2024 VCE Unit 3 English

2023-4 Holiday Homework:

‘Rainbow’s End’ and The Memory Police. (‘S’ Task #1)

NAME: ……………………………………………………………………………………… STUDENT CODE:

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This homework must be HANDWRITTEN and submitted to your 2024 English teacher on your first English lesson of 2024.
Over the holidays you need to complete the reading of ‘Rainbow’s End’ and The Memory Police.
As you read both of the texts you must READ TO REMEMBER.
To help you READ TO REMEMBER, you must complete the following TWO tasks:

TASK ONE: ‘RAINBOW’S END’ by Jane Harrison

1. Read the rest of the play and annotate it as you read through it. Use the list below as a
basis for your annotations. Use all or any of the following to support your annotations -
pictures, symbols, colour-coded notes in the margins, post-its, flags, highlighters, coloured
pencils, pen or pencil:
 Examples of racism, oppression, injustice, segregation, brutality etc
 Examples of love, belonging, bonds and relationships.
 Elements you don’t understand – questions you may have.
 Elements that provoke a strong reaction (eg: anger, humour, sympathy etc)
 Connections to other films, texts, events, personal experiences etc
 Attitudes towards indigenous people which still exist in Australia today.
 Elements of the play that surprise you
Please Note: You will be asked to hand in your play with your annotations along with this
handout.

2. The following Motifs and Symbols appear in the play. Where do we see them and
what do they represent?
Motifs and Symbols
Motif Where do we see it? What does it represent?
que sera sera (p123,
174, 188, 198) Song
and saying

Radio broadcasts
The Queen (pp.124-
125, 127, 128)

Pram (pp. 131, 132,

142, 192)

Errol’s bike (pp.

132,138, 140, 141)

Encyclopedias
(pp.133-136, 146-
148, 176, 189)

Dream sequences
(p126, 130, 134,
139, 143, 155, 166,
198)

Water

Cork trees (pp. 126, Nan warns Dolly to avoid the

139, 149, 150, 158, cousins/people who live there but still
186) defends them, saying they are ‘still our
people’ and have ‘had it hard’
‘Catch a Falling
Star’ song (pp.163,
183,)

Add at least 2 more

motifs or symbols
3. Analysis of Dream Sequences:
Jane Harrison constructs many ‘dream sequences’ throughout the play. These scenes involve one
character alone on the stage, longingly dreaming about very distant realities. These dream sequences
give us very intimate insights into the minds of the characters, thus clearly elucidating their
experiences. Complete the table below. The first dream sequence has been completed for you.
Page reference Briefly describe the What does it reveal about How does this dream contrast
dream the character? with the reality of life for the
character?
p 126 Gladys dreams that she Gladys yearns for Gladys’ attempts to get even a
presents a bouquet of connection with and glimpse of the Queen were in vain,
flowers to the Queen. acceptance from the white because of the hessian that was
In response, the Queen community, particularly erected by authorities to conceal the
disregards the formality those in positions of power humpies from the Queen
that is expected of her The Queen’s decision to White society views her as inferior
and hugs Gladys embrace Gladys symbolises and she will never be accepted.
that she views her as an
equal
p.130

p.134

P139
 Page reference Briefly describe the What does it reveal about How does this dream contrast
dream the character? with the reality of life for the
character?
p. 143

p. 155

p. 166

4. Which character/s in the play have the most dream sequences? Why do you think
this is the case? What could Jane Harrison be suggesting about these characters?
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5. The last dream sequence in the play on (page 198) belongs to Nan Dear. This is
significant for several reasons.
a. What does Nan dream of?
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b. Unlike the previous dream sequences belonging to Gladys and Dolly, Nan’s dream sequence is not
completely detached from reality. Why is this the case?
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c. It also indicates a change in Nan’s attitude towards Errol and a change in her feelings towards the
relationship between Dolly and Errol. In what ways has Nan changed? Provide evidence to support your
answer.
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d. Throughout the play, Harrison has portrayed Nan to be suspicious of change, grounded in reality
and not particularly hopeful of the possibility that there can be positive changes in the future. How
does her dream sequence and what follows immediately afterwards reveal a different side of her?
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6. Jane Harrison invites her audience to witness the persecution, injustice,
mistreatment, violence, prejudice and oppression her people endured. For each of
the items below, list three to four specific examples from the play. For each
example, identify in which act or scene the example is featured.

Types of persecution and oppression Examples from the Play

1. Dispossession from the Land

2. Racism

3. Verbal abuse and racist language

TASK TWO: THE MEMORY POLICE by Yōko Ogawa
Read the novel The Memory Police. As you read, ensure you annotate. Your 2024 English teacher will
look at your copy of the novel to see your annotations. Follow the annotation strategies we have gone
through in class during the end of year program.
Your annotations MUST include:
 Notes and comments in the margins of the novel. Use the ideas in the text box below to support you
with what to annotate.
 Pictures to represent your thoughts, big ideas, etc.,
 Colour-coded flags or post-its,
 Colour-coded highlighted text.
Below are some ideas about what you can comment on in your annotated notes of the novel:
 Things in the novel you find mysterious, intriguing, interesting, surprising, etc.
 Questions that a line, paragraph or section raises for you, or why something confuses you.
 Connections you make to another part of the novel, or between characters.
 Important quotations, events, decisions, ideas, turning points, etc.
 Patterns that you notice, e.g., are certain things repeated, such as snow, birds, etc.
 References to the big ideas discussed during the two-week introduction to Unit 3 and listed below:
- SURVIVAL (what does it mean to survive? How do people survive?)
- MORALITY (how do people decide what is right and wrong?)
- RELATIONSHIPS (how do they form? How do they fall apart? How important are they?)
- HUMANITY (how does Ogawa define what it is to be human? How do humanity and morality
connect?)
- POWER (what forms of power are there? How and why do people seize power?)
 Symbols and motifs, e.g. birds, snow, typewriters, stories.
 Strategies Ogawa uses to construct her text, e.g., plot structure, figurative language, juxtaposition, etc.