?

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Some Days Are Better Than Others

Some days are dry, some days are leaky

Some days come clean, other days are sneaky
Some days take less, but most days take more
Some slip through your fingers and onto the floor
Some days you're quick, but most days you're speedy
Some days you use more force than is necessary
Some days just drop in on us
Some days are better than others
Some days it all adds up
And what you got is not enough
Some days are better than others
Some days are slippy, other days sloppy
Some days you can't stand the sight of a puppy
Your skin is white but you think you're a brother
Some days are better than others
Some days you wake up with her complaining
Some sunny days you wish it was raining
Some days are sulky, some days have a grin
And some days have bouncers and won't let you in
Some days you hear a voice
Taking you to another place
Some days are better than others
Some days are honest, some days are not
Some days you're thankful for what you've got
Some days you wake up in the army
And some days it's the enemy
Some days are work, most days you're lazy
Some days you feel like a bit of a baby
Lookin' for Jesus and His mother
Some days are better than others
Some days you feel ahead
You're making sense of what she said
Some days are better than others
Some days you hear a voice
Taking you to another place
Some days are better than others

Songwriters: Adam Clayton / Dave Evans / Larry Mullen / Paul Hewson

2
Introductory Activities

- What does it mean to be human?

- What is your first memory?
- What is the oldest story you know?
- What does it tell us about ‘being human’?
- Is it important to know someone’s story
before you judge them?

Class Task

In pairs, you will be given an image that represents some element of the human experience.
Identify what elements it explores and how they are expressed.

?
Homework Task
Look at the Exploring the Concept Further page.

Pick Two texts to analyse. Answer the questions set for each text. Then answer this question
for the two selected:

Compare and Contrast how these two texts represent the human experience or condition.
(5 marks)

Note: it's worth 5 marks, so answer accordingly

3
Exploring the Concept Further
Text 1: Trailer and Movie Extract “The Human Experience”
Trailer:
1. What images of humanity are seen?
2. What do we learn about what it means to be human?
Movie Extract (Opening 15 minutes)
1. How do we think about those who are different to us?
2. Can we understand those who are different to us if we haven’t had the same experiences
as them?
3. How do we measure the value of humanity?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIruQ4nKVc0 https://vimeo.com/57076124

Text 2: Song/ Advertisement- ‘Throw your arms around me’

‘NRMA Insurance Ad- Help is Who We Are’
1. What is the ‘human condition’?
2. Is it part of the human condition to help others?
3. Why does NRMA appeal to our emotions in this advertisement?
4. How to they appeal to our emotions?

https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=F7Y2fJ2KzbQ

Text 3: Australian government targets asylum seekers with graphic campaign

Feature article and advertisements from the Australian government
1. Summarise the two perspectives expressed in this article (Department of Immigration vs.
Green immigration spokeswoman Sarah Hanson- Young)
2. What visual techniques have been used in the image from the graphic novel? Compare this
with the visual techniques used in the advertisement ‘No way, they will not make Australia
home’.
3. What does this does this article tell us about human behaviour and motivations?

https://www.theguardian.com/ world/2014/feb/11/government-launches-new-graphic-campaign-to-deter-asylum-seekers

Text 4: ‘Refugees are scum’ Social Experiment, Act for Peace

Advertisement where commuters react to a volunteer holding two different posters.
1. How does the perspective in this text contrast with the previous text (advertisement from
the Australian government)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA-Im1o2uEI

Text 5: United Nations – Universal Declaration of Human Rights

1. Look at one article within the 30 articles and explain what it means
2. With this same article list the characteristics expected of humans in their interactions with
others
http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/index.html

4
PRESCRIPTIONS DOCUMENT
The prescriptions document from NESA explains the requirements of each module. Sometimes
called a rubric, this just means it is a set of rules or instructions.

Module A: Texts and Human Experiences

In this module, students interpret and respond to texts that deal with the question of what it
means to be human. They experiment with different approaches to textual appreciation and
analysis and consolidate and build on skills in responding and composing from the Year 11 English
EAL/D course.

Students explore a range of short texts in a variety of forms and media and they undertake study
of one prescribed text. They examine experiences that are represented in texts and they consider
and reflect on human qualities and emotions associated with, or arising from, those experiences.
In addition, they select one related text and draw from personal experience to make connections
between themselves, the world of the text and their wider world. Students reflect on how texts
may give insight into the anomalies, paradoxes and inconsistencies in human behaviour and
motivations, inviting the responder to see the world differently, to challenge assumptions, ignite
new ideas or reflect personally. They may consider the role of storytelling throughout time in
communicating and reflecting the human experience. They compare and contrast different
versions and accounts of events, personalities, situations and states of being in and across texts,
and they investigate and evaluate representations and interpretations of human motivations and
behaviour. They compose their own analytical, interpretive and imaginative texts in response to
the texts they have studied, and to communicate personal and fictional experiences and
perspectives.

Students explore and analyse the ways in which texts are acts of representation. They consider
the purpose and context of texts, and describe and evaluate the use of structural, stylistic and
linguistic elements to represent human traits, aspirations and behaviours. Explicit, targeted English
language study centres on point of view, distinctions and connections between composers,
narrators or personas, and characters in texts, and the use of descriptive and expressive language
to represent aspects of the ‘human condition’. Students plan, draft and refine their own written
and spoken texts, applying the conventions of syntax, spelling and grammar appropriately and
with increased confidence and accuracy for their audience, context and purpose.

5
 Key Terms in the Module Statement
Word/Phrase Definition Synonyms In your Language OR
Additional Commentary
Composer

Responder

Narrator

Persona

Characters

Participants Not actually in the module statement

but we need it!

6
Representation

Point of View

Distinctions and
Connections

Human Qualities

Emotions

Behaviour

Motivation

7
Arising from
Experiences

Human Traits

Aspirations

Making
Connections
between
yourselves
Making
connections
with the world
of a text
Making
connections
with the wider
world
Insight

8
Anomalies

Paradoxes

Inconsistencies

See Differently

Challenge
Assumptions

Ignite New Ideas

Reflect
Personally

9
Storytellers

Different
versions and
accounts

Personalities

Situations

States of being

Evaluate Clue: think of those ‘inside’ the

Representation text, those ‘outside’ the text (but
involved) and those ‘looking in at
and
the text’ (… that’s us!)
Interpretation of
Human
Motivations and
Behaviour

10
 Name:

Module A: Glossary
Complete the crossword puzzle below to identify the meaning of important words in your prescriptions
document
1 2

3 4

7 8

10 11

12 13

14

15 16

17

18

19

20

Created using the Crossword Maker on TheTeachersCorner.net

Across Down
5. a person and what characteristics they are known for 1. to guess that something is correct without actual data or proof
6. a form of something not the same as before or as held by another 2. when something doesn't fit the expected or the normal
7. what a person does 3. the reasons why a person or people do something
10. explore in detail 4. a person's feelings
11. the art of sharing what has happened to us or our community 8. a person in a text that is not an actual character
14. when actions don't match the expected or previous actions 9. how someone or something is presented or portrayed
16. your understanding of a situation which may be different to 12. no real, made up
another person's understanding 13. directly contrasting ideas or concepts
17. the way one person tells the story 15. characteristics
18. the different opinions or views on a matter
19. weigh up and make a judgement
20. desires, hopes, ambitions

11
EAL/D: Introduction to Module A
This session is best viewed with a copy of the Module Statement.
Learning Intentions
➔ To identify key words (terms) in the module statement
➔ To differentiate between the ‘verb words’ and the ‘concept words’
➔ To develop understanding of the meaning of these words
➔ To develop skills in applying these words to the study of texts in this module

Relevance? Your HSC Studies: particularly Module A

Success Criteria

➔ I can summarise the main points in the module statement

➔ I can correctly identify and/or provide definitions for words and phrases
➔ I can apply my knowledge and skills successfully in real textual analysis

What does it mean to be human?

How does this session connect to your prescribed text?

12
 Introduction to the vocabulary: verbs
“NESA verbs” – what we are ‘doing’ with the texts

Word Part of Definition Synonym Use in a sentence

speech

Interpret Verb Explain the meaning Explain, Clarify, I can interpret the
Understand research’s findings.

Respond Verb A spoken or written reply Feedback, She will respond to your
in connection to a ‘text’ Reaction DM.

Explore Verb To spend significant Search, Survey, Go and explore the

time/depth studying Inspect Australian bush!

Examine Verb To consider something Probe, I will examine what you

very carefully Investigate, have done.
Analyse

Analyse Verb Examine by separating Deconstruct, I will analyse my exam

into parts in order to Dissect results.
understand & explain

Consider Verb To think carefully, usually Think, Assess, You can consider my idea
in order to make a Contemplate first.
decision

Reflect Verb To think carefully and Review, He will reflect on what he

deeply about something Consider, Study learnt.

Compare Verb To examine in order to Liken, Equate, She needs to compare

see how things are similar Match prices.

Contrast Verb To examine in order to Juxtapose, Vary, Contrast this with last
see how things are Divert week’s lesson.
different

Investigate Verb To carefully examine the Examine, He will investigate that

facts in order to find out Evaluate, loud noise.
the truth Research

Describe Verb To state clearly what Characterise, I can’t describe what

someone or something is Depict, Express happened.
like

Evaluate Verb To form an opinion on the Judge, Appraise, Please evaluate your
value or quality level after Assess choices.
careful thought

13
Introduction to the vocabulary: concepts
Textual Terminology
Composer - the person/s who makes the text
Responder - the person/group who receives the text
Narrator - the person/s who tells or explains the story/situation within the text
Persona - the character within a poem or visual text, the character displayed
Characters - the people and/or animals in a text
Participants - the people taking part in the experiences within a text

Texts: ‘Acts of Representation’

Point of View

Distinctions and Connections between:

➔ Composers

➔ Narrators

➔ Personas

➔ Characters

➔ Participants

Human Qualities, Emotions and Behaviour

Arising from Experiences

Behaviour

Motivation

Human Traits

Aspirations

14
Making Connections
Between Yourselves

The World of the Text

The Wider World

How Texts Give Insight

Anomalies Paradoxes Inconsistencies

See Differently
Challenge Assumptions

Ignite New Ideas

Reflect Personally

15
Storytellers

Compare and Contrast

➔ different versions and accounts

➔ personalities

➔ situations

➔ states of being

Evaluate Representation and Interpretation

Human Motivations and Behaviour

➔ those ‘inside’ the text

➔ those ‘outside’ the text

➔ those looking in at both (us!)

16
Image - Inconsistencies
How do texts give insights into inconsistencies in human behaviour? (3 marks)

Image - Versions & Accounts

Analyse how texts compare or contrast different versions and accounts of events. (4 marks)

17
Poem - Situations, States of Being

Evaluate the representation of the human experience in this text. (5 marks)

Life is like a camera…

Focus on what’s important
Capture the good times
Develop from the negatives
And if things don’t
work out then take
Another shot

Ziad K Abdelnour

Finding key words from the Module Statement – Short Answer and Extended
Responses

18
UNHCR: Global displacement hits another
record, capping decade-long rising trend
Despite some signs of progress, the speed and scale of forced
displacement is outpacing solutions for refugees
16 June 2022 | Español | Français | ‫عربي‬

A mother carries her child through

the parched landscape of Ethiopia’s
Somali region, where thousands of
families have been displaced during
a recent drought.
© UNHCR/Eugene Sibomana

The number of people forced

to flee their homes has
increased every year over the
past decade and stands at the
highest level since records
began, a trend that can be
only reversed by a new,
concerted push towards
peacemaking, UNHCR, the
UN Refugee Agency, said today.

By the end of 2021, those displaced by war, violence, persecution, and human rights abuses stood at
89.3 million, up 8 per cent on a year earlier and well over double the figure of 10 years ago,
according to UNHCR’s annual Global Trends report.
Since then, the Russian invasion of Ukraine – causing the fastest and one of the largest forced
displacement crises since World War II – and other emergencies, from Africa to Afghanistan and
beyond, pushed the figure over the dramatic milestone of 100 million.
“Every year of the last decade, the numbers have climbed,” said the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi. “Either the international community comes together to
take action to address this human tragedy, resolve conflicts and find lasting solutions, or this terrible
trend will continue.”
Last year was notable for the number of conflicts that escalated and new ones that flared; 23
countries, with a combined population of 850 million, faced medium- or high-intensity conflicts,
according to the World Bank.
Meanwhile, food scarcity, inflation and the climate crisis are adding to people’s hardship, stretching
the humanitarian response just as the funding outlook in many situations appears bleak.
The number of refugees rose in 2021 to 27.1 million. Arrivals climbed in Uganda, Chad and Sudan
among others. Most refugees were, once again, hosted by neighbouring countries with few
resources. The number of asylum seekers reached 4.6 million, up 11 per cent.
Last year also saw the 15th straight annual rise in people displaced within their countries by conflict,
to 53.2 million. The increase was driven by mounting violence or conflict in some places, for
example Myanmar. The conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray and other regions has spurred the flight of
millions within the country. Insurgencies in the Sahel drove fresh internal displacement, particularly
in Burkina Faso and Chad.
The speed and volume of displacement is still outpacing the availability of solutions for those
displaced – like return, resettlement or local integration. Yet the Global Trends report also contained
glimmers of hope. The number of refugee and IDP19returns increased in 2021, returning to
pre-COVID-19 levels, with voluntary repatriation having surged 71 per cent, though numbers
remained modest.
“While we’re witnessing appalling new refugee situations, and existing ones reigniting or remaining
unresolved, there are also examples of countries and communities working together to pursue
solutions for the displaced,” Grandi added. “It’s happening in places – for example the regional
cooperation to repatriate Ivorians – but these important decisions need to be replicated or scaled up
elsewhere.”
And although the estimated number of stateless people grew slightly in 2021, some 81,200 acquired
citizenship or had it confirmed – the biggest reduction in statelessness since the start of UNHCR’s
IBelong campaign in 2014.

UNHCR 2021 Global Trends Report – key data:

● By May 2022, more than 100 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide by
persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations or events seriously disturbing public
order.
● At end 2021, the figure was 89.3 million, comprising:
o 27.1 million refugees
▪ 21.3 million refugees under UNHCR’s mandate
▪ 5.8 million Palestine refugees under UNRWA’s mandate
o 53.2 million internally displaced people
o 4.6 million asylum seekers
o 4.4 million Venezuelans displaced abroad
● Among refugees and Venezuelans displaced abroad in 2021:
o Low- and middle-income countries hosted 83 per cent
o Least Developed Countries provided asylum to 27 per cent of the total.
o 72 per cent lived in countries neighbouring their countries of origin.
o Türkiye hosted nearly 3.8 million refugees, the largest population worldwide, followed
by Uganda (1.5 million), Pakistan (1.5 million) and Germany (1.3 million). Colombia
hosted 1.8 million Venezuelans displaced abroad.
o Lebanon hosted the largest number of refugees per capita (1 in 8), followed by Jordan
(1 in 14) and Türkiye (1 in 23). Relative to their national populations, the island of
Aruba hosted the largest number of Venezuelans displaced abroad (1 in 6) followed by
Curaçao (1 in 10).
● More than two thirds (69 per cent) of refugees and Venezuelans displaced abroad came from
just five countries: Syria (6.8 million), Venezuela (4.6 million), Afghanistan (2.7 million),
South Sudan (2.4 million) and Myanmar (1.2 million).
● Globally, there were 6.1 million Venezuelan refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in 2021
(reported through the Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela).
● Asylum seekers submitted 1.4 million new claims. The United States of America was the
world’s largest recipient of new individual applications (188,900), followed by Germany
(148,200), Mexico (132,700), Costa Rica (108,500) and France (90,200).
● Solutions:
o 5.7 million displaced people returned to their areas or countries of origin in 2021,
including 5.3 million internally displaced people and 429,300 refugees.

20
Critical Vocabulary: Refugees in relation to Australian Society and Politics

People Smugglers Criminals who take money to illegally transport

people to another country, usually by boat
Operation Sovereign Borders A military-led border security operation
combating people smuggling in our region and
preventing people from risking their lives at sea
Boat People Refugees or asylum seekers who illegally travel by
boat to another country. (Firstly, Vietnam War)
Refugees People who are officially recognised as needing
‘safe haven’ in a country other than their ‘source
country’. They have a refugee visa.
Asylum Seekers People who have fled their source country but are
yet to be recognised as refugees. Some asylum
seekers do become refugees eventually.
Offshore Not on the mainland of Australia

Onshore On the mainland of Australia

Offshore Processing When an asylum seeker is in a detention centre,
usually on Manus Island, Nauru (PNG) or Christmas
Island (AUS)
Detention Centre (Offshore/Onshore) A detention centre is effectively a jail where
asylum seekers remain until they are given a visa
to remain in Australia or sent to their homeland.

Sri Lanka Boat People in 2022 - View the 7:30 Report story
Why are people travelling to Australia by boat?

Describe the conditions on these boats.

What do we learn about the human experience and/or behaviour and motivation
from this story?

21
 Political Context of Go Back to Where you Came From

Some websites to assist your understanding of the context

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jul/29/australia-gulag-votes-aboriginal-conce
ntration-camps

https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/stop-the-boats/#:~:text=Stop%20the%20Boats%E2%80%AFt
ells%20the%20story%20of%20how%20Australia,in%20prison%20camps%20on%20Manus%20
Island%20and%20Nauru.

https://theconversation.com/from-white-australia-to-stopping-the-boats-attitudes-to-asylum-seek
ers-15244

https://www.justsecurity.org/73868/australia-stopped-the-boats-but-what-happened-to-the-refuge
es-who-reached-its-shores/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lB_TX0lFbE

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jun/14/tony-abbott-sticks-to-stop-the-boats-in-
face-of-claims-people-smugglers-paid

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/09/tony-abbott-declares-only-the-coalition-strong-e
nough-to-stop-the-boats

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ipad/prime-minister-julia-gillard-why-we-must-stop-the-boats/n
ews-story/6c9e592ae9d4b88b2b812d61c42a39ec

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montage A series of shots, rapidly edited together to show the
passing of time.
narration A speaking voice, either from a character on-screen or an
off-screen voiceover, that provides commentary on the
action or plot.
pan (also a panning shot) a shot that moves the camera to
encompass the full width of a scene.
parallel action. the use of cross-cutting to present multiple stories at the
one time.
point of view A shot that shows the viewer what the character in the
shot film sees.
rapid cutting A style of editing that juxtaposes short sharp scenes in a
sequence.
realism A genre of film in which authentic locations and details are
used to portray reality.
re-establishing Usually follows closer shots, allowing the viewer to recover
shot a sense of the context of the scene.
reverse angle- After one shot the camera turns around to show the same
shot shot from the oooosite direction.
scene An incident in the action, composed of a series of separate
but related shots.
score The background music, separate from the soundtrack.
screen-play The written version of the film, including dialogue,
description of the action and, sometimes, directions for
the camera.
segue Use of a device to link one scene to another eg. a
voiceover.
sequence A series of scenes.
shot A length of film taken without stoooing.
slow motion A shot in which time is distorted by slowing down the
action in the scene.
sound All recorded music, dialogue and background noise. This
includes the use of silence.
soundtrack All of the sound recorded in a film, including the score.
symbol An object or event that represents something else and has
meaning beyond the literal.
voiceover Dialogue spoken off-screen.
wide-shot A shot taken from a distance, including the entire setting
where the action takes place.
zoom To make the subject appear to approach (zoom-in) or
recede (zoom-out) from the camera/viewer.
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86 ©Five Senses Education Pty Ltd
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PRESCRIBED TEXT
O’Mahoney, Ivan, Go Back to Where You Came From – Series 1, Episodes 1, 2 and 3 and The Response,
Madman, 2011

There are many different views about refugees in Australian society, where illegal boat people and
over flowing detention centres are a controversial problem today. Go Back To Where You Came
From is a documentary directed by Ivan O’ Mahoney about a social experiment that challenges the
dominant views of six Australians about refugees and asylum seekers. These six Australians are
taken on a 25 day journey where they are placed into the troubled “worlds” of refugees. For a few
of the Australians it is their first time overseas but, for all of them it is the most challenging and
confronting experience of their lives.

The documentary challenges the

viewers’ assumptions through the
use of narration to present facts
about the refugee situation. These
facts and figures give the viewers
a truthful and realistic picture of
the situation. Some beliefs that
exist in Australian society are that
we are taking in too many
refugees; they are criminals, they are taking over Australia, using Australian tax payers’ money and
changing our culture. However, we are presented with facts and figures that change our
assumptions. For example, more than 30 million people have fled their homes with nothing but the
clothes they wear, boat smugglers charge up to and over $10, 000 US dollars, 13, 000 refugees are
accepted annually only 2,000 of those refugees arrive by boat. Despite what many people think, like
one of the six participants, Raye who believed refugees in Australia are “handed everything on a
gold platter,” life in detention centres is hard. In Villawood Detention Centre, over 9 months, three
detainees committed suicide and 18 caused self-harm.

“Go back to where you came from” is a confronting journey that aims to challenge the viewers’
ideas about refugees and asylum seekers.

43
 CONTEXT NOTES – BEFORE VIEWING
REALITY TELEVISION – Reality TV is a genre (type) of program that
follows real-life situations that are supposedly unscripted. In reality the
shows are following carefully crafted formulas to manipulate the viewer.
SBS – Australian website and TV channel that lets people know about the
news all around the world. There is news in a variety of languages. They
are interested in global issues and multiculturalism.
DR. DAVID CORLETT – He is a refugee expert who lives and works in
Melbourne. He has written a lot about refugees. His presence on the
show gives ‘an expert’ opinion but also can lead to bias and manipulation
of the audience.
REFUGEES – A refugee has been forced to leave their country because
of persecution or war.
BOAT PEOPLE & PEOPLE SMUGGLERS – people who travel to
another country by boat illegally. People Smugglers are paid lots of
money to apparently “help” people get a boat and travel to another
country.
ASYLUM SEEKERS – They are trying to get protection as a refugee but
their need for protection is yet to be assessed. They are trying to be
recognised as a refugee and get legal protection and material assistance.
CRONULLA RIOTS – These were riots in December of 2005 that
happened in Cronulla. It is connected to refugees because it was white
Australians fighting with Middle eastern Australians. It was racism and
violent behaviour.
VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE – 1975 first group of boat people came to
Australia. There were only a few Vietnamese. They came because of war
and a communist government. They mostly moved to Victoria.
VILLAWOOD – An immigration detention centre. People who have
overstayed their visa permit or had their visa cancelled. People who arrive
by boat without a visa.

44
NAURU, MANUS & CHRISTMAS ISLAND – Australian immigration
mandatory detention centres. People who arrive by boat are taken there
and they cannot leave.
CHRISTMAS ISLAND BOAT DISASTER – In 2010 a boat with
refugees crashed on the rocks. People were saved by residents on
Christmas Island.
UNHCR – United Nation High Commission for Refugees. They are an
organisation that ensures the wellbeing of refugees. They make sure
government’s stick to the rules and protect people that need asylum.
MEDICIN SANS FRONTIERES – It’s an independent humanitarian
organisation that provides medical assistance. It is also known as Doctors
without Borders.
SADDAM HUSSEIN – He was the president of Iraq. He had complete
power and was suspected of having nuclear weapons. The US captured
and tortured him, and then executed him.
IRAQ WAR – 2003 20th of March and 2011 December 18th. George Bush
(US) wanted to steal oil and get revenge on the Hussein government.
They killed the Husseins and their relatives.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC) CONFLICT – The worst
since WW2. There are huge political issues, starvation and disease. It is
an extremely violent place.
YOUNG LIBERALS – Aged 16-31 members of the Liberal party. They
are against boat arrivals in Australia.

45
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 Language of the program
The visual and spoken language in this text positions an audience to a particular position. Here
are some of the visual techniques used.

Technique Examples Effect

Archival footage from news
reports

Narration (voice over)

Dual narrative tracing

individual
and group discoveries
Graphics (images, pictures,
maps)

First hand account/ interview

Camera angles and shots

On-location filming

Soundtrack

Hand held camera

Biopics/Video Diaries

‘Debrief’ session

50
 FILMIC TECHNIQUES IN Go Back to w here you cam e from
You will need to go back (…LOL) and watch sections of the episodes again yourself to find some
specific examples. However, here is a sheet to get you started and guide your viewing.

Techniques Examples (generally) Possible Effects

Biopics/Mini Biopics Montage of image about a Could make us like or dislike them;
particular participant to could make us side with them and
show who they are and journey along discovering with
their personal context them because we agree with their
original perspective; could make us
see how our own negative attitudes
may be wrong when we see and
hear it clearly in another person
Interviews with Close ups and/or mid Shows their thought process and
participants shots of participants as what they are learning; shows how
they reflect on a stage of they are being impacted
the journey (spiritually, mentally, emotionally
etc); may influence our opinions as
we journey along with them
Participants interviewing What types of questions Provides information about the
refugees do they ask; what is the refugee experience; can help us
atmosphere of the can our perspectives both
interview; what do we emotionally and intellectually; can
learn about the refugee lead us to developing empathy
experience
Narrator (voiceover) Provide information; build Manipulates the audience into a
suspense and sense of particular response or biased
tension opinion; teaches us factual
information; guides our discovery

Soundtrack Creates mood and a sense Draws the audience into the
of excitement and/or emotional feelings within the
suspense; engages the refugee experience; manipulates
audience our emotions and therefore our
metaphorical journey

Camera Angles A wide range of camera Various effects

angles are used AND there Close up – emotions
is also the use of a hand Mid shot – how they are interacting
held camera at some with the refugees
points Long shot – sets the context and
helps us understand situation
High shot, low shot – can create
sense of power depending on how
used
Panning, Tilt and Hand Held – can
create sense of movement and
create suspense (Ep 2)

51
 Body Language How are the participants Show the impact of “refugee living”
physically responding to on the participants which also
the situations they are in influences the viewer and helps
Hint – Look at Adam after them to learn.
he comes out of Villawood Show their physical, emotional and
perhaps intellectual reactions (are
they tired? etc)

Gesturing Similar to body language As in the above box but also may
but is to do with hand show the way they are relating to
movements the other participants and the
refugees they are meeting

Facial Expressions Again will show the As in the “Body Language” box
participants (and
refugees?) responses to
the situation they are in
and/or talking about

Tone of Voice Show the emotions of the This can show the impact of the
participants and the journey (emotional, mental etc)
refugees as they talk and can also influence the viewer’s
about certain issues perspective

Voice of the Expert Narrator (Colin Friels) We trust the information they are
Dr. David Corlett giving us and so this influences our
discovery process both
intellectually and emotionally

Remember that everything you view is causing you to either affirm or change your perspective. If
there is a significant event in the program that causes you to discover something in particular you
can refer to it as a catalyst for your own discoveries, learning and changes in perspective.
Alternatively it could affirm your perspective.

Affirm – support, agree (Change and challenge is the opposite)

How has your view of refugees changed or stayed the same as a result of watching Episode One?
_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

52
Go Back to W here You Cam e From Series 1, Episode 1

FOCUS QUESTIONS

Refugees in Australia
1. What is Raye’s opinion about the detention centre next to her house?
2. How do the participants react to beginning their refugee journey in reverse?

STAGE 1 OF THE EXPERIMENT Liverpool, Western Sydney

3. What is Gleny’s perspective about refugees?
4. What is Adam’s attitude about ‘boat people’?
5. Explain Wasmi’s background.
6. What are Darren’s beliefs about people who come here without any documentation and
why do you think he believes this?
7. How does Raquel feel about how her hometown of Blacktown has changed?

Albury/ Woodonga
8. What do you notice about the Masudi family’s home?
9. How does Maisara (the mother) convey her story of living in the refugee camp? What
challenges did she face?
10. How does Raye connect with Maisara’s story?

Sydney Swimming Pool

11. Where do Darren’s beliefs come from?
12. What does Gleny think about her lifestyle and capacity for assisting others?
13. How does PTSD affect Wasmi? What were the conditions of the boat he travelled on?
14. Wasmi travelled to Australia to find freedom for his family, leaving them behind in Iraq. Do
you agree with his decision? Why or why not? What would you do in this situation?

Behati attending university

15. What challenges does Behati face in his new life, as opposed to his life in Africa?
16. How does Roderick believe we should approach the refugee crisis?

Villawood Immigration Detention Centre

17. Gleny and Adam spoke to refugees in the detention centre. What did they learn and/or
observe in their conversations?
18. Why do you think that refugees in the detention centre experience serious mental health
concerns?

Albury/ Woodonga
19. Masara reveals her tortured memories of the Congo. What hopes and concerns does she
have for her children in the future?
20. What changes do you notice in the perspectives of Raye and Raquel?

53
 OPENING MONTAGE SCRIPT
Anton Enus: Disaster has struck asylum seekers trying to reach Christmas Island.

Julia Gillard: I stand for stopping the boats, before they leave foreign shores.

Tony Abbott: We must stop the boats.

Narrator: Refugees. Asylum Seekers. Boat People. Issues that divide the nation.

Crowd chanting: Refugees are welcome here!

Narrator: But what do we know of those who risk life and limb to reach these shores?

Anton Enus: 50 people are feared dead.

Narrator: Six Australians with strong views on the subject, have accepted an invitation to take part
in a life changing experiment

Adam: I’m very apprehensive. 25 years of my life. I’ve been very, very, um, sheltered.

Raquel: Africans everywhere. It’s not an Aussie place anymore.

Narrator: They’re leaving their suburban lives behind, to undertake a dangerous refugee journey
in reverse. Volunteering for this unique experiment are Raye Colbey, retired social worker from
country South Australia.

Raye: When the boat crashed coming into Christmas Island I thought ‘Serve you bastards right’.

Narrator: Roderick Schneider, aspiring politician from Brisbane.

Roderick: My biggest concern is being painted as a giant leftie.

Narrator: Raquel Moore, unemployed from Western Sydney.

Raquel: I guess I am a bit racist. I just don’t like Africans.

Narrator: Darren Hassan. Businessman from Adelaide.

Darren: People who come here without any documentation by boat should be immediately
expatriated.

Narrator: Gleny Ray, a singer from Newcastle.

Gleny: I think that we have the capacity to take perhaps more refugees.

Narrator: And Adam Hartup, Cronulla lifeguard.

Adam: We’re spending millions of dollars on housing these, criminals.

54
Narrator: Overseeing this experiment is refugee expert and Melbourne academic, Dr David Corlett

David: More than 30 million people around the world have fled their homes. It’s one of the big
issues of our time. So what better way to understand the refugee experience, than by living it?

Narrator: For one month, the six Australians will be living the life of a refugee.

Raquel: I’m a bit terrified. It’s not my country.

Narrator: Their beliefs will be challenged in extreme situations.

Adam: Bit shaken up at the moment.

Narrator: And at times, they will turn on each other.

Raye: Shut the f--- Up

Raquel: I’ll knock your f---ing head off your f---ing shoulders.

Narrator: Ultimately, they will travel to some of the most dangerous countries on earth.

Roderick: Military everywhere. Razor wire everywhere.

Narrator: Over the next three nights, follow six Australians, on a journey that will change their
lives forever.

Raye: I really don’t know how to feel.

Gleny: Terrified.

Darren: I had no idea it was going to be this full on.

Raquel: I can’t see any way that I can get through this.

LOGO STAMP ON SCREEN – END OPENING MONTAGE

55
 FILMIC TECHNIQUES – EPISODE ONE
OPENING MONTAGE
1. Analyse the opening montage of the program (List quotes, techniques and their effect)

2. Comment on the use of these stills. What is

the purpose of these shots and what do they
communicate about the genre of television that
this program belongs to?

3. Comment on the behaviour of the camera during Adam’s delivery of this line. What is the
intended effect?

4. Consider the role and presentation of Dr. David Corlett. How is he presented to the
audience? How is this image created and/or maintained throughout the opening montage
and the remainder of the show. Consider the kind of information he provides, the way he
delivers his lines, his dress and stance and the use of the camera, soundtrack etc

56
5. There is a little story about Raye which is called a biopic. The camera cuts to her biopic and
then returns to a picture of her in the barracks, as she is receiving in the information about
their first task. Consider the effect of inserting a biopic story at this point in time. Watch
the edit from her biopic back to the barracks. What effect is created by this style of editing?

6. How is mood created in the opening montage? Consider the above pictures to assist you
complete this question. Think about a variety of filmic techniques and how they work
together to create “atmosphere”.

57
7. How is this logo shot offensive? Why is a show about refugees given this offensive title?

8. Consider the role of the narrator. Consider the delivery of his lines, including the one
pictured in the image. What effect does he have on the viewer and how is this
achieved?

9. In what ways is the show reflective on a reality television program?

10.In what ways is the show reflective of a documentary program?

11.Which do you think it is more so: a reality TV show or a documentary. Explain why.

12.Write a TEEL paragraph on:

a. How the first episode of GBTWYCF examines experiences that reflect human
qualities and emotions associated with, or arising from, those experiences.

b. How the first episode of GBTWYCF compare and contrast different versions and
accounts of events (in this case, the refugee experience.)

T- TOPIC SENTENCE what is the paragraph about

E – EXPLAIN/ELABORATE about the idea from the text
E - EXAMPLE/EVIDENCE of techniques in the text
L - LINK to the themes and your overall argument

Better TEEL paragraphs will repeat the EE.

So they are really TEEEEL paragrahs. But who wants to remember that…?

58
Go Back To Where You Came From
Episode One Notes

• The program begins with newsreel footage of The Christmas Island boat tragedy, and other
news reports in a montage showing the danger and hardship of travelling by boat to Australia as
an asylum seeker.
• The premise of the show is introduced by the voice over narration (Colin Friels) who explains
that this is a social experiment being undertaken by six ordinary Australian volunteers, and will
last 25 days as they experience the reverse journey of a refugee travelling to Australia.
• In the preview of what is to come in the upcoming episodes, the experiences are framed in
heightened emotions of anger, fear, danger and apprehension.
• The “social experiment” itself begins at an unused defence fortress in Sydney, where the
participants discover what they are in for. Dr David Corlett explains that this is a “… social
experiment that has never been done before.”
• The participants are introduced, and state their feelings:

- Raye: anxious and unsure.

- Adam: unsure, “a little scary.”
- Raquel: scared.
- Roderick: Imagining the worst to prepare himself.
- Gleny: “Bring it on, can’t wait to start.”
- Darren: Curious, and anxious.
• Participants are stripped of their mobile phones, wallets and passports, providing them with a
sense of immediate isolation. Gleny jokes that its is “… harsher than death row.”
• The participant introductions are cut into the first episode at various points. The first to be
introduced is Raye.

• RAYE: From the Adelaide Hills, lives in what she described as Utopia until the detention centre
set up next door. “I could have gone over there with a gun and shot the lot of them.” … “They
don’t have a right.” She is established as the motherly figure, and representative of older rural
Australians.

• Participants are split into groups: (Raye, Raquel and Roderick) and (Adam, Darren and Gleny)
• Raye, Raquel and Roderick go to Albury to stay with the Masoudi family from Barundi in Africa.
• Adam, Darren and Gleny go to Liverpool in Sydney to stay with Iraqi refugees.
• The voice over tells the audience that The Iraqi refugees are among 3 million displaced Iraqi’s
since the beginning of the War on Terror in 2003.
• There is a definite language barrier as Darren tries to talk to the Iraqi men, and his tone is not
overly friendly, he seems to immediately be on the attack.

• DARREN: From Adelaide, he is a former soldier in the Australian Army. Darren lives with his
Thai wife and their two children. He believes that it was only a matter of time before the
Christmas Island tragedy happened, and that Australia “Needs to send a tougher signal out …
People who come here by boat without any documentation should be immediately expatriated.
Darren is representative of middle aged, middle class, tax paying Australians.

• Wasni and the other Iraqi refugees explain to Darren that the reason for them having no
documentation is that people smugglers took them all, and the alternative was that they would
have been killed. Wasni also explains the indiscriminate nature of the bomb attacks and deaths in
Iraq.

59
• At the end of their time at the pool, Darren states: “Let’s make the most of it.” While Adam
states that he is “… not satisfied with what he has seen so far.

• RAQUEL: A self-confessed, and self-justified racist, unemployed and uneducated from Western
Sydney, she states that the Sudanese and “Africans” have taken over her suburb. She justifies her
comments by repeating that she is “Australian” and that she just doesn’t “like black people. She
says: “I guess I am a bit racist … I just don’t like Africans.” And “If it was up to me, I would send
them back to their country.” Raquel represents the lower class Australian. She is also
representational of the racist and “bogan” elements of the Australian population.

• In Albury, Raquel states, “I feel a little out of place.” When she is taken to the Masoudi house.
The camera focuses on Raquel constantly, monitoring her reactions to the experience.
• It is revealed that the Masoudi’s came to Australia by plane under a U.N. re-settlement visa
agreement. The voice over narrator informs the audience that “just 1% of the world’s refugees
are resettled by official means by the U.N.”
• While Roderick and Raye ask the family lots of questions, Raquel admits to pretending to be
nice.
• Raye is incredulous of Maisara’s experiences in the camps, and this leads to her first realisation
“I had no idea it was so bad. It’s not easy for me to hear that.” As she makes a personal
connection over child loss with Maisara, and demonstrates a willingness to learn more.
• Raquel attempts to be empathetic and states again that she is very nervous.
• Back in Sydney, Darren questions the cultural and religious beliefs of the Iraqi men, particularly
in regards to women and their rights. This leads to a brief debate between Gleny and Darren,
where Gleny states: “We are allowed to have opinions, it’s a free country.”

• GLENY: Gleny is introduced as a country singer from Newcastle, who is presented as a far left,
“hippy” type. She believes that refugees will enhance our society “I think that we have the
capacity to take more refugees.”, “I would love to have a refugee come and stay with me, I think
detention centres are inhumane.”

• At the pool, Wasni displays his intense fear of the water, and explains his PTSD from the war
and the boat journey. Adam and Gleny talk to him about the boat journey and other passengers.
Wasni states: “I think it would be a crime to bring the children on the boat.”

• ADAM: Adam was born and bred in the Sutherland Shire of Sydney (Cronulla). He is a lifeguard
and was working on the day of the 2005 Cronulla Race Riots. While he admits that as Australians
we made a spectacle of ourselves on that occasion, he still refers to refugees as criminals and
laments that money is being spent on them, rather than our needs.

• In Albury, Roderick goes to university with Bahati, where he is having to start again as all of his
qualifications are not recognised in Australia. Bahati explains that in Barundi he was the Vice
President of a political party, and describes how 320 people were killed in his party alone.

• RODERICK: Roderick is from Brisbane, and a self-confessed “centre-right, government hater.”

He says that his biggest fear is being painted on the show as a “giant lefty”. He is the Federal Vice
President of The Young Liberals and believes that “We should treat the cause.”

• Bahati explains to Roderick that he can never return to Africa “I’ve got a bad souvenir.”
• Back in Sydney, Adam, Gleny and Darren visit Villawood Detention Centre, where cameras are
not allowed inside. When the participants exit a few hours later, Darren states that he will need
some time to process the experience, “I will need some time to process.”. Gleny calmly details her

60
experience and talks about the refugee that she spoke to and the hopelessness in his eyes. Adam
has a very emotional response “A bit of a reality check for me”. The setting during these parts of
filming is coincidently very dark and stormy.
• In Albury, Maisara discusses her experiences in Africa, and details the use of rape as a weapon
in the camps and villages. She says that she never felt peace, and that “Only in Australia, when I
come, I never hear the guns.”
• Raquel reaches out to Maisara in an act of empathy, and it is the start of Raquel’s emotional
discovery. She says, “You’re a lovely lady, you didn’t deserve what you went through.”
• This revelation is soon contrasted, as when they leave the Masoudi house, Raquel states that
“I’m not going to have African friends … it’s not the way it is.”
• Raye’s beliefs as they leave the Masoudi house are: “These are the real refugees, not the ones
who come on a boat.”
• As Gleny leaves the Iraqi refugees she states: “We all have the same desires to have a good
life.”
• The participants are taken on a plane to an unknown destination, which turns out to be Darwin.
The voice over narration tells the audience that this was the site of the first load of refugees who
arrived by boat in the 1970’s from Vietnam.
• The participants have their luggage removed from them and are shown the next mose of
transport. Raquel states “That looks like a boat that will sink.”
• The narrator advises that 25000 asylum seekers have arrived in Australia by boat since 1976,
and that represents only 2% of Australia’s refugee intake in that time.

• The participants experience physical discovery as they see their living conditions on the boat,
including food rations and an inability to move away from one another.

• The boat journey highlights Raquel’s unwillingness to discover the experience of a refugee.
• There is emotional discovery on board the boat, as tempers flare, and there is a heightened
sense of anger and frustration at being stuck together on the boat.
• Darren says: “I’m our of my comfort zone … Anything can happen at any time.”

• Raye describes the experience to camera by saying, “Emotions all well up inside you, and it’s like
a bomb waiting to go off.”
• The participants experience first-hand physical discovery of the dangers of travelling by boat to
Australia in a simulated experience of fire and sinking on the boat. This prompts both the
participants and the audience to consider the idea of appearance versus reality.

• Dr Corlett asks Darren if he would consider putting his own children on a boat like that – and he
answers a very definite “no”. Gleny points out to him that there is often no choice.
• Darren complains to Dr Corlett that he is being emotionally involved without consent due to
them being forced to watch it through the media. He is extremely irritated and undergoing an
emotional discovery. He states: “You should feel bad, you should feel empathy… (manipulated by)
those who are putting it in my face…”

• When Dr Corlett reveals that it was a simulated experience leads to heightened emotions and
emotional discovery.

• The participants are kept in the dark about where they are going, “All will be revealed.” We are
given statistical information about where they are going that is prefaced by voice over narration
that “Indonesia has approximately 3000 refugees awaiting processing; Malaysia has 100000
refugees.” The next part of the experiment will take the participants to Malaysia.

61
62
63
 Call this Even Handed - Glossary and Summary

Word/Phrase Meaning
even-handed fair, unbiased
gullible describing one who believes lies
loaded dice dice unevenly weighted, biased
charade fakery , pretend, absurd
punitive Related to punishment
maxim Short statement of general truth
searing Extremely critical, very negative
assessment
salvo A energetic series of attacks
chagrin Annoyance, distress
empathy A feeling of understanding of
someone else’s suffering and/or
experience
falsity Something that is fake, not true

Summary

★ Paul Sheehan believes that GBTWYCF is a biased TV show.

★ He believes the participants are lied to and so are the viewers.
★ He believes that the facts presented are fake.
★ He believes that there is no solid evidence for what is said.
★ He explains how GBTWYCF says that stopping the boats is heartless.
However, he believes that stopping the boats can actually be a good
thing because it can save lives.
★ He believes the whole show is manipulated and that the director is
carefully crafting a message and choosing certain participants in order to
achieve his purpose.

64
Related Text: Feature Article
You call this even-handed? Refugee series is strictly for the gullible, by Paul Sheehan
You call this even-handed? Refugee series is strictly for the gullible
By Paul Sheehan
23 June 2011 — 12:00am
One of the most passionate and enduring debates in this country has been built on a falsity, a
false choice that is being carefully recrafted, repackaged and re-presented on SBS this week, at
taxpayer expense.

A comment that sums up the falsity at the centre of this debate and the three-part series Go Back
to where You Came From came from one of the six manipulated participants in the show, Darren
Hassan, who complained that the group was being subjected to enforced empathy.

He had seen the loaded dice at the centre of the progressive argument about boat people: that if
you believe in stopping the small number of asylum seekers who arrive by boat, you are lacking in
empathy, lacking in compassion, and probably anti-Muslim.

The entire series is designed to enforce this maxim. The participants are lied to. The audience is
lied to. This is an empathy forced march.

In the first part, on Tuesday night, the unseen narrator said the participants had just ''survived a
sinking, burning boat''. In fact it was an obvious charade.

We were told that ''at the last minute, the stricken boat is spotted''. Again, only for the gullible.
The rescue was as false as the emergency.

The narrator told us that only ''1 per cent of the world's refugees are resettled by the UN''. Again,
a highly misleading statistic.

The empathy argument is easily turned on its head, something the producers carefully avoid
doing. Far from lacking empathy, the decision to send a punitive signal to the people smugglers
and their clients has been proven to stop the people-smuggling trade. Detention centres, instead
of being opened all over the country, would empty out. Lives would not be lost at sea. Hundreds
of millions of dollars would be spent on people instead of policing. More refugees could come to
Australia under less stress and for less cost.

Because this debate is not about empathy. It is not about numbers. It is not about race. It is
about principle: control the borders. The biggest beneficiaries of strict border control would be
legitimate asylum seekers.

Much to the chagrin of the progressive side of politics, this argument is the one that has carried
the day in Australia. After 15 years of being bashed over the head, especially by the ABC and SBS,
the public has not budged. The Gillard Labor government could fall on this issue alone, given how
badly it has been handled for almost four years. This year it will spend more than $750 million on
illegal entries, an increase of 700 per cent over the final year of the Howard government.

65
Racquel, one of the six 'manipulated' participants.
The bedrock opposition of Australians to the empathy argument is quickly evident from the
questions asked by some of the participants in Go Back to where You Came from.
Adam Hartup: Why didn't the boat people stay in Malaysia or Indonesia where they were in no
danger?

Why do 99 per cent of them arrive with no papers?

Darren Hassan: Once they leave Malaysia, and then Indonesia, they become economic migrants.
We need to send a tougher signal. People who are destroying documents, what are they trying to
hide?

Raye Colbey (after visiting settled refugees from Africa who had come via the UN process): These
are real refugees. They came the right way.

None of these basic questions were seriously addressed by the producers in their opening salvo.
They had carefully sifted through 500 people before selecting the six for the program, and
carefully chosen the refugees the participants would visit in Australia. But it would have been
possible to randomly select six Australians, take them to a refugee camp, or to a newly arrived
refugee's home, and see a ramp-up in empathy in most cases. This series is about something
else.

While the quality of the filmmaking is good, the laudatory descriptions of the program as being
even-handed are overstated. It is stacked with commentary, from the narration, to the structure,
to the guide, Dr David Corlett, who is immersed in the refugee industry, is highly political, and in
2003 wrote a Quarterly Essay, ''Sending Them Home'', with Robert Manne. This is the producers'
idea of dispassionate objectivity.
Add to shortlist
Last August, the ABC's Four Corners presented a searing program, ''Smugglers' Paradise'', which
presented a far more accurate and confronting picture of the people smuggling trade to Australia.
It was reality TV that was real. This new series has real people in real places, but it remains an
exercise in manipulation for everyone involved.

Response Questions

1. Identify the point of view conveyed in this feature article.

2. What literary devices are used to write this persuasive text?
3. How ‘real’ do you think this reality TV show is?
4. What connections can you make with the quotes below from Episode 1:

“We are emotionally involved without our consent… we have to watch this in our media and we
become emotionally involved involuntarily… Here it is, you should feel empathy…I feel empathy
for their plight. Not for people who willingly put their lives at risk.” - Darren

“Half an hour news episode out of a week… how often do you hear about a boat person really?” –
Adam

66
 ASSUMPTIONS CHALLENGED?
Participant Initial Assumption During During End of Episode 1
Episode 1 Episode 1

Raye Colbey

Darren Hassan

67
Go Back to W here You Cam e From Series 1, Episode 2

FOCUS QUESTIONS
Prescribed Text: Go Back to W here You Cam e From S1, E2

Refugees in Transit
Malaysia
1. This episode begins with some contextual background about the “shadow world” of illegal
refugees in Malaysia, a country where 100,000 people live in urban slums. They live in a
limbo existence, in indefinite detention dealing with conditions of squalor. What do you
think it is like to be a refugee in transit?
2. Kennedy, a Chin minority from Burma, was interviewed. Choose one of the participants in
the experiment and describe how they respond to the conditions the Chin family must live
in.
3. Children in detention in Malaysia must stay inside every day and have difficulty adjusting to
life. 100 students are schooled in the classrooms.
4. Gleny says, “The more you have the less desire you have to learn and the less you realise
how lucky you are. These kids have next to nothing and yet they’re so responsive.” Do you
agree or disagree with this statement? Provide reasons for or against.
5. Describe the conditions that refugees must work in when farming the areas ‘voluntarily’.
What is their incentive for doing this work?
6. Raye forms a strong connection with one of the young girls and is confronted by the way
the girl reacts to nightmares. Raye says ““When they put their heads on their pillows that’s
when the suffering begins.” How is Raye changing her initial perspective?

Border Patrol Raid

7. Why is it difficult to hunt down people smugglers?
8. Malaysia is not a signatory on the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and the
illegal workers could face caining, jail or deportation. Why do you think the participants
have such different reactions to the raid? Choose one participant and describe their
reaction with examples from the episode.
9. When reflecting on their reactions to the raid, participants explain the event from different
perspectives. Why do you think motivates different people’s perspectives?

Kenya
10. “For many refugees this is a tortuous journey after fleeing their homeland. Many have
walked for weeks [to get to the UN camp], have left countries where war, death, torture
and rape are endemic.” Raquel, Raye and Rodrick visit Kakuma, Swahili for ‘nowhere’,
which is home to 84,000 refugees with 14 different nationalities. This ‘refugee experience’
is taking the participants further and further from their comfort zone; Raquel is visibly
upset, Raye adopts a maternal role to comfort her and Rodrick seems excited to explore
the experience.

68
Go back to where you came from
Episode Two Notes
• This episode opens with more newsreel footage and the voice over repeating the
rhetorical question of “What do we know of those who risk life and limb…”
• The episode then provides a recap of the participants experience and perspectives so far.
• This is the first time that Roderick and Raquel have travelled outside of Australia, Roderick
admits “This is really an unknown quantity for me.”
• On their arrival in Malaysia, Gleny suggests that Raquel cover up her skin a little.
Raquel replies “If they want to wear tea-towels, that’s their problem. Raquel attempts
of justify her religious discrimination and bigoted attitude by stating “I’m a Catholic.”
• While travelling through the streets of Kuala Lumpur, the participants have a range of
opinions on the experience. Raquel complains “It’s not really clean. It’s pretty run down, I’m
not used to this, it’s pretty uncomfortable.” Raye expresses her disbelief at the number of
people, “It’s very busy, people darting everywhere.” While Roderick expresses his willingness
to discover more, “I’m excited about being somewhere new, for sure. Very interested to dig
in and see what’s underneath the surface.” The VO describes the “Shadow world of refugees”
where “more than 100 000 live in urban slums.” And as a “limbo existence.”
• Dr Coreltt meets with the participants to provide exposition; they will spend a week
experiencing the life of a refugee in transit. The VO provides detail about the ethnic
minority group from Burma, the Chins.
• On arrival at the Chin accommodation, there are many images of a transitory lifestyle,
nothing is packed away, the living conditions are crammed, there is poor sanitation, no
place for an individual’s belongings, no beds, no mattresses.
• The participants are incredulous at the lack of facilities. There is one toilet and shower for
fifty people. Raquel expresses her disgust at this fact.
• There are many images during this section of happy, bright eyed children, who the
audience are told barely know life outside these walls. The participants interact joyfully
with the children.
• Raquel: “I feel sorry for them … but I am not too impressed that I have to stay
here with them.” Gleny: “They’re not safe here … It’s almost like a detention
centre that they’ve created for themselves … There’s no way anybody would
want to stay here … especially not with children.” Raye starts to become very
maternal towards Raquel during this episode, providing encouragement and
concern.
• The Australian’s are a welcome novelty for the Chin children. The participants interact
happily with the children, with the exception of Raquel, who cannot understand their
enthusiasm.
• The participants are woken up by the Muslim call to prayer, and Darren is
particularly unimpressed: “Now the bloody Muslims are staring their prayers.”
• VO informs the audience that it is 5am, and that the three Australian men are going to
spend a day working with their Chin hosts
• Roderick also complains about the call to prayer: “I know it’s a Muslim country, but that
doesn’t mean you get top blurt out your prayers and wake up the entire neighbourhood.
It’s only 50% Muslim.”

69
• VO informs the viewer that refugees are not allowed to work in Australia, and have to
work illegally on farms and construction sites in return for food. The Australian
participants compare the working standards to those in Australia.
• The Australian women go to a makeshift school for the Chin children, where over 100
students are schooled in a four room apartment. Gleny and Raye are happy to
participate;
• Raye: “My heart is pounding, I’m really nervous but hopefully I can do some good and
help out in any way.” Raquel is still unwilling to participate fully, and is seen to be only
observing her surroundings.
• VO provides the following exposition: “As refugees these children will never have access to
higher forms of education.”
• Raye asks the children what they would like to do when they grow up, and the sad irony to
their response is obvious. They state that they want to be doctors and teachers. This is a
sad reality check for the participants, as these dreams are likely to go unrealised.
• Raye and Gleny meet outside the class room to debrief.
• Gleny: “The more you have, the less desire you have to learn, and the less they realise how
lucky they are.” (talking of her experiences teaching in Australia) “These kids have next to
nothing and yet they are just so responsive … happy and appreciative.”
• Raquel sits aside, uninvolved and disinterested in participating.
• The Australian men are easily worn out by the hard physical labour that the Chin men do for
free. Adam seriously questions why they do it, and what they get out of it. Adam: “I mean,
at home, guys labouring have got a place you can go to get the luxuries in life, and these
guys have got nothing.”
• The six participants reunite at dinner on the last night at the Chins and discuss their day.
• Raye reconnects with the children “They are just an amazing race of people.”
• Adam: “I just hope that every one of these guys gets re-settled … because they’re just
awesome people.”
• There is genuine emotion shown by Raye, Gleny and Adam as they leave the Chins. Raquel is
seen hugging one of the girls and asks for it to be translated “Tell her she’s too beautiful to
cry.” This is a brief emotional discovery for Raquel as she demonstrates compassion.
• The VO explains that “The six Australians have been immersed in a shadow world, living
with the refugees.”
• The participants meet with Dr Corlett again for a mini-debrief after this section of the
experiment. He tells them that for the next 24 hours they will get a very different
perspective on the asylum seeker issue.

Border Patrol
• The next stage is framed by VO and footage of the border camps as seen by air and
sea. The audience is advised that the patrol boats in this part of Malaysia are funded by
Australian tax payers.
• The officials state that “Hunting down the people smugglers has proved difficult
• Midnight Raid
• Upon hearing that they will be joining Malaysian officials for a midnight raid of a
construction site suspected of housing refugees, the participants react fairly similarly:
Roderick explains, “I hope they are bad, bad people … It’s going to be harder to watch if
they’re really nice people getting turfed out of their place. Imagine if it was the Chins.”

70
 • The Malaysian Immigration centre meeting is framed with serious music (soundtrack) that
heightens the tone of danger. Participants notice that the officials are armed and VO tells
us that punishments include corporal punishment, jail and deportation.
• The raid operation is on a massive scale and this impresses ex-military man, Darren.
• The midnight raids serve as physical discovery of a new world.
• Participants are filmed running into the ambush on a hand held camera. The jumpiness of
the shots serves to disorientate and adds to a sense of danger and risk. Darren tells the
cameramen to turn off the lights. The soundtrack is fast, strings and bass music helps to
add to this mood.
• People are seen fleeing through the darkness as the officials shout “Attack that! Attack
that! Attack that!” This serves to dehumanise the refugees.
• As the refugees are arrested, Adam is visibly shaken, “My heart is racing.”
• Darren reacts almost excitedly, asking the officials if they have got everyone and assisting
them with the search.
• Raquel: “They should be doing this in Australia. I have a strong opinion and I don’t like
asylum seekers and refugees, I think they should stay where they belong, and this is
good, I think.”
• VO: “Scores are arrested. Many could be refugees.”
• Raquel: “I like this, this is pretty exciting.”
• Darren finds a Chin refugee in the raid, and pauses momentarily in his excitement.
• Raye: “I don’t know how I feel … it’s pretty sad… I don’t know … I’m certainly not relishing
in it.” (in response to questions from Raquel.)
• Raquel compares the raid to a police raid on her street.
• Raye: “I don’t put these people in that category. There people are just trying to get
away from persecution … and find a new life and a new start somewhere, and I don’t
call that criminal.”
• Darren: “This is f… unbelievable. I had no idea that it was going to be this full on.”
• The viewers are shown the captured refugees begging and praying for their lives. There
are also numerous shots of women and babies to add to the emotion.
• Adam and Gleny are shown to be visibly upset by the experience.
• Gleny: “It’s a very tense situation. I’m just churning inside, I can’t believe I am here
and watching this.” Adam and Gleny discover the living conditions of the refugees and
make connections to these conditions and their time at the Chins.Adam: “Far out, it’s
just a big reality hit.”
• VO: “Malaysia is not a signatory to the UN convention on refugees. There are few
protections.” The soundtrack players slower, more reflective music as the refugees are
taken away.
• Raye humanises the experience by comparing these people with the Chins, “If this
happened to them I’d be just distraught.” This is both emotional and relationship
discovery.
• VO: “While daily life goes on in Malaysia, the six Australians have experienced a shadowy
world. Few people see Malaysia’s refugee underbelly.”

71
De-brief with Dr Corlett

• Gleny: “a very traumatic experience … I still feel deeply affected by it.”

• Raye: “I wanted to somehow stop it … they can’t do that, these people are just trying to
get a living, they’re trying to survive. They’re human beings for heaven’s sake, why treat
them like this?”
• Raquel: “If you are doing something illegal, you should get in trouble for it.”
• Raye and Gleny criticise Raquel for her excitement during the raids, and Adam
supports them by asking Raquel what options she thought they had.
• Raquel: “It’s not my problem.”
• Darren still insists that he wouldn’t go on a boat. Adam, when he is asked what he
would do, replies “In their position, I would probably get on a boat.” = realisation /
changed perspective.
• Dr Corlett asks them where they think they are headed to next, and they all believe
that they are heading back to the source countries.
• Adam, Darren and Gleny are heading to Jordan, while Raye, Raquel and Roderick
are going to Kenya.

Kenya

• VO: “The UN is taking them to one of the biggest refugee camps in Africa, but to get
there, they must be escorted through dangerous terrain.”
• Raquel’s attitude is in contrast to the calmness of the refugees and the exposition
provided by the VO: “For most refugees, this is the end of a long and tortuous journey.
Many have walked for weeks to get here. They’ve left countries where war, death,
torture and rape are endemic.”
• Kakuma is the Swahili word for ‘nothing’ and is currently home to 84 000 refugees.
• Raquel continues to complain that she wants to go home.
• VO: “It is now 16 days since the Australians had any contact with friends and family
back home. The refugee experiment is taking them further and further from their
comfort zone.”
• Raquel: “I don’t feel comfortable. I don’t want to be here.” She later breaks down
completely, and Raye is again placed in a maternal role of comforting and encouraging
her.
• The episode concludes with Raquel stating, “I can’t see any way that I can get through
this.”
• The teaser for the following episode is shown, and the VO states: “Finally, they go all the
way back to the most dangerous countries on Earth.”

72
73
74
 EPISODE TWO – TABLE OF FILMIC FEATURES AND QUOTES
QUOTES CONTEXT VISUAL/FILMIC LANGUAGE
Who said it? To whom? In response to..? Filmic techniques used and
explanation of effect

“Their country shouldn’t be Note:

like that in the first place. 1.The contrast of the possessive pronouns
It’s not my fault their their and my: setting up both groups as
country is corrupt… I don’t oppositions
know… It’s not my 2. The use of the negatives: shouldn’t be like
problem.” that; not my fault; not my problem
What does this language reveal about the
person and the way they receive the world

‘Beyond Malaysia’s modern Explain the metaphor shadow world

façade is a shadow world of

75
refugees.’

‘These people are just trying Note the use of the adverb (modal) just which
to find a new life, a new offers an apology for the people. The negative
start somewhere. I don’t call don’t implies that an alternative perspective
that criminal.’ exists. What assumptions is the person
responding to?
‘Here, asylum seekers are Note the adjectives indefinite and squalid: both
subject to arrest and carry negative connotations. With what tone is
indefinite detention, often in the information conveyed? What values does
squalid conditions.’ the statement imply are desirable?

‘They should be doing this Note the pronouns used and the strongly
in Australia. I have a strong expressed opinions. The auxiliary verb/modal
opinion. I don’t want asylum should is repeated strongly suggesting
seekers and refugees. I obligations of others
think they should stay
where they belong… This is
good.’

76
 ASSUMPTIONS CHALLENGED?
Participant Initial Assumption During During End of Episode 2
Episode 2 Episode 2

Raye Colbey

Darren Hassan

77
Different versions and accounts of events
At various points in our text, various groups of people provide different versions of accounts of events. This can shed new light into an issue with a
new perspective. At other times it identifies that to be human is to not see the same thing as someone else.

Complete the table, providing the different versions and accounts of events given in the text. Choose some examples of your own to analyse also.

Event Version / Account 1 Version / Account 2 Version / Account 3

Safe Haven in Malaysia

The Night Raid

Wasmi and his family

78
 Themes and Issues in Go Back to Where you Came From

Several themes emerge across the four episodes which are evidence of the human
condition. Some of these include:

Prejudice

Compassion

Privilege

Racial Superiority/Inferiority

Discrimination

Criminality and Legalism

New Experiences

Universal Human Condition

Gender Inequality

Political Violence and/or War

Family and Familial Responsibility

Safety and Security

Dehumanisation

79
80
Prescribed Text: Go Back to W here You Cam e From Series 1, Episode 3

FOCUS QUESTIONS
Refugee places of refuge

Kakuma, Kenya
9 million people have been displaced throughout Africa
1. Why do you think that the Africans in the refugee camp are inquisitive about the three
Australians?

Aman, Jordan
Where close to half a million people have fled from Iraq
2. How can individuals, like the bomb victims in the hospital visited, maintain hope in the
midst of intense pain and trauma?

Masudi family, Kenya

3. “The more you keep struggling, the more you get out of life.” What features of the
documentary evoke emotion in the audience?
4. “Every day you ask God, give me tomorrow. The big problem in the world is to educate
people and touch hearts.” “A lot of people look, but don’t see.” How do these statements
contribute to your understanding of what it means to be human?

Aman, Jordan
Jordan has two million refugees in a country of six million people.
5. Visiting Wasmi’s grandmother raises the question- has Wasmi gone on to pave the way for
his relatives to join him in Australia or has he just left his family in a situation he wanted to
escape from? What do you think? Justify your opinion.

Kenya
6. How has Raquel changed from the first episode to the third? Consider how she interacts
with Masara’s sister and her initial beliefs about Africans.

Jordan
7. What is Jordan like as a place of first refuge for those fleeing persecution?

Kenya
8. How has Raye’s perspective about refugees changed from the first episode to the third?
Think how Ray e has witnessed the difficulties faced by refugee families.

Baghdad, Iraq
9. The US Military have set up a base in Saddam Hussein’s former palace. How do the
participants react to being there?

81
Goma, The Congo
10. More than 5 million people have died here in the deadliest conflict since World War II.
What does Rodrick realise with a serious conflict after the women celebrate the donation of
the Australians?

Red Zone, Iraq

11. What is General Buchanan’s account of what is currently happening in Baghdad?

Final comments
“People say it’s not good to let emotions get involved in decisions but I think that’s life. I think life
is built on emotions. The emotions I have felt over the last few weeks is human nature.” -
Adam
12. Do you agree or disagree with Adam? Which participant did you think had the most
interesting journey? Give reasons why.

82
83
84
 ASSUMPTIONS CHALLENGED?
Participant Initial Assumption During During End of Episode 3
Episode 3 Episode 3

Raye Colbey

Darren Hassan

85
Raye Colby – Reflection after Kakuma
Video Diary at the Refugee Compound

“They are just really, really, lovely people and if I could get them home I would. When I first
came on this adventure, I was a very close-minded person and very tunnel-visioned I think. And
then, you know, I started to see more and get a broader picture of what was happening to these
people. And today…today, especially today, um… I would do anything to improve the life of my
children and I think if that meant getting on a boat I would probably go ahead and do it because I
would probably do anything to give my family a better life and I really think, that’s how these
people look at it. If it means taking a risk, their whole life has been a risk since they fled their
country so one more risk doesn’t matter.
If it means freedom, it’s worth it.”
This video diary is interspersed with a variety of shots of refugees in daily life in the camp. The
scene alternates back and forth from these images to mid shots of Raye addressing the camera in
a video diary. There is gentle reflective music in the soundtrack that plays over the top of her
speaking. The music builds in volume and intensity throughout her reflection.

The scene closes with Raye looking through the fence into the compound where Deo’s family
lives. It is dusk (the end of the day) and she continues reflecting on refugee’s lives.
The sun gets up, and it goes down and nothing else happens. It’s just all the same. Like Deo said,
“We just have to survive.” And that’s about all they’re doing in there because it certainly isn’t
living.”
Towards the end of the video diary, Raye’s tone changes slightly and she looks directly into the
camera at one point. She appears to have a didactic tone (didactic = with the aim of teaching) at
points as though she is now sharing her discoveries with others. What she has been taught, she
will now teach to others

Consider now, Raye’s original comment about shooting the refugees and her statement in the final
debrief about refugees in the compound next to her house: “I’d probably invite them over for tea.
I think getting to know people personally is a whole new concept. I now know why they’re in the
situation they’re in.”
Summarise Raye’s change of perspective with a mind-map. Use rubric phrases.

86
 Reflect Personally
How has studying this text changed your understanding of:
▪ The human experience ▪ Manipulation of responders
▪ Refugees and/or the refugee experience ▪ Global Compassion and Responsibility
▪ Australian politics ▪ Personal Politics
▪ Australian general public ▪ Racism
▪ Television genre/s ▪ The cross-section of Australian society
▪ Composer’s intentions ▪ Any other issues…

87
Connections between yourself and the world of the text
In what ways are you personally connected to the world of the text and the human experiences it
explores?

In what ways are you personally disconnected from the world of the text and the human experiences it
explores?

Connections between yourself and the wider world

In what ways has this text identified how you are personally connected to the wider world?

In what ways has this text identified how you are personally disconnected to the wider world?

88
New Insights and Challenged Assumptions
In the text there are three groups that have the opportunity to gain new insights and have their assumptions challenged. They are:
the participants, the Australian viewing public and – you! Consider the journey taken by all involved and take notes below.
Name Initial Ideas/Attitude Key Points in the Journey Final Conclusions
Gleny

Raye

Raquel

Adam

Darren

Roderick

Australian
Viewers

Yourself

89
 ADAM HARTUP’S JOURNEY SUMMARISED

EPISODE ONE

Initial Perception: Negative view on refugees.

Refugees who are entering Australia by boat are illegal and should return to their country of origin. He uses
the label of “criminals”.

Living with Iraqi refugees: Adam directly communicates with these refugees and discovers the reasons
behind boat people having to enter another country illegally.

Boat experience: Adam experienced first-hand what it is like to travel by boat. He discovered travelling by
boat does not ensure that people have a safe journey. The decision to travel by boat is also a risk to take.

EPISODE TWO

Working with the Chins (Ploughing the soil): The fact that the Chin men have to work 9 hours a day without
being paid, leaves Adam emotionally challenged. He still thinks of these people as illegal refugees. However,
the fact that they are working so hard just for food and shelter leads him to feel empathy.

The Raid: At the start of the raid Adam is participating and telling the officials where people are hiding. He
is active in the process. As the raid continues, Adam looks confused and shocked as the weight of what h=is
happening appears to impact him. He hears Darren telling the officials where people are and it is clear by
his facial expressions and body language that he does not want to do the same anymore. He looks shocked
and pale.

Raid Debrief: Adam says he would get on a boat if he was a refugee trapped in Malaysia. He says, if he had
the money he would do it. The soundtrack begins playing as he says this and there is peaceful and reflective
music. This comment and the soundtrack helps to highlight that his perception has changed completely.

Jordan Hospital – (Visits victims of war) Adam comments on how much the people have suffered and yet
they are so happy that afternoon. Show how he is emotionally impacted and considering their perspective
of life and comparing it to his perspective on life in Australia and safety. It was also a confronting
experience to see the injuries that these people (young and old) have suffered.

EPISODE THREE

In Baghdad’s Red Zone: Adam experiences what it is like to be in an extremely dangerous country. He saw
that bombs cam explode at any moment. He understands that civilians could be killed at any point in time.
Through his experience he could directly feel what the refugees fleeing from their home country feel. In this
stage he is emotionally affected.

“It’s definitely been a life changing journey. I don’t think I’ll be so, um, selfish, when it comes to my own little
problems. There’s so much hurt and heartbreak in the world. The next wave of Iraqis coming on boat, or
anyone for that reason, I won’t see them as illegal. That’s basically too harsh of a title, of a label to give
somebody that is fleeing what we’ve experienced and what we’ve lived in. To get the plane out’s just been a
relief, you know?”

The final debrief: People say it’s not good to let emotions get involved in decisions but I think that’s life. I
FOCUS ON WRITING
think life’s all built on emotions. So the emotions that I’ve felt over the past few weeks, it’s just, I think,
human nature, and to feel for the families we’ve lived with. We’ll never, ever know what it is really like to be a
refugee. We’ve just scraped the surface on the whole issue.
90
91
 Evaluate Representation and Interpretation of Human Motivations and
Behaviour in Go Back to Where You Came From

Representation
Gleny Raye Raquel Adam Roderick Darren

Caricature
Gleny Raye Raquel Adam Roderick Darren

Two Dimensional versus Three Dimensional Characters

Gleny Raye Raquel Adam Roderick Darren

Point of View
Whose point of view do we receive when viewing?

Whose point of view do we not receive when viewing (or is limited)?

Reality Television and ‘real’ documentary versus simplistic narrative arc

92
Point of View
A number of individuals and groups are represented in this text. In what ways are they
represented? How does this representation occur? What commentary can we make
about the director’s behaviour and motivation behind these representations?
Name Representation (eg. How it occurs Behaviour and
good, bad, neutral) Motivation behind
this representation
Dr David Corlett

Refugees

Australian Public

Australian Politicians

Gleny

Raye

Raquel

Adam

Roderick

Darren

93
Prescribed Text: Go Back to W here You Cam e From : The Response
This social experiment stimulated debate about a highly controversial issue- refugees and asylum
seekers. “It’s not a black and white issue. It’s various shades of grey.”

1) What did Gleny think about the way the reality series was edited?
2) Darren was not happy with how he was portrayed- “dobbing people in” during the raid, only as
a “knee-jerk” reaction. What does Sho-Wen (Darren’s wife) say about how Darren is in real life?
3) How does reality TV manipulate action to impact the responder?
4) When does Adam change his perspective in the series? Explain why he changed his view on
refugees and asylum seekers.
5) Raquel “bore the brunt” of social media backlash with the response of the public from the
episodes. How did Raquel feel after the episodes and during the outpouring of negative
comments?
6) What did Levi think about the way Raquel was portrayed?
7) One of the members in the audience says that there is “selective compassion” in Australia
excluding Middle Easterners. What do you think?
8) How does Gleny describe her journey and what did she find most valuable?
9) How did Raye feel when she returned home?
10) Why did Raye’s husband Peter feel that she needed to go on this journey? How did she
change during the program?
11) What is one thing that Roderick reflects on about his experience?
12) Rodrick says that he wore political t-shirts not as a conscious decision but because he
naturally supports the Liberal party and is against people smugglers. How does this relate to the
related text of posters for the Department of Immigration? (**p.)
13) Adam notes that the experience which stayed with him most was the people he encountered
at the hospital in Jordan who had “had their face melted off by a bomb made by humans”. What
does this series tell us about the human condition?

94
95
96
Anomalies, paradoxes and inconsistencies

Anomaly: something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected.

Anomalies is the plural form.

Paradox: a statement or proposition which, despite sound (or apparently sound) reasoning from
acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems logically unacceptable or self-contradictory
Paradoxes is the plural form.

Inconsistent (adjective): not staying the same throughout.

Inconsistency (singular noun) or inconsistencies (plural noun)

97
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Motivations and Behaviour. Anomalies, Paradoxes and Inconsistencies
As you view the four episodes you should be ever on the look out for ‘interesting’ or
‘noteworthy’ behaviour and motivations. This includes coming from the composers and
even within yourself. As you view note ideas down.
In the Module Statement we are told to look for anomalies, paradoxes and inconsistencies.

Grammar point:
Noun Adjective Plural
Anomaly Anomalous Anomalies
Paradox Paradoxical Paradoxes
Inconsistency Inconsistent Inconsistencies

Here’s some starting points to get you thinking:

▪ What is going on with Roderick’s t-shirts?
▪ How can a Liberal supporter be on this program?
▪ If Raquel and Raye hate refugees so much, why are they on the show?
▪ Has Gleny taken any refugees into her care since being on the show?
▪ Is Darren the only participant to take real action since being on the show?
▪ Who is the focus of the show? Is it the refugees?
▪ Is it racist to have such a white ‘cast’?
▪ Do the six participants truly represent a ‘cross section’ of Australian society?
▪ Do 5/6 of the Australian public have negative attitudes towards refugees?
▪ What values and attitudes do SBS claim to have?
▪ Does SBS sacrifice truth (head) for emotion (heart)?
▪ What values and attitudes does Australia claim to have?
▪ How much do we really know about each participant?
▪ Do you know any social workers who actually want to shoot people?
▪ How much does The Response episode change our view of participants? Why?
▪ For a show that wants to ensure refugees are fairly represented, how many of the
participants are misrepresented, either for better or worse?

99
Director: Ivan
O’Mahoney

SBS

David Corlett

Colin Friels

Refugees

Gleny

Raye

Raquel

100
Adam

Roderick

Darren

Australian
Public

Australian
Politicians

You

101
Structural Form and Features
Your prescribed text is a dual-genre television show. It is both reality television and
documentary combined. This impacts the text in a significant way and also impacts the
responder.
Consider how different your response would be if the text was a book.

Now consider how these elements impact the text and its responders:
Opening Montage (theme)

Narration

Biopics

Video Diaries

First-hand account storytelling

Editing

Soundtrack

Four Episode mini series

Previews of upcoming episodes

102
What does it mean to be human?
Consider how everyone involved in the text has contributed across four episodes to your
understanding of the human experience, the human condition and what it means to actually be
human. Think of the positives, the negatives and the neutrals.
Name What How/Example/Quote
Director: Ivan O’Mahoney

Dr David Corlett

Narrator: Colin Friels

Refugees

Gleny

Raye

Raquel

Adam

Roderick

Darren

Australian Viewers

You

103
Storytellers
The syllabus states that storytelling is an innately human activity that has occurred for centuries, even millennia.
Why is this the case? How do you see this in your own life?

Who are the storytellers in our text? Tick or cross against each group and make notes as required.
Group Y/N How do they tell the story? Does the nature of their storytelling
change across the episodes?
Director: Ivan O’Mahoney

SBS TV

Narrator: Colin Friels

Host: Dr David Corlett

Participants

Refugees

Studio Audience

Australian Public

You

104
 ASSUMPTIONS CHALLENGED?
Participant Initial Assumption Addition Information from ‘The Response’ Conclusion

Raye Colbey

Darren Hassan

105
Other quotes from Gleny

“I’d love to have a refugee come and stay in this house with me while they were being processed because I
think detention centres are inhumane. It’s something that’s in my soul to be able to help somebody and to
be the first step in them finding a new home. I mean, look at where we live and the life we live. We’re
extremely lucky. I think that we have the capacity to take perhaps more refugees.”

Gleny stands out in this group of participants because she enters this “social experiment” with a very
positive and open-minded attitude towards refugees and asylum seekers. Consider her individual journey of
DISCOVERY.

What might we expect that she will ‘discover” about herself, her beliefs, about the other
participants, about people in general, the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers, about her
own country and other countries in the world?

Discoveries:

About herself and her beliefs:

____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

About the other participants and people in general:

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

About experiences of refugees and asylum seekers:

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

About Australia:

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

About other countries:

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

106
“I never shy away from a good debate.”

In discussion with the Iraqi men, Darren implies that some Muslims disapprove of
the way Australians dress at the beach and are trying to influence Australians to
change their style of dress. Gleny’s response to this is,

“Who are these people, Darren? You seem to have some sort of direct experience.
Has anyone ever told you or your wife what they think you should wear on the
beach?.... I mean, we’re allowed to have an opinion. It’s a free country.”

Darren’s response is, “ I’m going by media reports of, you know, these things that do
happen.”

What is your understanding of the role of the media in reporting such public debate?
Is the media completely unbiased? Are there specific motives for reporting stories
about controversial issues? This is part of our personal discovery, that is, how we as
individuals form our ideas about the various issues that affect our society.
What more does this interaction teach us about representation and the human
experience? Consider the media, Gleny and Darren in your response.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

107
 Deconstructing the Essay Question

Storytellers, through a variety of forms and genres, invite us to see the world differently by challenging our assumptions.
To what extent is this true of the portrayal of human experiences in your prescribed text?

Storytellers, ▪ SBS ▪ You can’t write about all of the storytellers. You need to pick two (or at most
▪ Ivan O’Mahoney three) to focus on in your essay. You will pick the storytellers who best
▪ Dr David Corlett support your argument. I can guide you in your selection but you really need
▪ Narrator (Colin Friels) to know your argument/thesis first
▪ Participants ▪ Which storytellers are the focus in the show? What does this suggest?
▪ Refugees ▪ Do all the storytellers agree? What effect does this have?
▪ How are the storytellers represented? What effect does this have?
through a variety of ▪ Documentary ▪ How do the storytellers tell the story?
forms and genres ▪ Reality Television ▪ You must refer to their storytelling techniques (filmic techniques) in the body
of the essay.
▪ Additionally when you introduced the text in the essay introduction you should
make mention of the genre; eg. “In Ivan O’Mahoney’s fusion of documentary
and reality television, he….”
invite us Verb + Noun ▪ In your exploration of the question you can explore the verb used (if you
wish): invite. Is this how the storytellers operate? Both Darren and Paul
Sheehan don’t think it’s an invitation. They think it’s: ‘shoved in our face’ and
‘enforced empathy’. You can do something with this if you agree.
▪ Us – who is us?
▪ Are you, as a migrant, included in the ‘us’. Or is the ‘us’ limited to a certain
group of people in the Australian population? Who are the storytellers really
targeting? Everyone? Or just a section of Australia in 2011?
to see the world Verb group + Noun group ▪ ‘To see’ : it gets repetitive if you keep using the same phrase over and over in
differently your essay. What other words could you use?
▪ ‘The world differently’: again don’t get repetitive. What does this phrase really
mean in the context of your prescribed text? What other words and phrases
could you use here instead?
by challenging our Verb group + Noun group ▪ Again, you should think of a range of different words and phrases that you
assumptions can use to express these ideas so you don’t bore your reader with repetition
▪ You can also pull apart the words ‘challenging’ and ‘assumptions’ if you wish
– do you think you had the same opinion about refugees as Raquel did at the
start of the show? If not, were your assumptions challenged? Whose were?
▪ Did the show challenge your assumptions about refugees or Australians? ☺
108
To what extent is this ▪ At this point you look at the question and see how far you agree with it
true ▪ Do you think that the sole purpose of GBTWYCF is to challenge the viewers’
assumptions? If not, what other aims of the show are there?
▪ You need to identify your position on ‘to what extent’ in your thesis
▪ Is ‘inviting us to see the world differently’ and/or ‘by challenging our
assumptions’ the main focus/aim of the show or is there something else that
is more important?
▪ If you think there is something MORE important, you can hijack the question –
WHEN GIVEN A ‘TO WHAT EXTENT’ question type. You cannot hijack if
there is no ‘to what extent’ bit tacked on at the end. See below…
of the portrayal of human ▪ Portrayal = representation
experiences in your ▪ How are the participants represented (both individually and collectively)?
prescribed text? ▪ Who is represented positively and why? Who is represented negatively and
why? What effect does this have?
▪ How are the refugees represented (both individually and collectively)?
▪ Do we meet the refugees individually, like we do the participants?
▪ How does this impact the storytelling and representation of their experience?
▪ What human experiences are represented in the show? Refugees’ journey is
quite obviously represented – but what else? And to what effect?

Hijacking the ‘to what extent’ question

When the question gives you a ‘to what extent’ section, it actually gives you the freedom to get in the car and drive it wherever you want it to go
(metaphorically speaking). This should only be done when you are super confident that you know your text well AND that the question has not
taken you to the MOST important issue in your text.

If you hijack a question, you should: a) spend one body paragraph addressing the question’s main focus (in this example: to see the world
differently by challenging our assumptions). THEN, you put in a phrase as the topic sentence of your next body paragraph that flips it in a new
direction. You would have flagged that this was coming in your thesis, so the marker is prepared for it here. You could write something like:
‘Whilst challenging our assumptions is an aim of the show, it is superseded by the director’s desire to ________________”
Hijack complete. Drive where you like ☺

Linking words and phrases

Don’t forget these!! I will remind you again in class but remember that you need to use these words and phrases to help your argument to have
cohesion and flow. Words that connect like: In the same way, similarly, following on from this… And words that contrast: on the other hand, on
the contrary, however…
109
 EVALUATIVE LANGUAGE
(the language of evaluation)

“To what extent” questions require that we make an evaluation of the text.
“To what extent” means:
➔ How true is this for you text?
➔ At what point do you disagree with the statement?
➔ How well has the composer achieved this?

You can do this in part by using the language of evaluation in your writing. Here are
some examples of evaluative words:

These are all adverbs so if you use them they need to be followed by a verb

For example:
➔ The composer strongly presents his...
➔ The director persuasively manipulates the audience by...
➔ The poet skillfully declares his anger...

But you can use more than just adverbs to evaluate.

110
Change these adverbs into adjectives

Adverb Adjective

sharply

significantly

moderately

dramatically

perceptively

cunningly

carefully

Can you write some evaluative sentences about your text, GBTWYCF?
You can write something positive or negative. Make sure you use adverbs in some sentences
and adjectival phrases in others so you get used to using both.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

111
 The Module Statement in the Prescribed Text
Word/Phrase Example One Example Two Example Three

Composer

Responder

Narrator

Persona

Characters

Participants

112
Representation

Point of View

Distinctions and
Connections

Human Qualities

Emotions

Behaviour

Motivation

113
Arising from
Experiences

Human Traits

Aspirations

Making
Connections
between
yourselves
Making
connections
with the world
of a text
Making
connections
with the wider
world
Insight

114
Anomalies

Paradoxes

Inconsistencies

See Differently

Challenge
Assumptions

Ignite New Ideas

Reflect
Personally

115
Storytellers

Different
versions and
accounts

Personalities

Situations

States of being

Evaluate
Representation
and
Interpretation of
Human
Motivations and
Behaviour

116
PARTICIPANT ANALYSIS person, which she may well be. Gleny is more than the cipher that

•
she is portrayed as by the creators. She is a vibrant personality, a

• Gleny Rae musician, teacher and chook owner who lives a happy lifestyle in
Raye Colbey her Queensland home. Nor does she lack intelligence and she notes
Ill Raquel Moore in the final studio episode how much the director, editors have left
■ Darren Hassan out. She also has skills as we see when she teaches the children at
■ Adam Hartup the school in Kuala Lumpur and her joy in doing this.
■ Roderick Schneider
Gleny is there in the series but as she already has empathy she
Gleny Rae, singer from Newcastle NSW doesn't make great television. Unlike the others who have
complete turnabouts in their views, she doesn't make outrageous
,I think we have the capacity to take more refugees.'
statements. She is the voice of reason, and reason doesn't make
Gleny is the participant who makes the fewest personal tense, conflicting television. Gleny Learns and evolves as each
discoveries because she begins at a point of sympathy with the little discovery she makes about the refugees and their world
plight of the refugees. She is portrayed as the voice of reason and deepens her beliefs. She says she was 'deeply affected' by her
common-sense by the director and because of this is probably discoveries and this is clear when we see her responses.
the least interesting participant as there is no conflict and little
self-growth surrounding her. We see throughout her empathic
and sympathetic reaction to both the refugees/asylum seekers Raye Colbey, retired social worker from lnverbrackie South
and to the other participants. One example of this is the way she Australia
responds to Raquel at Kuala Lumpur airport. When Gleny suggests 'When the boat crashed coming into Christmas Island I thought,
Raquel wear something more appropriate Raquel rebukes her and 'it served you bastards right�'
she accepts it graciously. Another example is from the beginning
of the series when we see her saying that she would love to have Raye makes a real change in her opinions which have been
a refugee stay in her own home. She is very sympathetic to the coloured by the wonderful treatment the boat people receive
refugees and is shocked by their conditions. She says of .the in the detention centre across the road from her home in the
Burmese Chin, Adelaide Hills. She says of them in the beginning,

'it's almost like a detention centre they've created themselves for 'I could go over there right now with a gun and shoot the lot of
their own safety.' them. I don't care how hard it is where they come from, I don't
think they have the right to come here and demand demand-all
When all the conflict occurs on the 'leaky boat' journey she is nearly this freedom.>
invisible on camera which reinforces her portrayal as a sensitive

117
54 © Five Senses Education Pty Ltd Top Notes - Go Back To Where You Came From - Bruce Pattinson 55
118
119
120
because if they aren't it would be cruel to arrestthem. Roderick is a
realist and he is clear about his own self-image. He admits that he
is 'soft' in the Western world sense as he is a 'desk jockey' and the For each participant create a table that answers the
worst thing that could happen to him at work is a 'paper cut'. Note following questions about discoveries in the text. This will
how he continues to work in this episode despite the blisters. The clarify your ideas. In the next column give an example and
other factor that we need to consider when discussing Roderick is in the next a specific quote. Help for these answers are also
that he has never travelled before so any new place is a discovery included in the themes section which follows.
for him.
1 ......... J!t..�
,1.111.. Quote
Considering some of the places they are taken to Roderick adapts
well and takes a considered position. For example, in l(akuma What does the
when Raye is saying the people need more food, he realistically participant
points out that it would be nice in a perfect world but who is discover about
'
going to pay for it and recognises; themselves?
What does the
'You're not going to be pleased but that's the situation.' participant learn
Roderick discovers much over the course of the four episodes on their travels?
and comes across as a thoughtful, balanced person who uses his
discoveries to adapt his views and his perspective on the world What does the
without sacrificing his core beliefs. participant learn
about ONE specific
group of
refugees/ asylum
seekers
State TWO changes
that occur in this
participant due
to one or more
human experience
through the series.

121
62 © Five Senses Education Pty Ltd Top Notes - Go Back To Where You Came From - Bruce Pattinson 63
GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM – Kate Murphy
Whose human experiences?
You need to include:
 The edited experience (What’s in / out / repeated)
 An experience where motif creates characterisation
o (motif = repeated word, phrase, image, footage, information etc)
 The raw experience of reality TV
o OR
 The constructed experience of a documentary based around a ‘conversion
experience’
 Is it an experiment?
 Do we see ordinary Australians more than refugees?
 Who is the intended audience? Is it just preaching to the converted?

How real is the experience?

 The director gives us simplistic characters
 It’s an edited experience
 “Ordinary Australians” why is their story the focus? Are they really representative of
all Australians?
Text Type
 The 4th episode (The response) gives a very different tone
 Episodes 1 – 3 are narrative, about the experience, different settings, mini-bios
 Episode 4 is reflective, analysis, heavy use of dialogue, less the visual mode
 The use of a hybrid – doco/reality TV show disguises the purpose
 It (the show) puts on a mask
 Artificial situations eg. A leaky boat – the stress is supposed to be in there. Why?
What is the director’s aim?
 Voiceover of an expert is a convention of the doco text
 Mini-bios and seeing people in “real life situations” are Reality TV conventions
What problems are in the text?
 Human Experience – can we ever see a real version of experience or does the process
of converting experience into texts alter the experience itself
 Hybrid structural form
 Target audience: Aussies keen to engage with social issues relating to refugees and
multiculturalism

122
  Interesting juxtaposition of “current experience” and flashbacks to show us what
someone originally thought and the change they are experiencing now
John Paul Gee describes an individual’s identity with 4 elements: nature; institutions;
affinities; discoveries – consider the participants in these categories
How does our knowledge of their past experiences contribute to the perspective we
develop of each participant?

Anomalies
Why would people who are supposedly so closed minded about the refugee issue go on a
25 day refugee in reverse journey?
Is their identity just completely constructed so we have a particular opinion of them?
Look at a specific event in the show:
Event
Behaviour
Motivation
Human Qualities
Emotions
Paradoxes
Anomalies/Inconsistences

Do the inconsistences of the show actually trivialise the refugee experience?

What is the motivation behind the participants’ going on the show?
o Money?
o Learning more (if they are, that = anomalies!)

Raye spent years working with disabled children and was angry at the government for not
giving disabled people enough funding. We NEVER see the full picture of her motivations
because this surely plays a part in her dislike of refugees receiving ‘handouts’

SBS’ motivation

SBS is a multicultural TV station largely funded by the government committed to the

principles of diversity and inclusivity. They aim to counteract some of the dehumanising
portrayals of refugees in the media. They also attempt to provide entertainment.

123
  Is it really a valid and reliable approach that we are watching?
 Are all Aussies really as xenophobic and racist as the show suggests?
 Are they actually a variety of Australians?
 SBS construct a conversion narrative
 Is emotion focused on at the expense of information?
 Is there too much heart and not enough about information? The show claims that
emotion leads to change but Darren is the only one in the response show who is
doing something concrete to help refugees (the Chins)

Raquel

 Is Raquel just as marginalised as the refugees?

 Is she a fortunate member of the lucky country? (no)
 Raquel left home when she was 13, living with her boyfriend from the age of 16 (5
years at the time of the show)
 Has she been employed previously?
 The irony – Raquel is possibly misrepresented as a ‘dole bludger’(lives off
government payments) – the show is against misrepresenting refugees

Anomalies, paradoxes and inconsistencies

Adam
– he is portrayed as immersed in surf culture
– but he wants to step outside his comfort zone
– do we ever hear his motivations?
Darren
– presented as racist but he is the only participant with a non-Anglo spouse or partner
Gleny
– only one pro refugees
– is it really representative of Australia that only 1/6 of people accept refugees?
Raquel
– she is culturally isolated but lives in the most culturally diverse place
Roderick
– is a member of the Liberal party
– but the show portrays the Liberal policies/ideas about refugees as cruel and unjust
Raye
– a social worker who wants to shoot people
– is this comment highly edited, fake or scripted?

124
Writing Tips – Ideas

– Focus less on one participant and more on the human experiences AND link them
together along with your own experience as a responder to the TV show
– Better responses will acknowledge the manipulation of reality within the program
– Raquel experiences have been edited to portray her in a negative light. ‘The
Response’ show us this
– Remember to refer to ‘The Response’ episode and how they respond to their
portrayal in the first three episodes
– Deal with genre, genre conventions, text type and yourself as responder. The hybrid
nature of the text leads to complexities

FIVE IDEAS TO CONSIDER

1. The show’s creation of two dimensional characters from carefully selected footage
2. Links between behaviour/ experiences and changes in human qualities/motivations
3. The show’s focus on the participants instead of refugees. What does this tell us about
target audience and textual purpose?
4. Narrative is framed by a voiceover and the creation of a ‘conversion’ narrative. What
is put in? What is left out? And how does this suit the interest/aim of the director?
5. How are audience reactions manipulated? We have editing and mini-biopics that
influence the responder. How are we positioned (or even conditioned) to either
sympathise or question motivations or veracity (truth)?

125
Exploring the Common Module: Texts and Human Experience
The module seems simple; it’s not
How do we approach the module?
How do we describe the human condition?

The complexities of the human experience:

The anomalies, paradoxes and inconsistences in human behaviour and motivations (This idea will set you
above the pack if you ‘get it’) It’s the “distinguisher” in the rubric.

Human Experiences include:

 Our daily experience
 Relationships
 Our qualities and flaws
 Our emotions, thoughts and actions
 Perspectives
 Memories
 Our stories
 Our context
Consider:
 Genre, mode, form, structure and language
 Purpose, perspective, context, representation
 The prescriptions document – what big ideas are in the rubric?

1. What is the composer’s context, purpose and perspective?

2. What individual and collective experiences are represented?
3. How do individuals respond and why?

WHY Context
REPRESENTATION IS KEY TO THE MODULE
Perspective
Representation Purpose
Assumptions
– language forms, features, structure, devices, Ideas
– embeds composer’s attitudes, beliefs, values Values
HOW Form
Structure
It includes elements in the table: Language
Conventions
Eg, Why has the composer composed the text in the way they have?
THROUGH Textual Evidence
Eg. Your thesis comes from the ideas and meaning in your ‘what’ Analysis
WHAT Ideas
Meaning
126
PERSPECTIVE IS KEY TO THE MODULE
Perspective – shaped by the values, attitudes, assumptions and context

NARRATIVE IS KEY TO THE MODULE

Storytelling allows us to explore individual and collective human experiences.
The key concepts of style and artistry need to be analysed in this module and carried across into Module D.

Note: when you write an essay, define human experience early on!!

WHAT DOES HUMAN EXPERIENCE MEAN?

RELATIONSHIP – Belonging
– Individual and collective (symbiotic)
– Self, others, place, organisation
COMPLEXITIES – Emotion
– Behaviour
– Perspective
– Assumption
– Motivation
– Relationship
– Experiences
Values
QUALITIES – Courage FLAWS – Fear
Note the dichotomy in – Love – Hate
this section – Empathy – Intolerance
– Sympathy – Indifference
– Resilience – Fragility
– Conviction – Acquiescence

Paper One = 40% of HSC exam mark OR 30% of EALD HSC exam mark

Stimulus Material Questions

– Section One questions are all higher order and analytical questions
– Identify aspects of the Human Experiences that are in the stimulus texts
– Look for overarching concepts
– Read and view through the lens of the question
– Think about purpose, audience, perspective and context

127
RESPONDING
– What is being said?
– How is it being said?
– What meaning is conveyed?

STIMULUS QUESTIONS
Thesis + Textual Evidence + Analysis + Meaning

Tips:

– Use a thesaurus to find different words to explore the ideas in the rubric
– Look at the course performance descriptors and the marking criteria when you write your essay
response
– Frequently the essay response are answering questions that address TWO concepts in the rubric.
You must address BOTH
– Share summaries and essays together

APPROACHING YOUR EXTENDED RESPONSE

– What is the human experience?

– What is the response of the character/persona?
– Why represented this way?
– How represented?
– As a result, what concepts are conveyed?
Karen Yager has a pocketbook resource available…

THESES
– Have an overarching thesis to a specific line of argument. Use key terms connected to the question
– 1 or 2 supporting arguments/ideas to further thesis and address the question
– Topic sentences must connect to your thesis
– Judicious textual support – detailed and relevant
– Have a conclusion in your essay to drive your marker through
– Use a thesaurus but don’t ‘swallow’ it

128
 Fix You by Coldplay
(released September 2005)

This song is about life (the human experience) and how it can go wrong.
 However, what is the persona’s message to someone else in the lyrics?
 What then does this song teach us about the human experience and/or the
human condition?

Note: When my older brother was married in November 2005, his (now) wife walked down the
aisle to this song. Why might they have picked this song?

When you try your best but you don't succeed

When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
When the tears come streaming down your face
'Cause you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
But high up above or down below
When you are too in love to let it show
Oh but if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
Tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
oh and tears come streaming down your face
And I
Tears streaming down your face
I promise you I will learn from all my mistakes
oh and the tears streaming down your face
And I
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
Songwriters: Christopher Anthony John Martin / Guy Rupert Berryman / Jonathan Mark Buckland / William Champion Fix You lyrics
© Universal Music Publishing Group
129
 Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles
1. What elements of the human experience are in this song?
Ah look at all the lonely people, 2. What elements of the human condition are in this song?
Ah look at all the lonely people 3. How does the composer communicate these ideas?

Eleanor Rigby, picks up the rice

In the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window, wearing the face
That she keeps in a jar by the door
Who is it for
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
Father McKenzie, writing the words Father – religious title
Of a sermon that no one will hear sermon – speech in a Church
No one comes near explaining a section of the Bible
Look at him working, darning his socks darning – sewing up a hole
In the night when there's nobody there
What does he care
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
Ah look at all the lonely people
Ah look at all the lonely people
Eleanor Rigby, died in the church
And was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father McKenzie, wiping the dirt
From his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved saved – (in this context) spiritual salvation

All the lonely people

Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?

Songwriters: John Lennon / Paul McCartney Eleanor Rigby lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
130
 Heal the World by Michael Jackson
What does this song teach us about 1) the human experience, 2) the human condition and 3) the
capabilities of human beings (both good and bad)?
There's a place in your heart There are people dying
And I know that it is love If you care enough for the living
And this place could be much Make a better place for you and for me
Brighter than tomorrow
And if you really try
And the dream we were conceived in
You'll find there's no need to cry
Will reveal a joyful face
In this place you'll feel
And the world we once believed in
There's no hurt or sorrow
Will shine again in grace
There are ways to get there Then why do we keep strangling life
If you care enough for the living Wound this earth, crucify its soul
Make a little space Though it's plain to see
Make a better place This world is heavenly
Be god's glow
Heal the world
Make it a better place We could fly so high
For you and for me Let our spirits never die
And the entire human race In my heart I feel you are all my
There are people dying brothers
If you care enough for the living Create a world with no fear
Make it a better place Together we cry happy tears
For you and for me See the nations turn their swords into
ploughshares
If you want to know why
There's love that cannot lie We could really get there
Love is strong If you cared enough for the living
It only cares of joyful giving Make a little space
If we try we shall see To make a better place
In this bliss we cannot feel
Heal the world
Fear of dread
Make it a better place
We stop existing and start living
For you and for me
The it feels that always And the entire human race
Love's enough for us growing There are people dying
So make a better world If you care enough for the living
Make a better place Make a better place for you and for me
Heal the world You and for me
Make it a better place
For you and for me
And the entire human race

Songwriters: Michael Joe Jackson

Heal the World lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

131
 Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season) by The Byrds

To everything (turn, turn, turn)

There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose, under heaven
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose, under heaven
A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together
To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose, under heaven
A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace, a time to refrain from embracing
To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose, under heaven
A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late

Songwriters: Peter Seeger

Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season) lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

132
 July 12th, 2013: Speech to the UN Youth Assembly

SPEECH DELIVERED BY MALALA YOUSAFZAI

In the name of God, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful.

Honourable UN Secretary General Mr Ban Ki-moon,

Respected President General Assembly Vuk Jeremic

Honourable UN envoy for Global education Mr Gordon Brown,

Respected elders and my dear brothers and sisters;

Today, it is an honour for me to be speaking again after a long time. Being here with such
honourable people is a great moment in my life.

I don’t know where to begin my speech. I don’t know what people would be expecting
me to say. But first of all, thank you to God for whom we all are equal and thank you to
every person who has prayed for my fast recovery and a new life. I cannot believe how
much love people have shown me. I have received thousands of good wish cards and gifts
from all over the world. Thank you to all of them. Thank you to the children whose
innocent words encouraged me. Thank you to my elders whose prayers strengthened me.

I would like to thank my nurses, doctors and all of the staff of the hospitals in Pakistan
and the UK and the UAE government who have helped me get better and recover my
strength. I fully support Mr Ban Ki-moon the Secretary-General in his Global Education
First Initiative and the work of the UN Special Envoy Mr Gordon Brown. And I thank
them both for the leadership they continue to give. They continue to inspire all of us to
action.

Dear brothers and sisters, do remember one thing. Malala day is not my day. Today is the
day of every woman, every boy and every girl who have raised their voice for their rights.
There are hundreds of Human rights activists and social workers who are not only
speaking for human rights, but who are struggling to achieve their goals of education,
peace and equality. Thousands of people have been killed by the terrorists and millions
have been injured. I am just one of them.

So here I stand.... one girl among many.

I speak – not for myself, but for all girls and boys.

I raise up my voice – not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be
heard.

Those who have fought for their rights:

133
Their right to live in peace.

Their right to be treated with dignity.

Their right to equality of opportunity.

Their right to be educated.

Dear Friends, on the 9th of October 2012, the Taliban shot me on the left side of my
forehead. They shot my friends too. They thought that the bullets would silence us. But
they failed. And then, out of that silence came, thousands of voices. The terrorists thought
that they would change our aims and stop our ambitions but nothing changed in my life
except this: Weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage was
born. I am the same Malala. My ambitions are the same. My hopes are the same. My
dreams are the same.

Dear sisters and brothers, I am not against anyone. Neither am I here to speak in terms of
personal revenge against the Taliban or any other terrorists group. I am here to speak up
for the right of education of every child. I want education for the sons and the daughters
of all the extremists especially the Taliban.

I do not even hate the Talib who shot me. Even if there is a gun in my hand and he stands
in front of me. I would not shoot him. This is the compassion that I have learnt from
Muhammad-the prophet of mercy, Jesus christ and Lord Buddha. This is the legacy of
change that I have inherited from Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Muhammad
Ali Jinnah. This is the philosophy of non-violence that I have learnt from Gandhi Jee,
Bacha Khan and Mother Teresa. And this is the forgiveness that I have learnt from my
mother and father. This is what my soul is telling me, be peaceful and love everyone.

Dear sisters and brothers, we realise the importance of light when we see darkness. We
realise the importance of our voice when we are silenced. In the same way, when we
were in Swat, the north of Pakistan, we realised the importance of pens and books when
we saw the guns.

The wise saying, “The pen is mightier than sword” was true. The extremists are afraid of
books and pens. The power of education frightens them. They are afraid of women. The
power of the voice of women frightens them. And that is why they killed 14 innocent
medical students in the recent attack in Quetta. And that is why they killed many female
teachers and polio workers in Khyber Pukhtoon Khwa and FATA. That is why they are
blasting schools every day. Because they were and they are afraid of change, afraid of
the equality that we will bring into our society.

I remember that there was a boy in our school who was asked by a journalist, “Why are
the Taliban against education?” He answered very simply. By pointing to his book he
said, “A Talib doesn’t know what is written inside this book.” They think that God is a

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tiny, little conservative being who would send girls to the hell just because of going to
school. The terrorists are misusing the name of Islam and Pashtun society for their own
personal benefits. Pakistan is peace-loving democratic country. Pashtuns want education
for their daughters and sons. And Islam is a religion of peace, humanity and brotherhood.
Islam says that it is not only each child’s right to get education, rather it is their duty and
responsibility.

Honourable Secretary General, peace is necessary for education. In many parts of the
world especially Pakistan and Afghanistan; terrorism, wars and conflicts stop children to
go to their schools. We are really tired of these wars. Women and children are suffering
in many parts of the world in many ways. In India, innocent and poor children are victims
of child labour. Many schools have been destroyed in Nigeria. People in Afghanistan
have been affected by the hurdles of extremism for decades. Young girls have to do
domestic child labour and are forced to get married at early age. Poverty, ignorance,
injustice, racism and the deprivation of basic rights are the main problems faced by both
men and women.

Dear fellows, today I am focusing on women’s rights and girls’ education because they
are suffering the most. There was a time when women social activists asked men to stand
up for their rights. But, this time, we will do it by ourselves. I am not telling men to step
away from speaking for women’s rights rather I am focusing on women to be
independent to fight for themselves.

Dear sisters and brothers, now it's time to speak up.

So today, we call upon the world leaders to change their strategic policies in favour of
peace and prosperity.

We call upon the world leaders that all the peace deals must protect women and
children’s rights. A deal that goes against the dignity of women and their rights is
unacceptable.

We call upon all governments to ensure free compulsory education for every child all
over the world.

We call upon all governments to fight against terrorism and violence, to protect children
from brutality and harm.

We call upon the developed nations to support the expansion of educational opportunities
for girls in the developing world.

We call upon all communities to be tolerant – to reject prejudice based on cast, creed,
sect, religion or gender. To ensure freedom and equality for women so that they can
flourish. We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.

We call upon our sisters around the world to be brave – to embrace the strength within

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themselves and realise their full potential.

Dear brothers and sisters, we want schools and education for every child’s bright future.
We will continue our journey to our destination of peace and education for everyone. No
one can stop us. We will speak for our rights and we will bring change through our voice.
We must believe in the power and the strength of our words. Our words can change the
world.

Because we are all together, united for the cause of education. And if we want to achieve
our goal, then let us empower ourselves with the weapon of knowledge and let us shield
ourselves with unity and togetherness.

Dear brothers and sisters, we must not forget that millions of people are suffering from
poverty, injustice and ignorance. We must not forget that millions of children are out of
schools. We must not forget that our sisters and brothers are waiting for a bright peaceful
future.

So let us wage a global struggle against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism and let us pick
up our books and pens. They are our most powerful weapons.

One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world.

Education is the only solution. Education First.

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145
Journey to Freedom

by Hai-Van Nguyen
155980, 155981: My parents hold the numbers, scrawled hurriedly in the
impermanence of chalk, across their chests. The camera flashes come in
methodical succession, and in a brief moment they become mere faces attached to
numbers. There had been many before them and there would be many after them.
Away from the sharp focus of the lens, my parents blur into
insignificance—indistinguishable faces in a crowd that is a common statistic.

My parents recite the numbers precisely to me as we sit around the kitchen bench.
My mother sits across from me, having not had time to remove the apron from her
chest. My father has just arrived home from work, the front of his shirt drenched in
the fumes of assorted chemicals. They’ve come a long way from having had a
number held across their chests and it amazes me they recall them so easily. ‘It’s
something one never forgets,’ my mother says. ‘You wear it in your mind,’ she says,
‘long after the chalk has been erased.’ A prisoner never forgets his number.

Society is obsessed with numbers. Long after the human atrocities have occurred,
all we remember are the numbers. We remember there were six million victims of
the Holocaust and one million casualties during the Vietnam War. More recently, we
hear about the ‘765 people’ who are ‘unauthorised boat arrivals’ and the ‘228
detainees’; currently in ‘detention’ in Woomera.

We’re hearing politicians justify their actions with phrases like ‘Australia is accepting
an ample number of refugees for an industrialised country’. As usual issues
involving human lives become overshadowed by numbers that relegate people to
the status of mere statistics. We remember the numbers, but we forget the human
faces behind them. We forget that people, whether they be refugees or not, are
mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, sons and daughters.

History books and newspapers purport to telling the facts, but facts do not only
consist of numbers. Human experience is real; human suffering is real, and so are
the stories that capture them. We need stories to restore the human face to such
atrocities. Stories, in capturing the triumphs and sorrows of each individual’s
experience, will serve a wider purpose of giving a collective voice to humanity. They
capture humanity’s innate sense of endurance and the human spirit’s capacity to
survive. Numbers become concrete and meaningless. Stories, in essence, are
timeless, transcendent. We need these stories to give human faces, not numbers, to
the refugees who arrive on our shores; to refugees used as numbers in an
unbalanced political and social equation. This is one of those stories.

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My parents have been in Australia for almost fourteen years, but scarcely does the
number come up. They measure the years not by days, but by the experiences they
have accumulated during their long ‘Hanh Trinh Tim Tu Do’* — the tears, the
laughter, the backbreaking work and the triumphs. Throughout my childhood, I have
heard fragments of our experience fleeing Vietnam, like snippets of an old, barely
visible movie. My memories are few and far between, but my parents recall it with
vivid accuracy. On that Thursday evening, they told their story for the first time.

My father said the trip had been planned for months. The vessel that would take us
to our freedom was a dishevelled, barely sea-worthy fishing boat about twelve
metres long and three metres wide. It could only hold about forty people, but would
be forced to hold twice its capacity. The night we left my mother recalls having never
said goodbye to my grandparents—she could not even tell them where we were
going. It was a heartbreaking deception, but much like what we experienced as
refugees, it was done out of necessity, not choice. Before we left, the boat was
loaded with cargo, in the hopes that it would hide the human cargo it was to contain.
At that time, many were still fleeing Vietnam and the authorities fiercely guarded the
coasts. Only several years earlier, if you were caught trying to escape you would
have been shot. At the time we chose to leave, if you were caught, you were
captured and imprisoned.

We left just after the last drops of light had trickled from the horizon. The final
glimpse any of us got of our homeland was of a large black mass of land and the
distinct silhouette of wind-ruffled coconut palms. I was four, my sister was eight and
my brother was ten. My parents shielded me from the pain of the experience
through deception, much in the same way they had my grandparents. Each time I
asked, ‘where are we going’, my mother would assure me we were simply ‘going to
Saigon’. Her words did not subdue my childish sense of curiosity—every few hours I
would ask ‘why is it taking so long?’ and every time she would reply ‘it only seems
long’.

The next morning we were out of Vietnamese waters and well on our way across the
South China Sea. We had overcome the first obstacle, but any security we felt was
brief because we knew the potential dangers that lay ahead. The greatest fear
confronting all Vietnamese refugee boats at that time was having to cross the waters
of Thailand and come across a Thai fishing boat. These boats were occupied by
people whose brutal acts had earned them the title of pirates. They deliberately
sought out Vietnamese fishing boats, knowing we were vulnerable. They were most
interested in our belongings, but that was not all they stole. Girls were kidnapped,
raped and eventually sold into slavery or prostitution. Approaching the waters of
Thailand, we knew many of the stories we’d heard could easily become a reality. It
was the sight of a boat in the distance that made my father choke with fear. He
147
urged the captain to connect the spare motor and make the boat go faster. Below
deck fear spread quicker than the lice that infested our bodies. The women
shrivelled up, fearing that their short, cropped hair and masculine clothes would not
be enough to pass them off as men. Eventually our boat sped away from them, but
had we been an inch too slow, many of us would probably not have been here today.

The boat, with its human cargo of eighty, was stuffy and unstable. On numerous
occasions, giant waves hurled over the sides and splashed onto the decks—we
were almost certain the boat would capsize. Three days into our voyage we came
across a large cargo ship. We screamed from below the deck, with what little energy
we had, hoping they would take us aboard. They never did.

All we had to eat were these strange cakes made of dried rice coated with sugar.
Oranges were a luxury.

The odour was unbearable—the smell of urine and vomit mingled with the smell of
fear. At times you would wake up the next morning to find someone else’s vomit in
your hair. It was hard, but we had to keep reminding ourselves that we were all in
the same boat, literally and metaphorically. Bodies were entangled, overlapping so
you no longer knew where somebody else’s arm started and yours ended. For the
brief time that some of us got to go on deck, all that met our gaze was a hollow sky
and an empty sea. We were but a tiny speck of life wedged between a sandwich of
two equally brutal and unforgiving forces. The sea that encircled is promised
everything and nothing at the same time. Our freedom was the deadly kind.

After five days and four nights we finally reached Malaysia. At that point, anything,
even a refugee camp, was better than the unstable confines of the ocean. Of the
boats that headed towards this very place, most never made it. To say that we were
lucky is an understatement. We were put onto a desert island called Bidong and
placed in an area enclosed by barbwire. The camp was a virtual prison, so for
months we were forced to serve a prison term, not knowing what offence it was we
had committed. We, like many others, found ourselves living by a tight routine—work
by day and sleep by night—not knowing that the word refugee had take on the same
meaning as the word criminal. Food and water were strictly rationed. All we were
given to eat was rice and each person was given only a gallon of water each day for
drinking and washing. There was never enough to go around, and if you missed out,
well then … you missed out.

The water flows abundantly as my mother stands there washing up the dishes. My
father sits across from me, cleaning up the last grains of rice on his bowl until there
is nothing left. As soon as he is done, he lifts up his shirt to show me the scars that
are still faintly but permanently carved into his back. ‘I got these while trying to steal
some water,’ he says, almost laughing. One time some of us missed out on water
148
rations so he and my uncle attempted to steal some from the supplies reserved for
the following day’s handout. When they were caught, they were beaten by
Malaysian guards.

During the day, my parents did farm work. They harvested crops, planted and raked
the soil. They, like so many others, struggled to grasp the irony that they had come
all that way only to relive the very lives they had been struggling to escape. There
were some who were forced to pass the time by fishing instead. Most never returned
from their week-long, sometimes month-long trips, and so were inevitably lost to the
same sea they thought they had overcome.

Six aching months passed, and still there was no word as to what would happen to
us, but uncertainty was nothing new. It could be years before we were accepted. Or
worse, we could be denied acceptance and simply shipped back to where we had
come from. Finally, our number was called. MC249. It was the number of our boat.
My parents remember that number too. Finally, we were no longer nobody, we had
become a number. The joy of finally being accepted however, was overshadowed by
the grief of those who were left behind, and even worse, of those who were forced to
go back.

The running water drowns out my mother’s tears, but I can see her wipe her eyes as
she tells me of the haunting images still vividly emblazoned in her mind. ‘Some
prayed at the feet of authorities. Some set themselves alight. Others cut their
stomachs open in protest. Thousands fainted as they were dragged back onto ships
to be transported home. There was a family who lived in the cabin next to ours—two
parents and two children. They committed suicide when they were told they could
not go forward. That was the worst.’

We arrived in Australia on 23rd October 1989. We had lived to tell a story some
never could. But the battle was not over, in fact, it was just beginning. We had fought
with the elements and the authorities, but the real battle started the day we arrived
in Australia. My parents have since learned that language barriers can be as
insurmountable as giant waves, that exclusions leave a void far greater than the size
of any ocean and that numbers last long after they have been removed. There is,
however, another face to the tribulations they have been forced to endure: there is
nothing that brings out genuine human endeavour and courage more than the
refugee experience. There’s nothing like having to cling to every bare breath, to see
life reduced to a scarce trickle, to walk the tightrope separating life and death, at
times not knowing one from the other. Very rarely do we get to see human nature
stripped of all that it depends on to learn that human nature is itself enough.

The radio blaring frantically in the background now turns its attention to the ‘refugee
crisis.’ Once again, it is the numbers we hear first, ‘fifty detainees have escaped
149
from a detention centre in…’ Fourteen years on, my parents still remember their
numbers (and I am sure they always will) but it no longer defines who they are.
Having told their story, they have embedded themselves in history, and if not official
history, then certainly personal history. They are no longer part of a statistic, but a
personal legacy that I will pass onto my children. The refugees that have recently
arrived on the shores of Australia will continue to be numbers, to be statistics, to be
overlooked. Children whose faces we see peering out from behind the wire lattice of
our detention centres are still one of ‘fifty detained children’ and their parents
continue to be one of ‘65 females’ or ‘105 males’. Perhaps, as a society, we should
focus less on numbers and more on words—words of compassion, words of
kindness and words of human value. Most importantly, we should listen to their
words, hear their voices and document their stories.

*Amongst Vietnamese people, these are the words many refugees use to describe
their experience. It means ‘Journey to Freedom’.

‘Journey to Freedom’ by Hai-Van Nguyen in Dark Dreams: Australian refugee

stories by S Dechian, H Millar and E Sallis (eds), Wakefield Press, Adelaide, 2004,
reproduced with permission of Wakefield Press.

150
2019 HSC Reading Section

Section I — Module A: Texts and Human Experiences

30 marks

Part A – 15 marks
Attempt Questions 1–4
Allow about 30 minutes for this part

Examine Texts 1, 2 and 3 carefully and then answer the questions in the Paper 1 Answer
Booklet.

Your answers will be assessed on how well you:

● demonstrate understanding of human experiences in texts
● demonstrate understanding of the ways language shapes and expresses perceptions

Text 1 — Nonfiction extract

The first time . . . I saw Africa’s tallest peak

Mount Kilimanjaro’s snow-dusted tip has pierced the clouds and is floating
on a cushion of white. The captain has alerted us to its presence – “Mount
Kili coming into view on the right, folks” – and the jumbo-load of passengers
has lurched to catch sight of the fabled landmark: the world’s tallest free-
standing mountain and Africa’s highest peak.
I snap a single photo on my fixed-lens analogue camera – this is 1992,
after all – and it manifests* later, in the dark room, as a dull speck on an
overexposed horizon. But the image burned on to my memory is altogether
more vivid. This is the geographical evidence that finally confirms for me the
existence of a world beyond the cloistered** society in which I have grown
up. It embodies everything that matters to my restless soul: boundlessness***
and curiosity, and an unlimited supply of new horizons.
Moreover, it connects my own deep longing for adventure with that of my
father, who led by great example: when he was in his early 20s, as I am in
1992, he set off by road from Johannesburg to Uganda with his best friend,
aiming, along the way, to “climb Mount Kilimanjaro in our miners’ boots”.
My father, a man of six-foot-four, drove his squat Mini Minor along dirt
roads, through wild reserves and over river crossings thick with crocodiles;
he told the story, when we were children, of how he and his friend had
startled officials at a remote border crossing which was – theoretically, at
least – navigable**** only by four-wheel drive . . .

Text 1 continues on page 3

–2–
Text 1 (continued)

The pair had reached Kilimanjaro, and had indeed reached its summit in
their miners’ boots. Now here I am, gazing out of an airplane window and
imagining my father standing triumphant on that hazy peak. It’s appropriate
that I should make my first sighting of this mountaintop now, for I’m on an
adventure of my own, one fuelled in part by all those stories I heard while
growing up.
CATHERINE MARSHALL

* manifests appears
** cloistered sheltered
*** boundlessness without limits
**** navigable able to be crossed

End of Text 1

‘The first time . . . I saw Africa’s tallest peak’ by Catherine Marshall

Reproduced with permission of Fairfax Media

Please turn over

–3–
Text 2 — Poem

Making Frittatas*
for Rebecca

Ten years is a long time

and I have missed you.
I thought of this
this morning as I commenced making
a splendid (it turned out) frittata.
You taught me how to do this. After ten years during
which I assumed you did not cook—time stops
when we are absent—
you stood in my kitchen and casually,
speaking of something trivial,
made the most mouthwatering
frittata. It did not stick, did not burn,
it was not soggy on top
it was good!
During those same ten years
I tried to make frittatas but feared they’d never cook
all the way through; all the way to the top.
But no, watching you closely, I saw
when yours threatened to remain a bit mushy
you calmly transferred it to the oven,
which I thought would surely burn it.
But—not!
Out it came the perfect consistency.
Delicious!
I was in awe.
And so, today, I think: it is all the simple
times of sharing simple things
that we have missed. The mutual teaching and learning
that is, or should be, a daughter’s and a mother’s right.

ALICE WALKER

* frittatas egg-based meals similar to omelettes

© Alice Walker. ‘Making Frittatas for Rebecca’ from Taking the Arrow Out of the Heart,
The Orion Publishing Group Ltd, 2018

Reproduced with permission from David Higham

–4–
Text 3 — Fiction extract

The polar exploration vessel, Raven, sailed south from Hobart into the Antarctic
Ocean.

Journal of Lieutenant Downes

15th April, 1922
Tom Irvine, one of the regular seamen and a crew member who has proven his
worth on several occasions throughout the course of this voyage, disappeared
last night, along with his mate Ernie Tockson. They were last seen by Danny
Carston when he woke them both for watch at 0300, and Danny said that they
seemed in comparatively good spirits, commenting that the extra stove time
which we had allowed ourselves last night had warmed the deck up considerably
and they’d both slept like babies.
They then pulled on their gear, climbed onto the deck, and neither has been seen
since. A search of the ship and surrounding ice was organised and took up most
of the day, but proved no more successful than any of our other searches.
Naturally, this has caused a good deal of consternation*, especially following on
from yesterday’s inexplicable discovery of the footprints. Throughout the ship,
men can be heard whispering to one another in urgent and often angry tones,
and many of the men are refusing to make eye contact with me, or anybody
else seen as being ‘in authority’. Dinner tonight was consumed by all aboard in
thick, sullen silence, and then the men quickly went their own ways, turning in
or disappearing out onto the ice in twos or threes for a last quick stroll around
the ship and a smoke before lights out.
Strangely, Mr Rourke seemed oblivious to this change in the mood, and when I
mentioned it, he appeared remarkably unconcerned, telling me that I shouldn’t
bother myself with ‘matters out of your responsibility’, and that I should just
‘continue to watch each man like a hawk, because one of them is most certainly
our saboteur**, and it is only a matter of time until . . . [ he] shows himself’.
Thus dismissed, I returned to my cabin and lay awake for several hours, the cold
steel head of my ice axe a reassuring presence in the bunk beside me.
ANTHONY EATON
adapted from Into White Silence

* consternation concern
** saboteur a person who deliberately destroys or damages something

© Into While Silence by Anthony Eaton

First published by Random House Children's 2011
Reprinted by permission of Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd

–5–
Section I — Module A: Texts and Human Experiences
30 marks

Part A – 15 marks
Attempt Questions 1–4
Allow about 30 minutes for this part

Read the texts on pages 2–5 of the question paper and then answer the questions in the spaces
provided. These spaces provide guidance for the expected length of response.

Your answers will be assessed on how well you:

● demonstrate understanding of human experiences in texts
● demonstrate understanding of the ways language shapes and expresses perceptions

Question 1 (3 marks)

Text 1 — Nonfiction extract

Do NOT write in this area.

Explain how the composer has conveyed her motivation for travelling.

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–2–
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0589310365
 Question 2 (3 marks)

Text 2 — Poem

How does the poet convey a sense of loss?

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Question 3 (4 marks)

Texts 1 and 2 — Nonfiction extract and Poem

Compare how the composers have explored the experiences that bring people together in
Text 1 and Text 2.
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1024310360
Question 4 (5 marks)

Text 3 — Fiction extract

Analyse how language is used in the extract to reveal human emotions.

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–4–
Office Use Only – Do NOT write anything, or make any marks below this line.
5486310366
2020 HSC Reading Section
 PAST PAPER MOD A EXAMPLE Qs

HSC 2019 HSC 2020

To what extent have the experiences represented in your prescribed ‘Above all else people desire stability’
text developed your understanding of human motivations and To what extent does this statement explore the concerns in
behaviour? In your response refer to your prescribed text. your prescribed text?
(I marked this one. I can give you statewide feedback)
ATESOL 2019
Storytellers, through a variety of forms and genres, invite us to see
the world differently by challenging our assumptions. ATESOL 2020
To what extent is this true of the portrayal of human experiences in Texts in which we read about other people’s experiences can
your prescribed text. ignite new ideas in us or encourage us to reflect on our own
lives. To what extent is this true of your experience of
CSSA 2019 studying your prescribed text?
Texts provide different perspectives on life. Evaluate how events
and situations represented in your prescribed text have given you
new insights into human experiences. CSSA 2020
Texts may ignite insights into the inconsistencies of human
TOTAL EDUCATION CENTRE 2019 behaviour. Evaluate how this idea has been represented in
One of the most interesting things about any text is how it reveals your prescribed text.
what people value most in their lives. Explain how your prescribed
text showed you what people value in their life. TOTAL EDUCATION CENTRE 2020
How has the composer of your prescribed text invited you to
KILLARA HIGH 2019 see the importance of making connections in individual’s
lives?
How does your prescribed text explore the idea of what it means to
be human?

NESA SAMPLE 2019

“Life is a balance of holding on and letting go.” RUMI
What insights into human experiences have you gained from the
study of your prescribed text? Use the quotation as a starting point
for your response.