Re: Help with 2013 English Standard & Advanced Half Yearly Exam: Section 3 Essay Ques
It will be much more helpful if you can tell us what your prescribed and related text is so we can give you specific examples to illuminate this point so you can better understand it.
But basically, deconstruct the question, explore the possibilities which can help you to construct specific and insightful thesis sentences based on your the belonging/not belonging ideas explored in your prescribed/related text.
Perceptions-what type of perceptions-self-perception, constructed, imposed, societal, cultural, collective, permanent, changing, positive, negative
Individual's sense of identity-one's identity is made up of tangible items(such as clothing, ID card, passport) and intangible items(such as cultural connections, personality etc)-and their sense of identity can be influenced by external forces as well as internal ones.
1)How perceptions of belonging can affect an individual's sense of identity
Positive perceptions of a strong sense of connection to society, to one's self or to a group can influence an individual's identity. After all, we construct our identities partially based on our associations and affiliations to the groups we are defined by and the things we choose to identify as unique to our personalities. For example, having a strong perception of connection to one's family members can nurture a sense of communal solidarity, and in turn, provides individual with a permanent, holistic identity that is dependent on his/her place within the family. Yet on the other hand, perceptions of belonging to certain bodies, such as the need to conform to societal standards, can restrain opportunities to express our unique personality, and thus come to negatively influence our perception of our identity. Explore specific possibilities in your prescribed and related.
2)How perceptions of not belonging can affect an individual's sense of identity
Perceptions of not belonging to a society, for example, can instil a renewed consciousness within the individual of the most important things to belong to-and often, can paradoxically catalyses an individual being successful in expression of his/her sense of individuality. For example, within Peter Skrzynecki's poem, 'Feliks Skrzynecki', Australian's society's insensitive attitude towards migrants(symbolised by the callous comments of the clerk)formulates Felik's perception that belonging to societal standards as superficial, and this comes to enhance his Polish cultural identity-through his regular interaction with Polish acquaintances reminiscing over past pastoral experiences-shared. On the other hand, negative perceptions can consolidate individual's sense of estrangement, and result in them feeling a lost/non-genuine/lack of a sense of identity.
Explore similar possibilities in your prescribed and related text.
Hope the above advice will help you to make points specific to your texts, so basically you organise your essay into four paragraphs, prescribed, related, prescribed, related-and two paragraphs exploring how perceptions of belonging can affect an individual's sense of identity, and two paragraphs exploring how perceptions of not belonging can also affect an individual's sense of identity, make sure you make effective, conceptual links of belonging/not belonging ideas with your prescribed and related texts
Hope this helps
