Carl Nixon — The Apple of His Eye | NZETC

Carl Nixon — The Apple of His Eye NZETC

Link to Carl Nixon Short Story

Your Investigations

To find out what other experts think about the meaning of your text google "critical analysis of ..." or "literaray criticism of ..."

If the website includes .edu you are probably looking at an overseas university which is better than some dodgy essay written by some kid in an American HIgh school which scored an F!

Notes from our day at AU

GENERAL FILM STUFF
the catalyst - forces the protagonist to take action, introduces conflict and introduces the antogonist.

character growth is seen through decisions made and consequent actions - can not turn back/go back to the way things were - level of complexity

climax proves the meaning and value of everything - it shld solve central questions running through the film.

the resolution - the character return to ordinary world but they have grown/changed/found understanding

directors lay down/pay off - laying down a small piece of info in Act 1 which will pay off in the 2nd act - it will create value in the story each time it it used

what happens - when and why?

what is it about - how does it tell you that? Consider: cinematography, lighting, location, make up, costuming, choice of lead actors, etc.

INTO THE WILD is about ...

• coming of age film - boy to man (like Lars)
• finding self (like Lars and Darjeeling) "happiness is only true when shared"
• freedom and independence - desire to escape, 1950s/60s road movies (like Darjeeling but on a train in India rather than a car across the US!)
• nature of society (like Lars, Crash, Atonement)
• family (like Lars)
• the nature of happiness (like Lars)

THINK ABOUT LARS ...

• the characters' backstories (what happened to them before our story started - remember Oriel in Cloudstreet and her backstory which clearly influenced who she is in the novel)
• the geographic location - up North in the US, by the great lakes - cold, lots of snow, distinct seasons, geographical isolation??
• the 1970's feel/look - what characterised the 1970s as a time period, why has the director chosen to use that feel/look? Check out wikipedia for it's notes on the 1970s and this site also.

WRITING ESSAYS/FORMAL ANALYSIS OF TEXTS

• Opinion comes after analysis
• The analysis is the why? something is the way it is.
• Analysis is about the meaning.

ANALYSING UNSEEN TEXTS

Think of the text as a room and consider:

1. who and/or what is in the 'text room'? (eg me, a rose, a ship, a hangi, etc)
2. what is being played with in the 'text room'? (who am I, love, confusion about identity, etc)
3. what does the 'text room' look like? (4 stanzas, extended metaphor, first person pronoun, etc)

Karin and Gus - Report back

Notes from Paige and Teagan

LOOKS

• awkward w Bianca
• does not show much emotion
• pregnant
• caring
• plain looking - clothes
• happy together
• everything they do is for Lars

SOUNDS
Karin - kind, inviting Lars into house, accepting of Bianca and Lars - tolerant, "why do u always expect me to know what to do?"

Gus - freaks out about Bianca - yelling - "she's not going to eat that", straightforward, worries about himself and his reputation - "We gotta fix him. Can u fix him?" Thinks it's all his fault - guilt. Stutters - does not finish his sentences - awkward - similar to Lars??


FEELS
Karin - happy for Lars, worried "is that normal?", they feel helpless,

Gus - he feels he is the one to blame, "It's all my fault." "I just ran." - guilt, left Lars home w their father. Awkward - the how do you know you are a man chat. Frustrated - w Lars.

Check out our Class Wiki

I can attach the sound files, your powerpoints, etc to the wiki but I can't attach them to the blog.

It is a work in progress and will get fuller over time.

Remember the workshop, Monday with Miss Hartstone either in the theatre or her room, AH15. I am in KR01 with my Yr 12s if you want to come to ask questions or whatever. They have a workshop also so don't feel bad about coming in.

Bianca - looks, sounds, feel

Looks:
"total babe", "doesn't know how hot she is", gets a hair cut, durable, flexible, sex doll, "beautiful", "I like her long straight hair." In a wheelchair, "slutty hunk of silicon", "looks like she is in town for a reason", sex toy, "anatomically correct", "darling figure", warm - layers, wears Karin's clothes.

Sounds:
silent - "doesn't say anything", friendly - Lars makes her sound friendly w his description of her, "good listener", very religions "she was a missionary", always keen to help out, outgoing, explores the world/community, relates to pple easily, lonely, 'yells' at Lars (temper), not committed, gets very sick.

Feels:
Fills in the gap left in Lar's life by his mother, feels like she is always busy, she can reach out to everyone in the community, hard plastic doll, "big, big girl", Lars feels loved because of Bianca, she makes him feel more confident, teaches pple to accept, "lesson in courage".


By Gerard, Ivor, Ivan and Uai.

External Exam Stuff

Carl Nixon - Short Stories (Discussion btwn Gerard, Neha and Shovik)

On a simple level they are about father and son relationships, but delve deeper and one can see they are about people not knowing what they have until it's gone, following your heart and not your head, the changing roles/dynamics in father and son relationships.


Notes from Natasha and Leah re LARS - the character

Looks: shirt buttoned up, layers, quite formal, dull colours, neutral colours - suggesting a desire to blend into the background and keep himself isolated; appears to be happier once Bianca arrives; loses layers of clothing during the film, wears pink at the funeral. Always acts gentlemanly and his appearance reflects his manner. Uses short sentences/one word answers to questions at the start. By the end he is speaking in fuller sentences, especially as seen w Margo at the bowling alley.

Feels: believes B is real, jealous of M and Eric's relationship at the office, anger when he feels B is abandoning him to be out and about with her new friends, feels jealous of B that she has made more friends than him, admires Margo, feels pain like a burn when touched, feels still like a boy as seen when he questions Gus about manhood, scared of what will happen with Karin and her baby because of what happened to his Mum, scared of people leaving him and pple dying; "not real so can last forever" - Bianca is not real, and she can't have children so she can not die/leave/abandon him; similar to father but L wants pple around.

Sounds: cares for Karin "she's wonderful" "I'm worried about her", expresses sorrow for Dagmar when she says she can't have children (loneliness connection btwn Margo, Lars and Dagmar), sounds confused about B, needs B.


Bianca on Thursday.