TEEL with bells and whistles

TEELwith bells and whistles Notes supplied by Helen Anderton, Northcote HS.

The case of the text response essay

The Text Response Essay Intro Body Conclusion

The Text Response Essay Intro T E E L T E E L Body Conclusion

The Text Response Essay Intro T E E L Topic Sentence Elaboration of Argument Evidence Link back to Contention Body Conclusion

The Text Response Essay L I E S L I E S Intro T E E L Topic Sentence Elaboration of Argument Evidence Link back to Contention Body Conclusion

The Text Response Essay L I E S Link your opening sentences to the topic Indicate the author and title Establish a contention Signal/signpost your arguments Intro T E E L Topic Sentence Elaboration of argument Evidence Link back to contention Body Conclusion

The Text Response Essay L I E S Link your opening sentences to the topic Indicate the author and title Establish a contention Signal/signpost your arguments Intro T E E L Topic sentence Elaboration of argument Evidence Link back to contention Body R R R R R R Conclusion

The Text Response Essay L I E S Link your opening sentences to the topic Indicate the author and title Establish a contention Signal/signpost your arguments Intro T E E L Topic Sentence Elaboration of argument Evidence Link back to contention Body R R R Restate contention Restate arguments Round off essay Conclusion

Montana 1948 • “David grows up over the summer of 1948.” Discuss

Format of Text Response Essay • Introduction: Link opening sentence to topic (LIES) Indicate text & author if appropriate Establish contention Signposts#1, #2, #3, #4 Paragraphs 1-4: Topic sentence (TEEL) Explanation Evidence Link Conclusion: Re-state the contention (Triple R) Re-state argument(s) Round off essay

Introduction When we first meet David Hayden he is still an innocent child, immersed in hunting, shooting and fishing and the carefree life that such a town as Bentrock had to offer. His Uncle Frank is his hero embodying all the golden characteristics that his father does not have . Link opening sentence to topic (general) However, it is the revelation of Frank’s immoral actions that confront and shock David and take forever his innocent view of the world . Establish contention David learns that the people around him are not what they seem ; Signpost #1 he discovers that the law is for the dominant few Signpost #2 and that the good can be the ones who are punished for crimes they did not commit . Signpost #3 However, one of the most confronting things David learns is that we all harbour the potential within us to commit cruel and immoral acts . Signpost #4

Paragraph #1 With the revelation of Uncle Frank’s crimes David becomes aware that people are not what they seem. Topic sentence The fall from grace of his Uncle Frank shows him that people you love and revere can harbour a dark and vile side. But his rejection of Frank, “good old Uncle Frank was gone forever”, is contrasted with his growing awareness of his father as a person of courage and moral integrity. He is able to construct an understanding that the childhood dream of a Wild West sheriff can be replaced by a father who is able to be respected as an upholder of the law in a far more meaningful way. Explanation Evidence These revelations are rites-of-passage transitions for the emerging adolescent who is David. Link

Paragraph #2 David also learns that the power invested in those with privileged positions enables them to manipulate and control the law for their own ends. Topic sentence David is immersed in the Hayden dynasty and sees how Julian’s manipulation of the sheriff ‘s position enables him to have the power ‘he wanted, he needed’. The benefit of such control becomes evident when Frank is incarcerated in the basement rather than placed in the jail. This preferential treatment in itself symbolises his privileged situation. Explanation Evidence But it is the cover-up of Frank’s death and the collusion with others of position in the town to cover up his crimes that bring about David’s realisation that the law works for the privileged few. Link

Paragraph #3 David’s growing awareness of how the law can be abused is consolidated as he comes to terms with the fact that often it can be the good who are punished rather than those who break the law. Topic sentence As the car pulls away from their house, leaving Bentrock forever, David notes that they were the ones who received “the shitty end of the stick”. Isolated from their community, all ties severed with their family they say their goodbyes, “The number of people seemed so small that it diminsihed my parents’ years in Bentrock.” Frank’s crimes are never exposed and his death is covered up. Marie’s death remains unpunished and there is no indication that the inherent racism towards and marginalisation of the Indigenous people will ever be atoned. Explanation Evidence Evidence David carries this understanding with him into his adult life and as a history teacher knows “that the record of any human community might omit stories of sexual abuse, murder, suicide…” Link

Paragraph #4 Perhaps the most significant sign of David’s maturing is his realisation that we all have the potential for evil within us. Topic sentence When David and his parents visit Julian’s ranch after Frank’s crimes are revealed David is filled with a swirling mix of emotions. When David shoots a magpie he notes: “Looking in the dead bird’s eye, I realised that these strange unthought of connections – sex and death, lust and violence, desire and degradation – are there deep in even a good heart’s chamber.” Explanation Evidence David’s own actions, coupled with his growing awareness of the wrongs committed by his Uncle Frank, give him new insights into human behaviour. Link

Conclusion As David signals to us in the prologue, the summer of 1948 contains events and realisations that move David away from the innocence of his childhood and into the adult world. Re-state contention His naive understandings of who people are and how society works are shattered. Re-state arguments However, importantly, he discovers understandings about himself and the world in which he lives that truly signify a more mature and reflective view of how people think and act. Round off essay

TEEL with bells and whistles