Langcon 2 CH 3 A

Contents
Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
part
CHAPTER 1
A Language Tool Kit: a glossary of useful terms ________________ 1
part
Introduction ____________________________________________________________ 27 Common contentArea of Study. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 What is the Area of Study? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 The how and why of meaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Composing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Outcomes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
A B
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CHAPTER 2
Changing worlds ______________________________________________________ 32 What this focus is about . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Generic model for analysing texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 The how and why of meaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Changes in the natural world . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Changes in the ancient world . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Changes in the world of education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Changes in the world of women . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Changes in the world of men . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Changes in cultural worlds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Futuristic worlds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
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Approaches to the prescribed texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Similarities and differences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Representation of the concept in the prescribed texts . . . . . 61 Activities related to prescribed texts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Composing texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Suggested reading and viewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Sample assessment tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
CHAPTER 3
Changing perspective ________________________________________________ 67 What this focus is about . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 The how and why of meaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Changing perspective through a range of texts . . . . . . . 75 Visual representation of change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Approaches to the prescribed texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Similarities and differences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Representation of the concept in the prescribed texts . . . . . 99 Composing texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Suggested reading and viewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
CHAPTER 4
Changing self ________________________________________________________ 103 What this focus is about. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 The how and why of meaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Representation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Approaches to the prescribed texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Representation of the concept in the prescribed texts . . . . 129 Composing texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Suggested reading and viewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
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Language, Context and Meaning Book 2
part
Introduction __________________________________________________________ 133 The Standard and Advanced Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
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CHAPTER 5
The Standard course ________________________________________________ 134 Approaches to modules, electives and texts . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Module A: Experience through language . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Elective 1: Telling stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Elective 2: Dialogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Elective 3: Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 Module B: Close study of a text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Module C: Texts and society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 Elective 1: The institution and personal experience 146 Elective 2: Exploration and travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 Elective 3: Consumerism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
CHAPTER 6
The Advanced course ______________________________________________ 155 Approaches to modules, electives and texts . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Module A: Comparative study of texts and contexts. . . 156 Elective 1: Transformations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Elective 2: In the wild. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Module B: Critical study of texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Module C: Representation and text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 Elective 1: Telling the truth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 Elective 2: Powerplay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 Elective 3: History and memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 Web site addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Contents
chapter
Changing
perspective
But mother . . . the emperors not wearing any clothes.
from The Emperors New Clothes, Hans Christian Andersen
What this focus is about

This particular focus on change will involve the following aspects: the ways in which perspective influences our perceptions reconsideration of events, people and ideas from different points of view responding and composing examination of the assumptions underlying meanings examination of the range of different meanings made possible with changes in perspective. The word perspective carries with it the idea of proportion, or items in relation to each other. Artists manage to capture whole scenes on paper or in photographs, and make the relations and dimensions clear by putting things into a perspective. If we see things in perspective, the suggestion is that we can see how things fit into a bigger picture, and can see how the parts or pieces of something relate to each other. The concept of changing perspective carries with it the suggestion that we may see things or perceive things from one perspective or point of view, but that by looking at different events, people and ideas from different points of view, we may change our perspective on them. After we have reconsidered events and people, our perspective on what might happen in the future could also change. There is also a sense that within texts, characters may change their point of view or perspective, and as you study your chosen texts, or collect or compose your own, you will become more aware of these changes and why they occur. Others may have different perspectives from us. We may agree with or be shocked by their differing perspectives. Whatever your response to varying opinions and perspectives, it is necessary for you, in this focus area, to be able to recognise different perspectives and understand how and why your perspective and that of others can change.
By examining different texts, you can try to work out the obvious and less obvious assumptions and the underlying meanings that the characters or you and others make, and establish your own meanings and perspective. It is a good idea to keep a diary or journal as you study your focus area, so that you can enter your thoughts, ideas, and perspectives on people, ideas and events that you meet in a variety of texts. You will then need to be able to describe what these perspectives are (both perspectives within texts and your own perspectives), and how and why these perspectives occur and change. (How might refer to the use of language, as well as how the actual perspective is slanted to a particular idea.) We change our perspective as we learn more about particular topics. Sometimes this enables us to take a generous point of view, while at other times we might become more satirical.
ACTIVITY 3.1
a Research the legend of St George and the dragon. You can do this by looking up an encyclopaedia, asking an expert on the subject such as your school librarian, or doing an Internet search. What perspective is given of St George and of the dragon? b Write a short narrative version of the legend and keep the narrative in your journal or English folder for reference as you do the next few activities.
St George and the Dragon by Paulo Uccello, National Gallery, London. Reproduced courtesy of the Trustees, National Gallery, London.
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ACTIVITY 3.2
a Study the painting. b What do you see in the painting? c What is happening? d Who are the characters in the painting and what do they represent? e Describe the characters. f What are the characters doing? g Discuss the painting in class. h Write up an account from one of the characters points of view. Write the account in the first person and say what is happening in the picture and why you are there. i How are your own narrative version of the story and the painting similar? j How are they different and why? k Research the Renaissance period (you could ask your History or Art teacher about itask them to talk to your class about the painting). l How do the subject matter and style reflect the Renaissance period?
Not My Best Side

I Not my best side, Im afraid. The artist didnt give me a chance to Pose properly, and as you can see, Poor chap, he had this obsession with Triangles, so he left off two of my Feet. I didnt comment at the time (What, after all, are two feet To a monster?) but afterwards I was sorry for the bad publicity. Why, I said to myself, should my conqueror Be so ostentatiously beardless, and ride A horse with a deformed neck and square hoofs? Why should my victim be so Unattractive as to be inedible, And why should she have me literally On a string? I dont mind dying Ritually, since I always rise again, But I should have liked a little more blood To show they were taking me seriously. II Its hard for a girl to be sure if She wants to be rescued. I mean, I quite Took to the dragon. Its nice to be Liked, if you know what I mean. He was So nicely physical, with his claws And lovely green skin, and that sexy tail, And the way he looked at me, He made me feel he was all ready to Eat me. And any girl enjoys that. So when this boy turned up, wearing machinery; On a really dangerous horse, to be honest, I didnt much fancy him. I mean, What was he like underneath the hardware? He might have acne, blackheads or even Bad breath for all I could tell, but the dragon
Changing perspective
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Well, you could see all his equipment At a glance. Still, what could I do? The dragon got himself beaten by the boy, And a girls got to think of her future.
Eyebrow. So why be difficult? Dont you want to be killed and/or rescued In the most contemporary way? Dont You want to carry out the roles That sociology and myth have designed III for you? I have diplomas in Dragon Management and Virgin Reclamation. Dont you realise that, by being choosy, You are endangering job-prospects My horse is the latest model, with In the spear- and horse-building Automatic transmission and built-in industries? Obsolescence. My spear is custom-built, What, in any case, does it matter what And my prototype armour You want? Youre in my way. Still on the secret list. You cant Do better than me at the moment. Im qualified and equipped to the U. A. Fanthorpe
ACTIVITY 3.3
a Read the poem which was written to accompany the painting St George and the Dragon, then divide up into groups. Each group should take one of the three sections of the poem to analyse. b In each group, decide what your characters point of view of events is. c Write up a short summary of each characters position. d Choose three or four examples of language which show that this particular character is different from the others. e Choose two or three examples of anachronistic language (look up anachronism in the Chapter 1 glossary). Why has the poet used them? f What tone does the character speak in? g In class, compare your groups findings and discuss how the perspective of events changes from speaker to speaker. h Discuss whether it is the poets perspective which changes or that of the characters. i Can you determine what the poets perspective is on the painting? j Record, in your journal, your responses to the painting and the poem. Have you, for example, changed your perspective of the painting, now that you have read the poem?
ACTIVITY 3.4
Transformation
a Look up transformation in the glossary. When you feel you understand the meaning, read over your narrative summary of the story of St George and the dragon. Look at the painting again, and read the poem. b Create your own transformation of the St George and the dragon legend, in written or graphic form. Create a particular perspective to the story, that is, you make St George a hero, a cartoon character or a villain, or in some way give the story a particular slant or perspective. For example, St George could be a crusader in a contemporary context, and the dragon might represent some evil thing in society. Your transformation could be based on plot, theme, character or any aspect of the legend.
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c Write up a short report describing how your latest version of the story is different from, yet similar to, the narrative summary, the painting and the poem. Make a list of the ways in which the items are similar yet different and comment on why the way in which they were presented affected the meaning in each.
This introductory section has enabled you to think about changing perspective and what it can mean and how it can be represented through different personas or situations or ideas. In this case, youve looked at how perceptions have changed within one text (a poem), and youve looked at how a simple legend has been used to generate a number of texts in different contexts, each with changing perspectives on the same idea. You also need to think about how your perception of the legend has changed as youve responded to the story and composed your own text.
The how and why of meaning

Any text has meaning. All texts are constructed from a particular context, with a purpose in mind, even if it is only to entertain you in a lighthearted way, for example, with a joke. In the previous texts in this chapter you have looked mainly at what the concept is and what changing perspectives were expressed when different personas spoke. You are now going to examine texts more deeply and look at how meaning is created and why. For example, how are different ideas about changing perspective expressed in the texts you are examining, collecting and composing? The following model gives you some ideas on analysing and deconstructing a text for meaning, through such things as structure and language.
Language forms and features used to create meaning Narrative structure: beginning or introduction or orientationopening first four paragraphs establish characters, attitudes and setting Use of words like wary, European migrants, sojourners in a foreign land, Macedonian, Poland set up the idea of difference. Note that neither the couple nor the immigrants have names, perhaps representing the numbers of people who went through this process, the symbolic nature of the people. The cottage, study and Moreton Bay figs give a sense of normalcy Winton is further establishing the difference of the couple and the immigrantsspitting, shouted, ranted, screamed add to alienation
Neighbours
1 When they first moved in, the young couple were wary of the neighbourhood. The street was full of European migrants. It made the newly-weds feel like sojourners in a foreign land. Next door on the left lived a Macedonian family. On the right, a widower from Poland. The newly-weds house was small, but its high ceilings and paned windows gave it the feel of an elegant cottage. From his study window, the young man could see out over the rooftops and used-car yards the Moreton Bay figs in the park where they walked their dog. The neighbours seemed cautious about the dog, a docile, moulting collie. The young man and woman had lived all their lives in the expansive outer suburbs where good neighbours were seldom seen and never heard. The sounds of spitting and washing and daybreak watering came as a shock. The Macedonian family shouted,
Changing Perceptions Young couple at first alienated, suspicious and foreign in their own country Question on why the immigrant neighbours are suspicious of dogs which are common domestic pets in Australia The migrants difference and strangeness further alienates the young couple. The author appears to be with the young couple.
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Expanded and different viewpoints and perceptionsthe young man writes his thesis while his wife works; and the little boy urinates in the street, has a shaved head and stares at them, underlining the differences
The initial incident or complication occurs in the narrative. Time passesautumn begins. Winton uses the images of planting food to foreshadow the beginning of a growing and fruitful understanding. Connections are made between the people.
Note the sparse use of adjectives or adverbs but a strong and exact use of verbsfall, slid, rebuilt. Second incident or event occurs
Autumn changes to winteroften a symbol of isolation. Instead, food is swapped, parents visit.
ranted, screamed. It took six months for the newcomers to comprehend the fact that their neighbours were not murdering each other, merely talking. The old Polish man spent most of his day hammering nails into wood only to pull them out again. His yard was stacked with salvaged lumber. He added to it, but he did not build with it. Relations were uncomfortable for many months. The Macedonians raised eyebrows at the late hour at which the newcomers rose in the mornings. The young man sensed their disapproval at his staying home to write his thesis while his wife worked. He watched in disgust as the little boy next door urinated in the street. He once saw him spraying the cat from the back step. The childs head was shaved regularly, he assumed, in order to make his hair grow thick. The little boy stood at the fence with only his cobalt eyes showing; it made the young man nervous. In the autumn, the young couple cleared rubbish from their backyard and turned and manured the soil under the open and measured gaze of the neighbours. They planted leeks, onions, cabbage, brussels sprouts and broad beans and this caused the neighbours to come to the fence and offer advice about spacing, hilling, mulching. The young man resented the interference, but he took careful note of what was said. He wife was bold enough to run a hand over the childs stubble and the big woman with black eyes and butchers arms gave her a bagful of garlic cloves to plant. Not long after, the young man and woman built a henhouse. The neighbours watched it fall down. The Polish widower slid through the fence uninvited and rebuilt it for them. They could not understand a word he said. As autumn merged into winter and the vermilion sunsets were followed by sudden, dark dusks touched with the smell of woodsmoke and the sound of roosters crowing days end, the young couple found themselves smiling back at the neighbours. They offered heads of cabbage and took gifts of grappa and firewood. The young man worked steadily at his thesis on the development of the twentieth-century novel. He cooked dinners for his wife and listened to her stories of eccentric patients and hospital incompetence. In the street they no longer walked with their eyes lowered. They felt superior and proud when their parents came to visit and to cast shocked glances across the fence.
An unbroken and uncomfortable relationship exists for a while between the two parties. We realise the immigrants think the couple are oddchanging the perception a little. Winton shows that there is difference on both sides.
The couple plant vegetablesa visible activity that the migrants can understand and offer help with. The two groups make their first tentative moves towards each other.
The couple see the good heartedness of the Polish widower though they cant understand him. The young couple establish smiling relationships and exchange food gifts and feel proud of their relationships with their neighbours, although there is still a sense of the young man cut off from the others, with his thesis.
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A third incident or event occurs the killing, preparation and eating of the ducks. A role reversal is occurring. The Australians are fitting in with the traditions of the outsiders, and find they love it. Language is occurring. Winton is the omniscient narrator, not just telling one persons version of a story and leaving other versions out.
The fourth incident occurs: the pregnancy. The sparse sentences leave the opinions of the writer out of the story, and give a factual report feel to the story.
The fifth incident: The neighbour buildsa sign of growth and perhaps preparation for the new child in some subconscious way.
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Sixth incident: neighbours react. They are no longer just named by their nationality, but are called people.
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Winton makes a detailed list of the presents given to the young woman.
Seventh incident: the gift of firewood for warmth is symbolic of friendship.
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Eighth incident: labour begins. The young couple perhaps still dont realise the support and friendship being offered to them.
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In the winter they kept ducks, big, silent muscovies that stood about in the rain growing fat. In the spring the Macedonian family showed them how to slaughter and to pluck and to dress. They all sat around on blocks and upturned buckets and told barelyunderstood storiesthe men butchering, the women plucking, as was demanded. In the haze of down and steam and fractured dialogue, the young man and woman felt intoxicated. The cat toyed with severed heads. The child pulled the cats tail. The newcomers found themselves shouting. But they had not planned on a pregnancy. It stunned them to be made parents so early. Their friends did not have children until several years after being marriedif at all. The young woman arranged for maternity leave. The young man ploughed on with his thesis on the twentieth-century novel. The Polish widower began to build. In the late spring dawns, he sank posts and poured cement and began to use his wood. The young couple turned in their bed, cursed him behind his back. The young husband, at times, suspected that the widower was deliberately antagonising them. The young wife threw up in the mornings. Hay fever began to wear him down. Before long the young couple realised that the whole neighbourhood knew of the pregnancy. People smiled tirelessly at them. The man in the deli gave her small presents of chocolates and him packets of cigarettes that he stored at home, not being a smoker. In the summer, Italian women began to offer names. Greek women stopped the young woman in the street, pulled her skirt up and felt her belly, telling her it was bound to be a boy. By late summer the woman next door had knitted the baby a suit, complete with booties and beanie. The young woman felt flattered, claustrophobic, grateful, peeved. By late summer, the Polish widower next door had almost finished his two-car garage. The young man could not believe that a man without a car would do such a thing, and one evening as he was considering making a complaint about the noise, the Polish man came over with barrowfuls of woodscraps for their fire. Labour came abruptly. The young man abandoned the twentieth-century novel for the telephone. His wife began to black the stove. The midwife came and helped her finish the job while he ran about making statements that sounded like queries. His wife hoisted her belly about the house, supervising his movements.
The newcomers are accepted by the immigrants and join in with their food preparation and can understand some conversation. The perspective is now from the migrants point of view.
The couple are stunned by their pregnancybeing parents is not how they viewed their lives.
The couple feel worn down and antagonistic towards their noisy Polish neighbour.
The young woman is overwhelmed and sometimes peeved by the amazingly generous response to her pregnancy.
The young couple still dont like the noise of the Polish neighbour, but realise he is generous to them.
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Note the sentence structureparallel sentences with details of the labour create a sense of urgency.
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The climax of the story is not the birth of the child, but the gaining of understanding by the young man. Winton appears critical of the academic approach to life, and shows the young mans emerging understanding of the generosity of the neighbours he once looked at with suspicion.
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Going outside for more wood, he saw, in the last light of the day, the faces at each fence. He counted twelve faces. The Macedonian family waved and called out what sounded like their best wishes. As the night deepened, the young woman dozed between contractions, sometimes walking, sometimes shouting. She had a hot bath and began to eat ice and demand liverwurst. Her belly rose, uterus flexing downward. Her sweat sparkled, the gossamer highlit by movement and firelight. The night grew older. The midwife crooned. The young man rubbed his wifes back, fed her ice and rubbed her lips with oil. And then came the pushing. He caressed and stared and tried not to shout. The floor trembled as the young woman bore down in a squat. He felt the power of her, the sophistication of her. She strained. Her faced mottled. She kept at it, push after push, assaulting some unseen barrier, until suddenly it was smashed and she was through. It took his wind away to see the look on the babys face as it was suddenly passed up to the breast. It had one eye on him. It found the nipple. It trailed cord and vernix smears and its mothers own sweat. She gasped and covered the tiny buttocks with a hand. A boy, she said. For a second, the child lost the nipple and began to cry. The young man heard shouting outside. He went to the back door. On the Macedonian side of the fence, a small queue of bleary faces looked up, cheering, and the young man began to weep. The twentieth-century novel had not prepared him for this.
Tim Winton
The woman goes into labour and the young man leaves his thesis, and notes the twelve faces of the neighbours wishing him well. The young woman continues her labour as her husband supports her.
The child is born. The young man realises the neighbours have been up all night supporting him and his wife and he weeps. The young mans perceptions are shifted completely. Note that the storys climax or resolution hinges on the young mans final realisation and shift in perception of the goodness of people.
ACTIVITY 3.5
a Read the text Neighbours by Tim Winton and the notes down each side of the text. b How has Winton shown the differences between the two cultural groups? c What perceptions do the groups appear to have of each other? d What changes take place in the story? e Give examples of Wintons language that show the changes taking place. f Why do you think he doesnt name anyone in the story? g How much of the story do you think represents Wintons point of view? Why and to what degree? h Analyse the first sentence of each paragraph and try to identify any typical sentence structures that Winton uses. What creates the similarities in the sentence structures? i Write a short story in which you show two groups whose perceptions of each other change by the end of the story.
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j Create a single-frame cartoon in which two people are viewing something with very different perceptions. For example, someone might say to another person, Ive bought a new car, picturing an old bomb in their head. The person to whom they are speaking might say, Thats great! and picture a new four-wheel drive, or a sports car. k Create a multiple-frame cartoon strip in which two people begin with two similar perceptions of something (for example, an item or situation) and change perceptions by the last frame.
Changing perspective through a range of texts

The following texts represent different and changing perspectives on the way animals are treated or viewed in our world. Some of the texts reflect changing perspectives within them. Some reflect the changing perspectives of the authors who constructed them. Overall, the texts have been collected and constructed so that when you finish reading them, your perspective may have shifted in some way. They are only a tiny sample of texts, and you should collect and create some of your own as you read and view these texts. Ernest Hemingway (18981961) was a famous US writer who was particularly well known for his stories which celebrated topics like bull fighting in Death in the Afternoon and big-game hunting in The Green Hills of Africa. Many of his stories were made into films.
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ACTIVITY 3.6
a The photo was used recently in a review of a book about Hemingway. The review panned the book and the photo was positioned in such a way that it made Hemingway look old fashioned and arrogant about animals. What do you think the original context of this photo was? How can you tell (historical time, place, etc.)? b Suggest a suitable caption for the photo and explain why you chose the caption. c Comment on the composition of the photo. (Look up composition in the glossary if necessary.) d Comment on the position of the subjects in the photo. e Comment on any other features, such as the camera shot, use of light and shade, the gun, the facial expression, the clothing, the position of the animal. f What do you think the purpose and audience of this photo were when it was first published? g What perspective on big-game hunting is offered to the viewer of this photo?
Game boys
It took this Louisiana vet three hours to track and kill a giraffe. In three months its head will be adorning his living-room wall. Kevin Pilley tracks the trophy hunters.
1 Johann, the spotter, taps on the roof of the Land Rover. Zombah! he says in hushed tones, pointing upwind, through the mopane bush. Doc jumps out, flicks off his safety catch, kneels down and rests his Remington .338 on a rock. It takes him a few seconds to scope in on his target. Johann stands behind him. When he is satisfied that Doc is
breathing regularly and that the animals head is centred in his telescopic sight, he taps the hunters shoulder and whispers, Take him. 2 The first bullet goes up the giraffes right nostril, the second clean through his neck, and the third into his lungs. He hits the ground with a loud boom. A dust cloud rises. Birds fly from the scrub.
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The big country of the Limpopo Valley suddenly comes alive. Warthogs scream on the run and mongeese flee for cover. I did good! shouts Roger Doc Boughton. He starts to film the huge corpse with his Camcorder. Ive never been so nervous in the whole of my goddamn life as when we snuck up on that big son of a bitch. I wasnt expecting to get him so easy. My trigger is so sensitive that sweat can set it off. When I hit him he wobbled like a bag of jelly. He squashed a tree flat on the way down. Cracked another clean in half. Boy, what a rush! Sitting down on the twitching, still-warm carcass, Doc poses for snapshots. The skinning team arrives. Amos, the chief hacker, takes aim with his axe. It takes six men eight hours to skin, dismember and joint a fully grown African male giraffe (1.5 tonnes, 5.2 metres tall). It took one 54-year-old American about three hours to track and kill it. One moment the giraffes head is sticking out of the undergrowth in the veld; a few months later it is sticking out of a livingroom wall in Louisiana. The Venda skinners go to work cutting through the giraffes thick hide. Doc checks out the entry and exit holes of his three hollow-point bullets. He has got what he wanted. For $US3225 ($4900), including taxidermy, post and packing, he has bagged himself the ultimate African trophy animal. He shot his giraffe at 10.30 a.m. Before evening it has been cut into large pieces and taken to the skinning and disembowelling shed to be buried under a mound of salt. Then it is sent to Tony Rathbone, a field and stream taxidermist who works nearby in Louis Trichardt. Nine months later, there will be a knock at Docs door and a mailman will require him to sign for one stuffed giraffe head and neck, a giraffe-skin rug, four giraffe-skin standard lamps and four novelty giraffe napkin-holders. I could have had me some nice authentic giraffe-skin ashtrays as well, Doc says. But Im anti-smoking. Nothing is wasted. On the day of Docs kill, the giraffe meat is distributed among the workers on a nearby citrus farm. Doc, strange as it may seem, is a vet. Stuffed animal heads adorn the walls of his surgery back
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home. Im not one of them coon-arse crazies, he says. Blood doesnt come into it. I save lives, I dont take them. I was a hunter-and-country person long before I was a vet. The giraffe was a skinny 20-year-old sterile bull which had been disowned by the herd. Someone had to put him down. I just used a rifle rather than a syringe. Doc is one of a party of Louisianans on a 10-day hunt-of-a-lifetime at the Greater Kuduland ranch in Tschipise in Northern Province, not far from the Zimbabwe border. Another giraffe has been taken down by Double-Rugged Doug Miller, an oilfield engineer from the Deep South. Dirty Harry Anderson, and Dougs father, Buffalo Bill, make up the rest of the party. Their nicknames were given to them on arrival. Greater Kuduland is owned and run by 35-yearold Howard Knott. When it opened in 1971 it was one of only two game ranches in the country. There are now 600. Twenty million hectares in South Africa are devoted to big game ranching, one of the largest-growing sectors of the agricultural economy. Hunting brings in 6000 foreign visitors a year, along with much foreign currency. Knott studied ranch management in Texas. His 50 000-hectare estate, in the foothills of Soutpansberg mountain, is home to four of the Big Fiveleopards, rhinos, elephants, and zebras, but no lions. Knott doesnt allow his rhinos or elephants to be hunted. But there is a price on the head of his bushpig, kudu, impala, vervet monkeys, red hartebeest, blesbok, nyala, steenbok, hembok and duiker. A baboon will set his customers back $US50, an ostrich $550. For $450 a dayincluding food, guides and liquor in moderationhe will organise safaris lasting from four to 14 days. We dont hunt indiscriminately, he says. We have 45 giraffes, and we take out 5 per cent of the total population: we just take off the excess. We do a helicopter head count every year to see how many animals we have and how many we can lose. If it doesnt pay, it cant stay. The rules are strict. Rifle hunters must prove themselves marksmen before they are allowed into the hunting areas, and have their gunsights checked on the range. Shooting from the truck is not allowed: the animal must be stalked on foot. A professional
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hunter is allotted to each customer. Once he is sure that an animal is old enough he gives permission to shoot. If the holidaying hunter only wounds the animal, the resident hunter finishes it off. Doc brought three boxes of bullets. He has fired thirteen times so far, taking out nine animals, including the giraffe. It was double the size of his previous best, a 680-kilogram moose in Alaska. Dirty Harry Anderson, a 61-year-old saltmining engineer from Avery Island, Louisiana, has had a successful hunt so far, too. Ive overshot, overeaten and overdrunk. Ive got myself everything I want, including some real purty sand grouse and partridge. This is as close to heaven as you can get. If I enjoyed myself more, I dont think I could stand it. Anderson owns thirty-three guns and has hunted all his life. Im not going to take up golf until Im through with fishing, hunting, drinking and f . . . ing. Im not a rich man but this is worth every penny. Were talking around $US20 000 in cash for the ultimate adventure. But Im just as happy walking around collecting rocks, picking me up a porcupine quill and seeing the animals. Buffalo Bill Miller, a retired pharmaceutical salesman, decided to be an observer on this trip. Plain games or big game doesnt do anything for me. Ive shot thousands of birds since I was an itty-bitty kid. Mostly dove. We still have dove in gravy on New Years Day. I only shoot what I eat. Period. Were all sportsmenwe respect what we hunt. This safari aint macho bullshit stuff. Hunting these animals barefoot with a spear like the natives is macho. Thats real hunt. What isnt hunting is pheasant hunting, using all them beaters and rivers and people. Here were controlling the numbers of animals so the habitat is not destroyed. Them environmental wackos think of a giraffe and they think of some cutie with long curly eyelashes. They dont see a pest. You can give them all the evidence, all the stats, and all the information, and they wont change. They cant get their fist out of their arseholes to do anything else. His 28-year-old son, Double-Rugged Doug, rants in the same vein. Jesus H. Christ, man. Mountain lions are eating kids back home. They
ate a lady recently and they were more concerned that the animal got shot! Get real! 21 Big-game hunters, like fishermen, are prone to exaggeration. By the end of the day, Docs giraffe has grown and put on weight. The distance from which it was shot increases and so does the time taken stalking it. 22 I aint killed me anything today but Im going to kill a six-pack, says Doug, gulping a beer. It is halfway through the trip, and Doug is suffering severe trophy-hunters withdrawal symptoms, having gone three days without firing a shot. Doc shot four animals in one day and then bagged his giraffe. Harry has been averaging one a day. Dougs trigger finger is starting to itch. I cant leave here without a friggin zebra, he says. Tomorrow I want me a different Land Rover jockey to put me on to something good. Every time I see something, Im told not to shoot the goddamn thing because its too small or not old enough or something. And then the critters are spooked as soon as I get close enough . . . It might be the butter beans. Im farting like a Missouri mule and its scaring the animals off. 23 In the evenings, over dinner and beers and whisky around the campfire, the hunters like to talk about the size of each others horns. Hunters are all after a record-breaking horn: a big
I could have had me some nice authentic giraffe-skin ashtrays as well. But Im anti-smoking.
spiralling horn is a real status symbol. Dougs kudo horn was an inch smaller than Docs 54incher. Doug, the immature male in the pack, cant stand being upstaged. Yeah, but I got my giraffe right between the eyes. One shot and wop! I dumped that mother good and proper. I smoked him plenty good. 24 The Louisiana trophy-hunters go to bed early and leave the camp the next morning at 6.30. When they come back for lunch, Doug has a blue wildebeest which he had stalked for 22 kilometres and four hours. Thats a beautiful animal, says Harry, looking at the bleeding corpse.
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A dead baboon is next on Dougs hit list. He doesnt have time for a leopard, because a leopard hunt takes two weeks and has only a 40 per cent chance of success. South African law allows only 45 leopards to be shot every year. Knott charges $US2700 for a leopard. He has a long waiting list. 26 Knott also runs South Africas oldest wild animal auction. Last June he sold about 1.6 million rand ($400 000) worth of game stock. A buffalo fetches 1000 rand, a hardwater Cape springbok 2500 rand and a giraffe 10 000 rand. The most expensive is a roan antelope: a single animal costs 40 000 rand. Knott owns the largest breeding herd of roan antelope in the world. These animals damage the crops and hurt the land if they are not controlled, he says. They destroy other animals habitats. More prey means more predators. But still we are thought to be cruel by killing off the excess. Whats crueller? Shooting them or letting them starve to death? 27 On the final day, Doug shoots a baboon. But still no eland or zebra. Thirty-one animals have been shot by three men in the ten days. They all agree that it has been the best hunting they have ever done. In the US you can do a bison hunt in four minutes, says Doc. Businessmen arrive by plane,
take their jacket and tie off, roll up their sleeves and plug a bison. Then they put their jacket and tie back on and off they go. He shakes his head. This is the real thing. 28 Knott says: In South Africa, a lion hunt costs $US2500. Some farmers are breeding lions in captivity here just to be released to be shot. Its a farce. They can hardly run. But lions, too, need to be taken out. A wild lion is only interested in one thingscrewing. Hell kill his own cubs just to get a lioness randy. He doesnt allow anything near his kills. Lions need to be controlled just like any other animal. Dont give me any of that European Greenpeacer King of the Jungle shit. They dont understand nature. 29 A hunter got himself a lion here once. But it was late and so they covered it up, intending to pick it up the next day. The next morning they came back and the whole thing had gone. The only thing left was a little bit of the lions tail. The professional hunter gave it to him and said, Congratulations. Youve shot yourself a $US2500 key ring! 30 Doc screams with laughter and falls of his chair, just as though he had been shot by a high-velocity rifle.
Sydney Morning Herald, 3 July 1999
ACTIVITY 3.7
a What do the heading and subheading tell you about the article? b What is the article about? c Who are the hunters and why are they at the game park? d What do you find out about the actual hunting procedure in the first paragraph? e Comment on the language in the first sentence of the second paragraph. What effect does the sentence have? What do you think the purpose of the author is? f Read paragraph three. What do you learn about Roger Boughton? g What justification does Doc give for his killing of the giraffe? h What is the point of their nicknames? (paragraph 11) i What rules ensure certain behaviours by the hunters? (paragraph 15) j What is Bill Millers attitude to hunting and environmentalists? (paragraph 19) k The author quotes the hunters and describes them with phrases: This safari aint macho bullshit stuff (paragraph 19); . . . the hunters like to talk about the size of each others horns (paragraph 23); and Doc screams with laughter and falls off his chair, just as though he had been shot by a high-velocity rifle (paragraph 30). From the selection of these kinds of phrases, what can you tell about the authors attitude to the hunters?
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l What other aspects of the article tell you about the attitude of the writer to the hunters? (You could examine vocabulary used, sentence structure, structure of the article, opening paragraphs, closing paragraphs, use of quotation, what detail is selected and described about the hunt, what is not said about the hunt and the hunters.) m What perspective(s) about hunting are presented in this article? How do they represent a change in perspective on big-game hunting, from the 1950s to the 2000s? n Do you have a perspective on big-game hunting? Has it changed since reading the article? If so, how and why? o What different perspectives on hunting are (i) in the article and (ii) possible as interpretations of the article?
Societies have long used animals for food and clothing purposes. Many societies have hunted animals for pleasure. As resources are depleted, more animal species become extinct, and some people in the world reassess the way animals co-exist with humans on earth, some humans have looked for new ways of dealing with animals, including treating animals humanely, respecting animal rights and becoming vegetarian. Over 60 per cent of Australian households own a pet, so animals certainly co-exist with humans in large numbers in our country. Read how one man is trying to change human perspectives on the way to treat horses.
Extract IThe old method

His methods of dealing with horses were what I would describe as conventional but that is to say, cruel. The standard way of breaking in horses in those days was a method that is popular even today. A television show made in 1989 to celebrate 20 years of space travel claimed that while outer space is the great frontier of our era, the Wild West was the previous great frontier. As the program pointed out, some things havent changed since those times. One of their featured examples was the way we break in horses. My father had a special corral built, with six solid posts fixed at equal distances around its perimeter. In this way he could break half a dozen horses at the same time. First he fitted on their head-collars. This might have involved running them through a crush to gain close enough access. Next, he attached strong ropes to their head-collars and tied them one to each of the posts, wrapping the rope about six feet off the ground and tying off the end on the rails. So, he would have six animals tied 30 feet apart around the edge of the corral. The horses were already terrified. Next, my father stood in the middle of the coral with a heavy tarpaulin or weighted sack attached to the end of a rope. He threw the sack over the horses backs and around their legs, moving from one to the other. When the sack dropped on their haunches and around their rear legs, the horses panicked. Their eyes rolled and they kicked, reared and pulled back against their restraints as though their lives depended on itbecause in their eyes, it did. Who could tell them that this wasnt the end of everything? Fear is in the nature, and they were driven wild with it and plunged back and forth and sideways on the ends of the ropes, fighting for their lives. Their necks and heads swelled up and frequently they injured themselves. It wasand remainsa desperately cruel sight. This process is called sacking out. It continued for maybe four days, its purpose being to break the horses willpower and thwart their capacity for resistance.
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The next stage was to tie a leg up, usually the near hind leg first of all. A rope would be caught under their rear pastern and pulled tight to a collar placed around their necks. With the horse disabled in this way, a second period of sacking out further reduced their ability to offer resistance. They struggled valiantly, heaving their weight pitifully on three legs and groaning in pain at the pressure on their head-collars. Each leg in turn was tied upand sacking out was now taking a shorter and shorter time as the spirit was being driven out of them. Then, with the hind leg again tied off, a saddle was fixed on. The horses renewed their resistance, fighting the girth. More sacking out wore them down. Some fought for many hours; others gave up more quickly and descended into confusion, waiting for more pain. By now 810 days had passed. The horses had blood tracks on their pasterns from where the ropes had worn through the skin; in places the hair had been burned off from the friction. Frequently there was bruising and more serious injuries to their legs. Their relationship with their human masters was now definedthey were working out of fear, not out of willingness. To destroy the willingness in a horse is a plainly daft, unforgivable thingits among the dominant characteristics of the horse, and if its nurtured it can grow into the most solid and rewarding aspect of their working lives. Of the horses Ive held dear in my life, Ive enjoyed most their willingness to try for me, over and over again. At this stage the six horses were untied one by one and a hackamore fitted; this is a rawhide noseband without a bit. They were long-lined for a further week. When my father came to ride on them for the first time, their rear legs would be tied up again to prevent them from bucking. He got on and off, kicked them in the belly, tried to raise some fight in them any way he could. If they moved, they were whipped. When he was convinced they were broken, hed untie them and ride them in the round pen. Those who werent yet able to be ridden spent part of the day with their legs tied up. The whole process took a minimum of three weeks for the six horses. Now, let me make a straightforward, heartfelt claim: if you gave me those same six horses today, I would have them ready to ride away without having used any tethering, and without having inflicted a moments pain or discomfort. I wont have a whip anywhere near a horse. I will use my voice to a certain extent, but mostly just my body language. In this way, youd have a willing animal whod try hard for you for the rest of his working life. To accomplish this for all six horses, it would take me just three hours, not three weeks.
from The Man Who Listens to Horses, Monty Roberts
Extract IIDedication
I could think of no other choice than to dedicate this book to EQUUS: THE FLIGHT ANIMAL. It is my opinion that we owe this species an apology for causing it to endure our lack of understanding for thousands of years. Equus has been my teacher, my friend and my provider. 81
Extract IIIBack cover blurb

When Monty Roberts was thirteen years old he went off on his own to the deserts of Nevada to watch mustangs in the wild. What he learned about their methods of communication changed his life forever. The Man Who Listens to Horses reveals his deep love and understanding of horses. We learn how, through his relationship with various horses, he gradually acquired his knowledge of their language and developed the methods which enabled him to perform his miracles. According to Monty, anyone can learn the language of the horse and anyone can learn his join up methods. As he says, Good trainers can hear horses talking to them; great trainers can hear them whisper. In this book he tells you how. Unique and inspirational, and with a message far wider than simply its application to horses, it might change your life too.
ACTIVITY 3.8
a Read the three extracts above, all from the book The Man Who Listens to Horses by Monty Roberts. b Extract 1 describes the ways in which Montys father broke horses. What is his attitude to the way his father and horsemen generally broke horses? How can you tell he is recounting in the first paragraph? c What point does he make about the methods of breaking horses in the second paragraph? d What was the point of using a sack on horses? e What relationship do the horses have with humans, using this system? f Monty comments on an aspect of horses which should be encouraged, not beaten out of them. What is that aspect? g Montys last paragraph shows how his perspective on breaking horses has changed. He was a young child when he witnessed his father breaking horses. What is his attitude as an adult to preparing horses to ride? h Why do you think he has named the book The Man Who Listens to Horses? i Extract II is a dedication. What aspects of the dedication show how Monty Roberts has changed his perspective on horses from when he was a child? j Extract III is a back cover blurb. What does it suggest about the methods Monty Roberts now uses to communicate with and teach horses? k Comment on the changes in language and imagery between the three pieces. (You could comment on tense, use of pronouns, use of adverbs and adverbs, connotations of words, sentence structure.) l How and why does the purpose of each extract change the way it is written? m Has your perception of horse breaking changed in any way? If so, why and how? n If you have time, read the book and compare the old with Montys new way of training horses to be ridden, and his comments about relationships between species (including humans) in general. (Monty comments at the end of the book My goal is to leave the world a better place, for horses and people, than I found it.) o If you dont have time to read the book, research some information on Montys training methods, through his web site at www.MontyRoberts.com or email him on admin@MontyRoberts.com. p Compare the information you receive on the web site with the information you received in the text extracts. How is it similar, and how different? (Think about purpose, audience, context, medium of production.)
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His mother slaughtered, home destroyednow his fate is in your hands The orphaned orang-utans
of Borneo have had a terrible year. Mothers killed by poachers. Forest homes destroyed by the disastrous Indonesian firestorms. Bodies wracked by human diseases they cant fight on their own. They cant fight for health because they have no mothers milk; they cant find food in the forest, because their forest is gone. Its not just about life and death anymore. This year, extinction has become a real possibility. Their only hope is your emergency donation to WSPA, to help our rescue work and to help us fight for better forest protection. Your support could pay for mothers milk replacement for the babies, treatment for the sick and protection from further fires. They need it now. Please give what you can, to save these orphans who have already suffered enough.
NT URGE
Yes, I want to help save the orang-utans from fire, disease and slaughter.
Enclosed is my cheque/money order payable to WSPA $20 $50 $100 $250 other $. . . . . . . . . . OR Please debit my Bankcard MasterCard
Card number DT69801 Signature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Expiry Date . . . . . . / . . . . . .
Visa
Amex
Diners
Name
Mr/Mrs/Ms/Miss
................................
PLEASE PRINT
WSPA World Society for the Protection of Animals
Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Postcode . . . . . . Phone ( ).....................................
PHONE
Between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.
1800 786 874
or mail this coupon today
Find out more from our website: www.wva.way.net/wspa
Send to: WSPA, PO BOX E369, Kingston ACT 2604.
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ACTIVITY 3.9
a Study the advertisement He cant hold on any longer. b What has changed in the orang-utans existence? c What or whose perspective is the advertisement trying to get you to take? d What techniques are used and how are they used in the advertisement to move your emotions and get you to donate money? (You could look at the headings and subheadings, the typefaces or fonts used; the composition, positioning of the animals, the body language and the other objects in the photos; the use of emotive language, especially verbs and adjectives; the use of bold type, and any other features you can see.) e Whose other changing perspectives might be taken into account besides the orang-utans? (Look at the details in the first paragraph in the advertisement.) f How does the funding for the advertisement determine its subject matter? g Individually or in groups, compose a similar style of advertisement for the lifestyle of the farmers who light the fires in Indonesia. Point out their changing conditions and use language which is emotive and attempts to move a particular audience. Compare your compositions in class. h Can you find any point of comparison or contrast in the texts about animals that you have studied so far? If so, what are they, and how are they similar or different and why? i In groups, research an aspect of species extinction. You could begin with the RSPCA or the WSPA, by either writing an inquiry letter or look up their web sites. Create a poster with written text and graphics and present your poster to the class, explaining how you researched your information and why you chose to present it in the particular texts and graphics you used.
I rub my puppys nose in it

This is an antiquated and incorrect method of toilet training. Many people believe their puppy knows what it has done wrong because the puppy looks so guilty. The owner reasons that if their displeasure is clearly indicated, the pup will learn not to repeat the behaviour. The trouble is, the pup is not really feeling guilty; it is confused and frightened, and responding to the anger of its owner by submissive behaviourthe hang-dog lookwhich we often misinterpret as guilt. An eight-week-old pup does not have bladder and bowel control. This gradually develops and pups will quickly become housetrained if they know the appropriate place to go and can get to it. A mistake in the house is actually a mistake by the owner, who has not realised the puppy needs to relieve itself. Pups, like children, thrive on praise and will try very hard to please if they understand what their owner wants!
Gaille Perry, Queensland behaviourist
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ACTIVITY 3.10
a Read the extract I rub my puppys nose in it which is part of a series of ten common canine myths. b How does the first sentence indicate the writer is seeking a change in human behaviour? c What comments does the writer make on the idea of a puppy looking guilty? d Look up the word anthropomorphising (see the glossary in Chapter 1). What does it mean? How does the word fit into this article? e Households all over Australia have brought children up to believe that they should rub a puppy or kittens nose in it if they make a mess. Do you think it is possible to sway such strong beliefs? How? f In groups, choose an aspect of human behaviour that you would like to change in regard to animals. Design an advertising campaign which will be delivered in print, and on radio and television prime spots. Using the computer room, if possible, mock up your print materials. Script and tape your radio spots. Use a video camera to film the television commercials you create. g Have each group present their advertising pitch to the class, and have the class vote on the most effective one. h Compare and contrast the different advertising pitches presented and discuss the merits of each in a class forum.
The Man from Snowy River

There was movement at the station, for the word has passed around That the colt from old Regret had got away, And had joined the wild bush horseshe was worth a thousand pound, So all the cracks had gathered to the fray. All the tried and noted riders from the stations near and far Had mustered at the homestead overnight, For the bushmen love hard riding where the wild bush horses are, And the stock-horse snuffs the battle with delight. There was Harrison, who made his pile when Pardon won the cup, The old man with his hair as white as snow; But few could ride beside him when his blood was fairly up He would go wherever horse and man could go. And Clancy of the Overflow came down to lend a hand, No better horseman ever held the reins; For never horse could throw him while the saddle-girths would stand, He learnt to ride while droving on the plains. And one was there, a stripling on a small and weedy beast; He was something like a racehorse undersized, With a touch of Timor ponythree parts thoroughbred at least And such as are by mountain horsemen prized. He was hard and tough and wiryjust the sort that wont say die There was courage in his quick impatient tread; And he bore the badge of gameness in his bright and fiery eye, And the proud and lofty carriage of his head.
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But still so slight and weedy, one would doubt his power to stay, And the old man said, That horse will never do For a long and tiring galloplad, youd better stop away, Those hills are far too rough for such as you. So he waited, sad and wistfulonly Clancy stood his friend I think we ought to let him come, he said. I warrant hell be with us when hes wanted at the end, For both his horse and he are mountain bred. He hails from Snowy River, up by Kosciuskos side, Where the hills are twice as steep and twice as rough; Where a horses hoofs strike firelight from the flint-stones every stride, The man that holds his own is good enough. And the Snowy River riders on the mountains make their home, Where the river runs those giant hills between; I have seen full many horsemen since I first commenced to roam, But nowhere yet such horsemen have I seen. So he went; they found the horses by the big mimosa clump, They raced away towards the mountains brow, And the old man give his orders, Boys, go at them from the jump, No use to try for fancy riding now. And, Clancy, you must wheel them, try and wheel them to the right. Ride boldly, lad, and never fear the spills, For never yet was rider that could keep the mob in sight, If once they gain the shelter of those hills. So Clancy rode to wheel themhe was racing on the wing Where the best and boldest riders take their place, And he raced his stock-horse past them, and he made the ranges ring With the stockwhip, as he met them face to face. Then they halted for a moment, while he swung the dreaded lash, But they saw their well-loved mountain full in view, And they charged beneath the stockwhip with a sharp and sudden dash, And off into the mountain scrub they flew. Then fast the horsemen followed, where the gorges deep and black Resounded to the thunder of their tread, And the stockwhips woke the echoes, and they fiercely answered back From cliffs and crags that beetled overhead. And upward, ever upward, the wild horses held their way, Where mountain ash and kurrajong grew wide; And the old man muttered fiercely, We may bid the mob good day, No man can hold them down the other side. When they reached the mountains summit, even Clancy took a pull It well might make the boldest hold their breath; The wild hop scrub grew thickly, and the hidden ground was full Of wombat holes, and any slip was death. But the Man from Snowy River let the pony have his head, And he swung his stockwhip round and gave a cheer,
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And he raced him down the mountain like a torrent down its bed, While the others stood and watched in very fear. He sent the flint-stones flying, but the pony kept his feet, He cleared the fallen timber in his stride, And the Man from Snowy River never shifted in his seat It was grand to see that mountain horseman ride. Through the stringy-barks and saplings, on the rough and broken ground, Down the hillside at a racing pace he went; And he never drew the bridle till he landed safe and sound At the bottom of that terrible descent. He was right among the horses as they climbed the farther hill, And the watchers on the mountain, standing mute, Saw him ply the stockwhip fiercely; he was right among them still, As he raced across the clearing in pursuit. Then they lost him for a moment, where two mountain gullies met In the rangesbut a final glimpse reveals On a dim and distant hillside the wild horses racing yet, With the Man from Snowy River at their heels. And he ran them single-handed till their sides were white with foam; He followed like a bloodhound on their track, Till they halted, cowed and beaten; then he turned their heads for home, And alone and unassisted brought them back. But his hardy mountain pony he could scarcely raise a trot, He was blood from hip to shoulder from the spur; But his pluck was still undaunted, and his courage fiery hot, For never yet was mountain horse a cur. And down by Kosciusko, where the pine-clad ridges raise Their torn and rugged battlements on high, Where the air is clear as crystal, and the white stars fairly blaze At midnight in the cold and frosty sky, And where around the Overflow the reed-beds sweep and sway To the breezes, and the rolling plains are wide, The Man from Snowy River is a household word to-day, And the stockmen tell the story of his ride.
A. B. Paterson
ACTIVITY 3.11
a Read the poem The Man from Snowy River. b Something changes from the usual mustering processwhat is it? c Discuss the historical context of the poem and the way it has been received in Australian society up until the present day. d Research orally, by asking your parents or grandparents what they know about the poem and how they feel about it. e Jot down a summary of the heroic activities and choose some words or phrases which exemplify them.
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f What qualities are admired in the hero? g Describe what happens to the man from Snowy Rivers horse. h Find any words which anthropomorphise the horse (see Activity 3.10d). i What perspective do you have on the treatment of the horse and why? j If you knew the poem before you started reading these texts on animals, did you think that cruelty was done to the horse in your previous reading? If not, has your perspective changed, and if so, why? k Compare the attitudes to horses in Extract 1 on page 80 with the attitude in The Man from Snowy River. Do you think horses are treated any better now than they have been in the past?
ACTIVITY 3.12
General activities
a What are some of the changing perspectives you have read about in the relationships between humans and animals? b Create a table with these headings: Features Hemingway Game boys Monty Roberts He cant hold on any longer I rub my puppys nose in it The Man from Snowy River
Concept of change Perspective Change in perspective Form Medium Purpose Audience Context: social/ historical/ cultural Point of view of composer: bias?are age, gender, ethnicity etc. relevant? Structure Similar to ... text because Different from ... text because Language features Relevant gaps or silences Other features
c Make notes in the appropriate column for each text where relevant. You will end up with a quick-look chart that will help you form an overview of the features of all the texts. You can file this chart to help you with your study later.
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d Choose one of the texts you have read and explain what the changing perspective is in it. e Now choose a character from that item and rewrite the item from their perspective. Add an explanatory note describing what features of the text you had to change and why. f In groups, conduct some research on your classs attitudes to animals. Set up your questions and deliver them in either print or audio form. Present your findings to the class after consultation with your teacher about the form of presentation. g Take some time to discuss as a class what you have learned about so far in this chapter, and how you have learned it. Make a list of the things the class has learned on the board or on an overhead. h As a class, discuss any research you have done so far in this chapter (for example, oral, audio, Internet search, library, interview) and decide which were the most appropriate processes or technologies that you used in the course of your investigation and why they were the most appropriate. i Have a class debate on the topic: Animals exist for the service of humankind. j Find two web sites that deal with some aspect of improving the lot of animals. Compare the way the sites deal with the topics. For example, comment on the subject(s) being presented, the purpose of the web site, access to information or clarity of presentation (for example, language, layout, hypertext links) and whether you think the sites succeed in their purpose. Give them a rating. k Create your own web site in which you present information about some aspect of the world you would like to see improved. You can create a web site on paper as a design if you dont have access to computers.
Dumbing down
Dumbing down is an Americanism, a term coined to describe what some perceive as an unmistakable trend in modern society, a trend fuelled by consumerism, new technologies and the mass media: the growing ignorance and superficial values of the general populace. Hilary McPhee recently found herself talking on the subject at a writers conference.
1 My heart sank when I heard what topic wed been allocated. I was about to join the ranks of the reprimandersthose people we all used to groan about when we were young: headmistresses and clergymen and elderly academics, high-minded old people who knew what was best for us, knew us better than we knew ourselves even, who were wheeled out on special occasions to tell us to take ourselves more seriously. 2 My heart sank also because the notion of dumbing down has overtones Im uneasy about. I dont like the image of the intellectual gazing in horror across the abyss at the unthinking semiliterate masses who threaten to overwhelm us with their taste for tabloid newspapers, television, popular fiction, sport and electronic media. Its an uncomfortable imagepartly because Ive never yet met anyone whos described themselves as dumbed down. Its a condition which afflicts others. And its a debate that regularly surfaces whenever we feel overwhelmed by change, I think.
4 An overthrow of standards? Certainly alarm bells were ringing about the dangers of mass education and mass culture by the late nineteenth century. The Education Act of 1871 in Britain had produced a huge reading public for which the popular newspaper came into being. A decade later, Nietzche could declare that the rabble vomit their bile, and call it a newspaper. Most intellectuals deplored the advent of the popular novel and daily paper. 5 Leavis believed in 1930 that the term highbrow was invented to label people like himself who
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believed that the mass media of the day had brought about an overthrow of standards. 6 In Australia, education Acts were passed in each State ensuring that each child would have access to education that was free, secular and compulsory. I cant say what kind of regard our local papers were held in at the time but most of our intellectuals looked to Britain and would have echoed the notion that what the majority prefers is always second-rate. 7 T. S. Eliot in the 1920s was concerned that the spread of education would inevitably lead to barbarism. There is no doubt in our headlong rush to educate everybody, we are lowering our standards . . . destroying our ancient edifices to make ready the ground upon which the barbarian nomads of the future will encamp in their mechanised caravans. As I left the house today, one of my sons was encamped in his late twentieth-century version of a mechanised caravan writing an essay on Eliots The Waste Land for his second-year arts course at one of our universities. (Hes been asked to consider a quote from Leaviss New Bearings on English Poetry, no less, which suggests that The unity the poem aims at is that of an inconclusive consciousness . . .) 9 My son was working on his elderly Macintosh, headphones clamped to his ears, CD player flashing rhythmically behind him. His desk was littered with photocopied extracts covered in highlighter pen and printouts on modernist poets from American academics who seem content to put onto the Internet their every thought. 10 Eliots notes to the poem mean nothing to my sonEcclesiastes, Dante, the Upanishad, Ovid, Baudelaire, Tristan and Isolde, St Augustine. He had chosen the topic from a long list of modernist poets (and their context) handed out at a lecture. Im sure he would have been offered a tutorial on the topic but had had more pressing engagements. 11 Not a book to be seen There is not a book to be seen on his desk except a paperback biography of Arnold Schwarzenegger. He has been writing straight onto the screen despite our admonitions, and soon he will head off 8
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to the gym in seamless imitation of Sam Fussell. Like Sams mother, I sometimes weep. Yet, I expect his marks will be on a par with mine when I did English and history honours at Melbourne University in the first half of the 1960s. I was taught by Leavisites, of course, in small smoky tutorials where we spent many weeks identifying and discussing the classical and musical references in The Waste Land and listening to wonderful British Council recordings of Eliot reading his work. There were six or seven of us, the cream of our matriculation year, all of us full-time students on Commonwealth scholarships or teaching studentships. Some were nuns, most of the boys smoked pipes, and all of us were middle-class and English-speaking. Sometimes Id stay in the library taking notes until 10 p.m. but more often I was hanging about the Union Theatre rehearsing, reading new plays, making posters. We all read a lotand I had holiday jobs to pay off my considerable bills at Cheshires, the best bookshop in town. Some years later when I had children I assumed they would imbibe, along with their mothers milk probably, a love of literature; that the hour I spent reading to them each night would turn them into bookworms; that growing up in a household where books ruled meant that, at the very least, like me, they would never leave the house without one. Of course, the opposite seems to have happened althoughlike the woman who thought that decimal currency was just a passing phase, I still hold out hope. And Christina Stead is supposed to have said that all she learnt at university was how to round her vowels and pretend she knew more than she did. (I know there is a danger in arguing from ones own experiencebut I think mine is trying to remind me about social change, about romanticising the past, about not understanding the young, and about the temptation always to cast around desperately for someone to blame.)
17 A wrong turning? You dont hear young voices in the current debates about literacy and television viewing. I wish we did. You have to be getting on to find a discussion of the
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decline in intellectual and educational standards of much concern, I suspect. At its core is a yearning for better days and a big dose of that worst kind of fearthat we may have taken a wrong turning. The fear, which I think many of us share, is that our children do not know what they are missing and that they are missing what we took for granted. I think thats true. They dont. But its worth remembering that these are perennial fears which the media and politicians love to harness and feed from time to time. They produce topics much beloved of writers conferences and publishers. Harold Bloom still raises them regularly. So does Frank Devine. Sven Birkets The Gutenberg Elegies is the best of the most recent eulogies to reading and warnings of the impoverishment of the electronic age. But Im not so sure that intellectual and educational standards are lower than they were twenty or thirty years ago when the great campaign for improving the availability of higher education began in Australia, and in the UK too, I think. Certainly, the world we are attempting to apply these standards in is almost unrecognisable and we dont like it much or know how to deal with rapid change. Nor can I believe that policy makers or educational planners deliberately set out to lower standards and allow several generations to graduate from schools or universities poorly equipped for life. Which isnt to say that there havent been some rather batty ideological curriculum decisions made at times, which are still being unpicked. And for the last fifteen years or so theres been a concerted attempt to equip graduates for work and its that shift of emphasis, in particular, I suspect, which is part of the problem. There were six in my matriculation year in a secondary school of two or three hundred students. In 1983, retention rates of students to year 12 were still as low as 3 in 10. The number of university places available was below those in other comparable OECD countries. By the early 1990s, there were 8 in 10 staying on to year 12. But, almost at the same time as access to higher education started to improve, exactly the kind of jobs once filled by those who used to leave school early were disappearing fast.
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Technology has replaced most of the clerical, secretarial, production-line jobs and apprenticeships these young people could once have expected. So these kids were now in school or university hoping to come out with qualifications that would guarantee them a job. It didnt happen. Downsizingthe horrible notion that productivity and disemployment were co-terminouswas invented. 24 Students didnt get what they were led to believe education was all about, nor were their teachers given anything like extra resources and recognition to make their task even halfway possible, it seems to me. 25 Teachers at all levels cannot be blamed for the predicament they find themselves in. The task of teaching large classes of students from a wide variety of backgrounds, with limited English skills and poor support systems at homealthough my experience at home may disprove that the availability of books is a serious factorhas been increasing in difficulty, quite obviously, for some time now. 26 Kids raised on a diet of six hours or more television every day, for nearly half their waking life, is apparently the norm and an indication of the extent to which we have moved from a predominantly visual to a televisual culture. 27 The policies to increase access were pretty successful if you measure success by numbers. If you measure success by student/teacher ratios, by some curriculum content, by standards of written work and by the richness of students extracurricular lives, the impoverishment is clear.
28 The rule of the Economy Most instrumental, I believe, in the dumbing down of this country is the absolute rule of The Economy. We inhabit at the end of the twentieth century a world where unfettered capitalism is far more powerful than governments. A successful economy (whatever that might bewhere the rich get richer and the poor evaporate?) is taken much more seriously as a measure of progress and civilisation than art or science or religion or health or naturewhich have to jump through hoops and adopt the language of corporatism and consumerism to be heard at all. 29 Universities are only one example of the compliance to economic mores, but a particularly sad one. Some of them seem to have backed themselves
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into corners disguised as second-rate corporations speaking clientspeak and KPIs and marketing in order to make themselves acceptable to governments which continue to cut their funding and throw them onto an unimpressed private sector. 30 This is really dumb of government, I think. What universities do best is not measureable. And it cannot be easily benchmarked. The respect universities can instil in students for imagination and inspiration, the capacity they can foster for critical analysis and creative thought are far more important, and almost diametrically opposed to, corporatism. 31 Clearly, the graduates of the future are going to need rather more than the ability to slot into corporations for as long as they are required. They should even be capable of sometimes resisting the demands of the marketplaceor certainly be able to realign themselves in order to lead creative and humane lives. 32 But when profits rule, and when we inhabit an economy and not a society, dumbing down is the way to go. The old saw, Nobody ever went broke underestimating the good taste of the marketplace, holds true. 33 Public taste In McPhee Gribbles early days other publishers used to love to give us advice. Do a cookbook, or a sports biography. Find someone to write it and get a household name to front it. Get it out fast and youll sell fifty thousands copies before anyone realises its no good. We didnt because we used to worry that people wouldnt come back for more if you gave them pap. Now, Im not so sure. Advertising and the clamour for profits drowns out everything else. 34 There are, as a result, few gatekeepers you can trust and fewer real choices. The demise of effective filtersand I mean critics and editors, in particular, whose role has changed greatly in recent timesis a big part of the problem, whether were looking at the Internet, television, newspapers, books and the endless entertainment guides. 35 The electronic media is a long way from fulfilling its considerable promise. There are some spectacular exceptions, of course, but to my eye it is still not much more than a vast unedited grab bag of opinion, endlessly hotlinked yet oddly random facts, some crummy infotainment and
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games, and yet another way of pushing more things at us to subscribe to or buy. At the moment, the Internet, like the rest of the media, is without effective filters. It is impossible to know if what you are reading is worth reading until you have read it. A book can be weighed in your hand, assessed, cross-referenced, flicked through, then discarded as not as good as something else or peripheral interest onlyusually unerringly and in a very much shorter time. For whatever reasonsbut I think the commodification of education might have something to do with itthe work of some academic cultural and literary theorists over the last twenty years has been prescient. Sven Birkets sees a society that seems to have come loose from its textual moorings. It mirrors perfectly, through relentless referencing, the dynamics of electronic media. The intellectual project now is usually made up of borrowings, quotations, manipulations, readings and rereadings, and the on-off engagement with the screen of the user/subscriber. Whether one wants to argue this or not, it seems to me that the struggle over multiculturalism and the canon, theoretical frameworks used like cages rather than tools for art and ideas, the deluge of information rather than knowledge, the emphasis on technological systems rather than content, could be caricatured as a kind of dumbing up, I guess. But I dont want to fall into that trap. Umberto Eco once said that after fifty a scholar or critic must be concerned no longer with avant garde movements but write only about the Elizabethan poets. Because novelty is coming so quickly now, only a young person is able to swallow and digest it and make of it what they will. I think we must believe him and watch the shift from one kind of culture to another, trusting in the next couple of generations to create their own filters when they eventually do suffer from indigestion and overload. I expect they will get it a little bit rightlike we did. I also expect that the topic will have rearranged itself slightly in the next twenty years, but theyll be just as anxiously discussing it.
Hilary McPhee, from a speech she gave at the 1997 Melbourne Writers Festival
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ACTIVITY 3.13
a Read the text of the speech by Hilary McPhee. b In your own words, say what dumbing down means, according to Hilary McPhee. c Why did her heart sink when she found out the topic? (paragraphs 1 and 2) d What is the reason she gives for the appearance of the debate topic in contemporary society? (paragraph 3) e How are the fears of Nietzsche and Leavis similar to fears about mass media today? (paragraphs 4 and 5) f How does paragraph 9 indicate that the speaker think her sons study conditions are different from the ones she had? g Read paragraph 12 again and look up Leavis in the glossary in Chapter 1. Why does Hilary McPhee use the reference to Leavisites? h What did she hope for and how does it link to the subheading above this section? (paragraph 14). i Research Christina Stead. You can research in pairs or groups by looking up encyclopaedias at home, the school or local library, or on the Internet. You could refer to anthologies of Australian writers, or look up books such as the Macquarie Dictionary, or companions to Australian literature in the reference section of a library. If you are doing an Internet search on a search engine such as Yahoo you will find help or instruction pages which will tell you how to word your search. j What reason does McPhee give for arguing from her own experience? (paragraph 16) k What fear does she think is expressed? (paragraph 17) l How seriously does she take these fears? Give reasons for your answer. (paragraph 18) m What particular perspective does she take on change and educational standards in paragraphs 19, 20 and 21? n Summarise what McPhee says about educational numbers, universities and the rise of a visual culture in paragraphs 2227. o What instrument does she believe is the most responsible for the dumbing down of Australia and what example does she give of how it doesnt work? (paragraphs 28 and 29) p What do you think she means by gatekeepers and filters in paragraph 34? q What criticisms does she level at the electronic media and the Internet? Do you think she is correct? Why or why not? (paragraphs 35 and 36) r Look up the word prescient and rewrite paragraph 37 in your own words. s Explain Sven Birkets sees a society that seems to have come loose from its textual moorings. (paragraph 38) t What point is she making in paragraph 39 connected with dumbing up? u Research Umberto Eco. What do you think of his statement quoted in paragraph 40? v What kind of change is she talking about in the last paragraph and what does she expect to happen in relation to it? w Describe what you consider to be McPhees purpose and intended audience for this speech. x How has the structure of her speech and the language she has used supported her views on a changing society? (Look at the topic and structure of the speech as well as language including vocabulary, tone, emotive or scientific use of words, use of references to other writers, personal examples, looking at two or three sides to a discussion, topics concentrated on, or any other point you can think of.) y What is your perspective on the issues McPhee raises? z Choose an area of change in our society and prepare a three-minute presentation, in which you deliver a particular perspective or point of view on the aspect of change. Your presentation could be as a speech, a visual representation with discussion, a PowerPoint presentation or any
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other mode you consider suitable. Afterwards, discuss in class the different ways used to present the speeches, and which you thought were the most effective. Discuss purpose, audience, context and how you chose the methods you did to deliver your presentations.
Visual representation of change
Called Australias mermaid, champion long-distance swimmer Annette Kellerman inspired a revolution in swimwear in the 1920sshe pioneered the onepiece suit. (In those days, womens costumes covered them from neck to toe.) Kellermans life was described on film in a movie called Million Dollar Mermaid.
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ACTIVITY 3.14
a Study the photo of Annette Kellerman and Laila Ali (boxing) daughter of Muhammad Ali. b What do you find out about Kellerman from the text beside the photograph? What change has she helped take place? Think about the clothing women would have worn during their daily lives. c Comment on the Kellerman photo in terms of the context in which it was taken, composition, the shot itself, the body positioning, body language, clothing, print text or any other comment you can make. (Check the glossary of terms for critical language if you aren't sure.) d Comment on the boxing photo in terms of the context in which it was taken, composition, the shot itself, the body positioning, body language, clothing, print text or any other comment you can make. (Check the glossary of terms for critical language if you aren't sure.)
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e What changes can you see have taken place in society's conventions and attitudes regarding (women's) clothing and especially the amount of clothing worn for public use? f In groups or as individuals, create a photographic shoot of a series of photos which represent change in some way. Perhaps you could look at changes in men's clothing. or Locate and select a photographic series, using magazines and newspaper sources, and present your selection to the class, explaining the way the graphics represent change. g In class, present your photographic exhibition and explain to the class the processes and technology you used to arrive at your final exhibition. Explain the choices, subjects, positions or anything that you had to make decisions and choices about.
ACTIVITY 3.15
a Study the cartoon and say what you think it means. b How does the cartoon comment on change? c Which perspectives are represented in the cartoon? Whose perspective is changing and whose isnt? d Comment on the graphic design and print text inclusions. e Why did Moir create this cartoon? f What is the essential irony expressed in this cartoon? g Create another cartoon with a similar message. h Create a cartoon which represents a White Australian perspective on change.
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Protocol
respecting the customs of the communities
Intellectual copyright
current intellectual and cultural property laws are not protecting the rights of Indigenous People
faq
Culture
resources for understanding the diversity of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Culture
links to other sites
ACTIVITY 3.16
a Study the web page above and comment on how it represents a change in thinking for a section of our society. b What change is the web page trying to help implement? c How is the page similar to yet different from other conventional information pages? Why do you think it is designed this way? d Whose perspective does it represent? e How is the perspective similar to the one expressed in the cartoon? How is it different? f Design a web page which endeavours to change the way people see certain information and how they use it.
Approaches to the prescribed texts

You are now going to explore the perspectives on change which are presented in your prescribed texts and to identify some key passages which illustrate those perspectives. The following are notes with suggestions to help you see where a perspective on change is illustrated.
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Looking for Alibrandi See Chapter 26 in which Josephine Alibrandi realises that she no longer cares what people think about her. She reflects on Sera, Michael, John, Jacob and how they respond to her. She observes that probably very few people actually spend a lot of time thinking about her, although she has spent a lot of time obsessing about what others think about her and her family. She reflects on Nonnas hypocrisy and she talks to Nonna and finds out her reasons for behaving the way she did. She can finally see her grandmothers perspective on things and she in turn develops a different perspective on her own existence. Cosi Look at the part of the scene where different attitudes to madness, sanity and control are indicated and the audience sees different perspectives on madnessAct I (the last four lines, page 40) from Nick, I was expecting you earlier, to page 42 where Roy says, Dont worry, Nick will make you look good. Immigrant Chronicle Consider the poem Migrant Hostel. Radiance Consider the scene towards the end of the movie from where Nona takes the Black Princes hat, Chrissy tells her that the Black Prince raped her and that Nona is her daughter, and Nona runs to the island with the ashes. Stolen Children and Their Stories Looks at the perspectives of politicians John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia (page 119), and Senator Crowley, Labor Senator for South Australia.
ACTIVITY 3.17
a Read or view the extract relevant to the text you are studying. Think about and make notes on what assumptions you had, or that the characters had at the beginning of the text. Think about how the extract reflects a changing perspective, then answer these questions. b What change to do with people, events or ideas is occurring or has occurred in the extract? c Are there any events which reflect change or the possibility of change? d Who is involved in this change? e What perspective is being offered in the text? f Whose perspective is being represented? g How is the perspective one that is also changing or has the possibility for change for someone? h Has the text enabled you to change your perspective from your original view? How and why? i Using the text, identify the author or composers point of view, and that of the main characters, and then identify and explain your own point of view.
Similarities and differences

Studying the similarities and differences between texts will help you to understand how different texts convey different perspectives in different ways. For example, if you find that two different kinds of texts (for example, a film and novel) have a similar beginning or setting yet end up with quite different story lines or endings, think about why the composers took the texts in such different directions. Each text will create its own apparent meaning because of the different conscious and sometimes subconscious intentions of the person(s) creating that text.
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ACTIVITY 3.18
a Write the beginning paragraph or opening scene for a narrative text which has a beach setting. b Compare your narratives by reading them aloud in class. c Ask the class what meanings they got out of your text, then explain what you were trying to do. d Discuss any texts where the class members had different interpretations to that of the creator of the text. e Discuss any texts where the class texts had obvious similarities with each other. Look for reasons (for example, do you all live in a beachside suburb, do you all respond in a similar way to the word beach?). Are there similar cultural backgrounds that prompted the similar responses? f Discuss the variety of perspectives about the beach which arose from the class compositions.
ACTIVITY 3.19
a Choose an extract from your prescribed text for the Area of Study which reflects a changing perspective. Choose another text from this chapter which you think would be good to compare it with. b Compare and contrast the two texts or extracts, commenting on similarities and differences in:
the medium in which the text is produced the perspective or point of view presented the context from which the perspective is presented how the perspective has changed and for whom (the character, the author or you?) assumptions underlying the perspective (Do you take certain things for granted because of your background? Does the author? Do the characters?) language forms and features used to create meaning.
Representation of the concept in the prescribed texts

The activities in this section emphasise representation of the concept and encourage you to consider what happens to meaning when the form of representation changes. Remember you will need to make a close study of the prescribed texts prior to these activities. These activities do not replace close study. When you make a close study of a text you are concerned with elements of text such as purpose, audience, theme, plot, narrative/structure, characterisation and the language features of the text.
ACTIVITY 3.20
Looking for Alibrandi
a Choose a dialogue from the novel, or a monologue which shows changing perspective. Rewrite it as a third-person narrative, and explain the effects of this change in both language and the meaning it creates. b Choose an incident from Looking for Alibrandi and write it as a newspaper report. What changes to language, content and page design were necessary? Why?
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c Write a one-page description or summary of an incident in the novel. Then write a poem of at least ten lines which describes the same thing. Create a poster with both pieces on it, explaining the similarities and differences between the two. Explain the choices you made to create the language and structure of your texts.
ACTIVITY 3.21
Cosi
a Pretend you are one of the characters in the play and write or tape a speech to the person in charge of the hospital, explaining why you should be allowed to leave. Write the response. Write a final note explaining what changes you made in the language you used for both pieces, and why. b Choose a part of the play which shows one of the inmates perspectives on madness. Rewrite that part as a newspaper report and explain how and why the language, meaning and structures had to change. c Choose a piece of dialogue from the play which gives one of the characters perspectives about the situation. Rewrite that piece as a speech. Explain to the class how you had to change the language forms and features yet still convey a similar meaning.
ACTIVITY 3.22
Immigrant Chronicle
a Write an explanation of one of the set poems in your own words. What are the advantages of doing this? What are the disadvantages? b Read Postcard and analyse its meaning through its structure and language. Research the history of Warsaw and write a short information piece to be placed in an encyclopaedia. Find a photograph of Warsaw. Pretend to be a tourist in Warsaw and write a postcard home. Now read over your material and look for similarities and differences between the pieces. Describe how the pieces are constructed, the language used, the layout on the page and what meaning these things convey. How does the perspective on Warsaw shift between each piece? Whose perspective is represented and how do you know this? c How are Peter Skrzyneckis perceptions of Australia affected by his experiences? How might his perceptions of Australia be different from yours if (i) youve grown up here of Australian-born parents, (ii) youve grown up here but your parents were immigrants, (iii) you were an immigrant but your parents applied to come to Australia, or (iv) you were granted refugee status because of political or religious strife in your homeland?
ACTIVITY 3.23
Radiance
a Watch the opening scenes of Radiance for about one or two minutes. In groups, write the script as you imagine it is written for those scenes. Have each group act its script version out. Discuss in class how the film, the scripts and the scripted versions are different. What actually changes when you change the form you are receiving information in? For example, if you dont have a camera to film, does that change the way you see the acted versions? What does the medium of film add to a script? How do close-up, distance shots, etc. change the way you see the film and the scripted versions? Explain how your perceptions change because of the two different mediums. b Choose a scene from Radiance in which you think one or more of the characters is changing their understanding or perceptions of what has gone on before. What is changing for that character? Why is it changing? Find a text in any form you wish that also shows a character
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changing his or her perceptions. Write up a report indicating where the similarities and differences are between the texts, and how and why they are different. c View the scene again where the sisters burn the house. Rewrite the incident from the perspective of a local paper. What features of the incident, and what language forms and features, would change in the re-presentation of the event?
ACTIVITY 3.24
Stolen Children and Their Stories
a Choose two of the stories from the book and make a list of the similarities in the stories. Jot down the differences as well. Analyse the language used to express the stories, and comment on any noticeable features. Write down what you think the perspective is of each writer in relation to the stolen children. Choose one of the perspectives at the back of the book, written by a politician. Jot down the perspective given on the stolen children, and any similar points you can find with the two stories. Jot down any differences. Analyse the language used by the politician, and comment on any noticeable features. Write a report in which you summarise what you have found to be similar and what you have found to be different. b Choose a perspective from the back of the book with which you disagree. Create a strip cartoon using the character who gave the perspective. In the cartoon, create a satirical episode involving stolen children and the above character. Display your cartoons around the room and take turns to explain your position on the cartoon to the class. c Write your own perspective on the stolen childrens stories. Read it to the class and explain your choice of perspective and the language you used to express it.
Composing texts
You need to be able to compose a range of types of text around the focus changing perspective. The texts you have studied in this part of the courseyour prescribed text, those in the stimulus booklet, texts you have collected and composedshould all have helped to shape your understanding of change and, in particular, changing perspective. Now you need to synthesise all you have learned. You are required to be able to analyse not only what changing perspective means but how different texts express this type of change. The following activities are designed for work within your class.
ACTIVITY 3.25
a Using all the material you have studied, prepare a report on changing perspective to be presented to the class. You may wish to create a PowerPoint presentation. b What changes in our perspective might come about as the result of out interaction with others in a variety of contexts? Refer to your prescribed text and other texts you have studied. c How have your perceptions of changing perspective been affected by the texts you have studied? d Write a feature article on changing perspective with reference to your prescribed text and other texts you have studied. Design graphics to accompany the article. e Write the script for a documentary on changing perspective. Indicate the visual material you would use. f Write and video a documentary on changing perspective.
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Your final assessment in the Higher School Certificate will require you to write an extended response to the texts which you have studied on change. The following activity provides practice for possible HSC-type questions.
ACTIVITY 3.26
Using your prescribed text, texts from the stimulus booklet, and some other texts you have collected or composed, discuss:
the way change is reflected in the texts the significance of change the varying ideas about change the way your point of view has been shaped by the texts the ways in which change is expressed in the texts.
SUGGESTED READING AND VIEWING

Fiction A Passage to India, E. M. Foster Heat and Dust, Ruth Jhabvala My Brother Jack, George Johnston Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe Poetry Anthologies by specific groups, for example, those with gender, race, minority status Drama Box the Pony, Scott Rankin and Leah Purcell Educating Rita, Willy Russell One Day of the Year, Alan Seymour Nonfiction Dingo, Sally Dingo Documentaries such as those looking at changes in developing countries, or changing perspectives on social issues such as drug use Perfect Murder, Perfect Town, Lawrence Schiller Film/television American Beauty Cry Freedom Jackie and Hilary Judge Judy Secrets and Lies Sliding Doors The Sixth Sense Multimedia Web sites which track change in society and perspectives, for example, environmental, health, demographic (for example, Greenpeace and Whale-watch sites) Picture books My Place, Nadia Wheatley The Piggy Book, Anthony Browner The Rabbits, John Marsden and Shaun Tan
SAMPLE ASSESSMENT TASKS

Refer to Sample Assessment Tasks on pages 656.
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Contents

Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

A Language Tool Kit: a glossary of useful terms ________________ 1

Language, Context and Meaning Book 2

Introduction __________________________________________________________ 133 The Standard and Advanced Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

What this focus is about

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Not My Best Side

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The how and why of meaning

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Seventh incident: the gift of firewood for warmth is symbolic of friendship.

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Changing perspective through a range of texts

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Extract IThe old method

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Extract IIIBack cover blurb

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I rub my puppys nose in it

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The Man from Snowy River

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Language, Context and Meaning Book 2

Visual representation of change

Language, Context and Meaning Book 2

Language, Context and Meaning Book 2

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Language, Context and Meaning Book 2

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Language, Context and Meaning Book 2

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Language, Context and Meaning Book 2

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