Reader Discovery
A big part of the English syllabus is discovering the games that composers play with responders. Very often we do't notice these games - that's how advertising and propaganda work. It's also how we allow the media to create sexist, racist or homophobic stereotypes in our minds.
On this page you will find texts which require you to be an active reader - this means that you need to be totally aware of how the author is manipulating you while you read/view the text. Is the narrator reliable? Are their viewpoints they are deliberately ignoring or including? Is there a social context that works like a frame for the story? Do you need to keep revising your assessment or the events and characters? Where does the "truth" lie? These texts are a bit harder to read and to write about, but they will reward your effort because the high bands of English require you to understand not just what is discovered in the text but what you have personally discovered through studying it - and especially what you have discovered about the discovery process.
The next two pages are a bit simpler - they focus on the importance on narrative (and the metaphors associated with these narratives) in making discoveries about ourselves and others, and the role of imagination in constructing such stories. If you find these texts a bit confronting but still want to write about this higher level of interaction between the writer and reader, try these pages
On this page you will find texts which require you to be an active reader - this means that you need to be totally aware of how the author is manipulating you while you read/view the text. Is the narrator reliable? Are their viewpoints they are deliberately ignoring or including? Is there a social context that works like a frame for the story? Do you need to keep revising your assessment or the events and characters? Where does the "truth" lie? These texts are a bit harder to read and to write about, but they will reward your effort because the high bands of English require you to understand not just what is discovered in the text but what you have personally discovered through studying it - and especially what you have discovered about the discovery process.
The next two pages are a bit simpler - they focus on the importance on narrative (and the metaphors associated with these narratives) in making discoveries about ourselves and others, and the role of imagination in constructing such stories. If you find these texts a bit confronting but still want to write about this higher level of interaction between the writer and reader, try these pages
Picture books
Gaiman, Neil and McKeen, Dave. Mirrormask. Helena awakes to find that a princess has stolen the mirrormask from the City of Light which allowed her to take over Helena's life and plunge the City of Light into darkness and it is up to Helen to fix it, with the help of a juggler and flying books.
.
Non fiction
James, Clive. (). Unreliable Memoirs []
Songs
Simon and Garfunkle. (). “Sounds of Silence”.This ballad describes a man walking down a dark street desperately trying to communicate with a world that is lost behind bright lights and city walls, so that people “talk without speaking” and :”hear without listening”. The words are simple but the metaphors are strong and full of paradoxes like that of the title. Discuss how the simplicity of the melody and instrumentation help the reader to discover the message the narrator is trying to tell us.
Arrogant Worms “I want to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger” [Watch it online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10AOfXCyC3Y] This comedy song satirises the idea that we can discoverty our true identity by changing our appearance to that of celebrities. Analyse the juxtaposition between the persona’s voice and the chorus of media voices in brackets. Contrast the bleak message of the song with the “cutsy” voices and upbeat tune.
Short Stories
Pausacker, Helen. (1996). “Dear Mum and Dad” in Hide and Seek. This set of letters depicts Sue’s struggle to tell her parents she is gay. Analyse the way she moves from letters the conversational tone as she confides in them, to the formal clichés of the final postcard. Link the language techniques to the irony that her inability to discover a way to communicate with her family is exactly what alienates her from them.
Sharp, Cameron, (2011). “Hamilton High School Speech” in Hide and Seek (AOS folder at 820.9) When the author was invited back to speak at his old high school, he is understandably terrified about telling his story. Discuss the way the structure alternates between the actual speak and the asides in brackets that describe his feelings – an easy example of postmodern self-reflexivity. Focus on the colloquial language (and the author’s awareness of it’s effect on the audience) he uses to make the students accept him as well as the dated slang which makes him sound old (from the 1970s). This is an easy text to show different layers of writing: the author and his speech, the author and his audience, the author and you.
Plays
Shaw, Bernard. Pygmalion (822.9 SHA or online at http://www.enotes.com/pygmalion-text ). The story of a lowly flower girl who ‘becomes’ an aristocrat after learning to speak “high class” English. This play is full of witty comments about the artificiality of a society that uses language to discover social identity. Look in particular at the symbolism of the title, the use of cockney dialect and the way stage directions bring characters together. There are several film versions of this play and it was made into the musical My Fair Lady (F MYF)
Films
Sondheim, Steven. Into the Woods. [Ms Carmyn has a copy]. A musical version of the ultimate postmodern fairytale: Cinderella, Red riding hood, Rapunzel, and Jack of Beanstalk fame journey into the woods to achieve their ‘wishes.’ Like some scenes in The Tempest, the woods are dark and dangerous, but they do teach each of the characters that caring about each other is the only way to achieve happiness. Analyse the stage set and soundtrack as well as lyrics such as “You are not alone”. Recommended for advanced students who are using a feminist or psychoanalytical approach to interpretation and standard students who are looking at the archeotypes using in Life of Pi.
Gadsby, Hannah. (2013). Hannah Gadsby’s Oz - Episode 1 Comedian Hannah Gadsby unpacks the historical record of Australia's past through early Wuriopean and contemporary Australian artists. this diocumentary is brilliant from an Art and and English point of view because she focuses on "how" messages are created or critiqued. You could discuss the episode as a documentary or focus on a single painting. Read the review at No Award [http://no-award.net/2014/04/17/hannah-gadsby-oz-1/] and watch the copy on the TV4 Education drive.
Novels
Hill, Anthony. Soldier Boy. This biography begins with Jim Martin’s death at Gallipoli, aged 14. Even though the ending comes first in this story, tension is built through the Jim’s changing relationships with his family and with his soldier mates. Describe the impact of the ‘flash-forward’ at the beginning and the historical documents included in the text, as well as the emotive language that develops the theme of discovery. Recommended for standard students.
Moriarty, Jaclyn. Feeling Sorry for Celia. This novel is a humorous collection of (letters, notes and other ‘scraps’ of Celia’s life which illustrate the connections between Cellia and her divorced parents, best friend and pen pal at a local school. Analyse the way the reader interacts with the unusual (postmodern) structure, and the language features of the difference character’s ‘voices’. Pay special attention to the way satirical letters from organisations such as The Cold Hard Truth Society and The Association of Teenagers which exist only within Celia’s mind represent her “discoveries” of he unwritten codes of adolescent behaviour. A deceptively simple book which could be used by standard or advanced students.
Larbalestier, Justine. Liar. Compulsive liar, Micah is becomes a suspect in her boyfriend’s murder. Pay special attention to the way the reader interacts with the structure of the story and the subtle hints given by the unreliable narrator (read some reviews online – eg at amazon - to get a range of reader responses). This award-winning book is recommneded for advanced students
Fowler, Karen Joy, We are All Completely Beside Ourselves
The Spare Room by Kathryn Lomer. University of Queensland Press, 2004. ISBN-13: 9780702234774. 165 pp. This is quite short and it’s an easy read. It’s about culture shock – a young Japanese student sent to learn English in Tasmania. There is lots of humour about Australian idioms. The discovery of a new language is represented as an important part of the migrant experience:‘We talked about how natural and thoughtless a native language is, something you think about as little as the fact that your skin holds all the parts of the body together. It is like a second skin, a skin of words and phrases and meaning.’ This is a great choice for ESL students, as well as for Standard students.
King Dork by Frank Portman. Penguin Books, 2007 (2006). ISBN-13: 9780141322803. 344 pp. The disaffected youth of the twenty-first century make Holden Caulfield of The Catcher in a Rye look like a wimp. This very funny and clever novel is partly about The Catcher in the Rye, which the narrator despises. Make sure you can discuss the intertextuality as well as the ways the author has created an “authentic voice” for the protagonist. This will appeal particularly to boys – especially if they are interested in popular music.
White, T. H. (1957). The Master. This contemporary retelling of The Tempest can be found online [https://archive.org/details/masteradventures00unse]. It tells the story Compare the roles of the teenagers to Miranda and Pinky to Caliban in the original, and discuss the ways in which The Master and Prospero dominate their landscapes. Don't forget to discuss the impact of direct allusions to Shakespeare's play. Recommended for advanced students studying The Tempest.
Poems
Zephaniah, Benjamin. “Civil Lies” in Unheard Voices: a collection of stories and poems to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act. ed. Malorie Blackman. Beginning with the twisted pun of the title, this poem is a sarcastic comment about the way that the Western education system teaches the process of discovery (as civilised white people discovering uncivilised black lands). Signed “Mr Africa”, the poem points out that humankind and civilisation began in Africa and paints a quick picture of he utopia that ‘existed’ “before [Africa] suffered slavery. This is a simple text with a very important meaning, so it would work very well for ESL students who are looking for an alternative way to view history. It fits especially well with Go back to where you came from.
cummings e e. "next to of course god america" online at The Poetry Archive [http://www.poetryarchive.org/poem/next-course-god-america. This satirical poem uses unconventional punctuation and simple language to carry a serious antiwar message. Nationaist Us cliche's are juxtaposed against grasphic descriptions of the "heroic dead", enabling readers to discover the need for a pacificst political stance.
Hughs, Ted. (). Crow goes Hunting" online at the beckoning [http://www.thebeckoning.com/poetry/hughes/hughes2.html] describes what happens when Crow "decides to try words". The words he throws at Hare are in fact slippery beasts changing form constantly, leaving Crow "speechless with admiration". This poem is a deceptively simple account of the power of language, and a depiction of postmodern understandings of Truth as mutable and uncontainable. It would work very well with an analysis of Prospero's power (through language) over the Island in The Tempest or as an interpretation of the tiger's role in Life of Pi (who is who?). It couold also be used to unpack the way the director controls our reactions in reality TV series such as Go back to where you come from.
Critical essays
Blue, T. (1997). “an (un)real Australian” in Collage 1997. (Belonging folder at 820.9 ) This article discusses the concept of a “true blue” Aussie and how this fits into our multicultural policies, with a fabulous twist at the end. Talk about the way the author constructs him/herself through description and first person (how does the reader’s perception of the writer’s race change? Do they discover about the author and themselves by the end of the article?) and her/his use of formal language mixed with colloquialisms as well as the structure of the text and the symbolism of the author’s name.
Documentaries
Reality Bites
Non fiction
James, Clive. (). Unreliable Memoirs []
Songs
Simon and Garfunkle. (). “Sounds of Silence”.This ballad describes a man walking down a dark street desperately trying to communicate with a world that is lost behind bright lights and city walls, so that people “talk without speaking” and :”hear without listening”. The words are simple but the metaphors are strong and full of paradoxes like that of the title. Discuss how the simplicity of the melody and instrumentation help the reader to discover the message the narrator is trying to tell us.
Arrogant Worms “I want to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger” [Watch it online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10AOfXCyC3Y] This comedy song satirises the idea that we can discoverty our true identity by changing our appearance to that of celebrities. Analyse the juxtaposition between the persona’s voice and the chorus of media voices in brackets. Contrast the bleak message of the song with the “cutsy” voices and upbeat tune.
Short Stories
Pausacker, Helen. (1996). “Dear Mum and Dad” in Hide and Seek. This set of letters depicts Sue’s struggle to tell her parents she is gay. Analyse the way she moves from letters the conversational tone as she confides in them, to the formal clichés of the final postcard. Link the language techniques to the irony that her inability to discover a way to communicate with her family is exactly what alienates her from them.
Sharp, Cameron, (2011). “Hamilton High School Speech” in Hide and Seek (AOS folder at 820.9) When the author was invited back to speak at his old high school, he is understandably terrified about telling his story. Discuss the way the structure alternates between the actual speak and the asides in brackets that describe his feelings – an easy example of postmodern self-reflexivity. Focus on the colloquial language (and the author’s awareness of it’s effect on the audience) he uses to make the students accept him as well as the dated slang which makes him sound old (from the 1970s). This is an easy text to show different layers of writing: the author and his speech, the author and his audience, the author and you.
Plays
Shaw, Bernard. Pygmalion (822.9 SHA or online at http://www.enotes.com/pygmalion-text ). The story of a lowly flower girl who ‘becomes’ an aristocrat after learning to speak “high class” English. This play is full of witty comments about the artificiality of a society that uses language to discover social identity. Look in particular at the symbolism of the title, the use of cockney dialect and the way stage directions bring characters together. There are several film versions of this play and it was made into the musical My Fair Lady (F MYF)
Films
Sondheim, Steven. Into the Woods. [Ms Carmyn has a copy]. A musical version of the ultimate postmodern fairytale: Cinderella, Red riding hood, Rapunzel, and Jack of Beanstalk fame journey into the woods to achieve their ‘wishes.’ Like some scenes in The Tempest, the woods are dark and dangerous, but they do teach each of the characters that caring about each other is the only way to achieve happiness. Analyse the stage set and soundtrack as well as lyrics such as “You are not alone”. Recommended for advanced students who are using a feminist or psychoanalytical approach to interpretation and standard students who are looking at the archeotypes using in Life of Pi.
Gadsby, Hannah. (2013). Hannah Gadsby’s Oz - Episode 1 Comedian Hannah Gadsby unpacks the historical record of Australia's past through early Wuriopean and contemporary Australian artists. this diocumentary is brilliant from an Art and and English point of view because she focuses on "how" messages are created or critiqued. You could discuss the episode as a documentary or focus on a single painting. Read the review at No Award [http://no-award.net/2014/04/17/hannah-gadsby-oz-1/] and watch the copy on the TV4 Education drive.
Novels
Hill, Anthony. Soldier Boy. This biography begins with Jim Martin’s death at Gallipoli, aged 14. Even though the ending comes first in this story, tension is built through the Jim’s changing relationships with his family and with his soldier mates. Describe the impact of the ‘flash-forward’ at the beginning and the historical documents included in the text, as well as the emotive language that develops the theme of discovery. Recommended for standard students.
Moriarty, Jaclyn. Feeling Sorry for Celia. This novel is a humorous collection of (letters, notes and other ‘scraps’ of Celia’s life which illustrate the connections between Cellia and her divorced parents, best friend and pen pal at a local school. Analyse the way the reader interacts with the unusual (postmodern) structure, and the language features of the difference character’s ‘voices’. Pay special attention to the way satirical letters from organisations such as The Cold Hard Truth Society and The Association of Teenagers which exist only within Celia’s mind represent her “discoveries” of he unwritten codes of adolescent behaviour. A deceptively simple book which could be used by standard or advanced students.
Larbalestier, Justine. Liar. Compulsive liar, Micah is becomes a suspect in her boyfriend’s murder. Pay special attention to the way the reader interacts with the structure of the story and the subtle hints given by the unreliable narrator (read some reviews online – eg at amazon - to get a range of reader responses). This award-winning book is recommneded for advanced students
Fowler, Karen Joy, We are All Completely Beside Ourselves
The Spare Room by Kathryn Lomer. University of Queensland Press, 2004. ISBN-13: 9780702234774. 165 pp. This is quite short and it’s an easy read. It’s about culture shock – a young Japanese student sent to learn English in Tasmania. There is lots of humour about Australian idioms. The discovery of a new language is represented as an important part of the migrant experience:‘We talked about how natural and thoughtless a native language is, something you think about as little as the fact that your skin holds all the parts of the body together. It is like a second skin, a skin of words and phrases and meaning.’ This is a great choice for ESL students, as well as for Standard students.
King Dork by Frank Portman. Penguin Books, 2007 (2006). ISBN-13: 9780141322803. 344 pp. The disaffected youth of the twenty-first century make Holden Caulfield of The Catcher in a Rye look like a wimp. This very funny and clever novel is partly about The Catcher in the Rye, which the narrator despises. Make sure you can discuss the intertextuality as well as the ways the author has created an “authentic voice” for the protagonist. This will appeal particularly to boys – especially if they are interested in popular music.
White, T. H. (1957). The Master. This contemporary retelling of The Tempest can be found online [https://archive.org/details/masteradventures00unse]. It tells the story Compare the roles of the teenagers to Miranda and Pinky to Caliban in the original, and discuss the ways in which The Master and Prospero dominate their landscapes. Don't forget to discuss the impact of direct allusions to Shakespeare's play. Recommended for advanced students studying The Tempest.
Poems
Zephaniah, Benjamin. “Civil Lies” in Unheard Voices: a collection of stories and poems to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act. ed. Malorie Blackman. Beginning with the twisted pun of the title, this poem is a sarcastic comment about the way that the Western education system teaches the process of discovery (as civilised white people discovering uncivilised black lands). Signed “Mr Africa”, the poem points out that humankind and civilisation began in Africa and paints a quick picture of he utopia that ‘existed’ “before [Africa] suffered slavery. This is a simple text with a very important meaning, so it would work very well for ESL students who are looking for an alternative way to view history. It fits especially well with Go back to where you came from.
cummings e e. "next to of course god america" online at The Poetry Archive [http://www.poetryarchive.org/poem/next-course-god-america. This satirical poem uses unconventional punctuation and simple language to carry a serious antiwar message. Nationaist Us cliche's are juxtaposed against grasphic descriptions of the "heroic dead", enabling readers to discover the need for a pacificst political stance.
Hughs, Ted. (). Crow goes Hunting" online at the beckoning [http://www.thebeckoning.com/poetry/hughes/hughes2.html] describes what happens when Crow "decides to try words". The words he throws at Hare are in fact slippery beasts changing form constantly, leaving Crow "speechless with admiration". This poem is a deceptively simple account of the power of language, and a depiction of postmodern understandings of Truth as mutable and uncontainable. It would work very well with an analysis of Prospero's power (through language) over the Island in The Tempest or as an interpretation of the tiger's role in Life of Pi (who is who?). It couold also be used to unpack the way the director controls our reactions in reality TV series such as Go back to where you come from.
Critical essays
Blue, T. (1997). “an (un)real Australian” in Collage 1997. (Belonging folder at 820.9 ) This article discusses the concept of a “true blue” Aussie and how this fits into our multicultural policies, with a fabulous twist at the end. Talk about the way the author constructs him/herself through description and first person (how does the reader’s perception of the writer’s race change? Do they discover about the author and themselves by the end of the article?) and her/his use of formal language mixed with colloquialisms as well as the structure of the text and the symbolism of the author’s name.
Documentaries
Reality Bites
Websites
Ridell, Chris (2014). Love Letters to Libraries. [http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/gallery/2014/nov/26/-sp-love-letters-to-libraries-chris-riddell?CMP=share_btn_link] This love letter to the role of libraries in the author's life is almost a graphic novel. It begins with the metaphor of a mountain climber exploring the world of print and references to key texts that frame his development as an adolescent boy. It would be especially useful for students takign a metafiction approach or to students who are looking at how characters deal with issues around physical and intellectual maturity.