Synopsis:
Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream…’ speech was presented on the 28th of August 1963 at the march of Washington. It became one of the world’s most famous speeches due to the fact that it spoke out about issues that people feared to mention at the time. The speech promoted equality between all races and brought many every day social issues to the surface. The speech spoke about a future without a distinction between races. The speech is one of the most powerful and inspirational speeches given to date and therefore continuously, relevant and inspirational. Reflection: This related text will definitely enrich the exploration of the prescribed text in the context of the module/elective because in this text the students are given the opportunity to listen to and gain a more solid understanding and connection with what Martin Luther King Jr. was aiming to enforce. It relates to ‘The story of Tom Brennan’ from a societal and personal aspect. There is no doubt that the ‘I have a Dream’ speech is exploring transitions. The entire notion of the speech is to inflict and encourage change. This text enriches the elective as it specifically relates to how transitions can be “challenging, confronting, exciting or transformative and may result in growth, change…” (Board of Studies English Stage 6 Prescriptions, 2014). Not only does it enrich this elective but it also enriches the module as a whole by exploring specific social contexts (Board of Studies English Stage 6 Syllabus 2009). This text can be used well in conjunction with the prescribed text as both texts involve societal and environmental issues. Although this text does not have many similarities with the prescribed text, it can compliment it as it discusses areas of transition that are not seen in the prescribed text. Therefore, it enriches the students understanding and exploration in the area of transitions allowing students to gain deeper and differing perspectives in this module and elective. |
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"Chinese Cinderella", Adeline Yen Mah 1999
Synopsis:
‘Chinese Cinderella’ written by Adeline Yen Mah, is an autobiographical account on the life of an unwanted daughter. Adeline was the youngest daughter and from her birth was blamed for her mother’s death. She was considered bad luck in her family and her situation took a dive for the worse when her father remarried. She was treated like a slave in her own home and was despised by her stepmother because she was smart, this eventuated in Adeline being sent off to boarding school and away from her family and anything else she had ever known. This is a story about Adeline discovering her worth and place in the world.
Reflection:
Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah is a great accompaniment to the prescribed text because through this text we can see similarities between Adeline and Tom when portraying the idea of personal growth and finding a place in society. It enriches the students understanding of the prescribed text and of the module itself because it allows students to discover that even through these two characters come from completely different worlds and situations, they experience similar emotions and struggles as both text speak in past tense. The idea that would enrich the prescribed text the more prominently is this idea of personal growth and change in perspective for life. Both Adeline and Tom are lost, but for two different reasons. Through this related text students are able to acknowledge the power of resilience and succeeding even though all the odds were against you. Both Adeline and Tom are both forced to move to new. Adeline is able to fight her way through the struggle and become a writer. This transition is mirrored by when Tom is forced to leave his home and move in with his grandmother. This text enriches the exploration of the prescribed text because it gives the students the opportunity to recognize that although people come from different situations and contexts, we all go through similar transitions throughout life. This text also allows students to consider the shifts in attitudes and beliefs resulting in a better understanding and respect of self (Board of Studies English Stage 6 Prescriptions, 2014). This value of determination and self worth also relates to students understanding how the text has communicated ideas about attitudes and ideas in ways that are particular to different areas in society (Board of Studies English Stage 6 Syllabus 2009). The fact that this text is non-fiction and the story is written by the very person who went through this experience, also allows students to begin to achieve outcome 1: A student demonstrates understanding of how relationships between composer, responder, text and context shape meaning (Board of Studies English Stage 6 Syllabus 2009), for example the text may have had less depth and emotion if it were written by someone else.
Synopsis:
‘Chinese Cinderella’ written by Adeline Yen Mah, is an autobiographical account on the life of an unwanted daughter. Adeline was the youngest daughter and from her birth was blamed for her mother’s death. She was considered bad luck in her family and her situation took a dive for the worse when her father remarried. She was treated like a slave in her own home and was despised by her stepmother because she was smart, this eventuated in Adeline being sent off to boarding school and away from her family and anything else she had ever known. This is a story about Adeline discovering her worth and place in the world.
Reflection:
Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah is a great accompaniment to the prescribed text because through this text we can see similarities between Adeline and Tom when portraying the idea of personal growth and finding a place in society. It enriches the students understanding of the prescribed text and of the module itself because it allows students to discover that even through these two characters come from completely different worlds and situations, they experience similar emotions and struggles as both text speak in past tense. The idea that would enrich the prescribed text the more prominently is this idea of personal growth and change in perspective for life. Both Adeline and Tom are lost, but for two different reasons. Through this related text students are able to acknowledge the power of resilience and succeeding even though all the odds were against you. Both Adeline and Tom are both forced to move to new. Adeline is able to fight her way through the struggle and become a writer. This transition is mirrored by when Tom is forced to leave his home and move in with his grandmother. This text enriches the exploration of the prescribed text because it gives the students the opportunity to recognize that although people come from different situations and contexts, we all go through similar transitions throughout life. This text also allows students to consider the shifts in attitudes and beliefs resulting in a better understanding and respect of self (Board of Studies English Stage 6 Prescriptions, 2014). This value of determination and self worth also relates to students understanding how the text has communicated ideas about attitudes and ideas in ways that are particular to different areas in society (Board of Studies English Stage 6 Syllabus 2009). The fact that this text is non-fiction and the story is written by the very person who went through this experience, also allows students to begin to achieve outcome 1: A student demonstrates understanding of how relationships between composer, responder, text and context shape meaning (Board of Studies English Stage 6 Syllabus 2009), for example the text may have had less depth and emotion if it were written by someone else.