The Gathering by Isobelle Carmody

Theme

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Suggest how the composer has used the theme to provide insight or help you to understand something that is new to you?Is the theme explicit or implicit (easy to identify or inferred for you to determine yourself)?What does your life, culture, understanding bring to or detract from your understanding of the theme of this story?Identify the theme and provide textual evidence to support your understanding of its purpose.How does the theme relate to the context in which the text was written?How has the composer highlighted this theme?

Carmody uses the "good vs evil" theme to show insight into what happens to Nathanial and his evil fighting gang, and how he struggles to break free of the darkness in Cheshunt.

Issues

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Identify the issues and provide textual evidence to support your understanding of its purpose.How has the composer highlighted this issue?What does the issue expose about your understanding of the context in which the text was produced?

Nathanial is trying to fight the evil but his mother is stoping him without even knowing(the darkness is taking over her).

Nathanial struggles to fight the evil with bullys trying to persuade him, in their evil ways, to cross to The gathering(evil gang).

Ideas

His only friends are the "good" people and he can have no social contact with them so the "Kraken" doesn't defeat them.

Nathanial has no social friends to support him

Contexts

Social

Nathanial uses his social life to benefit the group: Doing an assignment on the history of the town; he talks to old people that witnessed herrific events in cheshunt at his mums work

Cultural

Carmody uses the Australian culure and identity to create a certain theme and feel.

Political

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In Cheshunt the laws and Rules are biest to the evil as they have taken over the town.

Historical

Carmody creates the sense that "The Kraken" is like Hitler and the town and children are his army of evil.

Intellectual

She creates the illusion that Nathanial makes his own decisions and that he takes on the responsibility of finding out about the previous gangs.

Language forms features and structures

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Locate and identify the language forms and strucutes in your text. Record the page number.State the composers purpose in using these language forms, features or structures to shape meaning for the responder.

Allusions

Alludes that "the kraken" is Hitler

Metaphors

Intertexuality

Verbs

Adverbs

Descriptions

Figurative language

Point of view - 1st person

Characters

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Are the characters in the story believable or not? Why? How are the characters introduced?What descriptors does the composer provide to identify the character?How is the character describes? directly or indirectly? Physically, psychologically, spiritually, in terms of dress, manner, speech etc.Explain in detail characters thoughts, feelings, words, vocabulary, family background.

Protagonists

Antagonists

Who or what is the Antagonist?

Main topic

Setting

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What techniques has the composer used to provide setting?Does the setting have an effect on the tone of the story

Time

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How has the composer used time specifically to create mood and suspense?

Place

Various settings

Plot

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What are the steps in the development of the plot?What happens at the climax of the story?How effectively has the composer used flashbacks to provide insight into the characters to reveal the themes, issues or ideas in the text?Suggest the effectiveness of the resolution of the story?

Carmody creates a story that is exiting because something happens every chapter to keep suspence.

She uses clues in the text near the climax for you to remember what happened what he saw, and what was said in the past that could make Nathanial win the fight against evil.

Purpose

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What is the composer's purpose in creating this text?To identify...To challenge...To highlight...To entertain...To espose...To expose...To determine...To illuminate...To create...To convey...To inform...To provoke...To educate...

to entertain the reader in the world of fantasy.

Symbols

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What symbols are used in the text?What do you think they represent?How and why does the composer use symbols throughout the novel?

Values

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What values are related to the text?Use the values checklist in your The Gathering Booklet.