Choose a variety of “people” stories that we have been working on throughout the year.
TASK 1
Describe the character from an analytical, reflective perspectives; include adjectives from our list.
TASK 2
Use the following character-based stories as a model to write your own creative, reflective story. Try to work with material that is close to you so that you can write a story (or extended anecdote) that is deeply personal, in order to avoid clichés and stereotypes. Use some dialogue; include a problem or an interchange with another person.
Some of the stories/ ideas include:
- A lonely feeling of exclusion from family: a young boy’s experience of his room in a dark place to reflect his isolation; (“Alone in the dark as the ghouls play merry hell by Ansom Cameron”)
- Children caught up in tragedies; personal tragedy (divorce); death; accident; or natural tragedy; house or bush fires; trauma, fears and phobias… and how they deal with it. (Khyle or Matthew’s story); development of physical mannerisms and behaviour to reflect the psychological anxiety (Stories from the bushfires by Karen Kissane, The Age)
- A time you did something wrong or shameful: Two of Us: Mary’s experience of shoplifting
Amy – 12 year old girl is mean to her grandfather/grandmother; her change and development (Source: The Relative Advantages of Learning my Language, Growing up Asian) - 2 girls have a common bond based on the exclusion of a third girl – she hides behind the shared laughter of the group; anonymous and shameful – grows. (Source: Alice Munro: The View from Castle Rock; story about Francis)
- Girl with a difference such as Asperbergers: a “stickler for rules”; follows patterns to the extent of absurdity; underreacts to crisis but overreacts to minor inconveniences (Source: Carolyn Robertson)
- The girl’s mother works in the canteen; the mother cannot speak English and becomes the butt of ridicule; the girl disowns her and feels ashamed (learning experience) (Source: Joy Hopwood’s interview in Growing up Asian)
- Stella Young – disability ; her desire to belong and be part of the group; target of ridicule; (rumours) they say she wears nappies (Source: interview with Fiona Norman)
- The story of the father’s room, his clothes and objects as a reflection of character (Source: The Boat, The Island, Alistair MacLeod)