PAST BLADE RUNNER FRANKENSTEIN QUESTIONS 03/18/2012
All English HSC questions are created using the HSC Prescription Statements, a document from the Board of studies. The section on Module A, Elective 2 states; "In this elective students compare how the treatment of similar content in a pair of texts composed in different times and contexts may reflect changing values and perspectives. By considering the texts in their contexts and comparing values, ideas and language forms and features, students come to a heightened understanding of the meaning and significance of each text." (HSC PRESCRIPTION STATEMENTS, BOARD OF STUDIES) THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF PAST HSC QUESTIONS. A LOT OF THEM SAY ESSENTIALLY THE SAME THING, THEY HAVE JUST BEEN CLEVERLY REWORDED. GO THROUGH THE LIST AND DO A MENTAL CHECKLIST TO SEE IF YOU CAN ANSWER THEM ALL.
Add Comment Critical Study - Hamlet 03/18/2012
 I've always said to my students that out of all the modules set for the HSC Advanced English Course, the critical study requires the most reading and understanding not only of the text, but of all the external factors surrounding the text. For this reason, I suggest if you are going to begin your Critical Study of Hamlet at the beginning of Term two, do so now. You can begin by reading the text. Also, if you are fortunate enough to live close to a theatre who is showing Hamlet, go and see it. There is no comparison to actually seeing the play acted upon the stage, as Shakespeare intended. Hamlet is the most studied and performed of all plays. The reasoning behind this is almost as complex as the play itself. Some of the questions that have been asked about, and that stimulate lively debate about the play, are: - Is Hamlet mad or only feigning? Or is he a victim of 'thinking makes it so'? - Is Hamlet a tragic hero in the Greek tradition? Or are we forced to redefine the concept of 'hero' by the nature of the play? -How does Hamlet's attachment to his father affect his dealing with other characters? - What effect do the iterative images of disease, decay, duplicity and pretence have on your reading? - When we look at how characters disguise or hide themselves, we find an interesting array of false identities. Does this say anything about the way we all function in society? You could expand upon this line of questioning with questions that arise from your initial reading and viewing of the play. Keep in mind that you will be formulating your own interpretation of the play, one that sets you apart from all other students. To do this successfully requires an enormous amount of reading, not just the text, but of what other people have said of the text. Notable scholars are Maynard Mack, and A.C Bradley. Enjoy! TEXTS IN TIME: FRANKENSTEIN / BLADE RUNNER 03/16/2012
 WRITERS' BLOCK? HERE ARE SOME USEFUL PHRASES TO GET YOU WRITING A GREAT COMPARATIVE ESSAY FOR THE HSC... Useful phrases for an Introduction… · While texts may be fictitious constructs of composers’ imaginations, they also explore and address … · Despite divergent contexts, …. · The examination of the enduring question of what defines humanity resonates over both texts and times… · At the core of both texts is… · These prolific texts forewarn us about…. · Both Shelley and Scott champion the belief that… Useful phrases for a body paragraph · Like Shelly, Scott elaborates upon… · These concerns / comparisons emphasise… · Such a warning / idea / belief / also exists within (Scott’s Bladerunner / Shelley’s Frankenstein) Useful phrases for a Conclusion · These congruous ideas provide a fundamental connection that links these texts through time · Both Shelly and Scott Champion the belief that… · These comparisons exemplify how/ that… · The comparison of Bladerunner and Frankenstein ultimately broadens our perception of… · Ultimately, despite being products of distinct cultural milieus, both Frankenstein and Bladerunner… · Useful Vocab for essays. Peril Congruous Promethean Galvanism Sublime Abrogation Malefactor Transgression Malefic Neo-noir Dissonant Milieu Dynamism Deity Unbridled Verisimilitude Omnipotent Debasement Usurping Ontological Weltanschauung Zeitgeist Chiaroscuro Digetic / non –digetic sound Existentialism Paradigm Ziggurat Omnipotence Bucolic Subversive 
BLOG – DEAR PHOTOGRAPH – TAYLOR JONES The concept of “Dear Photograph” is inspired by our nostalgia for pre-digital technology. Taylor Jones explains the idea behind his blog is to “take a picture of a picture from the past in the present”. These new images are a powerful mix of the past and the present, evoking much emotion, inviting viewers to share where they started, and what they’ve become. The aspects of belonging evident in the blog are two-fold. Firstly, the blog allows a global community to interact and share in these moments. We see that belonging is a universal notion, displayed through these collective memories. The comments that follow each submission show that belonging to this blog can have a significant impact on an individual’s sense of self. David glorious comments on a submission, “I miss my Grandad’s tool shed likewise. Your Grandad holds a special place in your heart like mine does”. Thus we can see that technology helps foster a communal sense of belonging. Secondly, the submissions show us that attitudes and perceptions of belonging are shaped over time. The power of these pictures that “travel in time” comes in what’s been lost or gained in the space between the old photo and the new, the past and the present. The crudeness that comes with holding a picture in one hand and photographing it with the other is evident, yet the final image has a potency that cannot be bestowed by applications such as Photoshop. Furthermore, the very absence of digital features and simplicity of the blog allows the responder to focus on the poignancy of the images.  “GRANDPA” (Belonging to Family) Dear Photograph, Amongst the weeds in my life, you were my rock. You taught me everything I needed to know about being an honorable man. I miss you Grandpa, now and always. Love Michael The photo entitled “Grandpa” by Michael, shows an aged man toiling in his vegetable garden. The caption reads, “amongst the weeds in my life, you were my rock”. Through this simplistic metaphor, we realize that an individual sense of belonging emerges from the connections made with people. The regretful and melancholic tone, “I miss you Grandpa, now and always” shows that his sense of belonging is altered by the death of his Grandfather.  Lighten the Load (Belonging to place) Dear Photograph, The load was a lot lighter 33 years ago… Weaver The photograph entitled “Lighten the Load” by Weaver, depicts the hand of an older person holding a photograph of a young boy who is pushing a toy wheelbarrow. The responder assumes the hand belongs to the boy in the picture, and the accompanying textual metaphor, “Dear Photograph, the load was a lot lighter 33 years ago”, provides a resonance to the photograph. The photograph shows that attitudes to belonging can change over time. Clearly the author is burdened by the responsibilities of growing up and the contrast between the innocent and carefree boy in the photograph reinforces this notion. The newer photo depicts a family home, presumably the boys’, and as such the responder can make assumptions that an individual’s sense of belonging emerges from the connections made with place.  “ALONE IN THE DARK” by “Me” (Not belonging can be self-destructive) Dear Photograph, ████ don’t want to ██ be all █████ alone in ████████ the dark ████ ████. Losing sight █████ of my freedom of ████ ████ expression. Love, Me. The ironic submission, “Alone in the Dark” by “Me”, depicts a hand holding a blackened photograph, against a completely black background. This poignant submission explores the notion that belonging is an instinctive human need in all of us. The accompanying text, “Dear photograph, I don’t want to be all alone in the dark,” symbolically explores the notion that belonging is an instinctive human need in all of us, and that not belonging can affect our self-concept. Mrs Hinton's secrets to essay success 02/29/2012
1.TRANSITIONAL PHRASES AT THE BEGINNING OF PARGRAPHS AND WITHIN THE PARAGRAPH WILL ALLOW FOR SMOOTH FLOW OF IDEAS. Accordingly, Additionally, Equally, Effectively, In such Ways, Despite, Comparably, Furthermore, Consequently, Subsequently, Moreover, This is at odds with, Thereby, Correspondingly, Likewise. Moreover, Conversely, Notwithstanding, Nevertheless, Whereas, This is at odds with… 2. UNLESS THE QUESTION ASKS FOR YOU TO DISCUSS A SPECIFIC SECTION (SCENE, CHAPTER, STANZA ETC), YOUR ANALYSIS SHOULD COVER THE TEXT IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER. THAT WAY, YOUR MARKER WILL REALISE YOU KNOW THE TEXT IN ITS ENTIRITY. 3. IDENTIFY AND DESCRIBE MORE DIFFICULT TECHNIQUES WHEN POSSIBLE. “Aesthetic Features” is a holistic expression for “techniques ANADIPLOSIS is the repetition of the last word of a preceding clause. The word is used at the end of a sentence and then used again at the beginning of the next sentence. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering” (Yoda, Star Wars) EUPHONY is the claim or study of inherent pleasantness or beauty (euphony) or unpleasantness (cacophony) of the sound of certain words and sentences. ANAPHORA repeating a sequence of words at the beginnings of neighboring clauses, thereby lending them emphasis. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness (Charles Dickens A tale of Two Cities) ASYNDETISM is a stylistic scheme in which conjunctions are deliberately omitted from a series of related clauses. Examples are veni, vidi, vici and its English translation "I came, I saw, I conquered." QUIXOTISM impracticality in pursuit of ideals, especially those ideals manifested by rash, lofty and romantic ideas or extravagantly chivalrous action. It also serves to describe an idealism without regard to practicality. An impulsive person or act might be regarded as quixotic. CONNOTATION A connotation is frequently described as either positive or negative, with regards to its pleasing or displeasing emotional connection. For example, a stubborn person may be described as being either strong-willed or pig-headed; although these have the same literal meaning (stubborn), strong-willed connotes admiration for the level of someone's will (a positive connotation), while pig-headed connotes frustration in dealing with someone (a negative connotation). TONE encompasses the attitudes toward the subject and toward the audience implied in a literary work. Tone may be formal, informal, intimate, solemn, somber, playful, serious, ironic, guilty, condescending, or many other possible attitudes. Tone and mood are not interchangeable. The tone of a story is often defined as what the author is feeling towards the subject, rather than what the reader feels. What the reader feels is defined as the mood. MODALITY (HIGH, MEDIUM, LOW) is used to show the range of responses that can exist between a total reinforcement of a statement or point of view and a complete negation of a statement or point of view; put simply, Modality is the difference between yes and no in relation to an issue. Modality allows the writer to soften or strengthen language throught he use of words such as • probably • might • could • usually • certainly • may be • can • should • must SUPERLATIVE is the form of an adjective (or adverb) that indicates that the person or thing (or action) modified has the quality of the adjective (or adverb) to a degree greater than that of anything it is being compared to in a given context. English superlatives are typically formed with the suffix -est (e.g. healthiest, weakest) or the word most (most recent, most interesting). TRICOLON CRESENDO – Wherefore rejoice? What conquest brings him home? What tributaries…binds his chariot wheels? DOUBLE ENTENDRE - is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first (more obvious) meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic. "What is the difference between ignorance and apathy?" would be "I don't know and I don't care". SYNECHDOCHE - is closely related to metonymy (the figure of speech in which a term denoting one thing is used to refer to a related thing); indeed, synecdoche is sometimes considered a subclass of metonymy. It is more distantly related to other figures of speech, such as metaphor. sonnets and other forms of love poetry frequently use synecdoches to characterize the beloved in terms of individual body parts rather than a whole, coherent self. This practice is especially common in the Petrarchan sonnet, where the idealised beloved is often described part by part, from head to toe. MODULE B - HAMLET 02/28/2012
 HAMLET Requirements for a critical study essay: Module B has two main concepts;
WHAT CAN I DO TO IMPROVE MY RESULTS? Develop a unique thesis. This will create a point of difference between your essay and others.
WEAKER RESPONSES:
First Post! 02/28/2012
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