Old Prompts

[literally lauren]

Old Text Response Texts

Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín

Brooklyn depicts the immigrant experience as essentially defined by loss and regret. Discuss.

Enniscorthy, while comfortable and familiar, ultimately stifles Eilis’ sense of self, whereas Brooklyn on the other hand is a place which forces her to discover who she is. Discuss.

Brooklyn is a challenging environment to live in because, like Eilis, it is going through a period of maturation and self-discovery. Do you agree?

Eilis defines herself by her relationships and surroundings. Discuss.

Eilis' ability to put the final consequences of her choice out of her mind and instead only consider the present and not the future is her biggest flaw. Do you agree?

The loneliness and isolation that afflicts Eilis is shown by Toíbín as the typical experience of the migrant. Discuss.

While Eilis is a character of genuine integrity she is unable to confront the conventional expectations of a woman’s role. Do you agree?

Eilis seeks freedom and opportunity, but remains trapped by the limited roles available to women of her time. Discuss.

“[Eilis] began to observe how beautiful everything was: the trees in leaf, the people in the street … She had never felt like this before in Brooklyn.” How does Tóibín use the settings in Brooklyn to reflect Eilis’ personal circumstances and transformations?

Eilis is too lacking in self-awareness to change or develop as an individual. Do you agree?

"Home is a construct of the mind." How is this idea explored in the novel?

The characters’ choices in Brooklyn are restricted by their sense of duty. Do you agree?

Eilis feels out of place in both America and Ireland. Discuss.

While Eilis is a character of genuine integrity she is unable to confront the conventional expectations of a woman’s role. Do you agree?

Toíbín resists offering readers a simply uplifting story but provides a more complex portrait of his protagonist, Eilis Lacey. Discuss.

The nature of personal freedom is the true subject of Brooklyn. Discuss.

By returning to Brooklyn and marrying Tony, Eilis recognises the limitations to her independence. Do you agree?

Eilis never overcomes the source of her loneliness. Do you agree?

The twin settings of the novel, Enniscorthy and Brooklyn, play a significant role in Toíbín's narrative. Discuss.

The loneliness and isolation that afflicts Eilis is shown by Toíbín as the typical products of modern life. Discuss.

Eilis' personal transformation is shown to be ultimately futile at the end of the novel. Do you agree?

Loss of identity and the need for reinvention are the characteristic experiences described in the novel. Discuss.

Brooklyn shows that one may need to abandon one’s own country to discover who one truly is. Discuss.

Eilis’ decision to return to Brooklyn is more influenced by a need for freedom than for love. Do you agree?

Without her family and disconnected from a sense of home, Eilis becomes a "shadow" and a "ghost". What enables her to regain her sense of identity in Brooklyn?

Engage

Although Brooklyn is dominated by tough decisions and sacrifice, the novel is ultimately uplifting in its portrayal of the enduring power of love.
Do you agree?

In what ways and to what effect does Toibin’s writing reflect on the cultural differences between Eilis’ two homes; Ireland and America?

Secrets are both important and difficult to keep in the communities that Eilis inhabits. Discuss.

Eilis lives and works in two different places, but neither is really her home.
Do you agree?

Regret is a powerful emotion and motivational force in Brooklyn.
Discuss.

What role do class and reputation play in Brooklyn?

“Nothing here was part of her. It was false, empty, she thought. She closed her eyes and tried to think, as she had done so many times in her life, of something she was looking forward to, but there was nothing.”
Toibin is entirely negative about migration and the potential for individuals to overcome homesickness in Brooklyn.
Do you agree?

How do depictions of the mundane and menial in Eilis’ day-to-day life influence the reader’s understanding of her character?

No motivation, personal or professional, overrides Eilis' sense of duty to her family. To what extent do you agree?

How does Tóibín’s understated, economical writing style influence the reader’s understanding of characters and settings in Brooklyn?

VATE

2014:
i. The reader is shown that one may need to abandon one's own country to discover who one truly is. Discuss.
OR
ii. Eilis' decision to return to Brooklyn is more influenced by a need for freedom than for love. Do you agree?

2015:
i. Love always involves an element of sacrifice. To what extent is this shown in Brooklyn?
OR
ii. To what extent are the characters in Brooklyn trapped by their limited opportunities?

ATAR Notes 2014 exams

Exam 1:
i. To what extent can place be an extension of the self in Toibin’s Brooklyn?
OR
ii. Despite her passive appearance, Elis is actually the most powerful woman in Brooklyn. Discuss.

Exam 2:
i. Eilis’ transformation is ultimately in vain. Do you agree?
OR
ii. Modernity only brings about loneliness and isolation in Brooklyn. Discuss.

Exam 3:
i. Brooklyn is a place of anxiety and “terrible weight” for Ellis. Discuss.
OR
ii. How does Toibin convey a sense of divided loyalty in Brooklyn?

ATAR Notes 2015 exams

Exam 1:
i. Eilis makes more of an effort to belong in Brooklyn than in Enniscorthy. Discuss.
OR
ii. In Brooklyn, family plays an important role in shaping the characters' lives. Do you agree?

Exam 2:
i. Brooklyn is a novel about sacrifice. Discuss.
OR
ii. "Some people are nice and if you talk to them properly, they can be even nicer."
The language of the characters in Brooklyn reveals their true feelings. Do you agree?

Exam 3:
i. Eilis' family and friends have more of a detrimental effect on her life than they intend to. Do you agree?
OR
ii. At its core, Brooklyn is about the importance of an optimistic outlook for the future. Discuss.

Exam 4:
i. In Brooklyn there is more to be lost than gained when immigrating. Discuss.
OR
ii. Eilies is ultimately unfit for the modern world of Brooklyn. Do you agree?

ATAR Notes 2016 exams

Mid-year:
i. Eilis is not able to be happy until she abandons what is familiar to her. Discuss.
OR
ii. In Brooklyn, Eilis finds her true identity. Discuss.

Exam 1:
i. “In Brooklyn, it was not always easy to guess someone’s character by their job as it was in Enniscorthy.”
In Brooklyn, the characters’ first impressions are often mistaken. Do you agree?
OR
ii. How does Toibin create a sense of contrast between the settings in Brooklyn?

Exam 2:
i. How and why are the characters in Brooklyn limited by their circumstances?
OR
ii. “In the silence that had lingered, she realized, it had somehow been tacitly arranged that Eilis would go to America.”
Tóibín’s protagonist can only be happy when she outgrows her passive timidity. Do you agree?

Exam 3:
i. “Maybe, she thought, they had never known her, any of them, because if they had, then they would have had to realize what this would be like for her.”
The characters in Brooklyn understand Eilis more than those in Ireland. Discuss.
OR
ii. How does Tóibín convey the importance of autonomy in Brooklyn?

Exam 4:
i. Tony cares far more for Eilis than Jim does. Do you agree?
OR
ii. How does Brooklyn explore the differences between the past and the present?

VCAA

2013:
i. In both Ireland and Brooklyn, Eilis feels that her life is controlled by others.
Discuss.
OR
ii. In Tóibín’s novel, the migration experience profoundly affects those who stay as well as those who leave.
Discuss.

2014:
i. For the characters in the novel Brooklyn, duty is more important than individual freedom.
Discuss.
OR
ii. Eilis is more emotionally secure in Enniscorthy but has more opportunity for fulfilment in Brooklyn.
Do you agree?

2015:
i. Many characters in the text are challenged by new beginnings. Discuss.
OR
ii. In the novel Brooklyn, relationships are damaged by secrecy. Discuss.

2016:
i. How does Eilis’s idea of home change throughout the novel Brooklyn?
OR
ii. In the novel Brooklyn, the characters find that although America offers freedom, it can be as restrictive as Ireland. Discuss.

In The Country Of Men by Hisham Matar

To what extent does the child narrator accurately reveal the injustices around him?

In this society ruled by tyranny and fear, it is the women who suffer most. Discuss.

How does the dominance of men affect Suleiman?

In the Country of Men suggests that people cannot avoid brutality in a country under a dictatorship. Do you agree?

Although the novel describes a “country of men”, women exert a powerful influence in both the family and the wider society. Discuss.

“You betrayed him.”
In the world depicted in this novel, it is enough to survive – regardless of the cost to others. Discuss.

Gaddafi is the most important character in the novel, despite his absence.’ Do you agree?

The novel examines the futility of resisting oppressive power. Discuss.

The Guide is unseen but ever present in this novel. Discuss.
In In the Country of Men, the author allows the adult reader to see what the boy narrator cannot.’ Discuss.

Engage

In the Country of Men depicts the tragedy of children being forced to see the hardships and violence of the adult world. Discuss.

“God never forgets the faithful.”
To what extent does In the Country of Men portray this view of faith?

“Nationalism is as thin as a thread, perhaps that’s why many feel it must be anxiously guarded.”
Discuss the significance and complexities of the narrator’s relationship with Libya.

The narrator asks himself: “Can you become a man without becoming your father?”
How is the narrator shaped and affected by his father?

"The mother who tried to never have me, the mother who never chose it, the mother who resisted in all the ways she knew how."
The relationship between the narrator and his mother is complicated by her past as well as their shared present.
Discuss.

The women of In the Country of Men are totally powerless.
To what extent do you agree?

“The innocent, Sheikh Mustafa, the imam of our local mosque, had told me, have no cause to fear; only the guilty live in fear.”
What comment does In the Country of Men offer on guilt and innocence?

In what ways is the narrator’s adult life affected by the trauma he experienced as a child?

"It had seemed quite normal then, as most things in childhood do, but, thinking back on it now, I realise how isolated we were."
In the Country of Men explores the gap in understanding between childhood and adulthood. Discuss.

In the Country of Men shows that under enough pressure, people will always betray one another. Do you agree?

VATE

2014:
i. To what extent does the child narrator accurately reveal the injustices around him?
OR
ii. In this society ruled by tyranny and fear, it is the women who suffer most. Discuss.

2015:
i. "You are children playing with fire."
To what extent is this true of the adults in Suleiman's life?
OR
ii. "Here it's either silence or exile, walk by the wall or leave. Go be a hero elsewhere."
In the Country of Men suggests it is not possible to act heroically under oppression. Do you agree?

ATAR Notes 2014 exams

Exam 1:
i. It is Matar’s narrative structure and style that make In the Country of Men so emotionally potent. Discuss.
OR
ii. How does In the Country of Men convey its main political lessons?

Exam 2:
i. Suleiman’s relationships are the greatest corrupting factor in his childhood. Do you agree?
OR
ii. Matar shows how betrayal and mistrust are more the fault of political turmoil than individual weakness.

Exam 3:
i. The men of the novel are at the core of the main conflicts. Do you agree?
OR
ii. Instead of focussing on political lessons, In the Country of Men’s main message is one of honesty and integrity. Discuss.

ATAR Notes 2015 exams

Exam 1:
i. "Grief loves the hollow; all it wants is to hear its own echo."
Discuss the role of suffering and anguish in In the Country of Men.
OR
ii. The suppression that the characters in Matar's novel face can never be truly overcome. Do you agree?

Exam 2:
i. Matar’s novel shows that there are many different forms of betrayal. Discuss.
OR
ii. How does In the Country of Men create a sense of darkness and loss?

Exam 3:
i. "Can you become a man without becoming your father?"
How does Matar's novel show the importance of self-determination?
OR
ii. "Nationalism is as thin as a thread, perhaps that's why many feel it must be anxiously guarded."
In the Country of Men depicts a world tormented by fear and suspicion. Discuss.

Exam 4:
i. The characters in In the Country of Men are plagued by a sense of guilt and regret. Discuss.
OR
ii. Suleiman’s perception of the world is highly distorted. Do you agree?

ATAR Notes 2016 exams

Mid-year:
i. Suleiman's view of the world changes greatly over the course of the novel. Discuss.
OR
ii. In In the Country of Men, none of the characters have control over their lives. Do you agree?

Exam 1:
i. Suleiman is surrounded by adults with heavy burdens to carry. Discuss.
OR
ii. Matar’s novel suggests that survival should not be one’s only priority. Do you agree?

Exam 2:
i. In what ways does Suleiman try to be brave in In the Country of Men?
OR
ii. “Has your father forgotten what kind of country we live in?”
The characters’ environment has a profound effect on their lives in Matar’s novel. Do you agree?

Exam 4:
i. In the Country of Men reveals the inherent dangers in tyranny by showcasing its most harrowing consequences. Discuss.
OR
ii. To what extent is Suleiman’s world view shaped by people as opposed to actions?

VCAA

2013:
i. In the world of Suleiman’s childhood, there is no place for innocence. Discuss.
OR
ii. How does the dominance of men affect Suleiman?

2014:
i. In this novel, the characters are all affected by betrayal. Discuss.
OR
ii. The most important relationship for Suleiman is between him and his mother. Do you agree?

2015:
i. Baba alone is responsible for bringing danger to his family. Do you agree?
OR
ii. In Matar's novel, lies are a means of survival. Discuss.

2016:
i. Suleiman is shaped more by violence than by love. Do you agree?
OR
ii. To what extent does loyalty govern the lives of the men in Matar’s novel?

Selected Poems by Gwen Harwood

Harwood’s poetry both celebrates and criticises family life. Discuss.

Harwood's poetry exposes the inherent brutality of humanity. Do you agree?

Harwood’s poems suggest that people’s lives are enriched by their appreciation of beauty. Discuss.

Harwood’s interest in Christianity is evident even when her poems are about secular subjects. Do you agree?

Harwood’s poetry suggests that memory is as much a source of pleasure as of pain. Discuss.

Time, memory, philosophy, and feminism are easily blended in the poetry of Gwen Harwood. Discuss.

Harwood’s poetry presents a multi-faceted view of women. Discuss.

Engage

How does Harwood employ the subtleties of rhyme and metre to highlight the central concerns of her poems?

Harwood’s collection is distinctly Australian in style and subject matter. Discuss.

Harwood’s poetry reflects on the challenges and mundaneness of married life. Discuss.

It is Harwood’s use of recurring motifs and imagery that allows her poetry to resonate with the reader. Discuss.

In what ways does Harwood’s collection attempt to give a voice to those who have traditionally been oppressed by society?

Harwood’s collection contains both serious and light-hearted poems. Discuss.

In what ways does Harwood’s poetry reflect on major milestones in a person’s life; marriage, birth of children and death?

Harwood’s poems never explore just one subject; each has many layers of meaning. Discuss.

Harwood's poetry offers multiple representations of parent-child relationships in all of their emotional complexity. Discuss.

In what ways does Harwood interpret and reflect human emotion through her poems?

VATE

2014:
i. It is the silenced and ignored who gain a voice in Harwood's poetry. Do you agree?
OR
ii. It is Harwood's skillful use of language and imagery which so vividly evokes the natural world. Discuss.

2015:
i. To what extent do Harwood's poems explore individual lives constrained by the society around them?
OR
ii. It is harwood's imagery that so vividly evokes life's pain, suggering, and disappointments. Discuss.

ATAR Notes 2014 exams

Exam 1:
i. Harwood’s poems convey a savage and horrific side to human nature. To what extent do you agree?
OR
ii. Discuss the importance of quotidian moments in Harwood’s poetry.

Exam 2:
i. Harwood’s romanticism of the mundane makes her poetry unrealistic and naive. Do you agree?
OR
ii. Discuss the importance of binary opposition for Harwood’s collection of poems.

Exam 3:
i. The fractured identities in Harwood’s poems are not as damaged as the stifled ones. Do you agree?
OR
ii. Discuss the importance of echoing in Harwood’s collection.

ATAR Notes 2015 exams

Exam 1:
i. Discuss the significance of violence and brutality in Harwood's poems.
OR
ii. Harwood's poetry explores what happens when reason clashes with emotion. To what extent do you agree?

Exam 2:
i. Although Harwood’s poems offer interesting insights, it is her subject matter which makes her work relatable. Do you agree?
OR
ii. “Not seen, not heard, in childhood’s earshot
Of the women on the back veranda,
we knew about atrocities.”
Harwood’s poetry revels in the power of wisdom and understanding. Discuss.

Exam 3:
i. Harwood's poems are made all the more confronting by their realism and honesty. Discuss.
OR
ii. Gwen Harwood celebrates the potential of women whilst simultaneously lamenting their role in society. Discuss.

Exam 4:
i. Discuss the importance of voices in Harwood's Selected Poems.
OR
ii. Harwood’s poems are about the commonalities that connect people and generations. Do you agree?

ATAR Notes 2016 exams

Mid-year:
i. Harwood's Selected Poems explore the consequences of oppression and unhappiness. Discuss.
OR
ii How does Harwood portray the idea of womanhood?

Exam 1:
i. How do Harwood’s poems convey a sense of constraint?
OR
ii. Harwood’s poems explore both nostalgia and regret. Do you agree?

Exam 2:
i. What is the relationship between memory and change in Harwood’s poems?
OR
ii. Harwood’s poetry suggests that, whilst women have significant value, they are ultimately underappreciated by society. Do you agree?

Exam 3:
i. Selected Poems offers us an insight of both cruelty and beauty. Discuss.
OR
ii. How does Harwood portray the importance of relationships in her poems?

Exam 4:
i. The subtlety of Harwood’s poems makes them all the more powerful. Discuss.
OR
ii. How does Harwood’s poetry utilise recursion and repetition?

VCAA

2013:
i. Harwood’s use of personal reflections is what makes her poetry so appealing. Discuss.
OR
ii. Harwood’s poetry explores the experiences of women in society. Discuss.

2014:
i. "Nothing can correspond/to my wonder at the world." ('Sparrows')
Harwood's poems reveal and extraordinary awareness of nature. Discuss.
OR
ii. In her poetry Harwood explores many facets of human experience. Discuss.

2015:
i. Discuss the role of memory in Harwood's poetry.
OR
ii. Harwood's poems are filled with her love of music. Discuss.

2016:
i. “It’s years now since I’ve played a note.
Children, and housework — well, it’s grim.”
Harwood’s poems reveal a complex attitude towards motherhood. Discuss.
OR
ii. Harwood’s poems show that zest for life and awareness of death are never far apart. Discuss.

Stasiland by Anna Funder

“I think about the feeling I’ve developed for the former German Democratic Republic...I can only describe it as a horror-romance.”
Despite what Funder uncovers, her tale is one of triumph. Discuss.

"I’ve been in a place where what was aid was not real, and what was real was not allowed."
 How does Funder demonstrate the ongoing legacy of Stasi oppression on ordinary citizens?

Stasiland is an act of coming to terms with the shame of the past. Discuss.

"Memory like so much else, is unreliable."
How does Funder act as a bridge between the past and the present?

“I’ve been having some odd adventures in your old country! Curiouser and curiouser – I’ve a lot to tell.”
How does Funder’s perspective on coming to terms with the past evolve through her experiences in Stasiland?

Stasiland demonstrates the irrepressible power of the human spirit and that people can rise above crushing social oppression. Discuss.

"I don't want to be a German any more".
In what ways does Stasiland explore the lingering effects of guilt?

How does Stasiland portray that fear and paranoia consumes the lives of those Funder interviews?

Much of the Stasi’s behaviour is simply absurd. What drives this madness?

Even though the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, Stasiland shows that one can never be free from the horrors of tyranny. To what extent do you agree?

Funder is critical of both the individuals who enacted the trauma of the Stasi regime, and of the political structure that supported them.
Discuss.

The reader feels that, despite the unification of Germany, life has not improved for the citizens of the former East Berlin. 
Do you agree?

“When I got out of prison, I was basically no longer human.”
What do Funder’s interviews reveal about the impact of the Stasi on its survivors?

"Things have been put behind glass, but they are not yet over.”
There is no justice achieved in Stasiland. Discuss.

“It is individual acts of resistance that make Stasiland so engaging.” Discuss.

“This society, it was built on lies…”
Why does Funder find it so difficult to uncover the truth?

“It’s not ever, really, over.”
Why do the individuals in Stasiland find it so difficult to leave their pasts behind?

Funder portrays all the individuals she interviews as victims-even those who were employed by the Stasi” Discuss.

“I think the Stasi people have been punished enough.”
In the light of Funder’s investigation, do you agree?

Funder’s Stasiland is largely a moving tribute to the women who survived. Do you agree?

Anna Funder is far more than a detached reporter in the text, she is deeply involved in the story itself. To what extent do you agree?

The destruction of individuals’ basic humanity is the worse crime committed by the GDR regime and the Stasi. Is this what Funder uncovers in her investigation?

“He was angry, telling me that history is made of personal stories.”
The power of Funder’s account of the GDR lies in the individual experiences she recounts. Discuss.

4. In her collection of interviews, Funder's own voice is always present, but it never

overpowers the voices of the participants.'  Discuss. 

Sitting in a car outside the Leipzig Stasi Museum, Miriam waves at the building exclaiming. "You lot are gone." Funder’s book proves how wrong she is.
Do you agree?

“Mauer im Kopt or the Wall in the Head.”
Funder explores how the psychological legacy of the GDR’s totalitarian regime is often worse than the physical toll. Do you agree?

“…the Wall is the thing that defined him.”
Funder explores how lives were fundamentally re shaped by the Wall.” To what extent do you agree?

Stasiland uses the stories of ordinary people to shed light on the reality of the GDR regime.
Discuss the interrelationship between the personal and the political in the text.

What is the effect of Funder’s first person narrative style in Stasiland?

Discuss the different kinds of courage demonstrated by the individuals in Stasiland.

Funder’s detachment as a non-German provides readers with a more credible and objective perspective on the GDR. Do you agree?

Funder employs pathos, black humour and absurdity in her depiction of the GDR and Stasi regime and its activities to strengthen the impact of her account. Discuss.

“People were crazy with pain and secrets.”
Discuss the role of these elements in Stasiland.

Stasiland uses the stories of ordinary people to shed light on the reality of a regime. Discuss the interrelationship of the personal and the political in the text.

Funder’s attitudes and understanding shifts over the course of the text. Discuss.

“There’s clearly a portion of the past here that cannot be pinned down with facts, or documents”.
Discuss this statement in relation to Stasiland.

Anna Funder is more than a detached storyteller in Stasiland, she is deeply involved in the story itself. Do you agree?

Engage

The balance Funder maintains between sensitivity and practicality makes Stasiland both devastating and uplifting for the reader.’  Discuss.

What is the effect of Funder’s first person narrative style in Stasiland?

“You cannot destroy your past, nor what it does to you. It’s not ever, really, over.”
Stasiland reflects on the power that memories have on people’s lives. Discuss.

Stasiland isn't just a story of trauma and suffering, it is also one of optimism in the face of great obstacles. To what extent do you agree?

Julia says to Anna: ‘‘You have to look at how normal people manage with such things in their pasts.’’
Stasiland explores how ordinary individuals cope with past trauma. Discuss.

Funder coherently strings together several different time periods to create a single powerful narrative. Discuss.

“Does telling your story mean you are free of it? Or that you go, fettered, into your future?”
Funder discovers that there is no one way of processing memories or coping with one’s traumatic experiences.’ Discuss.

Funder’s writing explores how the wall was not just a physical barrier, but a psychological one as well.  Discuss.

Funder's account attempts to tell both sides of the story, but ends up allocating blame and sumpathy to different groups nonetheless. Discuss.

"This society, it was built on lies - lie after lie after lie."
Stasiland suggests that truth is a fallible concept. Discuss.

VATE

2014:
i. "I think about the feeling I've developmed for the former German Democratic Republic... I can only describe it as a horror-romance."
Despite what Funder uncovers, her tale is one of triumph. Discuss.
OR
ii. Anna Funder is more than a detached storyteller in Stasiland, she is deeply involved in the story itself. Do you agree?

2015:
i. "She is brave and strong and broken all at once."
Does the reader admire the characters in Stasiland or pity them?
OR
ii. Why do so many victims of the GDR find it difficult to leave the past behind?

ATAR Notes 2014 exams

Exam 3:
i. In Stasiland, the truth is not only stranger, but more evocative than fiction. Discuss.
OR
ii. How does Funder create a sense of a fractured country which ‘no longer exists’?

ATAR Notes 2015 exams

Exam 1:
i. “This sleight of history must rank as one of the most extraordinary innocence manoevers of the century.”
The question of accountability in Funder’s narrative is one that plagues many of the characters. Discuss.
OR
ii. Stasiland shows how the hardest battles occur inside oneself. Do you agree?

Exam 2:
i. How does Funder illustrate the value of small victories amidst suffering?
OR
ii In Stasiland, Funder depicts a place that has been changed by claustrophobia and oppression. Discuss

Exam 3:
i. Anna Funder’s beliefs undergo significant changes over the course of this text. To what extent do you agree?
OR
ii. “You have to look at how normal people manage with such things in their pasts.”
In Stasiland, Funder shows that simply coping is a victory in itself. Do you agree?

Exam 4:
i. Some characters in Stasiland are completely irredeemable. Do you agree?
OR
ii. “We don't catch hold of an idea, rather the idea catches hold of us and enslaves us and whips us into the arena so that we, forced to be gladiators, fight for it.”
To what extent are the characters in Stasiland victims of their own mindsets?

ATAR Notes 2016 exams

Mid-year:
i. In Stasiland, the effects of the past permeate the lives of characters in the present. Discuss.
OR
ii. Funder's Stasiland is more about hope than fear. Do you agree?

Exam 1:
i. “The only thing that ever got clearer was that they had the power, in the circumstances.”
Funder’s Stasiland is about the perspectives of those deprived of power.
OR
ii. The brutality of the Stasi brings about many unintended consequences. Do you agree?

Exam 2:
i. “‘You have to understand,’ he says, ‘in the context of my father, and of the propaganda of the Cold War – the GDR was like a religion.’”
Does Herr Koch’s view of the GDR align with what Funder presents in Stasiland? Discuss.
OR
ii. To what extent does Funder’s view of East Germany change over the course of Stasiland?

Exam 3:
i. How does Funder explore shame and regret in Stasiland?
OR
ii. The characters in Stasiland have markedly different coping mechanisms. Do you agree?

Exam 4:
i. How does Funder’s voice and perspective contribute to our understanding of the inhumanity in Stasiland?
OR
ii. “She had been taken out of time, and out of place.”
The characters in Stasiland are ultimately unable to feel a sense of connection with their surroundings. Do you agree?

VCAA

2013:
i. It is individual acts of resistance that make Stasiland so engaging. Discuss.
OR
ii. “This society, it was built on lies …”
Why does Funder find it so difficult to uncover the truth?

2014:
i. Funder shows that the victims of the Stasi were never fully healed following the collapse of the East German regime. Discuss.
OR
ii. Many kinds of fear are evident in Funder's account of her experiences in the former East German state. Discuss.

2015:
i. In Stasiland Funder exposes a world both cruel and absurd. Discuss.
OR
ii. It is the personal testimonies that convey the inhumanity of the Stasi. Discuss.

2016:
i. Stasiland explores how people are affected when individual rights and freedoms are less important than the interests of the State. Discuss.
OR
ii. “… you cannot destroy your past, nor what it does to you.”
To what extent is this true of the people in Stasiland?

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Brontë criticises the social class conventions of her time as she demonstrates that those in the lower classes can succeed.

How do the narrators of Wuthering Heights influence the reader’s response to the characters and events?

Heathcliff may be a monster, but it is the world that has made him so.’ Is this how you see Heathcliff?

“He’s a lying fiend, a monster, and not a human being!”
Is Isabella right in her view of Heathcliff’s character?

Wuthering Heights suggests that childhood experience shapes the people we become. Discuss.

Edgar Linton is a kind and gentle man, but the reader’s sympathy lies wholly with Heathcliff. Do you agree?

Love is a destructive force in Wuthering Heights. Discuss.

Engage

Discuss the significance of the fallible narrator in Wuthering Heights.

In Wuthering Heights, love and hatred are so linked that it can be difficult to tell them apart.
What effect does this connection have on the characters?

For all of his cruelty, Heathcliff is not a totally unlikeable character. Do you agree?

“Far rather would I be condemned to a perpetual dwelling in the infernal regions, than even for one night abide beneath the roof of Wuthering Heights again.”
What is the significance of the eerie setting of the story on the plot and its characters?

What role does social class and the ambiguity of Heathcliff’s class play in Wuthering Heights?

Wuthering Heights challenges the traditional roles of victims and villains. Discuss.

“My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods. Time will change it, I’m well aware, as winter changes the trees – my love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath – a source of little visible delight, but necessary.”
Brontë presents love as neither empowering nor positive, but instead as complicated and often destructive. Do you agree?

What is the significance of the isolated and often treacherous setting of Wuthering Heights?

Despite the isolated setting, class hierarchies and societal values still have a significant effect on the characters of Wuthering Heights. Discuss.

"It was not the thorn bending to the honeysuckles, but the honeysuckles embracing the thorn."
How are metaphors and imagery used to communicate meaning about the characters and their relationships with one another?

VATE

2014:
i. The novel is not about cruel Heathcliff, but of cruel Catherine. Discuss.
OR
ii. "It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now."
To what extent is the personal happiness of the characters restricted by the society in which they live?

2015:
i. Heathcliff should not be forgiven. His grief is no excuse for the destruction he causes. Discuss.
OR
ii. Wuthering Heights is a dark exploration of emotions that go unchecked. Discuss.

lauren's 2014 exams

Exam 1:
i. Discuss the role of domestic disorder in Wuthering Heights.
OR
ii. "No, I'm running on too fast - I bestow my own attributes over-liberally on him."
How is the female consciousness explicated in Wuthering Heights?

Exam 2:
i. The closeness of love and vengeance in the novel make relationships a danger to everyone. Discuss.
OR
ii. Discuss the importance of names as they pertain to identity in Wuthering Heights.

Exam 3:
i. Brontë portrays Heathcliff as more than a one-dimensional villain. Discuss.
OR
ii. To call Wuthering Heights a romance is a somewhat problematic interpretation. Do you agree?

lauren's 2015 exams

Exam 1:
i. Catherine has more power in death than she did in life. Do you agree?
OR
ii.  “I really thought him not vindictive - I was deceived, completely, as you will hear.”
Wuthering Heights showcases the inherent dangers of unchecked emotions. Discuss.

Exam 2:
i Wuthering Heights shows that true danger comes from misunderstanding dysfunctional relationships. Discuss.
OR
ii Brontë’s novel is a scathing critique of the commodification of love. Do you agree?

Exam 3:
i. "Honest people don't hide their deeds."
None of the characters in Wuthering Heights are completely honest. Discuss.
OR
ii. Brontë's novel shows the dangers of investing too much trust in other people. Do you agree?

Exam 4:
i. Wuthering Heights is about how outsiders can never truly belong. Do you agree?
OR
ii. To what extent are the characters in Wuthering Heights responsible for their own fates?

VCAA

2013:
i. It is not only love that determines the behaviour of characters in this novel. Discuss.
OR
ii. Heathcliff’s obsession makes a monster of him. Discuss.

2014:
i. The characters in this novel are motivated by a mixture of powerful emotions. Discuss.
OR
ii. Cathy Earnshaw is her own worst enemy. Do you agree?

2015:
i. In Wuthering Heights, nothing is gained from taking revenge. Discuss.
OR
ii. How does the use of two first-person narrators influence the reader's response to Wuthering Heights?

Context

The Imaginative Landscape

The places we live in reveal what kind of people we are.

Differing experiences within a landscape can be unsettling.

It is impossible for us to separate ourselves from our outer world.

Changes in the physical environment can affect people in surprising ways.

Landscape acts as a mirror to the mind.

Remembered or imagined landscapes can be as real to the mind as actual landscapes.

Our vision of the landscape reflects our vision of ourselves.

The physical landscape exerts a powerful influence on the personal and collective imagination.

Our views and experiences are shaped by our physical surroundings.

Our life experiences shape our connections to the landscape.

We may think we alter the world around us, but in reality it is the landscape that shapes us.

Differing experiences within a landscape can be unsettling.

It is impossible for us to separate ourselves from our outer world.

Everyone lives in two landscapes – the internal and the external.

Our sense of attachment to a place is formed by the experiences we have there.

The personal landscape reflects individual experience.

The same landscape can be a different place for different people.

Everyone lives in two landscapes – the internal and the external.

The landscapes that we create in our minds help to keep our imaginations alive.

Landscape is often linked to emotion.

We need to hold onto illusions in order to cope with reality.

The place in which we live has an impact on our understanding of the world.

Who we are and what we believe about the world is tied to the landscape in which we feel most at home.

The way we relate to our physical environment can determine the kind of person we become.

Changes to the place in which we live can cause pain and a sense of loss.

People’s fears and desires are often revealed through their perceptions of the external landscape.

Landscapes are not neutral, static spaces. We are able to transform them in our minds.

Moving away from familiar landscapes often causes pain and a sense of loss.

A harsh landscape can cause a corresponding hardness in its inhabitants’ approach to life.

It can be difficult to accept changes that happen to a familiar landscape.

Landscape may challenge our sense of belonging.

The imagination’s interaction with the landscape reveals important truths about human behaviour.

The divide between the imagination and the landscape can never be conquered.

We make important connections with the landscape through our imagination.

A landscape steeped in tradition and family influence is supportive but can also be stifling.

Natural landscapes are blank canvases, waiting to be transformed by our imagination.

Our first remembered landscape tells us who we are.

Engage

The place within us is just as real as the space around us.

There is much more to human interaction with landscape than what can be physically experienced.

The world around us shapes the world within us.

Landscapes are not significant at the time we experience them, but when we internalise them.

We are capable of moving between exterior and interior worlds to make sense of out relationship with the physical landscape.

Engage

VATE
2014:
The places we live in reveal what kind of people we are.

2015:
Our sense of the world is shaped by external factors.

lauren's 2014 exams

Exam 1:
Landscapes only affect us when we ascribe them importance.

Exam 2:
We cannot change the world around us without trying.

Exam 3:
Our imagination is always more potent than our surroundings.

lauren's 2015 exams

Exam 1:
We can never have complete control over our internal landscapes.

Exam 2:
Changes in our inner landscapes are rarely of our own volition.

Exam 3:
We decide which connections to landscapes will have the most meaning for us.

Exam 4:
Our landscapes can often be fragmented or incomplete.

VCAA

2008:
Events and experiences influence the way we connect to place.

2009:
We live in a specific time and place yet, simultaneously, we experience an internal life that is not limited in this way.

2010:
The inner landscape and its relationship to the outer world is significant in people’s lives.

2011:
We create the places in which we dwell.

2012:
The ways in which we understand a landscape and respond to it can change over time.

2013:
Our surroundings can be both threatening and comforting.

2014:
Imagination shapes our response to the landscape.

2015:
Every place offers imaginative possibilities.

Whose Reality?

Our view of the world depends on who we are and where we come from.

Our understanding of reality reflects our understanding of ourselves.

Nothing is more destructive to us than having our inner reality ridiculed or ignored.

People can never be sure that they share the same understanding of truth.

No one version of reality is ever complete.

Intensely personal versions of reality cannot be shared.

No single person's view of reality can be seen as absolute truth.

Our memories and experiences prevent us from seeing reality clearly.

We decide what reality is according to the outcomes that we want from it.

We create reality through out experiences and imagination.

Understanding what is real and what is not is never easy.

The way we perceive the world is shaped by internal rather than external factors.

Our understanding of reality reflects our understanding of ourselves.

Nothing is more destructive to us than having our inner reality ridiculed or ignored.

One person's reality can be another person's fantasy.

It is often tempting, but always dangerous, to seek to avoid reality
Everyone has their own view of reality but in the end we must all face the truth.

A person's sense of reality is often manipulated.

One person’s reality can be another person’s fantasy.

We can never attain a fully objective view of reality because we remain trapped in the prison of our subjectivity.

The line between illusion and madness is a fine one.

When we attempt to make order out of chaos then we risk distorting reality.

A child's world is shaped by their parents' reality.

Writing is an act that always involves a revision of reality.

Every reality is open to interpretation.

It is easier to remain happy in a world of illusion than it is to face reality.

Believing is seeing. The reality that we perceive is the reality that we want to perceive.

An experience becomes real when others feel what it felt like for you.

Through our imaginations we can experience different worlds.

A memory is equal parts fact and self-deception.

People's memories shape their understanding of themselves, their world and others.

Memories and the truth will always mean different things to different individuals.

We can never attain a fully objective view of reality because we remain trapped in the prison of our subjectivity.

When competing realities clash the result can be only tragedy.

Science provides no better description of reality than art or religion can.

Our sanity depends on a clear understanding of what is and isn't real.

A person's self-image can interfere with their ability to perceive reality clearly.

The same event can provide very different versions of reality.

We need to hold onto illusions in order to cope with reality.

What we feel tells us what is real.

One’s reality is influenced by various events.

One person’s reality can make perfect sense to them, but little sense to anyone else.

Reality has the ability to crush the human spirit.

We need to hold onto illusions in order to cope with reality.

Our sanity depends on a clear understanding of what is real and what isn't.

We believe what those who are stronger than us tell us to believe.

What we feel tells us what is real.

There is a difficulty in maintaining one’s sense of self and of one’s reality in the world in which one lives.

Reality has the ability to crush the human spirit.

One person’s reality can make perfect sense to them, but little sense to anyone else.

People attempt to escape a reality that has become totally unpalatable.

One’s reality is influenced by various events.

The same event can provide very different versions of reality.

When competing realities clash the only result can be tragedy.

Memories make the person.

Truth itself is an illusion.

What we convince ourselves we don't know, won't hurt us.

The amount of power we have in a particular situation determines how we see it.

Our perspective on social norms has been filtered by our experiences.

We can never attain a fully objective view of reality because we remain trapped in the prison of our subjectivity.

The line between illusion and madness is a fine one.

When we attempt to make order out of chaos then we risk distorting reality.

When the differing perceptions of people conflict, catastrophe is sure to arise.

The truth is sometimes difficult to discover.

Some people’s versions of reality are more accurate than others.

Reality depends entirely on the individual and the context they find themselves in.

Differences in perceptions result from the differences of individuals.

A child's world is shaped by their parents’ reality.

Writing is an act that always involves a revision of reality.

Every reality is open to interpretation.

Reality is beyond the understanding of mere humans.

Believing is seeing. The reality that we perceive is the reality that we want to perceive.

Engage

One person is capable of shaping reality for many.

Subverting reality is easier than accepting it.

We cannot come to terms with reality - past, present, and future - without deluding ourselves.

Memories can transform into illusions that shape how we experience the world around us.

Seeing and experiencing reality differently to others can be isolating.

VATE

2012:
Our view of the world depends on who we are and where we come from.

2015:
Others' representations of reality are often imposed upon us.

lauren's 2014 exams

Exam 1:
Reality is too intangible for us to ever truly embrace it.

Exam 2:
Only when we accept other realities can we hope to understand one another.

Exam 3:
The search for perfection is a dangerous one.

lauren's 2015 exams

Exam 1:
The realities of others can have more influence on us than we realise.

Exam 2:
It can be difficult to discern illusions when they develop slowly.

Exam 3:
Sometimes imposing our realities on others' is justifiable.

Exam 4:
It can be challenging to shape our own realities.

VCAA

2008:
We can evade “reality” but we cannot avoid the consequences of doing so.

2009:
We do not see things as they are. We see them as we are.

2010:
Sometimes people find themselves living in a world created by other people.

2011:
Shared experience does not mean that people see things the same way.

2012:
Our fantasies can be more powerful than our reality.

2013:
Losing touch with reality is often dangerous.

2014:
Misrepresenting reality can have serious consequences.

2015:
We create our own reality, but we are never completely in control.

Encountering Conflict

The choices we make under pressure can show us what we truly value.

Without disagreement there can never be reconciliation.

Every conflict involves both an internal and an external struggle.

A conflict’s importance lies not in its causes but in its consequences.

At the heart of conflict is fear.

It is through conflict that we grow.

Encountering conflict changes both those with power and those without power.

Conflict can be a catalyst for change.

Fear and ignorance generally have catastrophic consequences.

In conflict there are no winners, only losers.

Conflict and injustice arise from the human rive for power over others.

Ignorance is the main reason that conflict occurs.

The reasons for conflict are never simple.

Conflict and injustice arise from the human drive for power over others.

Encounters with conflict arise from miscommunication.

The reasons why conflict occurs, are less important than how conflict is resolved.

Encountering conflict changes both those with power and those without power.

A conflict’s importance lies not in its causes but in its consequences.

In conflict there are no winners, only losers.

It is through conflict that we grow.

Fear and ignorance generally have catastrophic consequences.

There are both winners and losers in conflict.

Survivors of conflict are forever shaped by their experiences.

The most significant divisions in any community are not ethical or moral, but personal animosities, insecurities and greed.

Conflict is inevitable and it is a fact of life that stronger social groups will win out over weaker ones.

In time, internal conflict becomes external conflict.

Conflict stretches back into the past as well as into the future.

Conflicts can be constructive as well as destructive.

When conflict occurs, it is impossible to remain neutral.

An individual's true character is shown when they encounter conflict.

Those who initiate conflict are often destroyed by their own actions.

In times of conflict, people care more about themselves than anything or anyone else.

In times of conflict the truth isn't as important as individual's beliefs.

Conflict of ideas often results in physical violence.

Conflict can change a person's beliefs.

In conflict good intention can have unforeseen consequences.

The ways we attempt to resolve conflict define who we are.

Every conflict involves both an internal and an external struggle.

For any conflict we encounter, there is also a conflict within ourselves.

Conflict can only be resolved when there is an agreed version of events.

The consequences of conflict are usually unpleasant.

Conflict occurs between the powerful and the powerless

The best way to deal with conflict is head-on, not by avoiding it.

The search for truth and justice is vital in resolving conflicts.

Conflict is resolved through better understanding.

Conflicts may be difficult to resolve.

Conflicts involve a clash of ideas, interests and expectations.

People’s responses to conflict vary.

Who we are is truly tested and proven when we encounter conflict.

Conflict can reveal unexpected qualities in an individual.

Conflict has only negative effects on individuals.

Conflict is inevitable, the way we deal with it is not.

Conflict is inevitable and the consequences are felt for generations.

Conflict is born out of ignorance, intolerance and fear.

Changes born of conflict are not all bad.

It is possible to resolve conflict, but sometimes we choose not to do.

Conflict is a catalyst for change.

In times of conflict, ordinary people find themselves capable of great things.

Engage

Communication is the key to preventing conflict.

Conflict can only be resolved by dispelling ignorance.

Conflict reveals what is wrong and what is right in the world.

It is not actions, but intention that dictates whether one is moral or immoral during times of conflict.

If, when, and how a conflict is resolved is determined by the distribution and use of power.

Engage

VATE
2014:
The choices we make under pressure can show us what we truly value.

2015:
Conflict can test people's resilience and ability to adapt to change.

lauren's 2014 exams

Exam 1:
The experience of conflict can make our previous moral systems untenable.

Exam 2:
Not all conflicts can be resolved; some are eternal.

Exam 3:
Conflict can never be resolved if one seeks only to ascribe blame to others.

lauren's 2015 exams

Exam 1:
Encountering connflict forces us to preioritise what is practical over what we value.

Exam 2:
No one is impervious to conflict.

Exam 3:
Confrontation with the unfamiliar will always lead to conflict.

Exam 4:
Conflict cannot be resolved when people fail to communicate.

VCAA

2008:
In times of conflict ordinary people can act in extraordinary ways.

2009:
It is the victims of conflict who show us what is really important.

2010:
It is difficult to remain a bystander in any situation of conflict.

2011:
The ability to compromise is important when responding to conflict.

2012:
The experience of conflict changes people’s priorities.

2013:
Conflict of conscience can be just as difficult as conflict between people.

2014:
Conflict causes harm to both the powerful and the powerless.

2015:
The strength of our beliefs is tested when we encounter conflict.

Exploring Issues of Identity and Belonging

Excessive isolation is more of a threat to identity than excessive belonging.

Where the sense of personal identity is strong, the need to belong is weak.

The group to which we belong provides us with our identity.

Individual identity is formed by how one relates to others.

If we are not true to ourselves we can never feel completely content.

Our self-understanding comes from our interactions with other people.

To know who you are is to know where you belong.

Where you come from determines who you are.

Who you are is not as important as who you will become.

It is mostly our individual experiences that shape our personal identities.

It can be difficult to accept that the groups we belong to, and our identities, change with time.

The passing of time presents the greatest challenge to our identity.

Only those who do not belong can have a single identity.

The need to belong can completely change who we are.

Our connections with those around us make us who we are.

It is mostly our individual experiences that shape our personal identities.

Belonging to a group gives one a sense of identity.

Families stifle who we are.

Maintaining one’s own identity is more important than belonging to a group.

To conform to the expectations of others may be very self-destructive for the individual.

The environment we belong to ultimately shapes who we are.

Cultural identity and belonging is paramount to one’s sense of self.

The pressures that stem from an individual's lifestyle make self reflection impossible.

There are costs to the individual in belonging to a group.

Society often creates unrealistic and unattainable expectations of individuals.

If we are unaware of whom we really are – we can never be truly content.

Without close and supportive relationships, we can often feel isolated.

To conform to the expectations of others may be very self-destructive for the individual.

Maintaining one’s own identity is more important than belonging to a group.

Cultural identity and belonging is paramount to one’s sense of self.

A strong sense of identity depends on belonging to community as well as to family.

The environment we belong to ultimately shapes who we are.

Belonging to a group gives one a sense of identity.

The pressures that stem from an individual's lifestyle make self reflection impossible.

Belonging involves conforming and a loss of identity.

Sacrifices are necessary in order for an individual to feel accepted in a community.

One needs to be one’s true self.

Our relationships with others define who we are.

Before acquiring a strong sense of self, hardships need to be experienced.

Belonging is always preferable to alienation.

Choosing not to belong may be detrimental, yet rewarding.

Families stifle who we are.

Belonging requires sacrifices that may lead to unhappiness.

Who we are often depends on where we are.

Stereotypes limit the growth of our identity.

The fulfillment of one's duties can lead to the loss of one's individuality.

Happiness is linked to a stable sense of self.

Our sense of who we are is directly influenced by the people in our lives.

Our personal security comes from the experiences that also shape our identity.

Families play a role in abolishing isolation.

Engage

There is no shame in changing ourselves to make others like us.

The community we are a part of plays a role in establishing how we see ourselves.

Without others to follow there would be no foundation upon which to build our sense of identity.

True loneliness is not exclusion, but a failure to know oneself.

Both our sense of belonging and identity cannot be inflexible; eventually one will have to give in.

VATE

2014:
The need to belong can completely change who we are.

2015:
Sometimes our inner self is at odds with the world around us.

lauren's 2014 exams

Exam 1:
Our compulsion to belong is more dangerous than where we may belong.

Exam 2:
Everyone is capable of changing their identity.

Exam 3:
Sometimes unstable identities are better than stable ones.

lauren's 2015 exams

Exam 1:
We cannot forge our own identity; we must discover it.

Exam 2:
It is always better to reject identities that are imposed on us.

Exam 3:
We will always struggle to belong to what we don't understand.

Exam 4:
Belonging can be a source of both strength and weakness.

VCAA

2008:
Our relationships with others help us to define who we are.

2009:
To be true to yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you so