Writing Poetry.

[Binanaz]

So, I plan on writing a poem for an upcoming Context SAC, but I haven't found a model poem/example from VCAA to help me prepare, so I was wondering if people could help me out.

[meganrobyn]

Even though some of the Context texts are poetry, and it's not uncommon for people to adopt the form of the nominated text in their response (eg writing a play, responding to Death of a Salesman), I've not heard of anyone writing poetry before. Also, VCAA doesn't tend to publish total outliers because they're not accessible enough.

It's a significant risk, but I'm sure you're able to weigh up the pros and cons; what I would say, though, is that this is meant to be an extended response, and, unless you're Milton or similar, it might be hard to sustain. So, what I would probably suggest is thinking about a small *collection* of poems that work thematically together, rather than one long one?

[sjayne]

I was going to do this but decided against it for a few reasons.

1. It's really difficult to write good poetry under timed conditions and to write enough so that the assessor can mark it.
2. There's no way to determine how the assessor will react- it might be too abstract

I was advised to learn the poems beforehand and then just alter it a bit in the exam/sac but this is risky because you might get a  prompt which you haven't even considered.

Another option is to include poetry in your piece but not use it as your main response. Eg I studied Paradise Road and began one of my pieces with a poem before launching into my story.

[meganrobyn]

Oh god, I would never write the poems in the SAC/exam! I'd write a few more than I needed, and then select and order them based on the prompt - tweaking words or adding if it came to me naturally. Just like pre-writing a short story, it's very easy to cover the main prompt ideas.

[Seige]

Good luck.