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NSWEnglish StudiesQuick questions
Who do I think I am: English and personal identity
Quick questions on Representing personal identity in HSC English Studies
2short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is the influences that shape identity?Show answer
A central idea in this elective is that identity is shaped by forces around us: family, culture, place, experience, the expectations of others. Texts represent these influences. A memoir might show how a parent's silence shaped the narrator's own way of dealing with feeling; a monologue might reveal how a community's expectations pull against who the speaker wants to be. Notice which influences a text foregrounds, because they explain how the text understands the making of a self.
What are writing about identity texts?Show answer
To write well, name the technique, give the detail, and explain what it constructs about the self or its influences. A reliable pattern: by representing the influence of X through Y, the composer suggests that this person's identity was shaped by Z. Keep the focus on the text's choices, not on your own identity, however much the text invites reflection.
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