Kate Grenville’s novel, The Secret River, has become a classic Australian bestseller, and with its 3.8 star rating out of 5, it has been named one of the most entertaining, accomplished and engaging novels written in this country. My name is Jordan Moy, and I join you today, at the Brisbane Writers Festival, for the workshop – Great Australian Characters in Great Australian Novels, to present my interpretation on The Secret River’s prejudiced protagonist, William Thornhill. Throughout the novel, Thornhill is perceived, in utmost ways, as egotistical and materialistic. This is due to how the manner of his actions is contrasted with his lack of responsibility regarding the law. I will discuss with you a variety of major events from the novel …show more content…
It is recognised very early within the storyline that William suffers great degradation from the gentry while he lives a poverty stricken life in London. The influence of the gentry from London causes William to desire having power over others less important than he is while he lives a new life in Australia, as a superior. Because of William’s newly found ego, it is seen that he later acquires to construct a false hooded story to suit his new life. This is seen on page 321 of the novel, whilst William recounts his first portrait being painted by a newly arrived portraitist. William steals Loveday’s attention-grabbing version of his deportation, comprising of William being born in Kent and working for the King by transporting English spies into France, before being caught trafficking French brandy back into England. Grenville expresses that Thornhill fancies the sound of himself being considered as one of the London gentry who had once treated him so poorly. She communicates this through the use of a metaphor. She writes ‘William had not been caught greasy with fear, sweating over pieces of timber belonging to Prime Lucas, but by the excise men on some pebbly beach with a boatload of French brandy’ (Page 321, Thornhill’s Place). Grenville also uses irony in this excerpt from the novel when she indicates the comparison of William originally being ‘a poverty suffering criminal caught stealing, greasy with fear’ to him becoming ‘a well-to-do and educated gentleman haphazardly caught smuggling classy alcohol into England’. Vanilla Ice once said ‘If you don’t talk big game, you never get anywhere. If you don’t think big, you don’t get big. Some people call it egotistical, some people call it high hopes, and some people call it confidence. It’s all in how you want to dissect it’. This quote is significantly relatable
Closure at the River In his novel, Saints at the River, Ron Rash develops the struggle to maintain the environment as well as spiritual peace. A young girl has drowned, and is now trapped, in the Tamassee River, bringing grief and sorrow to Oconee County. The father, Herb Kowalsky, is very troubled and tries to find help from anyone. This incident brings numerous diverse individuals together to support the Kowalsky family. One of the main supporters is a writer, Allen Hemphill, who felt great empathy toward the family.
The novel “Nanberry” written by Jackie French, tells the story of early European settlement in Australia. Nanberry, Surgeon White and Rachel Turner are all main characters in the novel but three minor characters who could have been examined in more detail were Maria, Colbee and Mr. Trench. Each of these characters either performs something or states something that is vital to the story line and plot. This essay will also suggest ways that these three characters could have been developed to make “Nanberry” a little bit more thought – provoking.
In Reading Tim Wintons hopeful saga, Cloudstreet, you are immersed in Australia; it is an important story in showing the change in values that urbanisation brought to Perth in the late 1950’s such as confidence and pride. But it was also a very anxious and fearful time period in terms of the Nedlands Monster and his impact in changing the current comfortable, breezy system Perth lived in. The role of women changed significantly with more women adopting more ambitious ideologies and engaging in the workforce something never seen before. But most of all it was important because it changed Australia’s priorities as a nation, it shaped the identity of individuals that we now see today, and it created a very unique Australian identity.
Academic colleagues like, David Greenburg, would have been exasperated, part from envy of McCullough’s ability in not only story telling but to sell and he would object to the approach of this book. The colleagues would tear at the lack of compelling rationale for an overused topic, as well as the scene setting, and meager analysis.
The events, especially the end, of "The River” do not seem representative of grace; however, on a more thorough examination, God’s grace is evident, shown in the symbolism of the pig earlier in the story and in Harry’s non-Christian family. If Harry had not drowned himself that day in the river, there would have been a substantial chance that his family would have led him away from the faith. O’Connor also portrays the pig/Mr. Paradise as the devil when Mr. Paradise attempts to save Harry. Should Mr. Paradise have succeeded in saving Harry, Harry would not have been spiritually saved.
● Frozen River is based on the life of working class families that live in mobile homes in Massena, New York who are trying to survive, solve struggles and meet their needs. One of the families consists of a single mother name Ray trying to raise her 2 children on her own. Ray works part time at a retail store as a clerk. She has worked there for almost 2 years hoping to become a manager. With the disappearance of her husband she struggles paying her bills, providing food for her children, and not being able to finance the purchase of a new mobile home.
The novel River God by Wilbur Smith is set in Ancient Egypt, during a time when the kingdoms were beginning to collapse and the Upper and Lower Egypt were separated between two rulers. The story is in the view-point of Taita, a highly multi-talented eunuch slave. At the beginning of the story, Taita belongs to Lord Intef and helps manage his estate along with caring for his beautiful daughter, Lostris. She is in love with Tanus, a fine solider and also Taita’s friend. Unfortunately, Lord Intef despises Tanus’s father, Lord Harrab, and Intef was actually the one who the cause of the fall of Harrab’s estate, unknowingly to Lostris and Tanus. Taita’s goal is to bring back Egypt to its former glory, but with so many bandits and invaders it would be a difficult task.
Sydney, Australia is a city built on of the most beautiful locations in the world. Even so, this wealthy and sophisticated place has a dark beginning. “The Floating Brothel” by Siân Reen is a work of prose non-fiction set in the 18th century which explores this part of the origins of Sydney, with the crew and “disorderly girls” of the convict ship The Lady Julian taking the spotlight of the novel. Moreover, the novel goes into detail of the events which occurred on the convict ship was well of world events vital to understanding these events, including the state of the Sydney colony and the crimes some of the female convicts committed. The information succeeds in providing us the events that unfold around The Lady Julian as well as the world
Belonging is a fluid concept that adapts and shifts within a person’s lifetime. It is subjective and can encourage feelings of security, happiness and acceptance or conversely alienation and dislocation. One's perception of belonging, and therefore identity, is significantly influenced by place and relationships established within one's environment. This is evident in Steven Herrick's free verse novel “The Simple Gift” and the short story “The River that wasn’t ours” by Ashley Reynolds.
Can you imagine having to leave everything you have ever known to live in a country on the verge of war? Lesley Shelby, the main character in One More River by Lynn Reid Banks, knows exactly how it feels. This Jewish Canadian girl has to emigrate to Israel with her family. Through the determination and courage of one person we see how challenges, complications, and differences of the world are overcome.
The novel was written at a time where Australia was embracing different cultures and the Australian government were recognizing migrants for their contribution to society.
The relationship you have with others often has a direct effect on the basis of your very own personal identity. In the essay "On The Rainy River," the author Tim O'Brien tells about his experiences and how his relationship with a single person had effected his life so dramatically. It is hard for anyone to rely fully on their own personal experiences when there are so many other people out there with different experiences of their own. Sometimes it take the experiences and knowledge of others to help you learn and build from them to help form your own personal identity. In the essay, O'Brien speaks about his experiences with a man by the name of Elroy Berdahl, the owner of the fishing lodge that O'Brien stays at while on how journey to find himself. The experiences O'Brien has while there helps him to open his mind and realize what his true personal identity was. It gives you a sense than our own personal identities are built on the relationships we have with others. There are many influence out there such as our family and friends. Sometimes even groups of people such as others of our nationality and religion have a space in building our personal identities.
Within the film, Mystic River, there are many symbols and themes; a major symbol is only half of Dave’s name written in the cement symbolizing that Dave is only half present and that he lost his innocence. Dave is shown as being withdrawn, awkward and shy, which is due to Dave being half present and his lost of youth. The theme of unspoken secrets is present throughout the film. Both the symbol and the theme help to drive the movie forward. Dave has unspoken secrets about what happened to him as a child, but also the night he killed a man.
In part one ‘London’ when William is ferrying the supercilious gentry, whom he had a strong sense of ‘hatred’ for, back and forth the river Thames, a women exposes the bottom of her leg sensually teasing William. The surge of anger he feels as the ineffectual man flaunts his wife, shows the rigid class system that condemns William to a life of poverty and backbreaking labour. Furthermore the dichotomy between upper class and lower class is evident through Thornhill’s boss Lucas when ‘Thornhill squints up into the brightness where Lucas looked down upon him’. Although, Thornhill might’ve felt a sense of power and superiority when he was assigned convicts Ned and Dan because he has people working for him and consequentially is now on the ascent up the social order, Captain Suckling’s treatment of him, as ‘he shooed Thornhill away with both hands as if he were a dog’ enforced that Thornhill would always be the felon from England many years ago regardless of his present
If one were to travel 36 miles Southeast of Green Bay they would run into a small town known as Two Rivers. Two rivers is located on the coast of Lake Michigan. Two Rivers is surrounded on three sides by the majestic Lake Michigan. Not far from Two Rivers is its sister city Manitowoc.