Advanced English Assessment Task 1: Speech

Glee. By it's very definition brings open delight or pleasure and is a most suitable text for inclusion in the website for students dealing with the concept of belonging in HSC English. The metaphysical need for the sense of belonging is a multi-faceted concept that becomes a part of human nature and is something that Ryan Murphy's Glee: Mash Up and Jhumpa Larhiri's The Namesake de-construct. The audiences are able to observe how the nurturing and detrimental effects of belonging are achieved through both corporeal and ethereal realms. Glee also explores the delights and downfalls of adolescence, growing up and adulthood through the microcosm of McKinley High school. Glee will be most suited to this website because of its raunchy appeal, suitability for teens and descriptive exploration of belonging. Along with the juxtaposition and comparison of the prescribed text, The Namesake; I will demonstrate how and why Glee: Mash Up episode 8 will be beneficial in a student's understanding of the diverse concepts of belonging.

Good Morning/Afternoon

“A sense of belonging can emerge from the connections made with people, places, groups, communities and the larger world”. Glee: Mash Up highlights the idea that individuals can struggle to find that sense of belonging to a group or community because of their interests, artificial or external features. In Glee this is explored through the use of diegetic music, aided by the effective application of cinematography and lighting in the visual medium. The first song used in Glee: Mash Up is a cover of 'Bust a Move'. The use of this song in Glee identifies the difficulties and pressures placed on an individual to conform and thus belong in society. Exemplified by the line “...says she wants to dance 'cause she likes to groove, so come on fatso just bust a move”. However, represented through the visual medium and efficient use of camera work, the audience is able to see the lighter side of the song and its purpose in Glee.
The...