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QCE Stuff => QCE English Subjects => QCE Subjects + Help => QCE English => Topic started by: Joseph41 on January 30, 2019, 03:24:29 pm

Title: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: Joseph41 on January 30, 2019, 03:24:29 pm
QCE ENGLISH Q&A THREAD

What is this thread for?
If you have general questions about the QCE English course (both Units 1&2 and 3&4) or how to improve in certain areas, this is the place to ask! 👌


Who can/will answer questions?
Everyone is welcome to contribute; even if you're unsure of yourself, providing different perspectives is incredibly valuable.

Please don't be dissuaded by the fact that you haven't finished Year 12, or didn't score as highly as others, or your advice contradicts something else you've seen on this thread, or whatever; none of this disqualifies you from helping others. And if you're worried you do have some sort of misconception, put it out there and someone else can clarify and modify your understanding! 

There'll be a whole bunch of other high-scoring students with their own wealths of wisdom to share with you, so you may even get multiple answers from different people offering their insights - very cool.


To ask a question or make a post, you will first need an ATAR Notes account. You probably already have one, but if you don't, it takes about four seconds to sign up - and completely free!
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: Twisty314 on January 30, 2019, 05:11:41 pm
Hey everyone!

First day of year 11 and I've gotten some English homework due tomorrow (yay  :().  The teacher has also given us a little preview to our assignment. It will be an essay for a public audience and it is on The Crucible. She told us that we should read it 3 times - first for fun, second to search for critical points and third for further insight. I'm used to just reading books once and I feel I need a second opinion on how to go about analysing the book. Is there any best way to fully understand everything in a book? Also, does anyone know where I can find some good resources for the book  to help understand it(summaries, contextual information, anything really)?  :)

Thank you all in advance!  :D
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: owidjaja on January 30, 2019, 08:47:07 pm
Hey everyone!

First day of year 11 and I've gotten some English homework due tomorrow (yay  :().  The teacher has also given us a little preview to our assignment. It will be an essay for a public audience and it is on The Crucible. She told us that we should read it 3 times - first for fun, second to search for critical points and third for further insight. I'm used to just reading books once and I feel I need a second opinion on how to go about analysing the book. Is there any best way to fully understand everything in a book? Also, does anyone know where I can find some good resources for the book  to help understand it(summaries, contextual information, anything really)?  :)

Thank you all in advance!  :D
Hey there,
Personally, I feel like three times is a bit too much. I usually completely read my texts once while annotating it, just to catch some basic techniques (e.g. metaphors, similes etc.)- there are some texts I've read completely more than once because I've read it for fun prior to studying it. After I've completely read the text, I usually flip to specific pages to find quotes and read around the quotes just for some plot context. The best way to approach any prescribed text is to do some research on the text: personal, social and historical context. This can help you understand any allusions or even help you understand the authorial intent. I do like to emphasise that sometimes it takes a while for you to completely understand a text. For example, it didn't take me long to understand The Tempest, but it took me right before my HSC exams to understand Yeats' poetry.

As for finding contextual information on The Crucible, you're in luck because Arthur Miller's context and his purpose is quite easy to find! I would suggest reading the article Why I Wrote The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller himself. Not only does it give you an insight of his authorial intent, it also gives you an idea on his context, specifically the McCarthy regime. It would be a good idea to do some reading on McCarthyism and the Red Scare so you can understand The Crucible.

Hope this helps!
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: Twisty314 on January 30, 2019, 09:52:51 pm
Quote
Hey there,
Personally, I feel like three times is a bit too much. I usually completely read my texts once while annotating it, just to catch some basic techniques (e.g. metaphors, similes etc.)- there are some texts I've read completely more than once because I've read it for fun prior to studying it. After I've completely read the text, I usually flip to specific pages to find quotes and read around the quotes just for some plot context. The best way to approach any prescribed text is to do some research on the text: personal, social and historical context. This can help you understand any allusions or even help you understand the authorial intent. I do like to emphasise that sometimes it takes a while for you to completely understand a text. For example, it didn't take me long to understand The Tempest, but it took me right before my HSC exams to understand Yeats' poetry.

As for finding contextual information on The Crucible, you're in luck because Arthur Miller's context and his purpose is quite easy to find! I would suggest reading the article Why I Wrote The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller himself. Not only does it give you an insight of his authorial intent, it also gives you an idea on his context, specifically the McCarthy regime. It would be a good idea to do some reading on McCarthyism and the Red Scare so you can understand The Crucible.

Hope this helps!

Wow! Thanks owidjaja!

Yeah, I  felt like 3 times was too much as well. I will definitely try out your technique of annotating. I've heard that some classic novels often studied in schools require a lot of context so I was trying to find some contextual resources haha. Thanks so much for the link! This will help me so much when I start reading (hopefully tonight!).  ;)

Thanks so much owidjaja!  :)
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: Twisty314 on January 30, 2019, 09:58:13 pm
Hello again! :)

Tomorrow I have to hand in this little creative narrative that I would like some feedback on, preferably tonight or early tomorrow, but I'll be very appreciative for later responses as well! I don't know how to end it, so if you could leave a small suggestion, that would be fantastic! Any grammar issues, or suggestions would be awesome. Thanks guys!  :)


A shriek interrupts my serene exploration of a remote island. “Samuel, the boat!” shouts Oliver. Spinning around, I squint and, with acquiesce, witness a great misfortune. I start sprinting towards where the boat was, and see through the tears in my eyes, our boat continuing to drift away. Circumspectly, Oliver jitters, “Should we call the water police?”
“No reception,” I state.
“What are we going to do?”
I mutter to myself, “There’s only one thing we can do.” Oliver glares at me. “Oliver, I wouldn’t put you in that situation,” I tremble. “I’ll do it.” In satisfaction of no one’s predilections to resolve the situation, I rip off my shirt and stir my toes in the chilling water I will soon be immersed in. I hurriedly advance through the water until my waist is buried in the saltwater and start swimming. Retaining the panic and stress of possibly being left to ruins by a shark while swimming as fast as you can, is not exactly an easy task to perform simultaneously. The cloudy day invites shadows that imitate bloodthirsty sharks and moray eels, vociferously searching for living flesh. I look up and notice the boat is still the same distance away – I must swim faster! As I am looking around, I spot fins patrolling my residence in the water. Reimbursed with motivation and adrenalin, I voraciously tread the water that separates me from the boat. I feel something like soft sandpaper brush up against my feet. Pictures of bull sharks with blood-stained teeth are raised to memory, persuading me to be diligent to survive. My energy is rapidly leaving my arms, and I can barely swim fast enough to catch up to the boat. Giving up comes to mind, when suddenly, something makes up my mind. I’ve run into something hard that won’t budge.
I look up. The most glorious sight I’ve seen for hours is right before me. The boat! I lunge myself into it and lay there for ages, catching my breath. After laying here for fifteen minutes, I get up and look back at the island. The tide has gone up much higher now, and Oliver is standing on the only land available. Turning on the tinny, I look at where I was when I saw the sharks. I speed back to Oliver before there’s no more land and he hops in.


Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: literally lauren on February 05, 2019, 05:52:06 pm
Hi Twisty! Sorry I couldn't get this to you before it was due, but hopefully this is still helpful! :)


A shriek interrupts my serene exploration of a remote island. “Samuel, the boat!” shouts Oliver. Spinning around, I squint and, with acquiesce, this word doesn't really work in this context - 'acquiesce' is great for describing when someone 'gives in' to another person's demands (e.g. my mother kept yelling at me to do my homework, so finally, at 1 a.m., I acquiesced! A better word in this context would be 'reluctance,' or, if you wanted to go for an even more creative metaphor, you could rewrite this part of the sentence to 'I squint to get a better view, but soon wish I hadn't'... or something equally ominous and foreshadowing!  witness a great misfortune. I start sprinting towards where the boat was I really like your subtlety here! Rather than telling us what happened to the boat, just refering to where it 'was' in the past tense gives this a really eerie uncertainty that creates a lot of intrigue! :) , and see through the tears in my eyes, our boat continuing to drift away. Circumspectly, Oliver jitters, this is also just a little bit clunky, partially because the word 'jitters' is kind of colloquial and almost silly sounding (though still totally fine to use in creative pieces), but the word 'circumspectly' is so formal that it clashes with the rest of the sentence, so I'd recommend changing one of these words to something that 'fits' the overall tone of the sentence. Here, 'jitters' and 'the water police' sound fairly casual/informal, so changing 'circumspectly' would make the most sense! “Should we call the water police?”
“No reception,” I state.
“What are we going to do?”
I mutter to myself, “There’s only one thing we can do.” Oliver glares at me. “Oliver, I wouldn’t put you in that situation,” I tremble. “I’ll do it.” In satisfaction of no one’s predilections to resolve the situation again, 'predilections' is a very formal word that doesn't quite fit here, but more broadly, I think this is a good example of something that you need to SHOW instead of TELL. Basically, rather than having your character tell us 'no one was going to do anything, so I decided to step up' - try to SHOW this decision/revelation through your writing. For example, what would this look like? What kind of facial expressions might your character exhibit? How would his voice sound? What would his body language be? How could you ~reveal~ the idea of reluctantly stepping up to do something no one else will?, SHOW DON'T TELL TIPS: the best way to ensure you do this effectively is to think of the senses! Specifically: sight, sound, smell, touch, taste. In other words, what visual, auditory, or sensory descriptions could you give us that would convey your ideas? This will instantly elevate your writing from 'telling' (e.g. 'the man was furious') to 'showing' in a really literary and sophisticated way (e.g. 'he clenched his jaw until his bones almost burst through his skin, bulging with fury and malicious intent!')   I rip off my shirt and stir my toes in the chilling water I will soon be immersed in. I hurriedly advance through the water until my waist is buried just another small word choice thing - I probably wouldn't use the word 'buried' for water - 'submerged' would be a good alternative :) in the saltwater and start swimming. Retaining the panic and stress of possibly being left to ruins this expression probably isn't as suitable here either - maybe something like 'torn to shreds' or 'ripped apart,' or even 'completely devoured' by a shark while swimming as fast as you can, is not exactly an easy task to perform simultaneously. The cloudy day invites shadows that imitate bloodthirsty sharks and moray eels, vociferously searching for living flesh. I look up and notice the boat is still the same distance away – I must swim faster! I think the main issue throughout this piece is that you've used a mix of both highly formal and sophisticated language, as well as more informal thoughts and remarks. Because this is a POV (point of view) narrative, it might make more sense to stick with a consistently informal tone. Basically, the average person wouldn't use the word 'vociferously' when thinking to themselves, so using words like that can sometimes make your piece seem a bit more clunky, or make the character less believable - even though they're great vocab words for essays! As I am looking around, I spot fins patrolling my residence Again, this is a bit too formal for the context - if you were in the ocean and sharks had you surrounded, your first thought probably wouldn't be "hmm, sharks are patrolling my residence," you know? :) See if you can re-work this into something that's more ~atmospheric~ and make us feel what your character is feeling! in the water. Reimbursed with motivation and adrenalin, I voraciously same thing here; could you reword this to better convey fear or panic, rather than using words that seem a lot more measured and well thought-out (since someone being chased by sharks probs wouldn't be at the top of their game, vocab-wise ;) ) tread the water that separates me from the boat. I feel something like soft sandpaper brush up against my feet. Pictures of bull sharks with blood-stained teeth are raised to memory, persuading me to be diligent to survive more writing that's a bit too formal. My energy is rapidly leaving my arms, and I can barely swim fast enough to catch up to the boat. Giving up comes to mind, when suddenly, something makes up my mind also some repetition of phrasing here. I’ve run into something hard that won’t budge.
I look up. The most glorious sight I’ve seen for hours do you actually want to have him swim for HOURS? If so, that'd be a great thing to emphasise in the paragraph above. This is the first indication you have that a lot of time has passed, so it'd be great to capitalise on that throughout your piece and convey a sense of exhaustion and physical effort is right before me. The boat! I lunge myself into it and lay there for ages, catching my breath. After laying here for fifteen minutes, again, just in terms of time, it'd be good to properly focus on this as an element of your piece, rather than TELLING us 'fifteen minutes went by.' A good way to think about this is to approach it from the perspective of an author with a really specific intention - e.g. what overall message do you want to communicate to readers? At the moment, this is a pretty effective snapshot of a creative scene, but you seem to be missing a primary message or driving force behind the narrative, which can make things harder to write for you. Perhaps think about what kinds of feelings or thoughts you want to evoke in the person reading your work? (I know it sounds dumb, since the real 'reason' for the creative piece is usually 'because my teacher told me to,' but pretend you're a fancy author that wants to inspire people by exploring a certain theme!) I get up and look back at the island. The tide has gone up much higher now, and Oliver is standing on the only land available. Turning on the tinny, I look at where I was when I saw the sharks. I speed back to Oliver before there’s no more land and he hops in.
Some tips for the ending (building off of the comment above about coming up with a 'message' or overall intention for your piece):
 - What kind of relationship exists between Oliver and Samuel? Do you want us to view the closeness and trust that exists between them, or do you want to suggest that there is actually some tension/conflict between them. The ending would be a good place to focus on that, so maybe think about what atmosphere there is between them: relief? fear? frustration? affection? guilt? etc.
 - How does your main character feel having swum out to get the boat? We don't really get much info about his emotional state at the end, and the final lines are your prime time for SHOWING interesting emotional details. So again, think about sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste - you don't have to use all five at once, obviously, but really focusing in on one or two can add a lot of colour to your writing.
 - Perhaps hint at what could come next for these two characters. Have they learned any lessons, or have they changed at all over the course of their adventure? Are they carrying on with a renewed sense of being able to tackle anything, or are they kind of just running away feeling embarrassed about having let their boat get away? Or is there a difference between them - maybe Samuel is still shell-shocked at having had to swim through shark infested waters, while Oliver feels guilty for having made Samuel put himself in danger to get the boat back?

Hope that helps, but please let me know if you have any questions, or if you've got an updated draft that you'd like some more feedback for  ;D
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: Twisty314 on February 06, 2019, 07:52:46 am
Quote
Hi Twisty! Sorry I couldn't get this to you before it was due, but hopefully this is still helpful! :) Some tips for the ending (building off of the comment above about coming up with a 'message' or overall intention for your piece):
 - What kind of relationship exists between Oliver and Samuel? Do you want us to view the closeness and trust that exists between them, or do you want to suggest that there is actually some tension/conflict between them. The ending would be a good place to focus on that, so maybe think about what atmosphere there is between them: relief? fear? frustration? affection? guilt? etc.
 - How does your main character feel having swum out to get the boat? We don't really get much info about his emotional state at the end, and the final lines are your prime time for SHOWING interesting emotional details. So again, think about sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste - you don't have to use all five at once, obviously, but really focusing in on one or two can add a lot of colour to your writing.
 - Perhaps hint at what could come next for these two characters. Have they learned any lessons, or have they changed at all over the course of their adventure? Are they carrying on with a renewed sense of being able to tackle anything, or are they kind of just running away feeling embarrassed about having let their boat get away? Or is there a difference between them - maybe Samuel is still shell-shocked at having had to swim through shark infested waters, while Oliver feels guilty for having made Samuel put himself in danger to get the boat back?

Hope that helps, but please let me know if you have any questions, or if you've got an updated draft that you'd like some more feedback for  ;D

Hey literally lauren! I've heard that you are a legend in the AN community haha. No need to apologise, no one ever had to reply to me in the first place ahaha. :)

Yes, so as you can see, creative writing is by far my worst area in English, probably on par with doing speeches haha!  :-[ I know what you mean about using the 'big' words in the wrong places. I was told to include a few complicated words, which I knew would not blend at all, but next time I'll try to use them more appropriately. :)

Wow! Using show rather than tell REALLY makes the story much more interesting. It is such a simple thing, but I never really used it. Thanks for the tip! :)

Aargh! The timing! This is something that I've been aware of for ages but I could never figure out how to fix it. Your comment at the end really helps with this.

Quote
if you were in the ocean and sharks had you surrounded, your first thought probably wouldn't be "hmm, sharks are patrolling my residence," you know?
This made me laugh! hahaha Good point! I'll keep this in mind.

So... I think I'm going to print the story and your comments - is that okay with you? This is just too good to leave on an old post and forget about it! I don't think I'll get around to another draft but next time I write something for English, I'll post it on AN for editing. :)

Just one question - is it ever suitable to use 'tell' rather than 'show'? Show is definitely better (in most instances at least) but I'm wondering if tell would ever be better.

Thanks so much lauren! Really appreciate you putting in your time to edit my story hahaha  ;D
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: literally lauren on February 06, 2019, 05:45:42 pm
So... I think I'm going to print the story and your comments - is that okay with you? This is just too good to leave on an old post and forget about it! I don't think I'll get around to another draft but next time I write something for English, I'll post it on AN for editing. :)

Just one question - is it ever suitable to use 'tell' rather than 'show'? Show is definitely better (in most instances at least) but I'm wondering if tell would ever be better.
No worries at all :) And no pressure to edit or post a new version of this, especially if you just wanted a bit of practice with creative writing! Happy to look over anything else you're working on in the future!

And yes, good question... "show don't tell" is typically the golden rule for creative writing, because "good" creative writing is supposed to have subtlety and layered ideas/themes/metaphors. However, if you're writing to inform or persuade, then it wouldn't make sense to just be "showing" things to your audience in a roundabout way - you'd want to TELL them explicitly.

So for speeches, essays, and almost all other writing you do in English (and in life), TELLING and focusing on CLARITY is usually the most important thing. The "showing" element of creative writing does help make you a better communicator overall, but it is a different (and kinda weird) style to get used to!

Also, not every single sentence has to be "showing" every single element of your story (since that'd just be exhausting!) But for important ideas and revelations, it's really impressive to be able to "show" readers what your intentions are.

Another good trick (beyond focusing on the five senses) is to make the internal external, and make the external internal. What this means is:
 - Take something internal like a thought or emotion, and explain it to the audience using external descriptions (e.g. write about a character feeling nervous on their first day of school by describing how their eyes dart frantically around the room, and how they stood with their back to a wall and shuffled their feet awkwardly as though they couldn't decide which direction to move in.
 - Take something external and explain it by describing internal thoughts/feelings/beliefs. For example, rather than just saying "the weather was super hot," you could say "his mind felt like it had been stuck in a sauna for far too long, and the thin layer of grimy sweat covering his body was starting to make him think that air conditioning might be more valuable than oxygen."

The first option is usually the best, since it's totally fine to write about external things like hot weather, but typically creative pieces get 'clunky' when they try to just TELL us about all of a character's emotions and opinions. So mixing this up with some descriptive imagery can help add colour to your piece! :)
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: Twisty314 on February 06, 2019, 07:48:35 pm
Quote
No worries at all :) And no pressure to edit or post a new version of this, especially if you just wanted a bit of practice with creative writing! Happy to look over anything else you're working on in the future!

And yes, good question... "show don't tell" is typically the golden rule for creative writing, because "good" creative writing is supposed to have subtlety and layered ideas/themes/metaphors. However, if you're writing to inform or persuade, then it wouldn't make sense to just be "showing" things to your audience in a roundabout way - you'd want to TELL them explicitly.

So for speeches, essays, and almost all other writing you do in English (and in life), TELLING and focusing on CLARITY is usually the most important thing. The "showing" element of creative writing does help make you a better communicator overall, but it is a different (and kinda weird) style to get used to!

Also, not every single sentence has to be "showing" every single element of your story (since that'd just be exhausting!) But for important ideas and revelations, it's really impressive to be able to "show" readers what your intentions are.

Another good trick (beyond focusing on the five senses) is to make the internal external, and make the external internal. What this means is:
 - Take something internal like a thought or emotion, and explain it to the audience using external descriptions (e.g. write about a character feeling nervous on their first day of school by describing how their eyes dart frantically around the room, and how they stood with their back to a wall and shuffled their feet awkwardly as though they couldn't decide which direction to move in.
 - Take something external and explain it by describing internal thoughts/feelings/beliefs. For example, rather than just saying "the weather was super hot," you could say "his mind felt like it had been stuck in a sauna for far too long, and the thin layer of grimy sweat covering his body was starting to make him think that air conditioning might be more valuable than oxygen."

The first option is usually the best, since it's totally fine to write about external things like hot weather, but typically creative pieces get 'clunky' when they try to just TELL us about all of a character's emotions and opinions. So mixing this up with some descriptive imagery can help add colour to your piece! :)

Thanks Lauren! Just about to save your advice. One day in the future, I may write up the edited draft, but probably won't get around to doing it yet. :) I've got an essay on The Crucible coming up so I'll try to post it on this thread.

Oh, ok - unless it is a formal non-fiction sought of text, you almost always want to show instead of tell. Didn't know that! Thanks for the heads up! ;)

Awesome advice - this makes a lot of sense. Again, I wasn't aware of this technique, but I'll definitely use this next time for a creative writing piece! I actually like the idea of 'flipping' the internal and external environments in the way that it is written.

Thanks so much Lauren! Great advice as always! :)
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: tfitz71 on July 19, 2019, 11:57:43 am
Hey Everyone
I am having trouble finding any information on the poem I am using for my Unit 2 short story writing exam. The poem is Last Seen 12:10 am by Bruce Dawe, which i have inserted below. I have been trying to do research on the poem for a while now and I just can't find anything. It would be a very big help if anyone is able to give me some information on the poem because my exam is in 2 weeks?

 
What price the doggedness of one loving family
against the ravening dark?
On railway station walls, on hoardings
this mighty mother has contrived
a poster image of her daughter lately torn
from the early morning road where, at that time, the traffic passes
at a rate of ten or twelve per minute
(she has calculated that out, too).
Plagued by phone pranksters giving false locations,
advised by acquaintances to give up the quest,
warned off the roadway by police for accosting motorists
with a photograph of her daughter (dragged
into a car as into Grendel’s cave – shoes, purse
found elsewhere later),
now her broad anguished face
sinks out of sight from broadsheet and from tabloid,
sinks also from the screen that bore her sorrow
momentarily our way…
A police spokesman says, ‘At night
The city streets are full of predators.’

We know… But we know love
- and that’s implacable too.



Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: literally lauren on July 19, 2019, 01:14:03 pm
Hey Everyone
I am having trouble finding any information on the poem I am using for my Unit 2 short story writing exam. The poem is Last Seen 12:10 am by Bruce Dawe, which i have inserted below. I have been trying to do research on the poem for a while now and I just can't find anything. It would be a very big help if anyone is able to give me some information on the poem because my exam is in 2 weeks?
Hey tfitz! You've come to the right place!

I'm not sure how much your teacher would have gone through already in class, but essentially, this poem is about a woman searching for her missing daughter. I'll go through it roughly line-by-line so you can see which quotes are most important...

What price the doggedness of one loving family / against the ravening dark? This is the central premise of the poem, as Dawe is questioning the consequences of love in a "dark" world. In this case, it is a mother's "dogged" (i.e. persistent, non-stop) love for her missing daughter that keeps her fighting, even though her child has been taken away from her (and is implied to have been killed). Here, you could comment on the unusual animalistic adjective "ravening," which has connotations of hunting and prey, thereby making the "dark[ness]" seem much more sinister, and almost sentient (i.e. can think and act for itself). Ultimately, this helps us empathise with the mother, and is a means by which Dawe explores humanity's duality.
On railway station walls, on hoardings
this mighty mother has contrived
a poster image of her daughter Since, as per the title, the daughter was last seen at 12:10 a.m. the mother has since put up missing posters at train stations and sheds in an effort to find her. If you wanted to do some super close analysis, you could discuss how the assonance and empty-sounding vowels in "walls" and "hoardings" make this action seem somewhat hollow... it is as though no matter how many posters the mother puts up, there is no hope for her daughter. There's also some alliteration that associates "mother" with "might" - from this, we can conclude that Dawe isn't suggesting the mother is foolish to be making this effort; Dawe wants us to sympathise with her and understand the strength of her filial love.
lately torn / from the early morning road where, at that time, the traffic passes This is our first hint at what has happened to the daughter - "torn from the early morning road" suggests she was either hitchhiking or abducted by a passing car. In particular, the word "torn" here is quite evocative, as it conveys a sense of violence and destruction. It's also worth noting the poetic structure and enjambment here, as the full line: "a poster image of her daughter lately torn" continues on to the next, and while we'd usually associate a poster as something that can be "torn," it instead here refers to the daughter herself.
at a rate of ten or twelve per minute / (she has calculated that out, too). It might not seem like it, but the word "too" is actually really meaningful here. The speaker tells us the mother has counted the number of cars passing by the road where her daughter went missing, but the word "too" implies that this is just one of many things she has "calculated" since her daughter's disappearance. Hence, Dawe establishes a sense of desperation in the mother's plight as she attempts to use logic and reason to retrace her daughter's movements.
Plagued by phone pranksters giving false locations, It's quite common for people to give false leads or even make cruel joke phone calls to families of missing people (which is another form of dark, antipathetic human behaviour that contrasts greatly with the "mighty mother").
advised by acquaintances to give up the quest, This also serves as a contrast with the mother - she is "doggedly" determined, but others are telling her to stop trying. The fact that they are only "acquaintances" perhaps intimates that they don't know the mother well enough to understand her strength, or her relationship with her daughter. Furthermore, Dawe characterises the mother's efforts as a "quest," a word connoting epic bravery and, hopefully, a reward at the end.
warned off the roadway by police for accosting motorists \ with a photograph of her daughter (i.e. this mother has been asking drivers if they have seen her daughter, and the police are sick of her causing a fuss. This encourages us to question why the police don't seem to be helping - based on what Dawe has presented, the mother is the only one fighting to find her daughter.
(dragged \ into a car as into Grendel’s cave – shoes, purse \ found elsewhere later), Firstly, the fact that the daughter's belongings were "found elsewhere later" is a vague yet undeniable indication that she met with foul play. Secondly, the word "dragged" here is another example of implied violence towards the daughter. We don't know much about her other than that she was "dragged," "torn," and "last seen at 12:10 a.m." Thirdly, there is an intertextual allusion here to Beowulf, an old poem which features a monster called Grendel who is described as a creature of darkness that devours humanity. I won't go too much in-depth here, but if you do want to analyse this further, a good place to start would be examining the ambiguity of Grendel as a character in the original poem, as literary scholars have debated whether he is a monster, a giant, or some sort of hybrid creature - hence, he represents an unknown, amorphous evil, which Dawe calls upon in this poem to further shroud the daughter's fate in darkness. Therefore, overall, these three lines amplify our sense of fear for the daughter, whilst also rendering us pessimistic about the possibility that she may still be alive.
now her broad anguished face \ sinks out of sight from broadsheet and from tabloid, This line is about how the initial media interest in the missing person's case has sense faded, suggesting that she has been missing for quite a while. This perhaps explains why the police and the mother's acquaintances were discouraging her from continuing her efforts, as they do not share in the mother's hopefulness.
sinks also from the screen that bore her sorrow \ momentarily our way… This is the first instance of a first person pronoun (the collective possessive "our") in this poem. 'We,' the audience, are positioned as members of the public who are "momentarily" shown the daughter's sorrow in a news bulletin. Now though, she has sunk away amidst countless other stories, both uplifting and tragic, as the newspaper sheets and TV screens ebb and flow with the passage of time.
A police spokesman says, ‘At night / The city streets are full of predators.’ Again, this is obviously a very sinister intimation of the daughter's fate... but just when you think the poem is about to end on a total downer...
We know… But we know love \ - and that’s implacable too. This resounding final line lets us share in the mother's optimism. The word "implacable" refers to something that is unstoppable, uncompromising, and cannot be sated. Hence, Dawe parallels two powerfully unstoppable forces: the sinister, evil predation of someone who would abduct a young girl from the street, and the unconditional love of a mother who refuses to give up the fight.

Hope that helps you get started! If you need more unpacking of a particular theme, or help putting this into an essay, let us know!
Best of luck for your exam!!  ;D
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: tfitz71 on July 22, 2019, 09:20:26 am
Hey tfitz! You've come to the right place!

I'm not sure how much your teacher would have gone through already in class, but essentially, this poem is about a woman searching for her missing daughter. I'll go through it roughly line-by-line so you can see which quotes are most important...

What price the doggedness of one loving family / against the ravening dark? This is the central premise of the poem, as Dawe is questioning the consequences of love in a "dark" world. In this case, it is a mother's "dogged" (i.e. persistent, non-stop) love for her missing daughter that keeps her fighting, even though her child has been taken away from her (and is implied to have been killed). Here, you could comment on the unusual animalistic adjective "ravening," which has connotations of hunting and prey, thereby making the "dark[ness]" seem much more sinister, and almost sentient (i.e. can think and act for itself). Ultimately, this helps us empathise with the mother, and is a means by which Dawe explores humanity's duality.
On railway station walls, on hoardings
this mighty mother has contrived
a poster image of her daughter Since, as per the title, the daughter was last seen at 12:10 a.m. the mother has since put up missing posters at train stations and sheds in an effort to find her. If you wanted to do some super close analysis, you could discuss how the assonance and empty-sounding vowels in "walls" and "hoardings" make this action seem somewhat hollow... it is as though no matter how many posters the mother puts up, there is no hope for her daughter. There's also some alliteration that associates "mother" with "might" - from this, we can conclude that Dawe isn't suggesting the mother is foolish to be making this effort; Dawe wants us to sympathise with her and understand the strength of her filial love.
lately torn / from the early morning road where, at that time, the traffic passes This is our first hint at what has happened to the daughter - "torn from the early morning road" suggests she was either hitchhiking or abducted by a passing car. In particular, the word "torn" here is quite evocative, as it conveys a sense of violence and destruction. It's also worth noting the poetic structure and enjambment here, as the full line: "a poster image of her daughter lately torn" continues on to the next, and while we'd usually associate a poster as something that can be "torn," it instead here refers to the daughter herself.
at a rate of ten or twelve per minute / (she has calculated that out, too). It might not seem like it, but the word "too" is actually really meaningful here. The speaker tells us the mother has counted the number of cars passing by the road where her daughter went missing, but the word "too" implies that this is just one of many things she has "calculated" since her daughter's disappearance. Hence, Dawe establishes a sense of desperation in the mother's plight as she attempts to use logic and reason to retrace her daughter's movements.
Plagued by phone pranksters giving false locations, It's quite common for people to give false leads or even make cruel joke phone calls to families of missing people (which is another form of dark, antipathetic human behaviour that contrasts greatly with the "mighty mother").
advised by acquaintances to give up the quest, This also serves as a contrast with the mother - she is "doggedly" determined, but others are telling her to stop trying. The fact that they are only "acquaintances" perhaps intimates that they don't know the mother well enough to understand her strength, or her relationship with her daughter. Furthermore, Dawe characterises the mother's efforts as a "quest," a word connoting epic bravery and, hopefully, a reward at the end.
warned off the roadway by police for accosting motorists \ with a photograph of her daughter (i.e. this mother has been asking drivers if they have seen her daughter, and the police are sick of her causing a fuss. This encourages us to question why the police don't seem to be helping - based on what Dawe has presented, the mother is the only one fighting to find her daughter.
(dragged \ into a car as into Grendel’s cave – shoes, purse \ found elsewhere later), Firstly, the fact that the daughter's belongings were "found elsewhere later" is a vague yet undeniable indication that she met with foul play. Secondly, the word "dragged" here is another example of implied violence towards the daughter. We don't know much about her other than that she was "dragged," "torn," and "last seen at 12:10 a.m." Thirdly, there is an intertextual allusion here to Beowulf, an old poem which features a monster called Grendel who is described as a creature of darkness that devours humanity. I won't go too much in-depth here, but if you do want to analyse this further, a good place to start would be examining the ambiguity of Grendel as a character in the original poem, as literary scholars have debated whether he is a monster, a giant, or some sort of hybrid creature - hence, he represents an unknown, amorphous evil, which Dawe calls upon in this poem to further shroud the daughter's fate in darkness. Therefore, overall, these three lines amplify our sense of fear for the daughter, whilst also rendering us pessimistic about the possibility that she may still be alive.
now her broad anguished face \ sinks out of sight from broadsheet and from tabloid, This line is about how the initial media interest in the missing person's case has sense faded, suggesting that she has been missing for quite a while. This perhaps explains why the police and the mother's acquaintances were discouraging her from continuing her efforts, as they do not share in the mother's hopefulness.
sinks also from the screen that bore her sorrow \ momentarily our way… This is the first instance of a first person pronoun (the collective possessive "our") in this poem. 'We,' the audience, are positioned as members of the public who are "momentarily" shown the daughter's sorrow in a news bulletin. Now though, she has sunk away amidst countless other stories, both uplifting and tragic, as the newspaper sheets and TV screens ebb and flow with the passage of time.
A police spokesman says, ‘At night / The city streets are full of predators.’ Again, this is obviously a very sinister intimation of the daughter's fate... but just when you think the poem is about to end on a total downer...
We know… But we know love \ - and that’s implacable too. This resounding final line lets us share in the mother's optimism. The word "implacable" refers to something that is unstoppable, uncompromising, and cannot be sated. Hence, Dawe parallels two powerfully unstoppable forces: the sinister, evil predation of someone who would abduct a young girl from the street, and the unconditional love of a mother who refuses to give up the fight.

Hope that helps you get started! If you need more unpacking of a particular theme, or help putting this into an essay, let us know!
Best of luck for your exam!!  ;D
Thanks Lauren, This has really helped me get a better understanding on the poem. I will update you after my exam, hopefully I get a good grade.
Thanks a lot for the great advice Lauren  :D
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: Mikster02 on July 25, 2019, 06:08:07 pm
Hey guys,

I am in Unit 2 and am in year 11. I am struggling to find an answer to the homework that I was set a while ago. In Unit 2 General English, we are studying the novel 'The Secret River', by Kate Grenville. I am having a lot of trouble understanding the concepts of the language features used in the first part of the book, London. The question for my homework is 'How does Kate Grenville use language to keep the emotional events at a distance in the London section of this text'. If someone is able to get back to me ASAP that would be amazing.

Thanks guys.
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: literally lauren on July 25, 2019, 07:07:37 pm
Hey guys,

I am in Unit 2 and am in year 11. I am struggling to find an answer to the homework that I was set a while ago. In Unit 2 General English, we are studying the novel 'The Secret River', by Kate Grenville. I am having a lot of trouble understanding the concepts of the language features used in the first part of the book, London. The question for my homework is 'How does Kate Grenville use language to keep the emotional events at a distance in the London section of this text'. If someone is able to get back to me ASAP that would be amazing.

Thanks guys.
Hi Mikster!

I'm just going to list a couple of dot points that you might want to delve into further (idk how much detail you need for your homework, but hopefully this either helps you get started or gives you a bunch of stuff to choose from!). The specific language features Grenville uses are in bold.

 • William's function as an unreliable narrator: since we're seeing things through William's perspective (albeit from a third person point of view), Grenville is able to convey a sense of emotional distance between William and his environment given that he is merely a child and thus not able to fully comprehend everything. In particular, you could look at the part where he gains a "sudden dizzying understanding" about how the world is structured with kings and God "at the top" and people like his family "at the bottom." Hence, the 'emotional events' of the novel are filtered through the lens of this protagonist who, from the start of the text, is struggling to comprehend the big picture truths about how the world works.
 • Symbolism of names: on a similar note, William's revelations about how his name is not unique to him (i.e. there are and have been many other 'William Thornhills' in his family) makes him have a mini existential crisis since he is forced to acknowledge his small role in the grand scale of history and society.
 • Obfuscation: there are many things in Part 1 that William admits he doesn't fully understand (e.g. what happens at the factory where his dad works), and there are elements of his circumstances that are implied to the reader, but not explicitly acknowledged by William. This also serves to make him more sympathetic (i.e. Grenville focuses on the formative years of William, rather than the brutal realities of his family's poverty, to create a backdrop for his journey in the novel).
 • Implications: it's subtle, but since we want to treat everything the author does as deliberate, we can even read into Grenville's decision to portray William's need to get a job at the age of 5 only reinforces our impression of the extent of the Thornhill's poverty.
 • Clothing symbolism: William's mother and sister sew clothes that can be said to symbolism warmth and comfort even amidst their difficult circumstances. Hence, though the family isn't outwardly very loving and their presence in William's life is short-lived, Grenville effectively conveys their impact on William through these subtle symbols.
 • The Other: later, with Mr. Middleton, we see William begin to form a sense of "otherness" when contemplating the lives of the rich people on the river. There's also some juxtaposition/contrast with the "othering" that occurs between the colonisers and the Aboriginal Australians in subsequent chapters. ("Othering" is a literary term that basically refers to defining a person or culture as being different from one's self, and often devaluing them in the process.)
 • Character contrasts: where William is quite contemplative about his crimes, and towards the end of his time in London, conscious of his status in society, Sal enjoys stealing and is somewhat deluded into thinking her poverty is just a ~phase~ (lol); hence we see the disparity between William's more detached observations about the events in this stage of his life and Sal's lack of understanding.
 • Motif of language: this is a really important recurring thing in Grenville's novels, and in this chapter, we see it in the court scene (in William acknowledging the importance of Sal's testimony; in his illiteracy being recorded by the court scribe; in Knapp's attempt to defend him by suggesting that Lucas couldn't have recognised his voice; in William being lost for words, etc.).

I think the main thing that question is implying is:
Grenville uses language (i.e. quotes, techniques, word choices)
to convey the emotional reality of William's life (i.e. he's poor, bad stuff happens, things suck)
but in a 'distant' way (i.e. this book isn't about why poverty sucks, so that's why it's 'kept at a distance')
to focus more so on William's trajectory (i.e. set the scene of the life he leaves behind in London)

But this is a super specific question, and the London part of the novel is quite long, so I may have misinterpreted what the question wants, so if you had an alternative idea you wanted to run by me, please let me know! Hope this is of some help :)
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: e_grace on October 07, 2019, 07:18:56 pm
Hi,
I have my first year 12 piece this term. It is a persuasive speech. I am struggling to choose my topic and i have done a lot of research. my teacher said to pick a contentious topic/debate that has been gripping to australian consciousness over the past year. I want to do something and choose a side that has depth to the arguments and will be highly engaging and strong persuasive arguments.

Any ideas on what topic I can choose?
Thanks!  :)
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: Tvisha K on October 08, 2019, 09:44:20 pm
Hey Guy,

I recently attended the QCE ATAR Notes Lectures at QUT and found it really fun.
I was wondering if you guys were gonna make more of those extra text specific guides (eg Macbeth, Frankenstein etc).
My school is currently doing 'The Great Gatsby' and I know at least two more schools which will be doing the text for the Unit 3 assessment.

Cheers,
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: Bri MT on October 09, 2019, 09:23:21 am
Hi,
I have my first year 12 piece this term. It is a persuasive speech. I am struggling to choose my topic and i have done a lot of research. my teacher said to pick a contentious topic/debate that has been gripping to australian consciousness over the past year. I want to do something and choose a side that has depth to the arguments and will be highly engaging and strong persuasive arguments.

Any ideas on what topic I can choose?
Thanks!  :)

What types of topics are you more interested in?

There's not going to be much point arguing "School strikes for climate enhance students' learning" for example, if you aren't passionate about climate change or if you believe that the school strikes are ineffective tactic. If you believe in what you are saying and actually care about it you'll find the task much easier :)

What have you already identified in your research as not interesting to you?


Hey Guy,

I recently attended the QCE ATAR Notes Lectures at QUT and found it really fun.
I was wondering if you guys were gonna make more of those extra text specific guides (eg Macbeth, Frankenstein etc).
My school is currently doing 'The Great Gatsby' and I know at least two more schools which will be doing the text for the Unit 3 assessment.

Cheers,


Hey Tvishka,

Welcome to the forums!

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the lecture series! Thank you for attending :)

You'll be pleased to know that there are already plans for a The Great Gatsby text guide - see here for a list of upcoming publications


If either of you have any follow up questions please feel free to ask; I hope this has helped :)
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: Fatcat20 on October 17, 2019, 10:32:10 pm
Hi everyone!
I have a bit of a dilemma at the moment regarding English. English is my worst subject and after talking to my teacher I feel that I will not improve in English, to the point where it will not be calculated in my top five subjects for my final atar. So I now know that English will not count towards my atar, and I am pretty sure of this. I just need to make sure I pass every assessment this year. But I am not sure as to what my 'game plan' should be. I can't drop the subject, but I have to pass it. When it comes around to me studying for my exams and doing my assignments, do I just put enough effort in so that I may pass? Or should I put as much effort as I have put in this year ? (Btw this year I got a B overall for Unit 1 + 2) Thank you everyone for your help!

Thanks :)
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: Bri MT on October 18, 2019, 02:10:28 pm


Hi!  Welcome to the forums!  :)

There are definitely people who would strategically plan to spend less time on English but if it were me I'd continue with "business as normal" and there's two reasons for that:
1. It would really stress me out if I didn't have any buffer room for having a mediocre exam day
2. Since its not your raw score but rather how you go compared to the rest of the state that determines your subject score you might be surprised by what your worst subject is. 

Anecdotally, I think people who try to 'game the system' often end up worse as a result. Someone else might have different advice but that's my perspective. 

Good luck :)
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: Dumdumsim on October 24, 2019, 11:15:14 pm
Hello,
just wondering if atar notes could provide resources on Macbeth.
As on the leaflet of Edunlimited there is a guide resource on Macbeth, i sign up for it but the book is not present.
Just wondering when will the book be out.
Also for the resource of QCE physics as well.
it will be extremely helpful.
thanks.
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: Bri MT on October 25, 2019, 09:46:37 am
Hello,
just wondering if atar notes could provide resources on Macbeth.
As on the leaflet of Edunlimited there is a guide resource on Macbeth, i sign up for it but the book is not present.
Just wondering when will the book be out.
Also for the resource of QCE physics as well.
it will be extremely helpful.
thanks.
Welcome to the forums :)

I can't speak to when texts will be available but you can get physics help here. If there are any topics you're particularly keen to have resources for let me know & I'll do my best to help.

I know this doesn't really answer your questions, but I hope it helps regardless.
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: tinglewood on October 25, 2019, 06:02:09 pm
Hi e_grace

Glad I am not doing this topic until next year. Sadly, I have to read the great Gatsby :(

I read some interesting articles the other day on nuclear power in Australia might be interesting
https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/nuclear-power-doesnt-stack-up-says-the-australia-institute/news-story/c1c707ceff532e85de7fa5cd2f3ffb38

Another topic could be mandatory vaccinations. I did mine this year on mandatory detention and found lots of valuable information.

I hope this helps.
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: literally lauren on October 26, 2019, 01:02:09 pm
Hello,
just wondering if atar notes could provide resources on Macbeth.
As on the leaflet of Edunlimited there is a guide resource on Macbeth, i sign up for it but the book is not present.
Just wondering when will the book be out.
Also for the resource of QCE physics as well.
it will be extremely helpful.
thanks.
Hey there, we will absolutely have the Macbeth Text Guide out in the next couple of weeks! The QCE Physics Notes are also coming soon, and should be out by the end of the year. We'll also make these available on EdUnlimited asap! :)

Hi e_grace

Glad I am not doing this topic until next year. Sadly, I have to read the great Gatsby :(

I read some interesting articles the other day on nuclear power in Australia might be interesting
https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/nuclear-power-doesnt-stack-up-says-the-australia-institute/news-story/c1c707ceff532e85de7fa5cd2f3ffb38

Another topic could be mandatory vaccinations. I did mine this year on mandatory detention and found lots of valuable information.

I hope this helps.

These are really awesome suggestions - thank you tinglewood! :D

I hope Great Gatsby isn't too much of a slog for you, haha! There are some great lines in that book that are kinda fun to analyse! And it'd be an amazing text to use as the basis for your creative internal assessment if possible :D
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: EmilyJohns on February 02, 2020, 10:47:03 pm
Hi everyone!
Last week I go my english assignment which poses the task to write a digital essay analysing the representation of the American Dream across both Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and the documentary Park Avenue, Money, Power and the American Dream.  We have to pick one concept to focus our analysis on and I am trying to decide between class and power. I was wondering if anyone could offer any advice on or tips on two concepts to help me come to a decision.
Thanks!
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: literally lauren on February 03, 2020, 09:58:27 am
Hi everyone!
Last week I go my english assignment which poses the task to write a digital essay analysing the representation of the American Dream across both Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and the documentary Park Avenue, Money, Power and the American Dream.  We have to pick one concept to focus our analysis on and I am trying to decide between class and power. I was wondering if anyone could offer any advice on or tips on two concepts to help me come to a decision.
Thanks!
Hi Emily!

That sounds like a great assignment, and tbh either of those two topics would be excellent starting points. In general, I think 'power' would be a more broad focal point and would let you talk about a wider range of ideas (e.g. how disempowerment can affect societies, or how being beholden to others allows them to have power over you - like Daisy over Gatsby and Myrtle over Tom, and maybe even Gatsby over Nick). This would certainly let you touch on themes like class disparity too, but you wouldn't be limited to just that.

On the other hand, class is more specific and could be better if you have LOTS of examples that are related to class/wealth/society. It also sounds like that documentary is more focused on class, so this might be a more suitable choice if you'd prefer something that's a key focus in both texts.

Perhaps just make some dot point lists for both texts about the major concepts and examples you would want to refer to in your digital essay, and then you can survey the lists and decide what is most relevant to you.

Personally, I think power is a more interesting theme in Gatsby that lets you look at a bunch of interesting elements of the novel, but it sounds like class would be more appropriate given your text combination, and it would also probably allow you to craft a more focused essay, so that would be my recommendation :)

Good luck with your assignment!
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: s110820 on February 19, 2020, 10:05:10 am

Hi,

I'm extremely nervous about my external exam that is coming up. It's an unseen analytical exam in response to Hamlet but I struggle a lot more with unseen exams than I do with seen exams. Do you have any advice of how I can prepare for the exam? And possibly how to remember quotes for an unseen question?

Thank you :)
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: jasmine383 on April 23, 2020, 11:05:06 pm
Hi everyone, I'm new here so hopefully this works   :) (crossing my fingers)
This year I have an extended response essay assignment for Grade 12 using George Orwell's '1984' as a set text. So basically, you get to choose a dystopian film of your choice and analyse the ways in which power + control are established and maintained  and their relevance to contemporary audiences. You had to focus your analyses on one of the four topics given and I chose 'human as the enemy'.
The problem is that I'm finding that idea really hard to conceptualise but I have linked it to dehumanisation . Would you mind havinng a look at my ideas for this 1000-1500 word paper?  :) Thank you soo so much!!!

Intro:
Central to dystopian literature is the obstacle of humanity to the autocracy. In these paradoxical societies, often headed by a hegemonic body, humans are problematic, as the inborn humanity causes humans to inconveniently attempts to free oneself from their state of captivity by the system of control. In both ‘1984’ and ‘The Matrix’, absolute power is established and maintained entirely on the precept that ‘humans are the enemy’; hence, they should be dehumanized in order for the superior body to possess absolute power over an ignorant and credulous mass. This is obtained through the control of one’s perception of reality, conscious and subconscious, and the manipulation of the physical body, revealed through literary and stylistic devices, so that humans are unable and unwilling to dissent.
‘The Matrix’, a 1999 film written by the Wachowskis to question the authenticity of virtual realities, describes a world in which reality as perceived by humans is rather, a ‘computer-generated dream world’ built to subdue the human body politic while their electrical energy is harvested for the perpetuation of sentient machines. By regulating every aspect of their lives, including their biological processes and conditioning them to the delusion of their reality, obedience is instinctive and even voluntary and the human potential is successfully perverted. Similarly, written in 1949 by Orwell as an indictment of the totalitarian regimes of the 20th century, ‘1984’ demonstrates that “power is power over human beings, over the body – but above all, over the mind,” (277) through the subjugation of the outer party member like Winston physically, but more importantly, mentally. Undoubtedly, both texts offer a timely warning, particularly in this new decade with the... (I need to finish this sentence ;D)

Ideas for body:

I decided to break point 1 into a few concepts      
Point 1: Looking at aspects of how reality is controlled which distorts how a person views the world - an effective method of control
   - This is done through the removal of history
      ○ In 1984, the past is alterable. They are not allowed to know a world different to theirs so that they are unable to compare their state of living to something better and therefore, do not dissent.
         * Pg.267
         * Pg.272
      ○ In the Matrix, the people don't see that they're world is a tinge of green because they've never experienced anything different
   - This is also done through the manipulation of subconscious reality - dreams and memory
      ○ In 1984, The Party does not like dreams as they create an understanding of Winston's past and his deepest emotions manifested. All the instances with his mother and sister, the golden country, and the dark haired girl reveal a past or imagined world that is better than his - this cannot be allowed. O'Brien twists these dreams and ensures Winston believes they are false - use quote at end of the book.
         
      ○ In the Matrix, one never really knows if they are in a dream. For instance, there is one scene where Neo continually wakes up to a dream a few times. There is also that scene when the agents place a bug in his bellybutton and he wakes up thinking it is a dream but it is in fact reality, The AI do a better job at creating reality and humans.
      
   - This is also done through doublethink
      ○ It is a play on thought and used to justify binary opposites like war and peace
      ○ It is extremely difficult to decipher between truth and lies which makes it so scary. In Oceania, individuals are (find quote) not anchored but floating around living an entirely subjective world. Reality is whatever the party says it is.
      ○ Unlike 1984 which uses a known tool, the Matrix itself contains rules that are subconsciously followed. For instance, gravity can be bent but when one falls, the human brain thinks it is real. In the same way, taste of food is a code and is really artificial unlike how the mind conceives it. Neo is only able to beat Agent Smith when he learns to subvert the implied rules (time, speed, gravity) in the Matrix.
      
Dehumanisation through biopower
   - Mention sex and control of sexuality and how the party outlaws such expression of emotion
      ○ In the Matrix, mouse mentions that we cannot deny our impulses as it is a part of being a human.
   - More importantly, the physical repression and disembodiment of the human. Humans are the enemy and must be dehumanised?
      ○ In 1984, Winston is disembodied, he is animalised and referred to as an empty cavity - denoting his humanity is gone and all that remains is a shell which is to be filled with the party. He becomes a stranger to himself.
      
      ○ In The Matrix, humans according to Agent Smith are like parasites and are hated by AI. They have become a source of biopower and in turn controlled by biopower. They are kept in sacs their whole life connected by electrical cords to the matrix and the source - they are utterly disposable.

Relevance to today:
   - Today we are constantly under control - our lives becoming more and more dependent on technology especially in a time when physical connection is limited. Not only is this dangerous but when we become so reliant on technology - what happens if it suddenly crashes?  (maybe not include)
   - Additionally we are bombarded daily with fake news, clickbait and access to millions of information - how can we be judicious about what is truth and what is lies.
   - Another idea central to the making of the matrix is how mutable our online profiles are - how can we tell if others are real or lies.
   - Are we becoming inextricably tied to the online reality (of social media, gaming worlds)?

Really would appreciate any help  ;D

Thanks
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: s110820 on April 24, 2020, 06:40:08 am
Hi Jasmine!

I would be more than happy to help. I'll put your paper into a Word Document, and then I'll annotate your paper by giving you advice and comments about your concept. Hopefully that helps :)

Kind Regards,

Darcy Dillon
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: jasmine383 on April 30, 2020, 06:20:17 pm
Hi Jasmine!

I would be more than happy to help. I'll put your paper into a Word Document, and then I'll annotate your paper by giving you advice and comments about your concept. Hopefully that helps :)

Kind Regards,

Darcy Dillon

Hey Darcy, thank you SO much!!! Really appreciate it  :)
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: s110820 on May 01, 2020, 11:49:52 am
Hi Jasmine!

I'm just working through editing, proofreading and adding suggestions to your assignment at the moment. I am aiming to get it back to you by the end of the day if possible as I am also trying to juggle my own Year 12 work. If not, then I sincerely apologise for the delay - I am going to get it back to you as soon as possible. And also, when I do send it back to you, if you do have any questions, queries or concerns about the feedback I have given you, please don't hesitate to contact me via private messages on the ATAR Notes website or through my email: [email protected]

Thank you and kind regards,

Darcy Dillon.
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: s110820 on May 01, 2020, 05:04:03 pm
Hi Jasmine,

I just finished editing your essay. I have attached it to this forum message.

Thanks and kind regards,

Darcy Dillon.
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: jasmine383 on May 01, 2020, 06:54:41 pm
Hey,  I understand you have your own work too and I really appreciate you helping out even though you're in grade 12 too! Thank you so much  :)
Jasmine
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: s110820 on May 13, 2020, 11:49:48 am
Hi, QCE English community!

I was just wondering if anyone is interested in doing an English study group for our External exam this year? I'm doing Shakespeare's Hamlet if anyone is interested, but I am more than happy to help with any of the other texts if needed :)

If you're interested, please message me via the ATAR Notes private messages or through my email [email protected]! I'm thinking that we could do it via Zoom, but if anyone has any other ideas, I would be more than happy to implement those instead.

Thank you so much and have a great week,

Darcy Dillon.
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: jasmine24 on July 06, 2020, 08:49:09 am
Hi, I'm currently attempting to write a creative piece relating to Australian identity with probably a focus on a feminist perspective. However, any idea I have seems too simple/surface level and was wondering if anyone has tips on how to avoid this without making it too ?philosophical? so there is a clear narrative structure.
Thanks!
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: literally lauren on July 08, 2020, 09:03:58 am
Hi, I'm currently attempting to write a creative piece relating to Australian identity with probably a focus on a feminist perspective. However, any idea I have seems too simple/surface level and was wondering if anyone has tips on how to avoid this without making it too ?philosophical? so there is a clear narrative structure.
Thanks!

Hi Jasmine!

Sounds like a cool theme for a piece! Do you know what kind of story you want to write about (e.g. a woman living alone in rural Australia; snapshots of the experiences of Australian mothers from different walks of life; a conversation between two female friends about their contrasting experiences, etc.) It'd also be good to pick a genre (e.g. short story/POV narrative, non-fiction, news article, podcast interview, etc.) just to give yourself a starting point.

Striking a balance between being 'too philosophical' and 'not deep enough' can be tricky, but it mostly comes down to the message you want to get across. It doesn't have to be a profound, never-before-seen insight into humanity... but it also can't be something incredibly basic like 'oppression = bad' :P Once you've got a rough outline of the subject matter for your piece, think about what you want the 'moral' of your story to be... what kinds of themes do you want to explore, and what do you want to say about them? From there, you can start constructing details in your piece so you can portray characters and choose plot points that suit your ideas.

Hope that helps get you started, but if you need more help, let us know! :)
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: Sammy1234331 on July 08, 2020, 03:10:41 pm
 Hey my name is Samuel and I’m pretty bad at English essay’s ( C-‘s)  and I’m hoping for some advice/study habits and tools I could use to improve this. I’m currently studying the novel 1984 by Gorge Orwell and can’t seem to get around The novel or the concepts. This essay is under exam conditions and requires a lengthy response which as of now I’d fail. I have a lot of time to prepare  I’d really appreciate if you could help me. Thanks!
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: literally lauren on July 08, 2020, 05:27:40 pm
Hey Samuel, you've come to the right place! :)

A C- average is actually pretty damn good for English, so don't be discouraged! Typically that means you've got a handle on the basics, and you just need to refine your knowledge to get up to that B/A territory. The most useful thing you can do know is work out what sorts of things are holding you back. Chatting to your teacher about your essays or any areas you're struggling with is a good place to start.

As for 1984 (let's set aside the exam conditions for now): if you feel like you don't have a good grip on the story (i.e. what happens in the plot, who the characters are, and why they do things) then I'd recommend looking up some summary resources online. You'll find a tonne of stuff for 1984, so just schedule some chill study time to watch a bunch of YouTube videos or read some crash course guides. (You can also check out the ATAR Notes book if you prefer a physical resource; you can view a preview of the first few pages, including a condensed summary here).

From there, you can start working on 'the concepts' and what the themes and messages of the book are. This is also something analytical resources can help with, but a good starting point would be making a list of as many key concepts as you can think of (e.g. surveillance, loyalty, freedom, etc.) and then ask yourself 'what is Orwell saying about _____?' For instance, what is Orwell saying about loyalty? Well, based on how the Party corrupts Winston's loyalty towards Julia, perhaps Orwell is suggesting that loyalty cannot prevail over the need for self-preservation. This then builds up your understanding of the overall novel, making it much easier to eventually write essays that have strong arguments.

As for the exam conditions, don't stress about that for now! As you've said, you have plenty of time to prepare, so focus on delving into the text now and do as much reading/research as you can. Don't expect yourself to be able to handle an exam now before you've spent enough time on the content - that'd be like just starting a new topic in Maths or Science and then being given a test on everything the very next day!

Typically the scariest thing about 'exam conditions' in English is not knowing what the prompt will be (and how the hell do you prepare for something when you don't know what the question is??) so essentially you want to start getting a broad understanding of the text asap. Again, coming up with a really big list of themes is super beneficial, because it means you'll probably cover most if not all possible key words that will be on your exam. Once you've got that list of, let's say, 20 themes, you can start grouping them together (e.g. putting 'surveillance' 'privacy' 'independence' and 'government oversight' in the same category) and write a practice essay about those ideas. Eventually you'll have talked about so many different ideas that you'll have the skillset to handle anything for your assessment task, even if it's not one of the exact words you've covered.

I hope that helps; best of luck with 1984! It's an amazing book to analyse so I hope you have fun with it!!
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: jasmine24 on July 15, 2020, 06:50:58 pm
Would someone be able to read my creative piece by around Wednesday if I completed it by Saturday? I'm just super worried since we don't receive any teacher feedback! :)
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: Nikita_Leota on July 21, 2020, 06:08:41 pm
Has anyone started looking into the Themes of Macbeth. I was wondering if there were any opinions on how Shakespear decided to represent women in this play, and how he decided to imply Macbeth's corruption. Can any one give some insight?
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: s110820 on July 21, 2020, 06:33:36 pm
Has anyone started looking into the Themes of Macbeth. I was wondering if there were any opinions on how Shakespear decided to represent women in this play, and how he decided to imply Macbeth's corruption. Can any one give some insight?

Hi Nikita,

I think one of the most important aspects of analysing Shakespearian texts such as Macbeth is to consider the historical context, especially when you are deconstructing the main themes of the play. To give you a hint, since Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in/around (date is an estimate) 1606, it can be assumed that the play is set/written in the Jacobean era. Now, that you know what era you are learning about, I think that it would be extremely useful for you to do some research around the values, attitudes, roles and assumptions of women throughout the Jacobean era.

In terms of Macbeth's corruption, I would assume that the main causes of the corruption throughout the play are linked to the Divine Right of King and the disruption of the Natural Order as the King (usually at the top of the Natural Order/Great Chain of Being) was murdered (an unnatural death) by someone in a lower rank than him. Also, please note that corruption is motivated by greed and deception, which should give you the "foundation" of an essay if you are required to answer an essay question based on this theme.

Hopefully, this helps. If not, please let me know as I would be more than happy to clarify anything if needed or if you have any questions, queries or concerns about Shakespeare or Macbeth.

Have a great week and kind regards,

Darcy Dillon.
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: Bri MT on July 21, 2020, 07:48:38 pm
Has anyone started looking into the Themes of Macbeth. I was wondering if there were any opinions on how Shakespear decided to represent women in this play, and how he decided to imply Macbeth's corruption. Can any one give some insight?

There isn't so much discussion around corruption here but you might find this Macbeth textual analysis thread useful. Are you more interested in how themes of corruption and women interact in the text or in them separately?
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: jasmine24 on July 24, 2020, 08:24:36 pm
Does anyone have any tips on editing a short story? :)
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: matthew hay on August 29, 2020, 11:04:56 pm
Hi there!

I'm asking for my benefit, but it might pose as a silly question.

Nevertheless, unlike mainly maths and science subjects were Units 1 & 2 knowledge is assumed, incorporated and relevant to the external exam. Are Units 1 & 2 from English relevant to the External Examination? Because I barely remember anything about what we studied eeeh! Would it be valuable to review Unit 1 & 2 stuff for English externals?

Thank you for your replies :)
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: s110820 on August 30, 2020, 11:32:48 am
Hi there!

I'm asking for my benefit, but it might pose as a silly question.

Nevertheless, unlike mainly maths and science subjects were Units 1 & 2 knowledge is assumed, incorporated and relevant to the external exam. Are Units 1 & 2 from English relevant to the External Examination? Because I barely remember anything about what we studied eeeh! Would it be valuable to review Unit 1 & 2 stuff for English externals?

Thank you for your replies :)

Hi Matthew,

Don’t worry - it’s not a silly question at all! To answer your question, Unit 1 and 2 of English won’t be on the External Exam. The only thing that you will need to know is the text that you are studying for the external as it’s an analytical essay exam. This year, the texts are: Jane Eyre, Macbeth and Hamlet (there are a few others but I can’t remember them at the top of my head).

Hopefully, this helps :)

Darcy Dillon.
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: matthew hay on August 30, 2020, 03:03:23 pm
Than you Darcy for your kind response!!   ;D
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: jasmine24 on September 13, 2020, 11:21:33 am
Hi, i'm doing the analytical essay under exam conditions in a couple days and i'm a bit confused as to what I would need to include in my essay (e.g. focus on analyzing quotes etc.). If anyone had any suggestions, that would be amazing!
Thank you :)
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: XD12345 on October 07, 2020, 07:56:33 pm
Hi everyone

I have my external exam for English coming up and I have a question regarding my exam.

Of course we are all familiar with the basic essay structure

Introduction

Body

Conclusion

The body contains your 3/4 main points/arguments to prove my thesis on the topic/novel etc
I’ve been thinking, to truly prove my point and to assist my thesis, would it be a good idea to write a little counterargument that goes against my own thesis and then proving it wrong? My essay would look something like this:

Introduction
Argument 1
Argument 2
Argument 3
Counter-argument followed by me proving it wrong or discrediting  the argument using evidence.
Conclusion

I know this is something you may do for an essay for legal studies or history, but I think that it could really help bring my points across and it could also show the examiner that I have a deeper understanding of the novel, if that makes sense.

So basically, this is my question,
Would it be ok/better to write an argument that goes against my own thesis in an analytical essay if I discredit it and prove it wrong?


The book the exam is on is Burial Rites by the way :)
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: literally lauren on October 08, 2020, 09:39:07 am
Hi everyone

I have my external exam for English coming up and I have a question regarding my exam.

Of course we are all familiar with the basic essay structure

Introduction

Body

Conclusion

The body contains your 3/4 main points/arguments to prove my thesis on the topic/novel etc
I’ve been thinking, to truly prove my point and to assist my thesis, would it be a good idea to write a little counterargument that goes against my own thesis and then proving it wrong? My essay would look something like this:

Introduction
Argument 1
Argument 2
Argument 3
Counter-argument followed by me proving it wrong or discrediting  the argument using evidence.
Conclusion

I know this is something you may do for an essay for legal studies or history, but I think that it could really help bring my points across and it could also show the examiner that I have a deeper understanding of the novel, if that makes sense.

So basically, this is my question,
Would it be ok/better to write an argument that goes against my own thesis in an analytical essay if I discredit it and prove it wrong?


The book the exam is on is Burial Rites by the way :)

Okay, you definitely can have a 'counter-argument' or 'challenge' paragraph. Some teachers are big fans of this! But I'll explain how to do this in a smart way to ensure you're not undermining your own argument!

Basically, you don't want to have one argument that completely destroys all of your others, like:

THESIS: Agnes is an innocent victim.
PARAGRAPH 1: Agnes is mistreated in childhood and this warps her worldview.
PARAGRAPH 2: Agnes is taken advantage of by others and cannot stand up for herself.
PARAGRAPH 3: Agnes only commits murder because of the circumstances others put her in.
COUNTER-ARGUMENT: But Agnes is actually evil and mean; she killed Natan out of jealousy and her only regret was that she didn't seem as sweet or innocent as Sigga so she could get away with it!!
CONCLUSION: but... yeah... Agnes is still mostly an innocent victim...

This makes it really hard to transition back to your conclusion to end your essay on a high note. You also don't want your 'challenge' to turn into a paragraph full of examples that disprove your point, as this isn't really an effective argument.

Instead, the job of this counter-argument paragraph should be to argue that "it's complicated!" For example:

THESIS: Toti has a positive influence on Agnes.
PARAGRAPH 1: Toti shows a desire to look beyond rumours and prejudices, which Agnes appreciates.
PARAGRAPH 2: Toti earns Agnes' trust and the two bond while he offers Agnes companionship.
PARAGRAPH 3: Agnes sharing her story with Toti is an important and cathartic experience for her and helps her to process the reality of her situation.
COUNTER-ARGUMENT: However, Toti is also a reminder of the empathy and kindness Agnes didn't receive in life, and he is unable to achieve justice for her. All he can do is offer her solace and promise to be by her side when she is executed.
CONCLUSION: Therefore, although Toti's positive impact on Agnes was limited by their circumstances, Hannah Kent ultimately shows how compassion and a desire to understand another person's story can have a profound impact even when that person is close to dying.

Now, we have a more sophisticated conclusion that takes into account this 'complication.' This counter-argument paragraph isn't saying "here's a bunch of stuff that proves me wrong" - it's saying "here are things that make this not entirely 100% true." And that's a really useful way to show that you understand the complexity of the text!

Then, your conclusion comes in swinging with a sentence like 'Although it's complicated, ultimately here's my main argument/thesis' which lets you end powerfully!

I hope that makes sense - if you want to try this out with a prompt we can discuss some possible counter-arguments here! Burial Rites is a great text for discussing complex psychology and character motivations, so you'll have a lot of opportunities for interesting challenges :D
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: XD12345 on October 08, 2020, 01:17:27 pm
This helped a lot and provided some insight for me. Thank you :)
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: josephinewarda on October 15, 2020, 10:44:10 am
Hi, I'm starting Unit 3 and we have to do a persuasive speech for the UN Youth Delegates on an issue from 2020. I have chosen to do FGM. Any specific tips or general advice?
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: literally lauren on October 17, 2020, 09:06:21 am
Hi, I'm starting Unit 3 and we have to do a persuasive speech for the UN Youth Delegates on an issue from 2020. I have chosen to do FGM. Any specific tips or general advice?
Hi Josephine! :)

That's certainly a relevant issue for the context of a UN delegation, and there'll be lots of opportunities for powerful, emotional moments. I'l separate my advice into five different tips:

1. The first very important step would be to do lots of research and make sure you understand the topic well. Find reliable and reputable sources like the WHO, groups like End FGM, or documentaries like this (I haven't watched the whole thing but this looks informative!).

2. For your assessment task, you should make sure you find an argument that isn't too overly simplistic like 'FGM is bad and we should stop it.' Most people would completely agree with this, but it doesn't let you construct interesting ideas/sub-arguments. That's not to say you should take a deliberately controversial approach and argue the opposite, but rather, start from a simple idea and make it more nuanced.
For instance, you might want to look at the cultural history behind this practice in order to argue that the UN must work with groups who understand the cultures and communities involved in order to end FGM.

3. When writing the speech, try to focus on two separate parts of the discussion: 1) What is the problem and why is it so bad? and 2) What is the solution and why is it so good?  You don't want to spend so much time talking about the issue and all of its horrible consequences that you forget to drive your audience towards a course of action. But you also don't want to spent too much time talking about possible solutions without explaining to your audience why the issue needs to be addressed. It doesn't have to be 50/50, but just make sure you're thinking about both the problem and a proposed solution while writing. 
For your argument/solution, don't feel you need to 'solve' the issue (that's an awful lot of pressure for a Year 12 student, and your teacher won't expect you to fix everything!). Rather, find a rational solution and explain how this could be implemented . You're marked on how persuasive you are, so just concentrate on persuading your audience that your point of view is important and your solution would lead to the best possible outcome.

4. Make sure you strike the right tone. For some speeches, using humour or colloquial language can help the audience feel at ease and make them more likely to agree with your arguments. But for a serious issue like FGM, it would be pretty weird to use jokes or similarly light-hearted persuasive techniques! Instead, you'll have lots of opportunities to tell emotional stories, so think about what kinds of feelings you want to evoke in your audience. Should they be outraged? Disgusted? Horrified? Depressed? It would be relatively easy to make them feel sad, or to feel pity for victims of FGM, but I'd recommend trying to elicit emotions like anger towards a socio-political system that allows FGM practices to continue. That way, you're directing your audience to the root of the problem, not just its consequences.

5. Finally, consider how you will construct your 'persona' (i.e. pretending you're a youth delegate speaker at the UN). Where is your persona from? What's their backstory? Why do they care about the issue? This should be something you weave throughout the speech - don't just introduce yourself at the beginning and forget your backstory/context/audience. A good starting point might be to find a real journalist or activist and model your persona around them, or you could make up your own story based on your research.

Best of luck! If you have any other questions about your speech feel free to drop them below :)
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: jasmine24 on October 29, 2020, 06:43:16 am
Hi, I was wondering what kind of techniques I could use in my persuasive speech so it's not just informative?
thank you!
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: Bri MT on December 08, 2020, 02:29:01 pm
Hi, I was wondering what kind of techniques I could use in my persuasive speech so it's not just informative?
thank you!

Hi, sorry about the late response but replying in case it can still help anyone:

I suspect what might be useful is to adjust how you think about the speech so that non-informative components don't seem like an extra you need to find space for but rather an integral part of the speech.

When making a speech I tend to think about it from the perspective of "what do I want the outcome to be?"

Having the audience take an action in line with your intent involves:
> Getting them to care
> Getting them to believe your suggested action will help
> Having them pay attention to your speech and remember it

Giving them information can be used for the first 2 but think about why you care about the issue, is it just the knowledge you have?

In terms of specific techniques, sometimes people will go for immersive strategies like asking the audience to visualise something or showing something physically in the space (e.g. filling up containers with grains of sand where each grain is x). You might tell them a story of one particular person as your case study to develop an emotional tie or physically act in a particular way (in first year uni some people did a handstand or jumped on a table during their speeches - might be best to clear something like that with your teacher first) to increase engagement. If you're emotional and you show that through your face, speech body language, etc. this also encourages others to care and be engaged. Even things like using alliteration or rhyme to increase engagement can help. You might also be interested in this I wrote a while ago.

One thing to be careful of, is to try and integrate emotional pulls and engagement strategies throughout your whole speech rather than dedicating a paragraph or so to it.
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: hashy1231 on February 07, 2021, 11:31:00 pm
Hi guys I'm currently in Year 12 and we have been given our assignment for General English and there's just something I don't understand in the task.

The task is:
Write an analytical essay that contributes your perspective to the ongoing public conversations about the cultural value of examining connections between literary and non-literary texts. In your essay, you must explore how representations of power in The Crucible resonate, relate to and/or clash with the representations of power in the Four Corners episode, Riot and Revenge. Your perspective must be supported by analysis of the textual construction of power in each text, as well as the cultural assumptions, attitudes, values and beliefs underpinning them.

I was just wondering if anyone could explain what they mean by 'cultural value of examining connects between literary and non-literary texts'.

I was also wondering if anyone had any ideas that could help kick me off as drafts are due in a week.

Thanks for the help guys!
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: Bri MT on February 08, 2021, 08:05:08 am
Hey,

If you haven't already, I would recommend you look into why the Crucible was written by Miller (it was very intentionally written as an allegory for real world events). When they're asking you about connecting literary and non-literary texts, that's referring to the Crucible (literary) and the Four Corners episode (non-literary). One way you can break down power in terms of brainstorming is looking at the different characters and asking yourself what power they have (& why) and how do they use it (& why). Consider what Miller was trying to say about how power functions in society.

I hope this helps :) 
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: tiredandstressed on February 08, 2021, 01:55:19 pm
Points of discussion for you to start off with:
The Salem witch trials: the Salem witch trials and executions came about as the result of a combination of church politics, family feuds, and hysterical children, all of which unfolded in a vacuum of political authority.
McCarthyism:  is the practice of making accusations of subversion or treason, without any proper regard for evidence.

Miller presents a patriarchal society, dominated by religion. Women were stripped to mere child-bearers, and their main role was to raise children. Moreover, black women were at the bottom of the social hierarchy, many were treated as 'maids' due to their race and sex. Thereby, females possessed no power no influence in the male-dominated society.
The Salem witch trials provided an opportunity for these young girls to be free from repression and posses the power to determine who is killed. Moreover, males who had power lost their authority and status by the false accusations made the young girls.

Abigail acquring power
The witch trials in Salem Massachusetts in 1692 provided power for individuals who were previously vulnerable. Abigail, a powerless orphan, is given great amounts of power and authority, allowing her the ability to condemn people to hang. When she claims that “Goody Booth is with the devil” her ploy is to shift the accusation of witchcraft from her to Goody Booth. Her accusation entitles her to authorise who is hanged and who is not when previously she was a mere female, unmarried orphan due to the repressive patriarchal society in which she lived. In court Abigail acquired the ability to refuse to answer a question. Even challenging Danforth “If I must answer that, I will leave,” as a result, Abigail fights her right to privacy which she could not have done before the witch trails. Miller uses Abigail to highlight that in times of madness, the weak can triumph. He makes a direct link between the mass hysteria of Salem 1692 and McCarthyism in America during the 1950’s. He warns the audience that those who accuse others of being communists, witches or anything else, could be the individuals who previously exhibited no power at all. Similarly, in the end of Act III Mary Warren is close to being arrested until she claims that Proctor “[is] the Devil’s man”. This accusation saved the powerless Mary Warren, and the power she had acquired resulted in the previously powerful Proctor to be arrested, and eventually hung. Therefore, Miller is suggesting that hysteria can spark the empowerment of powerless individuals.

Proctor's demise & eventual death
Yet, the witch trails meant that individuals with power, become powerless. John Proctor is stripped of all his power through the witch trails. In the end of Act III Proctor is arrested after confessing “I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat” this is where it is evident when he starts to lose his power. Despite being a man, in the patriarchal society, Proctor was treated more poorly than the girls, this shift in power resulted in Proctor’s death. Here, Miller suggests that in times of madness, people with power can lose that power, due to people willing to exploit others and their own power. Miller, uses Proctor, who believed the only way to overthrow Abigail was with honesty and integrity. Ultimately, it was his integrity and that of Rebecca Nurse and the others who chose not to lie that lead to Abigail’s undoing and the end of the witch hunt. Similarly, Reverend Hale, a respected expert, is treated with less respect despite his reputation. In the beginning of the play Hale is presented to be a saviour due to him having his books that were “weighted with authority”. His possession and understanding of the books provided him authority and respect from the society. Yet, by the end of Act III Hale had lost his power when he “…quit the court”. Unlike Danforth, Hale had a conscious and was completely aware of the lies and deception in Salem and decided to leave in an attempt to prevent the chaos to continue. Yet, the judges and law enforcers choose to listen to the lying girls over the reputable Hale, evidently this suggests that Hale had lost all his power as an expert in “…finding the devil”.
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: hashy1231 on February 08, 2021, 06:16:04 pm
Hey,

If you haven't already, I would recommend you look into why the Crucible was written by Miller (it was very intentionally written as an allegory for real world events). When they're asking you about connecting literary and non-literary texts, that's referring to the Crucible (literary) and the Four Corners episode (non-literary). One way you can break down power in terms of brainstorming is looking at the different characters and asking yourself what power they have (& why) and how do they use it (& why). Consider what Miller was trying to say about how power functions in society.

I hope this helps :)


Thanks for the help that makes it clear.

Since you are an admin I just wanted to ask is it allowed for me to post a draft for feedback thanks a lot.
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: s110820 on February 08, 2021, 06:30:09 pm

Thanks for the help that makes it clear.

Since you are an admin I just wanted to ask is it allowed for me to post a draft for feedback thanks a lot.

Hey hashy1231,

As a moderator for the QCE English and History boards I can confirm that you’re definitely allowed to post a draft for feedback! Please do so in the QCE Marking and Feedback section :)

Have a great week and kind regards,

Darcy Dillon.
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: hashy1231 on February 14, 2021, 09:33:17 pm
Hey guys sorry for hassling but just got another question. For my assignment I have chosen to use fear as the main theme which I will be exploring. My question is does anyone know how fear is represented in Riot and Revenge and any examples?

Thanks A Lot for any help!
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: hermannm21 on February 16, 2021, 11:13:40 pm
Hey Everyone,
I was just looking for some feedback on this paragraph I have written for my comparison of The Crucible and In the Name of the Father analytical essay. Any feedback on content or grammar would be greatly appreciated.
My draft feedback said that I lacked information on the cultural assumptions, so this is the paragraph I have written to try and address this.

The events at the time of the legal proceedings provoked the hysterical environment that influenced the legal proceedings. At the time prior to the Guildford pub bombing, the Irish Republican Army had been launching an array of terrorist attacks against England. The threat of the IRA at the time “struck deep into the British people’s sense of security”, placing immense pressure on the legal system. The film uses archival footage, footage of the real events occurring, to further portray the hysterical environment. Furthermore, the British government was losing the control of their people, causing panic within the members of the government, as was the case for Inspector Dixon. As well as this, the introduction of the Terrorism Act, provided Dixon with “quite extraordinary powers of democracy”. Likewise, in “The Crucible”, the Puritan beliefs of the townspeople lead to the convictions based on spectral evidence. In this Puritan society, governed by religious doctorination, the beliefs of supernatural beings were a reality. As a result, the threat of witchcraft applied increased pressure for the legal system to act. In both legal systems, the events and beliefs at the time contributed to the mass hysteria in the environment.

Thanks for the help
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: s110820 on February 17, 2021, 08:51:14 am
Hey Everyone,
I was just looking for some feedback on this paragraph I have written for my comparison of The Crucible and In the Name of the Father analytical essay. Any feedback on content or grammar would be greatly appreciated.
My draft feedback said that I lacked information on the cultural assumptions, so this is the paragraph I have written to try and address this.

The events at the time of the legal proceedings provoked the hysterical environment that influenced the legal proceedings. At the time prior to the Guildford pub bombing, the Irish Republican Army had been launching an array of terrorist attacks against England. The threat of the IRA at the time “struck deep into the British people’s sense of security”, placing immense pressure on the legal system. The film uses archival footage, footage of the real events occurring, to further portray the hysterical environment. Furthermore, the British government was losing the control of their people, causing panic within the members of the government, as was the case for Inspector Dixon. As well as this, the introduction of the Terrorism Act, provided Dixon with “quite extraordinary powers of democracy”. Likewise, in “The Crucible”, the Puritan beliefs of the townspeople lead to the convictions based on spectral evidence. In this Puritan society, governed by religious doctorination, the beliefs of supernatural beings were a reality. As a result, the threat of witchcraft applied increased pressure for the legal system to act. In both legal systems, the events and beliefs at the time contributed to the mass hysteria in the environment.

Thanks for the help

Hey Hermannm21,

Here’s my feedback for you:

The events at the time of the legal proceedings provoked the hysterical environment that influenced the legal proceedings.

As someone who has no context of what your texts are about or their significance, this sentence particularly confuses me as I have no idea what you’re talking about.

Don’t worry, a lot of students face this problem too so you’re not the only one but your topic sentence should consist of your thesis and your preview statement.

What “legal proceedings” are you talking about exactly? How was the environment “hysterical”? What events? Make your topic as specific and as relevant as possible to your preview point and your thesis.

And also, I would recommend only using the phrase “legal proceedings” once in your topic sentence as it makes it too clunky, and often confusing to read. I would recommend taking out the first “legal proceedings”

Try rewriting your topic sentence and make it as specific as possible to your thesis and preview.

At the time prior to the Guildford pub bombing, the Irish Republican Army had been launching an array of terrorist attacks against England.

There’s also a similar problem here - yes, you’re providing some context which is great but this sentence is supposed to further build (and support) a solid foundation to your topic sentence.

But currently, these two sentences are not flowing well. Try using a “connecting” word or phrase to smooth sail to your next sentence and tie in the context of your first sentence with your second sentence.

For example, how does the “legal proceedings” and the “hysterical environment” (first sentence) relate to “the Guildford pub bombing” and the “Irish Republican army” and their “array of terrorist attacks”?

The amount of context you have depends on the criteria of your task though - if your audience is familiar with the texts, then you won’t need to but if your audience is unfamiliar with the texts, then you may need to write one or two more sentences of context if need be.

The threat of the IRA at the time “struck deep into the British people’s sense of security”, placing immense pressure on the legal system.

As I’m assuming that this is the first quote you’re going to analyse, as your audience, I would really love to see more depth in this sentence as you’re introducing this quote.

For example, you could try flipping around this sentence and adding a little bit more nuance to this sentence to really engage the readers and maintain their interest. You could try this sentence:

Even so, immense pressure was mounted on the legal system as the threat of the IRA “struck deep into the British people’s sense of security” which essentially forebode their fate as a nation.

The film uses archival footage, footage of the real events occurring, to further portray the hysterical environment.

 I get where you’re going with this but technically, you’re not actually analysing anything here. Rather than just stating that the film does this and that, you need to explore the aspects of the texts in a lot more depth.

Think about it like you’re going for a swim in the ocean - as you tread into the water, this first stage (introducing the quote and the context) is where you get comfortable with the rift of waves and maintain your balance.

Then, as you gradually move further into the water, the water itself will get a lot deeper (using your quote (or in the case, the rift of the ocean) to stay afloat and not drift away from where you want to be).

As I said more, rather than just stating facts, analysing texts is about getting into deeper waters - exploring the specific, often different places (or in this case aspects of the texts, the techniques that the film uses and their significance as well), most of which may be out of your comfort zone.

My point is, a film is a lot more than just “archival footage” - what makes films significant are their camera angles, mis-en-scene, authorial (or in this case directorial) intentions and types of shots to portray a particular emotion or thought.

So please talk more about camera angles, mis-en-scene, authorial/directorial intentions and the types of camera shots, as well as their significance more often in your essay.

But if you do choose to talk about the “archival footage” - please explore this in more depth, explain the significance/purpose of this feature and why the director may have used archival footage.

Furthermore, the British government was losing the control of their people, causing panic within the members of the government, as was the case for Inspector Dixon.

Again, for me personally, there does seem to be some discrepancy (and lack of understanding) when I read this sentence, as I’m not familiar with your text or the criteria of your task.

As I’m not sure whether your audience would be knowledgeable of your texts or not, I would usually say provide more context but I would recommend checking with your teacher first.

However, you (still) haven’t technically made a point yet. I hate to sound rude or anything, but at the moment, your paragraph doesn’t have a backbone yet. There’s nothing to support the foundation of your paragraph so at the moment, it kinda looks like a bunch of sentences squished together.

But my point is, even as I’m nearing the end of your paragraph, as a reader, I still have no idea what you’re talking about or what your point is.

Hence, I would recommend using my advice above, and tread into deeper waters with your analysis, as well as plan your essay from scratch.

I know it may seem like a bit of a hassle, but I really feel like that this would be the best step for you before you continue writing more.

Plan out each and every paragraph (including your intro and your conclusion). Step out each and everything you’re going to say using dot points. Trust me, it’ll help you in the long run.

As well as this, the introduction of the Terrorism Act, provided Dixon with “quite extraordinary powers of democracy”.

Similarly, I also have a few questions that I think you should answer in this sentence:

What is the Terrorism Act? Why was it created (and enforced)? Who does it protect?
Who  is this fellow Dixon that you’re talking about?
How does Dixon relate to the story and what’s his significance to the text?

Also, in terms of this sentence, I would also recommend shuffling this sentence around. Maybe it could look something like this:

Dixon, who according to [whoever said this quote e.g. the British public] was blessed with the “quite extraordinary powers of democracy”, which, without a doubt, was inherently due to the introduction of the Terrorist Act of [insert year here].

But also, what does this got to do with anything? What is the point you’re trying to make? Please elaborate as you can’t leave a child (in this case a quote) stranded in the middle of a supermarket (which in this case happens to be your essay).

Essentially, once you introduce a quote, you cannot leave it to fend for itself. You need to make a point out of it.

Likewise, in “The Crucible”, the Puritan beliefs of the townspeople lead to the convictions based on spectral evidence.

What is “The Crucible”? Who was it written by and when? You need to introduce these facts as you introduce a text. It’s like that “leaving a kid in a supermarket” analogy. You can’t just leave the readers hanging - especially if they aren’t familiar with a text.

What is a Puritan? What is their social and cultural relevance? How does this shape and influence the story?
Maybe you could give one or two sentences providing some historical insight.

Also, I’m not exactly sure what you mean by “spectral” - are you trying to say that certain people are oblivious to the evidence or something else?

In this Puritan society, governed by religious doctorination, the beliefs of supernatural beings were a reality. As a result, the threat of witchcraft applied increased pressure for the legal system to act.

This is actually a really good sentence! However, rather than saying that the “beliefs of supernatural beings were a reality” I would recommend saying that “the presence of supernatural beings in reality was a common belief within society.

Also, what legal system did they have in Puritan society? Is this similar to the one they have in your other text? Or is it different? Compare and contrast if possible.

In both legal systems, the events and beliefs at the time contributed to the mass hysteria in the environment.

In your concluding sentence, I would recommend using a connecting word such as “hence” or “thus” to really tie your paragraph together.

However, in your paragraph you never directly mentioned how the events and beliefs at the time contributed to the mass hysteria in the environment, which means that you can’t really conclude with your paragraph without discussing this first.

Hopefully, this helps :)
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: JerryMouse2019 on March 07, 2021, 07:14:41 pm
How long (as in days) should it take for me to memorise or at least rehearse a 5-6 minute speech properly?

If I'm going to use palm cards then how big should the font size be and how many sentences per palm card should I have?
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: s110820 on March 07, 2021, 09:30:32 pm
How long (as in days) should it take for me to memorise or at least rehearse a 5-6 minute speech properly?

If I'm going to use palm cards then how big should the font size be and how many sentences per palm card should I have?

Hey Jerry,

Sorry for the slightly late reply but it ultimately depends on how confident you feel about your school. As an introvert with social anxiety (legit the worse combo imaginable), I would dedicate at least two weeks prior to my presentation day to practice my speech as practicing it for longer made me feel more comfortable on presentation day.

If you're a pretty confident person, I would recommend probably around a week before your presentation day. But do whatever makes you feels comfortable. As for flashcards, I would make the font pretty big (maybe one or two sizes above the standard size of "12" or "14") but again, I would definitely recommend experimenting prior to your presentation day.

Also, don't have huge chunks of text on your flashcards, do dot-points instead (maybe 3-4 lines maximum).

Hopefully, that helps :)

Good luck for your presentation and have a great week,

Darcy Dillon.
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: justsomerandom21 on May 20, 2021, 07:39:20 pm
Hi, I was just wondering whether anyone could help me with FA1. My teacher had swapped FA2 and FA1 so we had done FA2 in term 1 already. I really struggle with English and apparently, this is the hardest assessment piece of the year. :((. My teacher also went on long service leave for 4 weeks and no one in my class knew what to do. Our assignment was also handed out a week late :((. We have to compare and contrast The Great Gatsby and another text, I chose The Greatest Showman to answer the question how are dreams and aspirations represented in the texts and for what effect? We also have to relate why the Great Gatsby is still a relevant novel to contemporary readers. I'm very confused at the moment because I'm not too sure how to structure the essay, especially the body paragraphs. Any help would be greatly appreciated :))
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: s110820 on May 21, 2021, 09:52:43 am
Hi, I was just wondering whether anyone could help me with FA1. My teacher had swapped FA2 and FA1 so we had done FA2 in term 1 already. I really struggle with English and apparently, this is the hardest assessment piece of the year. :((. My teacher also went on long service leave for 4 weeks and no one in my class knew what to do. Our assignment was also handed out a week late :((. We have to compare and contrast The Great Gatsby and another text, I chose The Greatest Showman to answer the question how are dreams and aspirations represented in the texts and for what effect? We also have to relate why the Great Gatsby is still a relevant novel to contemporary readers. I'm very confused at the moment because I'm not too sure how to structure the essay, especially the body paragraphs. Any help would be greatly appreciated :))

Hey justsomerandom21,

First of all, I think that the texts that you have chosen would be a great choice for comparison as while these texts may not seem that similar on the outside, these texts do actually have quite a few themes in common! What I would recommend doing is to first be familiar with your texts - if you haven't done so already, take the time to read The Great Gatsby, recognise and understand the stylistic devices and the aesthetic features, find some interesting quotes and annotate those quotes. Then watch The Greatest Showman, note down the interesting mis-en-scene, camera angles, types of shots and the themes/morals of the film etc. and consider how these would relate to your question.

The two most important parts of this type of assessment are as follows: your ability to understand the texts and your ability to explain how regardless of the differences these main texts might have, how these texts may overlap and relate to each other. You need to make connections between the texts so try making a mind map and link as much as you can from both of the texts together (but do so meaningfully as it's pretty easy to fall into the trap of thinking that everything is the same or nothing is similar). Try making a quote bank and analyse the quotes/film shots.

Hopefully, that helps but I would be more than happy to give you some more specific tips if you need :)

Have a great weekend and kind regards,

Darcy Dillon.
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: s110820 on May 21, 2021, 09:53:52 am
Hi, I was just wondering whether anyone could help me with FA1. My teacher had swapped FA2 and FA1 so we had done FA2 in term 1 already. I really struggle with English and apparently, this is the hardest assessment piece of the year. :((. My teacher also went on long service leave for 4 weeks and no one in my class knew what to do. Our assignment was also handed out a week late :((. We have to compare and contrast The Great Gatsby and another text, I chose The Greatest Showman to answer the question how are dreams and aspirations represented in the texts and for what effect? We also have to relate why the Great Gatsby is still a relevant novel to contemporary readers. I'm very confused at the moment because I'm not too sure how to structure the essay, especially the body paragraphs. Any help would be greatly appreciated :))

Hey justsomerandom21,

First of all, I think that the texts that you have chosen would be a great choice for comparison as while these texts may not seem that similar on the outside, these texts do actually have quite a few themes in common! What I would recommend doing is to first be familiar with your texts - if you haven't done so already, take the time to read The Great Gatsby, recognise and understand the stylistic devices and the aesthetic features, find some interesting quotes and annotate those quotes. Then watch The Greatest Showman, note down the interesting mis-en-scene, camera angles, types of shots and the themes/morals of the film etc. and consider how these would relate to your question.

The two most important parts of this type of assessment are as follows: your ability to understand the texts and your ability to explain how regardless of the differences these main texts might have, how these texts may overlap and relate to each other. You need to make connections between the texts so try making a mind map and link as much as you can from both of the texts together (but do so meaningfully as it's pretty easy to fall into the trap of thinking that everything is the same or nothing is similar). Try making a quote bank and analyse the quotes/film shots.

Hopefully, that helps but I would be more than happy to give you some more specific tips if you need :)

Have a great weekend and kind regards,

Darcy Dillon.
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: justsomerandom21 on May 21, 2021, 10:18:09 am
Hey justsomerandom21,

First of all, I think that the texts that you have chosen would be a great choice for comparison as while these texts may not seem that similar on the outside, these texts do actually have quite a few themes in common! What I would recommend doing is to first be familiar with your texts - if you haven't done so already, take the time to read The Great Gatsby, recognise and understand the stylistic devices and the aesthetic features, find some interesting quotes and annotate those quotes. Then watch The Greatest Showman, note down the interesting mis-en-scene, camera angles, types of shots and the themes/morals of the film etc. and consider how these would relate to your question.

The two most important parts of this type of assessment are as follows: your ability to understand the texts and your ability to explain how regardless of the differences these main texts might have, how these texts may overlap and relate to each other. You need to make connections between the texts so try making a mind map and link as much as you can from both of the texts together (but do so meaningfully as it's pretty easy to fall into the trap of thinking that everything is the same or nothing is similar). Try making a quote bank and analyse the quotes/film shots.

Hopefully, that helps but I would be more than happy to give you some more specific tips if you need :)

Have a great weekend and kind regards,

Darcy Dillon.

Thanks so much Darcy. Do you have any tips on making my essay flow, I tend to write very explicitly and it doesn't really flow very well. Thanks in advance and have a great weekend as well.

Kind regards,
justsomerandom21
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: justsomerandom21 on October 06, 2021, 08:31:12 pm
Hi friends,
I'm struggling with my FA4 for English. Our text is Macbeth and as you know we have to answer an unseen question in exam conditions. Does anyone have any advice on how to remember important quotes and to structure the essay? Also what types of quotes would I be looking for? I'm worried that I will only remember a few quotes that won't even be relevant to the question when I get in there  :'(.

Thanks,
justsomerandom21.
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: literally lauren on October 07, 2021, 09:25:46 pm
Hi friends,
I'm struggling with my FA4 for English. Our text is Macbeth and as you know we have to answer an unseen question in exam conditions. Does anyone have any advice on how to remember important quotes and to structure the essay? Also what types of quotes would I be looking for? I'm worried that I will only remember a few quotes that won't even be relevant to the question when I get in there  :'(.

Thanks,
justsomerandom21.

Hi random!

The unseen exam question is definitely the scary part of English, but there's lots of smart ways to prepare for it! Learning quotes, as you've mentioned, is one of the most important, but rather than feeling like you have to memorise half the play, go through your quote bank (or set one up if you haven't already - go through the play and any online/in-class resources, picking out the important lines. You can use things like Sparknotes or Quizlet to get you started). Find the quotes that could be used for multiple themes - e.g. Lady Macbeth telling her husband to "look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't" is a great quote for the theme of deception, but you could also use it to discuss guilt, appearances vs. reality, gender, power, cunning, and the characters of Macbeth and Lady M in general, as well as their relationship. That makes this one a great one to memorise, so going through a list and highlighting similarly multi-purpose quotes would be an excellent study tactic.

Another strategy I'd recommend (and this will hopefully help with your essay structure question) is to collect or make a list of possible exam prompts. Chat to your teacher if you need help with this, but the aim is just to cover a wide range of themes and major characters to make your practice more efficient. We're not trying to 'guess' the exam prompt, but if you write a handful of practice essays about these main themes/characters, you'll notice two things:

1) A LOT of the ideas in the text overlap - themes aren't like separate islands; they all connect to one another somehow! Hence, you don't have to treat your evidence and analysis like separate islands either. A quote that you use and analyse in one essay might also work perfectly in your next essay too, and the one after that. That's not to say you should only aim to memorise a few general examples; rather, try to learn ~30* quotes, for example, and then use ~12 in each essay.
Spoiler
* I just picked 30 arbitrarily; depending on how well you know the play, you might already know quite a few quotes off by heart already, especially the *iconic* ones like "fair is foul and foul is fair". If not, 30 would be a good goal between now and the exam, but don't use that as a hard rule! The quotes can be pretty short (e.g. "gory locks"), so hopefully you can go beyond 30 if you feel confident. And remember that you can talk about aesthetic techniques like the symbolism of the dagger or the motif of weather as evidence too!
They might be a different combination of 12 each time, but you'll notice that whenever you write about a theme like the supernatural, you can draw upon the same framework of evidence and just tie it to the specific question differently each time, e.g.
   - Witches: "fair is foul and foul is fair"
   - Macbeth: "So foul and fair a day I have not seen"
   - Witches: "in thunder, lightning or in rain"
   - Banquo: "have we eaten on the insane root / That takes the reason prisoner?"
   - Macbeth: "gory locks" [of Banquo's ghost] + "thy bones are marrowless"
   - Macbeth: "is this a dagger which I see before me?"
   - Witches: "Show his eyes, and grieve his heart; / Come like shadows, so depart!"
   - Macbeth: [about the line of kings apparition] "Horrible sight! Now, I see, ’tis true; / For the blood-bolter’d Banquo smiles upon me"

2) The more essays you write, the more you'll settle into a groove. Your intros can use the same lines to introduce the text (though you'll answer the specific question differently each time), your topic sentences will start to follow a similar pattern (e.g. 'Shakespeare explores the notion of ____ through the character of ____'), your quotes should be frequently rotated, as outlined above, and your concluding sentences about Shakespeare's overall messages will just vary slightly depending on the prompt. For example:

QUESTION 1: How does Shakespeare invite us to consider the notion of ambition in Macbeth?

QUESTION 2: Ambition is Macbeth's downfall. To what extent do you agree with this statement?

(obviously you'd never get these two prompts to choose from as they're too similar! And an essay written about the first question could be ~90% identical to one written about the second, but you'd have to pick the right moment to mould your discussion to suit the prompt - e.g. using the word 'downfall' at the start or end of your body paragraphs.)

TOPIC & CONCLUDING SENTENCE FOR BOTH QUESTIONS:
TS: Throughout the play, Shakespeare unpacks the dangerous allure of ambition through his portrayal of Macbeth.
CS: Therefore, Shakespeare's depiction of Macbeth underscores how ambitious desires can bring about one's downfall.

Then, obviously, if you got a prompt that instead asked about the consequences of [selfishness], or the [fatal flaw] of Macbeth, you'd instead use these key words throughout your essay instead of downfall and ambition. But hopefully you can see how by writing a practice essay for just one essay question, you're really preparing yourself for a whole range of potential topics!


Lastly, if you're feeling a bit of a time crunch, try to do some skeleton essay plans instead of writing entire practice essays. This is still good practice, and you can really hone in on whatever areas you find trickiest! For example, if you can't easily come up with three body paragraphs or arguments, focus on that when planning. Or, if you never know how to end your paragraphs, include concluding sentences in your plan.

I hope that helps - best of luck with the Macbeth prep, and let me know if you have any questions! :)
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: justsomerandom21 on October 09, 2021, 09:50:02 pm
Thanks so much Lauren for the really informative advice. I really appreciate it!
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: K.Smithy on October 09, 2021, 10:29:00 pm
Thanks so much Lauren for the really informative advice. I really appreciate it!

Hey, Justsomerandom21!

Lauren's advice is fantastic and I'd highly recommend following it if you do wish to remember quotes.
I just thought I'd let you know that for the external exam you'll complete in year 12, you will not be expected to remember any quotes :) I don't know if your school has other plans for the FA4 and your teacher is expecting it for this internal assessment, but for the external at the end of your final year quotes are not an expectation. Indirect evidence is seen as just as good and you can get full marks using only indirect evidence. Though you'll probably find that some quotes might stick in your mind so you can definitely use those (but it's not a requirement) :)

I hope this eases you of some stress!
Katelyn
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: justsomerandom21 on October 10, 2021, 11:07:03 am
Hey, Justsomerandom21!

Lauren's advice is fantastic and I'd highly recommend following it if you do wish to remember quotes.
I just thought I'd let you know that for the external exam you'll complete in year 12, you will not be expected to remember any quotes :) I don't know if your school has other plans for the FA4 and your teacher is expecting it for this internal assessment, but for the external at the end of your final year quotes are not an expectation. Indirect evidence is seen as just as good and you can get full marks using only indirect evidence. Though you'll probably find that some quotes might stick in your mind so you can definitely use those (but it's not a requirement) :)

I hope this eases you of some stress!
Katelyn

Hi Katelyn,
Thanks so much again for all the help! I'm still a little bit unsure about using indirect evidence. As far as I know, indirect evidence is explaining the scene and the action of the characters without using a direct quote, right? Would you please be able to provide some examples (if possible on Macbeth)? It would be greatly appreciated! :)


Thanks in advance. :)
justsomerandom21
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: justsomerandom21 on October 10, 2021, 11:12:32 am
Hi again,
Sorry, I just thought of another question that I forgot to post in my last reply, but when selecting your evidence in the play and then constructing your response, would it be best to use evidence at the start of the play for your first body paragraph and then evidence from the middle of the play in the second body paragraph etc? How would you demonstrate logical sequencing of ideas within and between paragraphs?


Thanks again  :D :D
justsomerandom21.
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: K.Smithy on October 10, 2021, 11:47:00 am
Thanks so much again for all the help! I'm still a little bit unsure about using indirect evidence. As far as I know, indirect evidence is explaining the scene and the action of the characters without using a direct quote, right? Would you please be able to provide some examples (if possible on Macbeth)? It would be greatly appreciated! :)

Yes, sort of. You're definitely on the right track. Indirect evidence would be things that characters do or beliefs they hold. Fortunately, I did a bit of study into Macbeth last year for my feature article, so I can recall one example of indirect evidence that I used. So, the argument that I made was the Lady Macduff wasn't quite the good person we've been made out to think she is. Now, this was quite a contentious argument I brought up and not a single person I spoke to supported my view. My teacher discouraged me from doing it when I first discussed it with her, but I thought it was interesting so I went with it anyway (by the time she got around to marking it, I had her support though which is good ahaha).
So, I'll share with you the section I wrote on it and then I'll break it down into how, exactly, I used indirect evidence:

"Shakespeare’s Macbeth shows us that fear is oftentimes followed closely by a loss of empathy – just as a loyal puppy follows his owner. In turn, this loss of empathy is followed closely by the loss of humanity. This can be observed in Lady Macduff’s one and only scene.

The murder of Lady Macduff – the slaughter of an innocent individual – symbolises the sowing of ruin. Through her murder, she is exposed to an ordeal that ultimately deprives her of her own innocence. Although she is positioned to be the female foil for Lady Macbeth, it is evident that even the best of us can be affected by fear. In the events leading up to her murder, Lady Macduff is unknowingly put through tests of moral and political judgement – of which she demonstrably fails. Furthermore, in doing so, she loses her humanity.

Lady Macduff learns of her husband’s departure – in search of allies – in her only scene. Characters such as Lennox admire Macduff’s choice; contrastingly, Lady Macduff responds to the news poorly. She fails to see the necessity of his departure and lets fly a torrent of accusations. Due to her own fear, her husband had fallen short of what he should have been in her eyes: All is the fear and nothing is the love.

Her reaction wasn’t simply a betrayal to her husband; rather it was a betrayal to Scotland. Not recognising her husband’s higher responsibility to the political order, it is in this moment Lady Macduff’s empathy waivers. So too does her ability to claim that she is human."


So, in this section here, I am pretty much arguing that Lady Macduff wasn't the good person that many people believe she is. I also tie it back into my thesis about how the loss of empathy results in a loss of humanity, though this isn't important for our discussion. The indirect evidence that I used was the description of her reaction to the situation - how her reaction made her selfish and that it was a betrayal to Scotland.

Sorry, I just thought of another question that I forgot to post in my last reply, but when selecting your evidence in the play and then constructing your response, would it be best to use evidence at the start of the play for your first body paragraph and then evidence from the middle of the play in the second body paragraph etc? How would you demonstrate logical sequencing of ideas within and between paragraphs?

You should structure your response based on the strength of your arguments (at least this is what my teacher told me to do). So, your strongest argument supporting your thesis should go first. Ideally, you will find arguments that can be seen throughout the entirety of the play - that way you could include evidence from different aspects of the play (this is where indirect evidence comes in handy because sometimes there won't be a quote that you can use, but maybe a character's behaviour).

For the logical sequencing of ideas within and between paragraphs, you want to make sure that all of your arguments tie in with your thesis statement. To do this, ensure that every paragraph makes a direct link back to the thesis. You also want to make use of cohesive devices between paragraphs and different ideas to make sure it flows nicely.
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: justsomerandom21 on October 10, 2021, 12:09:04 pm
Hi Katelyn,
Thanks again for all your help - it's a lot clearer now!



justsomedandom21.
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: justsomerandom21 on February 12, 2022, 02:35:58 pm
Hey guys,
justsomerandom21 here again. Any advice on IA1 thesis? I'm doing Blade Runner (Theatrical Cut) and Fahrenheit 451. My concept is the nature of humanity but I'm unsure of how to write a good thesis.


Thanks.
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: s110820 on February 12, 2022, 09:43:25 pm
Hey guys,
justsomerandom21 here again. Any advice on IA1 thesis? I'm doing Blade Runner (Theatrical Cut) and Fahrenheit 451. My concept is the nature of humanity but I'm unsure of how to write a good thesis.

Thanks.

Hi Justsomerandom21,

Sometimes, it's best breaking the whole concept of "humanity" down to what it means to you, before you think about how the theme is shaped in the text and film that you're studying. Here's what I would recommend doing to prepare for your IA1:

1. Create a list of similarities and differences between how the theme of "humanity" is shaped in both Bladerunner and Fahrenheit 451. It may also be useful to create a broader list of the similarities and differences between the texts in general.
2. Create a mind map to answer the question: "what does humanity mean to me?" and "what makes us human?" and make sure you list specific examples in your brainstorm (such as compassion and empathy) as well. Try to link these examples to the texts. 
3. While your texts may seem wildly different at a first glance, think about the circumstances that the characters live in and how their "humanity" helps them to not only help other people but also help themselves to survive in the society they live in.
4. In Bladerunner, some of the characters are "replicants" (artificial intelligence). A great example of this is the character Rachael who doesn't even know that she's a replicant: she believes that she is human - but why is that?
5. You could also explore and compare the characters of Captain Beatty (Fahrenheit 451) to Roy Batty (Bladerunner). In the eyes of society, both are perceived to be the villains or the antagonists of texts, but in reality, they are much more complex and nuanced than what they are thought to be.

Hopefully that helps - If you need any more help, feel free to message me as I would be more than happy to help!

Have fun with your IA1 :)
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: jinx_58 on February 14, 2022, 08:17:06 pm
Howdy!

So, I'm about to do my literary essay on Fahrenheit 451 and Blade Runner 2049.

Last time I did a literary essay, it was quite trash.

Could someone please tell me how to do a literary essay? How should I structure it? What are the teachers looking for? Any general tips?

Thank you!
 - jinx_58
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: K.Smithy on February 24, 2022, 09:10:56 am
Howdy!

So, I'm about to do my literary essay on Fahrenheit 451 and Blade Runner 2049.

Last time I did a literary essay, it was quite trash.

Could someone please tell me how to do a literary essay? How should I structure it? What are the teachers looking for? Any general tips?

Thank you!
 - jinx_58

Hey Jinx_58,

When I did this task in English I had to write a feature article comparing Macbeth and Blade Runner - so, feature articles are slightly different to essays but there are some key details that you will find in both.

Generally, for these comparative tasks in English, we are interested in asking a certain question or trying to comment on a particular point/idea, and in doing so compare the concepts (relating to the question or point of interest) presented in two distinct texts. In particular, this task is assessing your ability to analyse, interpret, and examine these concepts.

So a good place to start is by familiarising yourself with the texts and then coming up with some idea that you find interesting that both texts comment on. They might not take the same position on this idea and that is entirely ok - if the texts were produced at different times you could simply state that this is a product of the different cultural norms of the time (or something like that). Then once you have this interesting idea that you want to write about, you need to come up with a strong thesis statement. After coming up with your thesis statement, you will want to sign-post your arguments (each section of your essay should have a purpose, so these "sign-posts" in your intro will roughly map to one per paragraph).

How to structure
1. Intro: should include a couple sentences introducing the idea and the texts, your thesis statement, and sign posted arguments.
2. Argument 1: should include evidence for the position of each text - link your argument back to the thesis
3. Argument 2: should include evidence for the position of each text - link your argument back to the thesis
4. Argument 3: should include evidence for the position of each text - link your argument back to the thesis
5. Discussion: this is an overall evaluation of all the evidence you have found
6. Conclusion: basic conclusion, link to thesis

What are teacher's looking for?
This is where the ISMG will become your best friend. It tells you exactly what you need to include to get top marks. However, some key details are:

General tips
Don't forget to mention aesthetic devices (I would say around 2-3 times per paragraph) and make sure every argument you make links back to the thesis (this is how you show that your arguments are "discerning" - which is necessary for top marks).

I hope this helps!
Katelyn
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: jinx_58 on February 24, 2022, 01:58:18 pm
Thank you sooo much K.Smithy!

That really helps!


- jinx_58
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: justsomerandom21 on May 24, 2022, 01:05:04 pm
Thanks so much for the help. Does anyone have any advice for my IA3? It's a short story based on a poem. I'm not that creative and struggle to write in a 'different, unforeseen perspective' that they want.




Thanks,
justsomerandom21
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: jinx_58 on May 24, 2022, 02:40:37 pm
Read books. Not the whole book, but enough snippets to understand how different authors write, and hopefully you gain inspiration from that.

For me, I like focusing on an emotion in a poem, and honing on it and expanding on it.

My english teacher tells me the weirder the short, story the better; just don't write a cheesy love story.

Hope this helps!
 - jinx_58
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: justsomerandom21 on June 16, 2022, 12:42:47 pm
Hey Jinx,
I'm struggling to make a good plot - do you have any advice?





Thanks,
Justsomerandom21
Title: Re: QCE English Questions Thread
Post by: jinx_58 on June 16, 2022, 07:01:51 pm
Hello Justsomerandom123.

What is your story so far? What poem is it based off? What is the poem about?

 - jinx_58