VCE English and EAL, English Language, and Literature guide - units 3 & 4

Writing about personal journeys is a broad exploration of life, stories and storytelling. The resources listed here can be used as starting points for your own explorations, and offer links to similar works, information on topical issues, and collections that might inspire.

Not sure where to start? Read the following 1-pager of prompting questions.  

Key texts

• Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi, ‘The Danger of a Single Story’
• Duong, Amy, ‘The Red Plastic Chair is a Vietnamese Cultural Institution, and My Anchor’ (A)
• Hodge, Maya, ‘bidngen’ (A)
• López, Matthew, Walter’s speech (end of Part 1) from The Inheritance

How to respond

Responding to a text might involve:

"Explorations of ‘life’ or biographical explorations – telling our stories, telling others’ stories, the problem of telling stories, appropriation of stories, who tells the stories and our history, missing stories, marginalised and elevated stories. Students could explore personal milestones, the effects of key events on their lives, or explore these ideas through the eyes of others. Students who have migrated can explore their stories of movement and disruption. They can explore the expectations of change, and the language of a new place and culture. "

Visit the VCE English and English as an Additional Language Study Design for more guidance.

Key text: The Danger of a Single Story, talk presented by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Task: Students can explore personal journeys from those who are not often highlighted in the Australian media landscape or consider arguing for more inclusive storytelling. They can consider the use of personal anecdotes, thesis statements and humour to put forward their message. Refer to p.14 of the VCE English and English as an Additional Language (EAL) Text List 2024.

More Australian stories

• Between two worlds : 30 powerful voices, SBS Emerging Writers' Competition. (2022). 
• Clarke, M.B., Yussuf, A. & Magan, M. (Eds). (2019). Growing up African in Australia. Black Inc.
• Findlay, C. (Ed.). (2021). Growing up Disabled in Australia. Black Inc.
• Growing up in Australia. (2021). Black Inc.
• Heiss, A. (Ed.). (2018). Growing up Aboriginal in Australia. Black Inc.
• Hodge (Ed.). (2015). Colouring the rainbow : blak queer and trans perspectives : life stories and essays by First Nations people of Australia. Wakefield Press.
• Law, B. (Ed.). (2019). Growing up Queer in Australia. Black Inc.
• Morton, R. (Ed.). (2022). Growing up in Country Australia. Black Inc.
• Pallotta-Chiarolli, M (Ed.). (2018). Living and loving in diversity : an anthology of Australian multicultural queer adventures / Australian LGBTIQ Multicultural Council (AGMC). Wakefield Press.
• Pung, A. (Ed.). (2008). Growing up Asian in Australia. Black Inc.
• Roots : home is who we are : voices from the SBS Emerging Writers' Competition. (2021).

I want to browse ...

Explore more Australian literature, poetry, drama and young adult fiction browsing collections in The Ian Potter Queen's Hall.

More inclusive storytelling

• Knight, L. (2023, March 15). Sensitivity readers: what publishings most polarising role is really about. Guardian.
• What is Sensitivity Reading? 
• Freedom of Speech by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Part 1 of the The Reith Lectures 2022 
• Salon des Refuses
  • Salon des Refuses Virtual Tour at the National Trust
• What I did by Ann Morgan, from A year of reading around the world
• Reynolds, M. (2016). Translation: a very short introduction. Oxford University Press.

More from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

• TED Talk Profile with links to other talks, articles, and works
• Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• Interview (30 April, 2009) in The Kenyon Review
• The Guardian

Key text: The Red Plastic Chair is a Vietnamese Cultural Institution, and My Anchor by Amy Duong

Task: Although specific to her own unique experiences, students could use Duong’s ideas to explore items of cultural, historical or nostalgic value and how these symbolise literal or metaphorical journeys. Refer to pp.14-15 of the VCE English and English as an Additional Language (EAL) Text List 2024.

Some items of cultural, historical or nostalgic value

• Museum of Broken Relationships
• My Favourite Object series by the Immigration Museum 
• Objects of Affection [YouTube video series] by Vogue 
• Political and union badges from the Riley and Ephemera Collection
• Map bandannas in the Library collection by Queer-ways
  Queer-ways maps the queer cartography of Australia, combining the queer stories and voices of past and present into a permanent, interactive record of being queer in Australia. Visit the Queer-ways website for more.

Find more realia by searching the Library catalogue.

Explore more

This work is part of the following anthology:

• Writing about personal journeys
• Writing about play
• Writing about protest
• Writing about country

Key text: bidngen by Maya Hodge

Task: Students can explore the importance of language, culture and storytelling in their own journeys and can experiment with incorporating subheadings and phrases in languages other than English in their own writing. Refer to p.15 of the VCE English and English as an Additional Language (EAL) Text List 2024.

Resources for your own writing

• Oxford Bilingual Dictionaries
• Finding items in languages other than English guide

Celebrating languages

• Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages
  Peak body for Aboriginal Languages revitalization in the state of Victoria, working with forty-four Language Groups and fourteen Lects in the state of Victoria and subsequent borders.

• First Languages Australia - Resources for Educators

  This organisation works with educators to develop plans and produce resources that support the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities who wish to share their languages through schools, early learning centres and beyond. Explore projects and resources which may be useful to Indigenous language teachers, educators, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language teaching teams and schools looking to work with their local language custodians to share their languages through school and early learning programs.

• Wirlomin Noongar Language and Stories 
  Noongar language revitalisation project based in Noongar Boodja (Country) in Western Australia

Other bilingual stories

• Rodrigues Fowler, Y. (2019, April 17). Top 10 bilingual books. The Guardian.

Explore more

This work is part of the following anthology:

Key text: Walter’s speech (end of Part 1) from The Inheritance by Matthew López

Task: Students can explore how the younger generation can learn about the journeys of those who have come before them, experimenting with symbolism and the significance of setting in their own writing. Refer to p.15 of the VCE English and English as an Additional Language (EAL) Text List 2024.

Stories from those who have come before

• Oral histories at the Library
• Archives of Sexuality and Gender
• Home movies  at the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
• Wayback Machine | Internet Archive
  Explore 26+ years of web history

Tools for your own storytelling

• Ferber, M. (1999, 2007). A dictionary of literary symbols. 

More from Matthew Lopez

• Find and read the full play, The Inheritance, from which this reading is taken.
• Discovery reviews and analyses of The Inheritance.