Ways of Thinking: After the Bomb!

[dancing phalanges]

Hey!

I'm struggling for ideas for a creative piece.
What we've done so far in class, I feel, is very specific to analysing just Good Night and Good Luck (we've only studied this text at this point in time), and so I don't know any other paradigms/ways of thinking during the period we are studying, apart from the paranoia and fear surrounding McCarthyism, role of media in conveying the truth, etc. etc.
[My other texts are Godot & Ariel]

So now where should I start so I have some idea of what to write about for my creative? How do I ensure that it links to the rubric??

I just feel so lost because the era is so broad... and I also have no idea how to structure an ext essay, which I at least know is very different to adv.

Thank you!

Can we struggle together XD Trying to do my creative now too, I get your feels~
 theyam

Wish I could help you guys content wise but I did Romanticism! I just looked for you though - maybe have a look at this document - https://www.englishteacher.com.au/resources/command/download_file/id/240/filename/113_Waiting_for_Godot_.pdf
It is both broadly looking at ATB and its paradigms whilst also focusing on Waiting for Godot. It is part of the Metaphor publication by the ETA (English Teachers Association) so it would definitely be a handy resource!

In terms of structuring ENE essays - usually people will say integrated is the best, but it gets messy if not done right. I personally did mine simple - one para for each text discussing 1-2 ideas in each para. You can integrate your texts in such a way (this is from my Romanticism essay). If I was discussing Frankenstein, which warns against the potential dangers of the human imagination, in my essay I would look to use one or two sentences to contrast it with another one of my texts I have discussed earlier. Here's an example: While Coleridge's Lime Tree Bower My Prison celebrates the power of the individual imagination in enlightening the individual, Shelley's Frankenstein presents a warning against the creative power of man through the characterisation of Victor Frankenstein... then you can go into your Frankenstein analysis.

If you are not confident integrating... don't do it! I didn't and still got 48/50 so don't think that you need to fully integrate to get good marks, do what YOU are comfortable with

[Lumenoria]

Hey!

I'm struggling for ideas for a creative piece.
What we've done so far in class, I feel, is very specific to analysing just Good Night and Good Luck (we've only studied this text at this point in time), and so I don't know any other paradigms/ways of thinking during the period we are studying, apart from the paranoia and fear surrounding McCarthyism, role of media in conveying the truth, etc. etc.
[My other texts are Godot & Ariel]

So now where should I start so I have some idea of what to write about for my creative? How do I ensure that it links to the rubric??

I just feel so lost because the era is so broad... and I also have no idea how to structure an ext essay, which I at least know is very different to adv.

Thank you!

Can we struggle together XD Trying to do my creative now too, I get your feels~
 theyam

Ohmygod, you guys have literally described my exact situation from only a few weeks ago. I was studying "Good Night and Good Luck" too as my prescribed text and our lessons were essentially ALL centralised around the age of anxiety, the political contention between communism and capitalism, fear of dissent... blah blah blah - all of the shit that is associated with the McCarthyism era. We were told that we had to have a completed 1500 word creative draft handed in by the end of these holidays, so I was freaking the fuck out because I had little to no knowledge about anything but McCarthyism. Even my knowledge of that seemed pretty limited honestly - it seriously felt like all my teacher did was repeat the phrase 'age of anxiety' five hundred million times and nothing else lol. I thought the phenomenon was quite interesting, but honestly I felt like I needed to explore all my options first - as you said, the After the Bomb period is quite broad so there obviously was MUCH more beyond just McCarthyism - so I did my own research. First, I tried to find observations from the public from people who had lived during the cold war to establish the general sentiments from the ordinary individual. I probably looked through a hundred sources that entailed anecdotal experiences, in addition to reading excerpts from books published at the time. Then, I looked into the political/personal consensus on significant events that were characteristic of the time, such as both the erection and dismantling of the Berlin Wall, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction, the Gulags, the Petrov affair, the assassination of John F Kennedy, Los Alamos, death of Stalin, the Marshall plan, Rosenbergs, the Korean war... just to name a few. I even read through events that occurred before the period during the actual war itself. For example, I read through memoirs and anecdotes written by people who had first-hand experiences of the Dresden bombings in 1945. I did this so that I had more to work with, and so that I could generate my own ideas and beliefs about how these experiences of the war potentially contributed to the climate of anxiety that ensued. Honestly, it's quite fascinating to read about this stuff and I would happily spend hours per day just trying to consolidate my understanding - it didn't even feel like I was doing so under academic obligation. I didn't take any notes or anything though, just let the information sink in enough so that I was able to get a "taste" of each perspective/event.

In the end, I conceded that, however it would be done, I wanted to ultimately have a creative that critiqued the materialistic influence of capitalism on the psyche of the individual by contrasting it against the egalitarian principles that drove the sense of affinity which was prevalent in East Germany (and was much more prominent than what we have today). I wasn't sure how I'd go about it because my teacher didn't recommend addressing too many ideas, but I think I pulled it off okay. I wrote it with a paramount focus on reducing the brutality of the GDR regime to a personal level, rather than just the impersonal totalitarianism of the regime. I did this through the eyes of a young child by exploring the Stasi, which I used as a means to emphasise the anxiety and mistrust that permeated the environment as a result of arbitrary surveillance. These are just a few of the many ideas I grappled with, I still have a long way to go in the refining process hahah!

I think you'd really benefit by ensuring you have a comprehensive understanding of the specific event first! The way I achieved my "outline", was by picking a few concepts that I liked the most - capitalism vs communism; the Stasi; and the dismantling of the Berlin Wall. Then, I fleshed out these ideas into extreme specifics so that I could develop possible links with eachother in order to achieve a seamless, plausible storyline. I had probably 3 or so propositions, and I ended up integrating one of them into my response. During the actual writing process, I played around with the structure intensely and even my storyline changed a bit. Initially I was doing something about the Gulags and the Siberian concentration camps/death marches and I had written 700 words written in that regard before I completely ditched it for this one lol. Seriously though, I spent exponentially more time researching than writing the piece itself. I'd recommend "After the Wall" by Jana Hensel, it's a fairly quick read but provides quite an insight from the lens of a girl who grew up during the instability of East Germany. In particular, its examination of the cultural effects of the fall of communism and the transfer toward West German customs places great emphasis on the difficulties that the East population had assimilating - which I thought was incredibly interesting. Just immerse yourself in the time period honestly, you can't really go wrong with that.

My teacher is completely useless too though, don't worry haha! I hope you guys make some progress soon Just start researching, you'll be hung up on nitty gritty details before you know it lol

[theyam]

Wish I could help you guys content wise but I did Romanticism! I just looked for you though - maybe have a look at this document - https://www.englishteacher.com.au/resources/command/download_file/id/240/filename/113_Waiting_for_Godot_.pdf
It is both broadly looking at ATB and its paradigms whilst also focusing on Waiting for Godot. It is part of the Metaphor publication by the ETA (English Teachers Association) so it would definitely be a handy resource!

In terms of structuring ENE essays - usually people will say integrated is the best, but it gets messy if not done right. I personally did mine simple - one para for each text discussing 1-2 ideas in each para. You can integrate your texts in such a way (this is from my Romanticism essay). If I was discussing Frankenstein, which warns against the potential dangers of the human imagination, in my essay I would look to use one or two sentences to contrast it with another one of my texts I have discussed earlier. Here's an example: While Coleridge's Lime Tree Bower My Prison celebrates the power of the individual imagination in enlightening the individual, Shelley's Frankenstein presents a warning against the creative power of man through the characterisation of Victor Frankenstein... then you can go into your Frankenstein analysis.

If you are not confident integrating... don't do it! I didn't and still got 48/50 so don't think that you need to fully integrate to get good marks, do what YOU are comfortable with

hellooo

Thank you very much for your advice and the link to the resource!!
From theyam:)

Spoiler

Ohmygod, you guys have literally described my exact situation from only a few weeks ago. I was studying "Good Night and Good Luck" too as my prescribed text and our lessons were essentially ALL centralised around the age of anxiety, the political contention between communism and capitalism, fear of dissent... blah blah blah - all of the shit that is associated with the McCarthyism era. We were told that we had to have a completed 1500 word creative draft handed in by the end of these holidays, so I was freaking the fuck out because I had little to no knowledge about anything but McCarthyism. Even my knowledge of that seemed pretty limited honestly - it seriously felt like all my teacher did was repeat the phrase 'age of anxiety' five hundred million times and nothing else lol. I thought the phenomenon was quite interesting, but honestly I felt like I needed to explore all my options first - as you said, the After the Bomb period is quite broad so there obviously was MUCH more beyond just McCarthyism - so I did my own research. First, I tried to find observations from the public from people who had lived during the cold war to establish the general sentiments from the ordinary individual. I probably looked through a hundred sources that entailed anecdotal experiences, in addition to reading excerpts from books published at the time. Then, I looked into the political/personal consensus on significant events that were characteristic of the time, such as both the erection and dismantling of the Berlin Wall, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction, the Gulags, the Petrov affair, the assassination of John F Kennedy, Los Alamos, death of Stalin, the Marshall plan, Rosenbergs, the Korean war... just to name a few. I even read through events that occurred before the period during the actual war itself. For example, I read through memoirs and anecdotes written by people who had first-hand experiences of the Dresden bombings in 1945. I did this so that I had more to work with, and so that I could generate my own ideas and beliefs about how these experiences of the war potentially contributed to the climate of anxiety that ensued. Honestly, it's quite fascinating to read about this stuff and I would happily spend hours per day just trying to consolidate my understanding - it didn't even feel like I was doing so under academic obligation. I didn't take any notes or anything though, just let the information sink in enough so that I was able to get a "taste" of each perspective/event.

In the end, I conceded that, however it would be done, I wanted to ultimately have a creative that critiqued the materialistic influence of capitalism on the psyche of the individual by contrasting it against the egalitarian principles that drove the sense of affinity which was prevalent in East Germany (and was much more prominent than what we have today). I wasn't sure how I'd go about it because my teacher didn't recommend addressing too many ideas, but I think I pulled it off okay. I wrote it with a paramount focus on reducing the brutality of the GDR regime to a personal level, rather than just the impersonal totalitarianism of the regime. I did this through the eyes of a young child by exploring the Stasi, which I used as a means to emphasise the anxiety and mistrust that permeated the environment as a result of arbitrary surveillance. These are just a few of the many ideas I grappled with, I still have a long way to go in the refining process hahah!

I think you'd really benefit by ensuring you have a comprehensive understanding of the specific event first! The way I achieved my "outline", was by picking a few concepts that I liked the most - capitalism vs communism; the Stasi; and the dismantling of the Berlin Wall. Then, I fleshed out these ideas into extreme specifics so that I could develop possible links with eachother in order to achieve a seamless, plausible storyline. I had probably 3 or so propositions, and I ended up integrating one of them into my response. During the actual writing process, I played around with the structure intensely and even my storyline changed a bit. Initially I was doing something about the Gulags and the Siberian concentration camps/death marches and I had written 700 words written in that regard before I completely ditched it for this one lol. Seriously though, I spent exponentially more time researching than writing the piece itself. I'd recommend "After the Wall" by Jana Hensel, it's a fairly quick read but provides quite an insight from the lens of a girl who grew up during the instability of East Germany. In particular, its examination of the cultural effects of the fall of communism and the transfer toward West German customs places great emphasis on the difficulties that the East population had assimilating - which I thought was incredibly interesting. Just immerse yourself in the time period honestly, you can't really go wrong with that.

My teacher is completely useless too though, don't worry haha! I hope you guys make some progress soon Just start researching, you'll be hung up on nitty gritty details before you know it lol

Hello Lumenoria~

THANK YOU SO MUCH YOUR TIPS AND SHARING YOUR METHOD IN HOW YOU WROTE YOUR CREATIVE!! I honestly feel a lot less lost reading your post so thank you so much!

From theyam:)

MOD EDIT - Merged posts

[beeangkah]

Wish I could help you guys content wise but I did Romanticism! I just looked for you though - maybe have a look at this document - https://www.englishteacher.com.au/resources/command/download_file/id/240/filename/113_Waiting_for_Godot_.pdf
It is both broadly looking at ATB and its paradigms whilst also focusing on Waiting for Godot. It is part of the Metaphor publication by the ETA (English Teachers Association) so it would definitely be a handy resource!

In terms of structuring ENE essays - usually people will say integrated is the best, but it gets messy if not done right. I personally did mine simple - one para for each text discussing 1-2 ideas in each para. You can integrate your texts in such a way (this is from my Romanticism essay). If I was discussing Frankenstein, which warns against the potential dangers of the human imagination, in my essay I would look to use one or two sentences to contrast it with another one of my texts I have discussed earlier. Here's an example: While Coleridge's Lime Tree Bower My Prison celebrates the power of the individual imagination in enlightening the individual, Shelley's Frankenstein presents a warning against the creative power of man through the characterisation of Victor Frankenstein... then you can go into your Frankenstein analysis.

If you are not confident integrating... don't do it! I didn't and still got 48/50 so don't think that you need to fully integrate to get good marks, do what YOU are comfortable with

Ohmygod, you guys have literally described my exact situation from only a few weeks ago. I was studying "Good Night and Good Luck" too as my prescribed text and our lessons were essentially ALL centralised around the age of anxiety, the political contention between communism and capitalism, fear of dissent... blah blah blah - all of the shit that is associated with the McCarthyism era. We were told that we had to have a completed 1500 word creative draft handed in by the end of these holidays, so I was freaking the fuck out because I had little to no knowledge about anything but McCarthyism. Even my knowledge of that seemed pretty limited honestly - it seriously felt like all my teacher did was repeat the phrase 'age of anxiety' five hundred million times and nothing else lol. I thought the phenomenon was quite interesting, but honestly I felt like I needed to explore all my options first - as you said, the After the Bomb period is quite broad so there obviously was MUCH more beyond just McCarthyism - so I did my own research. First, I tried to find observations from the public from people who had lived during the cold war to establish the general sentiments from the ordinary individual. I probably looked through a hundred sources that entailed anecdotal experiences, in addition to reading excerpts from books published at the time. Then, I looked into the political/personal consensus on significant events that were characteristic of the time, such as both the erection and dismantling of the Berlin Wall, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction, the Gulags, the Petrov affair, the assassination of John F Kennedy, Los Alamos, death of Stalin, the Marshall plan, Rosenbergs, the Korean war... just to name a few. I even read through events that occurred before the period during the actual war itself. For example, I read through memoirs and anecdotes written by people who had first-hand experiences of the Dresden bombings in 1945. I did this so that I had more to work with, and so that I could generate my own ideas and beliefs about how these experiences of the war potentially contributed to the climate of anxiety that ensued. Honestly, it's quite fascinating to read about this stuff and I would happily spend hours per day just trying to consolidate my understanding - it didn't even feel like I was doing so under academic obligation. I didn't take any notes or anything though, just let the information sink in enough so that I was able to get a "taste" of each perspective/event.

In the end, I conceded that, however it would be done, I wanted to ultimately have a creative that critiqued the materialistic influence of capitalism on the psyche of the individual by contrasting it against the egalitarian principles that drove the sense of affinity which was prevalent in East Germany (and was much more prominent than what we have today). I wasn't sure how I'd go about it because my teacher didn't recommend addressing too many ideas, but I think I pulled it off okay. I wrote it with a paramount focus on reducing the brutality of the GDR regime to a personal level, rather than just the impersonal totalitarianism of the regime. I did this through the eyes of a young child by exploring the Stasi, which I used as a means to emphasise the anxiety and mistrust that permeated the environment as a result of arbitrary surveillance. These are just a few of the many ideas I grappled with, I still have a long way to go in the refining process hahah!

I think you'd really benefit by ensuring you have a comprehensive understanding of the specific event first! The way I achieved my "outline", was by picking a few concepts that I liked the most - capitalism vs communism; the Stasi; and the dismantling of the Berlin Wall. Then, I fleshed out these ideas into extreme specifics so that I could develop possible links with eachother in order to achieve a seamless, plausible storyline. I had probably 3 or so propositions, and I ended up integrating one of them into my response. During the actual writing process, I played around with the structure intensely and even my storyline changed a bit. Initially I was doing something about the Gulags and the Siberian concentration camps/death marches and I had written 700 words written in that regard before I completely ditched it for this one lol. Seriously though, I spent exponentially more time researching than writing the piece itself. I'd recommend "After the Wall" by Jana Hensel, it's a fairly quick read but provides quite an insight from the lens of a girl who grew up during the instability of East Germany. In particular, its examination of the cultural effects of the fall of communism and the transfer toward West German customs places great emphasis on the difficulties that the East population had assimilating - which I thought was incredibly interesting. Just immerse yourself in the time period honestly, you can't really go wrong with that.

My teacher is completely useless too though, don't worry haha! I hope you guys make some progress soon Just start researching, you'll be hung up on nitty gritty details before you know it lol

Hello Lumenoria~

THANK YOU SO MUCH YOUR TIPS AND SHARING YOUR METHOD IN HOW YOU WROTE YOUR CREATIVE!! I honestly feel a lot less lost reading your post so thank you so much!

From theyam:)

Yes, thank you both for your responses!

I'm less lost now 

[Lumenoria]

Yes, thank you both for your responses!

I'm less lost now 

Aw no worries, I'm so glad I was able to help x

[zals]

Hi Elyse/ anyone that can help!
I am new to the forums/ATAR notes in general, but i need some help with an essay that we have been asked to write for Ext 1 English. The question is-

Re-read 'Waiting for Godot'.
Select the quote/conversation/sequence that BEST reflects the anxiety of the After the Bomb era. BE SELECTIVE - you are being asked to critically evaluate the work in light of the ways of thinking of the time.
In 800 - 1000 words, justify your choice.
This is a persuasive piece and needs a strong Introduction and Conclusion. Refer to the philosophers you studied and your assessment tasks.

Do you have any ideas for significant quotes that convey the anxiety in the ATB period? I'm struggling to find something that links to significant ideas and philosophers in the period. I also have no clue how to structure it.

Thank You!

[Lumenoria]

Hi Elyse/ anyone that can help!
I am new to the forums/ATAR notes in general, but i need some help with an essay that we have been asked to write for Ext 1 English. The question is-

Re-read 'Waiting for Godot'.
Select the quote/conversation/sequence that BEST reflects the anxiety of the After the Bomb era. BE SELECTIVE - you are being asked to critically evaluate the work in light of the ways of thinking of the time.
In 800 - 1000 words, justify your choice.
This is a persuasive piece and needs a strong Introduction and Conclusion. Refer to the philosophers you studied and your assessment tasks.

Do you have any ideas for significant quotes that convey the anxiety in the ATB period? I'm struggling to find something that links to significant ideas and philosophers in the period. I also have no clue how to structure it.

Thank You!

Hey!
Admittedly, this does seem like quite a challenging task - predominantly due to the fact that you appear to be limited by just one textual reference? Is this correct? I haven't personally studied Waiting for Godot in class yet, so I won't have that much to offer in that regard; however, I do have a very general understanding of the text from a bit of research here and there. I think that the feeling of anxiety can by and large manifest in a multiplicity of ways, and perhaps, you're approaching it a bit too stereotypically? From what I can tell, the characters don't experience an anxiety that aligns with the connotation of panicking, going crazy, consumed by unrelenting hold of paranoia etc. Rather, it is one that is physically, and to some extent, verbally subtle but psychologically much more debilitating. For example, upon reading the first line "nothing to be done", you can obviously tell that there is a tone of defeat as this very proposition suggests that the character is so exhausted to a point beyond redemption; thus has defied the traditional determination that is characteristic of humanity. They seem to be entrapped in the fate which is provided to them by life itself, and it is this inability to alter that fate which fuels their anxiety; they know they must accept the circumstances in spite of their own sentiments. If I recall correctly, there's a novel called "What is to be done" by Lenin that reads "humanity cannot be helped, new ideals cannot change the human condition..." (I completely forgot the rest of it but look it up, I think the quote is quite pertinent to this and you might find that you'll agree too). Though the character seems like he has given up, he really hasn't and it is this harsh realisation of reality that allows him to come to terms with the inhumanity of the world and how the ordinary, anxious individual is expected to be complacent with it. Obviously there are religious aspects you can delve into aswell, such as the fact that they have been so defeated that their only hope is God, an entity that has neither be proven or disproven, but nonetheless it is the slim possibility of his existence that both fuels their anxiety in the wait, and in a way, keeps them sane. This can also be attributed to the fear of nuclear annihilation during the Cold War, where citizens were consumed by anxiety for what was ultimately a lost cause. Again, I have only read one line and I may be completely miscontruing the play but just some ideas to play with. I reckon you could even evaluate the structure of the play by fleshing out your specific observations (which could probably be achieved without explicitly quoting, if that is what the task asks) and elaborate on the way in which this reflects the nihilistic perspectives that permeated the psyche of the individual during the ATB period.

In terms of structure, I would personally split it into literally all the ideas that could possibly be inferred from whatever quote you decide to work with. Perhaps find one that is more universal to all the paradigms so that you have more scope to work with? I think pieces of dialogue would even be good for this because multiple perspectives can be ascertained. Otherwise, I would just be extremely specific in my argument and literally refer to the "philosophers studied" as MUCH as possible to support my arguments - ensure they are judiciously selected and not just at random though. Maybe consider looking at Marxist studies and existential philosophies both specific to the play and that time period to help broaden your horizons? This would also assist in the task of extrapolating your ideas to a level that is applicable to the ways of thinking during the ATB period in a general sense.

I know this probably isn't helpful at all, but I thought I'd contribute some food for thought just on the off chance it might be! Good luck

[theyam]

Hey guys,

Ive tried writing a sorta brainstorm/plan thing. The only text I've done so far in class is "The Spy who came in from the Cold" and the mains things I remember standing out was the distrust and anti-communist sentiments. The thing that stood out to me the most was the depiction of the Berlin Wall in the novel and I was pretty interested in how people escaped it and why they did. So for my creative I've sort of tried to incorporate that with quotes JFK's anti-communist speech: Ich bin ein Berliner.  Is it possible if someone could read the dot points I have so far and give me some direction on what I should do next and how to make the creative more sophisticated, possibly how to incorporate the paradigms within the creative because I feel thats what I'm lacking at the moment?

Thank you all~

From theyam

[zals]

Hey!
Admittedly, this does seem like quite a challenging task - predominantly due to the fact that you appear to be limited by just one textual reference? Is this correct? I haven't personally studied Waiting for Godot in class yet, so I won't have that much to offer in that regard; however, I do have a very general understanding of the text from a bit of research here and there. I think that the feeling of anxiety can by and large manifest in a multiplicity of ways, and perhaps, you're approaching it a bit too stereotypically? From what I can tell, the characters don't experience an anxiety that aligns with the connotation of panicking, going crazy, consumed by unrelenting hold of paranoia etc. Rather, it is one that is physically, and to some extent, verbally subtle but psychologically much more debilitating. For example, upon reading the first line "nothing to be done", you can obviously tell that there is a tone of defeat as this very proposition suggests that the character is so exhausted to a point beyond redemption; thus has defied the traditional determination that is characteristic of humanity. They seem to be entrapped in the fate which is provided to them by life itself, and it is this inability to alter that fate which fuels their anxiety; they know they must accept the circumstances in spite of their own sentiments. If I recall correctly, there's a novel called "What is to be done" by Lenin that reads "humanity cannot be helped, new ideals cannot change the human condition..." (I completely forgot the rest of it but look it up, I think the quote is quite pertinent to this and you might find that you'll agree too). Though the character seems like he has given up, he really hasn't and it is this harsh realisation of reality that allows him to come to terms with the inhumanity of the world and how the ordinary, anxious individual is expected to be complacent with it. Obviously there are religious aspects you can delve into aswell, such as the fact that they have been so defeated that their only hope is God, an entity that has neither be proven or disproven, but nonetheless it is the slim possibility of his existence that both fuels their anxiety in the wait, and in a way, keeps them sane. This can also be attributed to the fear of nuclear annihilation during the Cold War, where citizens were consumed by anxiety for what was ultimately a lost cause. Again, I have only read one line and I may be completely miscontruing the play but just some ideas to play with. I reckon you could even evaluate the structure of the play by fleshing out your specific observations (which could probably be achieved without explicitly quoting, if that is what the task asks) and elaborate on the way in which this reflects the nihilistic perspectives that permeated the psyche of the individual during the ATB period.

In terms of structure, I would personally split it into literally all the ideas that could possibly be inferred from whatever quote you decide to work with. Perhaps find one that is more universal to all the paradigms so that you have more scope to work with? I think pieces of dialogue would even be good for this because multiple perspectives can be ascertained. Otherwise, I would just be extremely specific in my argument and literally refer to the "philosophers studied" as MUCH as possible to support my arguments - ensure they are judiciously selected and not just at random though. Maybe consider looking at Marxist studies and existential philosophies both specific to the play and that time period to help broaden your horizons? This would also assist in the task of extrapolating your ideas to a level that is applicable to the ways of thinking during the ATB period in a general sense.

I know this probably isn't helpful at all, but I thought I'd contribute some food for thought just on the off chance it might be! Good luck

Thank You!!
I agree that it is very challenging to write a whole essay about a single piece of dialogue/quote, and when i asked for help my teacher literally said "just write what you think... vibe it out". At the moment, i'm thinking i'll use the first 3 lines of the play-

ESTRAGON:
   (giving up again). Nothing to be done.


VLADIMIR:
   So there you are again.
   
ESTRAGON:
Am I?

For this, i'll use what you where talking about for the first line and then link Estragon's questioning of his purpose/existence to ATB nihilism and questioining of the human consciousness/condition. Once again, thank you for all of your help!

[zals]

Hey!
Admittedly, this does seem like quite a challenging task - predominantly due to the fact that you appear to be limited by just one textual reference? Is this correct? I haven't personally studied Waiting for Godot in class yet, so I won't have that much to offer in that regard; however, I do have a very general understanding of the text from a bit of research here and there. I think that the feeling of anxiety can by and large manifest in a multiplicity of ways, and perhaps, you're approaching it a bit too stereotypically? From what I can tell, the characters don't experience an anxiety that aligns with the connotation of panicking, going crazy, consumed by unrelenting hold of paranoia etc. Rather, it is one that is physically, and to some extent, verbally subtle but psychologically much more debilitating. For example, upon reading the first line "nothing to be done", you can obviously tell that there is a tone of defeat as this very proposition suggests that the character is so exhausted to a point beyond redemption; thus has defied the traditional determination that is characteristic of humanity. They seem to be entrapped in the fate which is provided to them by life itself, and it is this inability to alter that fate which fuels their anxiety; they know they must accept the circumstances in spite of their own sentiments. If I recall correctly, there's a novel called "What is to be done" by Lenin that reads "humanity cannot be helped, new ideals cannot change the human condition..." (I completely forgot the rest of it but look it up, I think the quote is quite pertinent to this and you might find that you'll agree too). Though the character seems like he has given up, he really hasn't and it is this harsh realisation of reality that allows him to come to terms with the inhumanity of the world and how the ordinary, anxious individual is expected to be complacent with it. Obviously there are religious aspects you can delve into aswell, such as the fact that they have been so defeated that their only hope is God, an entity that has neither be proven or disproven, but nonetheless it is the slim possibility of his existence that both fuels their anxiety in the wait, and in a way, keeps them sane. This can also be attributed to the fear of nuclear annihilation during the Cold War, where citizens were consumed by anxiety for what was ultimately a lost cause. Again, I have only read one line and I may be completely miscontruing the play but just some ideas to play with. I reckon you could even evaluate the structure of the play by fleshing out your specific observations (which could probably be achieved without explicitly quoting, if that is what the task asks) and elaborate on the way in which this reflects the nihilistic perspectives that permeated the psyche of the individual during the ATB period.

In terms of structure, I would personally split it into literally all the ideas that could possibly be inferred from whatever quote you decide to work with. Perhaps find one that is more universal to all the paradigms so that you have more scope to work with? I think pieces of dialogue would even be good for this because multiple perspectives can be ascertained. Otherwise, I would just be extremely specific in my argument and literally refer to the "philosophers studied" as MUCH as possible to support my arguments - ensure they are judiciously selected and not just at random though. Maybe consider looking at Marxist studies and existential philosophies both specific to the play and that time period to help broaden your horizons? This would also assist in the task of extrapolating your ideas to a level that is applicable to the ways of thinking during the ATB period in a general sense.

I know this probably isn't helpful at all, but I thought I'd contribute some food for thought just on the off chance it might be! Good luck

Thank You!!
I agree that it is very challenging to write a whole essay about a single piece of dialogue/quote, and when i asked for help my teacher literally said "just write what you think... vibe it out". At the moment, i'm thinking i'll use the first 3 lines of the play-

ESTRAGON:
   (giving up again). Nothing to be done.


VLADIMIR:
   So there you are again.
   
ESTRAGON:
Am I?

For this, i'll use what you where talking about for the first line and then link Estragon's questioning of his purpose/existence to ATB nihilism and questioining of the human consciousness/condition. Once again, thank you for all of your help!

[elysepopplewell]

Hi Elyse/ anyone that can help!
I am new to the forums/ATAR notes in general, but i need some help with an essay that we have been asked to write for Ext 1 English. The question is-

Re-read 'Waiting for Godot'.
Select the quote/conversation/sequence that BEST reflects the anxiety of the After the Bomb era. BE SELECTIVE - you are being asked to critically evaluate the work in light of the ways of thinking of the time.
In 800 - 1000 words, justify your choice.
This is a persuasive piece and needs a strong Introduction and Conclusion. Refer to the philosophers you studied and your assessment tasks.

Do you have any ideas for significant quotes that convey the anxiety in the ATB period? I'm struggling to find something that links to significant ideas and philosophers in the period. I also have no clue how to structure it.

Thank You!

Hey Zals...there's a few that come to mind but without actually sitting down to dissect them, I think I'd go with Lucky's speech. The entire thing is convoluted and tautologous but it's said with such authority - no punctuation, not a single breath is taken (everyone is holding their breath?). I think I'd go with this and discuss Lucky's character throughout the text as a whole and why it makes this scene so significant! I believe there's a fair bit of analysis on Lucky's speech online, and I analysed it a little bit on my own essay which you can find in the "notes" tab up the top there!

I think the quote you've selected now is really good as well. My preference would be to go with Lucky because of his understated character type, so I could explore his characterisation leading up to this. This isn't to say your choice isn't excellent - this is just giving you another idea

Hey guys,

Ive tried writing a sorta brainstorm/plan thing. The only text I've done so far in class is "The Spy who came in from the Cold" and the mains things I remember standing out was the distrust and anti-communist sentiments. The thing that stood out to me the most was the depiction of the Berlin Wall in the novel and I was pretty interested in how people escaped it and why they did. So for my creative I've sort of tried to incorporate that with quotes JFK's anti-communist speech: Ich bin ein Berliner.  Is it possible if someone could read the dot points I have so far and give me some direction on what I should do next and how to make the creative more sophisticated, possibly how to incorporate the paradigms within the creative because I feel thats what I'm lacking at the moment?

Thank you all~

From theyam

Hey Theyam

Just look at your plan and I think it's shaping up really nicely! I think your next step would be to begin playing with words, try stringing it all together from the beginning. Once you have a sense of the tone you're writing in right from those basic introductory stages of the creative you can take it a step further and understand how the plot will be realised better.

I went to this museum in Berlin last  year and it was fantastic, and online they have some good resources too that might help you with the way you're picturing East Berlin to add a touch more authenticity, although it seems that your research already is very thorough. I suggest watching the videos with the historian on their website, there's English subtitles

[theyam]

Hi Elyse!
Thank you for your advice...

If anyone is doing/ has done "The Spy who came in from the Cold"

How would you guys approach this question?
“Out of the secret world I once knew I have tried to make a theatre for the larger worlds we inhabit. First comes the imagining, then the search for the reality. Then back to the imagining, and to the desk where I’m sitting now.”John Le Carre- The Pigeon Tunnel (Stories from my Life), 2016

To what extent has your understanding of the ways of thinking in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold been shaped by considering both imagining and a search for reality in the text. You can add a related text to the essay question if you are ready.

theyam

Mod Edit - Merged posts

[theyam]

Hello

I was just wondering if someone could explain to me why someone would want to escape from East Berlin to the West. I've done some research but I've come across very conflicting answers. On one hand, people say the communist system created poor living conditions while other people say that life was quite comfortable. I'm not exactly sure what to believe. Can someone help please?

Thank you
from theyam

[Lumenoria]

Hello

I was just wondering if someone could explain to me why someone would want to escape from East Berlin to the West. I've done some research but I've come across very conflicting answers. On one hand, people say the communist system created poor living conditions while other people say that life was quite comfortable. I'm not exactly sure what to believe. Can someone help please?

Thank you
from theyam

Political repression was rife, and the restriction of movement of individuals was incredibly destructive for families split by the Berlin wall. Other than that, the GDR was a sophisticated police state in that the Stasi had almost unchecked power and political influence. On the economic front, the GDR like other socialist states was OK at producing heavy industry, but unfortunately their subservience to the US (from relying on their loans) meant that their demands dictated their economy, preventing diversification, limiting consumer goods and leading to general shortages. Production would often stall because of shortages of certain products. Consumer goods were always in demand and this led to a significant black market for consumer goods from the West. Hence, while the nostalgia Germans have for the GDR is a real phenomenon, it is predominantly driven by the disappointment of capitalism rather than the success of socialism/communism. A lot of people who had seeming "comfortable lifestyles" were children at the time that they lived in the GDR, so therefore commonly associate it with fond childhood memories rather than the reality that they were probably ignorant of (as all children are). Like, if you asked their parents, the political repression would definitely be more prominent in their eyes.

[elysepopplewell]

Hi Elyse!
Thank you for your advice...

If anyone is doing/ has done "The Spy who came in from the Cold"

How would you guys approach this question?
“Out of the secret world I once knew I have tried to make a theatre for the larger worlds we inhabit. First comes the imagining, then the search for the reality. Then back to the imagining, and to the desk where I’m sitting now.”John Le Carre- The Pigeon Tunnel (Stories from my Life), 2016

To what extent has your understanding of the ways of thinking in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold been shaped by considering both imagining and a search for reality in the text. You can add a related text to the essay question if you are ready.

theyam

Mod Edit - Merged posts

I really love the "you can add a related text to the essay question, "if you are ready."" hahahaha, why do I find that so amusing. It's such a sweet change from the usual demands. For this question I'd be making a point of talking about the reflexive nature of texts being shaped by their surroundings, but also surroundings possible even being shaped by texts. The relationship between the world and the texts about them is symbiotic!

Hello

I was just wondering if someone could explain to me why someone would want to escape from East Berlin to the West. I've done some research but I've come across very conflicting answers. On one hand, people say the communist system created poor living conditions while other people say that life was quite comfortable. I'm not exactly sure what to believe. Can someone help please?

Thank you
from theyam

Lumenoria has given a really fantastic response above. I'll suggest watching (my favourite movie) The Lives of Others. This shows a very dark side to East berlin, specifically because the protagonist is an artist. Art in East Berlin is a very interesting concept, especially because it's contrasted with the tight oppression of the system surrounding.