English and Humanities

Year 10 English

By Annrose Thomas, St Thomas

This Term, in our English unit, we studied the film 'Gattaca'. It is about a man named Vincent who is genetically inferior and takes on the identity of a genetically superior man to achieve his dream of going into space. Our main task was an oral presentation. Students could do their presentation in different styles, such as a sales pitch, a debate, a Ted talk or a protest. Some groups however, decided to join multiple formats together for their presentation.

The topic was related to genetic modification. Genetic modification is the changing of the genetic make-up of an embryo to essentially make it ‘better’ and get rid of all diseases and disabilities.

Groups had to choose between discussing the morality of genetic engineering, about past projects of genetic engineering, like Lulu and Nana, about laws relating genetic modification and genetic discrimination. Groups also had to discuss different types of genetic modification, like IVF, and other genetic related machines which can identify your genes and clarify your identity, like fingerprinting, biometrics and genetic testing.

Group sizes varied from two people to seven people, depending on the type of oral presentation they were doing. Cue cards were used as a way to remember what each person was saying, instead of reading straight from the slides or from a piece of paper, so that eye contact and engagement with the audience was made. Overall, the film study unit for Gattaca was enjoyable and interesting to learn about.