GUILT

PART 1

 

 1. Who feels guilty?

 2. Why do they feel guilty?

 3. What actions did the characters perform to bring on their feelings of guilt?

 4. Did the feeling of guilt cause a change in the character’s personality or actions?

 5. How is their guilt viewed by other characters?

 6. What are the consequences of guilt?

You might find that questions two and three overlap a little but they are worth considering separately.

 You will need to consider your definition of the word first. Then decide on a thesis with regard to the way guilt is represented and three or four major points which would support your thesis.

 PART 2

Now consider which new context might allow you present guilt in a similar way.

Choose one of your main points and write a paragraph in which you analyse how the play positions the audience to view this aspect of guilt and then persuade the reader that your re-contextualising is appropriate. This will involve justifying your choice of context as well as using persuasive language.

 

 

Analysing what the play says about ambition

In order to anlayse what the play says about ambition, consider the following questions:

What is ambition? Give a general definition.

In Macbeth, Who is ambitious?
How do they put their ambition into action?
What are the consequences of their ambition? Rewards/punishment?

What does this say to us about ambition? Consider its relation to the important ideas, attitudes and values in the play.

 

Now try the following practice task:

 

Persuasive Letter Task

The Queensland School’s Association is considering the removal of Shakespeare’s Macbeth as a compulsory text on the Senior English syllabus.

Write a letter in which you persuade the Queensland Schools Association (QSA) that Macbeth is a valuable play for continued study as it explores a number of important ideas, attitudes and values.

Your letter should focus on the concept of ambition.

In your response, you should analyse what the play says about this concept and how this representation is constructed.

Remember to be persuasive.

The name and address of the person you are writing to is: Ms Helen Smith, Queensland Schools Association, 100 Stanley Street, Brisbane, 4000.

 

Maestro Practice Essay Topic 1

Plan a response to the following question:

To what extent does Peter Goldsworthy capture the challenges of growing up in Maestro?

 As you plan, consider the essay genre conventions which you need to apply:

 

Do I have a clear thesis and is this repeated throughout my paragraphs?
Do I have clear topic sentences?
Have I used relevant quotations and provided the necessary context for discussion?
Have I analysed the use of positioning techniques and how they contribute to meaning?

Friday's lesson

Re-read pages 124 -126 of Maestro 

Write a letter from Paul to Keller in response. You may choose to write it at the time or to have Paul write it at the end of the novel, bringing to it his more developed understanding of himself.

Consider how different these two versions of Paul’s letter might be.

Try to achieve the right voice for Paul both in general terms and in matching his tone to the timing of the letter.

Remember to re-read as you write rather than reading only at the end. Use the editing checklist to edit your response.

Proof-read and post to your blog.

Planning your rationale

Narrative Intervention Rationale Guide

Please use this as a guide when planning your narrative intervention for Maestro. Remember you are asked to consider in your response the concept of Growing Up, considering what affects people as they grow towards maturity and what attitudes towards growing up are expressed.

Your response must:

explore a gap or silence in the text.

    
     your narrative perspective should indicate how the character challenges or empathises with      Paul's point of view.

 

address the ideas, attitudes and values of your chosen character towards the concept of growing up and show how these ideas, attitudes and values influence his or her view of Paul.

 Details for Cover sheet:

  Narrative Intervention Point of view      

 Entry Point in the novel:

Style of genre:

Rationale: (approx 100 words)

Whose point of view are you writing from and how does this address a gap and/ or silence in the text? How will your choice of genre help you address the task? 

Will this narrative perspective indicate how a character challenges or empathises with Paul’s point of view? 

How do you plan to represent the concept of growing up?
 

Show how these influence his or her view of Paul.

   
  (i.e.)   What are your character’s ideas towards the concept of growing up?
             What does your character value?
             What are their attitudes towards this concept?

 

 

 

Wednesday's lesson

Next section of Maestro – Intermezzo.

Two important things happen for Paul during this holiday break.

What is your reaction to Paul’s response to the lovers in the library? Does it affect your view of Paul?

What do we learn about Keller from the conversations at the end of the previous section and from his surprise gift to Paul?

Maestro 1968.

What do we learn about Paul, his development and his attitude to growing up?

Make notes for yourself on these sections of the book.

Monday's lesson

Look at the gap on page 13 after Paul runs out of Keller’s room.

Write the next section from Keller’s point of view. What did Keller do next? What did he think as he contemplated the scene which had just taken place? Use your narrative to reveal Keller’s attitude to growing up and to Paul. In planning, consider Keller’s experiences and how these might affect his attitude to what growing up entails.

Read the section pages 63 – 67. What does this  section tell the reader about the way each of them might understand growing up?

Wednesday's lesson

Read the story “My Father’s Axe” by Tim Winton.

Choose a point in the story and write a monologue in which the mother talks to her husband about watching her son grow up and what that means to both him and his father. In other words, what does the boy think it means to grow up or to be grown up? What does the father think it means? Are there differences in their views?

What does the mother think it means to grow up?  What would she say about their relationship?

She gives a new (perhaps female) perspective. Try to give her an authentic voice. This may vary from person to person according to your view of the character but try to make it clear and consistent. 

Understanding Paul

Darwin 1967

The novel begins with Paul giving his first impressions of Keller.

 

Identify each of the sections in which Paul describes Keller. Note the use of language. Describe Paul as you see him, using language as effectively as you can. Try choosing a scene and imagining what Paul looks like in this situation.

What are your first impressions of Paul as an adolescent? What is his relationship with his parents like? What aspects of Paul's life are affecting his development to adulthood? Justify your answers with evidence from this section of the novel. Discuss in a group and take notes. Write up your answers and post to your blog.  

Writing checklist

“Imaginative response”

1.Sentence length – varied length or deliberately chosen length.

2.Sentence openings – varied openings.

3.Punctuation – used correctly?

4.Have you tried to use something other than commas and full stops?

5.Vocabulary – try to find two or three places where you can use a more effective word – look at verbs particularly.

Class work Monday week 2

Look at the advertisement picture again and plan an imaginative response which involves the girl as a character and which challenges the representation of growing up constructed in the advertisement. Your choice of genre and your choice of point of view. You could write as the girl or as one of her friends or as her parent.  You could narrate an event, write a letter, write a journal entry or a news report.

Growing Up Task 2

                                                         Growing up on the Gold Coast

Write a personal reflection on what it is like to grow up on the Gold Coast in 2014. What are the positives? What are the negatives? Try to let your own voice emerge. Do you want to write in a serious way? Do you want to put a humorous slant on the topic? Allow some your own concerns/ideas to come through. For example, if you have strong feelings about the place of women in society, this might affect your thoughts on the topic of growing up on the Gold Coast. Post to your blog by Wednesday Week 2.

Growing Up Week 1 Task 1

Write an analysis of the way the advertisement “Senior Year of High School” which we discussed in class positions the reader to view growing up. You could consider the following: 1. The target audience 2. Use of language and visuals 3. The values, ideas and attitudes embedded in the text. I suggest that you also try a couple of strategies to improve the quality of your written work. Firstly, try reading what you write every couple of sentences. Don't wait until you have finished to read over your work. Secondly, try reading each sentence aloud. Due on your blog by Monday's lesson