AOS2: Creating and Presenting

Exam Revision 2011

What you need to do...

Create a piece of writing which explores ideas and arguments related to encountering conflict. This piece must:

Relate to the prompt provided in the exam Draw on ideas/ arguments dealt with in at

least one of the texts (The Rugmaker of Mazar-e-Sharif/ The Crucible)

Demonstrate your ability to construct a piece of writing in a specific form, for a particular audience and purpose

Exam criteria

1. understanding and effective exploration of the ideas, and/or arguments relevant to the prompt/stimulus material

2. effective use of detail and ideas drawn from the selected text as appropriate to the task

3. development in the writing of a coherent and effective structure in response to the task, showing an understanding of the relationship between purpose, form, language and audience

4. controlled use of language appropriate to the purpose, form and audience

Learn how to structure your sentences appropriately, and edit your work to ensure you are doing so!

Narrative texts are not about characters or events....

... they are about ideas and arguments. They use characters and events in order to explore their ideas and arguments.

Steps to successStep One(before exam)

Step Two(before exam)

Step Three(in exam)

Step Four(in exam)

Step Five(in exam)

Understanding ideas about encountering conflict

Understanding how encountering conflict is explored by one or both of the texts

Using the prompt to help determine what ideas you are going to explore

Using these ideas to develop a purpose and select an audience

Deciding what form will best achieve your purpose

Planning a piece of writing that utilises all the features of your chosen form, caters for your selected audience and achieves your purpose.

Only then are you ready to start writing!

Step One: Understanding ideas related to encountering conflict

This is about your own thinking, not simply understanding the text. You must develop your own ideas and understanding about encountering conflict.

How? Using open-ended questions to explore prompts Researching past conflicts Finding examples in media/ literature Writing, writing, writing!

Step One: Understanding ideas related to encountering conflict

What is conflict? What types of conflict are there? What are the different ways we

encounter conflict? Why does it exist? Who usually starts it? What if conflict didn’t exist? How does encountering conflict

cause change?

What is encountering conflict?Conflict is omnipresent for every individual regardless of time

and place. It is a fundamental part of human existence, leading back to the earliest forms of conflict where our human ancestors competed with other species for survival tools such as food and shelter. Nowadays, conflict has developed into infinite forms – from merely debating what to have for lunch to global issues such as climate change. Without conflict, our experiences in life would undoubtedly be less dynamic and vibrant. Conflict is an essential factor to shaping our identity. Our relationship with conflict defines who we are because we learn to formulate our own opinions and values. Conflict is a natural element in the world and although we may not notice each and every single time it presents itself, conflict is a part of our everyday lives.

Why does conflict occur?

Difference in beliefs, morals, values Difference in culture, religion Unmatched expectations Fear Exposure to the unknown/unfamiliar

Who encounters conflict? Everyone encounters a range of conflicts

during their life. However, every person’s experiences with conflict are different. Whether it’s the type of conflict, their involvement in a conflict, their response to conflict – it is unique to every individual. We are able to empathise with others when they experience conflict because we’ve been there ourselves. Think about your own experiences– have you been involved or observed a conflict within the past week?

What does it mean to ‘encounter’ conflict?

Does it merely imply when and where one is confronted with conflict?

Conflict can be encountered at any place and any time but think about the way in which people respond to conflict. Everyone’s reactions are different. While one may flee from the conflict leaving the mess behind for others, others may face up to the conflict and tackle the problem such as the ‘flight or fight’ concept.

What are some of the consequences of conflict?

Negative consequences: mass death or injury through violence/ wars loss of friendship/ relationship breakdown expose weaknesses regret and guilt

Positive consequences: can bring people together/ build stronger

relationships can learn from conflict/ prevent future mistakes draw out strengths

Step Two: Understanding how the texts explore encountering conflict

The Rugmaker of Mazar-e-Sharif Extremism Terrorism Religious conflict Political conflict Cultural conflict Family conflict How we endure conflict Living with conflict Hope Seeking asylum from conflict Understanding conflict The consequences of conflict

How do individuals engage with conflict in this text?Person/ group PerspectiveIndividuals - Najaf MazariHakimaMariaRobinThe ‘slave driver’ rug lady Groups –The HazariThe TalibanThe MujahedinThe CommunistsThe people smugglersImmigration detention officials

As a victimAs a perpetrator / instigatorAs a participantAs a witnessAs someone who seeks to stop the conflictAs someone who deals with the consequences of the conflictAs someone who seeks to exploit conflict

Conflict has far-reaching consequences The effects of armed conflict are widespread & long

lasting. Najaf loses 2 brothers, an uncle and a cousin Injured when his house is bombed Forced to flee his homeland when the Taliban threaten his

life It exposes the many ways war impacts upon

individuals and groups Emphasises conflict’s psychological & societal

repercussions Psychological consequences of conflict?

Fear, powerlessness & behavioural change How are these portrayed in the text?

Conflict is futile

Seven different wars take place in the timeframe of the text – no winners and no change, only more fighting. (p251) Illustrates the pointlessness of conflict

Encounters with conflict appear to be ineffectual (p36)

Expressed through Najaf’s direct comments throughout the text. Conflict does not offer anything constructive

and is entirely destructive p52.

Conflict opposes humanity Najaf’s world arises from his devout

faith.“Unnecessary things are the most dangerous” p27

Armed conflict by its very nature destroys things. It wounds people , scars the landscape and

cripples the community War destroys what is good and beautiful People fighting in war must blind

themselves to the beauty of ordinary things: a lack of humanity

People respond to conflict in different ways

Some people take sides and join the fighting, fuelled by anger or religious fervour

Others, like Najaf, are resilient; and deal with despair, overcome tragedies and continue peaceful, productive lives amidst the violent conflict happening around them

The text celebrates hope and resilience of the human spirit

International conflicts causing refugees Civil war between Taliban and

Government forces in Afghanistan Civil war between Government and

Tamil forces in Sri Lanka Genocide in Rwanda Genocide in Sudan Civil war in Zimbabwe

The Crucible

Arthur Miller wrote this play in the early 1950s

The action of the story was influenced by two historical events: Miller used the witch trials that occurred

in the small Massachusetts village of Salem as the setting

His play was also written in response to Senator Joseph McCarthy, who was in power in the USA in the 1950s

Two historical contexts…

Salem Witch trials

1950s

‘McCarthy era’ of American History

1690s

The witch hunts focus as an allegory for the McCarthy era in America – Miller was able to disguise his criticism by placing his play in a different historical context

Encountering conflict in The Crucible

Conflict occurs in an insular society obsessed with sin and damnation

The people of Salem have a propensity to judge others harshly and to feed off the shortcomings of their neighbours

The Massachusetts theocracy enforced its moral expectations on the populace with a heavy hand

Conflict between the individual and the state

The witch-hunts forced the citizens of Salem to make a terrible choice between compliance to an uncompromising authority and their own consciences

Individuals are forced to choose between the truth and a false confession

This choice is complicated by the fact that the truth will result in death

That witchcraft is ‘an invisible crime’ makes it virtually impossible for an individual to defend themselves

Conflict between the individual and the state This conflict in Salem parallels the conflict

that occurred in America in the 1950s McCarthy era

Important to understand the role of fear in this conflict

The public in both cases were almost as guilty as the state – they had fallen victim to propaganda related to the devil and communists, thus their fear allowed those in control to abuse their power

Conflict with the self

The Crucible shows how conflict can arise in the hearts and minds of individuals, the personal crisis of conscience which can be exacerbated by guilt or self-doubt

Proctor is an example of this – his guilt over his affair with Abigail diminishes his view of himself and continues to damage his relationship with his wife

Conflict with the self

Elizabeth also suffers from internal conflict – she is forced to choose between lying for John and telling the truth – it is her decision to lie that ultimately condemns him

Hale demonstrates the effects of internal conflict through his demise from a self-confident Reverend to a broken man who has lost faith in his religion

Other types of conflict

Conflict within the community Interpersonal conflict Religious conflict Generational conflict

What is The Crucible suggesting about conflict? That an encounter with conflict can be caused by

a lack of inner strength and inability to act with conviction (through Mary Warren)

That private guilt or personal crisis can relate to wider public conflict (John Proctor)

That personal conflicts can be more damaging than external threats (Proctor falling victim to his own doubts based on his belief that he is a sinner)

That it is possible to overcome internal conflict by following your conscience (Proctor, Elizabeth, Hale)

What is The Crucible suggesting about conflict? That guilt (particularly as a result of an

oppressive society) is corrosive and destructive of the human spirit

That oppressive and rigid religious regimes breed internal conflict

That telling the truth is the only answer to a corrupt State

That individuals have little power when a State chooses to abuse its power

That lurking under religious tolerance is often vengeance, hatred and distrust

Thinking about The Crucible Identify how elements of conflict are

encountered by both individuals and Salem as a whole: which characters seem most affected?

Which succinct quotations best reinforce and emphasise aspects of conflict?

What results from such diverse forms of conflict? Are any of these positive?

What are the larger issues Miller is wanting us to reflect on?

Step Three: Using the prompt

What do I do with a prompt? Define and find synonyms for key

terms Use open-ended questions to expand

it What/ Where/ When/ Who/ How/ Why/

Consider ideas previously explored in class/ revision, including real-world examples

Consider how it relates to the ideas about encountering conflict in one or both texts (The Rugmaker/The Crucible)

“Conflict changes the powerful and powerless.” Key terms: changes, powerful, powerless Example questions:

How does conflict change people? Who are the powerful/ powerless in conflict? Who instigates conflict- the powerful or the

powerless? Why do they instigate it? How do the powerful/ powerless deal with

conflict? What type of changes occur to the powerful/

powerless through conflict?

“Conflict changes the powerful and powerless.”

Real-world examples Recent elections overthrow ruling party in

Zambia Southwest airlines versus L-Word star/ Billie-Joe

Armstrong Text examples

The Crucible- Abigail, Mary Warren, Reverend Parris, Hale- How does the conflict affect them and their status?

The Rugmaker- rotation of leaders, refugees as powerless, effect on Australian society

Step Four:Purpose, audience and form

Purpose and audience To inform, educate, persuade, convince, explore,

encourage, promote, reveal, investigate etc Purpose and audience will affect your language

choices Level of formality Use of specific language (such as jargon/

technical terms/ persuasive language) Will the examiner be able to tell who you’re

writing for if you write for your peers? Use a heading/ provide contextual information about audience,

form and purpose

Example One

The Rugmaker of Mazar-e-Sharif explores the experience of an Afghani refugee in order to educate the Australian public and the wider global community about the challenges and trials faced by illegal immigrants. It suggests that conflict is ever-present and ongoing in society, and argues that there are no winners among those affected.

Example Two Arthur Miller uses his play, The Crucible, to

point out similarities between a historical conflict, which the American public understood to be tragic, and a more recent conflict which the American public was more divided over. Just by drawing the comparison, he suggests that the McCarthy ‘conflict’ was just as groundless and hysterical as the Salem Witch Trials, and is able to explore how people encounter conflict and its consequences through the model of what happened in Salem.

Form Must be able to use the form to

explain, explore and develop ideas about encountering conflict (from the text, the prompt and your own thinking)

Must be able to use the features, structure and conventions of the form

Must suit your purpose and audience- what are you trying to do, and for whom?

FormsExpository Persuasive Imaginative

To explain/ explore/ discuss/ share/ point out/ educate/ inform/ demonstrate

To argue/ convince/ persuade/ prove/ demonstrate

As with other styles, but you must do it through imaginary characters and events rather than directly addressing audience

Informative essayNewspaper articleBiographyReport

Persuasive essaySpeechLetter-to-the-editorOpinion articleEditorial

Narrative/ short storyLetterPerspective writingAllegory

Ways to explore the ideas of the textPoint of View (opinion piece):

How we encounter foreign conflict as Australians lends itself to persuasive writing. Students can think about:

How many refugees we let into Australia Conditions of refugees Amount of foreign aid and support we give Conditions of refugees has been very topic recently. Senator

Steve Fielding of Family First toured the Federal Government’s detention facility on Christmas Island and described it as being like a ‘motel’. See all his comments on his webpage:

http://www.stevefielding.com.au/news/details/fielding_says_things_on_christmas_island_look_pretty_good/

Ways to explore the ideas of the textInvestigate Report:

Recently Foreign Correspondent has aired two episodes that deal directly with themes from The Rugmaker of Mazar-e-Sharif.

The report ‘Hell or Highwater’ is an investigate report into the story of Tamil Refugees. The story almost directly mirrors that of Mazari.

The report ‘Afghanistan – The Golden Hour’ is an investigate report into the current conflict in Afghanistan.

All reports can be watched on the Foreign Correspondent website: www.abc.net.au/foreign/

Ways to explore the ideas of the text

Feature article:

You might associate Marie Claire with lightweight articles like: “Horoscope Special – Love and You.”

Well, you’d be right. It does also go in for serious journalism. In the same edition as the horoscope article, a feature report on asylum seekers was also published.

Ways to explore the ideas of the text Review – is the Rugmaker effective?

Many texts deal with conflict and writing a review can be an effective way of exploring conflict. An example of a review of The Rugmaker can be found on:

http://reviews.media-culture.org.au/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2608

Ways to explore the ideas of this textSpeech

This context easily lends itself to persuasive speech writing. See Justice Marcus Einfields speech about human rights. Also, Barak Obama is a great model for effective speechmaking. Youtube is filled with his speeches. The first link below is a speech he gave at Cairo University about the tension between Muslims and the West. It deals explicitly with conflict. The second speech has nothing to do with conflict but is a campaign speech which includes highly effective speech techniques.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_457yMzL60

Step Five: Planning your piece Will depend on selected form

Essay Feature article Letter-to-the-editor Speech

Plan how you will address criteria Demonstrate knowledge of features of

form Demonstrate understanding of different

ideas

Assessor’s report Overreliance on a text may undermine the

capacity to develop ideas that emerge from the prompt

Quotations should generally be used judiciously The text was often used as illustration to

support a conceptual discussion and this worked well in responses which offered excellent insights

Weaker responses relied too much on the text and responded with great slabs of plot

So...

You do not have to quote from the text If you do, should support your ideas, not

prove you know text well. You are not expected to write a text

response essay You should use the ideas from the

selected texts to inform or support your writing

Revision Use prompts to begin writing expository pieces

as basis for your understanding of ideas Review and build quotes list

Explain and explore quotes/ not just memorising Vocabulary bank Research relevant historical conflicts and

conflicts in the media Write practise pieces and have your teacher

assess them using exam criteria