CAPE COMMUNUCATION STUDIES

SCHOOL BASED ASSESSMENT.

NAME: MARIAH BISSOON

SCHOOL: A.S.J.A. GIRLS COLLEGE, CHARLIEVILLE

SUBJECT: COMMUNICATIONS STUDIES

CENTRE NUMBER: 160506

CANDIDATE NUMBER:1605060035

TEACHER: MS. NISHA MOHAMMED

TERRITORY: TRINIDAD

YEAR OF EXAMINATION: 2021

TOPIC: “THE IMPACT OF ANXIETY ON AN ADOLESCENT’S MENTAL

……. WELLBEING”
 AWKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, I’d like to thank God for blessing me with the strength and motivation to

do this IA. As well as both of my communication studies teachers, Mrs. Renasha Ali-

Mohammed and Miss Nisha Mohammed; who not only strengthened me but guided me

throughout the entire production.

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE                                                                                                           PAGE NUMBER

INTRODUCTION                                                                                           1

PREFACE                                                                                                     2

REFLECTIVE                                                                                              3

ANALYSIS                                                                                                   7

BIBLIOGRAPHY 9

APPENDIX
 INTRODUCTION

     The chosen theme of this portfolio is ‘The Impact of Anxiety on an Adolescent’s Mental

Wellbeing. The purpose of this portfolio is to educate society on the various ways anxiety

disorders can have negative effects on a student’s productivity and ability to learn. 

     The theme is evident in the Reflection which is a monologue about an adolescent who

confronts her anxiety and expresses the various emotions and thoughts induced because of it.

The theme is also evident in the Exposition where research was conducted on the impact of

anxiety and the various issues these victims face. Both the Reflection and Exposition highlight

the impact of anxiety, thus effectively interacting with the audience and educating them on the

challenges faced daily. Additionally, reliable and valid data were sourced in order to accurately

prepare these pieces.

     Personally, this topic peaked my interest as I have witnessed my peers and family suffer with

these issues and the negative impact it has left on their lives. Additionally, in my CAPE Biology

class, we discussed the effects of diseases on the body and learnt that they do not only affect a

person physically but mentally as well. I noticed that many people are unaware of how ever-

present mental health issues are and how to properly deal with them. Thus, I am considering a

career path in psychology, to assist victims of mental illnesses and to shed light on the issues

they face.
 PREFACE

The reflective entitled “The Silent Killer” is a monologue about a student whose mental

wellbeing is negatively affected by anxiety. It also traces the effects of anxiety on one’s physical

and emotional state. The purpose of this reflective aims to highlight how students’ lives can be

affected by a mental illness, precisely anxiety and to neutralize the stigma that mental illnesses

are not real.

Additionally, the target audience of this reflective are persons who do not struggle with anxiety,

as they would be relatively unaware of the impact anxiety has on a person’s life. This is in hope

that upon reading the reflective these persons are sensitized to the struggles victims of anxiety

face on a daily basis. Furthermore, a monologue was chosen as the type of reflective piece as it

helps to effectively convey the internal conflict that victims of anxiety have with themselves.

Moreover, the monologue will be performed at Mental Health Awareness seminar at Queen’s

Hall, open to the public and will also be recorded and posted on social media sites where persons

can interact, share their stories and so that persons who suffer from anxiety and those who don’t

can be addressed, sympathized and educated respectively.

 REFLECTION

The Silent Killer

Dear Anxiety,

It’s time we talked;

Maybe we can take a walk down the garden of my dreams that you set ablaze;

And I can reminisce on all the ways you told me I will never be enough.

Or maybe we can take a swim in the pool of tears I grieve every night

While you repeatedly list all the things I failed to achieve.

Never leaving any room for me to breathe,

So, instead I seethe in these emotions, 

Giving you all my devotion,

Until all my aspirations are out the window and my mind feels as if it’s stuck in limbo.

You are the reason I’m still scared to succeed,

Constantly reminding me of what if I can’t exceed their expectations of me,

Thanks to you I can’t be who I want to be,

So instead I commit to being your slave,

Unaware that I was digging my own grave and you were having a rave in my head.

Restrained by your words, I sat and watched as my life went downhill as I never left my bed

All my assignments left unread,

Because with you, I’m a prisoner in my own mind

No matter how hard I try to outshine you I’m still confined.

Dear Anxiety, I think it’s time for you to resign 

“No thank you” you mockingly decline, with piercing eyes that sternly scream “Get back in

line!” (Communicative Behaviour)

Knowing I can’t take back what’s mine

I spend all my time daydreaming of a place where this curse could be reversed

I didn’t realize at the time that I was only quenching your thirst

Dear Anxiety, this is where our problems immersed!

All my dreams and desires locked away in a hearse;

Each passing day just seems to get worse

Felling like the weather in my mind is adverse and I just can’t divert from it.

Dear Anxiety, I must say you’re nothing but a liar,

Conditioned me to think my mind was on fire,

The only way out was to do what you required

So, I’ll cut my limbs until my skin sings hymns of a fight I know I cannot win.

Because all my motivation is buried in a bin;

And I can never find the words to express what I feel within

Yet still I fight for ownership of this vessel

Toss and turn and wrestle, 

Inattentive to my screams the referee does not blow the whistle;

While your torturous words aim at me like missiles, borrowing holes within me like thistles.   

“Please stop, I can’t handle this” I cry, but my release you deny,

Until my weary lips beg “O Gad O Gad help meh! Ah cyah take et anymore” (Dialectal

Variation)

Your scornful eyes mock my distressing cries as I lay on the floor (Attitude to Language)

“Good for nothing galore” 

Dear Anxiety,

“I’d…I’d like my life back” I say as I take a step back and brace another attack; hesitantly

reassuring myself that this time I will not crack (Communicative Behaviour)

But how can I when it’s confidence I lack.

Still I take a stand saying though I am small I am ready for this brawl!

Oblivious to the fact that because of you I will fall.

Anxiety’s the boss after all.

Dear Anxiety, what’s with this aggression?

What do you have to be angry for?

I should be the one with the heavy downpour!

I should be the one waging a war

You stole everything from me!

Me failing became your obsession,

Can’t you use your discretion?

My mind is not your prized possession and I am not a toy for you to enjoy or destroy!

Dear Anxiety, I want to live not just survive;

Ever since you arrived, every day is a fight to stay alive

And I just can’t thrive.

Dear Anxiety, won’t you give me another chance at living?

Gih meh ah next chance na

My words earn me another piercing glance (Communicative Behaviour and Attitude to

Language)

I can feel eyes disemboweling me, carving me out until all that is left is myself to blame.

After all, I am responsible for the monster I became

…Or so she makes me think. 

And though I’m on the brink of exploding and my mind feels as if it’s eroding;
I will put on a facade and dream of a day that I can say ‘I’m okay’ and mean it.

But until then, I’ll sit here with a pen, waiting for her to strike again.

ANALYSIS

     The reflective piece ‘The Silent Killer’ highlights the internal conflict victims of anxiety face

on a daily basis. In this analysis, dialectal variation and various communicative behaviours found

in the piece will be examined.

     Dialectal Variation refers to the swapping of languages based on a variety of influences; such

as status and authority, emotional state, educational background and many others evident in the

reflection. The two languages present in the reflective piece are Standard English and

Trinidadian Creole. To begin, both Standard English and Trinidadian Creole is used by the

persona as she converses with her anxiety. The persona initially starts the conversation with the

use of Standard English and formalities; saying “Dear Anxiety, It’s time we talked; Maybe we

can take a walk …” with a calm approach.

However, she lapses into Creole as she has reaches her breaking point and begs for freedom

from her anxiety “Until my weary lips beg “O Gad O Gad help meh! Ah cyah take et anymore”.

The seemingly one-sided conversation takes a turn when her anxiety replies negatively with

short answers in Standard English only.

The choice of language used can be seen being influenced by the persona’s emotions

throughout the reflective. The persona initially used Standard English as a means of

communicating a serious topic, as also depicted by the use of formalities but lapsed into
Trinidadian Creole, her native language, to reflect her desperate want for freedom from anxiety’s

control. Moreover, the careful selection of languages also indicates the mentally abusive

relationship the persona has with her anxiety as represented by various communicative

behaviours.

      Communicative behaviours entail the non-verbal clues to an individual’s emotions which are

evident in the reflection. To begin, this is displayed through facial expressions, “...with piercing

eyes that scream “Get back in line!” and “my words earn me another piercing glance”. The

persona’s anxiety displays eye movement of an authoritative figure indicating that her anxiety is

superior and in control for her actions as well as her life. Additionally, this idea is also suggested

with the use of proxemics as the persona cowers in the presence of her anxiety, shown by the

line, “...as I take a step back and brace another attack”, showing signs of a mentally abusive

relationship as well as how inferior she is to her anxiety. These communicative behaviours imply

that the persona’s anxiety is harsh and cold towards her whilst she has already submitted herself

and sees no way out but to keep on living with her anxiety.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Abel, Wendell  Baboolal, Nelleen  Gibson, Roger  “The Epidemiology of Mental Health Issues
in the Caribbean”. PAHO: Pan American Health Organization, 2017

Lacey, Krim K et al. “Relationship of social and economic factors to mental disorders among
population-based samples of Jamaicans and Guyanese.” BMJ open vol. 6,12 e012870. 16 Dec.
2016, doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012870