Login

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

March 29, 2024, 05:52:30 pm

Author Topic: 2018 AA Club - Week 19  (Read 1464 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

scout

  • Trendsetter
  • **
  • Posts: 116
  • Respect: +38
2018 AA Club - Week 19
« on: July 23, 2018, 07:00:09 pm »
0
Semester 2 is upon us. It's time to up your game!

Quote
Background: the rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave in Thailand gripped the global public. To many around the world, the event was a reflection of the human nature and the state of our society.

The Thai cave rescue was born of hope, an instinct that sustains and drives us
-Kenan Malik-



‘Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.” So reads the inscription above the entrance to Hell in Dante’s Inferno. There must have been times over the past two weeks when it might have seemed the inscription to the entrance to the Tham Luang caves in Thailand. Twelve boys and their football coach trapped in total darkness, tired and emaciated, three kilometres from the entrance, cut off by flooded chambers and facing the threat of monsoon rain.

Yet what those caves have come to symbolise is the very opposite. Not the abandonment of hope but its sustenance in the most difficult of circumstances. Hope embodied in the boys, whose resilience in the face of almost impossible odds was remarkable; in the rescuers who risked their lives, refusing to countenance defeat; in the authorities whose every decision took no little courage. “Hope became reality,” said Rear Admiral Arpakorn Yuukongkaew, head of the Thai navy Seals, as the last boy was carried out of the caves.


In everyday life, we use “hope” in many contexts, from personal desire – “I hope I get an iPhone for Christmas” – to political yearnings – “I hope the trade war does not end up in real war”. But hope in the sense of that which was abandoned at Dante’s gates of Hell or sustained in the Tham Luang caves expresses something more profound: our ability as humans to imagine a future and to act in a way that might shape it. It suggests that hope is not mere wish or desire but an indissoluble feature of our humanity.

Yet, if hope is a concept inextricably linked to our understanding of ourselves as human, it is also an idea that has long been disparaged by serious thinkers. For many, it is too woolly, and too religious, a concept to take seriously. For others, it is troublesome because to hope is also to fear. Hope and fear, the Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca argued, “march in unison like a prisoner and the escort he is handcuffed to”. Both “project our thoughts far ahead of us instead of adapting ourselves to the present”.

It’s a view echoed by many contemporary thinkers. Hope and fear, suggests the American writer Sam Harris, “are two sides of the same coin: if we would be free of fear, we must let go of hope”.

It is true that hope and fear are intertwined. As the Thai boys were rescued, there cannot have been many who did not fear that all might not survive. Yet the insistence that one should jettison hope because it is linked to fear is no more meaningful than would be the claim that we should do away with the idea of the “good” because it cannot exist without also the concept of the “bad”.

To act on hope is to act without certainty, to risk disappointment. One can, of course, plan, and do so with the meticulous care exhibited by the Thai rescuers. But humans, in the end, have to make choices without knowing fully the consequences of doing so. There is no God, or scientific law, that can free us from the possibility of failure or absolve us from having to take responsibility for our actions.

The only way to rid ourselves of the fear of failure is by never trying in the first place. But that would be unconscionably worse than failing. No one, even those who dismiss the idea of hope, would have suggested that there should not have been a rescue attempt at the Tham Luang caves. Hope and fear accompany not just each other, but also any expression of human agency.

To repudiate hope, in other words, is also to deny agency. Such denial is most acute not in circumstances such as the cave rescue but in the realm of politics.



Politics entails collective action in the pursuit of goals, the outcome of which we can never be certain. A feature of recent decades has been both growing disillusionment with collective action and the erosion of movements for social change. This has given rise to a distorted sense of who or what can effect change.  In America, four out of five people who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 saw an ability to bring about change as his most important quality. That tells us less about Trump than it does about the way that real agents of change, social movements that can truly transform people’s lives, have crumbled.

And not just in America. Across the world, from Turkey to the Philippines, from Russia to Rwanda, there has been the emergence of the democratically elected authoritarian, of strongmen in whom many voters place their trust because no other routes to change are visible.

At the same time, we have seen also the rise of technocratic governments in which democratically elected politicians are replaced by experts, supposedly above the political fray. The outcome of democratic politics is necessarily uncertain. But it embodies a certain sense of hope about the ability of humans, collectively, to shape our future. The rise of technocracy, as much as of authoritarianism, is a questioning of such hope.

No one has reflected more profoundly about the nature of hope than those who survived the death camps of the Holocaust. Viktor Frankl spent three years incarcerated in concentration camps, including six months in Auschwitz. His 1946 work, Man’s Search for Meaning, is a meditation on that experience, a reflection on the ability of human beings to survive even the most degrading and tormenting of circumstances.

Humans, Frankl suggests, find themselves only through creating meaning in the world. Meaning is not something to be discovered – it is something that humans create. They do so by acting upon the world. “Man does not simply exist,” Frankl wrote, “but always decides what his existence will be.”

Hope was, for Frankl, an essential feature of human existence. Not hope in the sense of believing that someone or something will save us, but as an acknowledgement that, whatever the uncertainties, or fear of failure, we have a duty to make choices and to act upon them. That was what sustained the rescue in the Tham Luang caves. It is also what we need to rescue our politics.
ATAR: 99.70

MissSmiley

  • Forum Obsessive
  • ***
  • Posts: 349
  • Respect: +84
Re: 2018 AA Club - Week 19
« Reply #1 on: July 28, 2018, 12:39:46 pm »
0
I found this one a bit tricky! - to rephrase arguments and find techniques...
But I've tried!  :D
I haven't written an authentic intro + conclusion, because I was trying to prioritise my paragraph writing :)
Thank you so much for this opportunity to practice though!  ;D

Using a heart-warming then an optimistic tone, Malik contends to the general Australian public that the notion of hope is ever-present and intrinsic in humans; that is should be cherished in times of doubt and adversity.

Malik begins his stance by outlining how the ability of humans to hope can liberate us free from fear; whether it be in events of our day-to-day lives or in miracles like the Thai cave rescue. From the outset itself Malik establishes a bleak description of danger and complete distress – “boys…trapped in total darkness…facing the threat of monsoon rain.” When the audience senses the brave, warrior-like connotations of “rescuers who risked their lives” to save the boys, Malik’s placement of this description seeks to set a benchmark on how humanity is well protected by the concept of hope, even when people face hardships. Starting like this he attempts to reduce the social distance between him and the readership, so that they perhaps will likely to be receptive towards not giving up hoping because of the fear of the “bad.” The image of the Thai cave incident characterises the rescuers as valiant in saving lives. Furthermore, the ray of light bolsters the power of hope and courage in a dark, threatening surrounding like one depicted in the cave. Presenting a prebuttal of how “if we would be free of fear, we must let go of hope,” Malik demonstrates how a heart-warming tone can become poignant. By making this sound like a failure a giving up attitude, Malik attempts to galvanise the readers into combatting the presence of fear so that they can experience the courage in hoping.

Taking a political stance, Malik proceeds to carry undertones of satire in his argument that although hope can be despairing in democracies, it is an optimistic sign that we are progressing and trying to fulfil our hopes. Malik uses Trump’s presidency as an example of “social movements… [which have] crumbled,” the word ‘crumbled’ carrying connotations of citizens’ expectations being totally neglected and a loss of trust in the government of the day to cause a positive social change. By this, voters in the general population are made to feel insecure and deceived by at first. Ironically, this ‘fear’ is further induced through Malik’s set-up of an “authoritarian” government, one that does not cater for its citizens’ voices, but rather for political power. However, Malik’s matter-of-fact tone in his declaration that “we have a duty to make choices and to act upon them” carries end position and hence the readership of adults are encouraged to feel part of a separate entity from the political sphere; a unified entity which does not need to depend on politics to have their hopes become reality. The image of general public trying to take a political figure’s hand aggrandises the power in citizens to hope and contribute to a change themselves. The face of the political figure is omitted to symbolise politicians’ tendency to not be responsible to their voters, whilst the enthusiastic faces of members in the public, are a sign of positivity and an enduring sense of hope for the better. This empowering image of the citizens seeks to build an ingroup membership of adults in the audience, and hence they are likely to feel proud in being a part of ‘mankind’ that indeed makes sure it is democratic, regardless of political support.




2017 : Further Maths [38]
2018 : English [45] ;English Language [43] ; Food Studies [47] ;French [33] ;Legal Studies [39]
VCE ATAR : 98.10
2019 - 2023 : Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Arts at Monash University

I'm selling a huge electronic copy of  VCE English essays and resources document (with essays that have teacher feedback and marks) for $10. Feel free to PM me for details!

Anonymous

  • Guest
Re: 2018 AA Club - Week 19
« Reply #2 on: August 30, 2018, 09:01:59 pm »
0
Hey!
If it's possible, could whoever marks this please mark it like it were an exam (i.e give me a score out of 10 + feedback on where to improve). Thanks!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The recent success in the rescue of a Thai soccer team consisting of twelve boys and their coach has garnered much international interest on the importance of hope and chance in this accomplishment. In response, Kenan Malik has written a passionate newspaper article entitled, ‘The Thai cave rescue was born of hope, an instinct that sustains and drives us,’ contending that the value of hope is a powerful asset of humanity, which catalyses progress and development in both social and political fields.

From the outset, Malik argues that through hope, humans learn to face their fears, and ultimately, grow as people. Structurally, Malik’s focus on the rescue of the Thai boys and their coach in the Tham Laung caves is placed first in order to familiarize readers with the inspiration behind his stance on the power of hope to overcome adversities. The emotive imagery describing the dire conditions in the caves, coupled with the image of three rescuers, hunched over in ‘total darkness’ while pulling a stretcher out of the cave serves to illustrate a suffocating and claustrophobic environment, thus positioning readers to have empathy for those who were trapped in the cave, but yet, to also feel inspired by the determination and resilience demonstrated by the rescuers, facing what appear to be insurmountable challenges to rescue the boys and their coach. Malik reflects on the notion of perseverance through his use of a quote from the American writer, Sam Harris, who associates fear and hope with ‘two sides of the same coin’. This analogy bolsters Malik’s claim that eradicating hope because it is linked with fear, mirrors the idea of abandoning ‘the idea of good because it cannot exist without the concept of bad’. By using these analogies, Malik fosters a better understanding about the bi-dimensional relationship between hope and fear, where one cannot exist without the other. This is incorporated with his use of inclusive language in using ‘we’ in order to build rapport in readers, and to encourage them to view challenges in a more positive light through exhibiting hope.

Shifting to a more political focus, Malik asserts that hope paves a path for change that is both innovative and liberating. Continuing to develop his previous argument where he lauds taking action to make a difference without having any fear of the possible consequences, Malik uses a real-life political example of the 2016 US election, where ‘four out of five people voted for Donald Trump saw his ability to bring change as his most important quality’. The statistic in this context is presented to astound readers about the significant proportion of the American population who believed in the novel leadership prospect of Donald Trump, despite the likelihood that his ‘social movements…[will] crumble’. Hence, leaders are compelled to admire and appraise the courage of the American public, in having hope that change will be brought about under the new government, despite the anticipated negatives that their decision may ultimately bring. Furthermore, Malik emphasizes the enormity of the people’s desire for change through his method of listing the names of other countries around the world that have followed America’s path, from ‘Turkey to the Philippines, from Russia to Rwanda’. In doing so, Malik entices readers to acknowledge the diversity of countries around the globe that have been inspired by America’s desire for change through endorsing ‘democratically elected authoritarian of strongmen’, thus guiding them to have confidence in the idea of hope in instigating this change.

Maintaining an assertive tone, Malik argues that hope as the power to unify people. The image of the crowd of supporters, reaching out their hands to their elected leader, which is pictured on an equal level, is intended to extol the values of mutual respect, as well as to reinforce Malik’s praise of ‘collective action’ taken in the scheme of politics in order to dictate the future of a country through electing a new government. The optimistic portrayal of ‘collective action’ is further reiterated through the depiction of the American flag in the background of the array of hands, symbolizing the embodiment of a ‘sense of hope’ that allows humans to collectively ‘shape [the] future’ of their nation, and thus, appeals to the patriotism and pride of the American people. This sense of unification established by the people is further accentuated through Malik’s use of inclusive language. In implying that hope has the potential to shape ‘our future’, Malik positions readers to feel as if they play a pivotal role in changing the fate of their country if they collectively display hope, in the absence of fear in failure. In approaching his conclusion, Malik develops on his belief in the power of humans to shape their fate through hope by using an example of a Holocaust survivor, Victor Frankl’s story. The description of his three years spent ‘incarcerated in concentration camps as ‘degrading and tormenting’, juxtaposes with the ‘most impossible odds’ that the Thai boys and their soccer coach faced in the Thaum Laung caves. Malik’s use of real-life examples to portray how individuals in different, yet, harrowing situations can survive, signifies the overwhelming potential for human beings to exceed expectations as a collective, and essentially, break away from the traumatic situation that they are trapped in. Ultimately, the circular structure of Malik’s article, with reference to hope as a unifying force to ‘sustain the rescue at the Tham Laung caves’ included at the end of his article, Malik draws readers to see the positive connection between what has been achieved through the collaborative action of human beings and being empowered by a sense of hope to work towards a common goal.

Throughout his piece, Malik praises the value of hope in shaping the future, and in strengthening the human spirit. In doing so, he presents hope as a powerful tool in combatting social and political issues. Through his use of real-life examples, he draws a connection between the role of hope in pulling individuals out of chaotic circumstances and its role in creating a bright future for a nation. Ultimately, through these examples, he fosters the view that hope is an essential feature of the human condition, and it can make influential contributions to all aspects of society.



scout

  • Trendsetter
  • **
  • Posts: 116
  • Respect: +38
Re: 2018 AA Club - Week 19
« Reply #3 on: October 05, 2018, 09:42:45 pm »
0
I found this one a bit tricky! - to rephrase arguments and find techniques...
But I've tried!  :D
I haven't written an authentic intro + conclusion, because I was trying to prioritise my paragraph writing :)
Thank you so much for this opportunity to practice though!  ;D

Using a heart-warming then an optimistic tone, Malik contends to the general Australian public that the notion of hope is ever-present and intrinsic in humans; that it should be cherished in times of doubt and adversity good.

Malik begins his stance by outlining how the ability of humans to hope can liberate us free from fear; whether it be in events of our day-to-day lives or in miracles like the Thai cave rescue. From the outset itself Malik establishes a bleak description of danger and complete distress – “boys…trapped in total darkness…facing the threat of monsoon rain.” When the audience senses the brave, warrior-like connotations of “rescuers who risked their lives” to save the boys, Malik’s placement of this description seeks to set a benchmark on how humanity is well protected by the concept of hope, even when people face hardships. Starting like this he attempts to reduce the social distance between him and the readership, so that they perhaps will likely perhaps or likely? Choose one to be receptive towards not giving up hoping because of the fear of the “bad.” The image of the Thai cave incident characterises the rescuers as valiant in saving lives. Furthermore, the ray of light bolsters the power of hope and courage in a dark, threatening surrounding like one depicted in the cave. Presenting a prebuttal of how “if we would be free of fear, we must let go of hope,” Malik demonstrates how a heart-warming tone can become poignant good opportunity to analyse tonal shifts/argument strategies. By making this sound like a failure a giving up attitude, Malik attempts to galvanise the readers into combatting the presence of fear so that they can experience the courage in hoping.

Taking a political stance, Malik proceeds to carry undertones of satire in his argument either: his argument carries undertones of satire or he injects undertones of satire into his argument that although hope can be despairing in democracies, it is an optimistic sign that we are progressing and trying to fulfil our hopes. Malik uses Trump’s presidency as an example of “social movements… [which have] crumbled,” the word ‘crumbled’ carrying connotations of citizens’ expectations being totally neglected and a loss of trust in the government of the day to cause a positive social change. By this, voters in the general population are made to feel insecure and deceived by at first. Ironically, this ‘fear’ is further induced through Malik’s set-up of an “authoritarian” government, one that does not cater for its citizens’ voices, but rather, for political power. However, Malik’s matter-of-fact tone in his declaration that “we have a duty to make choices and to act upon them” carries end position?? and hence the readership of adults are encouraged to feel part of a separate entity from the political sphere is the quote about separation from politics only?; a unified entity which does not need to depend on politics to have their hopes become reality. The image of general public trying to take a political figure’s hand aggrandises the power in citizens to hope and contribute to a change themselves. The face of the political figure is omitted to symbolise politicians’ tendency to not be responsible to their voters good inference, whilst the enthusiastic faces of members in the public, are a sign of positivity and an enduring sense of hope for the better. This empowering image of the citizens seeks to build an ingroup membership of adults in the audience, and hence they are likely to feel proud in being a part of ‘mankind’ that indeed makes sure it is democratic, regardless of political support.
ATAR: 99.70

scout

  • Trendsetter
  • **
  • Posts: 116
  • Respect: +38
Re: 2018 AA Club - Week 19
« Reply #4 on: October 05, 2018, 10:00:38 pm »
0
Hey!
If it's possible, could whoever marks this please mark it like it were an exam (i.e give me a score out of 10 + feedback on where to improve). Thanks!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The recent success in the rescue of a Thai soccer team consisting of twelve boys and their coach has garnered much international interest on the importance of hope and chance in this accomplishment. In response, Kenan Malik has written a passionate newspaper article entitled, ‘The Thai cave rescue was born of hope, an instinct that sustains and drives us,’ contending that the value of hope is a powerful asset of humanity, which catalyses progress and development in both social and political fields good Who's the audience? Because you do mention the American people as if this article is addressed to an American audience, so just be clear on this.

From the outset, Malik argues that through hope, humans learn to face their fears, and ultimately, grow as people nice. Structurally, Malik’s focus on the rescue of the Thai boys and their coach in the Tham Laung caves is placed first in order to familiarise readers with the inspiration behind his stance on the power of hope to overcome adversities good AA. The emotive imagery describing the dire conditions in the caves, coupled with the image of three rescuers, hunched over in ‘total darkness’ while pulling a stretcher out of the cave serves to illustrate a suffocating and claustrophobic environment, thus positioning readers to have empathy for those who were trapped in the cave, but yet, to also feel inspired by the determination and resilience demonstrated by the rescuers, facing what appear to be insurmountable challenges to rescue the boys and their coach good analysis. Malik reflects on the notion of perseverance through his use of a quote from the American writer, Sam Harris, who associates fear and hope with ‘two sides of the same coin’. This analogy bolsters Malik’s claim that eradicating hope, because it is linked with fear, mirrors the idea of abandoning ‘the idea of good because it cannot exist without the concept of bad’. By using these analogies, Malik fosters a better understanding about the bi-dimensional relationship between hope and fear, where one cannot exist without the other - final step --> so how does this link to the argument (human development)/contention (hope is essential to humanity) . This is incorporated with his use of inclusive language in using ‘we’ in order to build rapport in readers, and to encourage them to view challenges in a more positive light through exhibiting hope.

Shifting to a more political focus, Malik asserts that hope paves a path for change that is both innovative and liberating. Continuing to develop his previous argument where he lauds taking action to make a difference without having any fear of the possible consequences, Malik uses a real-life political example of the 2016 US election, where ‘four out of five people voted for Donald Trump saw his ability to bring change as his most important quality’. The statistic in this context is presented to astound readers about the significant proportion of the American population who believed in the novel leadership prospect of Donald Trump, despite the likelihood that his ‘social movements…[will] crumble’. Hence, leaders are compelled to admire and appraise praise the courage of the American public, in having hope that change will be brought about under the new government, despite the anticipated negatives that their decision may ultimately bring good. Furthermore, Malik emphasizes the enormity of the people’s desire for change through his method of listing the names of other countries around the world that have followed America’s path, from ‘Turkey to the Philippines, from Russia to Rwanda’. In doing so, Malik entices readers to acknowledge the diversity of countries around the globe that have been inspired by America’s desire for change through endorsing ‘democratically elected authoritarian of strongmen’, thus guiding them to have confidence in the idea of hope in instigating this change.

Maintaining an assertive tone, Malik argues that hope has the power to unify people. The image of the crowd of supporters, reaching out their hands to their elected leader, which is pictured on an equal level, is intended to extol the values of mutual respect, as well as to reinforce Malik’s praise of ‘collective action’ taken in the scheme of politics in order to dictate the future of a country through electing a new government. The optimistic portrayal of ‘collective action’ is further reiterated through the depiction of the American flag in the background of the array of hands, symbolizing the embodiment of a ‘sense of hope’ that allows humans to collectively ‘shape [the] future’ of their nation, and thus, appeals to the patriotism and pride of the American people. This sense of unification established by the people is further accentuated through Malik’s use of inclusive language. In implying that hope has the potential to shape ‘our future’, Malik positions readers to feel as if they play a pivotal role in changing the fate of their country if they collectively display hope, in the absence of fear in failure. In approaching having approached his conclusion, Malik develops on his belief in the power of humans to shape their fate through hope by using an example of a Holocaust survivor, Victor Frankl’s story. The description of his three years spent ‘incarcerated in concentration camps as ‘degrading and tormenting’, juxtaposes with the ‘most impossible odds’ that the Thai boys and their soccer coach faced in the Thaum Laung caves. Malik’s use of real-life examples to portray how individuals in different, yet, harrowing situations can survive, signifies the overwhelming potential for human beings to exceed expectations as a collective, and essentially, break away from the traumatic situation that they are trapped in good. But is Victor Frankl's story one about collective power or individual power to rise above hardships?. Ultimately, the circular structure of Malik’s article, with reference to hope as a unifying force to ‘sustain the rescue at the Tham Laung caves’ included at the end of his article, Malik draws enables readers to see the positive connection between what has been achieved through the collaborative action of human beings and being empowered by a sense of hope to work towards a common goal. don't quite get the link between this reasoning and the circular structure

Throughout his piece, Malik praises the value of hope in shaping the future, and in strengthening the human spirit. In doing so, he presents hope as a powerful tool in combatting social and political issues. Through his use of real-life examples, he draws a connection between the role of hope in pulling individuals out of chaotic circumstances and its role in creating a bright future for a nation. Ultimately, through these examples, he fosters the view that hope is an essential feature of the human condition, and it can make influential contributions to all aspects of society.

ATAR: 99.70