Greta Thunberg Opinions

Although a controversial topic, we have moved onto political views, somewhat, and are analysing what we believe Greta Thunberg to be and what she stands for. 

I, personally, believe that she is brave and informed when she speaks. She speaks with confidence and she knows what facts will cause the older generation she does slightly target, to turn tail. While I can understand how the older generation may denounce Theta for being just a child who shouldn't be involved in such things, it doesn't mean they can't learn and move onto newer beginnings with new information. She proves her point not just with emotion but with scientific facts. I find her as a person to be an interesting character with a strong opinion. Whether she is the right or wrong I cannot speak.

After watching this video ---->

What does the presenter suggest?

He suggests that Greta Thunberg is a pawn in the political scheme to bring up the issue of Climate Change. He likely believes Climate Change is a hoax and he refers to Greta as a hysterical child. He leaves no room for other opinions as he forces the idea that his own bias opinion that Greta should not be speaking like this.

How are children constructed?

They are seen as hysterical and emotion-driven people, the bias watchers who believe the presenter's bias opinion that children should not be involving themselves in politics. They are not taken seriously as the facts that they do present are completely ignored for the intention of focussing on hormonal issues within teenagers so the older generations have something to blame on their strong opinions.

What is the viewer's position?

The likely position of the watcher of this program would likely be members of the older generations who do agree with the presenter's opinion. 

Men and Women in Music Videos

Recently in English, our student-teacher has been moving onto our topic of critical literacy. This lesson we looked at five different music videos and how they presented men and women.

The first music video was Cheerleader by OMI, a music video that can be labelled as controversial due to how it portrays the woman he sings about as his supporter. He also sings about how every other girl is tempting as he doesn't particularly deny that he would cheat on her. The video also shows the women as provocative through the revealing clothing that showed them as eye candy.

The second video we looked at was Blurred Lines, by Robin Thicke (I can't link a video because my account bans me from viewing it). This song was largely controversial by itself without the music video adding onto it, which features the three main singers in the song chasing after various women in revealing outfits and the men inappropriately touching them. The song mentions many other controversial portions such as the lyric that talks about domesticating women as if they are animals and many others.

The third video we looked into was Marina and the Diamonds' 'How to be a heartbreaker.' This song flipped the switch as it was now the female being portrayed as a player character that is usually given to the male. As well as the fact that the eye candy that was similarly portrayed by women in the previous two videos were now males in the background barely wearing anything. This was seen as more of a funny take on the videos that use women in their shots purely as eye candy and to attract male attention towards the song.

The fourth video, Boys, by Charli XCX was a much more wholesome take on the usual music video created to purely attract male and female viewers. This video features a variety of celebrities each participating in separate activities, some paired together, smiling and having fun. This differs from a music video such as Blurred Lines because of how the men are portrayed. The men are having fun and smiling while the women in Blurred Lines don't seem to happy and are wearing provocative clothing to attract male attention.

The final video, Bad Girls, by M.I.A, was a much more controversial topic as it featured many women in their traditional clothing and men standing to the side. This video was less about the eye candy topic and more to do with how women in the Saudi Arabia region and other places alike cannot do anything without a partner, husbands or fathers permission, this includes driving. The main feature of the video is showing the women driving while the men walk alongside the cars. It gives a powerful and controversial message.

E-asTTle Practice Writing - Persuasive

I am aiming to improve my writing in the following 3 areas: ideas, organisations, and structure and language.

I will do this by further demonstrating ideas in a clearer form, as well as using ones that sufficiently relate to the topic and largely sympathise with the readers to create a clear vision. I have noticed on multiple occasions how my writing often has the advice that I should relate to the wider world on a larger scale. I plan to further research topics instead and find situations that relate to my own writings. I aim to improve my organisation in my writing by planning further beforehand.

With this task, we were given no opportunity to plan, much less research the topic, however, this provides no excuse to the lack of organisation my writing has. Because of this, I plan to at least further plan my writing before starting it so I can have an elaborated outline before beginning. An example of how I could have done this at the beginning was to write down ideas of what to write about in each paragraph. In my next writing, I plan to have an outline of what to mention or say in the introduction and conclusion, as well as the paragraphs.

I plan to improve the structure and language within my writing by using more unique language features. These can include rhetorical questions, metaphors, or personification. The recent writing in this blog post only provides only one notable language feature, a singular rhetorical question -- So why is this not applicable for all children? -- I plan to change this by providing another rhetorical question within my introduction. I plan to do this because it is a commonly used trick to allow writers to convince their reader into reading their own writing.

The next four paragraphs detail the persuasive writing I wrote. It was on the topic of whether children should be taught to swim in schools or not. The yellow highlight shows what changes I have rewritten since its original draft.

School’s have been exposing children to swimming pools for many years, teaching them how to swim and so on, so why are teachers leaving the teaching of water safety behind? Because of this development, many children and adults have grown up without having the ability to swim. This lack of ability only holds people back! This life skill is a necessity to be taught to students because water covers more of our Earth than land does, and over half of the people who drown per year are children and this is out of the 1.2 million. Every landmass is surrounded by water and people should know how to at very least stay afloat in a worst-case situation where they cannot easily get to shore. This is not how we as humans should be progressing as we expose children to the wider world earlier within their lives. 

Many people often do have access to larger masses of water --such as a lake or a nearby ocean-- and this means they will often know how to swim. A large amount of danger that comes with living in that area is why. Children and adults in the area are taught to swim for their own safety. So why is this not applicable for every child? In 2017 alone ninety-two deaths were caused by drowning and most would’ve been prevented if the appropriate water safety training was given to them. This does not mean all though, as harsh waters cannot be avoided by simply knowing how to stay afloat or swim in calm currents. This is why students need to be taught how to swim in harsher environments. If a storm were to hit the coast when someone without water safety training is visiting, and they’re playing down on the beach, they could not reach safe land before the storm pulled them into the water. This is merely an example, but it does happen, especially to those who know nothing about water safety. The danger is relevant to everyone when there is no avoiding it.

Simple statistics can prove that water safety is not only applicable to those who live near masses of water. Seventeen of the mentioned ninety-two deaths were in a home pool, public pool, or another controlled water body. This shows us how water safety should be taught to not only those who live near water but those who live further away from it as well. These statistics demonstrate it’s important to those anywhere and any age group-- as the statistics looked at also showed us the largest number of drowned citizens, these people were either from ages fifteen to twenty-four or sixty-five and over, and this is only in New Zealand. These two age groups accounted for thirty-two of the ninety-two mentioned who drowned. This is another portion of statistics that demonstrates water safety’s importance to children and adults alike.

In conclusion, the importance of water safety is still applicable. Even as people progress onto bigger and better things, they are still in danger when something out of there control can affect them and their lives! This is especially relevant to those who have no other means of learning and is why swimming lessons should be compulsory. Students at very least should have the opportunity to learn as it is of the most importance when lives are at stake. Without the ability to swim, they are put in great danger in even of the smallest of situations. In a swimming pool at home, they could drown simply because their feet can’t reach the bottom. Eight out of the ninety-two people that drowned in 2017 drowned in a home pool. Without the knowledge of how to swim, children, teenagers, and adults are all at risk.

Tomorrow, When The War Began | Chapter 22 Final Questions

1. What do Ellie and the others see in Ellie’s shed when they ride up her driveway?

They see the others in there.

2. What does Ellie compare this scene with? Why do you think she does this?

Ellie compares the scene before her with a Christmas tableau with figures such as Mary, Joseph and the shepherds, standing the positions, life-like, but still. I don't quite know why she does this, it could have been something about them all that reminded her of the scene, or it could have a deeper meaning. Authors don't have intention behind every word, only most of them.

3. What does Homer suggest the group does?

Homer suggests that they leave Corrie in the car outside the hospital, ring the bell (ding dong) and ditch her there so she can get treatment for the bullet wound.

4. What does Kevin decide to do? What does this reveal about him?

Kevin decides that Homer's suggestion is out of the question, and instead drives her there himself so she can receive medical treatment. This would mean that they would likely be taken to the concentration camp with the others in the town after Corrie has been treated. This reveals something very important about Kevin's character. As we have not had much interaction with him as a character, compared to others such as Fi and Homer, we do learn a lot about him through this. Kevin is seen as argumentitive, partially rude, and pessimistic. We know this is not always the case, and likely was happening because of the sheer pressure surrounding the situation they were in. When Kevin chooses to do this, he, in another way, is sacrificing himself. The eight of them had freedom, they were not kept within the camp. But they could've left Corrie there, alone, but safe and treated. Instead, Kevin chooses to go with her. It shows us how brave he is.

Essay Pre-Planning Continued Further...

Describe a relationship between 2 or more characters in the text. Explain how this relationship helped you to understand at least 1 of the characters.

Through the first paragraph, we plan to utilize our abilities to describe the relationships between each of them and all three in-depth. The connections that will be described will show how each character feels about one another at first, further along in the story, and by the end of the novel.

The second paragraph will continue on to explain how the relationship between Fi and Homer affects Ellie. The relationship affects her in a way where she realises the purpose of her newfound feelings for Homer.

The third paragraph goes into depth about how the relationship affects the plotline of the novel itself.

Essay Pre-Planning Continued...

Describe an incident which changes the course of events in the text. Explain how this helped you to understand an important idea in the text.

The incident of the bridge blowing up helped me to understand the idea of rebellion against old values and what you know because of how it demonstrates the rebellion of the teenagers against the invaders. We see this in the text when Fi tells Ellie 'I've always wanted to break a window.' This helps prove to me how all of them are learning that rebellion is the way to fight against them, instead of the more main characters, such as Ellie and Homer. We finally get characters like Fi to fully demonstrate how they have changed throughout the experience.

Another way it assisted me in my understanding of this idea is how it showed Lee rebelling through his disabilities. In most cases, he would be told to stay back and rest, however in this situation we see him go against those ideas. When Ellie asks him about his bleeding through his bandages, during Lee's rescue, he tells Ellie 'Only a little. I'd say a couple stitches came apart.' In this scene, Lee does not prioritize himself, instead, he makes sure they pay less attention to him and more towards what they are going to do. This shows us how, even though all the pain, he wants to make sure that they rebel against everything they have learnt, as well as everything the invaders are attempting to enforce.

Essay Pre-Planning

In my essay about 'Tomorrow, When The War Began' I will go over a key event and how this event changes the character within the story. The key event is closer to the end and describes how the characters Homer, Lee, Ellie, and Fi blow up an important bridge. This bridge is important to their invaders because it is used to transport supplies from and to Wirrawee. Through blowing up the bridge they have cut off an important supply route and started a small revolution they hope to spread throughout the people, country, and world. The important character that changes after this event, or is evidently shown before and during is Fi. This character changes in a way where at the beginning of the story she is described as shy, non-confrontational, and reserved. Since the beginning of the book and throughout this event we see the changes she has made to herself and how she treats others. During this event we see her become more involved in the group, whereas at the beginning it is told about how she avoided chores while taking their trip in Hell. Another change she's been through is how much more confident than the shyer girl we meet at the start of the story. The third change we see is how she no longer desires the reserved life she grew up with. Instead, she wants to leave that life behind, and go into farming with her boyfriend, Homer. This represents a major change because at the beginning we see her as such a reserved girl she doesn't even know what two-minute noodles are.

Tomorrow, When The War Began | Chapter 21 Questions

1. What is it that primarily attracts Fi to Homer?

The changes he's made to himself since the war began. Before all of this had begun, Homer was pranking people and being completely and utterly rude. But, he's changed in a way he is revealing his true self. He is becoming serious and more collected. He is changing his playfulness into creative and amazing war plans. Fi has become attracted to the idea of a playful Homer that truly knows and shows how he cares for the others in his life.

2. What are Fi’s intentions regarding Homer?

She wants to marry Homer and live with him for the rest of her life. She wants to learn about farming and raise a farm with him until their lives end.

3. Why does this surprise Ellie?

Because according to her 'You know they're beyond help when they talk like that.' I believe she is surprised because of the different roads each of their relationships have taken. While Lee and Ellie's relationship is focussed on the passion they each have, it was sparked by each of the tough emotions they struggle to deal with in this time. During this Fi and Homer's relationship has progressed so much slower than the other's. They seem to be more focussed on the shy emotions they are each failing to convey. Fi and Homer are both shy within the relationship they have, yet they each seem to care more than they convey.

4. How do Ellie and Fi feel as they are leaving the scene on their motorbikes? Are these realistic feelings?

They are ecstatic! To them, they have won the war. Four of them have just blown a bridge apart with cows and a tanker. These are completely realistic feelings, they have survived bullets, an explosion and being trampled by cows. The kept up adrenaline they had in their bodies from each and every anxious feeling turns happiness.

5. Why do you think the group decided to blow up the bridge?

They wanted to feel what it was like to win a war of their own. They know truly that the eight of them will never be able to the war by themselves. So they win battles instead. They organise the times, the days. They choose when to fight their battles and win their own wars. They have won a battle for the people who will fight the real war.

6. How is this exploit different from the other exploits the group has been on?

This is much more calculated. They have every tool they need at their own disposal, the cows, the tankers, even something as small as the wire cutters. This plan took hours to create and left much less anxiety for everyone than the previous battle they fought. They have made their own battle and left no space for error or rebellion of the soldiers against their plan.

Tomorrow, When The War Began | Chapter 20 Questions

1. Why is Ellie nervous about being paired with Fi?

She is hesitant and scared. Ellie tells us that she herself is scared, but Fi is really really scared. Ellie is afraid that she may freeze up when the time is most dire and she needs her the most.

2. What is true courage according to Ellie?

'I guess true courage is when you're really scared but you still do it.'

3. Were her concerns about Fi realised? Explain.

I don't quite understand the question, but I think I'm meant to talk about if Ellie's fear of Fi being inactive affecting the mission. Throughout the 'mission' they're on, Fi is able to act with confidence and determination, this means the concerns go unneeded, I guess?

4. What is a clue that Fi’s relationship with Homer is becoming serious?

Over the walkie-talkie, they say those three words to each other. That itself is something huge to a relationship, however, in front of the others, it is an even larger step in their relationship. Another part is just before this is the pure relief we read about when Fi heard Homer's voice, as well as how her eyes glistened, in this context, it seemed she almost saw him when she heard his voice.

5. What problems do Fi and Ellie encounter on their mission to bring the tanker to the appropriate place under the bridge? How do they deal with these problems?

• The tankers seem to be without breaks. They deal with this by taking the risk of injury and/or explosions. Later on, however, they are thankful to discover the tanker has air breaks, even if they don't know how to completely use them, having breaks is a better sign in itself.

• Being unable to tell whether the fence had alarms or not was a problem, however, when the fence was cut they were thankful to know it had absolutely no alarms attached to it. This problem was solved by pure and utter luck. Another problem they encountered with the fence was cutting the appropriately sized hole in the wire fence. This was solved by contorting their bodies to fit and cutting the hole bigger.

• Operating the tanker seemed to be a problem for Ellie. She had never operated one before, and at the same time, she was using air brakes for the first time. This should have been a recipe for disaster, as she had explosion material in the back. But, like always, they still manage to get out of it.

• Patrols operating in the area were a known risk to their plan. However, they worked around this by having Fi check for patrols before moving the tanker. This proved for the best, as she was able to spot one early on. This problem was solved by stopping the tanker, giving the illusion that it was just another abandoned vehicle, and having the girls climb a tree to stay out of sight.

• Almost exploding was a problem too. Ellie was able to lose steering and the ability to break, after turning off the engine. She thought she would glide down the hill and slow down, however, she almost crashed into tree's, Fi and the gutter. This problem was solved by her turning the engine back on and guiding the tanker back.

Tomorrow, When The War Began | Chapter 19 Questions

1. What makes Ellie think the soldiers walking past them are professionals?

The way they act, someone who's untrained wouldn't be nearly as silent as those soldiers had been. They were also efficient and calm in their movements and actions.

2. What do the soldiers fire at in the bushes?

A rabbit. THEY ARE SO BORED THEY FIRE AT A BLOODY RABBIT.

3. What are some clues that the group is starting to think ‘more like soldiers’?

The first part is from Ellie, while we already know of Homer becoming more soldier-like, the others are slow to adjust to the war. 'I had to activate that determined voice in my brain: "If you do nothing, you'll die. Move, but move slowly. Be controlled. Don't panic."'
This is probably for the best too, if they begin to all think like soldiers there is a less likely chance they may be injured, taken or killed. This will allow them to become more efficient in survival and likely taking back Wirrawee or assisting those who do.

4. Do you think Homer’s plan will work? What problems do you think they might encounter?

As said within the chapter, there are problems such as the cattle refusing to move, the tankers not being there or being empty or other vehicles or sentries being around. But there are also others that go unmentioned but are likely discussed and not mentioned within the text, these are problems such as getting the motorbikes, the sentries shooting at the bikes as they run, the sentries shooting the bikes or them before they reach them and MANY others. However, like the last plan where they saved Lee, I'm sure it will end fine. Improvisation is key in any war.

5. What does Homer suggest they do when the group goes up to the Heron?

I believe that is when he suggests blowing up the tanker, I can't find anything to suggest anything else was said between the three who went up.

6. What are his strategies to put his plan into action?

Distraction. He plans to use the cows in the area to distract the sentries and soldiers as they lead the tanker into place and blow it up. It's definitely a unique approach to what they want to do.

Tomorrow, When The War Began | Chapter 18 Questions

1. What does Ellie find primarily attractive about Lee?

His mind and intelligence, as well as the security she felt when being around him. She has also discovered that beneath the exterior of joking, he is a passionate person who cares for what her deeply.

2. Who is she attracted to physically?

It was Homer. However, that attracted seemed to be only physical, as the pent up frustration and lack of physical contact clouded her thoughts and confused her.

3. What are the group’s options according to Homer?

1. Sit tight and do nothing.
2. They have a go at getting their families back.
3. They can do something else to help the 'good guys.'

4. What do they decide to do and why?

They don't exactly decide that we read, because Ellie walks away from the meeting, but from what I gather from it, they've decided to keep their eyes on the road the invaders are mainly using. Because of this, I believe that they are going along the lines of the third option, helping the people who are helping them.

Tomorrow, When The War Began | Chapter 17 Questions

1. Why does Ellie feel uncomfortable with Chris bringing cigarettes and alcohol into Hell?

She thinks it might force them into creating standards or rules considering them all, the effect the leftover bottle and cigarette butts may have on their surrounding environment may lead people to their location, scare potential hunting game away, and cause and effect on the plant life surrounding them. This includes the food they intend to grow for their survival.

2. What is meant by a “clean war”? Why are the invaders so intent on having a ‘clean war’?

The term 'clean war' here is to do with a more peaceful form of invasion, compared to the ones we hear about in history lessons. Most of those include more death, violence and mistreatment. The invaders insist upon this because it will help from other countries intervention. For example, in the same chapter, page 225, Robyn tells us about this 'They keep talking about a "clean" invasion. They figure that if there's no talk about concentration camps and torture and rape and stuff, there's less chance of countries like America getting involved.'

3. What happened to the soldiers involved in the lawnmower incident, according to Robyn? How does this make Ellie feel?

Two of them died, and another two soldiers they ran over when saving Lee died as well. This causes a drastic effect on Ellie. She goes into a state of shock right after an emotional outburst, and the sudden change in her mood is definitely a change from what we have read from Ellie beforehand.

4. Why do you think prisoners are sent to clean up the houses around town?

They are being sent around so they can turn the houses into habitable areas rather than trashed and stinking of dead animals and rotten food. They are also being sent around to collect valuables. This is likely so they can sell them to the highest bidder for money or take them as war prizes.

5. What does Kevin want to bring into Hell by way of livestock? Do you think his idea is a good one? Why/why not?

Ferrets. However, like any of Kevin's ideas, there are the pros and cons of doing so. While they may be able to eat more meat and have a more nutritious diet, emotional attachment is an issue too. Becoming emotionally attached to something you plan to butcher and eat is definitely not a good idea. There are also the risks of them going feral, in which, if they were to go into Wirrawee, a steady stream of ferrets popping up once or twice a month and slowly increasing as the number of ferrets the eight raise could spell out a sign for the invaders that there are people outside with information.

Tomorrow, When The War Began | Chapter 16 Questions

1. What is the Hermit’s mother in law’s attitude toward him as seen in her letter?

It seems loving as if she took him in as a son of her own. They both suffered in the death of Imogen (the wife) and Bertram (the son), and it seems the mother-in-law finds that during their deaths she needs to support someone and care for someone as she no longer has her daughter. As well as wanting to confide in each other in their time of loss.

2. What does this suggest about the way in which the Hermit’s family actually died?

It suggests the first option that was discussed, that the Hermit shot the pair to end their suffering so they would not have to suffer burning to their deaths, or at least that the mother-in-law believed his testimony.

3. What makes Ellie change her mind about Lee on the way back from the Hermit’s hut?

I think it may have been realising how much she needs him, he balances her out when she speaks through emotion more than the logicality that Ellie's mind is more suited towards. When he takes control of the moment he is able to devise Ellie's emotions out into what they are needed to depict for her to truly understand her thinking. While this is true, Lee tends to overcontrol and turn her own words against her, this what I believe will trouble their already complicated relationship.

Tomorrow, When The War Began | Chapter 15 Questions

1. What do Ellie and Lee find in the Hermit’s hut that the others don’t know about?

The police report detailing the Hermit's apparent crime, including the murder of his wife and child, their names, and how there was no dispute within their marriage. They also find newspaper reports of the deaths of the pair that don't mention the murderer in question, photos of the couple, and birth certificates of all three of them. There are also postcards, medals awarded for work in the army, letters and notebooks as well.

2. According to the coroner’s report, what are the two possible ways the Hermit’s family died?

The first is to do with how the severe bush fires raged within the area of their living, during which the pair were caught in the blaze and were burning alive, painfully and slowly presumably. In a way to save them from suffering, the husband in question shot them in the head to end their suffering. This was because of the lack of medical aid nearby, and if they were on their way, it would have been too late for the pair anyway. This was what the Hermit claimed in his trial.

The second possibility that he was supposedly charged with was that he shot them before the burning. Killing them and using the fire to cover his tracks and hide their bodies. This prevented medical science from determining which came first, and without other evidence, they were not able to determine anything

3. Which do you believe? Why?

I believe the first. I want to have faith in him for once. But I have no other reason besides that though. The lack of evidence doesn't help, but the fact he supposedly kept so many mementos of them most likely leads to him wishing they were alive. Most murderers don't keep mementos of their victims.

Tomorrow, When The War Began | Chapter 14 Questions

1. What reasons does Ellie give Lee for not wanting a relationship with him?

She's confused, and Lee is driving her crazy. To her, the idea of thinking of romance in the middle of a war is stupid and selfish. As well, she likes control. Lee is choosing for her, and that is something she cannot bear. He is choosing her words in the order he wants to hear, he is choosing when and where they speak, and he is forcing her into a corner.

2. What do you think are the real reasons?

I think they are just as I've put them above, but at the same time, she has feelings for Homer and Chris that are going unaddressed. These are crowding her mind and she is more confused than she portrayed.

Tomorrow, When The War Began | Chapter 13 Questions

1. All the teenagers have a specific role to play in their group. Describe the roles each teenager plays.

Homer obviously plays a leader figure out of the eight, as well as Ellie acting like a second in command. As for characters like Fi, Robyn, Lee, Chris and Corrie, I can't quite give them a characterization compared to the other three. Kevin, however, gives off the feeling that he is from an opposing party in a political fight, he opposes Homer's ideas on purpose, forcing him to take on different ideas to make his way around the issues brung up. Kevin may seem rude, but I believe he has a good purpose.

2. According to what the teenagers hear on Corrie's radio, why would America be best not to get involved in Australia’s struggle?

This war is expected to be long, bloody and costly. There is no other reason.

3. Why is Australia being invaded?

For their resources. Australia has land, animals, and space, and compared to other countries, Australia is blessed. Whoever has infiltrated knows that they have resources, but not nearly as many military resources. They can be compared to the USA, who have so much military power compared to the country.

4. A reader can infer many things from the snippet of news heard over Corrie’s radio. Which country or countries are likely to have invaded Australia?

While New Zealand is mentioned, it is HIGHLY UNLIKELY. New Zealand does not have the military power, people, money, or the military complex to achieve such a thing. However, Fi mentioned multiple stations that were communicating in Taiwanese, this may be speculation, however, there was once something I read about how either the Japanese or Taiwanese almost invaded Australia on Remembrance Day or a similar day. I believe the story is based off if this had happened.

5. How are the prisoners being treated?

They seem to be treated somewhat well. When they see Mr Coles, the primary teacher, on page 84, chapter seven, they don't speak on any seen mistreatment towards him. This is the best sign as there is lack of speaking about death when they hear it over the radio. They more so hear about how the prisoners are being held captive.

6. What do Kevin and Robyn argue about? Do you think Robyn’s points are fair?

They argue about how Robyn seems to understand the purpose of their invasion, however, Kevin takes it as a support to their actions. Robyn's points, however, are just as fair. These people are likely as they are called, without resources, space, water or food.

7. “Paradise of Hell” is an oxymoron. What does it mean?

An oxymoron is to do with contradictory terms coming together to create a statement. The word 'Paradise' is defined as 'an ideal or idyllic place' or 'a place of extreme beauty, delight, or happiness.' 

While Hell is defined as 'the abode of evil' or 'where the wicked are punished after death.' This creates a difficult situation to describe. But, it means they have found the paradise they need to live, in Hell.

8. Kevin’s hatred of the invaders is quite extreme. Why do you think he is so angry?

He wants his home, his family, and his life back. He doesn't understand that these people need to do this to live and survive in this world. Through all of this though, I believe he will soon be able to learn from the others about what they say.

9. The group take turns discussing the extent to which they’d go to make a difference. Order the characters by their commitment to overthrowing the enemy.

1. KEVIN, I think Kevin just needs to take a chill pill and relax. Even if they all wanted to take on the enemy, they don't nearly have the capabilities to do so.
2. Homer, I believe Homer is more about the survival than taking them down, he wants to live and not die a useless hero.
3. Ellie & Lee, these two seem to be persistent, but not bloodthirsty.

These seem to be the only ones I can think to rank, like Homer the others are more about survival than overthrowing the enemy.

10. The group is starting to think about long term survival in Hell. What are some clues to this?

They begin to think of capturing animals to eat, breeding chickens for eating and laying, taking goats, likely for milk, food and supposedly food disposal. They also discuss finding springs for freshwater and rationing their food.

11. What does the group decide they must do at this point?

There are a lot of decisions made, mainly to do with their survival of course. They want to take animals, for eating, laying, and other purposes. They discuss hiding places in Wirrawee and their stories if they are to be captured. They discuss rationing their food, finding fresh water, hiding notes for each other, where they would meet and many other important details about the expedition they plan to take.

12. Despite the fact that the teenagers are in the midst of a war zone, evading enemy soldiers and planning guerrilla operations, they still find time to harbour romances. Do you think this is realistic?

Yes. Love and war go hand in hand. The Trojan war, for example, was sparked by the love between Helen and Paris. This shows us that the two have gone hand in hand for years upon years. If anything, the romance shows me a more realistic side of the war.

Tomorrow, When The War Began | Chapter 12 Questions

1. “They say teenagers can sleep all day”. Is this true? Do you agree? Does Ellie still see herself as a typical teenager?

NO. There are two different types of teenagers with sleeping, you either sleep eight hours a night or even more, or eight hours a week. There is barely an in-between. But besides that, if Ellie can still say she's a 'normal' teenager, then I'm a dog. She has seen more blood and war than any other Australian teenager, that is not normal.

2. Ellie’s dream at the beginning of the chapter is rather nonsensical, as dreams are known to be. Is there any meaning to it? Try and explain what Ellie’s subconscious could be thinking about: why is her dad cooking for the whole town? Why did Father Cronin ignore Ellie’s greeting? Why was Corrie 8 years old again? Why were they sailing off on a boat? Why was Lee undressing?

I have no insight into any dreams, nor what they mean. I believe what she is attempting to dream about is a happier time for her family, where her father is free and cooking a barbeque for the family, where they believed in a different fantasy to the safety they believed in. The boat represented how they moved onto the war and a different life. I have no idea about Lee stripping though.

3. Why is it so terrible that Chris falls asleep while on sentry duty? How does Ellie react? Why do you think she reacts this way? How does she feel about her reaction later?

The soldiers would have invaded their base without them knowing, they could have been killed. Ellie understands this and this is why she is so mad at Chris, I think this is caused by the build-up of emotions within her mind and how she thinks that he has just put everyone in danger of dying. She knows her reaction is bad later on, but she doesn't feel much remorse for her reaction.

4. Back in Hell, Ellie’s dreams are far more ominous. Explain why Ellie is dreaming of her fears.

She is afraid. There is no other explanation. She is afraid the soldiers that have her family and her people are going to come and take even more away from her.

Tomorrow, When The War Began | Chapter 11 Questions

1. How does Ellie feel as she is waiting in the truck at the Council Depot? Where do her emotions come from?

There are a lot of emotions running through Ellie, however, what is most interesting is she is feeling scared and excited. She tells the reader how the emotions come from love, her fear comes from love. 'My fear came from love. Love for my friends. I didn't want to let them down. If I did, they would die.'

2. Why are the girls smiling when in danger? Is this a logical response?

I think it is their relief that so far, everything has gone well. They are together and not alone, and they are saving a life by doing what they are doing.

3. What does wearing a helmet and buckling up mean to the girls?

It means they still have a sense of wanting to be safe left in them. Some people would throw themselves in front of a bullet for one another, instead, they are wearing armour and pushing each other out of the way. They want to have a sense of relief that they are doing everything to protect themselves in the situation they are in.

4. What does Chris’s story say about the town?

They're a normal old town with not much going on. They're quiet and were even quieter around Commemoration Day.

5. What impact does the BMW have on the story? Does Chris seem lonely? Explain your answer?

I don't quite understand how these questions link to each other. But yes, Chris does seem extremely lonely, he has been left alone for some time and is probably now going to cling to the seven for dear life.

6. What is Homer’s explanation for the need to swap cars at Chris Lang’s place? What does this show about the way he is thinking?

One part was that since Chris didn't have his drivers license and his parents were overseas, the car will be in the garage and be of easier access to them. The second part is that if they leave it at Ellie's something bad could happen to her family. The third part is that they want to go out in style.

7. What are your thoughts on the story so far...

It's intricate and detailed, it gives an accurate representation of teenagers and war, as well as enemy tactics in the earlier time of war. However, I do wish I didn't have to stop every single chapter, I really want to continue reading as the story calls me to.

Tomorrow, When The War Began | Chapter 10 Questions

1. Why does Homer insist on going on with the plan after Corrie’s house blows up? How does he convince Corrie that this is a good idea?

He doesn't want fear to overtake their ability to reason with one another. He believes that two of his friends may be gone or lost and getting them back together will change everyone. They will screw their heads on straight instead of losing themselves to emotions. He manages to convince Corrie with similar reasoning, telling her they were leaving to get their friends back. This seemed to be the only thing to convince her to let them leave.

2. Describe the strategy Homer and Ellie use to ensure their safety when riding their bikes into town. What does this show about how they are starting to think?

I can't quite find their strategy, but one thing they did further into the night was walking the bikes instead of riding them through the night. They are starting to take the perspective of the soldiers and think like warriors.

3. Why do you think Mr Clement is reluctant to help Lee and Robyn? How would you react in his position?

One part of his reluctance is his fear for his own safety, hundreds of others are trapped in a camp where one wrong move could get them shot. He knows that one wrong move could earn the same for him. Another is how he could be fearing for his family, Robyn speculates that his family is hiding as well, they would be some of the only family members together, they fear that these people will get them torn apart from each other. I would act similarly I believe, although I believe I would also be a lot less reluctant to assist the people.

4. How has Homer changed in Ellie’s eyes since the invasion?

He has become more serious with the mind of a soldier and a leader, yet he is able to joke with the others in an attempt to distract them from the pain they are all going through. Homer is a natural leader and a smart mind, and he has always been. But now, he is finally tapping into his ability.

5. What are the 2 different types of soldiers and how do they each treat the inhabitants of Wirrawee?

The professionals, and the conscripts, or fillers. The professionals are well equipped and efficient with their work. The conscripts are not at all similar, they have duller and less equipment, and aren't nearly as efficient with work. Funnily enough, the conscripts are the crueller ones, they seem to be having fun almost and likely are without rules and so they let loose. The professionals seem to be within boundaries they don't want to push, they act with harshness, but not cruelty.

6. Why do you think Robyn had the strength to carry Lee?

I believe I once heard of a phenomenon to do with the natural human body, how we possessed more physical strength than we believe. It detailed that in moments of dire need our bodies attempt to use every bit of strength in our bodies, more than we know we are physically capable of. Ellie speaks of a similar thing when she brings the example of a mother saving a baby underneath a car to light. How they could do it one day when a child is trapped and in need, however not the next, because the urgency of needing to save the life of another is gone.

7. How have the group decided to rescue Lee, whose idea was this and why do they think it will work?

They want to PICK HIM UP in a truck with a scoop or something similar from the Council Depot. SO they want to wheel him there to the truck in a wheelchair or wheelbarrow after Robyn gives him a shot of course. They'll put him in the truck, burn down the street and be completely indestructible because of the thick metal of the vehicle. This idea was thought of by Robyn, Homer and Ellie, however, Homer pulled it all together into one plan. Honestly, I think this has got to be one of the dumbest ideas ever. If they create that much noise and just go straight to where the others are, they'll all be caught.

8. What do you think happened to people who ‘tried to be heroes?’

They were killed on sight most likely or given severe punishment or constriction for insubordination to the enemy. 

Tomorrow, When The War Began | Chapter 9 Questions

1. Why, in Ellie’s opinion, is Cobbler’s Bay and Wirrawee so important to the invaders?

Cobbler's Bay is important because of one thing. It's is how, even from a great height, you can not see into the because of the clouds that cover it up, this makes it impossible to see incoming ships or anything alike unless up close.

Wirrawee seems to be important because of an array of different reasons, from Wirrawee they can gain free access to the rest of the country. As well as the lack of nuclear or army protection nearby, this makes it an easier target to overtake.

2. Corrie and Ellie reminisce about how innocent they were in high school and even a few days ago. Why were they still innocent then? Why are they no longer innocent?

Because they believed in a different fantasy compared to when they were children, as children they believed in Santa and the Tooth Fairy. But as they grew they believed they grew out of fantasy and into reality. They kept themselves in one fantasy though, safety. They now see that they are never going to feel safe again and that they have come into a truer reality.

3. Why does Homer think splitting up is a good idea?

Losing two or three of their friends is better than being left alone. Homer probably thinks they have lost Robyn and Lee, and he doesn't want to lose the rest of his friends to the war.

4. Why do you think the author added the few lines about an Australian jet flying overhead?

I think that this was to create anticipation for the blowing up of the houses. This was a dramatic happening and the tension build-up made it even bigger than what it would have been if written normally.

5. By blowing up Corrie’s house, what does the invading force demonstrate to the teenagers?

That they show no mercy to what the others care about. The teenagers are caring about the heirlooms and pictures their homes contain, but the soldiers have no regard for such items.

6. Why do you think Corrie reacted the way she did?

She has lost her family, two of her friends, and now her home. She wanted to keep the items of her memories and is now afraid that everything she has grown up with will disappear from her. She's afraid that now her reminders of the past are gone, she will forget them.