Encountering Conflict Through Picture Panic

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

2011-05-26T02:55:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-12-16T01:58:00.000-08:00

The Importance of Language

2010-08-22T19:13:00.001-07:00

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.

2010-07-18T14:32:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-14T19:23:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-14T18:56:00.000-07:00

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

Peace

2010-03-20T07:28:00.001-07:00

Peace
Originally uploaded by Gale Franey

Gale Franey's reflections on war in our world are interesting. What are your thoughts?

2009-12-07T19:17:00.001-08:00

PICTURE PANIC
CLASS OF 2010
LET'S BEGIN

THE LINE - S/N activity

2009-09-08T18:55:00.000-07:00

When you study The Line by Arch and Martin Flanagan you will need to make connections that go beyond the set text, just as you did with The Secret River. The connections you make are about exploring the set context, Encountering Conflict, and building a pool of ideas to inspire writing pieces that are underpinned by themes, ideas and literary devices used in the set text.

To begin this process you are going to source four texts (a picture, a written text, a song and a film) that you can see are about Encountering Conflict and can be linked to The Line in some way. In these explanations make clear:
- the conflict/s you can see
- the links with the set text
- the ideas for possible writing pieces

An area for improvement from our The Secret River blog posts:

Enhance your digital writing by including links to information on sites that supports your commentary. Also, where possible, incorporate a relevant visual with your post. For example, if you are writing about a novel in the Text Tremors section of the blog, import a picture of the novel’s cover.

kid vs aboriginal

2009-07-22T02:59:00.000-07:00

here is a little kid inspecting a local aboriginal man. the kid probably has little or no understanding about who he is and why he is dressed like that. this pretty much happens in the secret river.

2009-07-07T22:50:00.000-07:00

This image of the hawkesbury river shows how the evolution of man has diminished one of the most beautiful sights in nature. The once secluded river has been taking over by man and their structures and in a sense it has been de-beautified as it is now know longer a symbol of the beauty of nature but of the power and evolution of man.

This in many ways is similar to the secret river as before the white settlers arrived there were no houses, paddocks or docks just the land. Then as the white settlers began to arrive they built houses, paddocks for crops and docks for their boats whilst taking over and developing the land that to the aboriginals was already perfect.

2009-07-07T01:18:00.000-07:00

This picture here showing the raising of the Soviet Union flag over the Reichstag in Nazi Germany, symbolizing the end of the World War 2, then end of 60 million deaths, billions of dollars wasted, countries destroyed, and unaccountable damage to infrastructure.

Though easily seen as a triumphant end, a victory for the Allies, but it was also a sign of darker things to come.
Europe would be divided for the next roughly 60 years, The Iron Curtain, Communism vs. Capitalism, numerous proxy wars, a possible nuclear war.

This is similar to The Secret River because to the European powers Australian would have been seen as a large, fertile, resource rich land, colonized by a bunch of primitive natives. When the British arrived they would have raised their flag and considered colonizing the land their victory.

However cultural and social conflicts would later emerge that would negate that victory.

Don't forget about your S/N task

2009-07-06T01:38:00.001-07:00

Hope the study break is going well for all of you. Remember, I will be checking to see if you have made your 4 'The Secret River' posts asap after the break. Alert notices will go home if the task is not completed. 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. Also, include an idea for a piece of writing you think the material would inspire noting 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 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 Line put a post up about that too. Good Luck.

WARNING : Oil Addiction - causes climate change, funds violentextremism, damages health, reduces wealth!

2009-05-26T03:38:00.001-07:00

WARNING : Oil Addiction - causes climate change, funds violent extremism, damages health, reduces wealth!
Originally uploaded by ~~ zorro ~~

Consider this in light of the human versus nature, colonist versus indigenous themes that are presented in The Secret River.

Vulnerable Targets

2009-04-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

This image of a young Vietnamese girl and other children suffering from the effects of napalm during the Vietnam War is one that truly brings home to the viewer the horrors of war and conflict. I remember being horrified the first time I saw this picture of the Napalm Girl. Witnessing the suffering of the most vulnerable in our society jolts within most of us an instinctual abhorrence, we know that what we are encountering is wrong and needs something to be done about it.

In striking contrast to the horror of the Napalm Girl is the haunting beauty of the Afghan Girl photo portrait. She is of the Hazara tribe, a group belonging to the many Shia minorities in Afghanistan. Her image was captured as she spent time in a refugee camp, seeking protection from the Taliban. When the viewer realises the context of this photo its initial impact changes. Her situation stirs in the viewer an awareness of how cruel and unjust life can be, how fragile people are. (Khaled Hosseini's best selling novel The Kite Runner considers the position of the Hazara tribe in Afghanii society).

In The Secret River the plight of another young, female victim is given voice by Grenville. She tells of an Aboriginal girl being kept as a pet by the despicable Smasher Sullivan. He has no regard for her humanity and mistreats and defiles in her in the basest of ways. It is shocking and uncomfortable for the reader to encounter but, as for many of these types of images and stories, necessary. Throughout history such voices have often been dismissed and ignored, enabling such misery to be perpetuated. The Creating and Presenting Area of Study offers an opportunity to strengthen the voices of the persecuted in our world. A fiction piece inspired by the Aboriginal girl could be extremely effective. Another approach could be to research a figure of interest and write a biography of their life.