Supplementary Texts for Encountering Conflict

[vexx]

I flicked through the English Manual i was selling that my school made/got made to see if it was any good, and i came across a few pages which are for Encountering Conflict specifically - they are texts that "allow you to explore the context more deeply" So i thought i may as well type them up as they could be useful for those stuck with what to write about for their context piece, or even just to have more ideas.

try and find the core ideas in these, perhaps using sparknotes or an external guide, and you find yourself able to write a very good piece!

so here a quick list:

novels
- 'catch 22' by joseph heller
- 'capricornia' by xavier herbert
- 'all quiet on the western front' by eric maria remarque
- 'the quiet american' by graham greene

short stories
- 'mechanical aptitude' by frank moorhouse, in 'border territory'
- 'the true mask' by richard lunn, in 'below the waterline'
- 'scission' by tim winton, and 'my father's axe' by him too.

films
- 'bridge over the river kwai' directed by david lean
- 'city freedom' directed by richard attenborough
- 'a clockwork orange' directed by stanley kubrick
- 'mississippi burning' directed by alan parker
- 'fight club' directed by david fincher

plays
- 'a doll's house' by henrik ibsen
- 'brilliant lies' by david williamson
- 'the one day of the year' by alan seymour

poetry
- 'dulce et decorum est' by wilfred owen
- 'sunday, bloody sunday' by U2

goodluck:)

[darkphoenix]

So for context can we can relate to some of these texts right?

[vexx]

So for context can we can relate to some of these texts right?

your context piece can pretty much be anything.

for encountering conflict you may right a philosophical type essay on it (the main format) using examples in the above sources to support your arguments. i've spoken to a couple of high achieving students who did this and did quite well.

[darkphoenix]

Ok cool.

But should we try to say a little bit about the text we are studying in school as well?

Or does it not matter?

[vexx]

Ok cool.

But should we try to say a little bit about the text we are studying in school as well?

Or does it not matter?

ask your teacher as i'm not sure :p

[m@tty]

Ok cool.

But should we try to say a little bit about the text we are studying in school as well?

Or does it not matter?

You've read SHINNY'S GUIDE TO CONTEXT WRITING haven't you?

Anyway, this is the relevant info:

Do we have to use our texts?
For SACs, ask your teacher as the requirements change throughout every school. For the exam, yes, you definitely must use your text in some form or another. This is clearly indicated in VCAA stating that you must use 'detail from at least one text selected from the English/ESL Text list 2'. Also, one of the four criteria used to mark the piece is 'effective use of detail and ideas drawn from the selected text as appropriate to the task', so I assume that despite the freedom given in context writing, quite significant use of the provided texts is still imperative in obtaining a high mark.

How do we use our texts?
The key to using your texts is linking with IDEAS. I've bolded this word through this guide because this is the foundation of context writing. It is about ideas, but ideas must be supported with evidence, and often you will also use your texts as direct sources of evidence. This can be done by:

• Direct quoting
• Mentioning events, outcomes, consequences

However, sometimes people may not want to use their texts directly, and often they cannot such as in a pure imaginative piece. In these cases, you could either resort to indirect quoting (quoting a SIGNIFICANT phrase from the book but pretending it is your own words), or rely on OBVIOUS idea links. If there is a predominate theme throughout your book, by adopting a similar theme in your piece, you should be able to score the marks for textual references. This can be ASSISTED by mirroring elements of the book, such as adopting a similar setting, character names, events and so on, but keep in mind that unless you have idea links, then these are simply just gimmicks.

How much do we have to use our texts?
I can't give a straight answer to this and the examiner's report is likely to change my answer to this, but I still recommend that 50% of your evidence should come from your texts. I did the expository style for the entire year, and what I did was that in each paragraph, I'd have an idea supported by a piece of evidence from my text, then backed up by a piece of evidence from another source. This was an easy way to maintain the 50% balance, and it worked quite well for me considering this structure got me a 10/10 from a VCAA examiner in two trial exams I did.

[darkphoenix]

Yeah i skimmed through it lol.

Alright ill ask my teacher then.

[teacher28]

Ok cool.

But should we try to say a little bit about the text we are studying in school as well?

Or does it not matter?

"The transference of ideas from the texts is critical. Students who understood and could convey sophisticated ideas from
their texts were the most successful, regardless of the approach to writing selected."

VCAA assessors' comments 2009