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Excelling in Critical Study-Speeches(2015-2020)-from a 99+ ATAR HSC graduate (1 Viewer)

strawberrye

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hey Mei, what two speeches in your opinion can be written about together?
If you read through my posts carefully, i have already given some suggestions on which two speeches can be combined together, for example, both Pearson and Keating share concerns about the marginalisation of indigenous populations within Australian society.

Hi Mei,

I have to write an essay on speeches of Atwood and Brooks, I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the information and not sure where to start. Just wondering any themes or ideas that you might consider with these two speeches?

thanks so much in advance!:D
If you re-read over the summary I have made on the respective speeches-particularly the Brook's speech-I have already postulated some ideas on how to thematically link the two specified speeches together

Hello Strawberrye and thanks for such a wonderful post on this module! I just have a question in regards to Atwood's speech. As I haven't done Lessing's or Brooks' which one of the other speeches would work best with Atwood's in regards to any common themes or structure? It might sound like a dumb question but I just having trouble with comparing the speeches to Atwood's!
I would recommend Lessing or the Book speech, or you can link to Pearson's speech-which is all about creating equality in Australian society-his speech is aimed at minimising and rectifying past injustices and all about equality, and you may want to make a comparison with Atwood's speech in her attempt to create more 'equal' female character-amore complex fictional characters that are a better reflection of actual human condition.

Thank you so much Meihua, I've honestly gained so much understanding from your guide! You transformed me from a tear-ridden mess of a year 11 to a confident and empowered Prelim Student who is ready to tackle their essay, so thank you once again :)
Thank you for such a nice comment, I wish you all the best for your senior studies-if you haven't yet, checked out more of my study tips in: http://community.boredofstudies.org...how-excel-senior-year-studies-yr-11-12-a.html
 

JuliusSeizure

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Hi Everyone,
For those who don't yet know, my name is Meihua. As a 2013 HSC graduate who got 93 for HSC English, and as a passionate public speaker myself, I have decided to shed some insight on how to excel in module B of the Advanced English course called Critical Study of Texts, in particular, within the elective of speeches. Hopefully you will develop a passion for this module as I did (it was my favourite module for HSC English) and enjoy the power of rhetoric articulated at the right time and at the right context.



If there is any questions you are confused about or anything you wish for me to add to this guide or whether you found this guide to be helpful or not, please feel free to comment on this thread and I will try my best to get back to you as soon as possible. Happy studying everyone:)[/B]

OMG OMGOMG you are a lifesaver. This is going to be so helpful with my Paper 2 on monday. What do you recommend with quoting the speeches. How many should we remember?
 

strawberrye

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OMG OMGOMG you are a lifesaver. This is going to be so helpful with my Paper 2 on monday. What do you recommend with quoting the speeches. How many should we remember?
Hey there, love the pun in your username:)-in terms of quotes, I would suggest 6-10 would be a good number for the three or four main speeches you are focusing on or are familiar with, because the more quotes you remember, the more flexible you can be in using more relevant quotes specific to the thesis created for a particular question, but don't panic too much-as long as you plan well before writing, and make a decent effort to connect with the essay question-you will be fine-all the best for your trials:)
 

JuliusSeizure

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Hey there, love the pun in your username:)-in terms of quotes, I would suggest 6-10 would be a good number for the three or four main speeches you are focusing on or are familiar with, because the more quotes you remember, the more flexible you can be in using more relevant quotes specific to the thesis created for a particular question, but don't panic too much-as long as you plan well before writing, and make a decent effort to connect with the essay question-you will be fine-all the best for your trials:)
thanks! i only focused on two speeches cause it said today focus on Sadat and another speech of your choosing. It was a tricky question but hopefully i'll scrape through. I probably had 4-5 quotes for each speech so I was fairly happy, but hopefully I can remember more by the time I get to the HSC
 

rzahamed

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Thanks so much for your guide, it's hard to come across people who provide so much knowledge for nothing! I was wondering if you had any of your past essays on this module as well as any other modules. I have troubles stringing it all together in essays :/ I was also wondering how much time I should spend on English every week, how much time did you spend?

Thanks in advance!
 

strawberrye

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Thanks so much for your guide, it's hard to come across people who provide so much knowledge for nothing! I was wondering if you had any of your past essays on this module as well as any other modules. I have troubles stringing it all together in essays :/ I was also wondering how much time I should spend on English every week, how much time did you spend?

Thanks in advance!
Hi there, thank you for saying thanks-it means a lot to know what I write is helpful to people. Unfortunately, I no longer have any past essays on the modules because I lost both the laptop and USB that I had those stuff on, however, feel free to check out Crobat's English guide which also include samples of his essay which can be a good model for what good essays should look like: http://community.boredofstudies.org...21953/crobats-guide-hsc-english-advanced.html

I didn't calculate the precise amount of time I spent in English, but it is probably a minimum of 6-7 hours per week, I would leave one evening free to just work on my essay writing-it was difficult-but it paid off in the end:)-All my best wishes for your HSC:)
 

pussypopper

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In the trials I ran my essay down this path

Para 1: Context Speech One
Para 2: Rhetoric Speech One

Para 3: Context Speech Two
Para 4: Rhetoric Speech Two

Do you think this is a nice way to tackle a broad essay question that doesn't specify rhetoric only. I only did this as I believe context isn't to be underestimated and makes a nice point of discussion into the reasoning behind the speech being given and background behind the speaker etc. My teacher also seemed to believe it was a good way to create the essay.

Thoughts?
 

RecklessRick

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In the trials I ran my essay down this path

Para 1: Context Speech One
Para 2: Rhetoric Speech One

Para 3: Context Speech Two
Para 4: Rhetoric Speech Two

Do you think this is a nice way to tackle a broad essay question that doesn't specify rhetoric only. I only did this as I believe context isn't to be underestimated and makes a nice point of discussion into the reasoning behind the speech being given and background behind the speaker etc. My teacher also seemed to believe it was a good way to create the essay.

Thoughts?
Are the context paragraphs with or without textual analysis.
 

pussypopper

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Are the context paragraphs with or without textual analysis.
Without I'd say, for example one of my drafts:

Interpreting the context of speeches greatly assists individuals in understanding the significant nature of justice as achieved through human experience. Ironically, Sadat’s attempt to foster peace in his speech “Address to the Israeli Knesset” contrasts his actions four year prior to its delivery in which he incited a the Yom Kippur Arab-Israeli war which ended only when Egypt, Syria and Israel accepted a UN imposed ceasefire war with Israel in 1973. Sadat, as the prime minister of the time, was enduring social pressure from overpopulation, impoverishment due to the gap between rich and poor, social instability, riots and strikes as well as military spending at 28% of govt. budget, crippling the nation socially and economically, thus enlisting the impetus of justice into Sadat’s jurisdiction to alleviate the pressures of his nation. En route to Israel, Sadat told TIME Magazine that “what I want from this visit, is that the wall created between us and Israel, the psychological wall, be broken down”, illustrating his sole intention to achieve justice in his experience to achieve a long-lasting durable peace. The exhausting Arab-Israeli conflict that beset Sadat’s human experience imbued the endeavour of justice as highlighted in his speech ‘Address to the Israeli Knesset’. Through understanding Sadat’s personal context, responders can comprehend the messages and values of Sadat, particularly the desire for justice, an enduring theme that remains pertinent today.
 

strawberrye

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In the trials I ran my essay down this path

Para 1: Context Speech One
Para 2: Rhetoric Speech One

Para 3: Context Speech Two
Para 4: Rhetoric Speech Two

Do you think this is a nice way to tackle a broad essay question that doesn't specify rhetoric only. I only did this as I believe context isn't to be underestimated and makes a nice point of discussion into the reasoning behind the speech being given and background behind the speaker etc. My teacher also seemed to believe it was a good way to create the essay.

Thoughts?
I usually don't recommend it, I always organise my paragraphs by ideas, never context and rhetoric in isolation, and to be honest, I have not yet seen any speeches essay-and trust me, I have read quite a few in my times of marking essays, that have adopted this structure. For me an integration of idea, rhetorical techniques and context is always preferable and much stronger, but that's just my opinion. I guess it might be too late to change your writing style now-just go with whatever have worked best for you so far and just make sure you always make sure you try your best to answer the question.
 

pussypopper

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Okay how about this, I've included more textual reference and one rhetorical device, by which my next paragraph would be more rhetorical based.

My q was: "In your view, how have rhetorical techniques been used to reveal memorable ideas in the speeches set for study"

The value of context within a speech is immeasurable, in which the memorable ideas of a speech are amplified greatly with our appreciation of the background of each speaker and their address. Paul Keating's landmark 'Redfern Speech' was delivered a largely Aboriginal audience in Redfern and was a prolific movement by which it marked the first occasion an Australian political leader publicly acknowledged the past transgressions of colonial policy on the Indigenous. Keating's speech served as a harsh reminded of the past injustices committed by "us non-Aboriginal Australians", collectively challenging us as the audience to "extend the opportunity, care and dignity" to these people. The speech was incredibly important as it coincided with the Wik and Native Title legal disputes of the time, an opportunity Keating capitalised on to exhibit true leadership and provide a highly moral and principled stance on the contentious issue. As prime minister of the late nineties, he provided a national impetus to begin forging a national path to reconciliation evident as he implements inclusive language rigorously "we". By us as an audience understanding the political climate of Keating's era, it is overwhelmingly apparent that the speech was declared during a crucial time for Australia which sought to usher in a new age of reconciliation. It is through a deep comprehension of the speaker's context, that rhetorical devices are enabled to function and accentuate a speeches theme and message considerably for time to come.

Thanks for your help so far! :jump:
 

strawberrye

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Okay how about this, I've included more textual reference and one rhetorical device, by which my next paragraph would be more rhetorical based.

My q was: "In your view, how have rhetorical techniques been used to reveal memorable ideas in the speeches set for study"

The value of context within a speech is immeasurable, in which the memorable ideas of a speech are amplified greatly with our appreciation of the background of each speaker and their address. Paul Keating's landmark 'Redfern Speech' was delivered a largely Aboriginal audience in Redfern and was a prolific movement by which it marked the first occasion an Australian political leader publicly acknowledged the past transgressions of colonial policy on the Indigenous. Keating's speech served as a harsh reminded of the past injustices committed by "us non-Aboriginal Australians", collectively challenging us as the audience to "extend the opportunity, care and dignity" to these people. The speech was incredibly important as it coincided with the Wik and Native Title legal disputes of the time, an opportunity Keating capitalised on to exhibit true leadership and provide a highly moral and principled stance on the contentious issue. As prime minister of the late nineties, he provided a national impetus to begin forging a national path to reconciliation evident as he implements inclusive language rigorously "we". By us as an audience understanding the political climate of Keating's era, it is overwhelmingly apparent that the speech was declared during a crucial time for Australia which sought to usher in a new age of reconciliation. It is through a deep comprehension of the speaker's context, that rhetorical devices are enabled to function and accentuate a speeches theme and message considerably for time to come.

Thanks for your help so far! :jump:
I still feel like more explicit integration of techniques is important-because composers use techniques to best respond to their contextual audience and elicit the maximum emotive impact. For example, here's how one paragraph from my speeches essay looks like (This speech is no longer in the prescribed text list but it gives you a broad idea of how I integrated everything together in every paragraph)

Preceding insightful reflections of social realities, both speakers rationally highlights the inherent tension between the actual and possible to become an empowering platform upon which the provocative possibility of permanent peace and national unity can be constructed as a practical reality. Following her reference of the prejudices confronting the Indigenous communities, Bandler metaphorically characterises the insular ‘racist’ spectra within Australian society as prisoners ‘chained in their stubbornness’ and juxtaposing this minority with the majority who ‘are free’ and ‘fair-minded’, Bandler instils her responders with a sense of self-empowerment in realising the potential opportunities inherent in achieving cultural heterogeneity through unity. Bandler’s re-contextualisation of John Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural speech, “to the youth present…this movement should be one wherein we should ask not what is in it for me, but what is in it for us”- allows her to reveal the power of the younger generation to enact practical, social changes through participating in proactive, democratic citizenship. However, Bandler also highlights the infinite potential for all social spectrums to unite and achieve genuine reconciliation through a hypophora “Friends, what is reconciliation about? It is about promoting discussion.” where the conversational tone enables Bandler to highlight the potential of transformation is inherent within all responders, thus providing a powerful imperative for change. The use of distinctio and anaphora ‘it’s about’ in refining the definition of reconciliation, ‘it’s about those rights being enshrined in legislation. It’s about valuing the differences of those cultures that make up this country’, allows Bandler to further harness the impetus for change from democratic movements rather than diplomatic processes by equipping her responders with a distinctive and clarified vision of what practical and effective reconciliation strategies could involve. Consequently, Bandler compels her responders to capitalise on the inherent tension between the ‘actual’ slow reconciliation processes implemented by bureaucracies through contributing to the ‘possible’ vision of genuine national reconciliation and unity.
 

Catz

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Hi strawberrye,
I came across a critical question in regards to the complex nature of national identity, what does that mean?
 

strawberrye

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Hi strawberrye,
I came across a critical question in regards to the complex nature of national identity, what does that mean?
By this stage, you should start thinking for yourselves-a skill very critical to excelling in exams. Essentially, consider there's always a balance between individual's desire to demonstrate their individuality as well as desiring unity/social connectivity and perhaps patriotism, how sometimes national identity can be disrupted/paradoxically made stronger by traumatic events-i.e. Deane's speech, or how it can be reshaped by readjusting past personal prejudices and actively employing transparent political diplomacy:)-i.e. Sadat's speech

Just some ideas to get you started-but really-at this stage-trust yourself in deconstructing the question:) Best of luck for your HSC exams tomorrow:)
 

Catz

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By this stage, you should start thinking for yourselves-a skill very critical to excelling in exams. Essentially, consider there's always a balance between individual's desire to demonstrate their individuality as well as desiring unity/social connectivity and perhaps patriotism, how sometimes national identity can be disrupted/paradoxically made stronger by traumatic events-i.e. Deane's speech, or how it can be reshaped by readjusting past personal prejudices and actively employing transparent political diplomacy:)-i.e. Sadat's speech

Just some ideas to get you started-but really-at this stage-trust yourself in deconstructing the question:) Best of luck for your HSC exams tomorrow:)
Thank you for the advice :)
 

eyeseeyou

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What related texts do you recommend for this module?
 

eyeseeyou

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Are you studying english at a university level?

You seem very dedicated to english
 

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