6492ET: Assignment 3

What you have to do Contemporary Possibilities

The prescribed text used by TAFE Digital students for this elective is the play The Shoe-
Horn Sonata by John Misto, a multimodal text.

There are THREE tasks to complete for this assignment.

This assignment is your second Preliminary Assessment Task for English. It has a 40%
weighting.
Task 1 – 30 marks

Viewing and representing

Question 1 – Analysing a multimodal text (10 marks)

View the Australian war memorial website (https://www.awm.gov.au/) and then explain how
this website presents information on war using different modes.

Write approximately 100 words in total for this task.

The Australian war memorial website presents their information by using several different
modes. The mode that I noticed first, was the use of drop boxes to easily access information
about several different subjects. They also have included different featured articles
displaying information discussing several different topics surrounded around war. Despite
having a plethora of valuable written resources to gain information, they also have images
and descriptions of collected things from war sites. Some of these objects include
photographs, films, art pieces, records, technology, and manuscripts. Through the use of
these several modes, the website has neatly displayed their information so that it is not only
easily accessible but is also well presented.

Question 2 – Creating a multimodal text (20 marks)

Imagine that you are one of the women prisoners in The Shoe-Horn Sonata. You want
viewers of a web page to understand and be moved by your experiences.

1. (a) Create a web page (in an offline format) which depicts or illustrates your
experiences in the prisoner-of-war camp, and which reflects the feelings you had at
the time.

Your web page is to be included in a memorial website to commemorate the 75 th

anniversary of your liberation.

You should provide a title and caption for your web page.

2. (b) Attach your web page to your assignment.

I unfortunately could not attach the file to the assignment as I had to screenshot the images of
the website and save it as a PDF file, so I have instead added it in the submission box.
 3. (c) Reflect on the web page you have created. What techniques have you used to
shape the viewer’s response? What effect would you like your web page to have on
viewers? How is your web page different from a written description?

Write approximately 150 words.

For my webpage, I have used different techniques to make website reading easier and
provide extra information about the topic. I have included buttons with information, that when
clicked on will take you to another website to answer the stated question. Another technique
that I have incorporated into my website is the use of images. I have used images taken
from Japanese POW camps to provide some insight on how these camps looked, and to
create more understanding for the audience. Finally, another important technique that I have
used in the layout of my webpage, is bright and easily to read titles or questions, so that
people can easily see what they are reading about. I have also provided a variety of
information on different topics surrounding the POW camps. My webpage is different from a
written description as it is displayed in smaller chunks of writing scattered around the several
pages, rather than being in aligned paragraphs with no images or colours.

Task 2 – 20 marks
Personal response

Write an email to your teacher giving your first response to the play The Shoe-Horn Sonata.

Your email should include the following points:

1. (a) Describe briefly how your personal context influences your response to the
subject of civilian prisoners of war and the difficulty of living with traumatic memories.
2. (b) Discuss the composer’s context and purpose. Use quotations from the Author’s
Note on page 16 in the text. (You could also refer to the interview with John Misto in
your learning resource.)
3. (c) Explain how the following aspects of The Shoe-Horn Sonata impacted your
experience of the play:

• your reaction to the set

• the effect of the photographs projected on screens on stage (e.g., Act 2 when
the women of the Empire bow to the Japanese)
• the effectiveness of the songs and music (e.g., the vibrant sequence using
the Blue Danube Waltz at the end of the play) and examples of sound effects
(e.g., the sounds of water as the evacuation boat sinks) and their impact.
• examples of lighting effects (e.g., the use of the spotlight in the opening
scene)
Include quotes from the play in your email. Discuss the composer’s use of dramatic
techniques, language and visual effects and explain how these helped you to experience the
text’s portrayal of wartime events and aspects of the characters’ experiences through
multiple modes.

Include digital media features relevant to an email (e.g., hyperlinks, embedded video, email
signature).

Write approximately 300-400 words in total for this task.

Dear English Teacher,

I am writing to you to discuss my first response to the play, The Shoe-Horn Sonata.
Throughout the play I experienced some very empathetic moments, where I was able to
sympathise with the women who were experiencing traumatic memories. Similar to them, I
also suffer from traumatic flashbacks and was able to understand their point of view from an
emotional aspect. John Misto did a great job composing this play and including all of the
perfect emotional characteristics. Through his use of photo montages, songs and music,
sound effects and lighting effects, he created the perfect atmosphere to truly understand the
women’s experiences. The music throughout the play is used in different times to create a
specific feeling from the audience. For example, on Christmas when the men visited and
sang “O, come all ye faithful” it caused me to feel satisfaction and euphoria as the women,
despite being detained in a camp, were enjoying Christmas carols together with outsiders.
Similarly to the music, sound effects are also used throughout the play when necessary to
create a more realistic and lifelike experience. Such as the water sounds when their
evacuation boat is sinking. The sound effects of the water made the experience more
realistic for me and allowed me to feel like I was really there. Other audial and visual effects
include the use of lighting throughout the play. When the lights change from bright to dull, or
focus on specific characters, it draws your eyes and makes you really focus on what’s
happening, along with causing a feeling of suspense and mystery. These techniques all
contribute to the portrayal of wartime and allowed me to understand the characters
experiences as it is realistically depicting their thoughts and feelings and allows me to
sympathise with them, as if I was there. Another way that Misto has added emotion to the
play, is through the words and phrases said by the characters. For example, in the quote
“They’d heard that the Japs had been raping army nurses and they thought they’d be doing
us a favour. They’re very considerate like that—the British. But since bullets were scarce,
they decided to evacuate us.”, it caused me to experience grief for the army nurses who had
been raped, and for the women who had been evacuated.

Those were my initial responses to The Shoe-Horn Sonata.,

Sincerely, Abby!
Task 3 – 50 marks
Extended response

What techniques do composers use in multimodal texts to enable responders to experience

scenes, events, people, and relationships?

Refer to The Shoe-Horn Sonata and AT LEAST ONE related multimodal text. Write
approximately 750-1000 words.

Throughout the play, The Shoe-Horn Sonata, John Misto used several techniques to enable
the audience to experience the scenes, events, characters, and relationships. Some of these
techniques include voice overs, songs, photographic images, and instrumental music. These
techniques are used in various scenes throughout the play, although they all have the same
result. For example, through the use of photographs, the audience is able to feel as though
they are experiencing the same thing as the women and are truly inside of the play. Some of
the images that enforce these feelings in the audience include photographs taken of male
prisoners when they were liberated, contrasting photographs of Singapore before its fall, and
then after it was bombed and burning, and photographic images of nurses arriving in
Singapore. Voice overs are the only other speaking role throughout the play, the product of
using voice overs creates added variety and sound to the play. Misto is also seen using light
humour throughout the play to create a sense of relief from the suffering, cruelty and
deprivation that is displayed during the entirety of the play. Another related multimodal text
that I have chosen is the Harry Potter collection. Although these texts are about very
different topics, they both display related themes such as friendship, sacrifice and
resentment. Throughout the Harry potter franchise, it is learnt that the techniques used also
have the same effect on the audience and enable them to experience the films as if they are
truly there. Some of the techniques that J. K. Rowling has incorporated into this film include
angles, lighting, music, sound effects and the objects in the setting of the film. Despite there
being 8 Harry potter movies, I will be discussing the roles of the techniques in movie 1, The
Philosophers Stone. Throughout the entire duration of the movie, these techniques are used
to create a sense of experience and being in the film. This is portrayed through the use of
lighting. Bright colours will often flash the screen and create a sense of suspense as if you
are also involved in the scenes. The use of suspenseful music throughout dramatic scenes
eludes a feeling of existing in that moment and being present. Similar to this, using up close
camera angles through the scenes causes the audience to feel as though they are face to
face with the characters in the screen and causes a more emotional response as they feel
close to and connected personally with the characters. Another way this is depicted is
through the use of certain objects in the background or focus of the setting. For example, the
mirror of Erised. This mirror shows what the person desires most, and when Harry looks into
it, it shows his parents. This allows the audience to feel connected with Harry on an
emotional level as his pain and mourning is felt through the screen. Finally, the last
multimodal text that I will be discussing is The Fallout. Identical to The Shoe-Horn Sonata
and Harry Potter, The Fallout also discusses the same themes of friendship, sacrifice and
resentment. Throughout this film, there are many moments where the audience may feel as
if they are experiencing the situation, especially since the main topic is about gun violence in
American schools. Megan Park has used many techniques throughout this film, including
camera angles, the use of technology to message people, voice overs and dramatic music.
In this film, voice overs are used when the characters are feeling certain emotions, these
voice overs allow the audience to understand the characters thought patterns and feel as
though they are in their head and communicating with them without using words. This allows
the audience to feel closer to that character individually, as though they are in the film and
talking to them. The use of technology, such as phones is portrayed in this movie various
times. The first time it was displayed though, was in the scene where Vada and Mia are in
the bathrooms when the gunman first attacks their school. During this scene, Mia takes her
phone out, and sends her mum a message reading “I love you.” Not only does this evoke an
emotional response from the audience, but it also may be relatable to some Children who
have personally experienced a school shooting. The use of this technique allows the
audience to sympathise with Mia and Vada and understand their feeling and actions on an
emotional level. The emotional display in this scene also allows the audience to feel as
though they are also locked inside of the bathroom stall with them and are experiencing the
shooting firsthand. Similarly, the use of dramatic and suspenseful music in the shooting
scenes also evoke an emotional response and allow the audience to understand how
daunting the experience may have been for them, it permits the audience to recognise the
characters emotions and sustain a feeling of closeness, but also grief and fear. Finally, the
use of camera angles illustrated amongst the scenes in the film perceive all of the
information surrounding the situation. For example, when Veda and Mia first meet in the
bathrooms, the angles switch between the two girls when the voice overs are occurring so
that the audience can understand what each girl is thinking. This technique allows you to
properly understand the emotions coming from each of the girls as it shows their facial
expressions and body cues based on how they are thinking.

Checklist
Please send in this checklist with your answers.

Task Outcomes covered

Task 1 Q1 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8

Task 1 Q2 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8

Task 2 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8

Task 3. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8
Assignment 3, LA025947, 6492ET, Edition 2 © New South Wales Technical and Further Education Commission, 2019 (TAFE
NSW), Archive version 1, February 2019