Insight Contexts 2012 Edited by Blair Mahoney & Robert Beardwood
Copyright Insight Publications First published in 2008, 2nd ed. 2009, 3rd ed. 2010, 4th ed. 2011 by: Insight Publications Pty Ltd ABN 57 005 102 983 89 Wellington Street St Kilda Victoria 3182 Australia. Tel: +61 3 9523 0044 Fax: +61 3 9523 2044 Email: books@insightpublications.com.au www.insightpublications.com.au Reproduction and Communication for educational purposes The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or 10% of the pages of this work, whichever is the greater, to be reproduced and/or communicated by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or the body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act. For details of the CAL licence for educational institutions contact: Copyright Agency Limited Level 15, 233 Castlereagh Street Sydney NSW 2000 Tel: +61 2 9394 7600 Fax: +61 2 9394 7601 Email: info@copyright.com.au Reproduction and Communication for other purposes Except as permitted under the Act (for example, any fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review) no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. All inquiries should be made to the publisher at the address above. Title: Insight contexts 2011 : Whose reality? edited by Robert Beardwood and Blair Mahoney. ISBN: 9781921411281 (pbk.) Target Audience: For secondary school age. Subjects: English language--study and teaching (Secondary)--Textbooks. English literature--study and teaching (Secondary)--Textbooks. Other Authors/Contributors: Beardwood, Robert, 1966- Mahoney, Blair. Dewey Number: 808.042 Printed in Australia by On Demand Insight Publications is committed to environmentally responsible production practices. This book has been printed on sustainably manufactured paper in Australia to minimise our carbon footprint and support local industries and expertise.
Contents Introduction: studying a Context 1 Exploring the Context: Whose Reality? 4 Building the Context 4 Identifying the ideas 8 Clarifying the ideas 15 A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams 18 Spies by Michael Frayn 31 The Player directed by Robert Altman 44 The Lot by Michael Leunig 56 Writing on Whose Reality? 68 Expository, persuasive, imaginative 68 Form, language, audience and purpose 70 Written explanation (English) 71 Incorporating Context ideas 72 Sample prompts 74 Sample responses 75 Supplementary texts 90
INTRODUCTION Studying a Context In VCE English and ESL, Area of Study 2 is called Creating and Presenting, and these two words sum up your main focus in this unit. It is all about the pieces of writing that you create and the ways in which you present your ideas to your reader in as interesting and engaging a style as possible. There are two main starting points for your ideas for writing: a set Context, and two selected texts which will be chosen by your school, from List 2 published by the VCAA. The Context The Context gives you the key terms and concepts: your task is to unpack these and identify the ideas, arguments, questions and problems to take up in your own writing. There is no limit to the number of ideas you, your teachers and your classmates will come up with: you will find them in everyday life, in media issues, in films and novels, and on the internet. Think of Context ideas not as single words such as Identity but as compact statements, such as Families give us our identities. This gives you something specific to work with and allows you to consider viewpoints both for and against the statement. Having different angles or positions on a Context idea provides a source of tension or an argument and hence a focus for your writing. The first section of this Context guide discusses some of the ideas and arguments relevant to your Context. It is not exhaustive, but it shows how wide-ranging your discussions and writing can be in this unit. It also illustrates how to build up a set of words and concepts you can use in your writing. Introduction 1
The selected texts You will also study two selected texts one in Unit 3 and one in Unit 4. These texts will explore Context ideas through a variety of writing techniques and styles, narrative points of view, and settings in different places and times. They will also present a range of arguments or positions on Context ideas. These might be dramatised in tensions and conflicts between characters, or through the narrator s reflections on the real nature of past experiences. The second section of this guide contains four articles which discuss each of the four selected texts for Whose Reality?. These articles are not in-depth analyses of every character and theme and nor should your own writing on the Context analyse texts in this way. Rather, the articles explain some of the key Context ideas explored by the text and the ways in which the text presents them. You can then take up and develop these ideas and approaches in your own writing. The final section, Writing on Whose Reality?, shows you a number of possible approaches to the assessment tasks, including sample prompts and responses. Assessment There are three assessment tasks for Creating and Presenting: a SAC in each of Units 3 and 4, and Section B of the final exam. Your SACs are very important as they prepare you for the exam as well as contributing to your coursework score. Your SAC will probably contain a prompt that is, a statement about a Context idea for you to respond to. 2 Insight Context Guide
However the writing task for the SAC can still differ from the exam in three important ways: In the SAC You can be asked to write an extended piece (around 900 1200 words), OR 3 5 shorter pieces (totalling around 1000 1500 words). You may be given a task that specifies the audience and purpose for which you are to write. English: you will need to write an explanation of your purpose, form and language choices, and of how you have drawn ideas from the selected text. ESL: the written explanation is NOT REQUIRED. In the exam You will write one extended piece (aim for around 1000 words). You will NOT be given a specified audience and purpose in the examination. The written explanation is NOT REQUIRED. Introduction 3
EXPLORING THE CONTEXT Reality is a large concept to be dealing with for this Context, and it is something that you may not be used to questioning. Reality tends to be something that we just take for granted. Because the Context title is framed as a question, it invites you to approach the Context in an inquisitive and perhaps sceptical manner. You should consider different aspects of reality and think about what is real and what isn t real, but above all you need to address the subjective nature of reality and the idea that your reality might be different from someone else s. Building the Context Building the Context requires you to develop a range of initial ideas about what the Context means. What issues does it relate to? What questions does it encourage you to think about? You are building the Context broadly at this stage. It is not yet necessary to draw ideas from the texts you are studying. The parameters of the Context may be endless but you will build an initial framework that you can add to, refine or change as your thinking develops. Below are several suggested activities for building the Context. You may do these activities individually. In the classroom, different groups may choose different activities and then report their findings to the class as a whole. It may also be useful to revisit these activities at various stages throughout the year to see how your initial thoughts about the Context have changed. Words and meanings As already mentioned, reality is a large concept that can be approached from a number of different angles. It s important that you consider all of the aspects that you can to give you the flexibility to respond to whatever prompt/stimulus material you might be given for a SAC or the exam. One of the best ways to do this is to create your own word bank which you can add to throughout the year, on your own or in class: 4 Insight Context Guide
Begin by brainstorming definitions of the key words of the Context: whose and reality. Use a dictionary and thesaurus to expand on these definitions and write down several entries that seem helpful or interesting to you. Consider the associated words, terms, phrases and meanings that are elicited by these initial key words. For example, the word reality can be used in phrases such as reality check, the reality is or in reality ; what does it mean in these contexts? Consider also the dictionary definitions for real, realism and realist. Work in groups of three or four and compare and discuss your findings. How do these relate to or contrast with whose and reality? It will be useful to repeat this task at various times throughout your study of the Context, to see how these words and meanings change. Below are some associated words and phrases. Start with these. How many other words and phrases can you think of? Perception Belief Fantasy Truth Delusion Misrepresentation Plausible Fact Fiction Imagination Illusion Persuasion Credibility Self-deception Quotations Other people s viewpoints can stimulate and expand your thinking. Use the internet to find relevant quotations on reality. These will help to expand your word bank and also the ideas that you associate with the Context. The quotes can also be used as starting points for discussion or writing prompts. For example, consider this quotation from the German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Few people have the imagination for reality. He seems to be yoking together seemingly opposite concepts, suggesting that imagination is a necessary component Exploring the Context 5
of reality rather than something opposed to it. Is this the way you see reality? How does this view fit with the view/s of reality embodied in the texts you are studying for this Context? Is it real? How do we know that something is real? What makes something real? What features must something have in order to be real? In small groups, create a list of the features of some real objects. You might start by choosing an object in the room, then answer questions such as: What makes this object real? How do we know that it is real? How can we be sure that it is not imagined? Questions about what is real and what is not can be broadly divided into those that deal with existence and those that deal with knowledge or perception. That is, we can attempt to ascertain whether or not something is (objectively) real, but it is quite another question to consider our individual experiences of that real thing. In small groups, select something that you all agree is real (for example, your school), and then write down a short paragraph on your individual experiences of the school. Compare your accounts and see how they differ. Can something that is invisible or unseen be real? Consider the following questions: Are feelings and emotions real? If so, how is this reality different from the reality of the things that we can see and touch? Think also about abstract concepts like love or justice: are they real? The artistic approach One of the most fruitful areas for inspiration when it comes to exploring this Context is the world of art. Look at the way different artists have played with or explored aspects of reality and use this to deepen your understanding of reality and how it can be approached in myriad ways. You can visit a gallery or look for works online, as a wide range of artworks are available to view on the Internet. You might want to consider the following movements or artists. 6 Insight Context Guide
Surrealism: this movement encompassed writers as well as artists and began in the 1920s. The word surreal means literally above the real, and these artists saw themselves as going beyond the conventional view of reality. Consider the work of artists such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Rene Magritte, Giorgio de Chirico and the photographer Man Ray. The National Gallery of Australia, Canberra has hosted an exhibition of Australian Surrealism featuring artists such as James Gleeson and Sidney Nolan. MC Escher: this Dutch graphic artist is famous for his woodcuts and lithographs that feature constructions which are not possible in reality. For example, his famous Drawing Hands shows two hands that are drawing each other, while his lithograph titled Relativity depicts a paradoxical and impossible world of staircases where gravity does not apply. Marc Chagall: this Russian/French artist is notable for his vivid and highly symbolic paintings that depict a dreamlike world which seems at odds with our everyday reality. Frida Kahlo: the Mexican Kahlo had an uneasy relationship with reality, transferring the constant pain she experienced after an accident in her early adulthood onto the canvas, where she explored it in symbolic form, depicting herself in a variety of guises in her many self portraits. Reality TV In the past decade there has been a rise in the number of reality shows on our television screens. How many can you name? In small groups, choose a particular show currently on television and discuss its features. In your discussion, consider the following: How much reality is actually shown? Is reality manipulated? Does editing or censorship distort the reality being shown? If you or members of your discussion group were part of this reality television show, ask yourselves how much reality you would be comfortable sharing with the public. Would you reveal your true character and beliefs or would you behave in a way that you thought would help you win a prize? Exploring the Context 7