sometimes gladness section b: writing in context identity and belonging tuesday october 26, 2010
TRANSCRIPT
Sometimes GladnessSection B: Writing in ContextIdentity and BelongingTuesday October 26, 2010
Exam RequirementsRead and digest the prompt VERY carefully
Answer this section last
Possibly an image
Definitely NOT under 2 pages, aim for 3-4.
How to score a 9 or 10Demonstrates an insightful grasp of the
implications of the prompt, and perceptively explores its conceptual complexity using an appropriate strategy for dealing with it.
Achieves an assured, cohesively structured piece of writing in an appropriate form, successfully integrating, in a sophisticated way, ideas suggested by the selected text/s.
Makes fluent and effective use of language appropriate to the purpose and audience specified in the task.
The Prompt Is the overall message of your piece, what the
piece is REALLY about.
Is worth approx 1/3 of your mark
Should determine what happens in your piece – should control the action, dialogue, discussion topic, investigation, etc.
Should be examined closely for opportunities – cannot all be pre-planned content
You may be given an image alongside your prompt. Use it as an example of interpretation.
What can I pre-plan?You might have a pre-considered tone, voice,
character or setting
Your form and expression is worth approx 1/3 of your mark
Develop a sophisticated vocabulary list that compliments any of the above that you have pre-planned
Practise your chosen form – pay close attention to specific conventions
What do I need to know?Conventions of your chosen form
How to pull apart a prompt and address it in full
The IDEAS regarding Identity and Belonging that are evident in ‘Sometimes Gladness’
FormBe as clear as possible. Make it as easy for the
assessor to see your form as possible. Eg. essay of any description – give it a title and tell us where it’s published
Use language appropriate to your form. Always show don’t tell. Make it clear you know how to write in your chosen form
Keep it real. Dawe writes about real life.
ComplexityYour piece needs to show complex ideas. Try to
reduce your connection to I & B to one or 2 sentences. Are you saying something interesting? Can I take your message home and think about it/apply it to my life?
It can be helpful to think about your piece in terms of change. If imaginative: where do your characters start? What journey do they go on? What do they explore? If essay – what point are you making at the beginning? How is it explored/changed from the start to the end of your essay
The Poetry: Children Identity is shaped by childhood
Children have a special world view
Children need to be exposed to beauty in the world
Children need to be protected from corruption of a materialistic society.
The Poetry: Old ageAs people grow older they are corrupted by
consumerism
Old people are defined by losses, wisdom, disenchantment and resignation
The cycle of life – the promise of birth, the rituals of adulthood, the vagaries of old age, the impact of death
The Poetry: HumankindCorruption and the abandonment of self (and
simple human dignity
The pain generated by the social and economic betrayal of the individual and of the family (Drifters)
Powerless against time, war, passion
There is value in solitude and pain in loneliness
The Poetry: Humankind cont’dThere is value in ordinary lives
There is comedy in how we attempt to give our lives meaning
The power of human imagination
We all have common bonds. We all share moments
The Poetry: City/Suburbs/Nature The anonymity and stress of urban life
Embracing the suburbs and everyday ‘Australianisms’
Belonging to sights/sounds/smells, particularly in the suburbs
Belonging to a particular place/land
The nobility in a life lived simply
The poetry: Families, teams, religionsThe value of belonging to a group and the need
to have something to believe in
The negative impact of not knowing one’s identity making it difficult to belong.
The value and the emptiness of patriotism
Putting it all togetherPlanning should take 5 minutes and involve:
FORM – what it looks like
PROMPT – what will happen/ the message
IDEAS – about Identity and Belonging that are evident in the text
Extra literary connectionsThese should not be used as your primary
references to the text but can function as extra connections
Repetition
Personification of emotions eg. ‘gladness crooks me like an arm’
Use of domestic objects to symbolise an idea. Eg. ‘the silver web of glass in the left-hand pane’ to reflect a broken man
- SHOW your ideas. Present a rich picture of life
Practice PromptsCRISIS – A single event can change who a
person is
PLACE – Everyone is a product of their environment
RELATIONSHIPS – The people around you define who you are
BELIEFS – We are categorised by our actions rather than our words
BibliographyVCE OXFORD ENGLISH 3 & 4
Bruce Dawe: Francis Russell Matthews: Phoenix Senior English Guides