Senior School English Mr Bakes 

“Predictable,” by Bruce Lansky:

Poor as a church mouse,
strong as an ox,
cute as a button,
smart as a fox.

thin as a toothpick,
white as a ghost,
fit as a fiddle,
dumb as a post.

bald as an eagle,
neat as a pin,
proud as a peacock,
ugly as sin.

When people are talking
you know what they’ll say
as soon as they start to
use a cliche

So, in other words, cliches are simply well-known and over-used phrases, words, plots, themes, or images that show lack of originality and creativity from the person it came from.

(Source: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080722205945AAjR7Rb)

pick a face to do an extreme close up on then imagine slowly zooming out.

What changing ideas might a movie audience get as this camera action occurs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinematic_techniques

Watch the short film entitled validation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JpEHhhlOmo

1. What meanings can the word validation have?
2. How is the idea of validation established in the film?
3. Why do you think there are so many closeups in the film?
4. Why do you think the film was shot in black and white?
5. How is music used to convey mood and character?
6. Why is Victoria important in Hugh’s journey?
7. How is Hugh’s declining mood shown?
8. What do we learn about Hugh through his last line?
9. What do you think is the intended message of the film?

Questions from page 104-105 Insight English Skills 9 Sue Sherman Insight publications, Melbourne, 2011

Why is the film entitled validation and who needed validation? Is the story really more about Hugh than anyone else?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paVED2TFvEk

what techniques does the director use to show the passage of time
Why is it called perfection?
what is the film suggesting to us?

the most beautiful thing

what techniques does the director use to establish the main character’s loneliness in the opening scenes?

memory

what is the director wanting to establish in our minds – what cinematic techniques are used to do this?

In your table groups deconstruct this advertisement before going to the explanation on the link shown below.

Note that Ausaid is, according to Wikipedia, “the Australian Government agency responsible for managing Australia’s overseas aid program until 31 October 2013, when it ceased to be an executive agency and was integrated into the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The objective of the aid program is to assist developing countries to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development, in line with Australia’s national interest.” It stood for the Australian Agency for International Development http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AusAID

What is this advertisement implying and how is this idea conveyed?

Go to the shared Google Doc: Political advertising – misleading

Source: debrief of advertisement

A takeoff from Australia Post??

Another possible takeoff?

http://kapilb.com/blog/2007/08/29/453/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGlx11BxF24

I lived with my family
all bunched in the cold,
till one fateful day
I was dragged from the fold

The claw reached in
and took me away
despite my pleading
and begging to stay

I fell into darkness
as thick as black ink;
what was at the bottom
I dreaded to think

I was tossed and thrown
all the way down,
out through the opening
before hitting the ground

When an arm came towards me
and forced me to jump –
leading me to torture
and an end at the dump

He ripped at my head
and started to sip
using tongue and teeth
and his cold bottom lip

As he siphoned away
the fluid in me
I thought of my life –
I wished I was free

Then he squashed me
without care for my tin
went for the long shot
I flew to the bin

Now I’m happy again
I’m back with my folk
I’ve been recreated
as a new can of Coke.

A big question.

Can the written word change attitudes?

“Throughout the ages, groups of human beings have experienced the full range of hardships, injustices, hopelessness and struggle. History tells innumerable stories of those who’ve been conquered, exploited and treated as inferior to others. Many writers, including poets, have expressed in words those human conditions and raised their voices against oppression, racism and justice. Good poetry can transform and shape people’s thinking and understand and help the reader stand in the shoes of others.”

People write and film and speak about hardship and injustice and some of the more powerful writing comes out of situations where people stand against oppression and injustice.

The question to ask is whether the written word can change attitudes.

The phrase – the pen is mightier than the sword speaks of this. In fact a Greek poet Euripides said “The tongue is mightier than the blade.”

The Bible says that the word of God is living and effective, sharper than a two-edged sword

In Hamlet Shakespeare wrote a line – many wearing rapiers are afraid of goose quills

Thomas Jefferson in 1796 said to Thomas Paine – Go on doing with your pen what in other times was done with the sword.

So there is a view that words can be very powerful

A well-known and recognised early Aboriginal poet and social activist was a lady known as Kath Walker or Oodgeroo Noonuccal.

Dreamtime is a poem spoken by Kath Walker on the steps of Parliament House on March 27th, 1970. You can read it here.

Dreamtime

To understand Kath Walker we need to know about the Stolen Generation.

Open up the following website:

The Stolen Generation

Read this webpage together and view video clips by way of introduction to the voice of Kath Walker

“It was incredible,” Laurie was saying about the class. “Everyone was saluting and repeating the motto. You couldn’t help but get caught up in it. You know, really wanting to make it work. Feeling all that energy building around you.”

Laure was expressing something many German people, including the youth of Germany, felt when listening to Adolf Hitler.

Here is the text of a speech he gave to the youth during WW2 followed by a link to the actual speech. When watching it look at the reactions of the young people and remember the scene in The Wave movie when the class was chanting the slogan with Mr Ross. That was when laurie thought the whole thing was getting creepy.

Published on Apr 3, 2012
My German youth, after a year, I can greet you here again. You are here today in this place, a cross section of what is around us in the whole of Germany. We know that you German boys and girls are taking on everything we hope for from Germany. We want to be one people, and you, my youth, are to be this people. We want to see no more class divisions: you must not let this grow up amongst you.

We want to see one nation one day, and you must train for it.
· We want our people to be obedient, and you must practice obedience.
· We want our people to love peace, but also to be brave. You must be peace-loving and so you must be peace-loving and courageous at the same time.
· We want our people to remain strong. It will be hard, and you must steel yourselves for it in your youth. You must learn to suffer privation without crumbling once.
Whatever we create today, whatever we do, we will die, but Germany will live on in you. When there is nothing left of us, then you must hold in your fists the flags that we hoisted out of nothing. I know this cannot be otherwise because you are the flesh of our flesh, and the blood of our blood. In your young heads burns the same spirit that rules us. You cannot be other than united with us. When the great columns of our movement march triumphantly through Germany today, I know you will join the columns. We know before us Germany lies, in us Germany burns, and behind us Germany follows!

There are some significant statements in these chapters that reveal the potentially dark side of the Wave. I believe that God created all things good, certainly the Bible attests to that in Genesis 1 and 2 but it can have a dark side as people twist that goodness into something sefish and destructive. Community, for example, is about working together for a common cause which God says is about building each other up. So when Mr Ross tells them in chapter 8 that “through hard work and allegiance to each other, you will learn faster and accomplish more” (page 49) he is describing community in action. Hopwever, Laurie observes this when the class stand to agree with him, “Laurie Saunders stood with them, but she did not feel the high energy and unity she’s felt on previous days. In fact, today there was something abut the single-mindedness and absolute obedience to Mr Ross that she would almost describe as creepy.” (page 49) Here we can see the potential for something that is inherently good, (working together for the benefit of all) to be used by someone to dominate others, which is of course the opposite side of community. It is important to understand that community does not require uniformity where everybody is the same and does the same and says the same. What community requires is a will to look after each other so that everyone’s rights and needs are met and not suppressed. It seems to me that Mr Ross is creating a mindless movement of slavish obedience without using their brains to think. That is dangerous and it’s why Mrs Saunders said of Robert Billings: “Such a dramtic personality change. It almost sounds like he’s joined a cult or something. (page 58) Puffin 1994

Feel free to comment on this

For all those students genuinely interested in understanding and appreciating the novel we are reading, click on the resource below

http://www.gradesaver.com/the-wave/study-guide/quotes/

important quotes from the novel