Orbital: Top-Scoring Sample Essay on Human Value

'In Orbital, human smallness does not diminish human value.' Discuss.

A full length (~1,350 word) essay on Samantha Harvey's novel, covering:

•      Political and capitalist concerns rendered meaningless by distance, through the Russian and non Russian segments of the station, the separate toilets, and the sardonic treatment of the billionaire's rocket

•      Love and memory as sources of value, in the shared wonder of the aurora, Chie's grief for her mother, and Roman's felt moon

•      Human progress as valuable precisely because it is futile, through the sixteen orbits of a single day, the mice sacrificed to science, and the Voyager golden record

Written by a former 50-scoring student in English and current Hello Smart tutor. Includes close analysis of the prose and literary techniques, including juxtaposition. Features a highly philosophical conclusion that deals with the topic while introducing new ideas.

'Orbital' is new in 2026 on the text list, so this is one of the few sample essays available online specifically for VCE students.