Question about how far is too far! (1 Viewer)

[tim05]

Am I allowed to take the piss out of my own work (however evidently I would call it self reflective although I don't agree with this) by including at the end of it [lets say I do 6500 word short story] and then I insert a 1500 word "Study guide" for my major work as part of the word limit. To show how {oh the joys of wasting time on postmodern work (as the markers will most likley perceive it)] my whole text is a construction and if I want to I can get meanign out of the most subtle and stupid little things in my own writing???

Or would this extra bit break the rules of the major work?

 

[kami]

Personally I wouldn't do this as you are meant to write a 6000-8000 word story+a 1500 word reflection, not a story, story guide and reflection. And on the subject of taking the piss out of things - you can do pretty much anything as long as it stays within the guidelines just make sure you make it meaingful and not a pointless throwaway.

 

[jhakka]

Am I allowed to take the piss out of my own work (however evidently I would call it self reflective although I don't agree with this) by including at the end of it [lets say I do 6500 word short story] and then I insert a 1500 word "Study guide" for my major work as part of the word limit. To show how {oh the joys of wasting time on postmodern work (as the markers will most likley perceive it)] my whole text is a construction and if I want to I can get meanign out of the most subtle and stupid little things in my own writing???

Or would this extra bit break the rules of the major work?

I would certainly not do that, since it would definitely look like you're trying to chew words up. The place for being reflective is (shock of the century, here) the Reflection Statement. Adding a study guide would almost certainly imply that you underestimate the intelligence of your audience, and I'm willing to bet that most teachers are more intelligent than you are. Also it would seem like a fair bit of self-loving is going on.

If you want to point things out, choose the most important techniques and/or scenes in your work and mention them in your Reflection Statement.

I honestly think that if you put your study guide in, you're asking them to take marks off.

 

[xeuyrawp]

Am I allowed to take the piss out of my own work (however evidently I would call it self reflective although I don't agree with this) by including at the end of it [lets say I do 6500 word short story] and then I insert a 1500 word "Study guide" for my major work as part of the word limit. To show how {oh the joys of wasting time on postmodern work (as the markers will most likley perceive it)] my whole text is a construction and if I want to I can get meanign out of the most subtle and stupid little things in my own writing???

Or would this extra bit break the rules of the major work?

The real question you should be asking is whether you want to do well.

How about you just jump through the fucking hoops that you're supposed to (ie, reflect in a statement), get the good marks (ie, 45+), and continue with your life (ie, have lots of babies and have a good job), all the while realising that the HSC is about doing well, not being clever. Alternatively, you could risk it, not do as well and then regret it after.

 

[Liza-LaBoheme]

I think a piece should stand on its own- it would only appear like you were attempting to explain/apologise for your writing. If there's something you want to say postmodernism allows for it to be said in the piece itself- can you possibly integrate it?
woops HSC=competition. forget everything i said- i think it'ss a brilliant idea and needs a larger word count.

 

[goldendawn]

Am I allowed to take the piss out of my own work (however evidently I would call it self reflective although I don't agree with this) by including at the end of it [lets say I do 6500 word short story] and then I insert a 1500 word "Study guide" for my major work as part of the word limit. To show how {oh the joys of wasting time on postmodern work (as the markers will most likley perceive it)] my whole text is a construction and if I want to I can get meanign out of the most subtle and stupid little things in my own writing???

Or would this extra bit break the rules of the major work?

Hey Tim, there is actually a literary philosophy close to what you are talking about - it's called Metafiction. In Metafiction, the composer reflects upon the fact that their story is ultimately a construction - espousing the (somewhat Postmodern) belief that our own daily reality is likewise a construct in which meaning is given to random events in space and time (the term Postmodernists use for this is "hyper-reality"). Metafiction is self-referential, meaning that it refers consciously to itself as a story in a (somewhat Postmodern) attempt to blur the lines between the literary reality, and our daily reality.
It might be worth it to do some research into "Metafiction".

 

[Trippendicular]

How about you just jump through the fucking hoops that you're supposed to (ie, reflect in a statement), get the good marks (ie, 45+), and continue with your life (ie, have lots of babies and have a good job)

You forgot about death

 

[aimeelaba77]

definetly do it! extension two is about originality, i think it sounds like a fucken funny & original idea, the markers reward anything that stands out and grabs thier attention, plus 4u is such a wank that anyone who doesnt take thier own work too seriously would be refreshing!

 

[rachael230]

that's so true. i didn't realise when i picked up this course what a wank it would end up being...
my teacher told me today that i (well, not just me, anyone doing the course) would be screwed if i got a low mark on the viva. looking at all the other stuff we have to do, the major work itself doesnt even count for half our course mark!
bit of a wake up call actually.
sorry, off the subject!
anyway, im torn as to whether your idea is really edgy and original (that is, itll grab the marker's attention and do brilliantly), or something trying to be overly smart and end up looking well... stupid.
in the end it'll be how u write it (yes, i am great at stating the obvious).
good luck!

 

[Alimoe_KG]

that's so true. i didn't realise when i picked up this course what a wank it would end up being...
my teacher told me today that i (well, not just me, anyone doing the course) would be screwed if i got a low mark on the viva. looking at all the other stuff we have to do, the major work itself doesnt even count for half our course mark!
bit of a wake up call actually.
sorry, off the subject!
anyway, im torn as to whether your idea is really edgy and original (that is, itll grab the marker's attention and do brilliantly), or something trying to be overly smart and end up looking well... stupid.
in the end it'll be how u write it (yes, i am great at stating the obvious).
good luck!

wtf? u would be screwed if u got a low mark on the viva? ummmmm.......no. That is just depressingly wrong. I think she meant that you're screwed for your SCHOOL RANK/MARK if u screw the viva.....your major work itself is like the hsc exam itself...., if u screw your major work, your viva won't save your ass. But if you rip the major work itself, a shitty viva mark probably wouldn't even matter at all, depending on the performance of your classmates. Granted, the reflection statement will constitute a considerable percentage of the external mark and will influence perceptions of your major work, but your damn work itself will be the basis upon which everything is marked. If it doesn't work, nothing works. If you don't have the toast, you don't exactly have anything to put the butter on now do you. So in that way, your major definitely counts for more than 50% of your course.


And on to that story idea. Don't do it, it won't work. A guy in my class is making a "mockumentary" for his major work. His major work itself is actually the documentation of the creation of a major work. In that way, his work is like a throwback to the entire Extension 2 english course by laughing at the stupidity of postmodernism and blah blah...which seems to be what you want to do. My teacher, a senior marker, is really worried about it though and is constantly warning him to make sure he doesn't make the markers feel like they're being disrespected and being taken as fools.

Conclusion: your idea ain't that good compared to his, and if his one could potentially not work...your one is doomed. By the way, you're supposed to write a short story. The 8000 words are all designated for the short story itself. A study guide is not a short story. So not only does your idea not work, your medium is this hybrid, wierd ass blob thing...that ultimately doesn't fit the marker's criteria.

 

[Abbeygale]

Your internal assessment is moderated by your external assessment. An excellent MW will render a terrible viva irrelevant.

 

[xeuyrawp]

Your internal assessment is moderated by your external assessment. An excellent MW will render a terrible viva irrelevant.

What the hell? That's not true. If your other internal marks are high, with your MW high, but your viva's low, of course it'll (a low viva) be less damaging, but nothing renders any internal mark "irrelevant", even if it's worth as little as 5%.

 

[Abbeygale]

Ok, irrelevant is the wrong word choice. But you can still get a good HSC mark even if all your internal assessments are awful, based on a great MW.

 

[Alimoe_KG]

Plus how the hell can you screw a viva? It's your project. They ask questions. You answer questions. You should know everything about your project. If you don't, make it up. What's the marker going to do? Tell you your ideas about YOUR project is wrong? Unless you've done jack shit research etc, i don't see how you can be completely screwed for your Viva.

 

[xeuyrawp]

Tell you your ideas about YOUR project is wrong?

Do the HSC markers tell you YOUR project is wrong? No, they look if you've done research, whether it's creative, whether it's original. The viva is very similar, but a progress report, you tell them what research you've done, what your project's like, where it's going, etc.

 

[Alimoe_KG]

Do the HSC markers tell you YOUR project is wrong? No, they look if you've done research, whether it's creative, whether it's original. The viva is very similar, but a progress report, you tell them what research you've done, what your project's like, where it's going, etc.

ummmmmm exactli

 

[xeuyrawp]

ummmmmm exactli

I was pointing out that you CAN screw up a viva, the way that you can screw up a MW.

 

[Alimoe_KG]

I was pointing out that you CAN screw up a viva, the way that you can screw up a MW.

haha true, but screwing the viva aint that big of a deal =) well it is ...but....meh, just do wel on your MW and you'll be right