Context

The Context study is the part of the VCE English Course that is probably most difficult to get the hang of … There’s a tendency to think about it as a “theme” study … It’s not. Think of it as a writing challenge … based around a theme that is based around a text.

In Semester 1, the Context title is “Future Perfect?” The core text is the film Gattaca. Your mission is to develop a point of view about the idea of the future being perfect; or becoming perfect (whatever THAT means!); or what the future does hold. Gattaca makes some quite pointed predictions about the things that will have the most profound effect on our society in the years to come, so you might use this as a starting point for your own inquiries. But Gattaca goes about exploring those ideas in particular ways. You might use the paradox of physical perfection and a soulless cleanliness juxtaposed against the physical and intellectial fecundity and vivacity that we usually regard as the best examples of our species. You might take Anton, Vincent’s brother, or Irene – characters whose stories are ‘unfinished’, and work further with these to develop your views of the future … Use the core text to develop some writing that is a vehicle for YOUR ideas …