Great Expectations: Analytical Response Plan

Activity 
Plan your ideas by:

· Reading Great Expectations and related texts(of your own choosing).
· Researching how meaning is created through textual features in each text.
· For each question come up with:

a) an introduction
b) a conclusion
c) at least six main topic sentences
d) your main ideas in point form underneath each topic sentence
e) key quotes that support your points
f) written body paragraphs for each paragraph
g) reference to at least ONE related text of your own choosing.

HSC-style question
Despite an individual’s desire to belong to a group or community, this is not always possible.

How do the texts you have studied represent the processes and results of belonging?

Discuss this statement, focusing on how composers of texts represent the concept of belonging.

Activity
Before you begin writing, brainstorm ideas about the question and your possible approach to the question.

Thesis (introduction) ideas: Introduction
Belonging to a community or group is essential to how we live in society. We all strive to belonging. At times, the desire to belong to a social class that is beyond us is so strong that it alters our conscience to the point where we lose our integrity. Pip’s determination to become a gentleman according to high society’s standards in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens provides the conditions in which he learns to value people themselves over the perception of people’s worth. (Add your ideas about the related text here.)

Conclusion
A change in an individual’s perception is necessary in order to achieve a sense of lasting belonging in society. The ability to appreciate people as they are and judge their behaviour as opposed to their position in society are crucial to Pip’s acceptance of himself and others in Great Expectations. It is this awareness that leads to him becoming the gentleman he aspired to be. (Add ideas about related texts here.)

First body paragraph

Topic sentence
Pip comes to accept the mentorship of Magwitch, leading to a greater awareness of what it truly means to be a gentleman and belong with integrity in society.

Main points
Symbolism of the marshes represents Pip’s lowly past and where he grew up.
Pip perceives being a gentleman as being determined by the class system – you are either a ‘gentleman’ or ‘common’.
Pip realises he treated Joe and Biddy unpleasantly, just as Miss Havisham treated him.
Pip thinks Magwitch’s money is less pure than Miss Havisham’s money.
Pip’s awareness of Magwitch’s love.
Pip’s idealisation of Estella symbolises his perception of what is ideal in life.
Ironic that Estella is more closely related to a criminal than Pip is.

Key quotes
‘gentleman’, ‘common’
“I only saw in him a much better man than I had been to Joe”

Body paragraph
Pip comes to accept the mentorship of Magwitch, leading to a greater awareness of what it truly means to be a gentleman and belong with integrity in society. Pip originally associates the marshes, where he meets Magwitch the convict who later becomes his benefactor, as a symbol of his lowly past and where he grew up. When Pip first realises Magwitch is a common criminal, his initial reaction is disgust that his ‘great expectations’ were all a sham. Pip originally bases his judgment on what it means to be a gentleman through his perception of the class system, determined by ideas of being a ‘gentleman’ or being ‘common’. At first he becomes angry with Miss Havisham for leading him to believe that she was in fact his benefactor, but he realises that he treated Joe and Biddy just as unpleasantly, having avoided their company because he considered them to be ‘common’. At first, Pip thinks he is ruined because he is linked to a convict, even though the convict has been very altruistic in his treatment of Pip. Pip perceives the money which brought him ‘great expectations’ is somehow less pure than money from Miss Havisham. Yet the convict has shown Pip more generosity and care than Miss Havisham as he behaves like Pip’s ‘second father’. Pip comes to appreciate Magwitch’s love as shown through Pip’s thoughts about him as he held his hand before his death: I only saw in him a much better man than I had been to Joe. Pip's idea of all that is desirable in life is symbolised through his idealisation of Estella – she is wealthy, beautiful and uncommon. It is ironic that what he adores is more closely related to the world of criminals and convicts than he. Pip has been blindly headed towards what he thought he was running away from in the first place.

Second body paragraph (write your own ideas)
Topic sentence
Main points
Key quotes

Third body paragraph
Topic sentence
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Fourth body paragraph
Topic sentence
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Fifth paragraph
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Main points
Key quotes

Sixth paragraph
Topic sentence
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Key quotes

Great Expectations: Key Scene Analysis

To gain a better understanding of how language techniques work together to create meaning, it is a good idea to analyse a few key scenes from the text.

Activity
Make notes about a key scene in Great Expectations, taking into account:
• language techniques
• examples (quotes) of the techniques from the text
• analysis of how these examples relate to belonging.

Then write a full analysis of the scene and its techniques, and its relation to belonging.
An example of a scene has been included in the following modelled response. After you have read the modelled response, choose a different scene to analyse.

Modelled response
Key scene: Pip’s first visit to Satis House

Techniques and examples:
Decrepit imagery of Miss Havisham - ‘grave-clothes’, veil like a ‘shroud’
Lack of light in Miss Havisham’s house
Metaphor of cruel- hearted Estella

Analysis:
Miss Havisham is an old woman who has given up on life.
Decayed wedding dress represents Miss Havisham’s abandoned love and the decaying effect this has had on her perception of life.
Miss Havisham blocks out the light, highlighting her loneliness and withdrawal from society.
Estella bought up to break men’s hearts echoes Miss Havishams desire to spurn love.

Full analysis of how the techniques and examples represent belonging:Pip's visits to Miss Havisham’s house changes him, as he develops a determination to become a gentleman. Miss Havisham is an old woman who was abandoned on her weddind day and has, as a result, given up on life. Dickens describes her through decrepit imagery. Her yellowed wedding gown, ‘grave-clothes’, and the veil like a ‘shroud’, represents an abandoned love and the decaying effect this has had on her perception of life. She refuses to exit the house, blocking out the light further highlighting her loneliness and withdrawal from society. Pip imagines that if the light did strike Miss Havisham that it would turn her to dust. Her only companion is Estella, her beautiful adopted daughter, whom Pip develops a strong affection for, which turns into love as he grows older. But it is unrequited love, as Miss Havisham has made it her dark life's project to raise Estella as a cruel-hearted girl who will break men's hearts, metaphorically representing Miss Havisham's own desire to spurn love. The imagery in this scene is one of crumbling decay, just like Miss Havisham, sitting ‘corpse-like’ as she watched Estella and Pip play. It is unnatural as is the relationship between Estella and Miss Havisahm. Despite this, Pip aspires to belong to the high society the house symbolises. Although Pip feels uncomfortable visiting Satis House, he concludes that his ‘uncommonness’ is the cause of his distress and determines to become a gentleman. Pip is unable to see that the bitterness of the ‘cold wind’ echoes the bitterness of Miss Havisham and Estella.

Heat and Dust: Key Scene Analysis

To gain a better understanding of how language and visual techniques work together to create meaning, it is a good idea to analyse a few key scenes from the text.

Activity

Make notes about a key scene in Heat and Dust, taking into account:

• language techniques

• examples of the techniques from the text

• analysis of how these examples relate to belonging.

Then write a full analysis of the scene and its techniques, and their relation to belonging.

An example of a scene has been included in the following modelled response. After you have read the modelled response, choose a different scene to analyse.

Modelled response

Key scene: Part 11 Section 33; Part 12 Section

Techniques and examples:

• · Visual imagery of the narrator and Olivia with midwives and the possibility of having a termination
• · Metaphor of Maji in a state of Samadhi
• · Juxtaposition of the narrator’s and Olivia’s decision regarding having a child
• · Symbolism of burka for Olivia
• · Symbolism of the Italian child marble statue
• · Metaphor of crumbling child gravestone

Analysis:

• · Samadhi is a metaphor for pregnancy and what is usually associated with the joy of having children.
• · The narrator recognizes her pregnancy as the source of joy and does not want it terminated.
• · The burka symbolizes a culture that is different to Olivia’s own and highlights her inability to belong and be accepted.
• · Olivia chooses not to belong in the world as a mother.
• · The crumbling child gravestone represents the implications of termination according to Dr. Saunders.
• · The narrator chooses to see pregnancy as a positive change in her life, unlike Olivia whose life ‘crumbles’ after this decision.

Full analysis of how the techniques and examples represent belonging:

In the section dated August 31^st, the composer creates visual imagery of both the narrator and Olivia’s choices regarding having a child. The narrator is surprised to be followed by another woman as she walks to the bazaar. She stops by Maji's hut, who is in a ‘state of Samadhi’ having reached a ‘higher state of consciousness submerged in its bliss’. This state of consciousness can be perceived as a metaphor for pregnancy and what is usually associated with the joy of having children. A mother and child’s relationship is regarded as a special bond in society, where belonging is established between the mother and child in pregnancy. Maji again reminds her that now would be a good time for a skillful massage which would induce a termination, if that is her choice. When the narrator asks her to stop the message, she does so immediately. The narrator recognises her pregnancy as the source of a completely new feeling and rapture and does not want it terminated. She appreciates the strong sense of belonging between a mother and child and wishes to honour this.

The composer juxtaposes the narrator’s pregnancy with Olivia’s pregnancy in the section from 1923. In this descriptive scene Olivia is instructed to don a burka and follow one of the servants down the dark alleys of slummy Satipur. The burka symbolizes a culture that is different to her own and highlights her inability to belong and be accepted fully in that culture as she needs to pretend to be from a different culture. The midwives instruct Olivia to lie down on a mat and begin massaging her abdomen. Finally though, Olivia closes her eyes to the pain, demonstrating that she chooses not to belong in the world as a mother. The midwives begin as Maji had done. They were relaxed and professional, performing a task that needed to be done.

The performance of terminations by the midwives can be contrasted with the symbolism of the Italian marble angel statue. The Saunders' had had the statue imported to commemorate a child who died in infancy. By the narrator's time the gravestone was beheaded, without arms and otherwise crumbling. The crumbling child gravestone can also be contrasted with Dr. Saunder’s outraged over Olivia's decision, clearly seeing her choice as having long term destructive implications. For Dr. Saunders, Olivia’s decision, while easy to accept in the present, will become like the child gravestone which was once new and whole, but disintegrated over time due to the weather and lack up care and attention. Both the angel statue and Dr. Saunders outrage demonstrate the difficulties of belonging when others in society have different values. The narrator is challenged because she chooses to have a baby out of wedlock with a married man of a different culture from her own and Olivia is judged for choosing to terminate her baby. The narrator , however chooses to see pregnancy as a positive change in her life, unlike Olivia whose life ‘crumbles’ from this point forward to the point where she becomes a recluse in a foreign land.

Heat and Dust: Analytical Response Plan

Planning your analytical response

Activity

Plan your ideas by:

· Reading Heat and Dust and related texts(of your own choosing)

· Researching how meaning is created through textual features in each text.

· For each question come up with:

a) an introduction

b) a conclusion

c) at least six main topic sentences

d) your main ideas in point form underneath each topic sentence

e) key quotes that support your points

f) written body paragraphs for each paragraph

g) reference to at least ONE related text of your own choosing.

HSC-style question

Despite an individual’s desire to belong to a group or community, this is not always possible.

How do the texts you have studied represent the processes and results of belonging and/or not belonging?

Refer to your prescribed text and ONE other related text of your own choosing.

Activity

Before you begin writing, brainstorm ideas about the question and your possible approach to the question.

Thesis (introduction) ideas:

Introduction

Belonging to a community or group is complicated. Societies are made up of complex rules and codes of behaviour, determined by those in power, which the members of the society are expected to adhere to. However this is not always possible, especially when people live in a foriegn land, and are exposed to different cultural values. Often in these circumstances, individual’s values oppose those values of community members. The search for a sense of identity in a foreign community is explored in Ruth Prawer Jhabvala’s ‘Heat and Dust’, highlighting the significance of honouring the self in creating an individual’s sense of belonging. (Add your ideas about the related text here.)

Conclusion

As individuals, we struggle against the oppression of others who insist we blindly follow expected ways of behaving and belonging. Making a decision to rebel against expected ways of being can have a significant emotional impact on an individual’s sense of self. But ultimately pursuing individual dreams and self belief can lead to a powerful sense of belonging. This is especially true when individuals honestly express their personal values despite the possible consequences of not belonging within the framework of the dominant culture. The narrator in ‘Heat and Dust’ discovers a powerful sense of belonging through adopting these values and believing in herself. It is true however that honouring personal desires can lead to separation from society as shown through Olivia becoming a recluse.

First body paragraph

Topic sentence

In the section dated August 31st, the composer creates visual imagery of both the narrator’s and Olivia’s choice regarding having a child and the effect this has on their ability to belong in a foreign country.

Main points

• · Samadhi is a metaphor for pregnancy and what is usually associated with the joy of having children.
• · The narrator recognizes her pregnancy as the source of joy and does not want it terminated.
• · Juxtaposition of the narrator’s and Olivia’s decisions regarding having a child.
• · Olivia chooses not to belong in the world as a mother.

Key quotes

• ‘Maji was in a state of samadhi … to have reached a higher state of consciousness and to be submerged in its bliss.’

Body paragraph

In the section dated August 31st, the composer creates visual imagery of both the narrator’s and Olivia’s choice regarding having a child and the effect this has on their ability to belong in a foreign country. The narrator is surprised to be followed by another woman as she walks to the bazaar. She stops by Maji's hut, who is in a ‘state of Samadhi’ having reached a ‘higher state of consciousness submerged in its bliss’. This state of consciousness can be perceived as a metaphor for pregnancy and what is usually associated with the joy of having children. A mother and child’s relationship is regarded as a special bond in society, where belonging is established between the mother and child in pregnancy. Maji again reminds her that now would be a good time for a skillful massage which would induce a termination, if that is her choice. When the narrator asks her to stop the message, she does so immediately. The narrator recognises her pregnancy as the source of a completely new feeling and rapture and does not want it terminated. She appreciates the strong sense of belonging between a mother and child and wishes to honour this. The composer juxtaposes the narrator’s pregnancy with Olivia’s pregnancy in the section from 1923. The midwives instruct Olivia to lie down on a mat and begin massaging her abdomen. Finally though, Olivia closes her eyes to the pain, demonstrating that she chooses not to belong in the world as a mother.

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Immigrant Chronicle: Key Poem Analysis

Activity

Make notes about a key poem in Immigrant Chronicle, taking into account:

• language techniques

• examples (quotes) of the techniques from the text

• analysis of how these examples relate to belonging.

Then write a full analysis of the poem and its techniques, and their relation to belonging.

An example of a poem has been included in the following modelled response. After you have read the modelled response, choose a different poem to analyse.

Modelled response

Key poem: ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’

Techniques and examples:

• The metaphor ‘the Joneses of his own mind’s making’
• The simile ‘Loved his garden like an only child’
• Visual imagery ‘shook hands too violently’
• Visual imagery of the garden with the ‘golden cypress’ border and the ‘geraniums’
• Hadrian’s Wall metaphor: ‘After that, like a dumb prophet, watched me pegging my tents/Further and further south of Hadrian’s Wall’.

Analysis:

• The poet is paying tribute to his father in order to demonstrate the strong link between the family and feelings of belonging
• The poet is in awe of how his father has overcome pain and suffering and yet still feels a sense of contentment, which can be associated with belonging
• The poet feels isolation and distance from his parent’s heritage
• The poet regrets that he will never know his father’s heritage.

Full analysis of how the techniques and examples represent belonging:

In ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’, the poet explores the ideas of how family and respect are conducive to belonging despite differences in culture. Feliks Skrzynecki is the poet’s stepfather. The poet is paying tribute to his father in order to demonstrate the strong link between the family and feelings of belonging. The poet depicts how well his father has adjusted to being away from his native Poland. He is in awe of how his father has overcome pain and suffering and yet still feels a sense of contentment. In observing his father, the poet also explores his own sense of place and meditates on how he can not escape his own cultural heritage if he is to understand himself. In stanza 1, the metaphor ‘the Joneses of his own mind’s making’ suggest that his father’s identity is strongly linked to individualism and that he wants to do things simply in his own way. The simile ‘Loved his garden like an only child’ suggests that his father takes pride in his garden and finds a sense of himself there. In stanza 3, the poet’s isolation and distance from his parent’s heritage is demonstrated through his observation of how his father interacts with his Polish friends. He suggests through visual imagery they ‘shook hands too violently’, as if their interaction would not be acceptable and conducive to belonging in Australian culture. This behaviour also excludes the son from his Polish heritage. Visual imagery of the garden with the ‘golden cypress’ border and the ‘geraniums’ illustrates the poet’s admiration for his father, and the sense of contentment that he has worked hard to achieve. The poet uses this image to show his sense of regret that he will never know his father’s heritage nor feel the contentment that his father feels. The poet’s sense of loss of self is further represented by the Hadrian’s Wall metaphor: ‘After that, like a dumb prophet, watched me pegging my tents/Further and further south of Hadrian’s Wall’. The son is aware that he will move further and further away from his father’s heritage and there is nothing his father, a ‘dumb prophet’ (‘dumb’ meaning mute or unspeaking), can do about it.

Immigrant Chronicle: Analytical Response Plan

Plan your ideas by:

· Reading relevant poems in Immigrant Chronicle and related texts(of your own choosing)

· Researching how meaning is created through textual features in each text.

· For each question come up with:

a) an introduction

b) a conclusion

c) at least six main topic sentences

d) your main ideas in point form underneath each topic sentence

e) key quotes that support your points

f) written body paragraphs for each paragraph

g) reference to at least ONE related text of your own choosing.

HSC-style question

‘Belonging to a community or group has a significant impact on an individual’s sense of self and the community.’

Discuss this statement, focusing on how composers of texts represent the concept of belonging.

In your answer, refer to your prescribed text and at least ONE related texts of your choosing.

Before you begin writing, brainstorm ideas about the question and your possible approach to the question.

Thesis (introduction) ideas:

Introduction

As humans we constantly strive to belong within families and cultural groups. We all need to belong, to connect to others in a meaningful and enriching way. Families can create a safe environment for us to belong, but this is not always possible. Displacement from a family, community or even homeland can therefore have a significant impact on how an individual sees themselves. The impact of migration on an individual’s sense of belonging is explored in Peter Skrzyneck’s ‘Immigrant Chronicle’ and in particular the poem “Felik Skrynecki”, highlighting the significance of how displacement from a person’s heritage can affect identity. (Add your ideas about other poems and the related text here.)

Conclusion

The stories of countless migrants in Australia form a significant part of our heritage and contribute to our understanding of the communities we live in. The determination of migrants to belong and find their unique place and sense of self despite the harsh conditions and prejudices they endure, make their stories even more admirable. Peter Skrzynecki’s Immigrant Chronicle highlights the devastating, but sometimes enlightening effects of migration on the individual’s sense of self and the inherent desire in all of us to find a place to belong and feel connected to the world and its people.

First body paragraph

Topic sentence

In ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’, the poet explores the ideas of how family and respect for family members has an impact on an individual’s sense of self and their perception of culture.

Main points

• The poet is paying tribute to his father in order to demonstrate the strong link between the family and feelings of belonging
• The poet is in awe of how his father has overcome pain and suffering and yet still feels a sense of contentment, which can be associated with belonging
• The poet feels isolation and distance from his parent’s heritage
• The poet regrets that he will never know his father’s heritage

Key quotes

• the Joneses of his own mind’s making’
• ‘Loved his garden like an only child’
• ‘shook hands too violently’
• ‘golden cypress’ border and the ‘geraniums’
• ‘After that, like a dumb prophet, watched me pegging my tents/Further and further south of Hadrian’s Wall’

Body paragraph

In ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’, the poet explores the ideas of how family and respect for family members has an impact on an individual’s sense of self and their perception of culture. The poet is paying tribute to his father step father, Feliks Skrzynecki, in order to demonstrate the strong link between the family and feelings of belonging. The poet depicts how well his father has adjusted to being away from his native Poland. He is in awe of how his father has overcome pain and suffering and yet still feels a sense of contentment. In observing his father, the poet also explores his own sense of place and meditates on how he can not escape his own cultural heritage if he is to understand himself. In stanza 1, the metaphor ‘the Joneses of his own mind’s making’ suggest that his father’s identity is strongly linked to individualism and that he wants to do things simply in his own way. The simile ‘Loved his garden like an only child’ suggests that his father takes pride in his garden and finds a sense of himself there. In stanza 3, the poet’s isolation and distance from his parent’s heritage is demonstrated through his observation of how his father interacts with his Polish friends. He suggests through visual imagery they ‘shook hands too violently’, as if their interaction would not be acceptable and conducive to belonging in Australian culture. This behaviour also excludes the son from his Polish heritage. Visual imagery of the garden with the ‘golden cypress’ border and the ‘geraniums’ illustrates the poet’s admiration for his father, and the sense of contentment that he has worked hard to achieve. The poet uses this image to show his sense of regret that he will never know his father’s heritage nor feel the contentment that his father feels. The poet’s sense of loss of self is further represented by the Hadrian’s Wall metaphor: ‘After that, like a dumb prophet, watched me pegging my tents/Further and further south of Hadrian’s Wall’. The son is aware that he will move further and further away from his father’s heritage and there is nothing his father, a ‘dumb prophet’ (‘dumb’ meaning mute or unspeaking), can do about it.

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