UNIT 1&2 VCE ENGLISH
RESOURCE HANDBOOK
2013
In this booklet you will find resources for:
SEMESTER ONE
AREA OF STUDY ONE: READING AND RESPONDING - THE BOOK THIEF
AREA OF STUDY THREE: USING LANGUAGE TO PERSUADE – LANGUAGE ANALYSIS
(commencement)
AREA OF STUDY TWO: CREATING AND PRESENTING – ’FREEDOM WRITERS’
SEMESTER TWO
AREA OF STUDY ONE: READING AND RESPONDING – ‘MACBETH’
AREA OF STUDY THREE: USING LANGUAGE TO PERSUADE – LANGUAGE ANALYSIS
AREA OF STUDY TWO: CREATING AND PRESENTING – ‘GROWING UP ASIAN IN AUSTRALIA’
Unit requirements:
To successfully pass an outcome, you must submit all pieces of work including homework
activities, practice SACs and real SACs.
Name: ___________________________________ Teacher:_______________________________
1
AREA OF STUDY ONE:
READING AND RESPONDING
SEMESTER ONE 2013
TEXT: THE BOOK THIEF
Outcome One: Reading and responding
This area of study includes an analysis of the ways in which structures and features are used by the
authors of narrative texts to construct meaning. The text set as the focus of this area of study should
have literary merit, be worthy of close study and be an excellent example of form and genre. It could
be a fiction or non-fiction print, or film text. You will need to identify and discuss, for example, linear
and non-linear narrative structures, and features such as point of view, the use of camera angles,
symbolism, images and design features. You will also examine the ways in which readers construct
meaning from texts through, for example, an awareness of context and purpose, and their
knowledge of other texts. You will develop the ability to prepare and construct a response to a text,
using appropriate metalanguage to facilitate your discussion.
Key skills:
To achieve this outcome you will draw on knowledge and related skills outlined in area of study 1.
These skills include the ability to:
•
•
•
•
•
•
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identify and discuss the structure, features and conventions used by the authors of
narrative texts to construct meaning in relation to the development of character, ideas
and themes;
discuss different ways of interpreting texts as well as the strategies used by readers to
make meanings;
take notes while reading, viewing or listening for use in writing about or discussing texts;
construct a response to a text, including the use of appropriate metalanguage to discuss
the textual features and textual evidence to support the response;
use appropriate strategies to review and edit the response;
listen actively and respond appropriately to others’ views during discussion and
use the conventions of spelling, punctuation and syntax of Standard Australian English.
2
Unit 1: Area of Study 1
The Book Thief
Outcome One:
On completion of this unit the student should be able to identify and discuss key
aspects of a set text, and to construct a response in oral or written form.
3
TIMELINE 2013 UNIT 1 TERM 1 OUTCOME ONE
Week
Class Activities & Resources
1
2
3
4
5
Introduction to Unit 1 (Study Design & Insight Chapter 1)
Holiday Homework and validation test – The Book Thief
Introduction to text
Setting, narrative voice and characters, structure (Insight Chapter 2)
Metalanguage
Chapter Questions
Read Insight Chapter 1
Setting and characters, structure (Insight Chapter 2)
Chapter Questions
Identification of key themes
Chapter Questions
Themes & Character tasks questions
Practice SAC (due first lesson week 5)
Theme & Character analysis activities (Insight Chapter 2)
How to write an essay & Prac SAC
Essay writing skills
Worked example – essay modelling
Practice essay questions
SAC questions given out (to plan at home)
BOOK THIEF SAC to be completed in class
6
Homework Activities
PRAC SAC DUE
Essay plan (one sided plan can be
brought into SAC)
DATE: _____________________________
BOOK THIEF COMPULSORY COURSEWORK
These tasks must all be completed to satisfactorily meet the outcome. Tick off each task as you
complete them and checked off by your teacher.
Tasks
ONGOING
1. Keep notes during class discussion and revise these notes as homework each week
2. Tab and highlight important quotes/passages in your text.
3. Complete tasks begun in class
TERM ONE: WEEK ONE and TWO
4. Complete 8 of the Book Thief discussion questions from Q1-13 (p4 of resource booklet) giving
detailed answers using evidence from the text.
5. Complete chapter analysis table (p10 of resource booklet)
TERM ONE: WEEK THREE
6. Complete 5 of the Book Thief discussion questions from Q14-20
TERM ONE: WEEK FOUR
7. Complete Practice SAC
TERM ONE: WEEK FIVE
8. Prepare for SAC, complete essay plan sheet *PRAC SAC DUE*
TERM ONE: WEEK SIX
9. BOOK THIEF SAC
4

Questions for The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
1. What are Death’s feelings for each victim?
2. Death states, “I’m always finding humans at their best and worst. I see their ugly and their beauty,
and I wonder how the same thing can be both.” (p. 491) What is ugly and beautiful about the
characters in the novel?
3. How does Zusak use the literary device of foreshadowing to pull the reader into the story?
4. Liesel Meminger lived to be an old woman. Death says that he would like to tell the book thief about
beauty and brutality, but those are things that she had lived. How does her life represent beauty in
the wake of brutality?
5. Discuss how Zusak’s poetic writing style enhances the beauty of Liesel’s story.
6. Why is Death haunted by humans?
7. The Grave Digger’s Handbook is the first book Liesel steals. Why does she take the book?
8. How does stealing books from the mayor’s house lead to a friendship with the mayor’s wife?
9. Explain how Liesel’s own attempt to write a book saves her life.
10. Liesel believes that Hans Hubermann’s eyes show kindness, and from the beginning she feels closer
to him than to Rosa Hubermann. How does Hans gain Liesel’s love and trust?
11. Why is it so difficult for Rosa to demonstrate the same warmth toward Liesel? Discuss how Liesel’s
relationship with Rosa changes by the end of the novel.
12. Who abandons Liesel in the novel?
13. Guilt is another recurring theme in the novel. Hans Hubermann’s life was spared in France during
World War I, and Erik Vandenburg’s life was taken. Explain why Hans feels guilty about Erik’s
death.
14. Explain Max Vandenburg’s thought, “Living was living. The price was guilt and shame.” (p. 208)
Why does he feel guilt and shame?
15. Compare and contrast the lives of Liesel and Max Vandenburg.
16. How does Max’s life give Liesel purpose?
17. Max gives Liesel a story called “The Standover Man” for her birthday. What is the significance of
this story?
18. Death says that Liesel was a girl “with a mountain to climb.” (p. 86) What is her mountain? Who
are her climbing partners? What is her greatest obstacle?
19. There isn’t one coward in the Hubermann household. Discuss how each character demonstrates
courage throughout the novel.
20. Describe Liesel’s friendship with Rudy. How does their friendship change and grow throughout the
novel?
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Sample Essay Questions- Book Thief
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Discuss the beauty and brutality of humanity in reference to The Book Thief.
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Why is friendship so important to Liesel in the novel? Discuss in reference to two
very significant friendships Liesel experiences in the novel.
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Why are books so significant in The Book Thief? Discuss in reference to Liesel.
•
The characters in the end of The Book Thief have changed from who they were at
the beginning of the novel. Discuss.
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From the time that Liesel is abandoned by her mother a central focus of her life is
belonging. Discuss this theme in reference to at least two characters in The Book
Thief.
•
How do the characters in The Book Thief demonstrate the human capacity to
overcome adversity?
SAC Conditions and Criteria
Unit 1 English Assessment Task 1
Area of Study One: Reading and Responding. In this task, you must write a written text
response to The Book Thief.
CONDITIONS:
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You will be given the essay questions in the week before the SAC, and you will be
allowed to bring in a one page, handwritten sheet of notes.
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Please arrive promptly to class, ready to begin on time.
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You may bring in your copy of The Book Thief
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You must hand in your planning work and notes at the end of the planning time.
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Both parts of the task will be carried out under Exam conditions.
You will be assessed on:
1. Understanding and control of ideas, characters and themes
2. Development of ideas in response to the topic
3. Use of relevant evidence from the text
4. Coherence and structure of the essay
5. Spelling, punctuation and grammar
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ESSAY WRITING
1. Clarify the language
Identify the important words in the essay question. Which ideas do you think you have to
address in your response? Underline these words.
2. Form an argument
You can argue any point you like, as long as you have evidence to back up your opinion.
Your argument is the message you want your reader to remember when they finish reading.
When writing an essay, you need to set up a clear argument in the introduction, and develop it
in the body of the essay. Remember that you can look both ways at the question...can the topic
be viewed in more than one way?
A good argument:
• can be summed up in one sentence
• communicates why you think your argument is right
• is interesting and convincing.
3. Write an essay plan
A good essay plan helps you arrange your ideas logically and stay on track during the writing
process.
Your plan should state how you're going to prove your argument, including the evidence you're
going to use. Structure your plan around the different parts of an essay. To do this:
• Write your argument in one sentence at the top of the page – you'll flesh this out into
your introduction.
• Write three or four key points that you think will support your argument. Try to write
each point in one sentence. These will become your topic sentences.
• Under each point, write down one or two examples from your research that support
your point. These can be quotes, paraphrased text from reliable authors, etc. Remember
to reference your examples when you write up your essay.
• Finally, write the main point you want to leave in your reader's mind – that's your
conclusion.
Essay structure
Essays are structured differently depending on the question and the subject, but some elements
are common to most essays. You can plan and write more efficiently if you understand what
each element does:
• the introduction tells the reader the point you're going to prove
• the body is where you discuss your argument and give examples to illustrate your key
points
• the conclusion drives your argument home by describing how you've done what you
said you were going to do.
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THE INTRODUCTION
Assume the person marking your essay knows nothing about your topic.
Your introduction should:
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•
•
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establish and explain your contention
mention the name of the text and author/director
define any complex words in the question
give any background information necessary for your argument to make sense
The best introductions quickly establish the argument and grab the reader's attention. Although
all introductions need to follow a similar formula, you can still make your introduction a bit
different and more interesting.
BODY
You should write a minimum of three body paragraphs. Each paragraph should:
• present one new idea that adds to your argument
• start with a topic sentence summarising the main idea for discussion
• follow with an example and a brief explanation of how the point adds to your argument
• be connected by a linking sentence describing the relationship between the two
paragraphs.
Your paragraphs should follow the TEEL structure:
T- TOPIC SENTENCE
E- EVIDENCE
E- EXPLANATION
L- LINK
TOPIC SENTENCES
The first sentence in each paragraph is called a topic sentence. Topic sentences:
• explain the point you're going to make in the paragraph
• are clear and concise
• link back to your contention in the introduction
• build on the points made in the previous paragraphs
When all topic sentences are read together, they should summarise your argument.
If you recorded your key points in your essay plan, you've already written your topic sentences. Take
your key points, write them in a single sentence and then write a paragraph discussing each one.
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EVIDENCE
A good quote adds something meaningful to your argument and links to the main idea of the
paragraph.
When choosing a quote, make sure it:
• supports the main idea of the paragraph
• is punchy and direct, even dramatic
• comes from a source you trust
• is relatively short and to the point.
Follow each quote with a short description of what it means and how it relates to your topic
sentence and argument. Don't use quotes instead of your own words — they're meant to add
weight to your argument.
EXPLANATION
Here you explain how the evidence supports your point of the paragraph. Remember to keep
the essay question in mind and try not to get off track or retell the story.
LINK
This is where you need to wrap up your paragraph- think of it as a mini-conclusion to your
paragraph. You need to end your paragraph by linking back to the essay topic and showing the
reader how your paragraph supports your main contention. WORDS such as ”Therefore”, “As a
result”, “thus”, “for that reason”, “consequently”, and “hence” and all good words to link the
paragraph back to the question.
THE CONCLUSION
Your conclusion is the last paragraph of your essay and the last thing your reader will read, so it
needs to be memorable. A conclusion:
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•
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links back to the introduction
summarises your key points
restates your main idea
should never contain any new information.
PROOFREAD
The last part of the editing process is checking things like spelling and punctuation – this is
called proofreading. When you're proofreading, look at spelling , grammar, punctuation and
clarity – every sentence should say something new and relevant to your argument.
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Vocabulary –essay writing
Here are some words that can be used to show off your vocabulary when you write an
essay. Please make sure that you understand these words properly before you use them.
WORD
MEANING
Symbolic
Representative
Presents
Shows
Evident
Clear
SYNONYMS
(WORDS THAT
MEAN THE
SAME THING)
Represents,
indicates
Clear, apparent,
manifested
REFERENCE TO BOOK THIEF OR
EXAMPLE OF USE IN A SENTENCE
His use of ...
demonstrates/highlights/illustrates
that...
View
opinion
However
But
Demonstrates,
portrays,
indicates,
highlights,
illustrates
Explores,
examines
Belief, opinion,
stance,
viewpoint,
notion, idea
Though, yet,
conversely, on
the other hand
Therefore
And so...
Consequently,
thus, hence,
accordingly
Discusses
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The notion of words is symbolic of...
Zusak’s views of the oppressive and
totalitarian government of the Nazi
Party are manifested/evident
through the inclusion of Max’ stories.
Zusak explores the theme of ...in The
Book Thief.
Zusak puts forward the notion that...
The novel highlights Zusak’s stance on
the impact on humanity during times
of war.
It is true that.... However, ....
Liesel’s connection with books
develops throughout the course of the
novel.
Therefore/Thus/Consequently it can
be seen as an important theme in the
book.
Key Events
Quotes
Prologue
The Gravedigger’s
Handbook
Page | 11 YEAR 11 RESOURCE BOOK SEMESTER ONE 2013
Guiding questions
Character
development
Interesting language /
Other information
Key Events
Quotes
The Shoulder Shrug
Mein Kampf
Page | 12 YEAR 11 RESOURCE BOOK SEMESTER ONE 2013
Guiding questions
Character
development
Interesting language /
Other information
Key Events
Quotes
The Standover Man
The Whistler
Page | 13 YEAR 11 RESOURCE BOOK SEMESTER ONE 2013
Guiding questions
Character
development
Interesting language /
Other information
Key Events
Quotes
The Dream Carrier
The Complete Duden
Dictionary and
Thesaurus
Page | 14 YEAR 11 RESOURCE BOOK SEMESTER ONE 2013
Guiding questions
Character
development
Interesting language /
Other information
Key Events
Quotes
The Word Shaker
The Human Stranger
The Book Thief
Page | 15 YEAR 11 RESOURCE BOOK SEMESTER ONE 2013
Guiding questions
Character
development
Interesting language /
Other information
SAMPLE BOOK THIEF ESSAY 1:
“I witness the ones who are left behind... they have punctured hearts.”- Death. The Book Thief
shows that death and war are often more difficult for those who survive. Discuss.
Told from the perspective of Death personified, The Book Thief observes that those who are left behind
after tragedy suffer greatly. Zusak suggests that when people die, they are no longer burdened by the
hardship of life and experience a gentle transition. He demonstrates that it is actually the survivors of war
who endure greater adversity. This is shown through the experiences of the protagonist, Liesel, who
struggles to face the abandonment she has experienced, as well as other characters that have difficulty
processing their guilt and grief.
From the outset, the narrator, Death, gives an original insight into how people find release in death. The
reader is shown the world from Death’s viewpoint and he observes that it is not the souls that he takes
but those who survive that haunt him because “they have punctured hearts”. Death makes it clear that
he should not be feared by those who face him and reassures his audience that he is “not violent... not
malicious”. Zusak repeatedly describes Death as considerate and caring, suggesting that the experience
of death is soothing and comforting as “even death has a heart”. This is also reinforced through his
descriptions of collecting the souls of characters. When explaining Hans’ death, he states that Hans “soul
sat up” to meet him because he has already given so much of himself to the world, he is ready for death.
Therefore, The Book Thief reveals that death itself is not necessarily traumatic for those who die during
war.
Comparatively, the reader sees how Liesel suffers as a survivor of war. It is Liesel’s story of survival that is
the focus of the story and the reader learns that Death itself is “haunted by humans” who survive. Liesel’s
struggle is fuelled by the devastating loss of her mother and brother. Her mother has left her for a reason
she doesn’t understand and her brother died before her eyes. Her grief remains as a physical presence
when she arrives at Himmel Street with “bite marks of snow on her hands and the frosty blood on her
fingers” and she continues to be woken by nightmares of her loss for years to come. Of course, Liesel is
the ultimate survivor of this story as she loses everyone she loves most, other than Max, when “the world
ended for Liesel Meminger”. Liesel is required once again to piece her life, and her heart, back together in
a world that has betrayed her.
Furthermore, Zusak portrays how other survivors of war are plagued by guilt and grief. Max is constantly
overwhelmed by his guilt at finding escape from Nazi persecution. He has hidden to save his own life,
when his family did not have the same chance, and for that “the price was guilt, and shame”. He is
further burdened by guilt because he is putting the Hubermanns at risk. It is Max’s self-blame that is as
much a cause of his suffering as the anti-Semitism he faces. Equally, we see other characters who cannot
cope with their grief at losing a loved one. Ilsa Hermann has hidden herself from the world in perpetual
mourning for the son she lost during the First World War. She is fortunate that Liesel comes into her life
to help her live again. However, the novel also shows that Michael Holtzapfel is not able to overcome the
guilt and grief he experiences when he witnesses his brother’s death. Though he still loves his mother, he
cannot bear to live in the knowledge that he has survived and his brother has not: “He killed himself for
wanting to live”. Tragically, he takes his own life. It is clear that the calamity of war and death impacts
those who remain in ongoing and painful ways.
The Book Thief’s focus on death allows the reader to see how it affects those who survive. Zusak clearly
shows that life itself is frequently more gruelling than its ending. In fact Death can bring peace from the
horrors of war. The guilt and grief experienced by the characters, and in particular Liesel’s story, reveal
the resilience that is required for humans to rebuild their lives in the wake of tragedy.
680 words
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SAMPLE BOOK THIEF ESSAY 2:
“The consequence of this is that I’m always finding humans at their best and worst. I see their ugly
and their beauty, and I wonder how the same thing can be both”. The Book Thief explores how
beauty can exist in the midst of brutality. Discuss.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, explores how beauty can exist in the midst of brutality. The story
shows that the world is a dark place, thought the unjustified suffering of Liesel, Max, Frau Holtzapfel
and the Jews. In spite of this, beauty is found in the relationships that are cultivated between Liesel
and her foster family, as well as the friendship of Rudy and Liesel.
The setting of The Book Thief in World War II provides a backdrop of the brutality of humanity. This
is made evident through the treatment of Dachau’s prisoners by the Nazis who regarded Jews as
“rats”. They are forced to humiliatingly march through the streets of Molching because the guards
believe the prisoners are “in need of some fresh air”. Elsewhere in the novel, brutality is
demonstrated by the bullying of Rudy by his Hitler Youth leader Franz Deutscher who beats him. This
is a callous attack which shows how ever youths can be brutal. The scene at the end of the novel,
when Himmel Street is bombed, epitomises the suffering that is endured by the victims of
humanity’s cruelty. The unfairness of the situation is highlighted by Death’s statement that “Rudy
didn’t deserve to die the way he did”. Furthermore, suffering is endured by Frau Holtzapfel and the
mayor’s wife, whose sons die as a result of the war caused by humans.
Zusak shows that despite the cruelty and brutality of mankind, humans are also capable of “beauty”.
This is made evident through the relationships that are formed between characters of the novel and
through the acts of kindness during a time of suffering brought on by war. Rudy personifies this with
his love for Liesel and his family. Death says Rudy has “so much good” and finds he has died with his
arms around his little sister. Rudy is inspired by Hans’ act of giving a Jewish prisoner bread which is
another example of beauty. In this instance, Hans’ risks a huge penalty inflicted by the Nazis by
reaching out to a starving man. Rosa shows the beauty of humankind as she “did love Liesel
Meminger”. She takes Liesel into her home as her own child, even though the war has made Rosa
and her husband so poor that they eat pea soup every night. This love is learned by Liesel, and she
shows beauty in the way she treats Max. The Jewish man in inspired by Liesel’s friendship to
persevere through the suffering of the war, though he states that “often I wish this would all be
over”.
Throughout The Book Thief, Zusak shows that humans have both elements of “ugly and beauty”. The
ugly often seems overwhelming as demonstrated by the atrocities of World War II and the suffering
that is inflicted upon people as a result of it. However, the love that is shown by the novel’s
characters and the acts of kindness that this prompts them to do so make it clear that during times
of brutality, there are always elements of beauty.
556 words.
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AREA OF STUDY TWO
CREATING AND PRESENTING
SEMESTER ONE 2013
TEXT: ‘Freedom Writers’
Context: Identity and Belonging
Outcome Two: Creating and Presenting
In this area of study, your writing is informed by reading a range of texts relevant to a context‘Identity and Belonging’. You are encouraged to read widely and to study at least one set text
(‘Freedom Writers’) in order to examine the effects of form, purpose, audience and context on the
authors’ choice of structure and language. You will draw on the knowledge gained from this study to
create your own written and/or multimodal texts in a process which includes planning, reviewing
and editing. You will also be required to complete an oral presentation (SAC) based on your opinions
and thoughts on the context.
Examples of texts which could be created by students include essays, short stories, short
instructional or informative videos, websites, scripts, text of speeches, personal recounts, and
feature articles for a workplace magazine.
Key Skills
On completion of this unit you should be able to create and present texts taking account of
audience, purpose and context. To achieve this outcome you will draw on knowledge and related
skills outlined in area of study 2.
These skills include the ability to:
• use accurately the structures, features and conventions of a range of print, non-print and
multimodal texts;
• select text type, subject matter and language to suit a specific audience, purpose and context;
• draw on content suggested by set texts to develop and support ideas and arguments;
• experiment with visual, auditory and digital features, where relevant, to make meaning;
• plan and revise for coherence of form, language, structure, audience and context;
• use appropriate metalanguage to discuss structures, features and forms of their own and others’
texts;
• use the conventions of spelling, punctuation and syntax of Standard Australian English.
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English Unit 1, AOS 2: Oral presentation SAC
This homework task is part of the compulsory coursework you need to submit in order to
pass the outcome.
Task Instructions:
Your task is to show your understanding of ideas and concepts related to the context of “Identity and
Belonging” by examining a text of your own choice. You need to deliver your ideas orally, using verbal and nonverbal language to effectively communicate your point of view. This should include some form of visual aid
(PowerPoint, video - no more than 30 seconds, poster).
What you must do:
1.
Choose your own text (a song, poem, speech, story, novel, television show, film) that reflects on or explores the
concepts of “Identity and Belonging”. e.g. I Still Call Australia Home or I Have A Dream
You will find that songs, poems and speeches will be the most appropriate for this task. (If you are unsure whether
your text is appropriate for the task, ask your teacher for their approval).
2.
In a clearly structured speech (4-5 minutes), you need to present to the class your understanding of the ideas of
“Identity and Belonging” that are shown in that text. Use the following structure and questions to guide your speech.
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Introduce your text:
 Give a very brief explanation of what it is about, why it was creator, who it is by (no more than 20 secs!).
Perhaps read a short excerpt of the text.
 Explain what the main idea of Identity and Belonging is being communicated by the writer/filmmaker/ artist.
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Reflect on the ideas in the text: Choose 4 of the following questions that you feel are most relevant to your chosen
text and give detailed and thoughtful answers, using examples from the text. Think of each question as a BODY
PARAGRAPH of your presentation.
Does the text explore a certain type of identity or belonging (individual, cultural, stereotypical, community,
family, religious)? If so, how does it do this?
 What factors does the text suggest enable people to establish a sense of identity and/or belonging?
 What difficulties do people have in finding their identity or a place to belong?
 Does the text show that people have a desire to belong? How does it show this?
 How does the text suggest people can find their identity and/or feel that they belong?
 Why is identity and belonging important, according to the text?
 Are there conflicting ideas of what a person’s identity should be?
 What does the text suggest are the advantages of having a clear identity and sense of belonging?
 What does the text suggest are the disadvantages of having a clear identity and sense of belonging?
 Does the text suggest that identity and a sense of belonging can change? If so, how?
You can go beyond this list of questions if you feel there are other ideas the text explores.
Conclude your presentation: What is the overriding message about identity and belonging that you have learnt from
the text?
VH
H
M
L
VL
NS
Assessment Criteria
(5)
(4)
(3)
(2)
(1)
(0)
Effectiveness of structure, planning and preparation,
1
including understanding of the chosen text

-
2
Exploration of the ideas of Identity and Belonging
presented in the topic.
3
Use of examples to explain ideas, including the use of
visual aids
4
Expressiveness, coherence and fluency of delivery using
verbal and non-verbal language.
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TIPS FOR AN EFFECTIVE
PRESENTATION

Know your speech well.

Be confident! (Even if you aren't!) The best way to be confident is to be prepared.

Interact with the audience

Use gestures, make eye contact, ask the audience questions, ask for questions at the end
and try to relate to them. Be sure to introduce yourself and thank the audience as you leave.

Practice!

Make sure that you practice out loud as many times as possible. If you can, practice in front
of someone to get used to having an audience. Practice using cue cards and run through
your PowerPoint/videos etc to make sure everything runs smoothly.

Vary the tone of your voice. Experiment with different types of tone (refer to your textbooks
for ideas).

Watch your pace!
How to ensure you have an effective PowerPoint presentation:
Power Points are there to help the audience follow your speech. Don't put your draft up or
paragraphs word for word. Use dot points only to summarise your points and limit these to about 34 per slide.

Use your PowerPoint to display photos, graphs and other visuals.

Don't use more than one background throughout your presentation and minimise
the use of different fonts and colours.

Try to avoid using animations on screen as they can distract the audience.

Use headings to help the audience understand where you are in your speech.

Use spell check to correct any mistakes. Spelling errors will make you look
unprepared.
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The Context: Identity and Belonging
The idea of identity is both complex and problematic. It is no longer enough to declare that our
identity is simply a matter of ‘who we are’. New questions arise. Is our identity solid and fixed? We
are a work in progress from the day of our birth to the day of our death. Does this mean then, that
our identity is in a state of constant instability? Does our identity depend on our belonging? The
social groupings of which we are a part – families, clubs, workplaces and the like – are usually an
important part of our sense of self, but to what extent? People often choose to define themselves in
opposition to traditional social groupings. Instead of feeling like they belong, such people feel
alienated from the groups around them.
From our earliest days, many of us are given a ‘script’ for our lives and we act it out, even if it does
not really suit us. Sometimes, however, when we take time to reflect on these things that we take
for granted, we are prompted to abandon the script we have been given and to begin to write our
own script instead.
Identity and Belonging: Context
introductory questions:
As part of the year 11 English course you will be asked to write a number of pieces that centre on
the themes of identity and belonging.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
What is identity?
How would you describe your identity?
How does categorisation and identity relate to each other?
What clues do we use to work out someone’s identity?
Can identity be changed? How?
Is identity an external or internal characteristic?
Where did your identity come from? Did you design it?
How much control do we have over our identities?
Can we have more than one identity? Do they come together to make a whole?
Have you ever helped shape someone’s identity?
Will you have the same identity in 10 years? How about in 20? What do you think will
change? What will stay the same?
How does identity affect belonging?
Where do you feel you belong? Why?
Why is belonging important? Are there times when it is better not to belong?
Can people of different identities belong together? Why? How?
Describe in detail a time when you did not belong.
Have you ever stopped someone else from belonging?
Find an image/picture that reflects either identity or belonging and write an explanation.
21
EXPLORING THE CONCEPT OF
IDENTITY AND BELONGING
Provide detailed answers to the following questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
Who am I?
How do we judge others?
What does identity mean?
What does it mean to have an identity?
What does belonging mean?
What groups do we belong to?
How do these groups shape our identity?
What factors shape our identity?
How can we remain an individual and still be part of a group?
Where is the line between our internal and external identity?
How do we cope when we are shunned by our group?
What does it mean to be an authentic person?
What are the consequences of a lack of self-reflection?
What cultural identities exist in Australia?
How does our public identity affect our individuality?
What are some of the conflicts and identity crises experienced by young adults?
Why do some people experience alienation?
Why do we search for “role models” and how important are they in shaping our identity?
What are some complexities and contradictions of an individual’s quest for a sense of self
and for finding their place in the world?
20. How can modern life threaten our identity and sense of individuality?
21. What role do our families play in shaping our identity?
22
SAMPLE READING: IDENTITY AND BELONGING
Melbourne's tepid brown river: it's coffee
Danny Katz, September 17, 2009
Can Melbourne be anything but the coffee
coffee. Can't we celebrate something else?
fine coffee, I drink it myself. I have swilled
capital?
Canberra is the political capital and Sydney is
Vittorio on Victoria Street, swigged Lavazza in
the economic capital and Brisbane is the
a Balaclava plaza, swallowed cups of Coffex in
lifestyle capital and Melbourne, we're the
Coburg. But my wrath is this: the pressure of
capital of brown boiled bean-juice that gives
being a Melburnian coffee connoisseur is
you morning-breath and loosens your stools
destroying me, leaving me jumpy and furry-
with colonic laxativity.
tongued and shattered with the emphasis on
SERIOUSLY, I will bop 'em in the bean, I will
schmack 'em in the stirrer, I will thump the
cappuccino-frothed face of the next person I
hear using the words "Melbourne", "best" and
"coffee" in the same sentence, as in
''shat'' and ''turd''. Calm down Katzy, have
"Melbourne has the best coffee" or
Anything would be better than the coffee
"Melbourne's coffee is the best" or "Coffee,
capital: the capital of Asian nail-salons with
best: Melbourne has". Go on, Yoda, say it, I
mannequin hands in their windows. The capital
dare ya, cos I'll rip off your tiny green Jedi
of emerging young adult authors writing novels
A box appeared on my doorstep this week: a
knackers.
about netballing teens named Chloe.
small box, the size of the one in the movie
Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry for the little tantie. It's
Whoaaaa, hold off a latte-lapping moment all
just that everything I read, everywhere I go,
you enraged coffee-guzzlers, swinging round
that's all anyone talks about in this town:
your sugar sachets like mini-nunchukkas: my
coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee,
gripe is not with the coffee of Melbourne. It's
23
another double ristretto to settle your jangling
nerves, and explain how it all began …
Se7en that had Gwyneth Paltrow's lopped-off
head in it and, to be honest, I would've been
happier with Gwyneth Paltrow's lopped-off
head than with what I got in mine. A coffee
machine: I'd picked it out of a loyalty awards
catalogue a couple of months ago. It was a
Now I've always made decently drinkable
apparently, in the area of coffee-making, you
"completely free gift" for spending thousands of
coffee with my scrappy little stove-top
want your pucking to be chaffingly dry). I
dollars over hundreds of months over two
percolator: it has a clever little feature where
learned how to start brewing the cup of coffee
decades. And I'd chosen the coffee machine
the coffee bubbles out all over the stove top
(this is where you push down a button that
because, as a resident of this city, I felt it was
then I sponge it up with a dishwashing cloth
says ''start'').
my municipal duty.
and wring it straight into a cup. The
And, also, there was nothing else in the
catalogue to pick, just an outdoor patio heater
that warmed the entire Earth's atmosphere so
you didn't have to wear a jacket outside. And a
dishwashing detergent gives it extra crema.
But this new coffee machine was supposed to
make perfectly professional coffee, so I read
the instructions and learnt how to tamp my
coffee (this is where you compact your coffee
The first coffee I made was professionally pooflavoured, and each one that followed got
worse. The instruction booklet told me that
coffee-making is an art and you need to keep
experimenting until you get it right, so this is
grounds so you don't have a tamping crisis).
why I'm in a coffee-induced hysteria. Help,
say "Turn left ahead" in my own sexy woman's
I learnt how to get a dry puck in my filter (this is
overcaffeinated state, living in an
voice named Audrey.
the clump of grounds after the coffee has been
overcaffeinated state.
car sat-nav that I didn't need because I've got
a Melways and I know how to read and I can
brewed, and as fun as a wet puck may sound
24
help, help, help meeeeeee - I'm in an
A bloke's gotta delegate.
A VAST half-finished Scrabble board of a
suburb, that's what Moorabbin is to me. Just
rows and rows of flat warehouses and factories
and supply outlets laid out in long Scrabble-tile
formations, with a massive Bunnings running
down the edge of the suburb, a triple-word
triple-letter-score winner, with 50 bonus points
for using all your tiles.
Moorabbin is where you go to do manshopping: it's the Municipality of Masculinity.
You don't come here to buy hand lotion or
halter-necks or Persian fairy floss — not unless
you're buying it by the cubic metre and you're
using it to chock up a shed. Nah, you come
here to buy elevator doors or helicopter parts
or anything loose and gravelly that you carry
home in a Kennard rent-a-trailer.
Danny Katz
I was heading to Mrbb'n to do some man-
one parking space out the front … and I'd have
shopping myself. I needed a big blokey
to reverse in. I'm not a confident reverse-
component for my car — a new pair of rubber
parker and when you visit a car store,
blades for my windscreen wipers. The old
onlookers expect a bit of motoring panache.
rubber blades were completely rotten and now
You're supposed to swerve in there backwards
I was wiping my windshield with two scratchy
at 80 km/h with your back wheels
metal sticks, etching the glass in dainty little
doughnutting.
rainbow arches. So I was driving to one of
those big car-accessory stores, the kind that
have all the man-arousal trigger words built
directly into their names, like "Super" and
"Cheap" and "Moto" and "Auto" and "Barn".
Yeah, this isn't a shop, it's a barn, built by
burly, sweaty Mennonite carpenters on an
To avoid humiliation, I drove further down the
road and parked in a side street a few short
blocks away, in the next suburb, Highett.
Riddled with shame, I walked 1½ kilometres
back to the store, then stepped through the
front doors into a holy sanctum of auto care:
Amish auto-barn-raising day.
dozens of man-shoppers were drifting silently
But when you go man-shopping in Mrbb'n, you
man-fashion of Mrbb'n — cheap, ill-fitting jeans
must be prepared for a multitude of man-
and polar fleece vests with collars yanked up.
challenges, and I faced my first upon pulling up
And the smell: a heady fragrance of engine
outside the car accessory store: there was only
degreaser, tyres, and the belchy breath of
25
up and down aisles, all wearing that alluring
guys who had recently scoffed down a bacon
ask car-shop item, so I just wandered
and egg McMuffin while hanging out the side
aimlessly past shelves of coolants, mufflers
of a ute.
and hubcaps, until I finally found wiper blades
Shuffling past the front counter, a new
challenge materialised: I had to give a CarShop Greeting to the guy at the cash register,
in the wussiest corner of the shop, alongside
the wildberry car-freshener trees and the furry
pink Hello Kitty car-seat covers.
something gruffer than a Hardware-Store
And now my final excruciating man-challenge:
Hello, less shrill than a Bottleshop Salutation.
there were hundreds of wiper blades for all
So I threw a deep guttural "Hi, how are ya?"
different makes of cars, AND I DIDN'T KNOW
and he threw back a grumbly
THE MAKE OF MY CAR. I knew it was a
"Ehhhhhhmaaaaaate". No I'd failed again,
Toyota, but what kind? A Corolla? A Pudenda?
gone for too much affable chirpiness. A car
I HAD NO IDEA, and I couldn't check because
shop in Mrbb'n is no place for eloquence,
I was parked in Highett.
civility or joy.
Defeated, I slunk out of that store where I
Scampering past, I was now confronted with a
didn't belong, back to my car that I didn't
third challenge; finding the wiper blades. I
deserve, and drove out of Mrbb'n where I had
couldn't ask for help because I was
no right to be. And when I got home, I phoned
embarrassed by my purchase: I'd be happy
a mechanic and said, "Hey, can you put on
asking for help if I were buying motor lube or a
some new wiper blades for me cos I don't
hydraulic carjack — oh, how proudly I would
know how, maaaaaaate" in my blokiest man-
have yelled, "EXCUSE ME, WHERE WOULD I
voice ever.
FIND A 12-VOLT HEAVY-DUTY AIR
COMPRESSOR? YES, THAT'S RIGHT, 12
BLOODY VOLTS!" But wiper blades are a no26
Danny Katz
Dork, Geek, Jew
Bad Aussie, rotten Aussie, crappy Aussie – I don’t deserve to celebrate Australia Day tomorrow
BECAUSE I’M PROBABLY THE WORST AUSTRALIAN OF ALL TIME. I don’t do any of the things that
proper decent Australians are supposed to do. Like eat pavlova. I can’t stand pavlova – it’s like biting
into a polystyrene cup filled with shaving cream. It’s the most nauseatingly sweet thing ever
invented; it’s just an enormous sugar crystal stuffed with more sugar then covered with more sugar,
then topped with lots of fresh fruit so everyone thinks it’s really healthy. The last time I ate a slice of
pavlova, I got two cavities, eight pimples, and my blood-sugar levels were so high I couldn’t blink for
two weeks.
No, I don’t deserve to celebrate Australia Day tomorrow: because I’m not mad about beer.
That’s right; I don’t really like the taste of it. The only way I can drink beer is if I add a bit of lime and
lemonade to take the edge off- enough lime and lemonade so my beer ends up tasting like creaming
soda. When I go to a pub with my friends, they’ll all order beer and I’ll usually order a glass of Coke.
And I’m not ashamed of that, I’m not embarrassed by that – I’ll bring my glass of Coke back to the
table and sit down with my friends. And I’ll tell them it’s Guinness.
I don’t deserve to celebrate Australia Day tomorrow: I can’t even light a barbeque. I know, I
know, that’s supposed to be an instinctive Australian skill – like being able to eat a Chiko Roll, or
opening a twist-top with your eye-socket. I’ve seen little Aussie newborn babies suckling from their
mother’s breast, with one hand reaching towards the Weber, and the other hand holding a lit match.
But I haven’t got that instinctive barbeque-lighting thing: I load the barbeque up with wood and
kindling and newspaper, then I try lighting it, but it goes out, I try again, it goes out – a friend comes
along and says ‘Hey what are you doing?’ and I say ‘I’m trying to light the barbeque’ and he says ‘It’s
gas, just turn the bloody knob.’
I don’t deserve to celebrate Australia Day tomorrow; I’ll tell you why – because I’ve never
watched Hey Hey It’s Saturday. I’VE NEVER WATCHED A SINGLE EPISODE. And I’ve never watched
an episode of Neighbours either, or Home and Away – not even Blue Heelers. In fact, I have a deep,
dark, shameful secret and I’m going to reveal it right now... for many years... I used to pronounce Lisa
McCune ... Lisa McClune. Yes, that’s the sad, shocking truth and it’s a torment I have to live with for
the rest of my days.
And I don’t like watching cricket. Proper patriotic Australians love watching cricket; they
love sitting in front of the TV for the best part of a day, yelling out
WAAAAAAAAARRNNNNEEEEEYYYYY every now and then for no particular reason at all. But not me:
I can’t get into the game – it’s too slow and the rules are too confusing. And I don’t understand any
game where you’ve got a bunch of elite, world-class sportsmen playing at the highest levels of
competition – and then right in the middle of the match, they all break for ‘tea’. This is not a sport –
it’s a Tupperware party. Every time I watch cricket, I keep expecting someone to come out with a
tray of scones and jam, and a bowl of whipped cream.
No, I don’t deserve to celebrate Australia Day tomorrow – because I think Greg Norman is
kind of creepy, and I’m allergic to the smell of eucalyptus, and I don’t know what a numbat is, and I
never wear thongs – and if I did wear thongs, I’d probably call them flip-flops. And I don’t know how
to make damper, and I can’t spell ‘Warnambull’, and I always leave the pickles on my McDonald’s
hamburger, and I reckon koalas are evil-looking. And I don’t usually use the word ‘reckon’. And I
have no idea what happened at the Eureka Stockade – did it have anything to do with Archimedes
discovering something?
And I’ve never driven a Holden, and I walked out of Strictly Ballroom before the first dance
number, and I couldn’t care less about gardening, and I’ve never been on a surfboard – except for
one time when I was thirteen and my best friend Matthew Spyer let me stand on his, but that was in
the living room of his house – and I ended up falling off and banging my head on the Jason recliner.
No, I really don’t deserve to celebrate Australia Day tomorrow. But I’ve decided to take the
day off anyway. So I guess that makes me Australian enough.
27
Articles: Discussion Questions
Danny Katz uses comedy and exaggeration to emphasize his view on the Australian identity,
outlining many stereotypes in the process.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What is the point that the author is trying to convey?
What is he suggesting about the Australian identity?
Is the typical Australian identity a ‘multi-cultural’ one?
Why does the author feel that he does not ‘belong’? What defines his belonging?
Which other ‘typical’ Australian images and representations can you think of? Are
they a realistic representation of Australian society?
6. What is a ‘true’ Australian?
Sample Prompts for SAC
1. We cannot achieve a strong sense of identity unless we also have a strong sense of
belonging to something other than ourselves.
2. Sometimes our sense of identity is stifled by the groups to which we belong.
3. Live changes constantly. To survive, we need to change with it.
4. Sometimes we need to compromise to fit our own environments.
5. We need to examine ourselves closely in order to really understand who we are and who we
can become.
6. You don’t really know your identity until you lose a part of your identity.
7. Not belonging can come at a cost.
8. A strong sense of identity and belonging helps us to cope with the difficulty we face in life.
9. A strong sense of identity should enable us to embrace difference.
10. People who are more willing or open to change and adapt their identity will survive and
prosper better than those who don’t.
11. An individual is always shaped by the society they belong to.
12. We rarely see ourselves as others see us.
13. We conform to stereotypes far more than we think.
14. Sometimes it is hard to balance belonging to a group with keeping one’s individual identity.
15. The need to belong is a universal human need.
16. A person’s sense of identity and belonging are defined
17. Our sense of identity and where we belong is given to us from birth.
28
Song Lyrics: I Still Call Australia Home
The Last Kinection
They invaded, degraded and polluted our land
Stole all the children and raped our women
But no matter how long or how far I roam
I still call Australia home.
All the Kooris, they still call it home.
They don’t really wanna see every page in the book of our History
They gotta change their policy to understand us ‘cause they really don’t
What about that we own this land, maybe we’ve got a plan and they came and stuffed it up?
What about if some of us turned to drink, maybe you didn’t think that they came and stuffed it up.
I still call Australia home...
No, we didn’t walk off our land and
No, we don’t get money in the hand
No, we’re not a bunch of lazy drunks and
No, this is our land
You’ve got a problem? Then go and sort it out
Sitting back, talking crap with your work mates
You don’t know where I’m from, where I’ve been, what we’ve been through
The only thing you see is 2D in the media
If you don’t know then find out without peripheral vision
A decision that you're missing
Its a crap history but it’s still our story
Hate this place called home
The place we belong
I still call Australia Home
Don't sweep it under the rug
Just like everybody does
They wish we never was
Then they forget the fuss
But we never will
And they blame it on us.
Let me Abos go loose lou
Let me Abos go loose
They're of no further use
So let me Abos go loose
Tie me Kangaroo Down Sport
I still call Australia Home
No matter what we’ve been through
We still call Australia home
There has never been justice for the Stolen Land.
29
Freedom Writers
The movie Freedom Writers (2006) was directed by Richard Lagravenese, and stars Hilary Swank.
Fresh–faced, idealistic twenty three year old Erin Gruwell is ready to take on the world as she steps
inside Wilson High School for her first day of teaching. Her class, a diverse group of racially charged
teenagers from different walks of life – African Americans, Latinos, Asians, juvenile delinquents, gang
members, and underprivileged students from poor neighbourhoods – hope for nothing more than to
make it through the day.
On the surface, the only thing they share is their hatred for each other and the understanding that
they are simply being warehoused in the educational system until they are old enough to disappear.
With great difficulty, Erin eventually begins to connect with them. She brings in music from the
‘Hood, and literature from another kind of ghetto, The Diary of Anne Frank, and with these simple
tools she opens her students’ eyes to the experiences of those suffering intolerance throughout the
world and the struggles of those outside their own communities.
Knowing that every one of her students has a story to tell, Erin encourages them to keep a daily
journal of their thoughts and experiences. After sharing their stories with one another, the students
see their shared experience for the first time and open up to the idea that there are possibilities in
life outside of making it to the age of eighteen.
Based on a true story, “Freedom Writers” is an inspirational tale and testimony to courage, hope and
the human spirit’s triumph over intolerance. As the students’ diaries transform from schoolwork into
life preservers, Gruwell’s commitment to them grows and affects her in ways she did not imagine.
Text: Discussion Questions
1. List the different groups of people that are portrayed in the film and describe them.
2. How does the film challenge stereotypes?
3. Marcus explains that gang members get to die with "respect." Why is "respect" so
important? What is the defining factor of belonging to the ‘gang’?
4. How did the students’ experiences in the Jewish museum alter their perspectives on
their current plight?
5. What causes bullying? How is it represented in the film?
6. Choose three interesting, possibly contrasting examples of belonging / not belonging,
not all from the same category.
For each example, build up a set of notes in response to these questions:
a. Describe the person and the other person or group or society or place or the
world as depicted in the text.
30
b. Describe the connection between the person and the other person or group or
society or place or world in terms of belonging.
c. How does the person’s context influence his/her experience and sense of
belonging (or lack of it)?
d. How do the person’s experience and sense of belonging (or lack of it) affect
his/her feelings and self-esteem?
e. Do the experience and sense of belonging change through the course of the text?
If so, explain why and how.
Q6 Example –
The white boy in class, Ben, clearly does not belong. He is scared at having to be in the class
with all the other ethnic groups and gangs. Ben does not want to be a part of them and
clearly is not affiliated with any one gang or ethnic group. He is the only white student in
the class. At one stage Eva declares that she hates white people, and when Miss Gruwell
then asks Ben if he would like to respond to that, his only answer is ‘Can I get out of here?’
Over time, as the learning in Miss Gruwell’s class begins to overcome the clear boundaries
of each ethnic group, Ben begins to become an accepted member of the class and to clearly
belong with all of the students.
His world-view changes as he begins to understand the lives his fellow-students live, and he
stops being afraid of them and starts to identify himself as belonging to them. Initially
Ben’s only sense of belonging to the rest of the class was that he was ‘dumb’ enough to
belong in that class. Eventually he is an accepted part of the class and clearly belongs.
7. What techniques does the film-maker use to represent belonging in particular ways in
the text?
8. What ideas about belonging are presented in the text?
9. List all the different examples of belonging evident in the text
10. What do you think the film is saying about the connection between identity, belonging
and tolerance/prejudice?
31
Freedom Writers Quotes
Eva: In America, a girl can be crowned a princess for her beauty, and her grace. But an Aztec princess is chosen
for her blood. To fight for her people as Papi and his father fought, against those who say we are less than they
are, against those who say that we are not equal in beauty or blessings.
Erin Gruwell: But to get respect you have to give it.
Andre: Bullshit.
Erin Gruwell: What?
Andre: Why should I give you my respect to you? Because you're a teacher? I don't know you. How do I know
you're not a liar standing up there. How do I know you're not a bad person standing up there? I'm not just
gonna give you my respect because you're called a teacher.
Eva: White people wanting their respect like its for free
Erin: We're all of us up against something. So you better make up your mind, because until you have the balls
to look me straight in the eye and tell me this is all you deserve, I am not letting you fail. Even if that means
coming to your house every night until you finish the work. I see who you are. Do you understand me? I can
see you. And you are not failing.
Erin: You think you know all about gangs? You're amateurs. This gang will put you all to shame. And they
started out poor and angry and everybody looked down on them. Until one man decided to give them some
pride, an identity... and somebody to blame.
Eva: It's all about color, it's about people deciding what you deserve, about people wanting what they don't
deserve. About whites thinking they own this world no matter what, you see, I hate white people.
Erin Gruwell: You hate me? You don't even know me.
Eva: I know what you can do. I saw white cops shoot my friend in the back for reaching into his pocket, his
pocket! I saw white cops come into my house and take my father away for no REASON except they feel like it!
Except because they can! And they can, because they're white. So I HATE white people on sight!
Andre: Justice doesn't mean the bad guy goes to jail, it just means that someone pays for the crime.
Gloria: If you look in my eyes, you'll see a lonely girl. If you like at my smile, you'll see nothing wrong. If you
pull up my shirt, you'll see the bruises. What did I do to make him so mad?
Andre: My brother taught me what the life is for a young black man. Pimp, deal, whatever. Learn what colors
to wear. Gang banners. You can sell to one corner, but you can't sell another. Learn to be quiet. The wrong
word can get you popped.
Eva: I don't even know how this war started. It's just two sides that tripped each other way back. Who cares
about the history behind it? I am my father's daughter, and when they call me to testify, I will protect my own,
no matter what.
Brandy: In every war, there is an enemy. I watched my mother being half-beaten to death, and watched as
blood and tears streamed down her face. I felt useless and scared, and furious at the same time. I can still feel
the sting of the belt on my back and my legs. One time he couldn't pay the rent. That night he stopped us on
the street and pointed to the concrete. He said, "pick a spot."
Sindy: During the war in Cambodia, the camps stripped away my father's dignity. He sometimes tries to hurt
me and my mom. I feel like I have to protect my family.
32
Miep Gies: You are the heroes. You are heroes every day.
Miep Gies: But even an ordinary secretary or a housewife or a teenager can, within their own small ways, turn
on a small light in a dark room.
Extracts from the real Freedom Writers’ Diary
One of the vindications of Gruwell’s enlightened educational approach lies in the writings of her students,
compiled in the book, The Freedom Writers Diary, which so moved the film’s creators. Each entry stands on its
own, as the following sampling demonstrates:
Diary 85 quotes from a pastor in Nazi Germany who famously “summarized the outcome of what happens
when no one takes a stand. ‘They came for the trade unions, but I was not a trade unionist, so I didn’t respond.
Then they came for the Socialists, but I was not a Socialist, so I didn’t respond. Then they came for the Jews
and since I was not a Jew, I didn’t respond. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for
me.’ Next to this quote was a picture of the concentration camp. I looked at that picture for a while repeating
the words in my head. The more I thought about it, the more I cried.”
Diary 78
“An innocent young man is now a criminal mind,
Having nightmares of murders every single time.
But this time you’ll think this fool should see the light,
but he’s jumped in a gang and they nickname him ‘Snipe,’...
“He goes to Wilson High with a messed-up trail
and meets a guardian angel named Erin Gruwell.
He learns about the Holocaust, Anne Frank and the Jews.
Now the time comes that he should choose....
“But people say it’s hard to see.
This life of emotions is all about me.
All this is true, because I’m not a liar
Just a brokenhearted male with a label—Freedom Writer!”
Diary 43 “ ‘If you could live an eternity and not change a thing or exist for the blink of an eye and alter
everything, what would you choose?’ This was one of Ms. G’s questions after we read this poem. [Moment by
Vincent Guilliano, 1991]
“ ‘Yet gathering for one fatal moment / The power to blow the top clean off the world / Oh to last the blink of
an eye and leave nothing / But nothing unmoved behind you.’
“We all thought that Ms. Gruwell’s lesson was really powerful and all, but us? Lightning and thunder? Not
likely. The below-average sure-to-drop-out kids? Please, ever since I can remember, we’ve been put down and
stepped on, and now all of a sudden we have the potential to change the world?...
“But it wasn’t until Miep’s visit that it finally made sense [The Freedom Writers raised money to bring Miep
Gies to Wilson]. I remember talking about how much we admired her for risking everything to take care of
Anne and her family. She said that she had only done it because it was the ‘right thing to do.’
“Someone stood up and said that Miep was their hero.
33
“ ‘No, you’re the real heroes,’ she answered. There she was, one of the most heroic women of all time, telling
us that we were heroes.
“ ‘Do not let Anne’s death be in vain,’ Miep said, using her words to bring it all together. Miep wanted us to
keep Anne’s message alive, it was up to us to remember it.... That’s when it all became clear. Anne’s message
of tolerance was to become our message.
“At that moment, I became like the fire, and like the lightning and like thunder.”
Excerpts from Anne Frank’s Diary
WEDNESDAY, 8 JULY 1942
Dearest Kitty,
...Miep and Jan Gies came at eleven. Miep, who's worked for Father's company since 1933, has
become a close friend, and so has her husband Jan. Once again, shoes, stockings, books and
underwear disappeared into Miep's bag and Jan's deep pockets. At eleven-thirty they too
disappeared.
I was exhausted, and even though I knew it'd be my last night in my own bed, I fell asleep right away
and didn't wake up until Mother called me at five-thirty the next morning. Fortunately, it wasn't as
hot as Sunday; a warm rain fell throughout the day. The four of us were wrapped in so many layers
of clothes it looked as if we were going off to spend the night in a refrigerator, and all that just so we
could take more clothes with us. No Jew in our situation would dare leave the house with a suitcase
full of clothes. I was wearing two vests, three pairs of pants, a dress, and over that a skirt, a jacket, a
raincoat, two pairs of stockings, heavy shoes, a cap, a scarf and lots more. I was suffocating even
before we left the house, but no one bothered to ask me how I felt.
Margot stuffed her satchel with schoolbooks, went to get her bicycle and, with Miep leading the
way, rode off into the great unknown. At any rate, that's how I thought of it, since I still didn't know
where our hiding place was.
At seven-thirty we too closed the door behind us; Moortje, my cat, was the only living creature I said
good-bye to. According to a note we left for Mr. Goldschmidt, she was to be taken to the
neighbours, who would give her a good home.
The stripped beds, the breakfast things on the table, the pound of meat for the cat in the kitchen all of these created the impression that we'd left in a hurry. But we weren't interested in
impressions. We just wanted to get out of there, to get away and reach our destination in safety.
Nothing else mattered.
More tomorrow.
FRIDAY, 9 OCTOBER I942
Dearest Kitty,
Today I have nothing but dismal and depressing news to report. Our many Jewish friends and
acquaintances are being taken away in droves. The Gestapo is treating them very roughly and
34
transporting them in cattle-trucks to Westerbork, the big camp in Drenthe to which they're sending
all the Jews. Miep told us about someone who'd managed to escape from there. It must be terrible
in Westerbork. There's only one lavatory and sink for several thousand people. Men and women
sleep in the same room, and women and children often have their heads shaved. Escape is almost
impossible; many people look Jewish, and they're branded by their shorn heads.
If it's that bad in Holland, what must it be like in those faraway and uncivilized places where the
Germans are sending them? We assume that most of them are being murdered. The English radio
says they're being gassed. Perhaps that's the quickest way to die.
Miep's accounts of these horrors are so heartrending, and Miep is also very distraught. The other
day, for instance, the Gestapo deposited an elderly, crippled Jewish woman on Miep's doorstep
while they set off to find a car. The old woman was terrified of the glaring searchlights and the guns
firing at the English planes overhead. Yet Miep didn't dare let her in. Nobody would. The Germans
are generous enough when it comes to punishment.
Bep is also very subdued. Her boyfriend is being sent to Germany. Every time the planes fly over,
she's afraid they're going to drop their entire bomb load on Bertus's head. Jokes like 'Oh, don't
worry, they can't all fall on him' or 'One bomb is all it takes' are hardly appropriate in this situation.
Bertus is not the only one being forced to work in Germany. Trainloads of young men depart daily.
Some of them try to sneak off the train when it stops at a small station, but only a few manage to
escape unnoticed and find a place to hide.
But that's not the end of my lamentations. Have you ever heard the term 'hostages'? That's the
latest punishment for saboteurs. It's the most horrible thing you can imagine. Leading citizens —
innocent people — are taken prisoner to await their execution. If the Gestapo can't find the
saboteur, they simply grab five hostages and line them up against the wall. You read the
announcements of their death in the paper, where they're referred to as 'fatal accidents'.
Fine specimens of humanity, those Germans, and to think I'm actually one of them! No, that's not
true, Hitler took away our nationality long ago. And besides, there are no greater enemies on earth
than the Germans and the Jews.
WEDNESDAY, 13 JANUARY 1943
Dearest Kitty,
This morning I was constantly interrupted, and as a result I haven't been able to finish a single thing
I've begun.
Terrible things are happening outside. At any time of night and day, poor helpless people are being
dragged out of their homes. They're allowed to take only a rucksack and a little cash with them, and
even then, they're robbed of these possessions on the way. Families are torn apart; men, women
and children are separated. Children come home from school to find that their parents have
disappeared. Women return from shopping to find their houses sealed, their families gone. The
Christians in Holland are also living in fear because their sons are being sent to Germany. Everyone is
scared. Every night hundreds of planes pass over Holland on their way to German cities, to sow their
bombs on German soil. Every hour hundreds, or maybe even thousands, of people are being killed in
Russia and Africa. No one can keep out of the conflict, the entire world is at war, and even though
the Allies are doing better, the end is nowhere in sight.
35
As for us, we're quite fortunate. Luckier than millions of people. It's quiet and safe here, and we're
using our money to buy food. We're so selfish that we talk about 'after the war' and look forward to
new clothes and shoes, when actually we should be saving every penny to help others when the war
is over, to salvage whatever we can.
The children in this neighbourhood run around in thin shirts and wooden clogs. They have no coats,
no socks, no caps and no one to help them. Gnawing on a carrot to still their hunger pangs, they
walk from their cold houses through cold streets to an even colder classroom. Things have got so
bad in Holland that hordes of children stop passers-by in the streets to beg for a piece of bread. I
could spend hours telling you about the suffering the war has brought, but I'd only make myself
more miserable. All we can do is wait, as calmly as possible, for it to end. Jews and Christians alike
are waiting, the whole world is waiting, and many are waiting for death.
Yours, Anne
On August 4, the Green Police came at the Annexe and arrested the people hiding there. Kugler and Kleiman
were taken to Dutch concentration camps. The Gestapo smashed down the Annexe. Among old books,
magazines and newspapers strewn everywhere, Miep and Bep found Anne’s diary. It was published fully, except
several pages. Anne’s father was the only one, among the people hiding in the Annexe, who survived. Having
suffered a lot in Dutch concentration camps, Kugler and Kleiman returned home.
Anne died in March 1945 in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp two months before the liberation of Holland.
Songs from the Freedom Writers
Soundtrack
Keep Ya Head Up – Tupac
Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice
I say the darker the flesh then the deeper the roots
I give a holler to my sisters on welfare
Tupac cares, if don't nobody else care
And uhh, I know they like to beat ya down a lot
When you come around the block brothas clown a lot
But please don't cry, dry your eyes, never let up
Forgive but don't forget, girl keep your head up
And when he tells you you ain't nuttin don't believe him
And if he can't learn to love you you should leave him
Cause sista you don't need him
And I ain't tryin to gas ya up, I just call em how I see em
You know it makes me unhappy (what's that)
When brothas make babies, and leave a young mother to be a pappy
And since we all came from a woman
Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman
I wonder why we take from our women
Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?
I think it's time to kill for our women
Time to heal our women, be real to our women
And if we don't we'll have a race of babies
That will hate the ladies, that make the babies
36
And since a man can't make one
He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one
So will the real men get up
I know you're fed up ladies, but keep your head up
[Chorus]
Keep ya head up, oooo child things are gonna get easier
ooooo child things'll
get brighter [2x]
Papa'z Song – by Tupac
Daddy's Home...
Had to play catch by myself
what a sorry sight
A pitiful plight
so I pray for a starry night
Please send me a pops before puberty
the things I would do to see a piece of family unity
Mom’s always work, I barely see her
I'm startin’ to get worried without a pops I'll grow to be her
It's a wonder they don't understand kids today
so when I pray, I pray I'll never grow to be that way
And I hope that he answers me
I heard, god don’t like ugly, well
take a look at my family
a different father every weekend
before we get to meet him they breakup before the weekends
I'm gettin sick of all the friendships
As soon as we kick it he slipped and then [uhh] **** ends quick
How can I be a man if there's no role model
Strivin to save my soul I stay cold drinkin a forty bottle
I'm so sorry...
(Chorus)
I'm so sorry
for all this time
for all this time
for all this time
Moms had to entertain many men
didn't wanna do it but it's time to pay the rent again
I'm gettin a bit older and I'm startin to be a bother
moms can't stand me cause I'm lookin like my father
Shall I stay or run away
tell me tha answer
moms ignores me and avoids me like cancer
Grow up rough and it's hard to understand stuff
moms was tough cause it's poppa wasn't man enough
couldn't stand up to his own responsibilities
instead of takin care of me
37
he'd rather live lavishly
That's why I'll never be a father
unless you got the time
it's a crime
don't even bother
That's when I started hatin the phony smiles
said I was an only child
[look at mama's lonely smile]
It's hard for a son to see his mother cry
She only loves you, but has to **** with these other guys
I'm so sorry
for all this time
for all this time
for all this time
I have a Dream – Common (ft. Will.i.am & Martin Luther King Jr)
Chorus - Will.i.am and Martin Luther King]
(I am happy...I Have a Dream) I got a Dream
(That One Day ) Were gonna work it out out out
(That One Day ) Were gonna work it out out out
(That One Day ) Were gonna work it out
(I Have a Dream) I got a Dream
(That One Day ) Were gonna work it out out out
(That One Day ) Were gonna work it out out out
(That One Day ) Were gonna work it out
(I Have a Dream) I got a Dream
(That One Day) That one day
(That One Day) I'ma look deep within myself
(I Have a Dream) I gotta find a way...
My Dream Is To Be Free
My Dream Is To Be
My Dream Is To Be
My Dream Is To Be Free
[Verse 1]
In search of brighter days, I ride through the maze of the madness,
Struggle is my address, where pain and crack lives,
Gunshots comin' from sounds of Blackness,
Given this game with no time to practice,
Born on the Black list, told I'm below average,
A life with no cabbage,
That's no money if you from where I'm from,
Funny, I just want some of your sun
Dark clouds seem to follow me,
Alcohol that my pops swallowed bottled me,
No apology, I walk with a boulder on my shoulder,
It's a Cold War - I'm a colder soldier,
Hold the same fight that made Martin Luther the King,
I ain't usin' it for the right thing,
In between Lean and the fiens, hustle and the schemes,
38
I put together pieces of a Dream
I still have one
[Chorus]
[Verse 2]
The world's seen me lookin' in the mirror,
Images of me, gettin' much clearer,
Dear Self, I wrote a letter just to better my soul,
If I don't express it then forever I'll hold, inside
I'm from a side where we out of control,
Rap music in the 'hood played a fatherly role,
My story's like yours, yo it gotta be told,
Tryna make it from a gangsta to a godlier role,
Read scrolls and stow slaves,
And Jewish people in cold cage,
Hate has no color or age, flip the page,
Now my rage became freedom,
Writin' dreams in the dark, they far but I can see 'em,
I believe in Heaven more than Hell,
Blessings more than jail,
In the ghetto let love prevail,
With a story to tell, my eyes see the glory and well,
The world waitin' for me to yell "I Have a Dream"
[Chorus]
39
Expository Writing
Expository Writing: Is writing that focus on ‘exposing’ an idea. They vary from opinion
pieces in that they often take into account different viewpoints and evaluate them. They can take
the form of:
•
Essays
•
Personal reflections
•
News articles
•
Feature articles
•
Interviews (hybrid form)
How to plan an expository essay
Consider the prompt and take notes on the following ideas:
What are the main ideas the prompt is suggesting you should consider?
- consider the key words and other terms you could use.
Do you think the prompt is accurate or not? Do you:
- completely agree?
- mostly agree?
- partially agree?
- completely disagree?
What ideas does the film Freedom Writers suggest about the prompt?
- add the word “because” to the end of the prompt and come up with at least three different
reasons. e.g. It is difficult to find a sense of belonging because...
- Consider why the prompt is or isn’t true.
- Consider how the film shows this.
What ideas about the prompt can you gather from your own experience, current events or history?
- consider historical events. e.g. History has shown us that discrimination and intolerance have
been existent for a long time
- consider current issues.
- consider personal experiences. e.g. I have seen in my lifetime how quickly people try to judge
others on outward appearance.
40
Structuring an expository essay
INTRODUCTION:
The introduction should explain the purpose of your writing and the main ideas or focus of your
essay.
Consider beginning with one or two of the following techniques:
-
ask questions that are relevant to the prompt that you will address (3 maximum).
-
e.g. “Why is identity so hard to find?” Why do people struggle to accept those who are
different?”
use a famous quote and reflect upon it
tell an anecdote ( a story about a character, an individual or yourself) that is relevant.
describe a scene (like a photo or a film setting)
create a hypothetical situation (imagine if...)
Then state the contention or main focus of the essay.
BODY: 3 paragraphs
Come up with three different points that relate to the prompt. These could:
- consider the causes and consequences
- explain why or how the prompt is true or false (don’t just show that it’s true).
- Discuss how the prompt is relevant in different texts or situations
USE TEEL:
Topic Sentence: state your point
Evidence: ideas from the text, personal experiences, a broader example from current events,
history, other texts. You could compare the film with another example.
Explanation: How does the evidence support your point? Why does it show this?
Link: a concluding sentence that relates back to the topic sentence.
CONCLUSION
Restate the purpose and point of your essay. Sum up your main points
Use one of the following strategies:
End with a challenge or suggestion.
Ask an open-ended question or refer back to the questions you began with.
Finish with a quote.
- If you used a quote or anecdote in the introduction, refer back to this in your conclusion to
show its relevance to the ideas you have explored.
41
Weekly Homework Tasks
You are required to write an expository essay in response to a prompt and any other form of your
choice, outlined below:
Short Story
Script
Imaginative/Creative
*One main character. Begins quickly.
Action takes place usually in one
main setting.
*short stories usually have one
theme. Use a theme which relates to
the context.
*Theme is developed through
characters, plot and imagery.
*The problem is resolved at the end.
*Some dialogue.
*First or third person.
*Descriptive/vivid language.
Letter
*First person.
*Personal and conversational tone.
*Start with date and greeting and
sign at the end.
Essay
*Use persuasive language
*Introduction, body, conclusion
*Formal language
*Do not write in first person.
Letter to the
Editor
*Use persuasive language.
*Can write in first person.
*Body paragraphs with topic
sentences.
Expository
*Begin with orientation
*Include a logical sequence of events
*May finish with personal
commentary and a summary of
events.
*Begin with a definition
*You may include headings and
subheadings
*You may use tables etc. to support
written text.
*First person perspective
*Written in past tense.
*Uncovers the journey of selfknowledge and realisation.
Newspaper
article
Report
Autobiography
Persuasive
42
Possible Writing
Write an imagined short story about a family
experiencing difficulties settling in Australia.
Explore conflicts between the young and old,
parents and their children, as they seek a sense of
self and their place in the new world. Explore
issues related to identity crises or being caught
between two cultures.
Write a dialogue between a parent and a teenager
who are arguing about the teenager’s dress. Have
the teenager contend that their clothes are how
they represent who they are.
Write a letter to a friend outlining the difficulty of
belonging to a family while trying to keep your
individual identity.
*Write a persuasive essay about the consequences
of conforming to certain social values. E.g.
Materialism, consumerism, sexism, racism. Is it
true that people are too hollow and lack empathy
for others? What are the consequences of a lack of
self reflection and what must we do to live more
authentically?
*Write a letter to the editor expressing your views
about how the media influences individual identity.
*Write a feature article that explores how identity
is a significant issue for teenagers. Discuss how the
media, celebrities and peers can influence the
identity of teenagers.
*Write a report on how modern life and our strong
desire to belong can ruin our chances of being
individuals. Show your understanding of this topic
and how it relates to the text and the world today.
Write an autobiography which suggests that it is
not until we step outside our comfort zone that we
are forced to confront who we are.
The Written Explanation
You are required to produce a written explanation in which you discuss and analyse the
choices you’ve made in your writing.
The explanation should be written after you’ve written your response.
You need to explain how you have drawn on the selected text (Secret River/Crucible).
You need to reflect your understanding of the context and concisely explain what you want
to convey to the audience, and how you are responding to the prompt.
You need to use metalanguage to explain the decisions you’ve made about the specific
structures and features.
You need to explain the choices you have made in regards to the following components and
their relationships with each other:
FLAP+PC
Form- What form have you chosen and why?
Language- Explain the language choices you have made. Why have you chosen to
use it? How does it suit the form? Explain specific choices you have made in your
writing. E.g. Why did you use a specific metaphor? Make sure you use
metalanguage e.g. tone, style, narrative voice, structure etc
Audience – who are you directing your piece towards? Has this affected your
language choices?
Purpose – why are you writing? What effect do you want to have on your reader?
Prompt – which prompt have you chosen and how does your piece explore this
prompt? What is your response to the prompt?
Context –how does your piece link to the context specifically? How have you linked
to the text and explored the prompt in this way?
43
Written explanation- an example
Prompt: “Personal experiences change our sense of identity.”
Form – I have chosen to write an imaginative piece, in form of a diary entry from the perspective of
one the commanding officers in King Edward’s army during the invasion of Scotland. I have chosen
to reflect this individual’s innermost sentiments relating to his experience of war and how it
challenges his very purpose and identity.
Language – I have chosen to give the piece a dark, gothic kind of feel, as it seems the most fitting to
the morbid and gloomy topic of war. War is a dark and dangerous thing and writing in that certain
way reflects my subject’s inner conflict. I have chosen to write in various forms of 1st and 2nd person,
as these can add (yet again) more depth and make it seem as if it is actually coming from a soldier in
the very midst of the war.
Audience – I have aimed for a more mature audience, as the content and imagery of this piece is a
bit dark and may frighten them. Because of this, I have tailored this piece to fit the more mature
thinking audience and it has left room for me to use more sophisticated forms of language. The tone
is bitter and the language descriptive, to highlight the desperation of the wartime experience and
turmoil that comes with it.
Purpose – I am writing to demonstrate how experiences can change a person’s identity and
understanding of themselves. I aim to shock the reader into agreeing with the prompt, and make
them realise how their own traumatic personal experiences have changed their outlooks on live,
relationship with people and how they ultimately view themselves.
Prompt - I have chosen to write about how “Personal experiences change our sense of identity” and
have established the experience of fighting in a war as the personal experience that changes my
subject’s self-perception and understanding and his understanding of where in this society he
belongs.
Context – I have utilised the trauma and distress of experiencing war first hand to explore how a
person’s understanding of themselves and their outlook on their belonging in the friendship groups
they belong to are influenced. My protagonist realises that his priorities and what he initially thinks
matters most in life is swept away in the face of death and the fact that life can be over instantly.
I have taken the idea from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time that Christopher
experiences several traumatic incidents which change the course of his life and thinking. When he
finds out that his father was responsible for the death of the dog, Christopher is thrown into
emotional shock and his sense of belonging changes as he no longer feels he belongs with his father.
I have used this idea in that the shock of war and death affects the soldiers’ sense of belonging in
this world and to his family.
44
Outcome 2 Unit 1 Context Written SAC‘Freedom Writers’
SAC Conditions and Criteria
In this task, you must create your own written texts, choosing either of the ideas outlined below as a
prompt for your work. You may choose to adopt a persona in response to the prompts. You must
also write a written explanation which clearly expresses the audience, purpose and context of your
work. (FLAP + PC). You will be given the SAC prompts in advance and will be permitted to bring in a
handwritten one-sided sheet of notes in dot points.
•
•
•
•
•
•
You will have 2 periods to create your piece.
Please arrive promptly to class, ready to begin on time.
You may bring in your dictionary.
You must writing in one of the following styles: imaginative, persuasive or expository.
Your piece must be around 500 words in length
You must give a written reflection using the proforma provided (not included in word count)
Assessment Criteria: Total of 25 marks
•
•
•
•
•
Understanding and exploration of ideas and /or arguments relevant to the prompt and the
Context (5 marks).
Use of detail and ideas drawn from the selected text as appropriate to the task (5 marks).
Development of ideas in the creation of your own text/s and control of form considering
purpose, audience and language (6 marks)
Expressiveness, fluency and coherence of writing (6 marks)
A written explanation of personal choices, with use of appropriate metalanguage (3 marks).
45
SAMPLE CONTEXT PIECE- VCAA
Context: Exploring issues of identity and belonging
Text: Witness
Prompt: “A person’s experience of identity has two elements: a sense of belonging
and a sense of being separate.”
Form: Newspaper article
Shared humanity across the divide
old-fashioned technology that we cling to, our
‘quaint pacifism’ – and have no respect for, or
perhaps no inkling of, our human feelings.
This is the second instalment of our series of
articles by members of cultural minorities within
our community. Today Nathaniel Wotherspoon, a
man who has lived with the Pennsylvania Amish all
his life, explores some of the ways that people
come to know what is in their heart of hearts.
For all of us, whether we are Amish or anything
else, much of our identity, our sense of who we
are in our own and other people’s eyes, is
dependent on the groups to which we belong and
those from which we are excluded. However, each
of us also has a sense of ourself as an individual or
separate being, one with an inner core, a heart of
hearts so private that it is impossible for others to
ever really know it for sure. Discovering and
crystallising this innately personal identity is a
formative process and one that can occupy much
of adolescence and early adulthood. A difficult
time for teenagers and their families, adolescence
is when we emerge from the formative influence
of our family to establish ourselves as independent
people. Teenage growth pains reflect the need to
experiment with different identities. Such
experimentation is often acted out through
allegiances to different groups, and it enables
teenagers to explore who they are and what is
important to them as individuals. We all need to
weigh up whether the values of a certain group are
aligned with our own values, as we know them to
be, in our heart of hearts.
People who live within the Amish community in
Pennsylvania do not escape this process. After all,
if we never have a sense of the need to weigh up
whether or not what a group offers us is worth
what it demands from us, whether it is in synch
with what we know in our heart of hearts to be
our most cherished values and beliefs, aspirations
and dreams, then we are living an unexamined life.
Ever seen a bully taunt a pacifist? Ever seen
someone big-noting himself in front of his friends
by humiliating someone they know won’t fight
back? I have lived with the Pennsylvania Amish
people all my life, and I want to tell you about
Daniel.
Daniel was a bully’s victim. Daniel is a big, athletic,
good-looking fellow who could easily hold his own
in any fair contest of physical strength. He could
swat a braying idiot and rid himself of the irritation
in a moment. But Daniel, when confronted one
day by just such a braying idiot, sat there
smouldering, letting the fellow taunt him and dot
his face with ice-cream.
Daniel allowed this to happen because he is Amish
– committed, unwavering and completely secure
in his sense of himself and his beliefs. Part of him –
his baser self – cried out to respond physically,
brutally. But Daniel maintained his integrity and
turned the other cheek. It helped that we were
there too, watching and vicariously experiencing
his mortification. He knew that we would
celebrate his restraint later when we had returned
to the farm, just as we would mourn any failure of
his to uphold our teachings.
Human beings are innately social. They want to
belong to communities and have allegiances to
groups. They develop group identity by
distinguishing their group as separate from others.
Many tourists visit the Pennsylvania town where
Daniel’s incident occurred, to peer at we Amish, to
Sometimes it is possible to abdicate from one’s
group and, as an individual, cease to follow the
cultural practices with which the group is
associated, casting off anything that identifies you
as part of the group, changing your name and
appearance as well as your ways of living.
Individuals who are members of strongly-focused
groups such as the Amish, do face dilemmas if they
decide to opt out of the group like this. In opting
treat us as though we are exhibits, to invade our
privacy, insult us and sometimes to assault us.
They are mesmerised by our ‘otherness’ – our
‘strange’ costumes, our ‘different’ language, the
46
from expressing aspects of your identity that you
desperately want to nurture, then you have
decisions to make about your identity and your
deepest values and desires, to examine your heart
of hearts.
out, they suffer a brutal change in their identity,
even if they try to deny that.
Many people try to blend into the amorphous
mainstream, reckoning that the likelihood of them
‘being themselves’ is greater if they do not identify
with minority or marginal social groups. Many
people do this as a way of avoiding prejudice,
because groups such as the Amish do tend to
attract prejudice – I know quite a lot about that! I
doubt that blending into the mainstream is the
way to fulfilment though; the people I have known
who opt out of a strongly-focused group such as
ours seem to suffer a great deal.
Daniel has been through it. He had questioned his
religious beliefs. He rejected his family’s teachings
and way of life. He left the community in
Pennsylvania, swapped his plain clothes for more
fashionable garments and completed a degree in
Engineering at a University in Canada. But he
returned to us of his own free will after a long
period examining his heart of hearts. He found
that he could not accept the brashness and
commercialism, the greed and competitiveness of
modern Western society. In the city he felt
assaulted by the headlong pace. He was alienated
by the rudeness of the people, their selfabsorption, and the violence that always seemed
to threaten. When he came back he knew who he
was and what his values were and he was able to
live honourably and happily, achieving a great
sense of fulfilment.
Sometimes situations unexpectedly arise that
make even confident and secure people question
their sense of themselves, who they are and what
they stand for. These situations can cause a crisis
of conscience, when a person has to weigh up the
cost of honouring values and commitments or
behaving in ways that contradict those things.
Being dotted with ice-cream mightn’t do it, but if
the fact of belonging to one group precludes you
Written explanation
I have written this piece as a newspaper article. I have tried to shape my text to show that a person’s experience of
identity has two elements: a sense of belonging and a sense of being separate. I adopt the persona of an Amish man
who is writing the article as part of a series published by the newspaper which wants to promote harmony within a
pluralist community by showing commonalities of human experience across the different groups.
I have begun the article with an anecdote drawn from Witness, as though I were a participant in this scene. I have
written this in a direct and conversational way, beginning with questions to draw the reader in. I come back to a
consideration of Daniel’s case at the end of the article which I hope gives the writing some shape and a feeling of
craftedness.
Much of the article is made up of an exploration of the components of my idea that people experience identity as
both a sense of belonging and a sense of being separate. I have tried to explore the notion of separateness through
identifying the existence of one’s ‘heart of hearts’, a commonly understood idiomatic expression. My argument is that
if the person’s heart of hearts is compatible with membership of a group, then that is the way to a life lived with
integrity and the possibility of fulfilment. I think these ideas are at the centre of the Context and I wanted to try to
explore them in this writing.
I am aware that there are ideas mentioned that are not explored very deeply, ideas linked to Witness such as:
falsifying one’s identity, and the idea of a crisis of conscience affecting people who have integrity and self-awareness.
This is an obvious reference to the situation faced by Rachel and Book but I wanted to avoid discussing the most
obvious element in the film, so I tried to make the anecdote about Daniel the centrepiece of the article.
The writing is not always conventional (‘Ever seen a bully taunt a pacifist?’). It tries to be engaging and direct and I try
to give a sense of an individual voice speaking directly to the reader. I have copied some of the language features of
‘journalese’, such as repetition using tricolons, and sentences that do not always follow the rules of standard written
English. I have also used formal English because this is more suited to conveying some of the complexities of my
argument – that people might experience fulfilment from belonging to a clearly differentiated group.
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Identity and Belonging- Sample Creative response
“Some people find it difficult to accept those who are different”
Dear diary,
Day one of my new school. I discovered lots of new things today: new teachers, new students, new
buildings, new structures, but the biggest thing I discovered was that those out the social norm here are
rarely accepted or welcomed by this new society.
I immediately didn’t fit in. When the principal took me to my first class and attempted to pronounce my
name to everyone, a pin drop could have been heard. All eyes upon me, I made my way to my half rotten
desk and squeaky chair, where I stayed for the rest of the class in solitary.
When recess came around, I sat in the freezing weather, missing home, missing mother, and loathing my
disfigured face. All of a sudden, I felt a hard object hit me squarely in the back of the head, followed by
shrieks of laughter. My eyes watered as I saw the apple. I stood up and began to walk around. White. That
was all I could see. The white walls of the school, the white clouds, the white students and the whites of
their eyes all glaring at me. Whilst walking around, I also witnessed a pack of large, bulky boys viciously
kicking a small, skinny boy continuously. I shouldn’t last a day here. Who am I to all these people? I’ll tell
you: lunch money.
The bell sounded and I made my way back to my locker. I noticed that along with the stench of urine, my
locker was now titled “Back off- we’re full”. I held back tears as I grabbed my books.
I arrived to my next class ten minutes late as I couldn’t find the classroom in this foreign jungle. I knocked
and entered. The maths teacher let out a short squeak as her eyes crossed my wound. She was short and
stumpy with brown hair. “What do you think you’re doing?
“I’m sorry for being late.” I shakily replied with a slow shrug. My accent gave me away and the fat woman
continued to chastise me. “How dare you interrupt my class , go to the Principal’s office you rude thing.”
Part of me thought that I could have gotten away with my shrapnel wound, but my Middle Eastern accent
was just too much for this new country. Shaking, (either with fear or cold), I made my way to the Principal’s
office and sat outside. I sat there alone, thinking how horrible these people were. Then I thought of my
poor father overcome with grief and hatred, working at inhuman hours of the night. He only wanted to
keep me sage. So we ran from Al Qaeda. We ran form the traitors who turned us in. And now people are
running from me, the freak.
As I waited for the Principal, I received many stares and racial slurs, nut even more ignorance. It was like I
wasn’t even there. I felt like a bird that had strayed too far from the flock and was no longer allowed to
enter again: completely shunned. I was an unwanted wart, a piece of bone in your fish. It was a miracle I
survived that explosion, or so I was told, but sometimes I wonder why God let me live. The bell for
lunchtime went so I left the Principal’s door and went back to my locker with a million eyes on my back.
At lunch time, I made my way to the basketball courts with the sound of a ball bouncing off the ground
ringing in my ears. I saw a group of boys about my age and asked, “Do you mind if I join in?”
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The reply- “Piss off mate, go and hang with your own mob” pointing to a small group of people sitting
under a tree. Not surprised, I simply answered, “What did I ever do to you? You people don’t even know
me”. Once again I was told to leave and I did so with a lump in my throat and grief hovering by my side.
Once again, I felt like the odd one out, alone and just plain different. We had nowhere to go, nowhere to
call home. Nowhere to belong. All I had was my memories of my family all together and happy at my
birthday. That changed of a short while however, as I met with that small group of three sitting under the
tree, with the same skin as mine, darker than pine. And we talked. We talked about this place, this horrible
place and how it didn’t let you in unless you had white skin.
All through the rest of the day, I sat by myself and did my foreign work with silent ease. I was very smart,
but nobody would know because the teachers wouldn’t give me a chance. Belonging nowhere, like a
criminal of sixty years and let out of jail with no direction in what is left in life. I guess humans just don’t
accept outsiders; maybe it’s too frightening, just too…difficult.
Written Explanation:
FORM: The form I have chosen is a diary entry written by an imaginary character. The piece is classified as a
creative piece as the characters and scenarios are invented by myself. I find it easy to write this way and
express my thoughts.
PURPOSE: the purpose of my writing is to reflect on the imaginary day of my character and also to show
people that underneath skin colour or a scar there is a beautiful human being who yearns for acceptance,
and how difficult that can be to achieve when you are “different”.
AUDIENCE: My intended audience is people affected by racial discrimination or perhaps to those who
discriminate without meaning to do so. I hope to raise awareness of the effects that exclusion can have on
one’s self esteem.
LANGUAGE: I used the contrast of intelligent and sophisticated language for my protagonist compared to
the slang used by the rest of the school to show that it doesn’t matter if you’re smart or not if you are
‘different’ because nobody cares. The language suits the purpose and prompt as it shows another layer of
difference that people have to look through to accept.
PROMPT, TEXT AND CONTEXT- I used the prompt by manipulating it to say that people usually don’t belong
in a certain place because of the people that surround or influence them. From the text ‘Curious Incident of
the Dog in the Night-time’, I made the link of having a ‘dead’ mother, being discriminated because of a
disability or disfigurement, moving places, having a single father, being judged, not being able to fit in,
betrayal from friends/family, loss of trust, inclusion/exclusion and life changes.
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VCE English Unit 2
Area of Study 1: Reading and Responding
William Shakespeare's ‘MACBETH’
Outcome One: On completion of this unit, students should be able to discuss and analyse how texts
convey ways of thinking about the characters, ideas and themes, and construct a response in
written form.
To achieve this outcome the student will draw on knowledge and related skills outlined in area of study 1.
Key knowledge This knowledge includes:
• an understanding of the ideas, characters and themes constructed by the author and presented in the set text;
• the structures, features and conventions used by authors to construct meaning in a range of text types and genres;
• strategies for identifying the point of view and values of the author of a text;
• features of texts that affect interpretation; for example, language, form and context;
• strategies and techniques for constructing and supporting a response to a text, including knowledge of an
appropriate metalanguage to discuss the structures and features of the text;
• the conventions of small group and whole class discussion, including ways of developing constructive interactions
and building on ideas of others;
• the conventions of spelling, punctuation and syntax of Standard Australian English.
Key skills These skills include the ability to:
• identify and analyse how the structures, features and conventions of a range of text types and genres are used by
the authors to construct meaning;
• identify and discuss the values and ideas evident in a variety of texts;
• gather evidence from the text to support different interpretations of the same text;
• construct a response to the text, including the use of appropriate metalanguage to discuss textual features and
appropriate evidence from the text to support the response;
• use appropriate strategies to review and edit the response;
• listen actively and respond appropriately to others’ views during discussion;
• use the conventions of spelling, punctuation and syntax of Standard Australian English.
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Macbeth: Key Quotes
-
(Homework)
Each student will be allocated an important quote from Macbeth which you must research and analyse.
Your task is to identify who is saying your quote, when they say it and what the context is (what’s going
on at the time).
You will need to:
1. Be able to explain the meaning of the quote
2. Link the quote to key themes and symbols in the play.
To do this, simple type your quote into an internet search engine or try these sites:
http://www.absoluteshakespeare.com/guides/macbeth/summary/macbeth_summary.htm
http://hdho.f2g.net/mb/macbeth.htm
THE QUOTES
1. Fair is foul and foul is fair. (Witches, Act I, Sc 1)
2. If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown
me, without my stir. (Macbeth, Act I, Scene 3).
3. Nothing in his life became him like the leaving it; he
died as one that had been studied in his death to
throw away the dearest thing he ow’d, as’t were a
careless trifle. (Malcolm, Act I, Scene 4).
4. There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the
face. (Duncan, Act I, Scene 4)
5. Yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o’ the milk of
human kindness. (Lady Macbeth, Act I, Scene 5).
6. Come you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts!
Unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe
top-full of direst cruelty. (Lady Macbeth, Act I, Scene 5)
7. Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent
under’t. (Lady Macbeth, Act I, Sc 5)
8. I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but
only vaulting ambition, which o’er-leaps itself and
falls on the other. (Macbeth, Act I, Scene 7).
9. If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well
It were done quickly. (Macbeth, Act I, Sc 7)
10. Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch
thee! (Macbeth, Act II, Sc 1)
multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one
red. (Macbeth, Act II, Scene 2)
13. A little water clears us of this deed.
(Lady Macbeth, Act II, Sc 3)
14. There’s daggers in men’s smiles
(Donalbain, Act II, Scene 3)
15. It will have blood, they say: blood will have blood.
(Macbeth, Act III, Sc 4)
16. Double, double, toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble. (Witches, Act IV, Sc 1)
17. What’s done cannot be undone.
(Lady Macbeth, Act V, Sc 1)
18. Here’s the smell of blood still: all the perfumes of
Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.
(Act V, Scene I)
19. Out, damned spot! Out, I say!
(Lady Macbeth, Act V, Scene 1)
20. I have supped full of horrors.
(Macbeth, Act V, Sc 5)
21. To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow...
(Macbeth, Act V, Sc 5)
11. Macbeth shall sleep no more!
(Macbeth, Act II, Sc 2)
22. Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow,
a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the
stage and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an
idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
(Macbeth, Act V, Scene 5)
12. Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood
clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather the
23. I bear a charmed life, which must not yield to one
of woman born. (Macbeth, Act V, Scene 7
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Macbeth: Themes & Symbols (Holiday Homework)
While we read you should keep a log of your assigned theme or symbol. Note the Act, scene and line where
a reference to it occurs. Keep good notes.
After reading the play, go through and recheck all your references. Write a one or two paragraph general
introduction to it, and list and explain the significance of the major occurrences of it in the play. If you are
feeling a bit out of your depth, an internet search will help you a great deal. There are lots of resources on
the internet about Macbeth.
You will need to present your theme / symbol to the class, complete with an explanatory handout.
You will need to choose one of the following themes of symbols, in consultation with your teacher:
Good and Evil
Themes
Things are not what they seem (paradox)
Disruption to the natural order
Corruption of power
Ambition
Prophesy
Fate
Superstition and its effects
Gender roles (Masculinity/Femininity)
Madness
Violence
Guilt
Trust and Betrayal
Symbols
Blood
Clothing
Nature
Animals
Omens / unnatural events
Darkness
Water / cleansing
Weather
Sleep / death
Visions/ Hallucinations
Macbeth: Character Profile
(Holiday Homework)
You need to create an A3 or A4 poster profile of one of the characters from Macbeth. Your poster must
provide an explanation of:
 Basic character details (if known): name, age, position in society, where they live.
 Relationships to other characters: family, friends, enemies.
 Personal characteristics: appearance, personality, motivation.
 Their role in the play: what they are trying to achieve, motives, what they do, what happens to
them and why, why Shakespeare has included this character.
 Key themes relevant to the character.
 2 key quotes about the character.
DO NOT JUST CUT AND PASTE FROM THE INTERNET - PLAGIARISED PROFILES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED
Characters to choose from:
The Porter
Hecate
Macbeth
Old Man
Fleance
Lady Macbeth
Menteith, Angus and Caithness
Lennox
The Three Witches
The Murderers
Ross
The Three Apparitions
Donalbain
Lady Macduff
Banquo
Macduff’s son
Siward
King Duncan
Young Siward
Macduff
Seyton
Malcolm
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Macbeth Homework Paragraphs
You are required to respond in writing to what is discussed in class. This is a key activity for improving your
writing in preparation for SACs and Year 12. It will also help you develop a deeper understanding of the text.
You need to write a paragraph response to at least two of the questions for each week. Each paragraph
should be structured as you would in an essay, using TEEL and relevant quotes (no longer than 10 words).
These must be written using formal language, about half a page per paragraph and carefully edited.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
ACT 1
Compare the characters of Macbeth and Banquo.
What different factors influence Macbeth’s decision at the end of this Act? Which factor has the greatest effect?
Discuss the conflicting aspects of Macbeth’s character that are revealed.
Who appears to be the more ambitious character: Macbeth or Lady Macbeth? Explain your reasons.
In Act 1, how does Shakespeare show that things are not always as they seem?
ACT 2
1. Explain the significance of one of the recurring symbols in this Act: blood, sounds or nature.
2. How and why does the natural world parallel the political happenings in this Act?
3. What is Macbeth’s state of mind before and after the murder? How does this compare to Lady Macbeth’s
state of mind?
4. Analyse the words of the Porter. How does he reflect the themes of the play?
ACT 3 and 4
1. How has the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth changed?
2. What is the significance of Hecate’s scene?
3. What is the meaning of the three prophecies and how do they affect Macbeth?
4. Why does Malcolm not trust Macduff and how does he test him?
5. How has Scotland changed under Macbeth’s rule and what does this suggest about Macbeth’s position as King?
ACT 5
1. Discuss the impact of the events of the play on Lady Macbeth. Why has this occurred?
2. In what ways has Macbeth changed over the course of the play? What are the main reasons for this?
3. At the end of the play Malcolm describes Macbeth and his wife as “this dead butcher and his fiend-like wife.”
Do you think this is an accurate depiction of these characters?
4. How is the natural and moral order restored in Scotland and how is this shown in the play?
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MACBETH - Summary
The play opens with Macbeth and Banquo, two of the Scottish King Duncan’s generals returning from
battle when they encounter three witches in the woods. The witches tell Macbeth of how he will
become the Thane of Cawdor and then the King of Scotland. For Banquo, they prophesy that he will
beget the line of Scottish Kings, though he will never become king himself. The two are sufficiently
skeptical and continue their journey home.
However, when the two come closer to the encampment, they are presented with a messenger from
King Duncan who announces that Macbeth has been made the Thane of Cawdor, immediately
putting the prophecy into perspective, making Macbeth wonder how he might become king. He
invites Duncan to dine at his castle that evening and goes ahead to tell his wife of the day’s events.
Unlike Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is very sure of her husband’s future, desiring the throne and telling
him that they must murder Duncan to ensure his ascension. Immediately upon returning to his
castle, Lady Macbeth is able to convince her husband to take initiative and murder Duncan that very
night.
The two plan to get Duncan’s chamberlains drunk enough that they will not remember the evening
and blame them for the murder. When the body of Duncan is discovered in the morning, Macbeth
quickly kills the “culprits” and assumes the kingship. All the while, Duncan’s sons flee the country,
afraid for their own lives.
Immediately, Macbeth’s misgivings and trust in the prophecies force his hand in the murder of
Banquo and his son Fleance as well, afraid that his heirs will seize the throne. Successfully killing
Banquo, the murderers fail to kill Fleance.
The night of his murder, Banquo’s ghost appears to Macbeth and sends him into hysteria, scaring his
guests and angering his wife. His very presence as the king of Scotland has angered the other nobles
and further incites Macbeth’s misgivings and paranoia.
To ease his fears, he visits the witches again and they offer to him more prophecies. He must beware
of Macduff, a chief opponent to Macbeth taking the throne. He cannot be harmed by any man born
of woman and he is safe until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane Castle. He returns home and finds
that Macduff has fled to England to join Malcom. In fear, Macbeth seizes Macduff’s castle and orders
the murder of his wife and children, inciting Macduff to further rage. With Malcom, the two raise an
army and ride to Scotland to take on Macbeth with the support of the Scottish nobles who fear
Macbeth’s tyranny and murderous ways.
While Macbeth awaits his opponents, Lady Macbeth is in the process of going mad, unable to wash
the blood from her hands. The news of her suicide reaches Macbeth directly before the arrival of the
English forces and sends him into an even deeper despair. He awaits confidently as the prophecy
foretold his invulnerability. However, Macduff’s forces arrive under the cover of boughs cut from
Birnam wood. When Macbeth is finally confronted by Macduff after his forces have been
overwhelmed, Macduff announces that he was “ripped from his mother’s womb” not born and
ultimately defeats and beheads Macbeth, handing the crown back to Malcolm, the rightful heir.
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SHAKESPEARE’S LANGUAGE (or literary devices)
Match up the correct definition to the metalanguage and example. You can refer to p. 11 of your
Macbeth text or research.
DEFINITION
LITERARY DEVICE
The repetition of initial
sounds in neighbouring
words.
The comparison of two
unlike things using like or as.
Irony of Situation
Describing an object or
person by saying that it is
something else
When a person says one
thing and means something
else.
Aside
When a situation appears to
be the opposite of what is
really going on.
A long dramatic speech
given when a character is
alone on stage. It shows the
thoughts a character is
having. A monologue.
When an actor speaks to
him/her self or to the
audience, while other
characters are present and
cannot hear him.
Language that evokes one or
all of the five senses: seeing,
hearing, tasting, smelling,
touching.
Personification
Using an object or action
that means something more
than its literal meaning.
Putting two contradictory
words together.
Giving human qualities to an
animal or object
Metaphor
Imagery
Alliteration
Simile
EXAMPLE
“Will all great Neptune’s ocean
wash this blood / Clean from my
hand?”
Duncan: This castle hath a
pleasant seat; the air nimbly and
sweetly recommends itself Unto
our gentle senses
“So foul and fair a day I have not
seen”
“Stars hide your fires; let not
light see my black and deep
desires”
“If chance will have me king, why,
chance may crown me, Without
my stir.”
But now I am cabin’d, cribb’d,
confin’d, bound in To saucy
doubts and fears
Symbol
As two spent swimmers, that do
cling together And choke their
art.
Verbal Irony
Lennox: "Goes the king hence
today?"
Soliloquy
Oxymoron
Macbeth: "He does: he did
appoint so." (II,iii,54-54) (The
King will go because he will be
murdered!)
Macbeth: “Is this a dagger I see
before me? The handle before
my hand?...”
“O full of scorpions is my mind,
dear wife!”
Life is a walking shadow, a poor
player that struts and frets his
hour upon the stage.
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Find quotes to show how Lady Macbeth uses each of the tactics listed to persuade Macbeth then assess the effectiveness of each.
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ACTIVITY ONE: Macbeth’s changing character
At the beginning of the play, Duncan describes Macbeth as a "valiant cousin, worthy
gentleman!" (I, ii, 24). At the end of the play Duncan’s son Malcolm describes him as a
"butcher" (V, ix, 35); Macduff calls him a "hell-hound" (V, viii, 4).
In a table such as the one below, chart the changing nature of Macbeth’s character from “valiant” to
“butcher”. Use key words to describe the changes, give a quote as evidence, and then explain what he is
like and why he has become this way. Try to bring out the various conflicting aspects of his character - e.g.
ambition/duty, bravery/fear, strength/uncertainty, good/evil.
Some words to help you describe his character:
(Don’t use all of them, you might not agree with all of them – choose 8 to 10!)
brave, cruel, determined, tireless, worthy, loving, affectionate, secretive, deceptive, friend, indecisive,
fearful, ambitious, good, evil, invincible, paranoid, self-righteous, confused, surprised, mad, hopeful,
overwhelmed, calculating
Key Words
Act 1:
e.g. Brave, tireless
Quotations
“valiant cousin, worthy gentleman!” –
Duncan (1, ii, 24)
“doubly redoubled strokes upon the
foe!” – sergeant about Macbeth (1, ii,
39)
ambitious/ sense of duty
Act 2: etc
etc.
Explanation
Macbeth has been honoured for the
loyalty he has shown the King, he has
shown great bravery in battle, defeating
two enemies without fear. He is a brave
warrior.
ACTIVITY 2: Lady Macbeth
How does Lady Macbeth’s character change in the play? Create the table below.
Compare Lady Macbeth’s character in Act 1, scene 5, 6, and 7 and Act 5 scene 1. Allocate
the words in the list to the appropriate scene and then provide quotes as evidence. (You
can use words other than those on the list)
Scene
Act 1 scene 5
Act 1 scene 6
Act 1 scene 7
Act 5 scene 1
word to describe
e.g. influential
quote
“I may pour my spirits in thy
ear”, (I, v, 24)
Some suggested words to use
alone, scheming, clever, in control, confident, nervous, excited, calm, pathetic, powerful,
guilty, afraid, acting, cruel, confused, fearless, brave, ruthless, close to Macbeth,
ambitious, aggressive, weak, masculine, feminine, bossy, heartless
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1. Macbeth Sample SAC: ‘Macbeth’s greatest enemy is himself’. Discuss
In Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, Shakespeare uses the events of the tragic downfall of a
man to comment on how often a person’s greatest enemy is him or herself. There are many
factors that caused Macbeth’s down fall including the manipulation of his character by the
three witches and his wife, however, the greatest factor was himself.
From the very beginning of the play, Macbeth’s character is laced with the fatal,
tragic flaw of uncontrolled ambition; it is the presence of this burning ambition that is the
source of almost all of Macbeth’s troubles. His ambition created the potential for great
tragedy, something even Macbeth realizes saying that his “vaulting ambition” could “o’leap
itself and fall on the other side,” in other words he realizes that his ambition could cause
him to ‘trip’ as he carries out his plains. This tragic ambition reveals itself when Macbeth
first hears the witches’ prophecy. Immediately on hearing that he could be king, before any
other person is given the chance to manipulate him, the audience is make aware is an aside
that Macbeth is beginning to think thoughts that “doth unfix [his] hair and make[s his]
seated heart knock at [his] ribs:” murder. He is the one who first broaches that sinister idea
as a possibility. Without the presence of his passionate ambition he would not have been
open to such an idea because aside from being ambitious, Macbeth is a man of great
character described as “valour’s minion.” He is the one that initiates his downfall.
As the plot progresses, other factors begin to act as a catalyst to Macbeth’s downfall.
Almost immediately Lady Macbeth begins to manipulate and exploit Macbeth’s ambition.
She realizes that if Macbeth is to overcome his nature that is “too full of the milk of human
kindness” a characteristic “that impedes [him] from the golden round” she is going to have
to “pour [her] spirits in [his] ear” and manipulate him. Whenever Macbeth expresses fears
of their “poisoned chalice” returning to their “own lips,” as he did in one of his soliloquys
before killing Duncan, she uses whatever arguments she can to extinguish such thoughts
from his head. She chastises him by asking “art thou afeared?” and why do you look “so
green and pale?” but also by assaulting his manhood saying: “when you durst do it, then you
were a man.” Macbeth, not being a coward, is drawn directly into the trap she has set for
him; he supresses his conscience and stabs Duncan. If he would have been left to his own
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decision he may not have been able to actually take Duncan’s life, thus Lady Macbeth helps
manipulate Macbeth to the point where he takes a step into evil and begins to destroy
himself.
Another factor that becomes present later in the play is the manipulation of the
three witches. After their meeting with Hecate, they realize that Macbeth only “loves for his
own ends;” that he is using them. After that, they actively decide to “draw him on to his
confusion” “by the strength of their illusion[s]” They accomplish this by conjuring “artificial
sprites” that use equivocation to lure him into a false sense of security because they know
“security is mortals’ chiefest enemy.” One of these apparitions tells him that “none of
woman born shall harm Macbeth. “ Macbeth assumes that such a prophecy implies that he
is invincible; when preparing to fight MacDuff, Macbeth show just how invincible he thinks
he is by saying “such a [man of woman born] am I to fear, or none.” That belief causes the
fatal mistake that allows MacDuff to kill him. MacDuff assumed that every man was born of
woman and therefor no man could kill him, but through the purposeful equivocation of the
apparitions’ words he overlooks the fact that since MacDuff “was from his mother’s womb
untimely ripped” he is not actually woman born. However, the only reason the witches are
able to convince him that he is invincible is because he is so ambitious. His ambition is what
blinds him to the other possible implications of the apparition’s words and reassures his
steps into destruction. Again, without his tragic flaw, Macbeth cannot be so easily preyed
upon by the manipulative witches.
Both Macbeth himself and the manipulation of Lady Macbeth and the witches cause
Macbeth to destroy himself, but ultimately Macbeth is the one that chose to take every
action that cemented his downfall. Macbeth is the one who chose to kill Duncan, Banquo,
and MacDuff’s family, he is the one that listened to the witches and gave their words
credence. He could have chosen to “neither beg, nor fear [their] favours nor [their] hate” as
Banquo did, but he did. All those choices are his responsibility and therefor he is ultimately
responsible for his own downfall. However, without the manipulation of both Lady Macbeth
and the witches, Macbeths “vaulting ambition” that lacks “spurs to prick the sides of [his]
intent” might not have been enough to cause him to do all the evil that he did. Without
both factors Macbeth might have remained a stable man, alive and not king. Shakespeare
leaves that outcome a possibility in the minds of the audience so that warns them to keep
their own character flaws in check so that those flaws do not end up causing their demise.
104
English Unit 2 AOS 1: Practice SAC – Reading and Responding
Macbeth Essay Sample
3. ‘Through the events of Macbeth, Shakespeare demonstrates that evil can destroy the human
soul’. Discuss
In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, it is demonstrated that the power of karma will eventually
overwhelm you if you shift your morals to a more evil stance: “It will have blood, they say: blood will
have blood.” (Macbeth, A3, S4).Examples of evil overpowering, and ultimately destroying them
human soul, include Macbeth’s guilt at the start of the story when he imagines the bloody dagger
and also when he sees Banquo’s ghost, when Lady Macbeth becomes so guilt stricken with her part
in Duncan’s death she kills herself, and also when Macbeth turns into a “tyrant” and loses all sense
of compassion, love and peace.
At the beginning of the play, Macbeth comes across as the lesser of the two between Lady Macbeth
and himself, and is quite guilt stricken and sorry for what he has done. This is evident when Macbeth
witnesses the ghost of Banquo in Act 3, Scene 4, “Avaunt, and quit my sight! Let the earth hide
thee!” (Line 93) and also when he notices the blood on his hands in Act 2, Scene 2: “This is a sorry
sight”. It is suggested through his shock and horror that his guilt has not subsided, and he is still in
grieving for the crimes he has committed. Because of this, he suggests the punishment of lack of
sleep be put on him, therefore destroying his very soul: “ ‘Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder
sleep – the innocent sleep” (A2, S3, L34). Because of the atrocities that Macbeth has committed (the
murder of both King Duncan and Banquo), his soul will be demolished to balance the scales of evil
and justice.
One of the most common forms of karma taking its toll in Shakespeare’s Macbeth is the use of guilt.
A hugely immense feeling of guilt can seriously harm the health of a person, for example, Lady
Macbeth. In her path to destruction, Lady Macbeth expresses the fact that she can’t seem to rid the
images or memories of Duncan’s death: “Here’s the smell of blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia
will not sweeten this little hand” (A5, S2, L57) and, “who would have thought the old man to have
had so much blood” (A5, S1, L38). Because of her guilt, she commits suicide, and in her own words,
“what’s done cannot be undone”, she highlights that you cannot undo wrongs from the past
(murdering King Duncan). Again, in this series of evil destroying the human soul, sleep is deprived or
twisted, as Lady Macbeth starts to suffer from sleep walking: “I have seen her (Lady Macbeth) rise
from her bed, throw her nightgown upon her...yet all this while in a most fast sleep” (A5, S1, L8). It is
105
evident then, that the lack of sleep aids in the destruction of the human soul, as it clouds judgement
because of insomnia, and also allows to peace or escape from the world around you.
The most apparent display of justice in Shakespeare’s Macbeth is the death of the evil “tyrant”,
Macbeth. Despite being killed in the fight with Macduff, Macbeth’s soul perished long ago. This is
suggested because of his obvious and outgoing cruelty and lack of love and compassion towards
others. This is shown specifically in Act 5, Scene 3 when Macbeth tells a messenger to “Go prick thy
face and over-red thy fear, Thou lily-livered boy” (L16) and also in Act 5, Scene 5 when he heartlessly
asks the fate of his former lover “How does your patient (Lady Macbeth) doctor?” and “she (Lady
Macbeth) should have died hereafter”. It is suggested through his lack of compassion that he no
longer cares for Lady Macbeth. This is reinforced when he says, “I have almost forgot the taste of
fears” (A5, S5, L9), indicating how scared he is when Lady Macbeth dies. This evil shows that once
your soul has been destroyed, you won’t even care nor even notice if someone or something around
you perishes in the worst of ways. This, in itself, could be even worse than actually experiencing the
horrors.
William Shakespeare suggests that a person’s evil doings or actions are not committed without
consequences in the story of Macbeth. “It will have blood, they say: blood will have blood”
106
Area of Study 3: Using Language to Persuade
Language Analysis and Oral Presentation
Outcome 3: On completion of this unit the student should be able to identify
and analyse how language is used in a persuasive text and to present a
reasoned point of view in an oral or a written form.
Assessment Tasks for this Outcome
This outcome is made up of two components:
A Language Analysis essay and an Oral Presentation
1. You will need to write a Language Analysis of an article, discussion how language and
visual features are used to persuade.
2. An oral presentation on an issue selected by you. This presentation must be 5-6
minutes in duration and must be on an issue that has been in the media recently
(January 2012 onwards).
107
Structure of Language Analysis
Introduction:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Clearly identify the issue
State the article details: Article Type; Title; Author; (Name of Paper, Date)
Explain the tone used.
State the contention of the article and the intended audience.
Body Paragraph 1 – Follow the structure of TEA (technique, example, analysis):
EXAMPLE ONLY:
The writer engages the audience with [insert first technique used], through language such as
“[insert evidence (quote/s)]”. [Insert analysis sentence] – Use one of the sentence starters below
to explain how the technique you have mentioned is used to persuade the reader:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
This technique aims to/attempts to.... [appeal to the readers’ sense of
sympathy/family values/compassion/patriotism/reason and logic/concern]
The reader is positioned to [feel
angry/frustrated/anxious/worried/afraid/frustrated/alarmed...
The writer invites/demonstrates to readers ...
The writer encourages the public to...
This techniques leaves readers with an image in their minds of...
The writer leaves the reader with a sense of...
This technique is designed to [shock/frighten/demonstrate that...]
The writer demonstrates to the reader that...
Make sure that you are specific to the article and the issue in your analysis and explain why the
technique has been used. How does it affect the audience and make them agree with the
author’s contention?
**Repeat this process for 1-2 more techniques in this paragraph.
Body Paragraph 2 – Still follow TEA:
The author then/continues to/also uses [insert technique] by saying/stating “[insert quote/s]”.
[Insert analysis sentence- use/ sentence starters from previous paragraph].
**Repeat these steps for 1-2 more techniques in this paragraph.
Body Paragraph 3 – Still follow TEA:
The [insert text type e.g. editorial/opinion piece] is concluded by using [insert technique]: “[insert
quote/s]”. [Insert analysis sentence].
**Repeat this step for 1-2 more techniques.
108
Body Paragraph 4 – Image Analysis
The image can be discussed anywhere in your analysis depending on its placement and
relevance to the article.
The [image/photograph/cartoon/visual] which accompanies the article, shows [briefly
describe what you can see in the image]. The image supports the view that [insert
contention of the image itself].
**Choose 3 objects/techniques used in the image that you think have been included to persuade
the reader. Explain how they have been used to affect the reader. Make sure that you relate
your analysis back to the issue.
Explain how the image relates to what is written in the text
For example: “The image includes three young boys who appear to be grieving over the loss of
their friend. Their facial expressions show great sadness and devastation which appeals to
sympathy in the reader towards friends and family of the victims of hoon driving. This makes the
reader feel like something needs to happen to prevent this situation occurring again in the future.”
Conclusion:
Make a strong general statement about the viewpoint of the article and the overall effect it
has on the specific audience.
Do not evaluate the text or give your own opinion on the issue
109
STRUCTURING YOUR LANGUAGE ANALYSIS
Introduction 1. Identify the issue and why it is prominent in the media
2. Identify the title, source, type and writer/speaker of the piece. Identify the
contention and tone. Identify the intended audience
Body 1
Analyse how the writer uses language to express their first argument.
Discuss 2 to 4 techniques, remember TEE (Technique, example, effect). Vary your
sentence structure. Be specific and concise.
Body 2
(this could be
broken into two
paragraphs for a
longer text)
Body 3
Analyse the use of language in the next argument.
Discuss 2 to 4 techniques, remember TEE (Technique, example, effect). Vary your
sentence structure. Be specific and concise.
Analyse the language strategies used in the final argument.
Consider:
- Does the tone change at any stage? Does the writer return to a similar style or
tone to the beginning?
- Are new strategies introduced, or previous strategies revisited?
- How does the writer finish and why? What groups are being targeted? Discuss 2 to
4 techniques, remember TEE (Technique, example, effect). Vary your sentence
structure. Be specific and concise.
Body 4
If there is a visual element in the text, discuss the visual features in a separate
paragraph. This could be placed before the discussion of the writing (especially if it
is the first thing to grab your attention) or after the discussion of writing.
Explain how it relates to the tone and arguments of the article.
Explain the visual feature and how it might persuade (look for techniques in the
visual that are used to persuade).
Vary your sentence structure, be specific and concise.
Conclusion
(optional)
Make a strong general statement about the viewpoint of the article. Writing a
conclusion is optional. Wherever you decide to end your response, make sure you
finish with concluding statement(s).
110
Stop custody cases ending in violence
Caroline Counsel Herald Sun March 30, 2011 12:00AM
THE murder of Darcey
Freeman must be a catalyst
for change. The four-year-old's
horrific death -- tossed off the
West Gate Bridge by her
father, Arthur Freeman -needs to stop us and make us
think.
As a society, we need to ask
ourselves this question: how
can we stop custody disputes
ending in violence? The
answer is complex, but for the
sake of at least one little girl
we need to find it and act on it
so we do our best to prevent
this type of tragedy ever
happening again.
It is critical that there is
greater, continuing support for
people who are going through
divorce and the painful
process
of
custody
arrangements.
They
are
vulnerable and the legal
system can be intimidating.
Psychological
counselling
services need to be readily
accessible to parents who are
separating and to their
children. They need to be part
of a system of checks and
balances before, during and
after the process. Think of it as
an early detection system.
Had this family been better
supported by psychological
services throughout the court
process, would we
be
mourning such a young life
lost? A psychologist might
have been able to read the
signs, to expertly help Arthur
Freeman with his anger,
frustration
and
disappointment. At present,
psychologists are involved
primarily in assessment and
not support.
So, the need for greater
counselling services for those
involved is urgent across the
board.Working out the nuts
and bolts of separation -- who
gets how much, who spends
time with which parent -- is a
difficult
and
confronting
process whichever way you
look at it. However, handled
the right way, it can mean
both parents walk away from
the negotiating table with
their concerns heard, their
wants met and their dignity
intact. These three things are
central to a successful custody
arrangement.
This is what happens in
collaborative
law,
an
alternative
to
litigation.
Collaborative lawyers sign a
contract
that
precludes
lawyers going to court.
Lawyers for both sides focus
100 per cent of their efforts on
tailoring mutually acceptable
parenting
options,
while
transparently working around
a table with all parties involved
in the process -- two parents,
two lawyers, and, in children's
matters, a psychologist.
In their lawyer, each parent
has their champion and
together the two sides create
an agreement. It is not
combative. There is no
denigration of either parent.
One does not have to prove
the other is a "bad" parent.
There is no game play. Rather,
they are encouraged to focus
on the positives, to preserve
what was successful in their
relationship. It is a mutual
effort to make the best of a
bad situation. When children
are involved, there is a
collaboratively
trained
psychologist at the table, too.
Their role is not to assess as
they would in court, but to
support parents as they make
important decisions about
their
future
parenting
relationship and to help them
reality-test possible solutions.
111
Within
the
collaborative
process, the need for children
to come first is emphasised. I
encourage my clients to think
of themselves as directors of a
company and their children as
the shareholders. Like all good
company directors, they must
constantly ask themselves,
what is in the best interests of
the shareholders? It's more
practical than personal and it
works.
It is certainly in the interests of
children of divorcing parents
to have cases resolved as
quickly as possible. It is well
documented that it is the fight,
not the divorce itself and not
the
ultimate
childcare
arrangements, which damages
children
in
these
circumstances, in the short
and long term.
For children to endure a
protracted custody battle of
years is torturous. It only
exacerbates their trauma. The
courts must move faster on
resolving cases so everybody,
particularly the children, can
move on with their lives, to
begin healing and rebuilding.
To minimise harm to children,
our most vulnerable, in divorce
proceedings,
more
court
resources are required. The
court system needs to be
better supported to ensure
access to justice is meaningful.
Let an injection of funds,
earmarked for more judges
and more social services within
the Family Court, be a priority
for the federal and state
governments in the coming
year.
We desperately need shorter
waiting times for cases to be
heard and more judges to be
appointed so that custody
arrangements can be dealt
with as swiftly as possible.
Darcey Iris Freeman's death
should not be in vain. We must
learn from the lessons that this
terrible tragedy has shown us.
We must be there for our
families and our children in
their times of greatest need.--
Caroline
Counsel
President of the
Institute of Victoria.
is
Law
112
Sample Language Analysis- “Stop Custody Cases ending in violence”
The article ‘Stop Custody Cases ending in violence’ by Caroline Counsel (Herald Sun March 30, 2011) touches
base with the issue of bitter custody disputes. Throughout the article the Counsel uses an assertive tone to
emphasise the author’s opinion that more support must be available for families going though custody
arrangements so that tragedies, such as the Darcey Freeman Case are not repeated.
The strategically placed image of Darcey Freeman immediately captures the attention of readers. Counsel has
deliberately used this famous image; which illustrates the smiling face of an innocent Darcey Freeman to
evoke a strong sense of sadness from readers. This image ties in with the first paragraph as the author talks
about Darcey’s Case. The authors opening statement that ‘The murder of Darcey Freeman must be a catalyst
for change’ asserts the author’s opinion, giving reader insight into what this article is about. This statement
aims appeals to family values, allowing readers to feel a sense of grief. Throughout the following paragraphs
the author continues to subtly refer to Darcey Freeman, this positions the reader to react in an emotional way
towards the topic. The author persists in appealing to family values because vulnerable readers are more
inclined to agree with the author’s opinion.
Throughout the better part of the article the Counsel uses repetition of the word “need” to convey an
assertive tone. This illustrates to readers that the author is confident in her beliefs and has a clear direction in
what she thinks should be done, making the authors opinion more credible. The author then uses a rhetorical
question ‘...would we be mourning such a young lost?’ positioning readers to really think about the issue at
hand. This positions readers to see the only answer, that more support could have prevented this tragedy from
occurring.
In the author’s greatest effort to persuade readers the she suggests a solution to the problem at hand. The
author asserts ‘this is what happens in collaborative law, an alternative to litigation’ which adds further
accreditation to the authors opinion because it shows that she has researched a solution, one that can be
readily implemented. Suggesting solution indicates that the author has really thought about what needs to be
done to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again; this encourages readers to believe that there are
better solutions to the problem. Counsel uses then uses imagery to accentuate her opinion. She states that
people should ‘think of themselves as directors of a company and their children as shareholders...’ this
illustrates a clear picture for readers, showing them the best interest of children should be the priority in
custody cases.
To further assert her opinion, the author uses factual evidence, stating ‘it is well documented that it’s the fight
not the divorce itself...’ this again proves that the author has done extensive research on this topic. This
evident shows readers exactly where the problem lies, making it incredibly difficult for a reader to disprove the
author’s opinion. The author then uses emotive language to describe the effect of long custody battles on
children labelling it ‘torturous’ and highlighting that ‘it only exacerbates their trauma’. This emotive language
aims to gain an emotional response from readers, creating a powerful image in their minds of suffering
children.
Even though author uses inclusive language thought the article to make readers feel that the issue of bitter
custody disputes is everyone’s problem, during the last paragraph inclusive language is most effective. In this
paragraph the author states that ‘we must be there for our families and our children...’ tugging at the heart
strings of readers, triggering an emotional response in relation to their own families; allowing them to reflect
on how they would want their children to feel in a custody dispute.
113
Student sample full response
Duck shooting is an issue that has been a concern to environmentalists and activists for years and
assumes significant perennial public interest however the issue is never adequately addressed. The
editorial, “It’s time to stop the duck slaughter,” is a desperate plea for an improved outcome this
time round. The author contends that “surely it is time to stop the slaughter” and discontinue this
“cruel and barbaric” sport that is destroying Victoria’s wildlife and putting entire species at risk. The
editorial is targeting everyone through a shifting tonality that engages the reader and appeals to
their sense of decency. The author recognises that the more people with a vested interest in the
issue increases the likelihood of a passionate uproar which could bring down the duck slaughter
forever.
The writer asserts his point of view through a condescending shift of tonalities. He opens with a
sarcastic tone announcing that “there is good news for Victoria’s duck shooting fraternity” as the
2011 season “promises to the best in years.” The cynical manner in which he begins his piece
pressures the readers towards feeling guilty and indecent even though they are not directly
responsible for the heinous act of duck shooting. He continues explaining his point neutrally and
logically to allow his readers to relate to his argument and feel more comfortable before his final and
most dramatic change of tone which accents aggression. Through out the remainder of the article,
an antagonistic and fanatical tone is derived expressing his uncompromised and set view which
manipulates the reader to believe the issue at hand is inhumane, unjust and in need of effective
alteration.
Substantiating the point with many statistics is designed to add legitimacy to the writer’s position
that duck shooting is unacceptable. References to expert opinions encourage the reader to agree.
The writer states that “75% of 637 Victorian people in 2007 were in favour of the ban” which
indicates that it would be politically popular, he suggests that the government could take advantage
of this opportunity to appeal to the people’s sense of decency.
Regular reference to expert opinions particularly the RSPCA President, Hugh Wirth who, “doubts
that the departments 15 wildlife officers will be enough to enforce the bag limits” shows that
expensive relevant research has been made to allow the audience to feel more comfortable with
trusting the persuasive source.
The writer attacks duck shooters by describing the “sport” as “cruel” without question which
damages “rare and protected species” and can cause the birds to suffer “lingering and painful
deaths” unnecessarily. This is an appeal to the readers sense of decency and humanity suggesting
that no individual should allow a helpless animal to be brutally murdered without good reason. The
writer also attacks the Victorian government and questions why a “proud leader in progressive
public polices” has allowed themselves to become so behind in this imminent issue. He wonders
“why it hasn’t already been banned here.” This is appealing to a sense of patriotism or state wide
pride, the public does not want to be considered as backward in these moral dilemmas when the
rest of the country is progressive to benefit their states.
The argument is supported by a bitter and confronting visual representation which reinforces points
made throughout the editorial. The image depicts two duck shooters faced with a vital example of
what damage they are potentially responsible for. The exaggerated family of ducks appear to be
114
pleading to be spared and it is clear by the shooters expression that they are considering the
destructive nature of what they are doing and reflecting on whether or not it is worth it. The image
is attached to a caption that closes with “What ugliness is there in us humans that lets some of us
believe that killing is fun?” which not only encourages the perpetrators to reconsider their actions
but anyone supporting duck shooting to reconsider their views.
The editorial generates a sense of closure by returning to the prominent idea expressed in the title in
its final statement; “The time has come to stop the slaughter.” This statement reaches the climax of
the entire argument which is that time and morale is evolving and people should not want or allow
this “barbaric sport” to damage our wildlife or to discredit our reputation.
It's time to stop the duck slaughter
March 18, 2011
OPINION
THERE is good news for
Victoria's duck shooting
fraternity: the 2011 season,
which opens tomorrow,
promises to be the best in
years. According to the
Department
of
Sustainability
and
Environment, the aboveaverage rainfall over the
past year has ''substantially
improved
environmental
conditions'', with increased
habitat
for
waterfowl,
including game birds. This
in turn has led to extensive
breeding and wide dispersal
of birdlife across eastern
Australia's wetlands. As a
result, the 2011 season will
return to a full 12 weeks,
and the normal regulated
bag limit - 10 ducks a day,
which can include two bluewinged shovelers, for each
hunter - ''will provide
adequate protection for
game duck populations'', the
department says.
birds a day for the next three
months, the 2011 season
could mark the biggest
massacre of native ducks on
record. RSPCA president
Hugh Wirth doubts that the
department's 15 wildlife
officers will be enough to
enforce the bag limits, and
has reiterated the society's
call for a ban on what he
calls ''this cruel and barbaric
sport''.
All this is bad news, of
course,
for
ducks.
According to the Royal
Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals, with
Victoria's 22,000 registered
shooters allowed to shoot 10
Advertisement: Story continues
below
The Age is on the side of the
RSPCA - and the ducks.
The most perplexing thing
about duck shooting is why
it hasn't already been
banned here. The West
Australian
government
stopped it in that state in
1990, New South Wales
followed in 1995 and
Queensland in 2005. Yet
Victoria, a proud leader in
progressive public policies
on matters such as road
safety and smoking, remains
a bastion of the duck hunter.
This is still more perplexing
given all the evidence
indicates that ending duck
shooting
would
be
politically
popular.
A
Morgan poll of 637
Victorians in late 2007, for
example, found 75 per cent
in favour of a ban.
That the ''sport'' of duck
shooting is cruel is not open
to question. Hunting flocks
of wildfowl with a shotgun
means rare and protected
species are killed, and it
means some birds, which
are wounded but not
immediately brought down,
suffer lingering and painful
deaths.
The Age first advocated a
ban on duck shooting in
1992. A decade later, after a
recommendation
by
Victoria's animal welfare
advisory committee to end
the practice, this newspaper
wrote: ''We did not expect to
have to restate the case for a
ban in the 21st century.'' In
2011, surely, the time has
come to stop the slaughter.
Read
more: http://www.theage.com.au/
opinion/editorial/its-time-to-stopthe-duck-slaughter-201103171byxs.html#ixzz1qHyUqNNh
115
Sample Response
The issue of same-sex marriage has been of perennial interest in Australia and is fuelled by the
opposing views of the governmental parties and Australia’s gay communities. Whilst a majority of
Australian citizens support gay marriage, the government’s attitude towards it had been
unequivocally negative and is reinforced by the view of most major churches. The author of editorial
piece ‘Let gay marriage law reflect the real world’ (The Age, August 25, 2011) asserts that the
government’s actions regarding the issue have been feeble and not compliant with what most logical
Australians want: equality for all homosexual couples and the innate right to be exempt from such
discrimination. In an attempt to seek recognition and provoke a collective vested interest in the
issue from the Australian public, the author insists that liberating gay couples is gateway to a state
devoid of prejudice.
The author sardonically slanders the government on its view that marriage and religion are
inevitably connected in favour of traditional societal conventions. The writer sarcastically states that
after an MP meeting in parliament, “unsurprisingly, their reports largely accorded with their own
views,” suggesting corruption in the government and the inability for the leading political parties to
comply with the attitude that “most Australians have.” This is further substantiated by the exclusive
“their” that creates a dichotomy between Australia and its political representatives, subsequently
positioning the reader to make an enemy of the government and strengthening the likelihood of
readers taking direct democratic action against them. The title of the article itself suggests that the
government is hiding behind a façade that does not “reflect the real world,” reason and logic that
strengthens the line separating parliament from people. The author critically exposes the
government’s contradictory nature. By contending that “no right would be taken away” from
heterosexuals by legalising same-sex marriage, the author logically substantiates the claim that the
Gillard government has nothing to lose by taking such action, especially considering “only a minority
holds to the old prejudice that homosexuality is unnatural.” As an alternative solution, the author
suggests that “MPs should have a conscience vote,” which would surely have revolutionary results as
long as they vote without their own pre conceived notions.
The author’s contention represents the collective idea of the nation. By including plausible
ramifications of discrimination, such as the “suicide of gay people,” the author appeals to the fear of
the reader, forcing them to accept that what is occurring is directly because of the government’s
inability to compromise. This positions the reader to feel horrified by the government’s unrelenting
and uncompassionate nature regarding such delicate matters, subsequently evoking a thorough and
vested interest in a matter that is dramatically neglected. The author also appeals to the innocence
of people, drawn attention to by the rhetorical question “[do] we imagine that children grow up
perversely choosing to be homosexual?” This prompts the audience to believe the best in humanity,
and agree that there is nothing malign about homosexuality. The author also uses a substantial
amount of statistical evidence to support his contention. By insisting that “60 per cent or more
support same-sex marriage,” the author invites the reader to belong to the majority of people that
hold the same unequivocal contention – that gay people deserve rights too. Also in accordance with
the opinion that churches should remain separate to politics, the author asserts that “those who
116
regard marriage as a sacred institution surely look to the church, not the state, to bless the union.”
This cogent statement both manifests the flawed opinions of the government and positions the
reader to see the justification of keeping religion and politics separate, a view held by “84 per cent
[of Australians].”
The accompanying visual component of the editorial depicts Prime Minister Julia Gillard sitting at her
desk whilst an assumed secretary reads her out the dictionary meaning of “marriage.” Readers are
made aware of the cartoon’s main character by the hyperbolic nose that seeks to warrant a jolt of
recognition and agreement through the reader. The cartoon’s two characters are placed on either
side of the frame, each with an equal amount of space dedicated to them, suggesting the
aforementioned dichotomy of the government versus the collective nation. The picture also sees
Gillard’s callous disregard for the matter when being asked by the secretary if he should search for
the meaning of “conscience.” This is in direct correlation with the author’s implicature that the issue
of same-sex marriage, while important, is neglected. Gillard insists that she not get “too pedantic
about things,” speech that is indicative of disguising political matters as being insubstantial and
unimportant, also made reference to by the government’s deceiving façade. Gillard’s apathetic facial
expressions also suggest that she is disinterested and uncompassionate, cohesive with the author’s
assertion that she is an “unconvincing defender of marital tradition.”
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Useful Vocabulary
WORDS FOR ‘ARGUES’:
Argue, asses, contradict, discuss, ignore, sanitize(clean up), analyze(look at), assert (confirm),
criticize, dispute, infer (hint at), assume, quote, appeal to, identify, illustrate, support, compare,
define, elaborate, rebut, associate, confirm, conclude, describe, imply, repeat, relate or
emphasize.
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
“Cements this cautionary perspective”
“Positions the reader”
“Offer contrasting images”
“Paints a bleak picture”
“The audience is encouraged to sympathize with a worried mother”
“By finishing with ………………. The writer establishes an air of urgency”
“The play on words is employed in the title”
“A positive outlook that would appeal to many readers”
MORE USEFUL VOCAB:
EMPHASISES, places weight on, accents, highlights, stresses, adds on
PERSUADES, positions, influences, manipulates, sways, convinces, leads
ARGUES, contends, asserts, maintains, demonstrates, ponders, considers, rebuts
ON THE OTHER HAND, conversely, however, alternatively, in opposition to, whereas
AS WELL, furthermore, nonetheless, additionally, moreover.
Similar nature (new point)
Different nature (new point)
Conclusive/summative point
In addition
Conversely
As a result
Likewise
On the other hand
To summarize
Similarly
Moreover
Furthermore
On top of this
In contrast
However
Despite
On the contrary
Therefore
In conclusion
Consequently
finally
TONE : calm, aggressive, angry, rational, passionate, optimistic, direct, considering, excitable,
sarcastic, reasonable, sensible, straightforward, matter-of-fact, friendly, open minded,
supportive, sympathetic, humble, modest, approving, understanding, passionate, animated,
proud, humorous, regretful, disappointed, distressed, pessimistic, critical, defensive, confused,
puzzled, expert, authoritative, alarmed, shocked, outraged.
**Consider: Does the tone change?
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Oral Presentation SAC Instructions
This SAC requires you to present a point of view orally on a selected issue of your choice.
•
•
•
The presentation should be of an appropriate length (5-6 minutes)
You must use visual aids in your presentation
You are encouraged to use cue cards
The Criteria:
KNOWLEDGE and IDEAS
Knowledge of the issue.
Contention.
Main points
EVIDENCE and PERSUASION
Use of evidence
Use of a variety of persuasive techniques
Use of visual aids
Acknowledgement of sources
STRUCTURE OF ARGUMENT
Reasoning and sustainability of argument.
Logical flow of argument and linking of ideas.
Coherence and effectiveness of argument.
Rebuttal
ORAL LANGUAGE USE
Expressive, coherent and fluent delivery
Use of vocabulary
Use of voice to engage and communicate.
Use of body language, gestures, eye contact
You will need to choose an issue in the media and research it thoroughly. This means finding
out what the various viewpoints are on the issue, reading relevant articles and having a
good knowledge of the issue.
Checklist...I have:
Chosen an issue
Researched it thoroughly
Formulated a contention, main arguments and rebuttal
Written a plan, rough draft of speech, created a visual aid, bibliography
Practised speech out loud
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ORAL PRESENTATION– TIPS FOR AN
EFFECTIVE SPEECH
1. CONTENT and COMPLEXITY:
•
•
Your presentation should be an appropriate length (5-6 minutes)
You need to know your material and be prepared to explore complexities.
How to make it more complex
Do your research so you really know the topic. You should have a clear understanding of where
the issue ‘came from’, who is involved, where any places mentioned are, why it has occurred
plus any of the side issues, moral issues etc. This will not necessarily all be in your talk but it will
ensure that you speak with authority and stop you making ignorant comments. Some
background on the topic will need to be given as you cannot assume that your audience knows
the issue, and you need to place your discussion in context. You need to any of this background
information succinctly as the focus must be on the argument (P.O.V.). You need to have a clear
POV, and put voice to it.
Make sure that you ARGUE the points you are making. An argument is not just rattling off a
series of points. You need to state an idea (topic sentence), explain it, give an example then link
it back to the argument. This is what arguing is, not just mentioning points. Think of interesting
ways of presenting ideas to make it ENGAGING. An analogy could be appropriate.
Also, argue your case in such a way that you build to your strongest argument at the end. Think
of a way of raising and rebutting the other side as well. Take care not to just repeat things you
have researched. Put things in your own words. It’s better to have slightly simplified ideas than
a POV which you stumble through because you don’t quite understand. Check the dictionary
(and pronunciation!!)
2. STRUCTURE
You need to plan your talk carefully. The talk has a beginning, middle (body) and end. Think
about each part.
INTRODUCTION – avoid ‘my talk is on…’ as your introduction. There are lots of good ways to
begin: an anecdote, a good quote, a surprising piece of information, a questions or rhetorical
question. Clarify the topic and indicate your stance on the issue; remember to adopt and
maintain your persona – ‘voice’. It is a good idea to give an overview of your intended line of
argument in the introduction, for example, ‘Today I intend to discuss three aspects of Issue X…’
Briefly say what these are. You can then refer to each in turn in the body of the talk.
THE BODY – (SIGNPOSTING) – This is when you provide regular ‘markers’ in your talk. It is
most important that you do this. Remember your audience is only hearing your talk. They do
not have any notes and may have little knowledge of the topic. You are presenting (we hope)
quite complex material. So you need to provide some ‘signposts’ (directions) and support
120
throughout. Saying things like ‘My first point is…’, ‘Secondly,…’, ‘Finally, …’; or ‘There are several
causes of this…’, ‘One is…’, ‘Another is …’ etc helps the reader keep track of the direction of the
talk. Telling the reader your key ideas in the intro, then referring to them by number as you
progress is not overdoing it. This method will also keep you on track!
CONCLUSION – Do not just peter out. Make your ending purposeful and strong. You can sum up,
recap, (repetition can be effective). You can make recommendations, issue warnings. You can
end with a quote. The conclusion can be dramatic and powerful. You should leave them
thinking. If you are role playing, stay in the role to the end.
LOGIC – Think about the best arrangement of arguments. Use connecting words to link ideas.
Examples are: however, moreover, whereas, thus. Refer to the topic regularly. Develop your
arguments as above. Think about the best order of ideas. Try to make your talk flow. And link in
to the next idea. Arguing logically is important if the reader is to follow your argument (see
above).
3. AUDIENCE INTERACTION AND USE OF NON-VERBAL TECHNIQUES.
The main point of a talk is communication with the audience so it is important that you engage
your audience. You can use some of the persuasive techniques we have looked at in issues but
do not overdo it – rhetorical questions, repetition, appeals…Make us laugh…or weep, or just
persuade. Effective use of voice (pace, tone, volume), body language, hands, regular eye contact,
careful (subtle) use of notes are all going to be important here. Use technology if you feel
confident but realise that it is counterproductive if it does not work (though not a total disaster
as we will be kind!) A pause can be very effective.
Be prepared! Don't leave your preparation and practice to the last minute!
Useful resources to help you research your topic:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Using Language to Persuade textbook
o Part 6 ‘Writing your point of view’ in Using Language to Persuade. p105 – 116
Insight textbook
o Chapter 14 in Insight ‘Oral Presentations’ from p209 – 216
o Persuasive techniques table
SBS ‘Insight’: a TV show featuring debates on current topics. Shown on SBS and the website
shows past episodes: http://news.sbs.com.au/insight/
The Age newspaper
o http://www.theage.com.au/
The Age “Issues in the news” archive. This is a great place to find articles as they are
classified under topics. This is also a good place to find ideas for your presentation.
o http://education.theage.com.au/cmsarchive.php?intcmspageid=135&linkid=168
Echo Website
o http://www.echoeducation.com.au/schools/index.html
You will need a username and password to access this site:
Username: kambrya password: designer (all lower case)
121
•
•
Library news archives. The school library has a collection of newspapers (The Age, Herald
Sun and Australian) that you can use for your preparation and research. Ask one of the
librarians for assistance!
Internet websites. Use search engines to research your topics. Remember to keep a record
of where you visit, and the dates you accessed the websites. You are able to use multimedia
devices to assist your presentation but they ARE NOT the focus of the piece, they are to assist
you only.
Possible devices include:
•
Use of the multimedia projector (PowerPoint, slideshow, display documents)
•
Filmed/ pre-recorded footage
•
DVD
•
Sound
•
Visual/audio montage
•
Whiteboard
If you choose to use any of these, you MUST TEST THESE BEFOREHAND. This is not the time just prior
to your presentation, but well in advance. You must bring in more than one copy.
If the multimedia fails (disk won’t read; DVD is blank; left at home) you will have to proceed
without it.
Audience:
This is the key to your speech – you have a set audience and you assessment will be based on your
targeting them. Your formal and appropriate language, material and your body language (especially
eye contact) will be considered.
Preparation advice:
•
Analyse your issue, develop a plan, write a draft and then edit your material. Use the same
basic structure as in an essay.
•
Keep the introduction short.
•
Think about your audience: keep sentences short and concise.
•
Use longer quotes than in your writing; let the audience know when you’re quoting and who
it is from.
•
Practice using cue cards for your main points and quotes to avoid reading everything out
word for word.
•
If using a PowerPoint, show your main points only; or visuals to aide what you are saying.
•
Speak clearly and project to the back of the room; don’t speak too quickly or too slowly. Do
at least 3 practice runs beforehand.
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Structure of Oral Presentation
INTRODUCTION
•
•
•
introduce the issue and the event/s that have been in the media recently
put forward your contention EXPLICITLY
you could outline your 3 main points
BODY OF SPEECH (3 Arguments)
•
•
•
this is where you explain each of your three main points/reasons behind your
contention
use persuasive techniques throughout these paragraphs e.g. rhetorical questions,
statistics, anecdotes, case studies, expert opinions, graphs/tables/charts, photos,
sarcasm, hypothetical scenarios, inclusive language, repetition, emotive language etc use your ULTP and Insight textbooks!
you must clearly signpost your points e.g. "Firstly, I would like to illustrate...", "For my
second point...", "Finally..."
REBUTTAL ARGUMENT
•
•
•
this is where you need to acknowledge an argument from the opposing side and explain
how it is flawed or wrong.
you need to signpost the beginning of this rebuttal argument e.g. "Opponents of this
proposed law suggest that..., however they have not taken into account that..."
reiterate your contention here and how it is better/right
CONCLUSION
•
•
•
•
Wrap up your speech by restating your contention and your main arguments
remember to signpost!
leave your audience with something to remember the speech by e.g. humour, a
hypothetical scenario, quote etc
thank the audience for their attention and explain what action you would like them to
take (if applicable)
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TIPS FOR AN EFFECTIVE
PRESENTATION

Know your speech well.

Be confident! (even if you aren't!) The best way to be confident is to be prepared.

Interact with the audience

Use gestures, make eye contact, ask them questions, ask for questions at the end and try to
relate to them. Be sure to introduce yourself and thank the audience as you leave.

Practice!

Make sure that you practice out loud as many times as possible. If you can, practice in front
of someone to get used to having an audience. Practice using cue cards and run through
your PowerPoint/videos etc to make sure everything runs smoothly.

Vary the tone of your voice. Experiment with different types of tone (refer to your textbooks
for ideas).

Watch your pace!
How to ensure you have an effective PowerPoint presentation:
PowerPoints are there to help the audience follow your speech. Don't put your draft up or
paragraphs word for word. Use dot points only to summarise your points and limit these to about 34 per slide.

Use your PowerPoint to display photos, graphs and other visuals.

Don't use more than one background throughout your presentation and minimise
the use of different fonts and colours.

Try to avoid using animations on screen as they can distract the audience.

Use headings to help the audience understand where you are in your speech.

Use spell check to correct any mistakes. Spelling errors will make you look
unprepared.
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Planning your oral Presentation
To start with:
o
o
o
o
o
Read all the articles on your chosen issue!
Do some more research on the chosen issue (ie., internet, newspaper articles, news clips,
letters to the editor, photographs, cartoons, expert opinions, facts and statistics)
Fill out the below chart to recognize all the arguments FOR and AGAINST (include
evidence here, as well as arguments and points of view)
Work out your CONTENTION (point of view)
Write a draft, using the persuasive language and techniques that we have studied thus
far to persuade your audience to agree with your contention.
Arguments For
Arguments Against
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Oral Plan
Your issue: ________________________________________________________________________
Your contention(s):
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Some examples are:
“Young drivers should complete more driver-safety education.”
“The Media should be more liable for their actions regarding celebrity hounding.”
Your arguments:
1)
2)
3)
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Persuasive Speech Planning Sheet
________________________________________________________________________________
Opening Sentence: greet your audience and explain your purpose in speaking.
Evidence & Explanation:
__________________________________________________________________________________________


INTRODUCTION:
__________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

2nd/3rd Sentence: Grab the audience’s attention with shock/a joke/quote/question/statistic/
anecdote etc.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
rd
th

Explain why you believe the point you have made
Use clear evidence to support your reasons: statistics, facts, research, experts, anecdotes or
your personal experiences.
Use persuasive language suitable to a speech (repetition, emotive language, inclusive
language, rhetorical questions, exaggeration, imagery)
Use linking words to introduce a new example
List the relevant ideas and evidence you will discuss:
________________________________________________________________________________
3 /4 Sentence: Introduce your issue and give background to explain why it is an issue.
________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Final Sentences: State your contention clearly and signpost the main reasons you will give (use
firstly, secondly, thirdly, finally)
________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Link Sentence: Should conclude your paragraph, by relating how the evidence links back to the
point of the paragraph and the essay topic. (Use concluding words: thus, therefore, as a result etc)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
BODY – Write at least 3paragraphs using TEEL and persuasive language
Paragraph 1: Elaborate on first point mentioned in introduction
Topic Sentence: Clearly state your first point. Signpost with a clear word such as “firstly”.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2: Elaborate on 2nd point mentioned in introduction
Topic Sentence: use a connecting word to introduce 2nd point (furthermore, additionally, Also, on
the other, secondly etc).
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Evidence & Explanation: (see explanation for paragraph 1). List ideas you will discuss:
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 4: Rebuttal of opposing views
Topic Sentence: state an opposing view in order to point out why it is wrong. e.g. “Some people
claim that...... However, it is clear that....”
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Link Sentence: (see explanation for paragraph 1)
________________________________________________________________________________
Evidence & Explanation: (see explanation for paragraph 1). YOU COULD ALSO SUGGEST POSSIBLE
RECOMMENDATIONS AND SOLUTION IN THIS PARAGRAPH. List ideas you will discuss:
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 3: Elaborate 3rd point mentioned in introduction
rd
Topic Sentence: as for paragraph 2. Should introduce 3 point.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Link Sentence: (see explanation for paragraph 1)
Evidence & Explanation: (see explanation for paragraph 1). List ideas you will discuss:
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Link Sentence: (see explanation for paragraph 1)
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
CONCLUSION:




Sum up your contention and what you want the audience to remember first.
Challenge the audience to take action or suggest a solution
Finish with a strong statement of your view, using clear persuasive language.
Thank your audience.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
VCE English Unit 2
Area of Study 2: Creating and Presenting
Identity and Belonging: Growing Up Asian in
Australia
In this area of study students’ writing is informed by their reading of a range of texts relevant to a context
(Future Worlds) in order to examine the effects of form, purpose, audience and context on the authors’ choice of
structure and language. They draw on the knowledge gained from this study to create their own written texts in
a process which includes planning, reviewing and editing.
Key Knowledge:
•
•
•
•
•
•
the structures, features and conventions of a range of print, non-print and multimodal texts created for different
purposes; for example, personal and imaginative, informative, instructional, argumentative or persuasive;
the effects of form, context, audience and purpose on the author’s choice of structure and language;
the visual, auditory and digital features used by authors to make meaning;
strategies for planning and revising text responses for coherence of form, language, structure, audience and
context;
the metalanguage necessary to be able to discuss structures, features and forms of their own and others’ texts;
the conventions of spelling, punctuation and syntax of Standard Australian English.
Key skills:
These skills include the ability to
• use accurately the structures, features and conventions of a range of print, non-print and multimodal texts;
• select text type, subject matter and language to suit a specific audience, purpose and context;
• draw on content suggested by set texts to develop and support ideas and arguments;
• experiment with visual, auditory and digital features, where relevant, to make meaning;
• plan and revise for coherence of form, language, structure, audience and context;
• use appropriate metalanguage to discuss structures, features and forms of their own and others’ texts
•
use the conventions of spelling, punctuation and syntax of Standard Australian English.
129
Questions on Growing Up Asian in Australia Introduction:
Each question must be answered in a detailed response.
1. What were Asian-Australians referred to as when the author was growing up?
2. How does she interpret this title?
3. What did this title actually refer to? Did the author find this demeaning? Why/why not?
4. What did the teen author take away from teen fiction? What did she feel that she needed to do? Why?
What does this say is essential to fitting in to a culture?
5. Who are the authors that she turns to? Why?
6. Why does the author use a quote in the 4th paragraph? What does it say about her reaction to the
stories in the book?
7. On page 2 the author talks about the themes that she loosely chose for the collection. What are they
and why is it ironic that they show up in this book?
8. At the bottom of pg 3 on to page 4 the author says that sociologists have described Asians as the
‘model minority’. What is meant by this? What difficulties arise out of this label for young AsianAustralians?
9. What are the editor’s hopes for the collection of stories?
Compulsory Writing Tasks
Explanation: In order to meet this outcome, you are required to create four pieces of writing that build
on the context of “Identity and Belonging” as suggested by the text The Curious Incident of the Dog in
the Night-time.
Three of these pieces will be written as part of your class work and homework. The final piece will be
your SAC.
Instructions:
 You must write three pieces, in at least two different styles: imaginative, persuasive or expository. (Some
suggested ideas are below).
 You must complete some of this work in class time.
 The total length should be between 1200 and 1500 words, not including your written explanation (aim for
400-500 words each).
 Each piece must have a written reflection using the proforma provided (not included in word count)
Each piece must respond to one of the following prompts:
•
•
•
•
Everyone has a right to belong.
Society should embrace individual differences.
Our identity comes as much from being excluded as being included.
Personal experiences change our sense of identity.
•
Our families have the greatest impact on who we are.
130
GROWING UP ASIAN IN AUSTRALIA
Edited by Alice Pung
INTRODUCTION
All the writers in this anthology explore the idea of being both Asian and Australian. Many write of the
struggle to reconcile their two cultures, while others describe feeling excluded from one or even both
cultures. While some celebrate the richness of the different elements of their identity, many of the
writers have found establishing a solid sense of Asian-Australian identity to be a painful process.
Most of the voices speak in the first person about childhood and adolescence, with a level of intimacy
and immediacy. No single contributor speaks for a whole culture, as each experience is unique. The
voices range from humorous and self-deprecating to heartfelt and angry. ‘Asian’ is interpreted widely.
The contributors’ cultures are diverse, and include Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Bangladeshi, Thai and
Filipino-Turkish backgrounds. Some of the contributors are high achievers in media, politics and the arts,
and the writers’ ages range from as young as 17 to people in their 60s. Even though some contributions
have been written in the third person, the writers clamour to tell us that all are true in essence.
EXPLORING ISSUES OF IDENTITY AND BELONGING
During adolescence, people often begin to face the dilemma of who they are and where they belong.
Many writers in this anthology are confronted by this problem at a much earlier age, when school
experiences bring home the stark reality that they are different from those around them, in their
language, their food and their appearance. The anthology shows how a sense of being different can
profoundly affect a child, causing loneliness, confusion and very often a desire to deny their own
culture. Sometimes, racism and cruelty intensify the misery.
Being an immigrant is hard, and being the child of immigrants brings its own problems. The writers
portray many parents who have arrived almost penniless in Australia and have worked hard, determined
to achieve prosperity, or at least economic survival. The older generation takes comfort from their
extended family and cultural rituals, often struggling with English and seemingly more comfortable
identifying as Chinese or Vietnamese than as Australian. Their children, however, strive to establish a
more complex identity which combines Asian heritage and Australian experience. This often causes
conflict, as many parents who want their children to succeed in Australia also want them to avoid
becoming Australian in attitude and behaviour. The writers present the difficulty of coping with family
expectations, and with parents who cannot comprehend their problems of identity and belonging. For
some writers, assuming an Asian-Australian identity has brought estrangement from the family and
made it more difficult to establish a sense of belonging.
The contributors tell stories of friendships that help them survive and define themselves; of struggles
against the stereotype of the Asian student who is entirely focused on study; and of overcoming
problems of communication in their relationships.
OVERVIEW
Growing up Asian in Australia presents the experiences of more than fifty writers, but their stories often
return to common themes that run through the anthology.
131
ANALYSIS OF KEY IDEAS AND ARGUMENTS
FAMILY EXPECTATIONS OF YOUNG ASIAN-AUSTRALIANS
Our parents are our first teachers, and they teach us values, attitudes and beliefs that help define us.
The writers in this collection describe families who work hard in factories, farms and shops, and expect
their children to do the same. ‘Perfect Chinese children,’ as Vanessa Woods tells us, are unlike
Australian children, who ‘don’t work as hard, are loud and uncouth and, worst of all, talk back to their
parents’ (p.105). Hard work is seen by traditional Chinese families as the way to succeed in life, and
successful children bring honour to the family.
Parental demands sometimes seem harsh to young people immersed in an easy-going Australian world.
Although Annette Shun Wah in ‘Spiderbait’ (pp.57–64) writes cheerfully of singing as she worked in the
racket of 3000 chickens on her parents’ poultry farm (p.63), Lily Chan tells of dreading four o’clock every
day when she started work after school in the family restaurant (p.64). Adopting a diligent work ethic
sometimes sees Asian children stereotyped as different by their Australian peers.
Preserving their traditions and language in order to preserve their identity, some parents are happiest in
the company of their extended family and others from the old country, ‘in their own cultural bubble’
(p.158). Parents’ efforts to distance their children from Australian culture can lead to crises in family
relationships. Diana Nguyen’s moving story about her mother’s rejection (‘Five Ways to Disappoint Your
Vietnamese Mother’, pp.287–91) and Pauline Nguyen’s account of running away from her angry and
controlling father (‘The Courage of Soldiers’, pp.291–6) show that the cost of deciding your own identity
can sometimes be division from your family.
Parents who are at ease in Australia are more able to help their children settle into the new world. Cindy
Pan’s father encourages the little girl in her ambitions: ‘You are genius!’, he says (p.179), and he teaches
her ballroom dancing as they work in a muddy paddock. Shalini Akhil’s sensitive grandmother in
‘Destiny’ (pp.176–9) makes the child proud of her Indian traditions. Many writers have internalised their
parents’ values. Jason Yat-Sen Li writes of his respect for his parents’ Confucian values and his gratitude
for their efforts ‘to build foundations’ (p.265) for him to become a worker for political change. However,
many young Asian-Australians must find their own place between two cultures without family
assistance.
The extended Asian family is also a powerful force on the child’s developing sense of self. It may be
censorious and critical, as Ken Chan describes in ‘Quarrel’ (p.159), but it offers a powerful sense of
belonging. As Diem Vo tells us, despite dysfunction and chaos, ‘loneliness was never a problem,’
(pp.158–9) unlike in the split nuclear family of his Australian friend.
Discussion questions
• There is often tension between your desire to follow your own dreams and ambitions, and the
hopes and expectations your parents may have for you. To what extent should you compromise your
own wishes to show respect for family expectations?
132
• Although people may decide to reject family expectations, they are always influenced by the values,
attitudes and beliefs they have learned from their parents. Is it true to say that we can decide for
ourselves who we will become?
THE LANGUAGE OF BELONGING: LEARNING ENGLISH AND LEARNING ‘AUSRALIAN’
Many stories in the anthology explore the difficulties of navigating between two languages and cultures.
Some of the writers are at ease in their two languages, comfortably bilingual, but for others
communication barriers have been hard to overcome. ‘If I couldn’t express myself, then who was
myself?’ (p.48), Simon Tong wonders, relating the identity crisis he experienced as a fourteen year old
immigrant, and the rage he felt when his Hong Kong English made no sense to his classmates. Being
‘robbed of speech’ (p.47), he felt a loss of dignity and the diminishing of his very self. He describes a
desperate, urgent need to acquire the language, the first step into Australian culture. His story suggests
that without the means of expressing yourself and being understood, you remain in the shadows of your
adopted country, unable to belong.
Having parents with limited understanding of English brings its own problems. Some writers describe
their resentment at the reversal of roles, when as children they had to interpret Australian culture for
their parents, ‘translating at parent-teacher interviews, explaining every bill’ (p.157). Ivy Cheng feels
anguish for her parents, who were ‘always standing awkwardly to one side, smiling, at school functions’
(p.18). The dependence of parent on child can destabilise the natural order of the family and the child’s
understanding of their role within it.
Some contributors write of abandoning their first language, seeing it as too difficult or unnecessary for
their lives as Australians. Amy Choi ‘didn’t see the point of speaking Chinese’ (p.7), unaware that
forgetting her first language would cost her the chance to communicate with her grandfather. Ivy Tseng
resisted her father’s lessons in Mandarin, and later regretted the lost chance to enrich herself with an
‘inheritance of over 4000 years of history, language and values’ (p.18). Both writers describe the
laborious effort they have made to regain their family language, and the value that connecting with their
elders has come to have for them as Asian-Australians.
Learning how to navigate Australian culture is just as important as learning the language when it comes
to finding a sense of belonging. The writers describe a fierce desire to fit in and to smooth out the
differences between themselves and their peers. ‘I met Australia in the school playground’ (p.76), Aditi
Gouvernel tells us, and this is true for many of the writers. While some tell stories of learning to deal
with schoolyard bullies and torment, others tell of warm friendships with Anglo children, like Tanveer
Ahmed’s affection for his mate Lynchy: ‘I admired his crew cut and was riveted by his rat’s tail’ (p.96). As
children, they have mostly been concerned with becoming Australian, anglicising their names and trying
to disguise their exotic lunches, rather than celebrating their Asian heritage. Pride in their background
has often emerged through later reflection, a luxury that they could not afford as children struggling to
survive in an alien culture. Perhaps it is not until people gain enough cultural capital to feel safely
Australian that they can become confidently Asian-Australian.
Discussion questions
• Is it possible to participate in a community, and to belong to it in a meaningful way, if you do not
speak or understand the language? Insight text article on Growing up Asian in Australia
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• In what ways do some groups, including cliques and friendship groups in schools, exclude people by
using words and phrases in ways that others do not understand?
• How might being the family interpreter for parents who speak little English affect a child’s
relationship with their parents?
THE JUDGEMENT OF OTHERS AFFECTS OUR SENSE OF SELF
People in Australia often have to deal with racial discrimination and this has been true for many of the
writers. A judgemental society makes it hard for someone from a minority culture to feel accepted. Mia
Francis lists some of the name-calling her son endured in a small country town where ‘a dark-skinned
Asian child’ (p.143) was a rarity. Taunts that call attention to differences in appearance, or insults to the
child’s culture are commonplace in these Asian-Australian writers’ stories, with the schoolyard as a
microcosm of the wider society.
Writers tell of their different approaches to combating racism. Jenny Kee’s rebellious teenage self was
confident: ‘If anyone tried to mess with me, they’d get a rock in their face’ (p.221). Simone Lazaroo’s
father armed himself with tokens of respectability, ‘the new car and my BBC accent’ (p.117), against the
Perth police who were contemptuous of his dark skin. Jason Yat-Sen Li let his academic excellence speak
for itself when an employer questioned his English skills (p.265), and was moved to become involved in
public life as the best way to combat racism. Whether the response is silence or counter-aggression, the
experience of being abused for being different focuses the individual’s mind on those differences and
can make it harder to achieve a sense of belonging to the community.
However, not all discrimination is intentional. There are examples of Asian-Australians suffering
unwanted attention from well-meaning people who have fixed ideas about Asians. Jacqui Larkin’s
patronising kindergarten teacher (p.332) and Leanne Hall’s nightmare, ‘the cutesy, Hello Kitty-loving,
Asian manga-girl’ stereotype (p.228), are examples of events causing the writers an uneasy sense that
they are exotic and not really part of mainstream culture. In an ironic switch, Benjamin Law tells us of
his own stereotyping, making sure that his accent marked him as Australian, not one of ‘the actual Asian
tourists’ (p.148) at Dreamworld. Sometimes, deciding who we consider to be the ‘other’ helps us to
define our own identity.
Uyen Loewald’s bitter, sarcastic poem ‘Be Good, Little Migrants’ (pp.225–6) expresses her rage at the
discrimination Australia metes out to its minority groups. Spoken from the patronising viewpoint of
assumed Australian superiority, the poem uses the repetition of ‘be good’ to enforce the idea that the
newcomers are unimportant and should be quietly useful and obedient in their new country. ‘Little’
migrants are infantilised, their culture seen as colourful ‘low arts’ (p.226) and their contribution is
menial. The expectation that migrants must be grateful, must conform and assimilate – forever doomed
to a minor role in society – is mocked by the poem’s sarcastic tone. Loewald lets us see the restrictions
that stereotyping places on people, and the painful struggle migrants have in gaining respect and being
accepted in Australian society. Her final line, ‘Just waste a few generations’ (p.226), reveals the
frustration and despair felt by migrants who know that their full potential cannot be realised in a hostile
culture that designates them as inferior.
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Discussion questions
• ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones but names can never hurt me.’ Is the old saying true, or do
you believe that exclusion and discrimination are as damaging as physical violence to a person’s sense
of self?
• In what ways can people unintentionally stereotype members of minority groups, such as the
disabled or those from religious or ethnic minorities?
FORGING AN IDENTITY FROM TWO CULTURES
There are many ways of being Asian-Australian and it seems that every individual finds their own path.
Moving into full participation in Australian life can Insight text article on mean the loss of your first
culture. Tony Ayres expresses this movingly in ‘Silence’, where he contrasts his fate – to ‘cross a
threshold from one culture and class into another’ (p.238) – with the life of a waitress, the overworked
first daughter of a traditional Chinese family. His decision to eat in the restaurant is prompted by
nostalgia for his childhood but he judges its shabbiness with the eye of an outsider. Still, with an
insider’s understanding of nuances of difference in status, he knows immediately that the restaurant
boys are ‘probably from Hong Kong, possibly illegal’ (p.235). However, Ayres leaves the restaurant to
return to his real life with his Anglo partner, aware that the gap between himself and the waitress is
immense. Their cultures are separate, ‘two frequencies out of alignment’ (p.238), and with a tone of
regret he concludes that ‘there is no going back’ (p.238). This story suggests that an independent
identity sometimes comes at a profound cost, such as the loss of one’s birth culture.
Some young Asian-Australians describe feeling ‘culturally bipolar’ (p.301). For example, Paul Nguyen
reflects on the rich confusion of influences that make up his memories of childhood: both Vietnamese
and Australian, both The Simpsons and the Vietnamese Paris by Night, and he confides to us that he has
spent a great deal of time trying to define himself. As Nguyen writes of his uneasy relationship with his
mother, we see that cultural expectations as well as unresolved issues and resentments between
generations can hinder people in the search for a fulfilled sense of self.
For people with a mixed Anglo-Asian background, it can also be difficult to forge an individual identity
out of their combined heritage. Leanne Hall acts out the stereotype of the cute Asian girl when she
appears in a Japanese beer commercial, but is acutely aware that this is not the full sum of her identity
(‘How to be Japanese’ pp.227–34). Feeling fully Australian, she believes that others are fooled by her
Asian appearance into seeing her wrongly, and she describes herself as ‘bitter or paranoid’ (p.233) about
her confused sense of self.
It has taken time for some contributors to come to a greater understanding of their own place and
identity as Asian-Australians. Returning to the motherland is an enlightening experience for many. Kylie
Kwong, for example, feels delight at realising she is part of an ‘enchanting, extraordinary and energetic
family’ (p.323) and she is able to embrace her Chinese heritage as an enriching aspect of her life. Others
come slowly to an appreciation of the family language – which they had earlier dismissed as irrelevant –
so that they can achieve a deeper communication with their cultural heritage. Hoa Pham claims that
after a long battle, she can describe herself as Vietnamese-Australian but, even now, ‘there is a struggle
in that hyphen’ (p.262). The experiences of the writers are diverse. For some, finding their identity and
the place they belong has meant moving away from the family or the culture while others achieve a
more or less seamless blending of elements to create a newly-minted sense of self as both Asian and
Australian. Many also live with the burden of uncertainty, unsure quite where they belong.
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Discussion questions
• Must a person who chooses to be part of the mainstream culture always lose some part of their
original cultural identity?
• Why is it easier for the children of migrants than for their parents to feel that they belong to the
mainstream culture?
THE FACE IN THE MIRROR: APPEARANCE INFLUENCES THE SENSE OF SELF
One of the most haunting ideas that runs through the anthology is the idea that for some of the writers,
their appearance does not match their sense of who they really are. This strange disconnection is
expressed by those who feel most at home in Australia: often third- or fourth-generation AsianAustralians or the children of blended Anglo-Asian families.
‘When we looked at our faces in the mirror … foreigners would appear’, Blossom Beeby writes,
describing the dilemma of Asian adoptees raised in Anglo families and often without much knowledge of
their birth culture or language (p.324). For Beeby, it was not until she sought the company of other
young Asians and visited her native Korea to learn more about her beginnings that she was able to
accommodate ‘the different bits’ of herself ‘comfortably’ (p.329). Like many of the writers, she
describes a continuing process of defining her identity, but is happy to go on questioning as ‘it seems to
make things clearer’ (p.329).
Hoa Pham describes the Australian media’s promotion of beauty as ‘whitewashing’ (p.261), and explains
how it prompted her as a little girl to draw herself with blue eyes and blonde hair. Joy Hopwood, too,
felt the pervasive influence of the stereotype when, as an aspiring actor, she was offered only exotic
roles that matched her Asian appearance and belied her broad Australian accent. Hopwood has worked
to overturn that stereotype, becoming the first regular Asian presenter on the children’s television
program Play School. Perhaps the representation on our television screens of the many different faces in
Australian society will mean that Asian-Australian children in the future can draw what they see in the
mirror without confusion.
Joo-Inn Chew’s delightful story, ‘Chinese Dancing, Bendigo Style’ explores at length the dilemma of
looking Chinese but feeling Australian, and comes to the triumphant conclusion that she is actually
unique. Just as her Chinese father in moving away from his origins has ‘evolved into his own peculiar
species’ (p.248), she has worked through her feelings of displacement to a position of pride regarding
being ‘half-half’ (p.250). Initially resenting her ‘poo-brown eyes and flat yellow nose’ (p.246) Chew, with
her siblings, finds rescue in the Bendigo Chinese Association: a fixture in the town since gold rush days.
With its cultural roots deep in the community, the Association provides an opportunity for the child to
dance, sing and parade in processions applauded by the townspeople – a euphoric affirmation that to be
Asian in Australia is also to be Australian. Ironically, although Chew concludes that she is happy to be
unique, she is delighted to meet other Chinese-Australian children in the Association, ‘the blue-eyed
Tans and brown-haired Wongs’ (p.249). It is easier to come to an acceptance of your own place in the
world when there are others like you to validate your way of belonging and make a ‘tribe’ (p.249).
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Discussion questions
• Discuss how films and television present Anglo Australians as being the ‘face’ of Australia?
• How might the lack of Asian, African or Middle Eastern role models in the media affect the selfesteem of young people from these groups?
ESTABLISHING AN ADULT IDENTITY
Determining who we are and where we belong as adults is influenced by both our past and our present,
by what we already know and what we yearn for. Finding peers and partners who affirm us is a vital part
of this. It is, of course, not only Asian-Australians who feel uncertainty and confusion during the
adolescent journey towards self-determination. However, the difficulties may sometimes be more acute
for people who have felt like outsiders from early childhood.
Identifying as homosexual can complicate an adolescent’s search for a secure sense of self. Benjamin
Law ponders the puzzle of who he is in ‘Toward Manhood’ (pp.195–203). He regards his body as ‘this
Asian hybrid man-child thing’ (p.195) and contrasts himself unfavourably with bigger, stronger and more
macho males. He does not face the problem of family rejection when he confesses being gay to his
mother, but cannot easily reconcile his homosexuality with his own understanding of what it is to be a
man. Law is wryly ironic about his adolescence as he tells us that being perceived as Asian masked his
emerging homosexuality from his peers at school. ‘People never suspected you could be a racial
minority and gay’, he observes (p.200). There is a strong feeling through Law’s witty, confident writing
that his double dilemma – how to be an Asian-Australian and a homosexual man – is solved by the ready
acceptance (by his family and his Anglo partner) of the individual he has become.
As well as a supportive family, Lian Low identifies creativity, in the form of both writing and
performance, as a factor that has helped her reconcile her ‘multiple identities: Asian, woman, queer,
migrant, Chinese-Malaysian-Australian’ (p.219). Acceptance of her complex persona has been public, as
Low’s autobiographical writing for the stage has been rewarded and applauded. Like Benjamin Law, her
journey toward self-understanding has been made easier by the support and affirmation of others.
Seeking a partner and looking for acceptance from someone who sees you as you really are is part of
any adolescent’s experience. Sometimes Asian-Australians have found that search more complicated.
Hoa Pham finds that both Asian and Anglo boyfriends limit her by stereotyping (p.262), but is content
with a photographer whose artist’s eyes see her unique, mixed racial beauty. Leanne Hall tells us about
her suspicions of a ‘serial Asian fetishist’ (p.233) and worries that the men who ask her out date only
Asian women. Both women express anger and frustration at being judged by potential partners on their
race rather than their individuality.
Many of the writers describe coming to terms with the complexity of their identity with the passage of
time. Some use their own experiences as Asian-Australians to determine their future course in life, like
Joy Hopwood’s determination to expand the cultural stereotype by forging a career in television. Others
gain confidence when they realise that the differences that concerned them in their youth are not
always due to their Asian culture at all. As Joo-Inn Chew writes, ‘a lot of “Chinese” things were just Dad
things’ (p.248).
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Discussion questions
• Growing up is easier when you have others to support and affirm the person you are becoming. How
might stereotyping of minority groups make it hard for young people to express the complexity of
their identity?
Sample scene analysis
Read the passage from ‘Baked Beans and Burnt Toast’ (pp.329–37), from ‘Even I feel like staring at me’
(p.331) to ‘I feel my jaw slowly starting to drop open’ (p.336).
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• What assumptions does the teacher make about Jacqui’s background? In what ways is she
patronising and discriminatory? Are her assumptions racist?
• ‘I stand out like a plate of chicken feet at a sausage sizzle.’ In what ways does Jacqui’s Asian heritage
make her feel an outsider at school? How does her friendship with Jo-Ann help her through this?
• Jacqui assumes that Peter probably became ‘a walking stereotype with a beer gut.’ Is she justified in
thinking this? Is she also being patronising, discriminatory or racist?
• Does Peter’s explanation help us to understand why some people adopt racist attitudes to those
from other cultural backgrounds?
FOCUS ON TEXT FEATURES
As well as drawing on ideas from Growing up Asian in Australia in your writing about Exploring Issues of
Identity and Belonging, remember that the language and style of your writing may also be inspired by
the structures and features of the text. For example, the following aspects of Growing up Asian in
Australia may influence how you choose to use language in the text you create:
• The reflective, first-person narrative chosen by most writers in the anthology. This is an effective way
to engage the reader and to convey a deeply personal view.
• An expository style of listing. For example, Diana Nguyen’s ‘Five Ways to Disappoint Your Vietnamese
Mother’ builds in intensity towards a sad, rueful ending.
• Terse and vivid language presenting the hostility that migrants face, such as the language Ken Chau
and Uyen Loewald use in their poetry.
• Extended metaphors, like Thao Nguyen’s image of the water buffalo to represent the strength and
endurance of the Vietnamese father.
Points of view on the context
These discussion/writing questions, activities and prompts are designed to help you reflect on and refer
to ideas raised by the Context in Growing up Asian in Australia, by developing your own point of view on
these ideas.
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Discussion/writing prompts
• How is the family affected when a young person has to mediate between non-English speaking
parents and the Australian mainstream?
• Alice Pung names two of the sections in her book Battlers and Pioneers. How do the Asian families
in this anthology reveal the same qualities of spirit as Australia’s early European settlers?
• ‘I regret not paying closer attention during those Chinese lessons’, writes Ivy Tseng (p.20). What do
you think are the costs for migrants of assimilating into Australian culture?
• Do you think it is more difficult for first-generation migrants to find a place in Australian society, or
for their children? Insight text article on Growing up Asian in Australia
Activities
• Create a letter from an Asian-Australian daughter to her mother, explaining that her acceptance of
Australian culture is not betrayal of the family, but the only way she can survive in her world.
• Write a short piece reflecting on a time when you felt torn between two different groups that you felt
connected to.
• Write a persuasive essay responding to the following prompt: ‘It is important to feel a strong
connection to the community and place in which you live.’
•Write a dialogue set in a school playground to show how marginalising a child for perceived differences
can undermine confidence and self-esteem.
Sample prompts
1. A critical society makes it hard for children from minority cultures or groups to find a way to belong.
2. Family expectations are formative and influential in determining who and what we become.
3. It can be hard to establish your identity when you feel different from those around you.
4. Our appearance can be an important factor in developing a sense of our own identity.
5. Sometimes choosing to belong to one culture or group means losing your place in another.
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The Written Explanation
Form: explain the chosen form and why
REMEMBER THAT YOU CAN ALSO CREATE A HYBRID PIECE THAT USES ASPECTS OF MORE THAN ONE FORM (E .G.
AN IMAGINATIVE NEWS REPORT; A PERSUASIVE SPEECH GIVEN BY A FICTIONAL CHARACTER ETC.
Expository:
News Report; Feature article – newspapers, magazine, online publication; Essays; personal reflection, memoir;
blog entries; biography; interview; speeches; reviews.
Persuasive:
essay; speech; opinion piece; letter to the editor; press release; letter to a politician; personal letter; blog
entry; dialogue/debate between two opposing views.
Imaginative:
narrative; script; diary entries; monologue; dialogue; letters (Epistolary); gaps and silence; prologue; epilogue;
allegory.
Purpose: why are you writing?
BE SPECIFIC ABOUT THE IDEAS YOU ARE EXPLORING OR COMMUNICATING. YOU MAY HAVE DIFFERENT ASPECTS
TO YOUR PURPOSE , SO DISCUSS THE COMPLEXITIES.
Expository:
to inform about…; to analyse…; to compare ideas on…; to prompt people to act on…; to share personal
experiences about…; to encourage thought/consideration of…; to explore concepts of…; to reflect on…; to
recall personal experience of…; - or a combination of any of these.
Persuasive:
to convince [chosen audience] to…; to prompt action on…; to change opinions of [audience] about…; to
counter argue (rebut) another view point – or any combination of these.
Imaginative:
To entertain [chosen audience]; encourage reflection on…; consider different points of view about…; describe
experiences/ideas…; explore ideas about… - or any combination of these.
Audience: for whom are you writing?
Expository:
general public; readership of a daily newspaper (broadsheet, tabloid) or particular magazine; blog subscribers
(similar interests); peer group (teenagers, young adults, adults); describe in terms of special interests (e.g.
politics, history, technology, feminism, indigenous issues, world affairs, individual experiences, families,
parents); personal – friends, family, individuals.
Persuasive:
general public; readership of a daily newspaper (broadsheet, tabloid, specific publication); interest groups
(schools, political groups, parent groups, action groups); individual people you are targeting (politicians,
author, educators, historians, ordinary people, family, friends).
Imaginative: Readers of futuristic fiction, specific age groups - younger readers, teenagers, adults; specific
interests (politics, history, family etc); the author.
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Language: How have you chosen to write your piece?
Expository:
Tone – (authoritative; formal, serious, balanced, reflective, nostalgic, objective, subjective etc)
st
rd
Voice – (1 person, 3 person, a mix – why?)
Structure – of paragraphs, sentences. Linking, building of ideas
Vocabulary choices – adjectives, adverbs, verbs, detailed descriptions of anecdotes using figurative language
(simile, metaphor, personification etc). Similarities to the language used in the set text.
Persuasive:
Persuasive language techniques - emotive language, repetition, triptychs (groups of three); emotional
appeals, rhetorical questions, metaphors, clichés, irony, sarcasm, humour etc.
Structure -clear contention, arguments set out logically, rebuttal of opposing views in final body paragraph.
Don’t over do it! Don’t make up facts, don’t over exaggerate or make personal, racist or sexist attacks.
Imaginative:
EXPLAIN HOW YOUR WRITING REFLECTS THE CHOICES OF THE AUTHOR OF THE SET TEXT. GIVE SPECIFIC
EXAMPLES
Narrative Voice – 1st, 3rd person, use of dialogue
Narrative structure – chronological, flashback, memoir, turning point, climax, denouement, resolution.
Figurative Language – metaphors, similes, personification, symbolism, allegory, analogy, alliteration,
onomatopoeia
Vocabulary choices – adjectives, adverbs, verbs, formal/informal language, tone, dialogue,.
Sentence structure – phrasing, simple and complex sentences, clauses, paragraphs etc.
Subverting language conventions – have you gone against language conventions to reflect the set text or to
suit your purpose and audience? E.g. grammatical errors, purposeful spelling errors, slang, specific structural
elements
Prompt, Context and Text
-What ideas suggested by the prompt have you developed?
-How have you developed these ideas to reflect your understanding of the context?
-What aspects of the context have you explored?
-What ideas from the set text are you drawing on that relate to the prompt?
-Refer to specific parts of your writing that show understanding of the text.
-Discuss the characters or events that you have referred to in you writing and what you want to explore about
them.
If you have not directly referred to the text, you must show how your writing makes clear, implicit (implied)
links to the text. E.g. For imaginative or personal writing explain the similarities/differences between the
setting or characterisation of your piece and the set text.
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A guide to writing in context:
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