Texts and Human Experiences
In what year was the film Billy Elliot released?
2000
Who is the author of the text Summer of the Seventeenth Doll.
This question is worth double if you remember who Richo always confused him with.
Ray Lawler
(Ray Bradbury)
Name the author of the novel.
Mark Haddon
Who was the author of 'Dear Mrs Dunkley?'
Helen Garner
Identify a technique used in the following quote:
"Some say the world will end in fire
Others say in ice."
Contrast, symbolism, metaphor, enjambment
Who directed the film Billy Elliot?
Stephen Daldry
In what year was the original text first performed, AND in what year was our current version published?
1955
2012
Name the following characters in the text.
1. The protagonist
2. The antagonist
3. Two supporting characters
1. Christopher Boone
2. Mr Shears / Ed Boone
3. Varied
What are the four types of creative writing that you must be familiar with?
Imaginative, Discursive, Persuasive, Reflective
Identify a technique used in the following line, and explain it's impact:
"Because I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me –"
- Emily Dickinson
Personification, death is made to seem more approachable.
Name one band which was commonly featured in the soundtrack of the film Billy Elliot.
This question is worth double points if the group can explain the significance of the music within the film.
T. Rex, or;
The Jam, or;
Eagle-Eye Cherry, or;
The Clash, or;
The Style Council
Which of the following relationships does not belong in the group below? Explain your reasoning, no guessing.
- Barney and Pearl
- Barney and Nancy
- Roo and Olive
- Olive and Bubba
- Olive and Pearl
Olive and Bubba's relationship is the only one on the list without a definitive ending. All others end as a direct result of the circumstances of the play.
Describe three features of this novel that would be considered 'distnictive.' This question is worth double points if an example is used for each.
- Narrative Perspective
- Syntax
- Page Numbers
- Genre-switching
- Faulty Narrator
- Visuals
Identify one technique commonly used by each of the following texts. You may not repeat one:
1. Home
2. May Your Pen Grace the Page
3. The Fringe Benefits of Failure...
1. Colour Imagery, sensory language, flashback etc.
2. Shortened syntax, alliteration, assonance etc.
3. Humour, anecdote, discursive structure
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
— George Orwell
What technique is used here, and what themes might it relate to?
Paradox – The contradictory phrase exposes the hypocrisy of the ruling class. The effect is to show how language can be manipulated to disguise oppression and corruption of ideals.
Describe how the motif of vertical bars or lines relates to both individual and collective experiences within the text.
Multiple examples, but usually used to indicate being trapped in some way.
Richo will decide if it's correct.
"I want to marry you Ol'"
Explain the significance of this statement.
Richo will decide if he likes the answer or not.
Explain the significance of this quote:
At 2:07 a.m. I decided that I wanted a drink of orange squash before I brushed my teeth and got into bed, so I went downstairs to the kitchen. Father was sitting on the sofa watching snooker on the television and drinking scotch. There were tears coming out of his eyes.
I asked, "Are you sad about Wellington?"
He looked at me for a long time and sucked air in through his nose. Then he said, "Yes, Christopher, you could say that. You could very well say that."
- Chrsitopher's limited understanding of emotion.
- Ed's inability to connect with his son.
- Mentions of Ed's drinking.
- Odd phrasing / syntax.
- Reference to plot events.
Create an engaging first line of a text that features imagery and symbolism. You must be able to explain both. You have 20 seconds.
Richo has to like it.
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,
it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…"
- Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
Identify the technique in this passage. How does it create meaning about the era Dickens is describing?
Antithesis – The contrasting pairs reflect the extremes of human experience in the French Revolution. The effect is to emphasise tension, uncertainty, and social contradiction within the historical moment.
Identify an example of a paradox, an anomaly, AND an inconsistency within the film. You must correctly identify all 3, or get 2/3 to stay on the same score.
Multiple examples.
Paradox: Funny because it shouldn't happen. Billy makes dancing look effortless because of how much effort he put in.
Anomaly: Something unusual, goes against the grain. Michael is an anomaly of a boy in terms of Britain.
Inconsistency: Doing something when you've done different before.Jackie going back to work for his son even though he's expressed his disdain for boxing.
1. Genre
2. Symbolism
3. Theme
Multiple answers for some:
1. Genre: Tragedy.
2. Symbolism: The Doll, the lighting, the fighting etc.
3. Nostaliga etc.
Describe the purpose or function of this novel. Why was it written in the way it was written?
Answers vary, Richo has to like it though.
Name one technical feature that would be good to use for each of the following types of writing, and explain how you might use it:
1. Imaginative
2. Persuasive
3. Discursive
1. Imaginative: Imagery - describing the features of the surroundings
2. Persuasive: Anaphora - used to emphasise an idea
3. Discursive: Anecdote - Used to start with something small and expand on later.
"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
— F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Identify the symbolism of this line, and explain how the text could have used them to explore ideas around the human condition.
symbolism – Boats represent human struggle, while the current symbolises the relentless pull of time and history. The effect is to suggest the futility of chasing the American Dream and the impossibility of escaping the past.)