English

As we reach the end of our schooling, it is time for a nostalgic look back at the highlights of our English journey at Mazenod.

Year 7 was the first time we were exposed to sophisticated, extended writing, having the TEEL structure drilled into us through the confronting historical fiction of The Boy in Striped Pyjamas and the more uplifting Pankration. Attempting for the first time to express our points of view in three paragraphs amounting to a 700 word composition.

If there was one word to describe the Year 8 English course it would be… packed. Starting with The Dons, we explored the difficulties of being an Australian teenager. We then wrapped the year by exploring the dystopian society of The Giver. This was also the year students had to present two orals, on a sport and one on family traditions.

Year 9 explored the nuances of human nature, from the intriguing philosophical quandaries of the future that awaits humanity in I, Robot, to the timeless exploration of man’s inhumanity in The Lord of the Flies. These newly broadened horizons of the cohort were then pit against each other in age old debates like the death penalty in Australia and the price of public transport. While the Year 9 Literature elective classes enjoyed the opportunity to delve into Of Mice and Men.

Year 10 was a turning point and a moment of growth for many students. For English Enhancement classes, students were given a taste of Literature, English Language and mainstream English. The rags to riches bildungsroman of Great Expectations and the thrilling stories of ambition in Julius Caesar and The Godfather cemented our appreciation of what good writing looks like, all topped with a crash course in the history of the English language and its conventions. Meanwhile, the Year 10 mainstream students took an international trip to Cambodia via First They Killed My Father and the deep South of America via Mississippi Burning and To Kill A Mockingbird. Meanwhile, the Literature elective classes relished the opportunity to study classics such as Twelve Angry Men and Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Year 11 English marched through Macbeth’s “vaulting ambition” into the dichotomy between the glamour of the Roaring Twenties in The Great Gatsby and the harsh reality of the American Dream in Death of a Salesman. Meanwhile, the literature students enjoyed the classics of A Christmas Carol and Othello before analysing the messages behind one of the best movies of all time, Casablanca. The English Language students also had the opportunity to study the development of language, communication and the way in which language gradually develops and changes over time.

The culmination of our Year 12 English, Literature and Language studies at Mazenod has been a rollercoaster: from weekly essays to morning tea, all set against a backdrop of uncertain lockdowns and inconsistent sleep schedules. It was all worth it however, and we are grateful to all of the wonderful teachers in the English department for allowing us to explore new depths of meaning throughout our texts, and for guiding us through the rigours of VCE despite all of the uncertainty. Christian Moore and Charlie Nguyen (Year 12)