TEXT RESPONSE

YEAR 12 ENGLISH

TEXT RESPONSE SHORT STORIESYEAR 12 English CommunicationsMERRITT

• Written, Visual, Aural and Oral CommunicationFORM

• To Entertain, Inform, • Explain.PURPOSE

• Reader, Viewer, ListenerAUDIENCE

• Reader, Viewer, ListenerCONTEXT

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TEXTS can be …

WRITTEN

ORAL

AURAL

VISUAL

• In written communication, written signs or symbols are used to communicate. A written message may be printed or hand written. In written communication messages can be transmitted via email, letter, report, memo etc. Messages, in written communication, are influenced by the vocabulary & grammar used, writing style, precision and clarity of the language used.

WRITTEN

• In oral communication, Spoken words are used. It includes face-to-face conversations, speech, telephonic conversation, video, radio, television, voice over internet. In oral communication, communication is influence by pitch, volume, speed and clarity of speaking.

ORAL

• Aural communications include all communications that rely on the recipient hearing the communication. This includes spoken words, sirens, alarm bells, and so on.

• Aural communications can be useful over long distances (as is the case with fog horns on ships). They are useful for communicating to several people at once and also in situations where the exact recipient of the communication is not known (for example, warning sirens).

• The Radio and Spruiker’s are examples of Aural Mass Media.

AURAL

• Visual communications can be thought of as all forms of communication that rely on the visual perception of the recipient (with the exception of written communications, which are described separately below). Examples of visual communications are traffic lights, billboards, smoke signals, and so on.

• The Television and the Internet are examples of Visual Mass Media.

VISUAL

PURPOSE

Texts are pieces of spoken or written language created for a particular purpose. When we speak or write, we create texts. When we listen, read or view texts, we interpret them for meaning. A good piece of text requires the creator to make the right choices from the language system; choices about words, sentences, processes and features. These choices will reflect our purpose and context.

PURPOSE

ENTERTAIN

To keep, hold or maintain

the attention of the

audience, often

through the use of

humour.

INFORM

To give the audience facts or

information to make

them aware of

something.

EXPLAIN

Make (an idea,

situation, or problem) clear

to your audience by describing it

in more detail or revealing

relevant facts or ideas

AUDIENCE

Interests

Age

Socio-Economic

Background

Gender

Religion

Background

CONTEXT

Every text is influenced by the fact that it is created at a particular time, in a particular place, and by a particular person with particular purposes, ideas, experiences and attitudes – in other words, every text is influenced by context.  

TEXTS and CONTEXT

• This refers to the values, beliefs, behaviour, and ways of thinking and acting that influence the creators of texts. It also includes the ways in which people interpret, alter meaning, are altered by, and respond to the texts they encounter, are engaged by, and choose.

SOCIOCULTURALCONTEXT

• This refers to the function, audience, subject, and mode (e.g. written, spoken, or visual) of a text. Consider how these elements influence the choices made by the creators of texts in their efforts to communicate their message most effectively, and how these elements affect other people’s responses to the texts.

SITUATIONAL CONTEXT

Responding to TextThe Author … Critical Understanding

• What ideas has Ballard discussed in his stories?

• Where do you think he got these ideas?

IDEAS

• What does Ballard value?• What things may have influenced his

values?VALUES

• Does Ballard hold any preconceived beliefs about modern society?

• Why might this be so?

BELIEFS

Responding to TextPersonal Understanding

• How has Ballard challenged the way you view society?CHALLENGE

• Has Ballard raised questions in your mind about society and the power of the individual?

• Have these stories made you question humanity?

QUESTION

• Why do you think Ballard wrote these stories? What message was he trying to convey to his audiences and how effective has he been in capturing their attention?

ANALYSE

Textual Analysis – Analytical Essay

When writing an analytical essay on a text you are aiming to show that you:

Knowledge

• can analyse and understand the topic;• can answer the question, i.e. discuss the topic;

Textual

understandi

ng

• know the plot and characters;• know the themes, messages, issues well;• understand the topic in relation to the text, the characters, themes;

Evidence

• can draw upon appropriate evidence from the text and use brief quotations which can support your argument.

Textual Analysis – Analytical Essay

Throughout your essay you are

showing that you can:

Knowledge and

Communicati

on

• write an argument

understandin

g

• develop a point of view

Application

• support that view through close textual references and analysis

Dystopia

Many dystopias found in fictional and artistic works present a utopian society with at least one fatal flaw, whereas a utopian society is founded on the good life, a dystopian society’s dreams of improvement are overshadowed by stimulating fears of the "ugly consequences of present-day behavior.“ People are alienated and individualism is restricted by the government. (Wikipedia On-line Dictionary)

"A dystopia is any society considered to be undesirable, for any of a number of reasons. The term was coined as a converse to a Utopia, and is most usually used to refer to a fictional (often near-future) society where current social trends are taken to nightmarish extremes. […] Often, the difference between a Utopia and a Dystopia is in the author's point of view. […] Dystopias are frequently written as warnings, or as satires, showing current trends extrapolated to a nightmarish conclusion. […] A dystopia is all too closely connected to current-day society." (Wikipedia On-line Dictionary)

Essay Structure

QUESTION

• Essay titles come in two types, the specific and the general.

• You must write the question or thesis statement at the start of your essay

INTRODUCTION• Say how you intend to approach the question,

define terms, outline the points you intend to elaborate on in the order you plan to tackle them

MAIN BODY• take each point you have outlined in the

introduction and discuss it using evidence from the text and quotes as support.

CONCLUSION• This single paragraph pulls together the parts of

your argument in a summary, do not include new information here

Essay Questions

Question One

• J G Ballard’s stories often reveal a dystopian view of future society. How is this true of any of stories you have read as part of his short story compilation?

Question Two

• J G Ballard’s short stories are prophetic in that they offer insights into current society. Discuss.

Essay Planning

STAGE 1

Analyse the question. Define key terms and ideas and rewrite these in your own words to ensure that you understand.

STAGE 2

Outline, in point form, the main ideas for each paragraph. This means your introduction, main body and conclusion

STAGE 3

Begin writing. Ensure that each paragraph has a topic sentence, clear argument and that this is supported with evidence.

STAGE 4

Proof read your essay and let it sit for a while – you may find errors later. Submit it for drafting prior to the due date.

Writing an Introduction:

Question One: ideasJ G Ballard’s short stories evoke deeper meaning as they ask the reader to question future society, and the world in which they live . Billenium and Subliminal Man  are two short stories set in the future that present dystopian views of the societies in question. Billenium present’s a world that is so over crowed it has reached the point where people have become like cattle, inhumanely walking through the streets, pushed up against each other and crushed due to a lack of space; both in a physical and personal sense, and “Subliminal Man” depicts a futuristic society that has lost their rights for freedom due to the use of subliminal advertising that has invaded their mind turning the cities occupants into nothing more than robotic consumers.

Question Two: ideas

J G Ballard’s short story collection, “The complete works of J G Ballard”, contains stories that are prophetic in nature. Many of the stories offer insights into present day society and our future, as they describe issues such as governmental control, the rise of all-powerful companies, population growth and the impact of new technologies on society. Through reading the stories the reader becomes aware that Ballard’s view of the future society was somewhat bleak as he sought to draw attention to the problems of the time and highlight them by creating stories about imagined futures that could occur if things were left unchecked, Billenium and Chronopolis, are two such stories.

J G Ballard – Shared Text

• Billennium, 1961

• Subliminal Man, 1961

• Chronopolis, 1960

• Manhole 69, 1957

Information about J. G. Ballard

BillenniumBillennium was written in 1961 and is set in the future. Ballard depicts a society, who concerned with its economy and productivity, have encouraged a population boom. The city at the centre of the story is described as noisy, always illuminated, over populated, and completely without any privacy. The character at the heart of the story, John Ward, lives in a cubicle; a narrow alcove in a bend of [a] staircase (267). It is through him that the reader learns about the harsh realities of an over populated civilisation and the strains that this places on housing, infrastructure and one’s person freedoms and choices.

QUOTES

Subliminal Man

Subliminal Man was written in 1961 and looks at a ‘dark’ future where man’s choices and freedoms are taken away through the use of subliminal advertising. The main characters in the story are Dr. Robert Franklin, and his eccentric friend, Hathaway. This story challenges the reader to consider the capatalist nature of modern society. QUOTES

Chronopolis

Written in 1961, 'Chronopolis‘ (city of time), is an ironic name for a city that has no time. The central character in the story, Newman, is in prison for understanding time - yet while he is in prison he controls the situation because of his knowledge of time, and organises the events of the day for Brocken (the block sergeant). The focus of the story are flashbacks to when Newman was a child, and when he first became interested in time. It becomes apparent to the reader that for some reason time is outlawed. The story is not in chronological order, and instead it switches between different points in time. This brings our attention to the way time works in 'Chronopolis'. Due to the fact that they have no time, their world is ‘muddled up’, and things have no real order and much of the city is in ruins - and this is reflected in the way Ballard writes the story.

QUOTES

Manhole 69Manhole 69 was written in 1957 and it focuses on two doctors; Neill and Morley, who have discovered how to block the Medullary gland so that sleep is no longer necessary. Ballard tells the story of the three patients used to trial this medical breakthrough and in doing so allows the reader to question medical advancement and the almost ‘godlike’ capabilities of our modern doctors.

QUOTES

BILLENIUM quotes: Ward sits in his tiny cubicle and listens to the endless noise of the 30 million people living in the city around him:• "...Ward’s cubicle. Built into a narrow alcove in a

bend of a staircase.” (267)• “Ward, at least. Had a certain degree of privacy.”

(267)• “The street was always full, an endless clamour

of voices and shuffling feet.” (267)• “…’locks’ would occur when a huge crowd at a

street junction became immovably jammed. Sometimes these locks would last for days.” (268)

• “…census statistics … classified information … it was feared they might set off a mass attack of claustrophobia.” (271)

• “…The countryside, as such, no longer existed. Every single square foot of ground sprouted a crop of one type or another. The one-time fields and meadows of the world were now, in effect, factory floors … the internal colonization of the city. (pg. 271)

• “short-sighted nationalism and industrial expansion put a premium on a rising population. “ (pg. 271)

• “It’s fantastic … panel by panel, they prised away the lower half of the door and nailed it onto a wooden frame … the sensation of absolute spatial freedom.” (pg. 275)

• “They smuggled in furniture.” (pg.275)• Ward: “relaxing back around the circular red-

wood table. He played with the tassel of the arsenic-green lamp shade, for a moment felt like a Victorian man of letters, leading a spacious, leisurely life.” (pg. 275)

• “The size of this room staggers me. It almost gets larger every day.”(pg. 276)

• “If you ask me there’s too many people in here. Down below they’ve only got six to our seven, and it’s the same size room.” (pg. 278)

• The wardrobe: “It had been a beautiful piece of furniture, in a way symbolizing this whole private world, and the salesman at the store had told him there were few like it left … It was a beautiful wardrobe. Without doubt, but when it was gone it would make the room seem even larger.” (pg. 278)

SUBLIMINAL MAN quotes: Dr. Robert Franklin is annoyed with his friend Hathaway, who insists that the dozens of gigantic blank signs being constructed all over the city motorways are being used for subliminal advertising:• "...They've started to build the first big signs!

Over a hundred feet high, on the traffic islands just outside town. They'll soon have all the approach roads covered. When they do we might as well stop thinking." (412)

• "Your trouble is that you're thinking too much," Franklin told him. "You've been rambling about these signs for weeks now. Tell me, have you actually seen one signalling?"

• Hathaway tore a handful of leaves from the hedge, exasperated by this irrelevancy. "Of course I haven't, that's the whole point, Doctor. - He dropped his voice as a group of nurses walked past, watching him uneasily out of the corners of their eyes. "The construction gangs were out again last night, laying huge power cables. You'll see them on the way home. Everything's nearly ready now."

• "They're traffic signs," Franklin explained patiently. "The flyover has just been completed. Hathaway, for God's sake, relax. Try to think of Dora and the child."

• "I am thinking of them!" Hathaway's voice rose to a controlled scream. "Those cables were 40,000-volt lines, Doctor, with terrific switch gear. The trucks were loaded with enormous metal scaffolds. Tomorrow they'll start lifting them up all over the city, they'll block off half the sky! What do you think Dora will be like after six months of that? We've got to stop them, Doctor, they're trying to transistorize our brains!"

• “If you can’t believe your own senses what chance have you left? They’re invading your brain, if you don’t defend yourself they’ll take it over completely!” (419)

• “Hathaway was in the grip of an obsession. If he hated advertising signs so much, why didn’t he dynamite those we can see, instead of worrying about those we can’t?” (425)

• “We’ve no real freedom of choice” (425)• Hathaway started to protest, and Franklin raised

his right hand firmly. "Listen. For the last time, if you can show me one of these new signs, and prove that it's transmitting subliminal commands, I'll go to the police with you. But you haven't got a shred of evidence, and you know it. Subliminal advertising was banned thirty years ago, and the laws have never been repealed. Anyway, the technique was unsatisfactory; any success it had was marginal. Your idea of a huge conspiracy with all these thousands of giant signs everywhere is preposterous. "

CHRONOPOLIS quotes:After his mother’s death, Conrad Newman found her wrist watch, an item outlawed in modern society, and he soon became obsessed with it.• His Trial had been fixed for the next day. Exactly

when, of course, neither Newman nor anyone else knew.” (150)

• “Brocken … relied on Newman to programme the day for him” (150)

• “Pointless embellishment” (151)• “…endless afternoons. Sometimes he went to

school, until he was ten spent most of his time with his mother queuing outside the closed food stores.” (151)

• “He was in no hurry to grow up; the adult world was unsynchronized and ambitionless.” (151)

• “Why is it against the law to have a clock?”• “Isn’t it obvious? You can time him, know

exactly how long it takes him to do something … Then you can make him do it faster.” (153)

• “…on all sides there were clocks. Conrad noticed them immediately, at every street corner, over every archway, three-quarters of the way up the sides of buildings, covering every conceivable angle of approach”. (157)

• “Time zones. Depending on your professional category”. (158)

• “In its hey-day this city was fantastically complex social organism … only by synchronizing every activity, every footstep forward or backward, every meal, bus-halt and telephone call, could the organism support itself.” (159)

• “Every individual here had to subserve the overriding needs of the city.” (159)

• “Can you imagine what life was like for all but a few of the thirty million people here? … Don’t you think there’s a point beyond which human dignity is surrendered?’ (161)

• “…in this revolt the white collar office worker , living in his tiny so-called modern flat, supporting through credit pyramids and economic system that denied him all freedom of will or personality, chained him to a thousand clocks.” (162)

• “Every revolution has a symbol of oppression.” (162)

• …Stacey had been armed, almost certainly was a member of the Time Police!” (163)

• “Marshall … had worked in Central Time Control as a programmer, had survived the revolt and the Time Police.” (165)

• “…twenty years for the murder of Stacey, five for fourteen offences under the Time Laws, to run concurrently … He made no attempt to defend himself against the charge of killing Stacey … to shield Marshall” (167)

• “it was a clock … The irony of the situation … He was chuckling over the absurdity of it all … when for the first time he noticed the clock’s insanely irritating tick …” (168)

MANHOLE 69 quotes: Dr’s Neill and Morley have found a way to eliminate sleep. Their test subjects; Lang, Avery and Gorrell have just been taken out of hypnosis to see what effects this may have on the human mind and body:• “Dr Neil smiled. ‘Don’t worry,’ he said. ‘The

wires are cut. You couldn’t go to sleep now if you tried’ (pg. 50)

• “The results are going to be spectacular. You’ll probably precipitate the greatest social and economic revolution since the Fall. But for some reason I can’t get that story of Chekov’s out of my mind” (pg. 53)

• “In Man sleep is largely volitional, and the reflex is conditioned by habit’ (pg. 55)

• ‘What do you think the next step forward will be? … I mean up the evolutionary slope. Three hundred million years ago we became air-breathers and left the seas behind. Now we’ve taken the next logical step forward and eliminated sleep. What’s next?” (pg. 58)

• “There must be at least one person on duty … what about that one?” “Locked’, Lang said. ‘69 always has been’. (pg. 60)

• “The gymnasium was shrinking . Inch by Inch , the walls were moving inwards, encroaching across the periphery of the floor … the ceiling sank towards the floor.” (pg. 60)

• “the gymnasium was closed in. Now less than half its original size.” (pg. 61)

• “Gorrell was slumped over the stool … Dead eyes peered down at his feet” (pg. 64)

• “Lang was still staring at the clock, his body in the stiff unreal posture of a waxworks dummy.” (pg. 64)

• “I slipped into the office to pick up a few test cards, I wasn’t gone more than ten minutes.” (pg. 65)

• “after working hopelessly on the three men … He looked down at them, lying inertly in their cots.” (pg. 65)

• “continual consciousness is more than the brain can stand. Any signal repeated often enough eventually loses its meaning.” (pg. 65)

• “They must have reached a stage beyond which they could no longer contain the idea of their own identity.” (pg. 66)