Vuong Pham is an Australian poet of Vietnamese descent. As a first generation Australian, his poetry explores the challenges of belonging and displacement, cultural identity and hybridity, intergenerational experience, marginalisation, heritage, legacy, memory and trauma. The four poems studied from his collection “Refugee Prayer” offer reflection on the role of parents in developing a child’s sense of self and their continuing legacy as the child matures to adulthood and recognises parental sacrifice. Further to this, Pham explores the continuing impact of trauma, the horrors of war and shares an overwhelming message of hope for peace, relevant to our current global context. In addition, supplementary materials exploring cultural and refugee experiences will assist in development of comprehension strategies through reading of a variety of text types.

ASSESSMENT TASK 2 - CLIPS AND QUESTIONS - Contemporary Possibilities

In this module, students develop an informed understanding, knowledge and appreciation of a substantial literary text. Through their development of considered personal responses to the text in its entirety, students explore and analyse the particular ideas and characteristics of the text and understand the ways in which these characteristics establish its distinctive qualities.

Students study one text chosen from the list of prescribed texts. They engage in the extensive exploration and interpretation of the text and the ways composers (authors, poets, playwrights, directors, designers and so on) portray people, ideas, settings and situations in texts. By analysing the interplay between the ideas, forms and language within the text, students appreciate how these elements may affect those responding to it. Students produce critical and creative responses to the text, basing their judgements on a detailed knowledge of the text and its language features.