English HSC Module C Imaginative response

Summary:

The English HSC Module C Imaginative response tells a story about Stanley Edward, who is in prison for a murder he committed in 1978. His friend Walter has been campaigning for his release but has AIDS and knows he won’t live long enough to see it happen. When Walter dies, he leaves a letter for Stanley that leads him to confess to the murder. The story delves into Stanley’s past and his complicated friendship with Walter’s family. It also touches on the themes of betrayal, guilt, and the consequences of one’s actions.

Excerpt:

English HSC Module C Imaginative response

A Merry-go-Round Of Lies

“….Stanley, I did all I could muster to fight for your innocence. I’ve contracted aids. Unfortunately, I don’t think I will make it for your eventual release; I still have hope.

Oh, how I miss you.”
***
As I read Walter’s letter this morning, tears of confusion streamed down my cheeks, and a sense of dread engulfed my eyes. It was a dreadful morning, just like every morning in this wretched, confined, and empty place for the previous 12 years. I wondered if anything would ever change.

I couldn’t figure out why I was crying. Perhaps the letter signified the ever-present dichotomy of the living and the dead, the innocent and the guilty, or the light and the dark, or both, in an engulfing circle of my own darkness.

Walter was my ray of hope in a dangerous environment. He was my ray of hope as I tried to claw my way out of the abyss of my past. He was standing there, shielding me, as the rain continued to pour down the street and black coats filled this selfish world. Constantly visiting me for hours and hours. Signing petitions and campaigning to get me out of here since 1978. 1978 is when it all happened. I still remember it like it was yesterday.