Encountering Conflict 2012

THE CRUCIBLE AND THE RUGMAKER OF MAZAR-E-SHARIF

 

Reading and knowing your set texts well is vitally important to doing the best you can in SACs and the exam.

Your S/N Task - Exploring the Context - Some further points

Aim to create four posts for The Secret River . You need to complete a post for the Picture Panic, Text Tremors, Film Flogging and Music Matters areas of the blog.



The posts will discuss articles of your choice. Your discussion should consider the article in relation to the context of Encountering Conflict and highlight any connections between The Secret River and the article. Include an idea for a piece of writing you think the material would inspire, try to note the form and audience for the piece.

So, have a go. Don't panic about doing it right or wrong, in this case it's about the discussion we can generate and the ideas that will put us in a strong position from which to tackle the SACs and exam.

If you see something put up by someone else that gets you thinking leave them a comment. If you come across something that inspires you in regards to The Rugmaker put a post up about that too. Good Luck.

2011 STARTS HERE!

The Importance of Language

Language barriers between the Aboriginals and the colonists is a theme explored closely by Grenville in The Secret River. This leads to a problem that arises in many instances where an indigenous culture has been invaded, and that is the loss of their native tongue. This could be an interesting area to explore for a research piece. It is fantastic to see that in many countries, including Australia, work is being put into preserving languages. The image presented below is a link to a map that has been put together by David R. Horton. It is presented on the ABC's Indigenous website that also contains many other interesting articles.

In the Secret River, many of the new settlers hated the aboriginals just purely because they were not like them at all. Their skin colour was different and the way of style was far different from them and because of this, they massacred and drove away the aboriginals from their homes. In the real world, similar cases occur, with powerful organisations killing each other due to difference in beliefs and races. I think this is pure childish acts and people should start thinking not only for themselves but for other people as well.
This picture shows us four friends from different cultural backgrounds. Their faces show no hatred towards each other – just happiness and joy. Yes, people have differences, with physical attributes being one of the most obvious of all, but like these kids, I’m sure there is a way for all of us to understand each other and not worry about the differences we have with another person.

Picture Taken From:
http://c2workshop.typepad.com/.a/6a00e55002645d8834010535984bd6970b-800wi

Colonisation - Invasion

This picture represents the Aboriginals’ way of life and what they went through when the English arrived, much like in The Secret River. The top half of the picture shows how the Aboriginals went about their lives when performing the simplest of tasks, such as hunting their food. Blackwood attempts to understand this and learn of the culture of the Aboriginals in The Secret River. Yet further down in the picture shows what happens when the English settle in the land of Australia. Much like in The Secret River the English did not know the native Aboriginals and therefore became afraid of them. In their fear they attempted to wipe them out in the most brutal ways, such as shooting them (see right). Much like Smasher Sullivan in The Secret River. He fears the Aboriginals and therefore attacks them. This picture shows the impact the English have on the native land and the disturbance they cause when they settle in a new land.

By Nick

Slavery

This is a cartoon depicting the American civil war, which was about the use of African Americans as slaves, back in the 1860’s. Although Australia was not involved in the war, our ideas were the same.

We both thought of the white people of our countries as ‘superior’, and of the ‘blacks’ as low in society, and wild people, who didn’t fit in with our way of life. Both America and Australia treated ‘black’ people very badly, but in the years to come, thoughts on different races have changed, and we now accept all people as ‘equals’, with equal rights, with respect to their cultures.

By Steph