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Macbeth

Shakespeare’s Macbeth follows a moral battle of an individual’s ambition and drive forpower, and the ultimate guilt experienced, leading to a descent into madness. Throughoutthis tragic play we focus on the core themes of Fate, Ambition, and Guilt and a Demise intoMadness. Using key examples from the play to drive and support our argument. Let’s start building a paragraph for the themes of Ambition and Fate: Start off with a topic sentence:The complicated relationship between fate and ambi...

Legal Studies - Crime Essay

Perhaps you’re an aspiring lawyer. Maybe you did well in stage 5 commerce. Or it’s possible that you’ve spent a few too many hours binge watching your favourite legal dramas- Suits and How to Get Away With Murder. For whatever reason, you have picked to study one of the most content-heavy, yet interesting subjects on offer for your HSC. Welcome back to another CLEAR blog. Today, we will be channeling our inner Annalise Keating by discussing strategies on how to approach that pesky 15 mark ...

Merchant of Venice

Welcome back to another blog post! Today, we will be discussing Shakespeare’s comedic play ‘Merchant of Venice’ published in 1623. Shakespeare’s portrayal of antisemitism, particularly for the protagonist, directly correlates with the HSC common module ‘Texts and Human experiences’. Shakespeare intentionally uses his play form which allows for a visual representation of the antisemitism towards the Jewish collective amid the Elizabethan era. The dramatic and theatrical storytelling a...

Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes' Poetry

In this Clear Education blog, we will explore the HSC Module A – Textual conversations, focusing on the two poets Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes. The textual conversation explores the historical and social contexts informing each poet, particularly the collective loss of identity of women in the 1950s under the patriarchy, brought to light by the rise of second and third wave feminist movements. Plath’s confessional approach to her poetry reveals the collapse of her mental health, and continued...

Boy Behind the Curtain - Quotes and Analysis

In this blogpost, we’ll take a look at how Tim Winton’s collection of semi-autobiographical essays, specifically how ‘Havoc: A life in Accidents’ connects to the Texts and Human Experiences rubric.  In responses to the common module, it’s important to consider form, specifically how he combines the essay form with personal anecdotes and philosophies. Some ideas/key themes you might want to examine in his texts are his discussions of family values, emerging tensions between traditi...

Past The Shallows: Quotes and Analysis

CLEAR Education is here to bring you another blog post! This time we are going to dive into Favel Parrett’s Past the Shallows and how it represents the inconsistencies of relationships, inviting us as the responder to reconsider contrasting familial relationships, as we understand that they have the power to both empower and hinder. Let’s dive into it. Topic Sentence: Parrett’s novel explores the inconsistent nature of familial relationships à they have the power to both empower and dest...

The Crucible: Quotes and Analysis

Another CLEAR Education blog post! In this post, we will be diving into Arthur Miller's play, 'The Crucible' and how it extrapolates upon mass hysteria which ultimately affects an individual’s morals, to illustrate the anxieties of McCarthyism era.Overview and Context To have a strong understanding of The Crucible, it is important to first understand how Arthur Miller’s own context of the ‘Red Scare’ and McCarthyism relates to and is paralleled within the historical contex...

The Castle - Quotes and Analysis

Hello all, in this blog post we will be exploring Rob Sitch’s 1997 film ‘The Castle’ and its relation to the Standard English Module A: Language, Identity and Culture. Let’s jump into the topic sentence: Sitch utilises the narration of Dale, the protagonist Darryl’s son, and his distinct ‘Aussie’ vernacular to voice his thoughts in appreciation of his father and family. This distinct colloquial language features prevalent in the early stages of the film places the audience immediat...

1984 - Quotes and Analysis

George Orwell’s ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ is one of the most prominent texts studied across schools for the common module as the exploration of key concerns of the contextual period are now more relevant than ever. Nonetheless, when discussing Orwell’s text, it is crucial to unpack the ideas in relation to the human experience, for example: A Collective and Tormented Human Experience. This idea can be integrated into a topic sentence: Orwell’s politically charged novel, Nineteen Eighty-F...

1984: The Best and Only Technique List !

The Best Techniques for Nineteen Eighty-Four These techniques are a great indication of the overarching literary devices that Orwell uses to create Winston Smith's journey throughout Oceania. Although this is an extensive list, you will need to expand upon these techniques with specific quotes from the novel. Techniques: Allegory - the criticisms of totalitarianism (specifically Soviet Russia) and war behind the story of the Party and Oceania Allusion - Ingsoc as a reference to English Socialis...

The Truman Show - Quotes and Analysis

Welcome back to another CLEAR Education blog! In this post we will be exploring the film ‘The Truman Show’ for the Standard English HSC Module B: Close Study of Texts. Specifically, we will be unpacking the contents of a body paragraph in terms of the films symbolic representation of the pervasive role of media and privacy, which is still relevant in a contemporary context. An example topic sentence may read: Peter Weir’s film ‘The Truman Show’ symbolically displays the pervasive role...

Y12 PDHPE: Ottawa Charter

Evaluate the effectiveness of the Ottawa charter for health promotion.The typical PDHPE paragraph, much like English, follows a simple and effective TEEAL structure that can clearly address this question. Topic sentence - brief statement answering the question using high modality language. Example topic sentence - The Ottawa charter encompasses a multifaceted approach to promote behavioural change and increase overall empowerment over ones healthy lifestyle choices, enhancing well-being. Elabo...

Henry Lawson Poetry: Quotes and Analysis

In this blog post, we will be exploring the short stories of Henry Lawson within Module A’s Language, Identity and Culture. This will focus upon the composer’s utilisation of language in order to shape meaning surrounding the cultural values of the individual and the collective, and what insight this provides into the representation of their identity.  Overview and ContextLawson’s deliberately unembellished version of life in the Australian landscape challenges the prevailing assumpti...

Oodgeroo Noonuccal Poetry: Quotes and Analysis

This blog post will explore the poetry of Oodgeroo Noonuccal and its relation to Module B: Close Study of Literature. It is crucial to remember that this module focuses upon your own personal response to the composer’s use of language features and forms and how you are able to understand and analyse the complex ideas of the texts.  Overview and ContextNoonuccal’s poems are deeply influenced by her personal experiences of colonialism and how this has impacted the deep connection to the i...

HSC Geography: How to smash the Exam

Geography in Stage 6 is one of those subjects which actually is quite difficult in terms of content. Like HSC English or Mathematics, which is the polar extremes of either analytical or methodical; the reality is… Geography has it all. The Multiple Choice Skills questions uses calculation and logic, being primarily mathematics based. It is then, in the consecutive sections of the paper where a large variety of evidence based examples and successful essay writing techniques are required. S...

The Tempest & Hagseed: Textual Conversations

It can be argued that Atwood’s postmodern text ’Hag-seed’ is a modern day extrapolation of Shakespeare’s seminal text, ‘The Tempest.’ Atwood's reinterpretation aids in illuminating Shakespeare's underlying themes by reinterpreting them for modern audiences.  Context'The Tempest' was written amid the Jacobean period where there was a shift from medievalist ideals to Renaissance humanism. With this shift, came a transformation in respective values. Prospero, the pro...

Billy Elliot - Quotes and Analysis

Texts and Human Experiences Welcome back to another CLEAR blog post. In this post, we will be exploring Stephen Daldry's film 'Billy Elliot', and discussing its relevance to the 'Texts and Human Experiences' rubric. Billy's restricted human experience is initially dictated by his heteronormative social context. However, once Billy subverts such gender assumptions, he is able to embark on a more fulfilling and liberating human experience.  Context:Daldry draws upon the restrictive social cod...

Rosemary Dobson - Texts and Human Experience

Welcome back to another CLEAR Education blog post!Today we will be exploring the Common Module of the new English syllabus, "Texts and Human Experiences". Specifically, we will be looking at Rosemary Dobson's prescribed poems and breaking three of them down.To start with, it's important to know a little bit about Rosemary Dobson's context, and the key values she represents in her poetry. We can see that Dobson’s poems “Cock crow,” “Young girl at a window,” and “Amy Caroline...

T.S. Eliot: Preludes - Quotes and Analysis

Welcome back to the CLEAR Education blog. Today's blog focuses on some of the more obscure poems of T.S Eliot as part of Module B; such as Preludes (written in 1910) Context: Preludes was written during the evolution of Modernism, amidst an interwar period distinct in its instability and magnified by the excessive gentility of Victorianism. In this way, it is a poem which exposes a vexation with modern Victorianism; critiquing its fixation with decorousness and artificiality. Eliot critiques the...

T.S. Eliot: 'The Hollow Men' - Quotes and Analysis

Welcome back to the Clear Education Blog! Here we will explore further into another of T.S. Eliot’s poems for Module B, The Hollow Men. In this poem, Eliot’s portrays the confronting spiritual and psychological isolation of the hollow men in order to reflect the feelings and struggles of the modern man in a continuously evolving world. ContextOne aspect which Eliot focuses upon is the futility and mundanity of life in a world whereindividuals are forced to conform to society’s artificial c...

T.S. Eliot: The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock - Quotes and Analysis

In this blog we will talk about one of T.S Eliot’s poems for HSC’s Advanced English Module B: The Lovesong of J Alfred Prufrock. We’ll talk about context and key values as well as analyse some examples to help you for your essay. Specifically, we’ll talk about the way Eliot explores the idea of an individual’s ambivalence and isolation in society, enhancing the notion of the futility of life within an increasingly modernist context. ContextEliot wrote this poem after the First World Wa...

Henry Lawson - Quotes and Analysis

Welcome back! Throughout this blog post, we will focus on the work of Henry Lawson and his use of the distinctively visual to provide readers with an understanding of his perception on the harsh, inhospitable nature of the Australian outback and the effects this has on individual dwellers. Remember, when writing about the distinctively visual, we always want to acknowledge that the author is trying to ‘position’ the responder to view their relative insight on a certain place or ide...

Mrs. Dalloway and The Hours - Quotes and Analysis

In this section of our blog, we are going to analyse the paired texts, Mrs Dalloway and The Hours. Let's get into it. Delving into context and values:In Mrs Dalloway, the notion of female oppression is seen through the dissatisfaction ofwomen in their stereotypical roles as housewives due to the lack of development during thepost-war era. Woolf thus critiques the conservatism of the traditional Victorian views ofwomen and instead explores their changing roles and the struggles for women’s righ...

Romeo and Juliet - Quotes and Analysis

We are going to take a break from Year 12 texts and look at the popular Shakespearean text that many school students study prior to Year 12 - Romeo and Juliet.  Specifically, we are going to look at the overarching theme of 'love.' This theme can be changed to 'forbidden love' or 'eternal love' depending on the question and, of course, what you want to write about. Finally, we are only going to look at examples from Act 2 Scene 2 where Juliet appears on the balcony and Romeo is 'swept away'...

Richard III and Looking for Richard - Quotes and Analysis

Welcome back to the CLEAR Education blog. In this post we will take a close look at the two HSC texts: Shakespeare’s play King Richard III and Al Pacino’s ‘drama’ documentary Looking For Richard. We will take a closer look at the contexts of these two texts, along with some quotes, techniques and analysis from each. Specifically, we will be examining how studying the differences and parallels between the texts shows how the key values of the Shakespeare’s texts are universal, and still...