English

English News

This term as a faculty, we have encouraged our students to connect their study of English with the outside world by providing them with a range of opportunities to showcase their skills.

A number of students are currently working on submission for the VATE ‘Miniature Stories’ competition and we are excited to read their interpretation of the prompt. Year 12 student Hunter Russell has been working with Studfield Community News as a Volunteer Cadet Journalist, writing about his interests and experience. Please enjoy his latest pushed article.

Ms Sarah Wilson

English Leader

Year 10 English

Year 10 students have focused on their text study of Night, by Elie Wiesel. This memoir tells of the story of a young boy who suffers through and survives the Holocaust. With the death of six million Jews, this story is an important one for our students to reflect on their own lives, as well as the resilience demonstrated and support received that allowed Eliezer to survive.

He narrates the change of attitude towards the Jews in his home town of Sighet, seeing them in ghettos, isolated from the rest of the town, then into concentration camps, Auschwitz-Birkenau, Buna, Gleiwitz, and Buchenwald. 

In Year 10 students have been investigating key plot events, the setting changes and the description of these places, as well as the characters and key themes. Being a memoir and therefore non-fiction, the style of writing and literary devices used are different to what the students have previously encountered, and the students have responded well to these new challenges. Below are some of the analytical statements made about the key characters and events, applying (often unfamiliar) key phrasing

Year 10 English class recently applied key terms and phrasing to their character based analytical statements:

Despite both relationships being based on mistreatment, Eliezer’s relationship with Idek is one based on fear, anger and pointless abuse, and heavily contrasts with Eliezer’s relationship with Franek and the challenge of Franek’s strategic exploitation for personal gain.

As the novel progresses, Eliezer disregards his sense of faith due to the inhumanity he experiences. 

Wiesel contrasts the selfishness of Rabbi Eliahou’s son with the selflessness of Eliezer to emphasise the importance of family, relationships and morals.

Mrs Ellen Hansen

English Teacher