vce english vacation work 2017–2018 -...

VCE English Vacation Work 2017–2018

By the first English class 2018, every year 12 student will be

expected to have read:

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent Bombshells by Joanna Murray Smith The Penelopiad by Margret Atwood

and watched Hitchcock’s – Rear Window

You will be asked to submit written responses to the work on the texts and

the analytical response.

Your written responses will be collected in the first English lesson of term one 2018, and is a requirement for satisfactory completion of the English Course.

Victorian Certificate of Education

VCA Secondary School VCE ENGLISH

VACATION WORK FOR UNITS 3 & 4 2017– 2018

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DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS & TASKS

REAR WINDOW You will complete a text response essay on this text in first term. You should pay attention to features such as setting, multiple story lines, structuring of the film, themes, characterisation, point of view, lighting, camera, sound, context, symbolism.

BURIAL RITES by Hannah Kent You will complete a creative response to this text in second term. You

need to approach this text from an analytical standpoint first, looking at features such as themes, narrative voice, language choices, characterisation, style, context, symbolism and metaphor before considering the potential for a creative response. More information on creative possibilities will be provided in class. Creative tasks in the past have asked students to fill a gap in the text or add to it in some way. Burial Rites will also be one of the texts you can write a text response on in the exam (creative response isn’t on exam).

BOMBSHELLS by Joanna Murray-Smith Don’t be deceived by the brevity of this text – it’s thin but it’s dense. You will study this text alongside The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood to write a Comparative Text Analysis. There are a number of clips on YouTube featuring performances of Bombshells that may help visual learners.

THE PENELOPIAD by Margaret Atwood This is a creative interpretation of Homer’s Iliad that focuses on the plight of Penelope, the wife of Odysseus. This is the second text for the Reading and Comparing Unit. Before reading this text look up the plot/synopsis of The Iliad by Homer, noting the interference of the ancient Greek gods and the adventures of Odysseus. Use the internet to help if you are struggling, as well as a study guide.

Reading/viewing all four texts during the summer holidays will provide you with a solid base for studying the texts in class. For most students, your holiday read/viewing will be a ‘surface reading’, not a ‘close reading’. An overview of what you should expect to achieve during the various reading stages are outlined below:

First reading: • This is more or less a ‘surface-level’ reading to determine the general



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meaning of the text (leaving knowledge and application of literary elements out for now). More advanced students will notice literary elements during this reading and can annotate their text during this reading if they feel comfortable doing so. Keep asking yourself, “What’s going on, and how do I know?”

Second reading: • During this reading you will start to examine the ways the author uses language

and the various literary elements to create meaning. Your focusing question here might be “How do the author’s choices help me understand or appreciate something that I didn’t notice the first time I read?” This reading, and the third readings, will usually be done during class with your teacher.

Third reading: • Consider thematic meaning and broader issues like how context in which

the text was written affects the creation of the text. Continue to examine literary techniques in more detail. Here, ask yourself, “What does this text cause me to think or wonder about some larger aspect the text and of the human condition?”

Adapted from: http://www.readwritethink.org/

Researching media issues / preparing for the Oral Read the news. Collect at least three articles on a contentious issue that has been

presented in the Australian media since Sept 2017. Develop a point of view on the issue could form the basis of your Oral presentation, to be presented late in third term. Read hard copies There are three daily newspapers in Melbourne: The Age, Herald Sun and The Australian. It is advised you read one or more of these

papers on a regular basis during the holidays. The weekend papers tend to provide more analysis and commentary on issues than the weekday editions. When you find an article that might help with your Oral, print it or cut it out. (remember to include the name of the publication and the date published)

Read the news online

A list of the major news websites can be found below: The Age: theage.com.au Herald Sun: heraldsun.com.au The Australian: theaustralian.com.au Guardian Australia: guardian.co.uk/Australia News.com.au: news.com.au



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ABC News: abc.net.au/news Nine News: 9news.com.au Seven News: au.news.yahoo.com Ten News: tenplay.com.au/news/national SBS World News: sbs.com.au/news/ Sky news: www.skynews.com.au Daily Mail Australia: www.dailymail.co.uk/auhome Crikey: crikey.com.au/ The Saturday Paper: thesaturdaypaper.com.au The New Daily: thenewdaily.com.au The Conversation: theconversation.com/au New Matilda: newmatilda.com/ The Drum: abc.net.au/news/thedrum/ Hack (Triple J): abc.net.au/triplej/hack/

Accessing the film REAR WINDOW Here are ways you can view the film: 1. On YouTube: Type in Rear Window – there are a number of sites 2. On ClickView.

a) Download the ClickView app on your phone/iPad. b) Go to Settings and click on the ClickView app. c) Go to Single Sign On (SSO) d) Where it says ‘address’ type in: http://clickview.vcass.vic.edu.au e) Check ‘Enabled’

3. Return to the ClickView app. You should be able to enter your Compass login and password.

4. Search: Rear Window 5. Download the film to your device. 6. Alternatively, you can type into a web browser: http://clickview.vcass.vic.edu.au and

enter your Compass login details and then search for the film and stream it (this uses a lot of internet download data and it may buffer)

7. Purchase the DVD or borrow it from your local library. Note: it is not compulsory that you purchase the DVD as it is available on ClickView.

TASKS REAR WINDOW

1. Research Alfred Hitchcock – what particular cinematic techniques did he use in Rear Window?

2. When is it set? Is knowing the time and place setting important? 3. Jeff is the main character. How does his position in his apartment empower him?

How does it leave him helpless?



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4. Do you think Hitchcock takes a stance on the ethics of Jeff's voyeurism? Explain your answer.

5. How does Hitchcock create suspense while never leaving the confines of Jeff's apartment?

BURIAL RITES

1. When and where is Burial Rites set? 2. The narrative centres around a murder. Who was murdered and who was accused

of the murders 3. Who is the focus of this text? 4. What was life like for Icelanders back then (refer to religion, housing,

climate, wealth and education). 5. The Icelandic sagas are referred to frequently throughout the text. What are

some of the characteristics of an Icelandic Saga? 6. How did Kent come to write Burial Rites? How would a woman in her 20s come to

know about a murder that occurred in the 1800s on the other side of the world? 7. What is patriarchy? What relevance do you think it has to this text? 8. What do you think it was like to be a woman in Iceland during the time in which the

text is set? 9. Research capital punishment. Where in the world is it still practiced? When did

it finish in Iceland?

10. Who ruled Iceland at the time in which the text is set?

BOMBSHELLS 1. Research the author Joanna Murray-Smith. Find out how many plays she has

written, where she was educated, what some of her interests (themes she writes about) are as a writer.

2. What is Bombshells about? 3. When is it set? 4. What are some of the key themes? 5. Why did Murray-Smith write this play?

THE PENELOPIAD

1. Research the author Margaret Atwood. What are some of the themes she writes about? How many books has she written?

2. What is The Penelopiad about? 3. When is it set? 4. What are some of the key themes? 5. What texts is it inspired by? 6. Why did she write The Penelopiad?



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ANALYSING ARGUMENT There are two outcomes in the Analysing Argument unit. The first is a written analysis, which will take place in the form of a SAC during Term 2. requirement for satisfactory completion. The second is an Oral Presentation, which requires students to present a point of view on a media issue to the class. (including writing a statement of intention) This will take place during the last weeks of Term 3 but needs to be worked on prior to this.

Before writing your essay, you should carefully read and annotate the article.

There is a list of persuasive techniques in your Year 12 English textbook. There is also advice on how to structure your essay. Read the chapter on ‘Analysis of Language Use’ before completing this task.

• You should plan your essay prior to writing. • Remember, it is not essential you mention every persuasive device.

Word length: approximately 900 – 1,000 words

ANALYSIS TASK Write an analysis of the ways in which argument and written and visual language are used to try to persuade others to share the point of view presented.

The real cost of ‘free’ education

‘Free education,’ students chanted at last week’s protest outside the Education Department’s office. A group of bricklayers smiled as the students waved and shouted.

Background information On 1 January 1974, the government abolished university fees in order to make tertiary education more accessible to working- and middle-class Australians. In 1989, university fees were re-introduced, to be paid for by the Higher Education Contributions Scheme (HECS), the system which is currently in place for Australian university students, now generally referred to as the HECS-HELP system. In 2014, the Abbott Government’s proposal to deregulate university fees (allowing universities to set their own fees) saw the cost of higher education once again a matter for public debate. The following article by Arjuna Bhamra was published in October 2016 in Campus Chorus, a magazine run by and for Australian students. Bhamra is a current undergraduate student, completing a Bachelor of Commerce at an Australian university. There are two images accompanying the article.



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‘Free? That means we pay,’ said one of the workmen. ‘They’ll be doctors and lawyers in a few years’ time and I’ll be the brickie who paid for it.’

The bricklayer is right – there is no such thing as a ‘free’ education. In fact, universities are very expensive. Costs include buildings and land, books and computers, academic salaries and support staff, and much more. There are billions of dollars spent every year in the higher education sector.

The actual question is, who should have to pay these costs? The government, through everybody’s taxes, or the student, the person who receives an overwhelming benefit from the education?

The current system is a mixture of both. The taxpayer subsidises 59 per cent of our education, and a total of over $16 billion per year is spent in the higher education sector. Students pay just 41 per cent, and we don’t even have to pay a single dollar upfront thanks to the HECS- HELP system – a no-interest loan that we only start repaying when we earn over $54 000 per year, and then at a maximum annual rate of just 2 per cent of our income. This generous loan system means anyone who gets the marks can get a higher education, no matter their current financial position, and pay for it when they begin to reap the rewards of that education.

The substantial benefits of a higher education are essential to understand. The average male graduate receives an additional $1.4 million in lifetime earnings compared to an individual who undertook no more education after Year 12, according to analysis of census figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. For women, the lifetime earnings premium is just under $1 million.

Asking taxpayers to pay for our education is elitist middle-class welfare at its worst. It is asking people who do not attend university – and who will on average earn a 75 per cent

lower lifetime income – to subsidise our education, and higher income. This is just unfair.



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The simple reality is that we choose to go to university and we get substantial benefit from our education. Those who reach higher education are typically already from a higher socioeconomic background. Hence, just as we expect individuals to pay for their own food and shelter, we have an obligation to pay for our elite education.

Furthermore, our government faces trade-offs for every spending decision. To put more into higher education they must hurt the economy and our job prospects by taxing more, increasing debt for future generations, or cutting other services. We have to ask ourselves – would we prefer the government fund our healthcare system and support the truly needy through the National Disability Insurance Scheme, or would we prefer the government to use the taxes of the poor to pay for the privileged to increase their earning capacity?

In these tough fiscal times, the government is inclined to support those who actually need the money to survive. As a consequence there is a natural reluctance to put more money into education. If universities were made ‘free’, that is, fully taxpayer funded, then due to limited resources there would inevitably be fewer places available.

This was just the case in the1970s when education was fully taxpayer-funded under the Whitlam Labor Government. It is often claimed that Whitlam increased university access with ‘free’ education. This is a myth. In fact, after Whitlam introduced the policy, a lower proportion of the population undertook higher education. Spending a lot of money per student to make it ‘free’ means there is not enough funding to increase the number of higher education places or the quality of education.

There was also no shift in the socioeconomic statistics of higher educational access during the Whitlam era. In practice, Whitlam’s ‘free’ education policy had the poor paying for the existing elite to go to university. The boom in places and access to higher education came after the introduction of the HECS loan system by the Hawke–Keating government. The number of university places has since more than tripled to over 1.25 million students today. This has transformed access to higher education. Where once it was accessible to only the lucky few, it is now accessible to everyone who is capable.

Higher education will only become more important in Australia’s post-industrial economy. Jobs of the future are high-skilled, and therefore depend on a highly educated workforce.



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This means higher education must keep expanding, teaching more students in order to prepare us for the future.

Every university should be an intellectual sanctuary. The only way to achieve a higher quality sector with more places available is if universities have a wide variety of revenue sources.

Universities must be able to afford the best possible facilities and student services, as well as generous salaries that will entice the best and brightest to undertake research and teaching.

Students, through the loan system, must be willing to pay some of these costs. There is nothing fair about asking poorer taxpayers to pay the entire cost.

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