Having focused on providing sample essay writing for English Advanced students, the focus now turns to helping students studying English Standard.
A common text that English Standard students often need help with is the play The Shoe-Horn Sonata by John Misto. This text is studied under Elective 2: Distinctively Visual.
When writing a proper essay for the preceding text, students must demonstrate the following points:
- an understanding of how the distinctively visual is created in texts
- an understanding of meanings shaped through the distinctively visual
In essence, it is important for English Standard students to analyse how the literary techniques used in The Shoe-Horn Sonata creates vivid imagery that helps the reader/audience appreciate the meanings and issues being discussed in the text.
With this in mind, please refer to the sample essay writing answering the 2015 HSC question on The Shoe-Horn Sonata. Use this writing as a guide to help you develop the writing and analysis required to master the 2016 English Standard HSC examination.
Introduction sample – 2015 HSC essay question Elective 2 – The Shoe-Horn Sonata
Distinctive illustrations possess the potential to develop our interpretation of the world. The images of decency and inhumanity present in John Misto’s play ‘The Shoe-Horn Sonata’ encourages readers to consider an array of perspectives that shed light on the moral and immoral nature of our world. Likewise, (related text) also presents singular images that can have a transformative effect on the way readers think about certain issues and individuals.
Body paragraph sample – 2015 HSC essay question – Elective 2 – The Shoe-Horn Sonata
The distinctively visual images evident in The Shoe-Horn Sonata play an important role in facilitating the possibility for readers to envision the courage and strength individuals show when forced to endure terrible circumstances. By envisioning such courage, readers are then able to develop an appreciation for individuals who fought bravely in a bid to survive the harshness of inhumanity. The visual focus on Sheila and Bridie serves as an inspiring portrayal of two women who become the key salient images throughout the play for the audience. The mes-en-scene which features a bright spotlight on Birdie, coupled with her descriptive dialogue, renders clear her experiences during the war in the pacific ‘Singapore’s lights were fully ablaze when the Japanese bombers came …’. Furthermore, the simile of a ferry sinking ‘like a wounded animal. Spilling oil instead of blood’ allows the audience to grasp the violent and ruthless nature of war – a motif that Misto consistently refers to by presenting a series of photographs as the play’s narrative evolves. These grim depictions of the war juxtapose the optimism and excitement that women shared when they got involved in the war effort. Distinctively visual propaganda of the Women’s army and Australian army nurses landing in Singapore ‘looking excited and quite happy’ serves as a severe contrast to the somber perspective of Bridie’s account detailing the shocking and painful experience of nurses’ involvement in the pacific. The sorrowful and melancholic nature of women’s experiences while in the pacific are rendered apparent through slides of ‘children, stick-thin, obviously starving, dressed in rags, filthy’. Such distressing imagery of these prisoners of war allows Bridie and Sheila to recapture the deep emotional essence of their experiences, thus presenting an enlightening perspective on the inhumanity practiced by Japanese soldiers during WWII. By effectively portraying the harsh realities of their service in the pacific, Bridie and Sheila advocate audiences to develop an enhanced appreciation of the sacrifice and bravery practiced by the women who served their country, despite enduring great duress. The emotional and descriptive language of the two women, coupled with persuasive use of certain images, helps Misto offer new provocative and enlightening portrayals of heartache and courage that increases one’s gratitude for the women involved in a war effort plagued by cruelty towards innocent human beings.
Conclusion sample – 2015 HSC question – Elective 2 – The Shoe Horn Sonata
The detailed and emotionally driven images in Shoe Horn Sonata and (related text) helps one fathom an evolved understanding of our world and the people in it. Through their distinctive imagery, both texts present juxtaposing illustrations and experiences that detail the best and worst natures of humanity, thus shedding light on our flawed character as a species. Whether it’s emotionally charged dialogue or vivid images, both Misto and (author of related text) portray vivid experiences that serves to alter the responder’s comprehension of our complex world.
If you wish to learn more about The Shoe-Horn Sonata or any other English Standard text for the HSC, contact us, leave a comment or request a quote for a tuition lesson that will prepare you for the 2016 English HSC examination.
