The Simple Gift

1. The Simple Gift HSC Study Day June 18th 2012 Anne Dobson anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

2. Considering the Syllabus “Students...explore the ways in which the concept of belonging is represented in and through texts” “Students study how the concept of belonging is conveyed through the representations of people, relationships, ideas, places, events, and societies that they encounter in the prescribed text and texts of their own choosing related to the Area of Study” “A sense of belonging can emerge from the connections made with people, places, groups, communities and the larger world” Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

3. Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

4. What is Representation ? What is this? Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

5. Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

6. What does this Represent? Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

7. What are other Representations of Love? Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

8. But are they Love? NO! WHY? Because Love is an abstract concept. It is not something you can see or experience with the senses. So in order to communicate the idea of love and all its subtleties in Literature, we use representations that most of us understand. Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

9. It is the same with Belonging The concept of Belonging is represented in texts. It is the understanding of these representations that allow us to understand Belonging. Patterns of Representation appear which can become easily identified and recognised. Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

10. How do you represent Belonging in ‘The Simple Gift? How are the following represented; “The people, relationships, ideas, places, events, and societies” you encounter in ‘The Simple Gift’? “Connections made with people, places, groups, communities and the larger world” in ‘The Simple Gift’? Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

11. So how is Belonging represented in ‘The Simple Gift’? 3. Motifs - a recurring element which has a symbolic purpose. The recurrence is what makes a symbol a motif. 1. Form – the structure and style of the novel • 2. Language • Pronouns – First and Third Person • Figurative Language - metaphor Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

12. 1. Form – the structure and style of ‘The Simple Gift’ Verse novel – tells a story in a series of poems Poetic style – Free Verse – no patterns of rhyme or metre Dramatic monologue – three characters speak individually and directly to the reader – the reader is allowed into the thoughts and the feelings of each individual character. No Narrator - the responder directly engages with each of the characters Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

13. So how does Formrepresent Belonging in ‘The Simple Gift’? Dramatic monologue Each character speaks directly to the reader, involving them in their innermost thoughts and feelings. No Narrator the reader is connected directly to the character Free Verse The unstructured style of free verse mimics prose, and then authenticates the voice of the persona speaking to the reader. How does the Form represent Belonging? The reader is included into the character’s life. The character directly confides in the reader and includes the reader in their thoughts and actions. The reader is actively participating in the character’s life. Because the reader can see from the character’s perspective, they become a part of that character. Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

14. Language – the words used in ‘The Simple Gift.’ 1. Pronouns First Person singular – I, me, my, mine , myself. Used in the Dramatic monologue, so the reader is closely involved with the thoughts of the persona First Person collective – we, us, our, ours, ourselves. This is inclusive language; a group that talks about themselves as a unit. Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

15. The Language of ‘The Simple Gift’ 1. First person narrative recount. First person singular pronouns: I, Me, My, Mine, Myself First person collective pronouns us, we ,our, ours, ourselves In a first person narrative • You are the person, you experience what they experience . • You share the character’s experience because they are talking directly to you, addressing you with second person pronouns; you, your, yours, yourself. Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

16. First Person singular from ‘The Simple Gift’. My hands -Billy ... I prayed the burgers were without sauce and I couldn’t eat the fries... ...I knew where it came from... Billy’s cave -Caitlin I’m well-mannered. Iknocked on the door...and waited. I knocked again. Then I heard his voice behind me Old Bill – Old Bill Iguess I shouldn’t be surprised... a bum like me... I almost cried... I sat in my carriage... and my memory flickered... and Istopped remembering Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

17. First Person collective from ‘The Simple Gift’. The picnic –Caitlin We ate everything. We took our time... We couldn’t stop ourselves... We both stretched out... ...and we drifted asleep Our first date Billy and me and we slept together... we really did just sleep together content to waste the hours close. Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

18. Second Person; the character talking directly to the Reader from ‘The Simple Gift’. Old Bill – Billy His name, would you believe, Was Bill... He’d bought himself a bottle of beer... ...and look at it now. ...when you looked closer he wasn’t that old Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

19. Use of Third Person Pronouns Third person singular pronouns he/she/it, him/her/it, his/hers/its, himself/herself/ itself. Third person collective pronouns They, them, their, theirs, themselves Nouns and noun phrases are also third person; the kid, one lucky bastard, the idiot Third Person – used by the character to distance themselves and reader from the person being discussed. Third person can also distance the character from themselves. Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

20. Third Person singular from ‘The Simple Gift’. Caitlin and Mopping – Caitlin ...he claimed it. So I watched him. He was very calm He didn’t look worried... He looked self contained, as though he knew he had to eat. Billy - Billy She had clean hair... And her skin was pale and clear and I knew she was rich... Her eyes were pale green and they seemed to know something... Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

21. Nouns as third person Sorry – Old Bill I feel sorry for swearing at the kid... I find myself Waking... with the kid” That bloody kid – Old Bill “...that bloody kid has woken me at 6.30am..” The kid – Old Bill I like the kid... Billy and I go to the river... Billy deserves more... I like the kid... Cold – Billy “...the idiot Hunched over the bow Praying for morning and sunshine” Wentworth High School - Billy “...one lucky bastard is writing ...on the window...” Tonight, and the night after - Billy “...school buses... full of kids shouting insults at me, the bum...” the neighbour the foreman the girls at netball my wife my dad Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

22. How does the use of Person in the language of ‘The Simple Gift’ represent Belonging and Not Belonging? The use of First person connects the reader to the character by knowing what their private thoughts and feelings are. The use of First person has the effect of the character directly addressing the reader. The use of Third person has the opposite effect by distancing themselves from the subject they are speaking about. Sometimes the character will distance themselves from their own identity by referring to themselves in the third person. Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

23. What does this have to do with Belonging? The use of Person in a text represents an aspect about Belonging and Not Belonging Belonging involves some form of connection and inclusion between two or more people and requires some form of communication. Conversely, not belonging involves a distancing and lack of involvement with individuals or groups. Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

24. Language – the words used in ‘The Simple Gift.’ 2. Figurative Language Metaphor – a way of describing an abstract idea by representing it with a more tangible concept. Billy describes his connection with Caitlin as being a satellite spinning around her Billy describes his disconnection with the world as an island or a cave Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

25. Use of metaphor to represent Belonging Going Nowhere – Billy ‘This morning I woke and I knew where I was going for the next few months — to the Library to McDonalds to the river and home here to the Hilton — a circuit of plans with Caitlin at the centre, and me a badly-dressed satellite spinning crazily in her orbit.’ Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

26. Use of metaphor to represent Not Belonging Lord of the Lounge – Billy “That’s me, On the deserted island Of a soft lounge In Bendarat Library” Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

27. John Donne’s 17th Meditation A good related text! • No man is an island,Entire of itself.Each is a piece of the continent,A part of the main.If a clod be washed away by the sea,Europe is the less.As well as if a promontory were.As well as if a manner of thine ownOr of thine friend's were.Each man's death diminishes me,For I am involved in mankind.Therefore, send not to knowFor whom the bell tolls,It tolls for thee. Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

28. What does this have to do with Belonging? The use of metaphor in a text can represent the same aspects of Belonging and Not Belonging as the text’s Form and Language. Belonging involves some form of connection and being part of a larger whole . Conversely, not belonging involves a distancing and isolation and lack of involvement with individuals or groups. Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

29. Motifs: recurring elements with a symbolic purpose that represent Belonging in ‘The Simple Gift’ • Belonging • Not Belonging Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

30. Not Belonging: Outdoors and Exposure Not having a place to Belong to is highlighted in ‘The Simple Gift’ by the outdoors. After the first poem, the rest of the first chapter takes place outside. It is the rain and weather that makes Billy most acutely aware of the fact he doesn’t have a home. Rain is a motif that is strongest in the first chapter. Rain is also associated with sadness. This sort of motif makes the assumption that Not Belonging is negative. Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

31. Not Belonging: Outdoors and Exposure Need – Billy When I was Twelve years old And my dad chased me out of the house With a strap, I’d hidden in the neighbour’s chookshed , waiting for night when I could climb Through my bedroom window Please – Billy “Two hours in the dark In the rain In the dirt of this bloody road... I can’t go back. I could sleep at school, on the verandah.” Sport – Billy “...I didn’t go inside for hours.” Cold – Billy ... I realise how fast trains go When you’ve got no window to close And the wind and the rain Hits you in the face With the force of a father’s punch.” The Motel Bendarat– Billy I finished the book, nodded goodbye to Irene and walked out into the late afternoon cloud and a slight drizzle. No sleeping in the park tonight. Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

32. Not Belonging: Windows Standing on the outside looking in mostly through windows is also a representation of Not Belonging and has a negative connotation. Consider statements like ‘Left out in the cold” “Standing on the outside looking in.” While these quotes do not occur in ‘The Simple Gift, the representation of them certainly does. Anne Dobson Murray High School 2011 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

33. Not Belonging: Windows Sport – Billy “...I broke the bedroom window... I didn’t go inside for hours. I looked through the back window watching him reading the paper.” The Shadows – Caitlin “...I see Billy In the carriage with an old man... and that’s when I turn and run to school...” WentworthHighSchool – Billy “I got to Room 421 and look through the window... and one lucky bastard is writing “may you all get well and truly stuffed” on the window...” War– Caitlin Today in History... I looked out the window and saw Billy sitting across the road with his head in his hands. Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

34. Not Belonging: Verandas Many poems are set on verandas. Billy says goodbye to his dog on a veranda, he also considers spending his first night homeless on the school veranda. Old Bill stays on the outside of his own home, often preferring to stay on the veranda. Swallows – Billy Old Bill and I Sat on the veranda Watching the swallows... ...He told me he came back occasionally “To sit on the verandah and cry, like an old drunk.” I knew better than to ask him inside. Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

35. Belonging: Water – Initiation and Baptism The water motif, particularly of Bendarat River and Westfield creek have a positive connotation and are strongly connected to belonging. The motif of water could also be connected to baptism – an initiation ritual which imitates rebirth. The purpose of an initiation is to complete this ritual before joining a particular community. Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

36. Water The Kid – Old Bill “Billy and I go to the river, We dive and swim and wash And for a few hours I almost feel young again.” WestfieldCreek – Billy “I love this place... I learnt all I need to know in books on the banks of Westfield Creek, my favourite classroom.” Hobos like us – Billy “Sometimes he comes with me to Bendarat River... And when he does And he dives Fully clothed into the river His laugh becomes real..” BendaratRiver– Billy “...I swim fully-clothed And stand waist-deep in the shallows With a bar of soap... I come here to the Bendarat Laundry to wash the world away.” Making Love – Billy “It was like falling headlong Into the clear waters Of the Bendarat river” Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

37. Belonging: Hands and Physical connection Old Bill’s Fall – Old Bill I held her hand And told her stories.. ...I held Jessie’s hand And signed with the other. Manners – Caitlin He stood and shook my hand Celebrating – Billy I hugged Old Bill Like I’d never hugged A man before Caitlin and the Key – Caitlin He hands me a key and we stand, his hand on mine, the key between us... I reach behind for Billy’s hand And we walk inside. Tremor – Old Bill Billy...offers his strong young hand. We shake and my hand in his stops trembling for a moment Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

38. Belonging: Gifts of Food What is the first thing we do when we want to make a person welcome in our home? Gifts of food and consumables such as beer and cigarettes are a very common motif in ‘The Simple Gift’. Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

39. Belonging: Gifts of Food Too early – Billy I got a bowl And filled it with Weet-bix and milk and I took it next door to Old Bill Caitlin Visiting – Caitlin Into my schoolbag I place two apple pies And I ask the Manager For two cups of coffee to go My Dad always said That you should take something, a gift, When you go visiting. Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

40. Belonging and not Belonging : Houses and Homes Caitlin – Caitlin I have a TV and a CD Player...I have a large desk with a computer... and I’m smart enough to realise that none of this means anything War – Caitlin I wanted to rush out cross the road and hug him right there in the park... ...I felt like a prisoner of war here in Room 652 Picnic – Billy She sat on the seat and put her feet up as though she belonged Billy’s Cave – Caitlin “It was like a little cave... for children to hide in when They’re scared or lonely And need somewhere safe to go Closing in – Billy I lay in bed with the old carriage walls Closing in Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

41. Belonging and not Belonging: Clothing Breakfast – Billy I wouldn’t want to meet her here Not when she’s in uniform And me Dressed in the same clothes as always Old Bill’s Fall – Old Bill This pub, This beer, these clothes This is where I landed OldBill – Billy His grey beard was stained with smoke, His hair long and swept back, His face lined Looking – Billy I saw past the shiny watch and the clean hair and the beautiful woollen overcoat I saw Caitlin And I liked what I saw Old Bill’s Suit and Tie – Old Bill I bought a clean shirt and trousers and a tie.. and walked out a businessman ready to impress the world Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

42. Other motifs- Eye contact – Comfort – Billy I hope it’s someone to look in the eye Knowing they’ll look back Name – Consider who is named, and who is not. Tokens of friendship - Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

43. Suggested Related Texts John Donne A valediction; forbidding mourning The Flea Good Morrow The Sunne Rising Meditation XVII William Golding Lord of the Flies Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

44. Thank You! anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

45. This PowerPoint Presentation will be available at http://web1.murray-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/moodle/ Anne Dobson Murray High School 2012 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au

46. Bibliography Resources http://www.hsc.csu.edu.au/english/area_of_study/belonging/3725/simple_gift.htm Material written by Bettyanne Austen, Coffs Harbour High School for NSW HSC Website http://isu.indstate.edu/ilnprof/ENG451/ISLAND/ John Donne’s 17th Meditation Images http://warezforum.info/games/363663-neuro-hunter-skidrow.html First Person RPG image http://www.cinemavoir.com eating at MacDonalds http://www.gettyimages.com.au/CreativeImages/RoyaltyFree All other images Anne Dobson Murray High School 2011 anne.dobson@det.nsw.edu.au