English  

Welcome back to 2023!

I hope you and your families had a wonderful break.

I’m excited to introduce our very experienced and accomplished 2023 English and Italian teaching team. They are Andrew Dias, Lisa Jacob, Rhett Joachim, Emily Dias,  Annaliese Leon, Havah Klajn, Rachel Towns, Joe Sirianni, Franca DeFrancesco, Peter Samuel, Frankie Flanagan, John Rhynehart, Paddy O’Connell and Sue Keel. We all wish your child the very best as they read, analyse and produce great texts. These texts explore many ideas and values from worlds past, present and potential futures. We encourage parents to read and chat about any of the texts with your child. 

Student reviews

Currently, in Year 11 Literature, we have been focusing on Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, a gothic novel that follows the life of Jane Eyre, an orphan who was born into a harsh and conservative society with strict gender roles. She naturally has a very independent and fiery personality and an extreme desire to create a successful life for herself, despite living in such a melancholic world. There are many aspects of our society that mirror the life that Charlotte Bronte lived. This was a very interesting novel that I would recommend to people. 

Jacob Bidois

Uncle Vanya as part of Plays by Anton Chekhov is one of the texts studied in Year 12 Literature. Uncle Vanya is a play in four acts which is best described as “a comedy with a tragic edge.” It is a very melancholic play set on a rural farming estate in Russia in the 1890s. It recounts the events which occur at the Telegin Estate house following the arrival of the Serebryakovs. Chekhov highlights many key concerns in the play: the dysfunctional nature of most interpersonal relationships, dissatisfaction and wasted youth and the impermanence of change. The play has an overall isolated and stagnant energy, which is exaggerated by the apathetic nature of most of the characters and the single setting in which this play takes place.

Kathy-Ann Gugroop

In Year 11 English we are studying Ride Like a Girl produced by Rachele Griffiths. The movie is based on a true story about Michell Payne who was the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup. I think the film is very moving and inspirational because even though Michelle Payne had to face many obstacles in a male-dominated industry, she was still determined to win the Melbourne Cup. Michelle lost a lot of races and suffered many injuries, she faced sexism where many owners dismissed her for being a female, however, she never gave up. 

Shanriana Kasturisinghe 

In Year12 English, students are introduced to the classic novel "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen. This timeless piece of literature has been cherished and analyzed for generations since its initial publication. The story takes place in the English countryside and revolves around the Bennet family and their five daughters. At the time, the only option for women was to marry into wealth, putting pressure on the daughters to find affluent suitors. Elizabeth, however, is determined to marry for love, not money. She encounters the wealthy and reserved Mr Darcy, who initially has no interest in her, but eventually grows to admire her wit and charm. Elizabeth initially sees Mr Darcy as the last man she would ever marry, but as the novel progresses, she realizes that her initial biases towards him were unfounded and that he is actually a true gentleman. Will they overcome their pride and prejudices to tie the knot? Austen's writing style, filled with brilliant language, humor and sarcasm, truly brings the story to life making for a great text to study. 

Soren Adkins