The Party uses Goldstein as a political scapegoat and
compels its citizens to direct their frustrations towards him. The citizens
shared hatred towards Goldstein unites them and motivates them to turn to
Big Brother for protection.
Key contextual ideas
George Orwell
Orwell was an Indian-born British writer known for his social criticism and
advocacy for democratic socialism. Orwell’s experiences as an imperial
police officer in Burma, voluntarily living in the slums of London, and
witnessing the horrendous acts committed by fascist regimes during the
Spanish Civil War shaped his strong opposition to political control.
Nineteen Eighty-Four is only one of his many works, including the highly
influential political satire Animal Farm (1945), that challenge totalitarianism
and authoritarian social and political practices.
End of WWII
Orwell began writing Nineteen Eighty-Four only a few years after the end of
World War II and the novel contains many references to the nuclear warfare
that the U.S. instigated with Japan. The under-supplied and bland living
conditions of Oceania were also probably inspired by those in London
during WWII. Furthermore, Orwell captures the atmosphere of paranoia and
uncertainty that clouded all nations during the war that threatened global
destruction.
Spanish Civil War
Orwell was initially supportive of the Spanish Revolution and even
volunteered to fight against the Fascist government in the Spanish Civil
War. However, he became disillusioned by the atrocities committed by both
sides. Events like organised purges conducted by the Nationalist forces
and mass executions by the Republicans were all real events that Orwell
emulates in Nineteen Eighty-Four.
Orwell uses Nineteen Eighty-Four to portray how those desiring political
control often disguise their intentions well, which highlights the need for
society to maintain critical thought and agency.
Soviet Union
It is widely believed that the world of Oceania is a reflection of Joseph
Stalin’s oppressive dictatorship over the Soviet Union. The description of
Big brother as “the face of a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black
moustache and ruggedly handsome features” uses imagery to make a clear
reference to Joseph Stalin. In fact, “2 + 2 = 5” was actually a slogan that the
Soviet Union used to reinforce their promise to complete their ‘Five-Year
Industrial Plan’ in four years. Orwell twists the meaning of the slogan to
warn how authoritarian regimes manipulate reality.
Main themes and analysis
Surveillance and propaganda
The Party demands the sole attention and commitment of its people, and
prevents its citizens from finding greater value in other relationships and
experiences that could undermine their loyalty to the Party.
This is stated with a factly tone in what Winston believed to be Goldstein’s
Manifesto: “A Party member is expected to have no private emotions and
no respites from enthusiasm.”
In order to enforce this, the Party creates the impression that they are
constantly monitoring each citizen and have a dedicated Thought Police.
Moreover, propaganda is strictly censored to support the Party’s narrative
and is “plastered everywhere”.
Absolute control
Orwell portrays a frightening world where the government has complete
control over every action, motivation and thought that its citizens have.
With this, the government is able to impose any ideology that suits their
regime, even if it is completely absurd. The Party’s paradoxical slogan
“WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH” is a
recurring example of this.
In fact, the citizens of the regime help enforce the Party’s control by
reporting any unorthodox behaviour, even if this means their own family
and friends will be persecuted. As a consequence, no opposition to the
regime will be able to gain traction and influence
Freedom and Identity
The citizens of Oceania are barred from any freedoms because any
individual thought or identity that does not exactly align with the Party’s
regime threatens its infallible status. Winston’s diary, coral paperweight,
and relationship with Julia symbolise his desire to be autonomous and to
be appreciated as a unique individual.
The only people in Oceania who actually have any form of freedom are the
proles, but they will never rebel because they don’t know any better and
they will never experience any better if they don’t escape the Party’s control.
Winston perfectly captures this concept in the paradox:
Until [the proles] become conscious they will never rebel, and
until they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.
This paradox, coupled with Winston’s realisation that the proles are the only
people with enough man-power and freedom to rebel (“If there is hope, it
lies in the proles”), foreshadows the futility of Winston’s rebellion.
Rebellion and Hope
Without Winston’s desperate hope for freedom, the novel would have been
a predictably bland one, as Winston would have just blindly followed Big
Brother like his fellow citizens. Instead, we get to see how Winston’s hope
for freedom motivates him to rebel in ways, which deep down he knew he
would be caught for, but desperately hoped he would be able to get away
with. Winston was aware of the paradox that,
as a dead man it became important to stay alive as long as
possible
In fact, Winston clings to the hope that the Brotherhood and its supposed
leader Goldstein exists, even though he is perfectly aware that the Party
fabricates news and narrative to affirm their regime.
[Winston’s] heart went out to the lonely, derided heretic on the
screen, sole guardian of truth and sanity in a world of lies.
The metaphor, “his heart went out”, emphasises Winston’s humanity and
empathy, which continually skews his judgement throughout the novel. So
much so, that Winston buys multiple banned items (a coral paperweight,
furniture, even renting a room), is sexually intimate with Julia, and
confesses to O’Brien that he wants to join the Brotherhood, even though
there was nothing (except for big stretches of his imagination) to suggest
that an Inner Party member like O’Brien would rebel or benefit from
rebelling.
Ultimately, we learn that Winston’s rebellion was hopeless all along, but it’s
interesting to consider whether his fleeting experience of freedom was
worth it. Moreover, it reminds us to be politically active and critical to
prevent our world from becoming hopelessly controlled like Oceania.
Module A: Textual Conversations
What is expected in this module
In this module, students explore the ways in which the comparative study of texts can reveal
resonances and dissonances between and within texts. Students consider the ways that a
reimagining or reframing of an aspect of a text might mirror, align or collide with the details of
another text. In their textual studies, they also explore common or disparate issues, values,
assumptions or perspectives and how these are depicted. By comparing two texts students
understand how composers (authors, poets, playwrights, directors, designers and so on) are
influenced by other texts, contexts and values, and how this shapes meaning.
Students identify, interpret, analyse and evaluate the textual features, conventions, contexts,
values and purpose of two prescribed texts. As students engage with the texts they consider
how their understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of both texts has been enhanced
through the comparative study and how the personal, social, cultural and historical
contextual knowledge that they bring to the texts influences their perspectives and shapes
their own compositions.
By responding imaginatively, interpretively and critically students explore and evaluate
individual and common textual features, concepts and values. They further develop skills in
analysing the ways that various language concepts, for example motif, allusion and
intertextuality, connect and distinguish texts and how innovating with language concepts,
form and style can shape new meaning. They develop appropriate analytical and evaluative
language required to compose informed, cohesive responses using appropriate terminology,
grammar, syntax and structure.
By composing critical and creative texts in a range of modes and media, students develop
the confidence, skills and appreciation to express a considered personal perspective.
The Texts
Poetry and film: Keats, John, The Complete Poems:
● ‘La Belle Dame sans Merci’,
● ‘To Autumn’,
● ‘Bright star! would I were steadfast as thou art’,
● ‘Ode to a Nightingale’,
● ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’,
● ‘When I have fears that I may cease to be’,
● ‘The Eve of St Agnes, XXIII’
● Campion, Jane, Bright Star, Roadshow, 2009
Useful Links
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https://www.studocu.com/en-au/document/glenwood-high-school/english-standard/ke
ats-bright-star-comparative-essay/16317350
What’s a “Textual Conversation”?
For Module A: Textual Conversations, you will study a pair of texts. These texts will share a
direct intertextual relationship.
What’s a comparative study?
A comparative study is when you study two texts together and compare them. You will
examine what they have in common and also how they differ. In a comparative study, you
explore the content, themes, and construction of the texts. You will also consider the
contexts of both texts and the effect this has on the texts meaning and possibly on its
construction.
Is this a contextual study of texts?
While you do need to consider the context of texts, it is not the sole focus. Context
encompasses the circumstances surrounding the creation of a text.
Context includes:
The details of the historical period the text was produced in
The geographic place of production
The cultural and religious circumstances surrounding the creation of the texts
The personal circumstances of the composer of the text.
Module B: Critical Study of Literature
What is expected in this module
In this module, students develop detailed analytical and critical knowledge, understanding
and appreciation of a substantial literary text. Through increasingly informed and personal
responses to the text in its entirety, students understand the distinctive qualities of the text,
notions of textual integrity and significance.
Students study one prescribed text. Central to this study is the close analysis of the text’s
construction, content and language to develop students’ own rich interpretation of the text,
basing their judgements on detailed evidence drawn from their research and reading. In
doing so, they evaluate notions of context with regard to the text’s composition and
reception; investigate and evaluate the perspectives of others; and explore the ideas in the
text, further strengthening their informed personal perspective.
Students have opportunities to appreciate and express views about the aesthetic and
imaginative aspects of the text by composing creative and critical texts of their own. Through
reading, viewing or listening they critically analyse, evaluate and comment on the text’s
specific language features and form. They express complex ideas precisely and cohesively
using appropriate register, structure and modality. They draft, appraise and refine their own
texts, applying the conventions of syntax, spelling and grammar appropriately.
Opportunities for students to engage deeply with the text as a responder and composer
further develops personal and intellectual connections with the text, enabling them to
express their considered perspective of its value and meaning.
The Texts
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Shakesearean Drama: King Henry IV, Part 1
Useful Links
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https://www.projectacademy.nsw.edu.au/year-12-guides/module-b-king-henry-iv-brea
kdown
https://artofsmart.com.au/english/king-henry-iv-part-1-analysis/
Henry IV, Part 1 – Overview for Module B: Critical Study of
Literature (Matrix Education)
Module B is all about evaluation and criticism.
Is the text is as good as everyone makes it out to be? Is it still relevant – to
you – today?
So, to do this, you need to closely read Henry IV and explore its:
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Construction
Ideas
Unity (and integrity)
Values
Reception.
You’re not going to do this in one reading, I’m afraid. You must aim to
re-read the play a couple of times throughout the year. This will not only
refresh your memory, but you will also discover new findings, perspectives,
and criticisms!
What is Henry IV Part 1 about?
Before we go into the gritty details about Shakespeare’s King Henry IV Part
1, we need to have a strong understanding of this historical drama. So, let’s
see what it is all about!
The plot
King Henry IV rules England after he usurps the throne from Richard II.
However, it is not an easy time for him; there is a rebellion in England and
Scottish troops are attacking.
The play opens with King Henry IV postponing his crusade and Hotspur
refusing to hand over the Scottish soldiers he captured. Although Henry is
mad at Hotspur, he wishes that his own son, Prince Hal, displays the same
qualities as Hotspur.
Hotspur returns to his family and recounts the earlier events. His family
expresses their frustration; without their help, Henry IV would never
become King. Yet, they are still treated badly by him. Ridden with anger,
Hotspur and his family plans to overthrow Henry IV.
Meanwhile, as Henry IV grows more angry and anxious, Hal is drinking with
Falstaff at Eastcheap’s Tavern. Their friend, Poins enters and shares his
plan to rob a group of rich travellers. Hal refuses. However, once Falstaff is
out of hearing range, Poins reveals that it is a prank on Falstaff. Hal agrees
to help him.
So, once Falstaff manages to rob the travellers, Hal and Poins (in disguises)
rob Falstaff of the stolen goods. When Falstaff returns to the Tavern he
recounts an elaborate tale of how 100 men stole his treasure. Hal and
Poins go along with his story before exposing Falstaff.
In the midst of the fun, a messenger calls for Hal; he is to return to the
Royal court because his father fears an emerging civil war.
Hal returns and decides that it is time to reform into his princely role. He
goes with his father into the Battle of Shrewbury to fight by his side.
During the battle, he saves his father’s life, defeats Hotspur and regains his
father’s approval. He also stumbles across a “dead” Falstaff and gives a
sorrowful eulogy. However, Falstaff wakes up and reveals that he faked his
death to avoid the fight.
At the end of the play, King Henry wins and some of Percy’s family are
sentenced to death. King Henry also sends his sons away so that the rebel
forces won’t reach them.
Groups
THE COURT
Character
Henry IV
Description
Henry IV is the ruling English King who usurped the throne from
Richard II. Throughout the play, he feels guilty about his past
actions. He is also angry and disappointed in his son, Prince Hal
and wishes that Hostpur was his son instead. Although the play is
named after him, he is not a very dominant character. He struglles
to be a father figure to Hal.
Prince Hal
Hal is Henry IV’s son. He is a dishonourable, an excessive drinker,
(Henry V)
hangs out with the common people and participates in criminal
activities. However, throughout the play, Hal slowly grows into the
noble man his father desires. Hal claims that his dishonourable
facade only makes his transformation into an honourable man
much more glorious.
Earl of
He is a military leader and King Henry IV’s valuable companion.
Westmoreland
Lord John of
Lancaster
THE REBELS
Hotspur (Harry
Percy)
He is King Henry IV’s youngest son, and Prince Hal’s younger
brother.
Hostpur is the Earl of Northumberland’s son. He is fierce,
hotheaded and rushes into decisions. Throughout the play, we see
his mentally troubled side: insomniac, sees visions, multiple
personalities.
Earl of
Earl of Northumberland is Hotspur’s father. Previously, the Percy
Northumberland
family helped Henry IV usurp Richard II from his throne. In the play,
(Lord Henry
Lord Percy feels as though the King forgot their debt to him. So, he
Percy)
Earl of Worcestor
(Thomas Percy)
Edmund
Mortimer (Earl of
plans to overthrow King Henry.
He is Hostpur’s uncle and Lord Percy’s brother. He is the brains
behind the whole conspiration against King Henry.
Mortimer is the man who had a stronger claim to the throne than
Henry IV.
March)
Lady Percy
She is Hostpur’s wife. Her relationship with Hostpur reveals a lot
about his character and how women were treated in Elizabethan
society.
THE TAVERN
Falstaff
Falstaff is Hal’s closest friend and partner in crime. Although, he is
a knight, he doesn’t act like one. Instead, he is an alcoholic,
overweight old man who chronically lies and is very good with
puns. Throughout the play, he acts as Hal’s other father figure.
Bardolph, Poins,
Peto
These 3 are the highwaymen criminals. They hang out at
Eastcheap’s Tavern and drinks with Hal and Falstaff. They also
accompany Hal and Falstaff in robberies.
Hostess
She works at the Tavern where Hal and the men go to drink.
Themes
Honour:
The play is essentially about honour. We see that the characters pursue
honour; Hal transforming from a free-spirited teenager into a noble prince
and Hotspur’s attempt to defend his family’s reputation are both examples.
However, that is not all. Throughout the play, the characters all share their
opinions of what honour really means to them. For example, Falstaff
believes that honour is a waste of effort and questions whether it is worth a
life.; On the other hand, Hal believes that honour is about being noble. As
such, these characters opinion about honour reflects who they are as a
person.
Appearance vs reality:
Throughout the play, Shakespeare explores the idea that things aren’t
always what they appear to be. For example, Hal begins as a party boy…
nothing remotely close to how a Prince should act. His father is
disappointed in him and wishes that Hotspur was his son instead. However,
this was all Hal’s plan to make his transformation into a noble Prince much
more dramatic. As such, his father is now extremely proud of his son. This
raises the idea that appearances can be used to deceive people.
Legitimate rule:
Shakespeare raises questions like “What makes a good King?” and “Who is
the rightful heir to the throne?”
Throughout the play, we see different versions of what a King can be and
we decide which traits are necessary for a King.
● We have King Henry IV, who is wise and aware.
● We have Hal who is an intelligent people person.
● And we have Hotspur who is courageous but hot-headed.
We also see a series of different historical claims to the throne. Is Henry IV
and Hal the legitimate rulers or is it Hostpur’s family?
Context
Remember, King Henry IV is a historical play, based on the real-life political
tensions during 15th Century England. Here is a family tree to give you a
visual representation of the characters’ relationships with one another
War of the roses
Although the War of the Roses doesn’t occur in Henry IV, it is still an
important historical event that influenced the creation of this drama.
The War was a complex battle for the Crown between two families, the
Yorks and the Lancasters.
Here’s the short version (Refer to the family tree above to keep track of who
is who):
1. It began with King Edward III. After he died, there were no clear
heirs to the throne since his eldest son passed away. The 2
remaining options were Edward next eldest son or Prince
Edward’s 10-year-old son..
2. The latter was chosen. However, the famous child King, Richard
II, didn’t last for long because his cousin, Henry IV (a Lancaster),
deposed him.
This is was the slow beginning of the battle of the two families
for the throne.
3. King Edward III’s 3rd son’s family were the Lancasters, known
with their red rose emblem. On the other hand, Prince Edwards’
4th son are the Yorks, represent with white roses.
Political unrest during Elizabeth I’s time
Elizabeth I was the 5th Tudor ruler in England.
However, the Tudors didn’t have a steady claim to the throne in England
because there were rival claims to the throne (see the notes on the War of
Roses above).
Rebellions were held against Henry VIII (Elizabeths I’s father) in an attempt
to place a Yorkist as King instead. These rebellions continued well into
Elizabeth’s rule as plots like the Babington Plot were hatched against her.
As such, there was a need to end the political unrest and subvert any
questions of the Tudor monarchy.
Religion
People in Shakespeare’s era believed that the King or Queen were
specifically chosen by God to represent Him on earth.
As such, ideas surrounding the “legitimacy of rule” were prevalent during
this time because people wanted to know, and believe, that their King is
rightfully anointed by God.
They also believed that God decided everyone’s fate before they are born.
This is called predeterminism and was used to justify the ruling hierarchy..
This often meant that people are born into specific roles that are chosen by
God. People were not allowed to challenge their social class and cannot
rise up the ranks.
Genre and form
When we are studying Henry IV, Part 1 for Module B Critical Studies of
Literature, we must evaluate its construction. This means examining its
genre and form.
We’ll look at the rubric in detail in a second, but a key thing NESA tells us is
that we need to:
“evaluate notions of context with regard to the text’s
composition and reception; investigate and evaluate the
perspectives of others; and explore the ideas in the text,
further strengthening their informed personal
perspective.“
Genre
Henry IV is one of Shakespeare’s historical play. However, you shouldn’t
believe everything that’s written in it because it is still a fictional piece!
Remember all the civil unrest regarding the Tudor monarchy during
Elizabeth I’s time? Well, playwrights and writers (including Shakespeare!)
during this time needed to censor history to show their support for the
Queen. As such, these works are often biased towards the Lancasters.
Many aspects of history have been exaggerated, changed or removed
completely to satisfy this view.
Form
One notable feature about Henry IV’s form is the usage of verse and prose
to represent the nobility and common people, respectively. The nobles use
Iambic pentameter. We see that exchanges made by the noblemen are
often done in iambic pentameter. This is a rhythmic pattern that sounds like
5 heartbeats:
ba-DUM, ba-DUM, ba-DUM, ba-DUM, ba-DUM
This makes their speech sound much more formal and structured. This
helps symbolise how the noblemen have to act within specific boundaries
to fulfil their noble role.
The commoners use prose. The commoners in Henry IV use prose in their
conversations. This creates a large contrast between the noblemen and the
commoners. Prose seems much rowdier and out of control. However, this
gives the characters a chance to make puns and use humour.
Prince Hal vs Falstaff’s dialogue
We see that Prince Hal switches between prose and verse. When he talks
to Falstaff and the other commoners he uses prose. However, when he
alone he uses verse. This highlights how he is fit for the role that is
expected of him, a noble Prince.
On the other hand, Falstaff uses verse when her converses with the other
characters. This illustrates how he holds himself as a nobleman. However,
when he is alone, he not only speaks in prose, but he even uses slang
insults. There are many ways you can interpret the contrast between the 2
characters.
Module C: The Craft of Writing
What is expected in this module
In this module, students strengthen and extend their knowledge, skills and confidence as
accomplished writers. Students write for a range of audiences and purposes using language
to convey ideas and emotions with power and precision.
Students appreciate, examine and analyse at least two short prescribed texts as well as
texts from their own wide reading, as models and stimulus for the development of their own
complex ideas and written expression. They evaluate how writers use language creatively
and imaginatively for a range of purposes; to express insights, evoke emotion, describe the
wonder of the natural world, shape a perspective or to share an aesthetic vision.
Through the study of enduring, quality texts of the past as well as recognised contemporary
works, students appreciate, analyse and evaluate the versatility, power and aesthetics of
language. Through considered appraisal and imaginative engagement with texts, students
reflect on the complex and recursive processes of writing to further develop their
self-expression and apply their knowledge of textual forms and features in their own
sustained and cohesive compositions.
During the pre-writing stage, students generate and explore various concepts through
discussion and speculation. Throughout the stages of drafting and revising students
experiment with various figurative, rhetorical and linguistic devices, for example allusion,
imagery, narrative voice, characterisation, and tone. Students consider purpose, audience
and context to deliberately shape meaning. During the editing stages students apply the
conventions of syntax, spelling, punctuation and grammar appropriately and effectively for
publication.
Students have opportunities to work independently and collaboratively to reflect, refine and
strengthen their own skills in producing highly crafted imaginative, discursive, persuasive
and informative texts.
Note: Students may revisit prescribed texts from other modules to enhance their experiences
of quality writing.
The Texts
Prose Fiction:
● Kafka, Franz, Metamorphosis
● McCann, Colum, ‘What Time Is It Now, Where You Are?’
Speeches:
● Atwood, Margaret, ‘SpottyHanded Villainesses’