Aorere College - Level 2 English
This is where I belong, this is my Turangawaewae
Student’s name:______
Teacher’s name:______
Enduring understanding:
You will consider how and why it is important for people to feel a sense of belonging to a certain place or places. In this term we will explore a range of New Zealand texts and hopefully we will garner an appreciation of how we express our identity and heritage through film and literature.
Rich questions:
1. Why is it important to feel that you belong to a place?
2. In what ways do we form a sense of belonging?
Making meaning:
You will be able to keep a theme log making connections between these texts; explore purpose, audience, ideas and language particular to each text type; analyse significant aspects of poetic text and short film.
Creating meaning:
You will also write about where you come from; you will write an expository essay on how NZ short film, short story and novel teaches us so much about Aotearoa (if someone new to NZ studied these texts, what would they learn about us?), you will also perform a speech entitled ‘I Know Where You Are Coming From.’
This is where I belong, this is my Turangawaewae – text listShort Story / Poetry / Short Film / Novel
Waiariki by Patricia Grace
Gathering of the Whakapapa by Witi Ihimaera / Sad Joke On A Marae by Apirana Taylor Whakatu by Keri Hulme
A Gift of Words from My Grandmother by Hori Tait
Patches Hide No Scars by Haare Williams / Tama Tu directed by Taika Waititi Turangawaewae directed by Peter Berger / Where We Once Belonged Sia Fiegel
Assessment tasks: In this unit you will be sitting three summative assessments. The first is a speech (2.5) and the second in a log (2.7) analysing the connections between texts, and the third is the personal reading logs (2.9): form developed personal responses to independently read texts, supported by evidence.
Summative:
2.5 - Construct and deliver a crafted and controlled oral text – 3 credits
2.7 - Analyse significant connections across texts, supported by evidence – 4 credits (reading)
2.9 - Form developed personal responses to independently read texts, supported by evidence – 4 credits (reading)
The teaching and learning sequence:
1. Read Waiariki by Patricia Grace and complete the tasks provided on page 5.
2. Read Gathering of the Whakapapa by Witi Ihimaera and complete the tasks provided on page 6.
3. Complete the Compare and Contrast on page activity based on the two short stories.
Short Story Structure
Point of view is the perspective from which a story is told. We may choose to tell our story in
· first person, using "I" or "we";
· third person ("he," "she," "it"), which can be limited or omniscient; or
· second person, "you," the least common point of view.
As a writer, you must think strategically to choose the point of view that will allow you to most effectively develop your characters and tell your story.
In setting out to write a short story, it doesn't hurt to know that the short story is a fairly young genre, dating back only to Nathaniel Hawthorne and his 1837 book Twice-told Tales. For Edgar Allan Poe, who called them "prose tales," the fact that short stories could be read in a single sitting was key to the form. It allowed the reader to have an uninterrupted experience of the fictional world.
As a recent form, the short story has few formal elements that are not shared with the novel. The challenge for the short-story writer lies in developing the major elements of fiction (character, plot, theme, point of view, etc.) in about ten to twenty-five pages. (The cut-off for most journals is 10,000 words.) To meet this challenge, short-story writers generally follow, consciously or unconsciously, a pretty standard list of rules:
1. Use few characters and stick to one point of view.
You simply will not have room for more than one or two round characters. Find economical ways to characterize your protagonist, and describe minor characters briefly.
Having only one or two protagonists naturally limits your opportunities to switch perspectives. Even if you're tempted to try it, you will have trouble fully realizing, in a balanced way, more than one point of view. (Click here for information on choosing a point of view.)
2. Limit the time frame when you write a short story.
Though some short-story writers do jump around in time, your story has the biggest chance of success if you limit the time frame as much as possible. It's unrealistic to cover years of a character's life in twenty-five pages. (Even a month might be a challenge.) By limiting the time period, you allow more focus on the events that are included in the narrative.
3. Be selective.
As with poetry, the short story requires discipline and editing. Every line should either build character or advance the action. If it doesn't do one of these two things, it has to go. William Faulkner was right to advise writers to kill their darlings. This advice is especially important for short-story writers.
4. Follow conventional story structure.
The standard rules of narrative we all learned in our high school literature classes apply to writers as well. Though you may not have room to hit every element of traditional plot structure, know that a story is roughly composed of exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, and denouement. However much you experiment with form, something has to happen in the story (or at least the reader has to feel as though something has happened). Things like conflict and resolution achieve this effect. Storytelling may seem magical, but the building blocks are actually very concrete.
As with any type of writing, the beginning and the end are the most important parts. Make sure your first and last lines are the strongest in the story.
Poetic reading language terms glossary
Term / Definition / Example / Purpose/EffectAlliteration / 2 or more words that start with same consonant / big bad wolf / Can create a tone or make a phrase easier to remember or capture the sound of the thing being described, words link to an idea.
Assonance / The deliberate repetition of the same vowel sound followed by a different consonant sound / I am wise enough to fight my fears nightly
(the ‘i’ sound is repeated) / This can create a musical effect or be used to emphasise the imagery. Words link to an idea.
Colloquial language / Relaxed and informal language that is used in common conversation / Buzz off / Gives an informal feel or tone to the piece and is easier for people to identify with. Brings out a character’s voice.
Emotive language / Language that attempts to play on people’s emotions / The playground was littered with decaying food scraps and torn plastic wrappers as lazy students hung around gossiping. / Used to stir up emotion in the reader/listener, to convey your attitude to someone or something (angry, happy, disapproving, enthusiastic…)
Hyperbole / A deliberate exaggeration / I’ve got a tonne of homework / Used to emphasise a feeling or to bring humour to a situation
Listing / Including many examples in a list / It is important to bring your towel, toiletries, a change of clothes, a comb and your backpack / Makes an argument stronger. Conveys a lot of information in a short space. Builds up an idea.
Metaphor / A form of comparison where one thing is said to be another / The yellow bee, his holsters packed with bread, rides the blue air / Used to make a piece of writing more interesting or vivid – emphasises an aspect of the thing described and perhaps helps us to see it in a new way, gives the writing originality
Onomatopoeia / When the sound of the word imitates or suggests the meaning or noise of the action described. / The buzz of the chainsaw / Help the reader /listener experience what is happening by recalling the sound that something makes.
Personification / When a non-living thing is given living characteristics / The vine is strangling the tree / To bring a passage alive by using a human characteristic with which the reader can identify.
Pun / An expression that plays on different meanings of the same word or phrase / The board of Wrigley’s met to chew over the problems they were having with the new gum. / Used to draw attention to a word or to create a humourous effect
Repetition / Using words or phrases more than once. / It was cold that night, very very cold / Used to help the audience remember what is being said or to emphasise a point or build an idea.
rhyme / The repetition of similar sounds usually at the end of the line / She left the room,
She forgot the broom / Used to hold lines of poetry together or to help us remember. Words link to an idea.
rhythm / The beat of the words. It can be regular or irregular / This is the night mail crossing the border,
Bringing the cheque and the postal order (captures the sound of a train / It is used to help the flow of the writing or to make it easier to remember or to capture the beat or sound of something.
Sibilance / Repetition of the ‘s’ sound / The surf swept up the shore swiftly / To reproduce the ‘s’ sound such as of the sound of the sea or of a snake
Simile / An expression that compares things using like or as. / As popular as the latest Harry Potter book / Used to help the audience imagine what something is like. Adds colour and variety to the writing
Waiariki by Patricia Grace
Patricia Grace (b. 1937, also known as Ngati Toa, Ngati Raukawa and Te Ati Awa)
With Waiariki (1975) Patricia Grace became the first Maori woman to publish a collection of stories in English. Major themes in her work are the conflict between modern and traditional values, relationships in an extended family, and the implications of cultural colonization. Often Grace's stories are set in small communities and bring together Maori folklore and mythology and Christian myths.
1. What is the most memorable thing about Waiariki by Patricia Grace and why is it memorable to you? Provide supporting quotes.
2. There are strong links between the beginning of the short story and end. Explain the significance of any of these links. Provide supporting quotes.
3. Describe the type of home Waiariki grew up in. Provide supporting quotes.
4. Explain why you think Waiariki feels he had a privileged childhood despite the lack of money.
- Grace once said: "I also feel very comfortable when I am writing about women, especially when I am writing about strong Maori women characters." Why then do you think the narrator in Waiarki is male? NB: her husband is named ‘Karehi Waiariki Grace’.
- Identify the narrative point of view used in this story. Why is it effective in telling the tale?
- Explain how the story Waiariki deals with the conflict between modern and traditional values.
- Discuss the elements of Waiariki’s childhood that you would have enjoyed as a child. Which aspects of his growing up would you not want to have shared?
- Find examples of any five of the following techniques in the text:
- Metaphor, simile, personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, imagery, assonance, sibilance.
- Describe the structure of this short story.
Rich questions – after reading Waiariki consider our rich questions:
1. Why is it important to feel that you belong to a place?
2. In what ways do we form a sense of belonging?
Theme connection (2.7) and personal reading responses (2.9)
1. Complete an entry in your theme connection booklet AND your personal reading response log for Waiariki
Gathering of the Whakapapa by Witi Ihimaera
You may have read Big Brother, Little Sister in which we learn that children have the right to be cared for, and adults have a responsibility to care for children. Waituhi, the small home-town in Gathering of the Whakapapa is the place where Hema and Janey (the children in Big Brother, Little Sister) want to run away to. They want to return to their own whakapapa. It is their Turangawaewae.
This beautiful short story, by Witi Ihimaera, shows us the importance of knowing about our whakapapa, of cherishing and treasuring our past. There is a beautiful innocence to the frail old man, yet also a stubborn hardness. We have the right to know where we are from and who our ancestors are, but it can mean hard work finding out.
Comprehension - Gathering the whakapapa
On page 31 Nanny Tama says “You fullas want me to die here in this room?...when the whakapapa is not yet complete?”
1. What does Nanny Tama mean by ‘not yet complete’?2. Why does Nanny Tama need to “re-write” the whakapapa?
Vocabulary
Word / MeaningBereft p29
Soared p29
Ineffable p33
Timeless p34
Muted p35
Weary p36
What do these quotes tell us about the narrator? Select an adjective(s), based on each quote, to describe the narrator:
Quote / Adjectives“I need you, mokopuna. I need you to help me.” p27
“I looked at Nanny Tama and my heart began to hurt me.” p31
“I felt afraid. I drove more quickly.” p34
“The village sang with pride that our grandfather had rescued our past for us.” p36
Now do the same for Nanny Tama:
Quote / Adjectives“I need you, mokopuna. I need you to help me.” p27
His memory, honed sharp, was like a carving tool…” p 29
“You must take me, mokopuna.” p31
“The tears flowed down Nanny Tama’s face.” p36
Imagery patterns – carvings and the universe
Find three quotes to support each of the imagery patterns in the short story:Carvings / The Universe
A picture of time
Re-read this extract from the story: