Read the extract from the book and summarise the sequence of events 150 words. Intriguing traditions of song, dress, food, and spirituality are also portrayed, along with an explanation of the rabbit proof fence that helps them return home, the longest actual fence in the world. Rabbit proof fence in the context of australian identity. In the introductory lecture our attention was focused on a number of core themes which run throughout the course. Rabbitproof fence tells the true story of three aboriginal australian girls molly, her sister daisy and their cousin, gracie. The town lies along the northern part of australias rabbitproof fence, which runs for several thousand miles. Three mixedrace girls, molly aged 14, her sister gracie 11.
Noyces film is based on the book follow the rabbitproof fence by the late doris pilkington nugi garimara, which tells the story of her mother, molly. They knew that once they reached billanooka station, it was simply a matter of following the rabbitproof fence to their final destination, the jigalong government depot. In 1907 a fence 1,834 kms in length was built from the great southern ocean to the coast of the top end for the purpose of preventing rabbits invading western australia. It concerns the authors mother, and two other young mixedrace aboriginal girls, who ran away from a western australian settlement at moore river. This book, written by doris pilkington, tells how her mother molly and her younger cousins gracie and daisy in the life of an aboriginal woman, no one is more important than her mother when she is. It tells the story of three young aboriginal girls. For those who were residential school survivors, they had formed a legacy of alcohol and drug abuse problems, feelings of hopelessness. Take our free rabbitproof fence quiz below, with 25 multiple choice questions that help you test your knowledge. The first chapter of the rabbitproof fence begins with a historical description of when the english first arrived on the shores of western australia.
Traditional cultural knowledge and the strength of family ties are the champions in the end. In follow the rabbitproof fence pilkington recalls with a searing irony one of the more farcical projects of land management in the newly federated states of australia. Rabbitproof fence 2002 clip 1 on aso australianscreen. Rabbitproof fence is set in 1931, when the executor of that policy was a. The policies depicted in the movie were enforced by the australian government, we are told, until 1970. She tells her own story in under the wintamarra tree 2003, of her premature birth, under the tree of the book s title on balfour downs station, a pastoral lease and cattle station located about 2 kilometres northeast of newman in western australias pilbara region. More rabbit proof fence quizzes learn more about rabbitproof fence story quiz. The council for aboriginal reconciliation argues that the truth about past experiences must be spoken about and acknowledged by all australians before reconciliation can occur. Doris pilkington garimara tells the story of her mother in follow the rabbitproof fence. Set in 1931, two sisters, 14yearold molly and 8yearold daisy, and their 10yearold cousin gracie live in the western australian town of jigalong. The fence cut through the country from south to north. The rabbit proof fence when the white men came to australia, they brought many new things, things that amazed and frightened the people who lived in that sun baked land.
Just because people have neolithic tools, inspector, doesnt mean they have neolithic minds. Of all the journeys made since white people set foot. It follows the journey of three young girls, molly, gracie and daisy who were taken from their mothers and moved to the moore river orphanage settlement to be integrated into the white culture, forgetting about their. They brought new tools, new metals, new clothes, new fo ods, and new weapons. Although rabbitproof fence depicted a successful escape made by molly and her sister from moore river settlement, the realities of removing indigenous children from their families had a traumatic experience.
Molly and the girls must then elude the authorities on a dangerous 1,500mile adventure along the rabbitproof fence that bisects the continent and will lead them home. Rabbit proof fence definition of rabbit proof fence by. The rabbit proof fence is based on a true story on how aboriginal families were treated by politicians and government. It was a typical response by the white people to a problem of their own making. Rabbitproof fence is a true story, based on the book, follow the rabbitproof fence written by doris pilkington garimara, mollys daughter. Follow the rabbitproof fence by doris pilkington, nugi. Rabbit proof fence, originally written by doris pilkington garimara in 1996, is a true story, which was adapted into a movie in 2002 by phillip noyce. The most astonishing words in rabbitproof fence come right at the end, printed on the screen as a historical footnote. Neville kenneth branagh, a man so intransigently certain of its ultimate benefit to everyone involved that he makes rudyard kipling seem benign. Oral presentation students are to imagine they are pitching their book cover design to publishers at the university of queensland press. Comprehension and discussion activities for the movie.
Molly learned from her father that the fence was installed from north to south for almost the entire length of the country. The aboriginal men who lived in nyungar, western australia, mistrusted the english since members of their families had been shot by white raiders and the english had kidnapped aboriginal. When it was released, this scene was contentious because after the bringing them home report in 1997, the use of the. Set in 1931, rabbitproof fence brings to the screen the horrific consequences of a british policy that removed australian children who were of mixed whiteaboriginal background from their homes a practice that continued until the 1970s. Based on a true story, the book is a personal account of an indigenous australian familys experiences as members of the stolen generation the forced removal of mixedrace children from their families during the early 20th century. The girls were not even allowed to speak their language. Follow the rabbitproof fence is an australian book by doris pilkington, published in 1996. They called it the rabbit proof fence, and it stretched fully 1500 kilometers from the burning hot northwest to the cool and rainy south of the great continent. Solitary confinement was doled out as regular punishment. Rabbitproof fence definition of rabbitproof fence by. Mollys father was a white man who was the inspector of the rabbitproof fence. The film captures the adventures of three aboriginal girls molly, 14, daisy, 8, and gracie, 10, who escape from an english settlement school after being forcibly taken from their home in jigalong. Noyce has used a number of filimic and literary techniques thoughout rabbit proof fence to.
It was and is an incredible monument to folly of man, for the rabbits soon managed to dig beneath the rabbit proof fence and spread to the sheep. They make me sick, these people, they make me sick. Rabbit proof fence lesson plan part one eleanor kettle 2005 page optional viewing activity the slide show scene. Australian doris pilkingtons work of nonfiction follow the rabbit. Rabbit proof fence notes rabbitproof fence tells the true story of three aboriginal girls who are forcibly removed from their families. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Discuss the symbolism and motifs in the rabbit proof. But n ot everything the white men brought was good for the country.
This quiz will test how much you understood the book and will help you remember the parts you dont remember. It was made into a film in 2002, entitled rabbitproof fence. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Teaching rabbit proof fence connected teaching and learning. The story took place in 1931 at jigalong, in western australia. Rabbitproof fence is the harrowing true story of three mixedrace aboriginal children who walked a thousand miles to get back to their mothers. Follow the rabbitproof fence is an australian book by doris pilkington. It is based on the book follow the rabbitproof fence by. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of follow the rabbitproof fence by doris pilkington. The state barrier fence of western australia, formerly known as the rabbit proof fence, the state vermin fence, and the emu fence, is a pestexclusion fence constructed between 1901 and 1907 to keep rabbits and other agricultural pests, from the east, out of western australian pastoral areas there are three fences in western australia.
Rabbit proof fence is a contemporary drama about the struggle of three aboriginal girls from western australia. Excerpted from follow the rabbitproof fence by doris pilkington, nugi. Aboriginal children of mixed race were taken by force from their mothers and raised in training schools that would prepare them for lives as factory workers or. This is the true story of doris pilkingtons mother molly, who escaped, with her sisters, from an australian government institute for aboriginal children with white fathers. This clip from the feature film rabbitproof fence presents an indigenous perspective on the issue of the stolen generations to a wide audience. Rabbit proof fence synonyms, rabbit proof fence pronunciation, rabbit proof fence translation, english dictionary definition of rabbit proof fence. Settlement life was unbearable with its chains and padlocks, barred windows, hard cold beds, and horrible food. This module has been designed to accompany the film rabbitproof fence 2002. One such theme was the concept of a nation and the way in which cultural products of the nation shape our sense of identity. Rabbitproof fence captures their universally touching plight and unparalleled courage in a beautiful testament to the undying strength of the human spirit.
Equally, australian film classics book rabbitproof fence, written by 2011 nsw australian of the year larissa bernhardt, is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in. Rabbitproof fence is the short, but completely captivating story of three girls escape from a halfcaste aboriginal centre and their epic, long walk home back to their families. The purpose of the fence was to keep the overpopulation of rabbits in the eastern australian regions from coming into western australia. Set in 1931, their removal was part of an official australian government policy which removed half caste children from their parents and placed them within institutions that trained these children to become domestic servants. Determine which chapters, themes and styles you already know and what you need to study for your upcoming essay, midterm, or final exam. Assimilationist policy dictated that these girls be taken from their kin and their homes in order to be made white. Based on a true story, the film is set in 1931, in the outback of australia where molly craig 14, her younger sister daisy craig 8, and their cousin gracie 10 try to return to their homeland after they have been forcefully taken to a relocation camp by the government. The girls, ages 8, 11, and 14, were forcibly removed from their families so that they might learn to behave more like. Robert manne stated in the sydney morning herald that rabbit proof fence is the first important feature film on the subject of the stolen generation and comments that no episode in our history is more ideologically sensitive or of greater contemporary significance for indigenous and nonindigenous relations that the story of the stolen generations. This study guide consists of approximately 25 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of rabbitproof fence. This book is simply written, but extremely evocative and can easily be read in a couple of hours. But, for those hours, you will live and breathe the lives of these. Follow the rabbit proof fence is a novel by doris pilkington garimara. Noyce was a filmmaker at the height of his career when he made rabbitproof fence and this goes some way to explain why the film.
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