12+EN+2.7+documents

On this page you will find the 2.7 Achievement Standard Task, the standard, a report-writing guide, a chart to guide you in structuring your report, and a High Merit exemplar of a finished report.

a High Merit exemplar. Here is the Achievement Standard: Report writing guide:

Planning Sheet for A.S. 2.7 devised by Ms Msopero, and very easy to follow:


 * 2013 A.S 2.7 911042**

- Texts stated - Overall connection made (theme, character, context) - Connections between texts suggested - Brief evaluation of usefulness of texts ||  || - Link to overall connection (theme, character, context) made with evidence - Link with another text suggested, explained, and evaluated - Link to what I have learnt about my theme/real world ||  || - Link to overall connection (theme, character, context) made with evidence - Link with another text suggested, explained, and evaluated - Link to what I have learnt about my theme/real world ||  || - Link to overall connection (theme, character, context) made with evidence - Link with another text suggested, explained, and evaluated - Link to what I have learnt about my theme/real world ||  || - Link to overall connection (theme, character, context) made with evidence - Link with another text suggested, explained, and evaluated Link to what I have learnt about my theme/real world ||  || - What I have learnt about my theme ||  ||
 * As you write your report, check this chart, to make sure you have met the requirements for each section:**
 * Introduction
 * Body Paragraph One
 * Body Paragraph Two
 * Body Paragraph Three
 * Body Paragraph Four
 * Conclusion
 * Bibliography ||  ||

Exemplars provide you with a model of how to write your report, showing how other students linked their four texts, and what they learned from their investigation.
(You must not, of course, plagiarise by using parts of these exemplars when you write your own report. Your ideas must be your own.)

NZQA High Merit Exemplar 2.7 Report
My connections examined the portrayal of alienation in mainstream society. I chose to use texts from a modern time period to help create more concrete conclusions about mainstream society. My texts were Education for Leisure by Carol Ann Duffy, Sad Joke on a Marae by Apirana Taylor, District 9 directed by Neill Blomkamp and Barton Fink directed by Joel Coen. I expected all of my texts to be able to reflect one another as they were all from a similar time period. In particular, I expected District 9 and Sad Joke on a Marae to draw similar points as they are both texts that illustrate alienation towards indigenous people, with Sad Joke on a Marae being about Maori, and District 9 being about the treatment of blacks in South Africa (but doing this by using a proxy, which in this film are aliens (‘Prawns’). I also  thought that Education for Leisure and Barton Fink would create similar conclusions as they  are both texts that explore alienation of a single person from mainstream society due to that  own persons delusions and thoughts.

Across all texts the reason for alienation was due to some kind of difference to the norm. In Sad Joke on a Marae, Tu has been alienated from his culture and heritage because he has stopped following his culture completely and has become different. In Tu’s case, and in the case of many other Maori, this difference was caused by European Cultural Imperialism, but it is still differences from his culture and heritage that has caused the alienation. "Above me the Tekoteko raged, he ripped his tongue from his mouth, and threw it at my feet." Through Tu’s Europeanization he cannot speak his own language and because of this he is not considered a real Maori. This is the same idea as in ‘Education for Leisure’. The speaker is different to the rest of society as he/she is slightly ignorant and deluded. The same goes in Barton Fink. Barton Fink is deluded and self- righteous, believing himself to be above society and an incredible writer, whom the world could not live without. Because of this, society sees him as different, and he then becomes alienated because of this. In the same film, Barton’s neighbor, Charlie Meadows, is alienated. He too is also seen as different in both his appearance and personality. He is always very loud and overly friendly, which mainstream society often refuses to accept on face value as genuine. Charlie is therefore alienated by society, but also is alienated by Barton Fink, because Barton sees himself as above Charlie (this is shown by Barton’s constant interruptions of Charlie and disregard for Charlie’s view and profession). This alienation from Barton is very interesting as it also increases his own alienation because Charlie obviously resents how Barton sees himself as superior. Due to these connections, I determined that alienation within mainstream society mainly is caused by difference, and is directed at those who are different. However those who have been alienated by society can also further alienate each other.

Across my texts, the one main reoccurring consequence of alienation was violence. This was in relation to both those alienating and those being alienated. In Education for Leisure the speaker kills all living things he/she can get his/her hands on. “I squash a fly against the window with my thumb”, before finally, at the end of the poem, taking a knife and going out onto the street to stab someone. The speaker was driven to violence by alienation. The speaker is alienated from society because the speaker is no longer a part of society after finishing school the speaker has no job, his/her only purpose is to “sign on” the dole and sit at home becoming bored and deluded, “I am a genius. I could be anything at all, with half the chance. But today I am going to change the world. Something's world. The cat avoids me. The cat knows I am a genius, and has hidden itself.” Society alienates the speaker and the speaker alienates him/herself through these delusions. Once the speaker “has had enough of being ignored” the speaker turns to violence for attention and warped revenge on society. This violence is caused indirectly by the alienation, as the resulting emotions and delusions cause the violent response from the speaker. In District 9, violence is caused by alienation.

This is a far more blatant example of it though, as those being alienated are literately aliens. They are shunned and discriminated against by society because they are so different in the way they look and communicate. Because they are not human they are not afforded human respect. They are alienated in a shanty town called District 9 where they must find ways to survive in abhorrent conditions. Large amounts of violence occur throughout the film where the authorities enter District 9 regularly to keep control. Aliens and their young are treated suspiciously and remorselessly shot if suspected of minor infringements. These two texts both indicate that alienation does cause violence, both for the alienators and the alienated. One final text that confirmed this was Barton Fink. Charlie becomes so fed up and angry about how is being alienated and (although he is already seen to be mentally unstable) cracks. He shoots and kills two police investigators, and it is insinuated that he has killed others also. All of these acts of violence across these texts can be easily linked together, and all linked back to alienation. This is why I determined that the main obvious consequence of alienation upon both parties (the alienated and the alienators) is violence. There are many conclusions that are revealed about mainstream society and alienation from my texts. Each text generated its own separate points and thoughts about society and alienation, and many of these crossed over and connected with other texts. In Education for Leisure, we can determine many things about society and its education system. For example, society’s educational system is alienating those who go through it and alienation can easily lead to delusions such as arrogance, self- absorption and megalomania. In this text, the speaker has become deluded in part because of the education system, and not understanding the content, but also because of the alienation being inflicted upon them. These revelations about society, although specific to Education for Leisure, can also be linked to other texts. Delusions like arrogance and self- absorption play a huge part in Barton Fink. Barton Fink has become alienated from society and becomes extremely self- absorbed and arrogant. He thinks he is a genius, and when he gets writers block, he become very agitated and self- absorbed in what he is doing. In a way he alienates himself from society, but this goes into a loop, where society begins to alienate him also//.// Society’s alienation causes and reinforces his delusions, which is similar to Education for Leisure. There are other conclusions that can be drawn from other texts also. For example, Cultural Imperialism features in both District 9 and Sad Joke on a Marae. In District 9 it can be seen as intergalactic imperialism, where humans attempt to change and control the aliens (‘Prawns’) when they arrive here. Their way of life and customs are replaced with the negative aspects of human life, and this helps to cause the alienation against them as a whole. The same is referenced in Sad Joke on a Marae. During Tu’s greeting, he speaks about negative aspects of European culture, and these have replaced his knowledge of his own culture and heritage. These two examples from these texts illustrate that cultural imperialism can lead to alienation from society. These are the two main revelations I was able to draw about society and alienation; that society can cause people to develop delusions, and that cultural imperialism created by a society leads to alienation upon others by that same society.

COMMENT To meet Excellence the student could develop insightful interpretations of the following connections: //shunned and discriminated against by society, and because of these forms of alienation, large amounts of violence occur throughout the film and many die because of them.’// The student could move beyond the text by making links between the ‘Prawns’ and the treatment of Black South Africans.
 * //‘In District 9, a lot of violence is caused by alienation. This is a far more blatant example of it though, as those being alienated are literately aliens. They are//
 * //‘In a way he alienates himself from society, but this goes into a loop, where society begins to alienate him also.’//

The student could develop insightful interpretations about how and why society begins to alienate Barton.
 * //‘Across all texts the reason for alienation was due to some kind of difference to the norm. In Sad Joke on a Marae, Tu has been alienated from his culture and heritage because he has stopped following his culture completely and has become different. In Tu’s case, and in the case of many other Maori, this difference was caused by European Cultural Imperialism, but it is still differences from his culture and heritage that has caused the alienation.’//

The student could develop insightful interpretations about how European Cultural Imperialism has alienated Tu from his culture.

Exemplars of past FHS 2.7 reports - 2 at High A, an M and an E
In the face of any tragic situation, be it bereavement, betrayal, or otherwise, it’s easy for us as humans to feel like a score must be settled. People often turn to revenge in order to feel at peace with troubles that other people caused. It’s a dangerous act to pursue, and it can consume one’s life, destroy others’, and completely change a person – and not always for the better. These ideas are shown through the similarities in James McTeigue’s //V for Vendetta,// J. K. Rowling’s //Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,// Geoff Murphy’s //Utu,// and Season Five of Marc Cherry’s //Desperate Housewives//, and using these a deeper view can be gained on the intricate workings of a man seeking revenge.
 * 1) Exemplar ONE (high Achieved)**

Any person seeking revenge can become swallowed by it until there is nothing else in their life. In //V for Vendetta,// V’s fireworks plot is not entirely to help free a country, England, from a totalitarian government. Twenty years before the present day, he is detained in the Larkhill detention center, where he’s tortured and experimented upon like an animal, until he destroys the area in an explosion, leaving him incredibly burnt and Larkhill with nothing left. From then to the end of his life, he vows to take revenge for himself, and for everyone tested upon in Larkhill, by killing each and every person from the center and blowing up the Houses of Parliament. Every day leading up to the night, everything he did until he met Evey was with his vendetta in mind. Evey helps him in his plot, and she helps, by affiliation, to reveal how he is consumed in this. On his death bed, V finally admits, “For 20 years, I sought only this day. Nothing else existed...” Similarly, in //Utu,// the protagonist Te Wheke has his uncle killed by the Europeans during Te Kooti’s war. Before, he was fighting for the British, but when he discovers his dead relative he is driven to seek “utu”, a Maori concept about balance and reciprocation. The entire movie is about his desire to kill the Europeans as an act of revenge, and in the process he knowingly puts himself into a situation where he is tried and executed. Unlike //V for Vendetta, Utu// is a quest for a spiritual balance; Te Wheke’s motives are entirely different to V’s, who is driven by his own personal experience with an oppressive government to which he was a victim, however they are both in a situation where they no longer live each day for anything other than revenge.

Following a path to vengeance can have an effect on one’s character, from a prompt to mature and take control, to a push into the depths of insanity. The protagonist in the //Harry Potter// saga, Harry Potter himself, is destined to destroy the evil wizard Lord Voldemort, who has returned to wreak havoc in the wizarding world. Before his move to this world, he was taught by his cruel aunt and uncle that his parents were killed in a car accident and it wasn’t until Harry’s eleventh birthday that he learnt they had, in fact, been killed by Voldemort. When he learnt that the dark wizard was at large once again, he resolved to destroy him properly. A lot of his time at high school revolved around this goal, but he held onto other values such as friends and school, so it did not entirely consume him. Instead, the journey that he took in vengeance was also the journey that helped him to mature, helped him to find the most important values, and helped him learn about the real world the books portrayed. Defeating Voldemort was a coming of age experience for Harry as much as it was a conquest to save the world, and a vengeful act. //Utu// is another example of this, but this time it’s in one of the antagonists, Williamson. Te Wheke visits his property to retrieve some arms from Williamson and his wife, and when he refuses they kill his wife, shoot him, and destroy his house. When he awakes from unconsciousness, he has nothing left, and turns to revenge, his own utu, against Te Wheke. Because it was the only thing he had to live for, he let it take over his life. He spent all his time creating the bullets, handcrafting a shotgun to kill him with, and following the British army in their pursuit of Te Wheke’s army. This obsession with killing him led to his eventual insanity, and this becomes apparent when one night, when the Maori attack the Europeans, he tells the soldiers and the colonel, “He’s out there […] I can smell him.” The fifth season of //Desperate Housewives// revolves around the revenge of Dave Williams, who has returned to Wisteria Lane after five years with a score to settle, after his wife and daughter were killed in a car crash involving other residents, Susan and Mike Delfino. He begins by trying to be as warm and charismatic as possible, to gain the trust of the other residents. By the tenth episode, he has already begun to progress into insanity, “seeing” his wife, Lila Dash, and his daughter Paige, and talks to them. This episode also reveals who he is seeking revenge on. From there his craziness develops with each episode, his behaviour becoming odd and his relations breaking. In later episodes he hallucinates again, this time talking to his wife, another wife that had recently passed, and his doctor. At the end of the final episode, he is seen in a mental institution, further proving that he is clinically insane. This is another example like in //Utu//, where the personality change was in the form of a mental illness, unlike //Harry Potter//’s maturing as a person. Revenge will often endanger the lives of others, even if they aren’t involved. In episode eight of //Desperate Housewives//, there is a suspicious fire started at a bar and seven people are killed. One of these people is Dr. Samuel Heller, who was Dave’s psychiatrist. In this episode, he confronts Dave and asks him why he’s back in Fairview, and Dave strangles him to death and sets the bar on fire. While Dr. Heller was indirectly involved, the other six people were entirely innocent to Dave’s plotting and had no involvement. While part of this action can be accounted to his insanity, he was conscious of the fact that there were a lot of people in the bar and that some would be hurt. In the final episodes, he takes Susan and her son, MJ Delfino, on a fishing trip in which he plans to kill them. By the end of the episode, he has bound Susan’s hands and crashed his car into Mike’s in an attempt to kill him. Because of his actions, the four of them have been put into extreme danger. Often, the one seeking revenge is aware that they are completely changing the lives of people who are otherwise uninvolved, as in //V for Vendetta//. On the night of November 4th, when V and Evey meet for the first time, he invites her to accompany him while he “gives a special performance”. V is well aware that this action will forever change her life, forcing her to become a part of his personal vengeance mission and put her into increasing amounts of danger from the government. He cares little for the people who he has put in danger, merely manipulating them to aid himself. A similar thing happened in //Utu//, as shown by the scene in which Te Wheke kills Kura, Lt. Scott’s lover, for trying to save him. He also shoots a man who is wounded in another scene, because he is holding back their retreat from the British army. This shows that he does not care for the lives of others if they are stopping him from killing the pakeha. Te Wheke and Williamson did not meet until the scene in which he asks for ammunition and ultimately destroys his house. Williamson was only involved because he moved to New Zealand, and was otherwise innocent. When Te Wheke killed him, he was knowingly killing a man who had done him no wrong.

In conclusion, these four texts have a lot to offer when exploring a theme such as revenge, including the good and bad. They show that vengeance is overpowering on the person who deals it, and it can easily become the sole purpose of one’s life. It is shown that the journey in revenge can aid in growth and development or send one into insanity. It also affects the people who have no involvement, and the texts show how bad that can become. Beyond the main aspects, these texts shed light on other important ideas – the uncommon spiritual reasons behind revenge, and the issue shown in both positive and negative light. The study into revenge can help with dealing with the real-life issues, as well as serving as a warning for those who wish to walk the path of vengeance. High A

**Loss of Innocence - loss of childhood na****ivety (theme investigation)** My report investigates the connections of loss of innocence a youth experiences during war across texts and what these connections say about society today. The texts that I have used in this investigation are ‘__The Lord of the Flies’__ by William Golding, ‘__Krystyna’s Story’__ by Halina Oganowska–Coates, ‘__All Quiet on the Western Front__’ by Erich Maria Remarque and ‘__The Book Thief__’ by Markus Zusak. I felt that all the texts had an appropriate and varied display of loss of innocence that allowed me to pass societal commentary on what this loss says about society and what we believe to be the norm. Across all texts the reason for loss of innocence was related to war. During war people are preoccupied with survival and therefore tend to look after themselves. As a result children can be forced to have more responsibility. This was because of a break down in society and a lack of resources available. In the novel, ‘__All Quiet on the Western Front’__ by Erich Maria Remarque, innocence is an enemy to the soldiers. The soldiers must get rid of it if they want to survive. The protagonist Paul a sixteen year old school boy learns to lose his innocence quickly. He does this by observing that loss in others around him. Paul is a sensitive young man who enjoys philosophy and poetry and revels in ideas of patriotism and concepts of war. All of the teachings by Kantorek (Paul’s school teacher) about patriotism and the sweetness of fighting for your fatherland are proven to be nothing but hollow ideas when Paul and his fellow classmates are faced with the horrors of war. Paul’s sense of adventure and level of excitement diminishes as he comes to terms with the hardships and difficulties of war. Paul is forced to grow up and leave his childhood behind and learn how to fight and kill in order to survive. A soldier must get rid of their innocence right away if he wants to survive. Paul and his compatriots are constantly losing a layer of innocence with each event and experience they endure over the course of the novel. An example of this loss of innocence occurs in the first battle at the front. A fellow soldier gets shrapnel in his eyes and is blinded. In crazed pain he runs out into oncoming artillery fire and is killed. The young soldiers are shocked and bewildered; one comrade even risks his life to bring his friend back to safety. However the friend is dead. The cold reality of war sets in, shocking the boys with its indiscriminate brutal finality. A main factor for the soldier’s loss of innocence is that everyone around them keeps dying. The idea of death surrounding the character in the text All Quiet on The Western Front can be compared to Krystyna’s Story. With each death of Paul’s compatriots or Krystyna’s family and surrounding poles contributed to an added layer of guilt to their conscience. This was the primary cause for loss of innocence in both texts. These deaths steal all pure emotions from their mind and force them to look at the world through the eyes of an adult. Paul consciously feels that loss of innocence as he survives in the story. Paul later reflects upon his loss of innocence “Iron Youth. Youth! We are none of us more than twenty years old. But young? Youth? That is long ago. We are old folk.” This shows how Paul has mentally aged throughout the process of the war. He feels separate from the new recruits entering the fray, recruits only a year or so younger than he is, but far more innocent. When Paul and his compatriots compare with their selves at the end of the novel, these "stone-age veterans" seem like puppies, young and sprightly. The poem ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’, by Alfred Lord Tennyson is similar yet different from __All Quiet on the Western Front__. The soldiers knew to have no innocence, so they do not flinch at the sound of bombs and artillery fire, whereas the soldiers in __All Quiet on the Western Front__ did in their first battle at the front. So the soldiers in ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ are conveyed as patriotic, brave and honourable because they did not flinch away from war upon learning of its grime realities. In a very majestic manner the poem illustrates how fighting in a war is something every soldier should be extremely proud to undertake. Sacrifices have to be made and bravery is an absolute necessity. The courage and loyalty that the soldiers have for their country is emphasised, ignoring the devastatingly unnecessary loss of lives. They do not show fear, even when they are attacked with weapons much greater and deadlier than their own. The soldiers continued to charge even when they knew that “Someone had blunder’d” and that they were heading towards an almost certain death. Whereas the soldiers in __All Quiet on the Western Front__ thought the wars was meaningless and were greatly affected by the defeat of their fellow militias. ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ emphasized ideas such as bravery, honour, patriotic duty, and adventure. Remarque set out to portray war as it was actually experienced, replacing the glorified picture of honour and heroism with a decidedly realistic vision of fear, meaninglessness, and butchery. I believe that war should never be portrayed for propaganda reasons as being more honourable than it actually is as it was in __All Quiet on the Western Front__ by the boys’ teacher Mr Kantorek. This especially corrupts the minds of the young people who should be learning values and morals which are worth fighting for. In the novel __Krystyna’s Story__ by Halina Ogonowska-Coates, Krystyna suffered a dramatic adjustment from her beautiful loving home in Poland to the severe and inhumane conditions of the Siberian Labour camp during WWII. This modification is significant as it changes Krystyna and aids others realise the cruelty of war. Before the Russians invaded Krystyna’s home, she had a happy and loving family that loved and cared for her, ‘I remember learning to walk in the warmth of the kitchen with mama leading my footsteps’ Krystyna had an innocent and naïve childhood, she lived in the moment with no worries crowding her thoughts ‘I loved to play in the orchard, climbing the apple trees or just lying in the shade listening to the birds’. Krystyna’s life had a simple regularity. ‘Then suddenly everything changed. It happened without warning and dragged us along with it’ The Russians stripped Krystyna’s family and home apart, transporting them to a Siberian labour camp. Krystyna suffers her loss of innocence during the deaths of her family. Krystyna’s sister Maryisia (who was raped by a soviet soldier) gave birth to a baby boy. Both died in a matter of days. Krystyna’s brother, who was working as a forester, severely broke his leg and died after his leg became infected. On a train on the way out of Russia after her release from the labour camp Krystyna’s mother died due to starvation. The main incident which shows Krystyna’s loss of innocence is when she had to care for her brother when no one else would, not even his mother. Krystyna’s mother’s death of emotion after the demise of her daughter and grandson left her unable to process properly. She’d experience too much mental trauma her brain was unable to cope. As her brother had no one else to help him he relied on Krystyna to nurse him better. Krystyna even change her job to the more unpleasant job of transferring the buckets of fesses from the long drop just to be closer to her brother in case he needed her. This change demonstrations Krystyna stepping up into the role of an adult and taking responsibility for the health and welfare of her brother.These experiences altered Krystyna. This transformation was important as it made Krystyna grow as an individual; she gained maturity, courage and determination ‘now I needed to be an adult too’. In __The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas__, by John Boyne, shows the naïve perspective of Bruno, a nine year old boy living in Nazi Germany. Bruno’s parents had ensured he had a very sheltered life. This contradicts __Krystyna’s Story,__ by Halina Ogonowska-Coates, as Krystyna’s innocence was no spared as Bruno was. So when Bruno did not realise the horror of the war at the time and how the people in “striped pyjamas” were actually prisoners at the Auchwitz concentration camp Krystyna having experienced what she had in the Siberian Labour camp would have never sneaked into the concentration camp in the first place as Bruno did. Consequently Bruno’s naivety ultimately led to his death. This clearly shows how the background of the character and the effect that war has had on their life contribute greatly to the character’s fate. The difference in the effect of war in the lives of Krystyna and Bruno vary greatly. Krystyna loathes the war even though she is around about the same age as Bruno. The innocence of the children also adds to the horror of the novels’ events. __ The Book Thief __, by Markus Zuzak, is narrated by Death, who tells the reader the story of Liesel Meminger. Liesel is a nine year old girl living with her foster parents Hans and Rosa Hubermann in Germany in the time of Hitler’s regime. Liesel is an innocent young child who has not lived long enough to know all the evil of the world. Liesel’s first encounter of loss of innocence occurs on the train trip to meet her foster family in Molching. Werner her little brother dies due to poverty and lack of medical treatment. Before Liesel meets her foster family she attends her brother's burial in a snowy graveyard. Liesel refused to believe her brother is dead “Still in disbelief, she started to dig. He couldn’t be dead. He couldn’t be dead. He couldn’t –“. Liesel’s major experience of loss of innocence after finishing her daily chorus for Rosa Liesel decided to spend some of Rosa’s money to send some of the letters she’s written to her mother. When Rosa discovers that Liesel has pinched some of her money she’s furious and beats Liesel. But afterwards when Liesel’s on the ground she explains why she used Rosa’s money. At that moment, Liesel realizes she'll never see her mother again. Rosa apologizes, but not for hitting her, Liesel realizes. Liesel lies on the dark floor and cries a yellow tear. Later, when she writes about this night, she recalls all the darkness, how even Hans's accordion music had sounded dark that night, and she thinks that if it had, in fact, been so dark in the kitchen, then she would not have been able to see a yellow tear. She remains sure, however, that her tear was yellow, that a bit of lightness was present during such a dark time in her life. Liesel recognizes many of the elements that Death discusses, this idea of the murkiness of humans and the lives they live. “There is a blend of lightness and darkness in the world and within people”. This refers to the belief that there is a certain degree of naivety and innocence in a person which is shown as lightness and the sins and wrong doings shown through darkness. This concept articulates that with light darkness is always present. As Liesel sits in the dark kitchen, during a moment in her life when everything feels dark, she is still able to find lightness, a yellow tear. It’s the only bright object in this scene and comes from Liesel herself; she serves as the source of this lightness and struggles to understand what it means. Not realizing that she is the only innocence, pure being in this world at a time surrounded by dark evils. Afterwards she realizes what it really means to be living in Nazi Germany when a book burning is organized to celebrate Adolph Hitler's birthday. Liesel hears a Nazi spokesman calling for death to communists as well as Jews. The only thing Liesel knows about her father is that he was accused of being a communist. This connection extinguishes Liesel’s innocence as she realizes that Hitler is the reason why her father was taken and killed by the Nazis and why her mother has disappeared. The war also caused the poverty which led to the death of her brother. War has caused a lot of devastation and loss of innocence in Liesel’s life and made living extremely tough. Exemplar two (high Achieved) page 2 __ The Book Thief __ by Markus Zusak is a complementary, text to __The Diary of Anne Frank__ by Anne Frank. Both texts are centred around the same historical time period, yet the differences in perspective and context for each text invoke two completely separate ideas. __The Book Thief__ is from the perspective of the Germans whereas __The Diary of Anne Frank__ is the diary of a Jewish girl. These opposite sides create a difference in perspective; however, both have relatable experiences because the main characters are both young girls going through various stresses surrounding their traumatic experiences. In the text __Lord of the Flies__ by William Golding there is a consistent theme of loss of innocence. The loss of innocence is created by the absence of authority figure, disorganized community, and the survival of the human needs on a deserted island. This left the boys’ of the plane crash open to the ability of becoming savage and creates chaos on the island. As the boys on the island progress from well-behaved, orderly children longing for rescue to cruel to bloodthirsty hunters who have no desire to return to civilization, they naturally lose the sense of innocence that they possessed at the beginning of the novel. The painted savages, who have hunted, tortured, and killed animals and human beings are a far cry from the guileless children swimming in the lagoon at the beginning of the novel. But Golding does not portray this loss of innocence as something that is done to the children; rather, it results naturally from their increasing openness to the innate evil and savagery that has always existed within them. Golding implies that civilization can mitigate but never wipe out the innate evil that exists within all human beings. The forest glade in which Simon sits symbolizes this loss of innocence. At first, it is a place of natural beauty and peace, but when Simon returns later in the novel to tell the boys of the "real" beast while the boys are in a chant screaming, "Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill His Blood!.". Simon discovered the bloody sow’s head impaled upon a stake in the middle of the clearing. Simon is then stabbed with a spear and dies. The bloody offering to ‘the beast’ has disrupted the paradise that had existed before—a powerful symbol of innate human evil disrupting childhood innocence. Society is a key element lacking, causing the new erratic behaviour among the boys.
 * 2) Exemplar TWO (High Achieved)**

A dystopian view of the world and/or of society is a common theme in all of the following texts, ‘August 2026’ by Ray Bradbury, __Forbidden__ by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee, __1984__ by George Orwell and __V for Vendetta__ directed by James McTeigue. As well as the negative view of our future, these texts also share other themes such as the negative view of technology, the power of the media, the eradication or killing off of people who are different and the use of hope to contrast with the dystopian views portrayed. All of these are used by the writers/creators to further the audiences understanding of the dystopian futures that are portrayed in the texts.
 * 3) Exemplar THREE (Merit)**

Humanity being destroyed via technology and the role of technology are evident in the texts ‘August 2026’, __1984__, __V For Vendetta__ and __Forbidden__. This sub-theme is one way that the authors have used to convey the overall theme, a dystopian view of the future. ‘August 2026’ centres on an automated house that is a symbol of humanity-when it’s completely destroyed by fire it stresses how utterly humanity has been eradicated. Along with the house, all humanities achievements, culture, history and arts are gone too. This is represented in the end of the text “The fire crackled up the stairs. It fed upon Picassos and Matisses in the upper halls like delicacies, baking off the oily flesh, tenderly crisping the canvases into black shavings.” which shows how in the end, all of humanities achievements count for naught. The fire is destroying literally and symbolically the last trace of humans. Humanity was destroyed in this text, via our own technology as “At night the ruined city gave off a radioactive glow which could be seen for miles.” and conveys the authors view on technology being the source of our destruction and the dystopian future that could happen. A negative view of technology is also shown in __Forbidden__ along with the theme of humanity being destroyed via technology. Humans created a virus that killed their emotions except for fear, making them ‘dead’. Although they did it with good intentions, the story is set 500 years later, in a society that only feels fear and does not live. Technology forced them to this choice, as they were close to destroying themselves through war over religion, land and anything else that dealt with emotions. So, to circumvent this they utilised technology to kill themselves, leaving only fear so they could be controlled by the ruling. Technology and human nature are shown to be destructive and the cause of the problem and the negative view of the technology-how it can easily be used to cause more damage than good-are important in conveying the dystopian view of the future. The novel __1984__ also paints a negative picture of technology as it is used to keep the general populace (except for the poles) under surveillance via ‘telescreens’ and it’s also used to constantly rewrite history so that the Party is always in the right. History is important because we learn by our history and by understanding our history; we can also understand our present better. In __1984__ the people have a false history, where everything they’re told is designed to keep them complacent and controllable. The technology used is similar to __V For Vendetta__’s as the media technology is used by the government as a way of control, and a virus was engineered that killed thousands of people. The engineering of a virus has direct similarities to __Forbidden__ and the way technology is used in both texts in combination with humanity shows the large role technology plays in our lives today, as well as in the future. Across all the texts technology is portrayed as bad, rather than advancement. The technologies in all the texts are different, which is a reflection of the time they were created and the authors/creators intentions. ‘August2026’ was written in 1950 shortly after the Second World War where technology was significant and caused a lot of damage, like the bombings at Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The role of technology in Bradbury’s text conveys his ideas and opinions around deadly technology, which destroyed the characters in his text. It is also a reflection of his experiences and knowledge of the times he lived through, mainly World War 2 and the advancements in technology that were apparent even in those days. Whereas __Forbidden__, published just last year portrays technology in a different way, as since technology is constantly being updated and improved the authors have a different perception of it than Bradbury would have had 62 years ago. Rather than large destructive weapons, biological warfare is portrayed as something to fear, and one that can cause as much damage as a bomb. This is also apparent in __V For Vendetta__, also a recent text from 2005. Across all the texts a negative view of technology is shown, and sometimes being the destruction of humanity and this is so evident because of the integral part technology plays in our lives today, and even in the last 60-70 years. This makes it easy for writers and directors to use technology in their texts to develop a dystopian view of the future. As it’s a part of our past, it will be a part of our future.

Media power is a prevalent theme throughout the texts __1984__ and __V For Vendetta__ and is important to the texts’ negative view of the future. The media in __V For Vendetta__ is used as a tool by the government, run by Chancellor Sutler who used the media as a way of gaining and maintaining control over society. The news that is reported to the public is either falsified or invented, as when they believe what they are being told they will behave and act according to that, and so they can be ‘steered’ in one direction or another. For example, with the montage where the media are reporting a whole mass of stories about the war, the virus and V’s involvement the intention is to scare the public into doing anything and to make them think they need the government. But the people have become aware of this, as V’s speech to them acted as a catalyst, making them question the government and how they’re living under a controlling Chancellor Sutler who has similarities to Hitler. One man says “Can you believe this shit? It’s been going on all summer” as he’s watching the news, which shows the awareness the public now has as to how they’re being manipulated and lied to by the media. In __1984__ the media has even more power, as the people accept any information blindly, without any questioning. Even when this information contradicts previous information they’ve been told, they utilise “doublethink” so as not to commit “thoughtcrime”-in this case, doubting the Party. And all information is constantly being altered so the Party is always right, and no proof exists that they were ever wrong or gave different information. The media has enormous power in __1984__ and their power is only enhanced by the fact that the people are never taught how to tell a truth from a lie, to accept the Party’s lies as truth and there is only one source of information. The Party. That means that there is no variety and competition between news stations, and so no obligation to tell the truth, like in our world. Because of all the different news stations, we hear the same stories, but all slightly different and from a different perspective and this means there is no opportunity for falsifying the data or inventing news, as the truth can be found out. Not like in __1984__ where ALL information is altered so there is no proof. Even in __V For Vendetta__ there is only one news station, which is strictly controlled by the government. These futures, where society is controlled through the power of the media is just one aspect of the overall theme, a negative view of the future and of society as a society that can be controlled through manipulation and lies is one that no one except the power-hungry would find appealing. Even today, our own society is heading in the direction of where we cannot distinguish between a truth and a lie and where we need to verify information we are given, before accepting it as truth. Others, we are left to form our own opinion on. In order to navigate our way through the media we are educated on how to tell if information is biased or false, we’re taught to question anything and to do our own research and we’re taught to analyse texts for messages that are significant to us and the times we live in.

The eradication of people who are different or who do not fit in is conveyed through the texts __V For Vendetta__, __1984__ and __Forbidden__. People in these texts are killed or removed from the rest of society because of their ideas, appearances, age, ethnicity, religion or anything else that could set them apart from the rest of society. Prothero in __V For Vendetta__ said “Immigrants, Muslims, homosexuals, terrorists. Disease-ridden degenerates. They had to go.” and this sums up what type of people are unacceptable in their world. Getting rid of people who are ‘different’ is important for the government maintaining control over the people, as when there is no variety in thoughts, ideas or appearance there will be less of a chance of the people rebelling against the government. When they get rid of the extremists and minority groups, the most vocal, they will be left with people who will be content to follow the majority, all of whom are now governed by Chancellor Sutler. These unwanted people were then black-bagged and used as lab rats until they died which underlines that society’s opinion of them. In __Forbidden__ it is people who are physically scarred, deformed, sick or old who are taken to a ‘wellness centre’ where they supposedly live out the rest of their lives, away from the rest of society. While they may not be dead yet, they are thought of as dead by their friends and family who have a funeral without the body. The quote “The Order did not tolerate physical defects” conveys their narrow view of how humanity should look, which in __V For Vendetta__ it is people of a different ethnicity, religion etc. who are removed. Throughout the film the only time people of a different skin colour are shown is in the Larkhill Detention facility and at the conclusion where everyone takes off their masks. The removal of people who are different is significant because it is something that has occurred throughout history, an even in the world today racial discrimination is common. This theme is also evident in the text __1984__, where rather than a person’s appearance; it is their thoughts and ideas that will get them killed. When a person is guilty of ‘thoughtcrime’ they are ‘cured’ via torture so that they no longer have those ideas and opinions that set them apart, they are then totally accepting of all the Party’s ideals and are a part of the society fully. After this they are then killed at some later date as “even in the instant of death we cannot permit any deviation.” which shows how completely the Party controls its people and that even after converting them, they will still be killed for their crimes. The eradication of people who are different, or who pose a threat to the ruling occurs throughout history, notably with Hitler and his persecution of the Jews, and throughout texts. As a result it is used to give emphasis to the dystopian view of the future since it is so clear in our past and even in our present that people are still killed because of their religion and opinions.

The theme of hope in all the texts differs, as each creator has their own opinions about society and the future. ‘August 2026’ has no hope for humanity, as we have been killed, but it does show a hope for a better world where nature rules and humanity is not there to interfere. The ending of __V For Vendetta__ gives hope that society will improve itself and begin anew with the destruction of the controlling influence of Chancellor Sutler and the government. Throughout __1984__ hope is kept alive for the eradication of the flawed ideals and the Inner Party, until the very end where Wilson gives himself over and surrenders completely to their ideals. The text ends with “But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.” and conveys clearly how the Party has won and all Wilson’s ideas and opinions that were his own are now gone and that now he is just one more cog in the wheel of the Party. George Orwell conveyed that in the end, there was no hope in the foreseeable future from the society that was controlled by the Party. Only in the poles, who lived independently of them, in their own societies but who did not show any sign of rebellion had any hope of changing things. __Forbidden__ centres around Rom who is one of only a few who become truly alive and who are trying to restore emotions to everybody. At times all hope seems lost but at the end of the text they have made great strides in achieving their goal. Hope is alive throughout the text, and it ends on a positive note. __V For Vendetta__ and ‘August 2026’ both use symbols to convey the theme of hope, as when the house that represents humanity is destroyed, it leaves hope for a future where humanity is not in the way of nature. A future where nature takes back what has been destroyed by humans. Ray Bradbury shows his opinion that our world would be better off without us, as we cause so much harm with our pollution, wars and technology. The Houses of Parliament in __V For Vendetta__ stand as a symbol for Chancellor Sutler and his government, so when they are destroyed they represent that now the people are freed and can make their own way. Evey says “These people need more than just a building right now, they need hope.” showing how the act of destroying the building gives the people hope for a better future as well. Furthermore, these texts convey a sense of achievement that in the end a better future will emerge than the dystopian view originally portrayed in the texts. The hope in all the texts is significant as it accentuates the dystopian views, as without hope the stories would have no despair which plays an important part in getting the readers and viewers to recognise the dystopian view. Hope provides something for readers and viewers to compare the negative views depicted in the text. There’s negativity in all the texts, as humanity is destroyed, killed, technology destroys us, and controlling rulers govern. Furthermore, societies are controlled by the power of the media, a corrupt government and technology spies on them constantly. Throughout all the texts ‘August 2026’, __Forbidden__, __V For Vendetta__ and __1984__ a dystopian view of the world and of society is shown by the authors and creators. They have all used the technology that is so much a part of our lives, how it can be used for harm, and the damage it can achieve to emphasise the dystopian view of the future that connects all of them. Additionally, media power, the killing of people who are different and the presence of hope are also common aspects that relate all the texts and help to express the overall theme of a dystopian view of the future.

Exemplar 4 (excellence) 2.7 Report Page 1 From war springs invention and helps humanity evolve, or so they say, but my report looks into the consequences of war.This being ultimately the death of humanity, which involves all of the people dying, but it also shows how people’s humanity is destroyed by war, that the war is destroying the aspects that are making us human. Italso shows that wars make people change what they believe, and how wars are influenced by the gods. These aspects are shown through Sarah Teasdale’s ‘There Will Come Soft Rains’, Ray Bradbury’s ‘August 2026’, James McTe__i__gue’s __V for Vendetta__ and Kim Stanley Robinson’s __The years of Rice and salt__. Ultimately the consequences of war are the death of humanity, as in the texts aspects of humanity are put to death, or the whole of humanity dies. Generally the lead-up to war is based in religion, or the gods, though that tends to be through disfavour, not devotion. Likewise the other lead-up to war is lust for power.
 * 4) Exemplar FOUR (Excellence)**

An ultimate consequence of war is the death of all humanity, which is something that is shown clearly in ‘August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains’, and also the poem ‘There will come soft rains’. Bradbury shows the picture of a house with its occupants being dead, and hints that that is because of a nuclear bomb of some sort, “The radioactive glow.” But never states why the bomb was fired, or why it is even there. Likewise Teasdale’s poem never mentions why there is a war, only how bad it is. Both of these texts adds emphasis to the fact that specific wars isn’t what is killing us, but that we are dying because of wars as a whole, and this is done through how the writers aren’t mentioning what specific war they are talking about, but only mentioning that there is a war.

Bradbury shows figurativelythat war would ultimately kill us. He does this through portraying the ideal house, what would be the epitome of man’s technological advances, and a symbol of man’s struggle for survival. He then shows how the house is dying, with its occupants already being dead. The house’s inability to save itself while being burned away, even while being so technologically advanced, shows symbolically how our struggle for survival won’t be achieved, even with all of the tools at our disposal, if we are waging the wars we do. That we cannot save humanity from dying if we keep destroying parts of it, like the house can’t save itself with the fire killing parts of it. Then it shows how because of this not only will our people die, but our culture and what we stand for will also burn away, like the Picassos and Matisses, which are symbolic for our culture, are being burned away. Teasdale shows in a similar way how humanity will die, though she does it in a more direct way. She states “No one would mind…if mankind perished utterly.” This shows that if we continued with war then all of us would die, would perish utterly. But she also says that if we die because of this then it would be our fault, saying that no-one would mind if we killed ourselves that we brought this on ourselves.Both of these writers lived through at least one World War, and this is colouring their opinion of what would happen if we have other war, especially ones as large as the World Wars. The writers having been so close to the grim realities of what goes on when all of the nations are at war have their opinions on war darkened, but the experience that they draw on shows war without all of the glamour that you have in the movies, and makes the message that they are trying to get across more effictive because of this. You can’t say this person is a champion for starting a war, and now live a life of luxury, and then convincingly say we have to stop all wars. Through this they authors show what would happen if we were to have wars like that again.

The consequence of war is portrayed in a different way by McTeigue’s __V for Vendetta__ and Robinson’s __The Years of Rice and Salt__. It shows the death of the people’s leader’s humanity, the aspects that makes them human, as opposed to the death of humanity as a whole. And also shows how corruption spreads as a symptom of war, and remains there afterwards, as war’s consequence. This is best portrayed through Norsefire (the party in control) having no objecting to, and killing 80000 people to get into political power. This can be somewhat similar to the death of humanity, as a great portion of the civilians which Norsefire would govern is being killed. But this shows more strongly how the party is losing their humanity, as they are harming a lot of innocents for no reason other than personal power. Sutler’s (the party leader’s) willingness to do this is shown vividly through Valery, as the film portrayed her happy life before the influence of Norsefire, with her life being full of colours and love. But after the influence of Norsefire starts to spread her live is suddenly empty of colours, showing how fearful she became and how her li__v__e is now empty of love, as her partner is taken away. And the scenes of her being tortured, and the people being experimented on furthers this point. Evey’s story also showed how Norsefire didn’t momentarily act inhumanly, as he is still inhumane after he got into power. This is shown through Sutler’s fingermen patrolling the streets that are causing the people to fear the government and the other authorities, shown through Evey’s fear increasing as she realised that the people who trapped her in the alley weren’t thugs, but fingermen. If Sutler still had his humanity he would at least not have all of the people fear him while they are in their homes. This shows how Sutler’s war for political power ended with the death of humanity, which is the death of his humanity and those of all the people who follow him. Robinson also shows how a civilisation’s leader’s lack of humanity can cause its people to lose their humanity as well. This is best shown by the Chinese leader when Bold and Kyu were captured. The Chinese leader was waging a war to get more land for the Chinese, and he believed them to be superior to everyone else. Because of what he believed there was a lack of humanity in the Chinese people, as they were treating Kyu like he could only be a slave, due to him being black. This racism also affected his life throughout China, as even after escaping from slavery to another part of China he was still only able to make a life for himself while being in the service of others, instead of being able to do what he chooses. This shows, in a way similar to that shown by McTeigue, that if a leader was to be corrupted then his followers would also be corrupted, and it also shows how, even though a war can be started because the leader is corrupt, it still has the consequence of the leader’s inhumanity, his lack of the aspects that we consider humane, spreads to his people. That in __The Years of Rice and Salt__ the Chinese leader’s racism and believe that everyone else is inferior to his race, spread through the war this to his people, until ultimately after the war was finished the city tore itself apart from the believe that they were better than the other people in the city shows how this is true. In a similar way in __V for Vendetta__ the corruption of Norsefire, them intimidating other people into following them, spread to the ranks of what was once police, and is now fingermen, further demonstrates how even during a war for power the inhumanities committed by the leaders spread to the followers, and is still there when the war is over.

The texts also show that the gods will abandon us during wars, or curse us because of them. This is something that is shown through ‘August 2026’, and __The Years of Rice and Salt__. The texts also show how wars can change people’s ideas about faith, and how the gods can influence wars. Bradbury portrays this through the house’s war for survival, which is different from the war that killed its people. Even after the people were killed the house still goes through its tasks in a ritualistic way. The text states rather bluntly that “But the gods have gone away, and the ritual of the religion continued senselessly, uselessly.” This shows how we are the house’s gods, and how without us it is useless, as it doesn’t know what to do, apart from what we tell it to. This quote also shows how the house was abandoned by its gods because of war, as we left it as we died in our own wars (which is what is implied in this text. That the war that we fought didn’t include the house, also shows how innocents are also harmed by the effects of war. Later in the text it says ‘the incinerator sits in the corner like an evil Baal.’ That, being said in the very next paragraph after stating that the humans left, shows how the house has replaced us with the Baal. That also shows a certain irony, as the house throws anything that it finds “offending” to be in the house into the incinerator, giving it to Baal. Then at the end of the text the house is burned down, showing how humanity’s input is offending. But this also shows how the gods has left the house, and then the house chose the wrong gods to side with, and so it lost its war for survival. Robinson shows this idea when the characters are talking about the wars of the Chinese. The people would be zealous in their faith, and their god would bless them with prosperity, then after living well for a while the people would turn away from their god to another, during that the people got cursed (the house being burned while viewing the incinerator, representing fire, as a god, and Temur being cursed by the god he left, as said by the historians in his text), and after toil and hardship they would return to being faithful. And so the cycle would repeat itself. This is similar to what happened in ‘August 2026’ as the house had its gods (the humans), then it chose another god (the “evil Baal”) and so it went through suffering, which ultimately destroyed it. This can also be considered a religious struggle, for which the consequence was death. The theme is also showed in __The Years of Rice and Salt__with Bastmi and Ibn Ezra’s argument about what started the plague of Temur, and their discussion revealed that Temur was considered a bad man, as the gods abandoned him because of the war, but through his struggles he turned to the true god. This further proves the cycle, of how the person (Temur) has abandoned the true god, and was cursed and struggled, and ultimately went to the right god. The struggle that they talk about however was a plague that killed offthousands of people, being cursed by his god and that caused Temur to lose the war that he was fighting, by both demoralising his troops and killing a lot of them.Showing how a consequence of war, was the true god leaving Temur and so abandoning his people as well, and then causing innocents to die because of it (through the plague).

All of these texts show how wars have terrible consequences. As shown through Bradbury and Teasdale if we don’t stop waging pointless wars humanity will die as a whole and no amount of technological might can save us. McTeigue and Robinson also show how even if the wars that we are waging isn’t physical wars they can still affect us, and they can still cause humanity to die, even if it does not outright kill someone, and that wars do this by forcing the people to take and share the inhumanities of their leaders. Bradbury and Robinson also show us that a consequence of war doesn’t have to physically change the people, or their outlook, but that it can affect them spirituallyas well, through their gods leaving them, like in Robinson’s novel, or by their purpose vanishing, like the house’s purpose disappeared when the people got killed because of the war. It also shows how people’s opinions of war changes with the time, as the two texts written during the world wars all show how humanity will die outright, but the texts that were written later view the consequences of war as more psychological, being published in a time where brains are more powerful than brawn. These all go to show that through humanity’s constant involvement in war humanity will be worse of at the end, whether it is because we are plagued by our gods for our misdeeds, or if we have lost the humanity that we had before starting the war. But this is if humanity is even left after it. All of these texts demonstrates to me the futility of war, and how no matter how it turns out humanity as a whole will always be worse off.