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TITLE: American History X

TYPE OF RESOURCE: Film


SOURCE AND DATE: DVD, produced 1998, directed by Tony Kaye
SUMMARY: The story unfolds through the eyes of Danny Vinyard, who idolizes his o
lder brother Derek. Seeking retribution for his father s murder and burning a way
to vent his rage, Derek finds himself transformed by a philosophy of hate, as he
turns into a charismatic leader of a local white power/neo-NAZI movement. Despi
te his indisputable intelligence, his incendiary actions culminate in a brutal m
urder and ultimately, a prison sentence. During his sentence Derek is forced to
work along-side the very race he had learnt to hate. Capriciously it was his new
colleague that came to his rescue when abandoned by his neo-NAZI counterparts.
Three years passed, unbeknownst to Danny, Derek is a changed man. Fresh from pri
son, he no longer views hatred as a badge of honor. Ashamed of his past he is no
w in a race to save Danny and the Vinyard family from the violence he bought dow
n upon them.
HOW MEANING IS SHAPED: Throughout the film there is a very obvious colour differ
ence used to symbolize Derek s Neo-NAZI attitude, compared to his new fresh outloo
k. The film is constantly using flash-backs to demonstrate the days prior to Der
ek s imprisonment. When revisiting these memories, the film is seen in black and w
hite. At this time that is also the only two colors that Derek could see. White
(the superior race) and black (the boarder jumpers ). After Derek s incarceration, he
re-enters the world with a new outlook, this is shown by the colour now evident
in the film. Derek no longer looks upon a race and sees colour alone. The switc
h in colours is an example of Derek s transformation.
The catalyst for Derek s change in perspective can be awarded to his black cell ma
te Lamont. Derek is shocked to discover that the compassionate Lamont is in pris
on for six years for stealing a TV and allowing it to fall on the arresting offi
cer's foot. It fell, because the officer grabbed the TV from Lamont's hand, thus
releasing it from his grip. Derek got a mere three year sentence for murdering€tw
o people, half of that of his black inmate. The obvious implication is that the ju
stice system, both law enforcement and the courts, favors whites and unfairly puni
shes blacks , by giving them harsher sentences for lesser crimes. Derek is jolted i
nto realizing just how unfair white society is towards blacks . This incident along w
ith the vivid shower scene where Derek is abused by his fellow white inmates, ar
e the two main instigators for Derek s change in perspective.
Derek is not the only character that had a change in perspective in the film. Yo
unger brother Danny also goes through the same change after learning of Derek s ex
periences in prison. This change is apparent by the following quote, So I guess t
his is where I tell you what I learned. My conclusion, right? Well, my conclusio
n is: hate is baggage. Life's too short to be pissed off all the time. Derek say
s it's always good to end a paper with a quote. He says someone else has already
said it best, so if you can't top it, steal from them and go out strong: "We ar
e not enemies but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strai
ned, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will
swell when again touched, as surely they will be by the better angels of our nat
ure."
RELATE TO LFA : One of the main themes in Looking for Alibrandi and problems that Jos
ie is faced with, is her struggle to fit in with her Australian born peers due t
o her ethnic background. During her childhood she hated her ethnicity. She was c
onstantly in a battle with herself over her heritage. Her views on being Italian
and taking part in Italian events tended to change quickly. I can t understand why
we can t go to Franklins and buy Leggo s or Paul Newman s special sauce (pg 171) compa
red to later in the chapter when talking about the same event. ...A tradition tha
t I ll probably never let go of either (pg 175) Josie s struggle with her heritage is
similar to that, of Derek and Danny s passion, when struggling with their racial
beliefs. Just as Josie learns to accept her heritage, Derek and Danny learn to a
ccept racial differences. Thereby the change in perspective in both LFA and America
n History X is one of racial acceptance and tolerance at a personal level.

PERSONAL REFLECTION: There was a period in my life that I too saw a difference i
n race. Not so much color specifics, but race in general. Fortunately it wasn t to
the extent shown in the film and when I look back on it, I believe I was merely
following the trend of my group at the time. I took part in the chanting and pa
rody writing of racially taunting songs and recited them in my friend s living roo
ms. A similar theme to that was being sung by Seth at Cameron s party in American H
istory X . It was only when my friend and I witnessed racial violence first hand,
that we realized that we didn t actually believe any of the nonsense, that we so p
roudly recited. I can therefore relate to the themes in American History X and i
ts changing perspectives at a personal level.
TITLE: My Father Began as a God
TYPE OF RESOURCE: Poem
SOURCE AND DATE: Written by Ian Mudie
SUMMARY: The boy in the poem is reminiscing about his relationship and views of
his father and how those opinions changed from childhood through adolescence to
adulthood.
HOW MEANING IS SHAPED: Ian Mudie uses a lot of exaggeration at the beginning of
the poem to emphasize the boy s view of his father. Mudie uses God as a Hyperbole in
the first line to show this exaggerated perspective. Full of heroic tales once ag
ain emphasizes this point. The line brought down from Sinai is a Biblical Illusion
where the writer compares his father to Moses, further reinforcing the sons exa
ggerated perspective of his father. As the son matures, he sees his father as be
coming less significant Strange how he shrank and shrank and outdated Silly Outmode
d Views . Repetition of the word Shrank is used at the start of stanza 3 to allow th
e writer to show the diminishing state of his father and the apparent contrast f
rom child to adulthood. The positioning of the reader as the composer s confidante
creates an intimate feeling. This allows the reader to experience the emotional
journey of a child s relationship with their father as they mature.
RELATE TO LFA : The poem presents change as an inevitable part of life. As the writ
er develops from adolescence to adulthood, he matures and his perspective of his
father changes. This was also the case for Josie in Looking for Alibrandi. Josie
first meets her father quite late in her adolescent life but that feeling of godl
iness is still there. I walked past my class-mates with Michael Andretti beside me
and for a few minutes I knew how it felt walking alongside one s father. It was a
great feeling. For Josie this was her comparison of seeing her father as the exa
ggerated Godly figure as was done in the childhood of Mudie s character. Like the
boy, Josie s opinion of her father changes through maturity. At first she wants no
thing to do with him. She then sees him as this Godly figure before finally maturi
ng enough to seeing all his unique qualities. In both texts the reader is a conf
idante for the narrator, which creates an emotional intimacy. The two texts both
present a changing perspective of the father as seen from the child and both en
d with a sense of admiration and realisation.
PERSONAL REFLECTION: As most children do, their perspective of their father when
in childhood is quite exaggerated. They are always bigger and better then any o
ther fathers. When in childhood it always seems like your father can do no wrong
, (in my opinion) he tends to be the pinnacle of male existence. This is the cas
e in Mudie s poem and also in my childhood. As you grow older and are hit with the
realization, that your father really isn t God while at first disappointed you soon
learn all of your fathers other unique qualities. The composer in the novel has
explained his realization through the fifth paragraph when referring to his fath
er s other virtues, such as honesty, generosity, integrity. This was also evident in
my adolescence and is apparent and ever changing right until this day. No fathe
r is as good as the Gods, They re much better.
TITLE: Photo(s)
TYPE OF RESOURCE: Magazine cover
SOURCE AND DATE: People Magazine (September 12th 2001),
SUMMARY: This cover shows a vivid photo of the second plane crashing into the WT
C towers on the epic day of 9/11.
HOW MEANING HAS BEEN SHAPED: The photo is a mere day after the tragic event and
its colors represent this time period well. The dull, black shadow outline of th
e WTC towers correlates with WWII photos of cities burning and under siege.
The very strong sub-heading provides us with an insight into the surrealism of t
he incident, THE DAY THAT SHOOK AMERICA. Americans originally believed that they w
ere near invincible. The WTC towers were a symbol of America s power. For years th
ey have been known as the single dominant nation in the world and the American c
itizens have felt safe because of it. However it was on this day that all Americ
ans perspectives were changed. No one longer felt safe. The attack hit the very
heart of America and sent the country into panic. It divided their country into
believing that perhaps their invincibility was not nearly as strong as once beli
eved. The headline THE DAY THAT SHOOK AMERCA defines this change in perspective.
RELATE TO LFA : One of the major turning points in the novel LFA , was that of John Ba
rton s death. Change can be brought about by a series of events over time or quite
the opposite, one catastrophic event that alters everyone around you. John s deat
h affected Josie s life in more ways then one. Her outlook on life, wealth and soc
ial status changed. Her hap-hazard relationship with Jacob that appeared to be s
mooth sailing was suddenly ended due to Jacob s realizations. Everyone s life was ch
anged due to the incident, 9/11. As was the same for everyone close to John Bart
on. John was such an influential figure amongst his peers. They looked up to him
; he was the leader of the pack. When John died it was the equivalent of taking
out the WTC buildings. John was always in the spot light, impossible to miss. As
were the twin towers. They were the largest buildings in the world. They, like
John could never hide in the shadows of their surroundings.
PERSONAL REFLECTION: I recall being woken by my father when he demanded my atten
tion at the television. At first glance I thought I was watching some new editin
g technology invented by Hollywood. Then the reality hit of what really was occu
rring. I myself was a culprit of believing America was invincible. From what I h
ad learnt in history classes, it always seemed like America would enter the war
and save the day. Yet this time it was America under attack. While I was not dir
ectly influenced by what occurred I reflected that, If someone managed to success
fully target America that easily, what s to stop them from achieving the same outc
ome hear in Australia? The headline THE DAY THAT SHOOK AMERICA I believe should be
adjusted to read THE DAY THAT SHOOK THE WORLD for what happened affected everyone
regardless of geographical positioning or age.
TITLE: Sillyworld
TYPE OF RESOURCE: Song lyrics
SOURCE AND DATE: Stone Sour Come What(Ever) May 2006 written by Corey Taylor
SUMMARY: The song s main purpose is to provide front man Corey Taylor with a means
of expressing himself. In particular, his views on commercialism, corporations
and fashion trends within the American public. He uses several examples such as f
reedom , love and peace to help get this point across.
HOW MEANING HAS BEEN SHAPED: There is a common technique of repetition used in t
he opening two lines of each verse. Freedom s just a word today, Freedom s just a wor
d Love is just a song today, Love is just a song . People forget how powerful the co
ntexts of words are. These phrases become overused and the true meaning of the w
ords becomes lost. Peace is just two fingers now, Peace was just a phase Taylor is
blaming the commercialization of the two finger solute of peace for the reason
behind its downfall. In the past peace was something that all countries strived
for. An American company saw economic benefits behind the phrase and literally, p
ut it on a shirt One thing you can count on, is that fashions run out. Eventually
people are going to find a new fashion to support. When someone put it on shirt,
you knew to count the days .
From the 60 s right up to the 21st Century, a very popular and common theme for mu
sicians was love. It seemed that every second song released at this time was all
singing the praises of love. Taylor is suggesting that due to it s over use the t
erm love has lost its true meaning, and perhaps love is now nothing more then a
song. Love is just a song today All of these issues love, freedom and peace all on
ce had very strong and powerful meanings. Numerous political speeches were writt
en with the main focal point being those three words. At that time a common beli
ef amongst the nation was that peace was an option, love was the answer, and tha
t freedom would be the end result. However for Taylor, all of these themes have
lost their original meaning. They were excessively used and corporations publish
ed the slogans on everything from billboards to t-shirts. It was a direct outcom
e of this pillaging that Taylor says these words have lost all meaning. To him t
hey once held a very strong value and he too believed them to be the answer to t
he world s problem. Taylor is blaming public corporations and the overuse of these
terms as to there loss of meaning and therefore his change in perspective. Tayl
or expresses his views through song, in this case, the aptly titled, Sillyworld
RELATE TO LFA : The song sillyworld identifies several themes that have changed in
meaning over the last two generations. Taylor expresses that the ideology of pea
ce and freedom in reality are not possible in modern day society. During Josie s f
inal year she too realized that what sometimes on the surface appears to be perf
ect is not always the case. When talking on the subject of John s death Josie quot
es how dare he kill himself John appears to have it all - wealth, social status, i
ntelligence, good looks and guidance from his father. Josie naively builds up Jo
hn s life as the perfect life. What more could you want It is obvious now, and Josie
realizes that John s ideal life can t have been that perfect due to his suicide. Josi
e now understands, like Taylor that this Utopia environment that everyone so str
ongly believes in, simply can not exist.
PERSONAL REFLECTION: As a big fan of the music and an even bigger fan of Corey T
aylor I adapted to this song instantly. It is of a softer nature then most of th
eir other music however the softer tune fits the song well and emphasizes its se
rious nature. I will continue with the theme love, due to my age it s the only of
the three examples that I can somewhat relate to. Valentines Day, it s a nationall
y supported day. It s the time of year you re meant to show that certain someone how
much you truly love them. FALSE. It s the time of the year that large corporation
s and florists get to treat themselves out to an expensive meal because we as a
society supported the sham. I m sure that when the idea was first introduced it pr
obably was about love. I was once one of the people that religiously spent an ex
tra dollar to spoil that certain one. It was actually this song, sillyworld that a
cted as the catalyst for my change. I saw similarities between the way the corpo
rations grabbed hold of the theme peace and sold t-shirts and florists exploitatio
n of Valentines Day.
TITLE: The Ugly Duckling
TYPE OF RESOURCE: Children s short story
SOURCE AND DATE: Hans Christian Anderson (original), Morrow Junior Books, 1998
SUMMARY: A mother duck hatches her eggs and, while most of her ducklings are nor
mal, one is gray, too large, and too clumsy to fit in among the others. The ugly
duckling is outcasted and runs away. After much torture of living in the wild and
the fear of not fitting in, the duckling approaches a pond full of magnificent
looking swans. Much to the ducklings amazment when observing his reflection in t
he pond, he too looks as beautiful as the swans. He finds his niche in the end.
HOW MEANING IS SHAPED: When the other animals notice his difference they are ver
y quick to point out his dissimilarity by means of verbal ridicule. Isn t he queer-
looking? We don t want him around! The way the duckling is described is very negati
ve Look at the big one! and slightly exaggerated. Winter falls over and the style
of writing paints a darker more sinister picture in your mind. This view matche
s what the duckling was feeling and going through at this stage of his life, the
poor duckling had a bad time. There is also a very clear contrast between the chi
ldren s views on the ugly duckling, Laughing and shouting, the children ran after h
im. compared to the beautiful swan, The new one is the most beautiful one of them
all!
RELATE TO LFA : Since Josie first started at high school she considered her group o
f friends as the outcasts of the school. She believed she was one of the misfits
. It wasn t until Sister Louise pointed out how influential her group of friends w
ere, before she realized that they were quite the opposite. Everyone loved Anna a
nd everyone wanted to be Lee s friend and although Sera got on everyone s nerves she
still managed to do the most incredible things and nobody ever called her a wog
because she didn t give a damn. And me? I was voted school captain. Socially we a
ren t as shitty as we thought. (pg 184) It was only when the ugly duckling saw his
true beauty and the children started singing his praise, did he realize that he
was far from an outcast.
PERSONAL REFLECTION: Unfortunately, I have to admit, that I have taken part in t
he judging of my female counterparts. Looks, personality, but mainly looks. I m no
t at all surprised to look back to year seven to when the rankings first began,
to see that the majority of the girls we labeled ugly ducklings have now turn out
to be not only the most attractive of our friends, but also the easiest to get a
long with. Everyone is guilty of judging people before really getting to know th
em. The old cliché; don t judge a book by its cover fits this circumstance well. My pe
rspective, like the children s, was altered over time and perhaps through maturity
.

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