From Year 8
Throughout this term in English, Year 8 students have been exploring the theme of courage through a range of powerful poems and creative writing experiences. Drawing inspiration from writers such as Edgar A Guest, Anne Sexton and Rudyard Kipling students are building towards creating a narrative piece full of poetic and literary devices such as metaphor, personification and varied narrative voices to explore examined what courage looks, sounds and feels like.
Our Year 8s have experimented with language to express emotion, vulnerability and resilience in deeply thoughtful ways. It has been wonderful to see students take creative risks in their writing and demonstrate courage not only in what they write about, but also in sharing their work with others.
This unit has encouraged students to think beyond grand heroic acts and instead recognise the importance of everyday courage such as speaking up, supporting others, persevering through challenges and showing compassion. By engaging deeply with one of our Mercy values, students are continuing to develop as reflective, empathetic and thoughtful young people who are learning how courage can be used in service of both themselves and those around them.
Read below for a selection of narrative excerpts from student writing throughout the unit. In this particular activity, students were tasked to redefine an abstract emotion, such as courage, love and fear, by focusing on its smallest and most ordinary moments.
Love slipped into Lana’s home that evening, settling inside her like a small spark of flame, begging for kindling to grow.
She notice it like rain – subtle at first but evolving; its red hands pressed against the sparkling wood, as it if wanted to consume her and make her into a bonfire.
It followed her into a park while she wrapped her hands onto the hem of her shirt, it had grown to the size of an ocean, attracting butterflies as if it were a garden, reflecting only her heart as she stood over it, insure whether to wash it away or let it linger.
Hana Brundish, Year 8
Desperation clawed at John’s mind for control. Like a soldier in his last moments, pleading for more time.
It tore down the walls he’d built around himself and revealed his inner self, scared and desperate. Like a flare bringing attention to itself, just not the kind which leads to lights.
His knees curled to a forty five degree angle, their caps meeting the ground with a loud thump.
Raphael Roch, Year 8
With students already writing using such descriptive imagery, we look forward to reading their final products towards the end of the term.
Maddie Vines
Year 8 Leader