Discovery Related Texts - Suggestions

[Mada438]

Hi there

I'm doing Bill Brysons 'A short history of nearly everything,' that is basically a novel about various scientific discoveries and their impact on society. i think it could work well for your question, as it critiques the objectivity of science and instead champions that discovery is a much more organic and haphazard process. It does this by giving us the personal and more human side of famous scientists and their discoveries - like newtons 'discovery' of gravity and some other guys discovery of a tpe of bacteria in our gut - suggesting that discoveries are not at all predictable or measureable, as the nature of science is, but rather more spontaneous. Its a great text to compare the two types of disovery - planned and unplanned.

Hope this helps in some way 

Mish

Thanks, i'll check it out!

[bundahboy]

Hi there

I'm doing Bill Brysons 'A short history of nearly everything,' that is basically a novel about various scientific discoveries and their impact on society. i think it could work well for your question, as it critiques the objectivity of science and instead champions that discovery is a much more organic and haphazard process. It does this by giving us the personal and more human side of famous scientists and their discoveries - like newtons 'discovery' of gravity and some other guys discovery of a tpe of bacteria in our gut - suggesting that discoveries are not at all predictable or measureable, as the nature of science is, but rather more spontaneous. Its a great text to compare the two types of disovery - planned and unplanned.

Hope this helps in some way 

Mish

As A Short History of Nearly Everything is a prescribed text, some say that using it as a related (if you're doing a different AoS prescribed) would be frowned upon by markers. The verdict isn't conclusive on this, though it is something you should be aware of.

[Mada438]

As A Short History of Nearly Everything is a prescribed text, some say that using it as a related (if you're doing a different AoS prescribed) would be frowned upon by markers. The verdict isn't conclusive on this, though it is something you should be aware of.

\
Why the hell is it frowned upon??
I think its a really smart idea because there's already tones of resources on it because its been studied lots of times before!!

[CyberScopes]

\
Why the hell is it frowned upon??
I think its a really smart idea because there's already tones of resources on it because its been studied lots of times before!!

Had a teacher as senior marker who also discouraged using prescribed texts as related (in fact we werent allowed). Still dont know why really, I guess cause theres already too many detailed resources for it anyway (maybe..?)

[jamonwindeyer]

NESA themselves say this is fine, and I think Elyse has even chatted to them about it over the phone. It is 100% fine and 100% not frowned upon.

I think why it could be discouraged by teachers is that it might not be as good as a decision as picking something else. Like, going straight to a prescribed is ignoring lots of other great options, some of which might work better for you. You shouldn't pick a prescribed purely to make your life easier, you should pick it because it works well with what you are studying

[LegalEagle24/7]

This resource is under construction.

One of the most enduring questions in Area of Study: What's a good related text?

If you aren't quite sure what constitutes a great related text, then check out our guide to picking a related text here - we've answered a lot of frequently asked questions, too!

So below we've compiled a list of over 50 related texts that have been tried and tested. All of these related texts have been brought forward by students - except for a few that I have viewed/read myself and thought it would be perfect for discovery. Where possible, we've attached a brief synopsis so you can get an idea about whether or not you'll like the text. We've also attached some helpful links from the web to help you get on your way to studying the text. Just click on the tabs below to open up the resources. We've organised them into media type, in case you have a preference!

If you have a related text that you'd like to add to the list, we'd love for you to comment the name, what you thought of it, and even any helpful links. We want to create this resource in a way that makes it uber helpful to current and future students, and student input is the best way we can achieve that.

Short Stories:

Spoiler

Tim Winton’s Distant lands
Where can it be found?
You can pick up Distant Lands in Tim Winton's anthology of short stories, Minimum of Two. I got it for about $15 at my local book store, and it's available on iBooks and probably at most local or school libraries. Tim Winton is a well known Australian author, so it's usually not too hard to track down his work.
Brief synopsis
in Distant Lands, a girl named Fat Maz works in her parent's news-agency in what appears to be a dull and non-stimulating country environment. Her days are bland, her father is a racist, her mother is a bore. They go home in the lunch hour, but Fat Maz stays to watch the shop. A Pakistani man enters the shop in that lunch hour to read a book called Distant Lands. He never buys it, but puts it back after the hour and leaves before Fat Maz's parents return. They never talk. *Spoiler alert* Until the end, when he gives her a $50 note (that has more significance back then than what it does now). The money is symbolic of new perspectives, and the book "Distant Lands" is a motif as well.
Ideas explored
-Discovering new perspectives
-Discovering new worlds
-A change in environment being a catalyst for discovery
-Emotional, intellectual and physical discoveries.
-Transformative discoveries.
-Many more
Resources
You can read my band 6 essay for AOS using Distant Lands here.

Tim Winton’s Neighbours
Where can you find it?
This TIm Winton short story can be found in the short story anthology called Scission. Most book stores sell this for about $15, and it is available on iBooks. Most libraries will have Tim Winton's work. Here's a copy I found on the web.
Synopsis
A young married couple move into a street that has a high population of Europeans (Italians, Maltese, Polish etc). The couple are hesitant at first and appear to be complete outsiders. In time, they realise how helpful and kind these people are, and they realise that they are all just humans. The cultures melt together in a really beautiful way.
Ideas explored
-Discovering new perspectives
-Outlooks and perspectives being challenged
-Discovering intellectually, and emotionally.
-Renewed perceptions leading to new outlooks.
-Transformative nature of discovery
-+more
Resources
Here's a summary I found online that might give you some helpful language. By the same author, here's a character analysis!

Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour
Where can I find it?
Riiiiiiight here!
Synopsis
This story was originally published in Vogue in the 1894. It is about a sickly wife with a heart condition. She's told that her husband has died, causing her to grieve heavily and then imagine an entire new life of freedom for herself. With acknowledgement to the sadness her husband's death brings, she's caught up in the positive ramifications this could have. *Spoiler alert* She comes to terms with this very new positive life very quickly, although she loved her husband, she loved the prospect of freedom. She leaves her bedroom after grieving, and goes downstairs to realise her husband is still alive. She gets such a shock that she dies.
Ideas explored
-Discovery that is emotional, creative, physical, spiritual and intellectual.
-Discovering new perspectives.
-Tragedy as a prompt for discovery
-Transformative nature of discovery
-Unplanned/planned nature of discovery
Resources
There are some wonderful resources out there on this short story, starting with Schmoop. Schmoop is always a great place to start because they take you from summary to analysis. SparkNotes does something similar here as well! Here's another more random resource that's worth checking out! Here's a link to a location with a bunch of essays on this short story.

The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant
Where can it be found?
The full text can be found here!
Synopsis
This is not the shortest of short stories, but it's a goodie. Basically, a woman is dissatisfied with her lowly economic status, which is comfortable but nothing extravagant. She's been married into a middle income situation and she's so dissatisfied. Her husband brings home an invitation one day to a fancy event, but she says to decline because she doesn't have a nice dress. So the husband arranges for her to have a lovely dress at the cost of 400 francs. Then, she finds that she is still dissatisfied because she doesn't have jewels. The husband tries to convince her to wear flowers, but she insists on jewels. So she borrows some from a wealthy Madame. She goes to the ball, she's intoxicated by the attention she received for being the most beautiful woman in the room. As she walks home, she realises she's lost the necklace. Her husband retraces the steps through the night but finds nothing. So they work extremely hard to find $36,000 to pay for a new diamond necklace. They mortgage the rest of their lives out, and live in poverty and dismay. Years onwards, the wife meets Madame in the street; Madame doesn't recognise her. The wife explains how she's lived a life in debt and turmoil because of the lost necklace, and Madame tells her at the end that it was only costume jewellery. She'd thrown away her life for nothing.
Resources
As always, SparkNotes has you covered! Schmoop does too! This resource here dissects the themes in the text. This resource is excellent for dissecting situational irony and conflict. This text is not short of resources!

The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe
Where can I get a copy?
It was written in 1843, so the world wide web has it available for free viewing here!
Synopsis
I'll start by saying that I'm not a huge fan of Poe's work, but I think this piece is wonderfully mad.
Here's a summary I've taken directly from SparkNotes: "An unnamed narrator opens the story by addressing the reader and claiming that he is nervous but not mad. He says that he is going to tell a story in which he will defend his sanity yet confess to having killed an old man. His motivation was neither passion nor desire for money, but rather a fear of the man’s pale blue eye. Again, he insists that he is not crazy because his cool and measured actions, though criminal, are not those of a madman. Every night, he went to the old man’s apartment and secretly observed the man sleeping. In the morning, he would behave as if everything were normal. After a week of this activity, the narrator decides, somewhat randomly, that the time is right actually to kill the old man."
How does this work with discovery?
-The reader makes a discovery as the story unfolds
-The narrator is coming to terms with a type of discovery at the same time as the reader.
-The idea of truth, and the struggle of truth, is paramount to discovery.
Resources
Obviously, SparkNotes has some great perspective on this text. Schmoop has also got you covered. CliffsNotes also has some perspective on this. Lastly, this resource really breaks down a lot of the techniques, which is always important.

Graphic Novels/Comic Books/Picture Books

Spoiler

Peter Sis’s The Wall: Growing up Behind the Iron Curtain
Where can you get this?
Amazon has copies of this for about $12. My school library had a copy, which is how I came across it (it was actually brought to my attention as a related text for After the Bomb in Extension 1 English). Definitely check out your school or local library before buying a copy. Here's a quick google image search on what the pages of the book look like - so you know.
What's it about?
Basically, the author Peter, was growing up on in Soviet-controlled Czech in the Cold War. The graphic novel explains how his life was in that time. Colour is used mostly (everything black and white with accents of red). It's a real joy to read and it's not very long. Towards the end, influences from the West come floating over the wall...Peter hears about Coca Cola and American Music. So the pages turn to bright colour as the Berlin wall is dismantled. It's a really good book and you can definitely read it in one sitting - about 10 minutes. The most important aspect, at least in my own reading, is that Peter is an artist. He's been drawing for as long as he can remember - even in a place where it was dangerous to draw.
Discovery?
This book works for discovery on a few levels. The idea of perception is challenged as new ideas are discovered. The impact that an environment has on discoveries is potent in this book. The discoveries in the book are transformative in nature, and largely unplanned.
Resources please?
Here's a write up from the New York Times. Here is an interview with the author of the book. And here is the author explaining what is happening on some of the pages. And for what it's worth, here's the blurb from Peter's website.

Shaun Tan’s The Lost Thing (this is also a short film and a play)
Where can I get it?
Here is the direct link to the magical site of The Lost Thing. Here is the animated version.
What's it about?
The YouTube animation describes the plot like this: "A boy finds a strange creature on a beach, and decides to find a home for it in a world where everyone believes there are far more important things to pay attention to."
Discovery
This text worked well for belonging and it'll work well for discovery. The initial experience of discovery is the unplanned nature, when the boy comes across the Thing on the beach. From there, it's a pleasant unravelling of discoveries. The discovery of other people's perceptions is the one that sticks out the most to me. Also, the way that a discovery, like the physical discovery of the Thing, can prompt emotional, intellectual, spiritual and creative discoveries and changes within an individual.
Resources:
If you don't mind reading lesson plans, this resource is genuinely really good for breaking down the text for the first time. Here's another great gold mine for resources on this one! Here's an interview from the State Library of Victoria where Shaun Tan talks about the Lost Thing. There's lots and lots out there on this!

Armin Greder’s The Island

The Violin Man, by Bill Bryson and Colin Thompson

Films (including short films)

Spoiler

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (also a novel)
23 Degrees, 5 minutes (YouTube)
Slumdog Millionaire
Kim Ho’s The Language of Love
Jane Campion’s the Piano
Little Miss Sunshine - Jonathan Dayton
The Butterfly Circus - Joshua Weigel
The Book Thief - Brian Percival
Where do Lilacs Come from? By Matthew Thorne
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
Spirited Away by Hayako Miyazaki
Christopher Kezelos’ Zero

Still visuals

Spoiler

Picasso - Guernica
Rene Magritte - The Treachery of Images
The Savage State by Thomas Cole

Novels/Novellas

Spoiler

Charles Dickens - Great Expectations
Where can I get it?
You can get this one free on iBooks, but it's a very long text to read from a screen. I read it in paperback.
What's it about?
This is a bildungsroman text - a text that deals with someone's formative years. Pip is a young boy of lowly status who falls into extraordinary circumstances. Pip grows to realise things aren't as they seem (I'm simplifying the story massively - it's one of those stories where everything falls together in ways you could never imagine).
What's it got to do with Discovery?
The story follows someone who actually goes to where the grass is greener, only to realise that it is in fact, not greener. It's a perfect story for discovery new perspectives, challenging old perspectives, discovery emotionally, physically, spiritually, intellectually and creatively, as well as planned and unplanned discoveries. This text, out of all of the ones I've read myself, has the most discovery to unpack.
Some resources please!
Well, we always start with SparkNotes. And then we move to Schmoop. This book review is also pretty handy. You can't read the entire thing unless you sign in, but the preview offers a lot of good analysis on women in the text. And here is a PDF about approaching Great Expectations, as well as some analysis.

John Le Carre - The Spy who Came in from the Cold
What's it about?
The SPy Who Came in from the Cold is a Cold War Espionage novel by John Le Carre - a famous writer in this genre. This is a prescribed text for the Extension 1 English After the Bomb elective. I read it myself, and the genre wasn't my cup of tea, but I cried at the end and I definitely didn't see that coming. The text is quite meaningful and can be enjoyed for it's value on humanism - or its espionage value. Basically, a spy finds himself a pawn in a much bigger game (called the Cold War) and he is tied up with how romance, and state loyalty, can interact. At least, this is the way I see the text. A espionage aficionado would see it differently!
What's it got to do with Discovery?
There's a lot of discovering to do in terms of emotions...purpose...and value. There's a lot of physical discoveries too, given that it is in a spy-situation. There's a lot to unpack with this text.
Where are some resources?
There are hundreds of resources on this one, lots of reviews, lots of opinions, etc. Here's a few to get you started:
Here is a summary and guide from Bookrags.
Here's a sort-of opinion piece published to the Guardian.
If you're looking for something more complicated, here is a structuralist reading.

George Orwell’s Animal Farm
Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love
Margaret Atwood’s The Vanishing Child
Stephen Cosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower (also a film)
Mark Zusak’s The Messenger (2002)
William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies
The Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
The Book Thief Markus Zucak

Documentaries

Spoiler

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s comedy travelogue: An Idiot Abroad

Poetry

Spoiler

Robert Frost -The Road Not Taken
Seamus Heaney - Digging
Seamus Heaney - Mid Term Break
Sylvia Plath - Ariel
Margaret Atwood - The Moment
Margaret Atwood - Journey to the Interior
Barn Owl - Gwen Harwood
Peter Skrzynecki’s Crossing the Red Sea
Peter Skrzynecki’s Leaving Home
Darius Simpson and Scout Bostley’s spoken word poem Lost Voices (2015)
Cut - Sylvia Plath
The Good Morrow - John Donne

Biographies

Spoiler

Malala Yousafzai’s I am Malala

Multimedia

Spoiler

The Boat - SBS
Clouds over Sidra - UN
Brandon Stanton: Humans of NY
Where can I access this?
The link to the offical blog is here but you probably know that HONY is on Facebook and Instagram as well. Facebook is important. As you discuss this text, you could discuss the use of social media and interactivity as a technique for discovery in itself. If you want to be more specific, you can actually focus on a particular series that HONY has conducted, you can find the different series here.
Synopsis
I have to say, this is one of my highest recommendations for related texts. It's innovative, it's never a bore to analyse, and you can be as specific or broad as you like (meaning, you could spend ten minutes reading the text or the whole year). Each story gives a little insight into the life of someone. The series unify the experience, bringing the discovery together in a stronger way. I can't give much of a synopsis seeing as every photo is so different, but if you have a look on the blog site, you'll understand.
Discovery
Again, this is diversified. The reader almost always discovers, and usually the topic being discussed is a moment of epiphany or discovery for the individual.
Resources:
This text lacks in resources of the Schmoop kind, so to say. But, I really don't think you need them. Each individual photo has it's own devices, each speech has it's own flair. You can pick and choose what you want to talk about, there's so much variety. If you're into playing the Devil's Advocate, there's lots of criticism for HONY online. Here's an article I like though, about the way audience's are affected by HONY.

Speeches

Spoiler

Hugh Evan’s TED Talk - Global Citizenship
The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination by JK Rowling
Ronald Reagan: Challenger Speech (Recording)(Transcript)

Drama/Plays

Spoiler

Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot
Oscar Wilde’s the Importance of Being Ernest

Essays

Spoiler

George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant

English Teacher's Association Resource

Spoiler

This is a resource I found online from the ETA. It suggests some related texts, but also suggests ways to go about approaching them. It might be useful for you! If you think it might be worth it, the link is here.

Hi 
thanks so much for this resource; it's a major help! However, I would have liked to view the Teacher's Association Resource but the link no longer works.

[Natasha.97]

Hi 
thanks so much for this resource; it's a major help! However, I would have liked to view the Teacher's Association Resource but the link no longer works.

Hi!

I think it is either this or this

[LegalEagle24/7]

Hi!

I think it is either this or this

Hi!
thanks  Finally I can get started 

[Breanna C]

Hi,
I have decided to use The English Patient as my related text for discovery. I was wondering if anyone had an analysis on it as I do have some but I feel as though I am missing bit or parts of the novel that could further be explored.
Thank you for the help,
Breanna

[31chuntinn]

My prescribed text for AOS discovery is Frank Hurley, the man who made history. My teacher has suggested Kafka’s Metamorphosis as the related text.

I was told I should write something on what make us human. Can anybody give me some ideas on Frank Hurley which relate to the theme of what make us human?

[bowiemily]

NESA themselves say this is fine, and I think Elyse has even chatted to them about it over the phone. It is 100% fine and 100% not frowned upon.

I think why it could be discouraged by teachers is that it might not be as good as a decision as picking something else. Like, going straight to a prescribed is ignoring lots of other great options, some of which might work better for you. You shouldn't pick a prescribed purely to make your life easier, you should pick it because it works well with what you are studying

Hey! I realise that this is replying to something posted a while ago, but I just wanted to weigh in.
Ultimately, the people marking your hsc will be teachers. Though NESA says that they're fine with it, I'd wager that most HSC teachers would not be okay with using a prescribed text as an ORT. This is because the whole point of an ORT is to differentiate your argument from other essays. If you use a prescribed text (and likely, the same line of analysis that is used by a lot of people studying it), your essay is not going to stand out. It is likely to give your marker a bad impression, and unless you've written an absolutely out of this world astonishing essay, I think it would effect your marks.
In saying that though, you can use texts from composers that have been prescribed. For example, I used Personal Helicon by Seamus Heaney - a prescribed poet. This particular poem, however, was not prescribed. In the same way, you may use Animal Farm by Orwell, but not 1984 (Module A Prescribed).
All in all, I would always, always advise against using a prescribed text. Losing a single mark could be the difference between a band five and a band six - that doesn't seem worth the convenience of studying a prescribed to me.

[gilliesb18]

Hello  just wondering if anyone could help me on what Frost poem would link best with the short story 'The Story of an Hour'?? I tend to think that Home Burial links in some ways but I just need a second opinion...
Thanks heaps!

[Christine2468]

Hi, sorry, I was wondering if a good related text for Discovery could be: Adichie’s 2009 short story, The thing around your neck?

Thanks,

[Mada438]

Hi, sorry, I was wondering if a good related text for Discovery could be: Adichie’s 2009 short story, The thing around your neck?

Thanks,

Seems like a good idea.
Remember, that most texts can be used as a related texts, if you know where to look for references to discovery and thats especially easy if you enjoy the story! Just do a bit of research around it, and make some notes about it, then run them by your english teacher to get their opinion
I found this essay that includes your text by just typing it into google and adding "discovery" to it

Good luck!

[Christine2468]

Oh ok, thankyou! Also I've written an essay based on a particular question, my core text and my first related text, Boy in the Striped Pajamas. And I was wondering whether you believe that I should write a general essay on my core text and my second related text, The thing around your neck? Thanks, 

Seems like a good idea.
Remember, that most texts can be used as a related texts, if you know where to look for references to discovery and thats especially easy if you enjoy the story! Just do a bit of research around it, and make some notes about it, then run them by your english teacher to get their opinion
I found this essay that includes your text by just typing it into google and adding "discovery" to it

Good luck!