Initial Response Close Study Significance Informed Reaction

Personal response on reading the text

Introductory activities

The unit assumes that students will read the novel independently, either before or during the study.

Examine the cover design and images of the novel:

  • What genre is suggested by the cover design? What character, narrative or thematic features are suggested by the cover image?

Read the blurb for the novel:

  • What are your initial expectations about the novel? What do you think it will be about? What words stand out in the blurb as key or significant and why?

Read a review about the novel:

  • These can be found linked on the ‘More Resources’ section (located below).
  • This may be divided up as a class activity.

After reading the review, answer the following: “What are your expectations about the novel now? How did the review make you feel about reading it?”
(ACEEN021)

Studying the context of the novel

Australian students reading Grace may often have some of the background knowledge and tacit understandings with respect to some of the concepts raised. Many have heard about the Kimberley region of Australia (even if just on the television weather); are aware of a range of Australian animals; have some understanding of the policing and legal system of Australia; know something about aboriginal people and culture; or have some grasp of ideas about human evolution. Depth and complexity of understanding with respect to the context of the creation and setting of the text is nevertheless essential in understanding its deeper meanings.

Learning Activity

Students are divided up into 6 groups of equal size. Each group is then allocated one of the following topics:

  1. Each group brainstorms ‘Facts, opinions and questions’ they have about their topic. This may be developed as an Affinity Diagram: students write their ideas silently for 5–10 minutes on small slips of paper or Post-It notes. They then re-convene with their group and collate their results, grouping similar and related ideas together. In this fashion they may collaboratively plan a pathway forward.
  2. In their groups students research their chosen topic.
  3. Students report back to the class about their findings. This may be developed as a poster, a group-presentation, a multi-media video, or a written report developed for class members to read.

Note: The group research activity might also be conducted as a ‘Jig-Saw’ activity: students have an initial ‘home-group’ of 6 members, who disband to re-form 6 ‘working-groups’. After they complete and share the research about their topic within their ‘working-group’, they return to their initial home-group, where they teach their peers about their own topic. (Numbers of topics or groups may be changed to suit class numbers and the needs of individual cohorts.)

This activity may serve as an initial assessment activity, specifically evaluating  collaborative, communication and research competencies.
(ACEEN021)   (ACEEN038)   (ACEEN039)   (ACEEN040)

Reflection

Students write a one to two paragraph response to the following: “What do I expect to happen in this novel?”

Understanding and knowing the text

For a thorough examination of the events and circumstances of the text, these questions and activities (PDF, 153KB) could be completed. The task may be divided up with individuals or groups of students completing different chapters or chapter combinations. Students can then work together to consolidate their understandings and to negotiate correct responses. The resulting responses can then be published as a class resource.

Building connections with the text

Students build connections to the text as a way of understanding the events of the text and how it relates to their own experiences and understanding. Keene and Zimmerman (Mosaic of Thought, Heinemann, 1997) suggest making three different kinds of connections as a way to explore the text.

  • Text-to-self: what ideas or events in the text connect with the reader’s personal experiences or knowledge?
  • Text-to-text: what ideas or events in the text connect with other texts or stories?
  • Text-to-world: what ideas or events in the text connect with events, issues or experiences in the real world?

Complete the following table with respect to connections in the text.

Connection Explanation of ideas in novel Evidence/quotations
Text-to-self
Text-to-text
Text-to-world

Share your ideas with peers in the class.
(ACEEN021)   (ACEEN023)   (ACEEN035)   (ACEEN040)

 

Outline of key elements of the text

Plot

Grace features numerous interweaving storylines, but it is Grace’s experience that is central to the narrative arc.

    • Develop an understanding of the narrative arc of the novel. This may take the form of a plotted graph with ‘plot progression’ on the horizontal (x) axis and ‘rising tension’ on the verticle (y) axis. The plot rises through the experience of various complications and issues, to the climax of the novel – the ultimate point of victory or defeat for the protagonist – thereafter the plot tension drops off through the resolution of the narrative.

      • Construct a plot graph for the journey of the protagonist as related in the novel.
      • On the same graph plot the journeys of John Molloy, the boy, Carl Brand, Evan Strachan and Bryon O’Malley (from the details you are given in the text).
    • Does Grace conform to a conventional narrative structure, with the plot tension raised through a series of complications to the story climax?

(ACEEN022)   (ACEEN023)   (ACEEN028)

Character

Grace is a character-driven text, with the journey of Grace through recovery and rediscovery-of-self at the heart of the narrative drive. It is rich with secondary characters, along with a plethora of minor characters and bit-players.

    • Introductory activity 1: (complete while reading novel) Make a list of characters from the text. Each should include a brief 1–2 sentence description of the main features of that character, including their involvement in the primary narrative of the text.
    • Introductory activity 2: Research different character types. Categorise characters according to labels such as ‘main’, ‘secondary’ or ‘tertiary’ types; ‘protagonist’, ‘narrator’, ‘antagonist’, ‘foil’, ‘dynamic’, ‘static’, ‘flat’, ‘anti-hero’, etc. Compare your categorisations with a classmate and discuss similarities and differences.

Character task: Character map

There are a great many characters in Drewe’s novel, each of various value and significance. A key part of understanding the journey of the characters is to understand the relationship between all of the characters.

  1. Construct a “Character map” of all the characters in Drewe’s novel showing their interrelationships and roles.
  2. Each connection should be accompanied by a one to three word explanation.
  3. Include significant quotes that explain the nature of significant relationships.
  4. Present your “Character map” to an audience, as either a poster or using digital software.

Characters of the novel include:

  • Grace Molloy
  • John Molloy
  • Carl Gerard Brand
  • The boy
  • Evan Strachan
  • Kate Prouse
  • Reece Prouse 
  • Henric Fischer
  • Rainer Jensen
  • Joel
  • Clara Aherne
  • Louise
  • Marion Dwyer 
  • Brett Stroller 
  • Garth Stroller
  • Tennielle
  • Verge Action
  • Angela
  • Sister Joseph
  • Kelly Burnish
  • Bryon O’Malley
  • Uncle Walter 
  • Judy Renfrew
  • Grant Walker
  • Penny Kidson
  • Griff 

There are a great many characters in the text, both named and unnamed. Drewe fills his scenes with images of bystanders and background characters, like extras on a film set. They interact with the main characters, such as tourists who attend Grace’s adventure tours, or they are simply decorative depictions of aspects of lifestyle, such as the aboriginal woman who saunters through the restaurant in the first chapter. What is important in these scenes is how the focal character perceives the decorative character, and what meaning they take away from observing them.

Other less well developed (flat) characters may be included in the Character Map if there is a meaningful connection or idea that can be drawn from the inclusion.

Character task: Ranking and descriptions

From the novel choose your top three most important/significant characters. Be prepared to justify your selections with appropriate evidence.

  • Compare your ranking with a class colleague.
  • Identify differences and similarities.
  • What assumptions did each student make about the reason for the importance of characters?

(ACEEN022)   (ACEEN035)

 

Synthesising task/activity 

Grace and others

The following task and extension activities may be undertaken separately, with the attached Grace and Character relationships worksheet (PDF, 129KB).

The relationship of Grace to other characters in the text is central to understanding the commentary that Drewe is providing on contemporary Australian society. This is not to say that relationships between other characters do not also bear meaningful interpretative fruit: the relationship between John Molloy, Henric Fischer and Bryon O’Malley presents a particular critique of the territory of scientific and historical knowledge (how it is contested and critiqued).

Especially important throughout this text is Grace’s relationship with the men around her. This is primarily a result of the unwanted attentions of her stalker, “The Icelander”, and her relationship with men in particular which vary and change throughout the events of the novel. The strained nature of her relationship with men – particularly in a romantic sense – is a key technique whereby Drewe explores dimensions of gender associated with power struggles over self-identity.

Grace & …  The nature and details of their relationship  What Grace thinks about the relationship  The effects and results of the relationship  Significant quotes or evidence 
John Molloy
Carl Gerard Brand
The boy
Brett Stroller
Garth Stroller
Joel
Bryon O’Malley
Griff
Evan Strachan
Clara Aherne
Kate Prouse
Kelly Burnish

Extension and synthesising activities:

Once the table has been finished students should rank their characters in terms of their importance in Grace’s character development, growth and recovery.

  • Throughout the novel, who are the most important characters for the journey of the protagonist?

Students compare their rankings with peers and debate any differences.

Write an extended response to one of the following questions.

  • Who are the most vital characters for Grace’s journey throughout the novel?
  • What contemporary representations of gender are depicted though Grace’s relationship with different characters? How is the reader positioned to feel about Grace with respect to these different gender roles?
  • Research various character archetypes. Do any of the characters in Grace fit these character archetypes, such as protagonist, antagonist, foil, hero, etc.?

(ACEEN022)   (ACEEN035)   (ACEEN038)

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The writer’s craft

Structure

The novel features a relatively conventional structure in that it is divided up into sections with named chapter headings. The chapters progress in a relatively linear fashion from the reader’s perspective, but feature large flash-back or memory sections, which explore the background to events and characters. The novel is divided up into eleven sections, each with between two to three chapters, often linked by a common theme, idea or perspective.

Answer and discuss the following:

  1. Why is the novel structured the way that it is? What possibilities are offered by changing the narrative point of view, and making integrated use of memories, flashbacks and letters?
  2. Why do you think that Drewe made the decision to structure the novel this way? What would have been the effect if it had been written from a first person point of view, detailing the protagonist’s life and experiences as they unfolded chronologically?

Optional activity (either individual extension or class-based): Novel structure worksheet (PDF, 148KB).

Divide the class into groups, and give each group one section (with two to three chapters). Complete the table section for those chapters, then share results as a class.

Setting

Jig Saw Activity

Students should be divided into six groups of equal numbers.  Each group should be given a location from the list below; these are the primary locations for many significant events in the novel.

  • Port Mangrove
  • The Kimberley wilderness
  • Crocodile Gardens
  • Salt End Inn
  • Sydney
  • The Island – Lion Island

For each setting, the group should identify the following:

  • How is the setting depicted? Make a list of descriptive language used to describe the location and the character’s feelings about it. Identify adjectives/adverbs, imagery, metaphors/similes.
    • What is the symbolic meaning of the location for the events of the novel? What themes does it relate to?
    • Find ten quotes that suggest something meaningful about the nature of the location and its influence of people/characters and events.

Members from each group should then distribute themselves around the room with members from all of the other groups in the class. Each group should have at least one member to speak about each location (it is okay if there are multiple members from a single location in each group). The students then take turns teaching each other about their location and its significance for the meaning of the novel.

  • This activity may be completed individually if so desired. Simply answer all of the questions above for each of the locations listed.

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Point of view

Overall, Drewe’s novel is written from a third person omniscient point of view, in that whilst third-person pronouns are used (he, she, they), the reader is given privileged insight into the thinking and motivations of a range of different characters. Drewe deals with the complexity of ‘mind-shifting’, that is, shifting between characters whose thoughts and perspectives he explores – generally by limiting these changes of focus to different chapters, or in a couple of cases, an internal division within a chapter, indicated by a clear break between sections (a spare line is left). Within each chapter or section, the point of view may be considered as third person limited, in that when Drewe is exploring the perspective of a particular perspective, he generally doesn’t step outside that perspective until the next chapter or section change.

The character whose perspective is being adopted at any particular time can be identified by verbs relating to private information, such as thoughts and fantasies. Such words include the following verbs: “thought”, “pictured”, “felt”, “dreamed”, etc. It can also be seen in the treatment of object and subject in sentence structures.

A range of character’s perspectives is adopted:

  • Grace Molloy, as the primary protagonist, is the character whose perspective is adopted the most.
    • Chapters/sections where Grace is the primary focus of the point of view include: “Esplanade” (pp. 3–8), “Grace of the Crocodiles” (pp. 9–57), “Adoration” (pp. 58-94), “Adventure Tours” (pp. 115–147), “Bathrooms” (pp. 154–165), “The Nature Walk” (pp. 209–216), “Into Africa” (pp. 283-296), “The Living Night” (pp. 335–345), “Love Object” (pp. 346–356), “Sewing Instructions” (pp. 359–372), “Road Movie” (pp. 375-388), “The Sacred Ibis” (pp. 398–400), “Scenario” (pp. 408–412).
  • John Molloy
    • Chapters/sections where John Molloy is the primary focus of the point of view include: “The First Modern Woman” (pp. 97–106), “Eureka!” (pp. 107–111), “The Capricorn Mug” (pp. 169–181), “Onward March” (pp. 182–205), “Park Nocturne” (pp. 239–250), “Dark Lady of the Cinema” (pp. 251–254), “Into Africa” (pp. 272–283), “Bone Dry” (pp. 299–305), “Five-Jetty Night” (pp. 306–331), “The Sacred Ibis” (pp. 391–397), “Scenario” (pp. 405–406), “The Island” (pp. 413–415).
  • The boy
    • Chapters/sections where the boy is the primary focus of the point of view include: “Bathrooms” (pp. 148–154 & 165–166) and “Charity” (pp. 217–222 & 226–231).
  • Sister Joseph
    • Sections where Sister Joseph is the primary focus of the point of view include: “Charity” (pp. 222–226 & 232–236)
  • Evan Strachan
    • There is only one chapter where Evan Strachan is the primary focus of the point of view: “The Skeleton Handbook” (pp. 257–271)
  • Bryon O’Malley
    • A small section is devoted to Bryon O’Malley as the primary focus of the point of view, specifically: “Road Movie” (pp. 373–375)
  • Carl Gerard Brand
    • The voice of Carl Gerard Brand is heard in first person through his letters scattered throughout the novel.
    • Carl Gerard Brand is only given one chapter where his perspective is explored using the subjective third person point of view, specifically: “Scenario” (pp. 401–405 & 406–408).

Questions and activities:

  1. What advantages or limitations do you note about key events that are a result of a particular character being the focus for the narrative?
  2. Find instances where the perspective applied allows certain facts or ideas to be hidden from the reader.

Extension task – Shared Point of view chapters (PDF, 137KB)

  • Write a summary of each character’s journey from the perspective of the reader, using their narrated sections as a guide.

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Text and meaning

Authorial intent

Read the transcript of the Radio National interview of Robert Drewe by Romana Koval about his novel Grace.

  • Highlight three parts that you found useful for your overall understanding the novel. How and why were each of these useful?

Homework/research task (optional):

Drawing on the Radio National interview and other additional resources listed for this unit of study (and any others they can find), students are to explore in deeper detail the author’s motivations.

  1. Why did Robert Drewe decide to write this novel? What was his inspiration?
  2. What did he hope to achieve through the narrative of this novel?
  3. Why did he construct the central character as he did?
  4. What issues is he concerned with addressing in the novel?
  5. What does he see as the main message of the novel?
  6. What have you learnt from listening to Drewe’s thoughts about his creation?

(ACEEN021)   (ACEEN025)   (ACEEN038)   (ACEEN039)

 

Territories and borders

Read the ABC Radio National interview with Robert Drewe about his novel Grace.

Territory and identity

  • The expansive locations of the novel trace many territories, and there are various tensions explored around this topic.
    • The invasion of Grace’s personal territory and identity by her erotomaniac stalker.
    • The boy as a detention centre escapee, who symbolises national fears over national territorial sovereignty and safety.
    • The competing abstract territories of aboriginal culture and western science when it comes to the fate of the Salt End woman.
    • Character experiences of being outsiders in local communities and groups: Grace when she first moves to the Kimberley region, John when he moves to the Island, the boy in Australia.

Activities

  1. Select one type of territorial invasion; identify significant examples from the text that demonstrate this idea.
  2. Write a statement of what Drewe is saying about this form of territorial invasion through his novel.
  3. Discussion. Share your ideas with a partner. Provide feedback to the whole class as a discussion on the nature of territorial invasions in the novel.
  4. Reflection writing. Are all territorial invasions the same? What features do they share? How do they differ?

Extension activity

Complete activities 1 and 2 above for each of the types of territorial invasion.
(ACEEN021)   (ACEEN025)   (ACEEN035)   (ACEEN038)   (ACEEN039)

 

Synthesising task/activity

Character study

Carl Gerard Brand is the primary antagonist of the novel, presenting a threat to the personal safety of the protagonist. Drewe explores this threat through a mental delusion known as ‘erotomania‘, where the sufferer is under the mistaken belief that another person, usually unknown to them and often a famous or significant public figure or celebrity, is in a romantic relationship with them. Carl’s effort to control Grace is through an attempt to control and rewrite her identity. The effects of his beliefs on Grace provide the primary plot device for moving her to the outback, the location of her recovery; as well as being a technique through which issues such as territories, gender relations, trauma and recovery, can be explored.

Learning task

The tasks and letters are set out fully in the attached Erotomaniac’s Letters Worksheet (PDF, 182KB).

Examine the letters of obsession that Carl ‘The Icelander’ writes to Grace, and consider the questions and activities that follow:

  • the first letter (“Grace of the Crocodiles”, pp. 38–41)
  • the second letter (‘Adoration’ – pp. 58–60)
  • another letter; the third presented, although there have been a number of confrontations and court cases since the second letter (‘Adoration’ – p. 92)
  • the fourth letter, intercepted by John Molloy, but not passed on to Grace (‘The Capricorn Mug’ – pp. 178–181)
  • the fifth letter; the second letter intercepted by her father, which he also does not tell her about (‘Dark Lady of the Cinema’ – p. 254)
  • the final letter, given to her by Angela at Crocodile Gardens: it arrives a few days before the confrontation with Carl, but the letter is not given to her until after the event. (pp. 355–356)

Activity

This task may be undertaken as a group activity (perhaps even a Jig-saw) where each group is given a different letter, and within the group, members take on different tasks. After working their different elements with other similar students, they report back to their home group. The home groups then report back to the class about their findings.

The task may also be undertaken individually: students complete the following questions for one of the letters; they then find a class member for each of the other letters and share their ideas.

  1. At what point in the text does the letter occur? When did Grace first receive it, and what was her reaction? Why is it raised at this point in the text, and what does it reveal about Grace?
  2. What initial knowledge does the reader gain about Carl’s character and mental state? At what point in the stalking is this letter sent? What knowledge do we gain about erotomania and erotomaniacs?
  3. What is Grace or John Molloy’s reaction to the content of the letter? Find a quote that illustrates this.
  4. What language or structural features are significant in the communication? What do they reveal about Carl’s or Grace’s characters? Why is the form/genre of the communication significant at this point?

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Ways of reading the text

Theoretical frameworks

As a novel Grace explores notions of territory, and the invasion of different types of territories on a number of levels. Two literary perspectives which lend themselves productively to exploring the ideas in the novel are those of feminism and postcolonialism. Both of these approaches draw attention to the experiences of the ‘outsider’ to traditional, mainstream culture, and encourage readers to reflect on the ways in which the oppressed are maintained as such, and the ways in which literature can enable us to fight back against such oppression.

Feminism

  • A useful perspective to consider Grace through is that of feminist theory. This relates particularly to Grace’s experience at the hands of her erotomaniac stalker, and the symbolic meaning this has for women across the country. This speaks to broader anxieties about personal safety, particularly for women, who are more often than not the victims of violence by the opposite gender.
  • Feminism involves exploring the gendered relationships and structures within society as a way of advocating for alternative ways of understanding human interactions, analysing gendered power structures and advocating for change.
  • Grace’s objectification and oppression at the hands of ‘the Icelander’ takes the form of his efforts to control her identity as a particular model of womanhood, be it ‘wife’ or ‘whore’. Grace’s resistance is symbolic of female efforts to control and write their own identity. Although his attention may seem harmless (consider Grace’s editor’s reaction) it is revealed to be a devastating form of violence against her inner-most being.
  • That Carl’s stalking efforts are expressed as a ‘love’ obsession can also be read as a deeper condemnation of the ways in which men’s identities seek to rewrite women’s identities in particular ways: as virgin, love object, whore, wife, mother, crone, etc.

Postcolonialism

  • The tension between white, western culture and aboriginal tradition around the treatment of human remains reveals the value of exploring a postcolonial theoretical perspective on the novel.
  • Grace as a character is also representative of women’s bodies being colonised by the control of men, and their efforts to fight back. In this way, Carl’s obsession is an effort to colonise Grace’s identity.
  • The appearance of the boy, as a transgression of borders, also gives voice to those whose identities have been colonised by media and political forces, labeling them as ‘illegal immigrants’ and ‘queue jumpers’. In giving the boy a voice, Drewe writes back against these dehumanising discourses.
  • The role of aboriginal Australians in reclaiming history is demonstrated through John Molloy surrendering the Salt End Woman to Bryon O’Malley, effectively handing back control of the history and story of the skeleton to Australia’s traditional owners.

Discussion points:

After researching and discussing definitions of the two perspectives above, use the following as discussion points (at class group, small group or pair level).

  1. What characters illustrate the author’s opinions about gender or intercultural understandings?
  2. What events are key to the text’s message, from either a feminist or postcolonial interpretative standpoint?
  3. What does the text say overall about gender or postcolonialism?
  4. Why might the text be described as a feminist and/or postcolonial text?

(ACEEN021)   (ACEEN024)   (ACEEN028)   (ACEEN030)   (ACEEN034)   (ACEEN035)   (ACEEN038)   (ACEEN039)

 

Comparison with other texts

Cinematic references

Drewe makes frequent use of cinematic texts to illustrate ideas and create additional levels of meaning throughout his novel. Primarily these emerge when Grace is the focus character and the values she places on films as a part of her identity are alluded to as a way of understanding and interpreting the world.

Films that are referred to throughout the text include (links provided are to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) pages):

* Some films are of an adult nature and need to be considered carefully with particular groups of students.

Activities:

These activities may be completed as a class. Students are allocated (by choice or randomly) a film from the text, and complete questions one and two below. They may then present their findings to the class as a brief presentation, or sharing may be conducted through activities three and four.

  1. Research one of the movies from the list above. Try to choose one that is discussed or mentioned with different levels of details or significance. Find out details of the plot, themes and famous/significant scenes from the film.
  2. Find the location(s) within the text where the film is mentioned. Why is the film mentioned in this scene? What is the point being made? What does knowledge of the film add to your understanding of the text at this point?
  3. Students share their findings with at least three other class members who have examined different films.
  4. Discuss in small groups and then as a class the question: Overall, why does Grace’s mentioning of cinema reduce throughout the novel? What does this tell the reader about her personality and identity? What does it tell us about her character development?

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Evaluation of the text

This novel explores the effect that different places can have on our sense of self, all in a quintessentially Australian setting. From Sydney to the far north west of the Australian mainland, Australian culture and personalities are explored, from locals to travellers, from urbanites to island locals.

Australia and identity

This task is set out in the attached worksheet format for class distribution (PDF, 116KB).

As a discursive construct, identity is explored at a number of levels throughout this text, set in a quintessentially contemporary Australian context. The importance of identity for individuals and groups is illustrated when the sanctity of certain identities is threatened by apparently external forces.

Identity is explored at a number of levels throughout the novel:

  • national identity
  • Aboriginal identity
  • gendered identities
  • academic identities
  • professional identities
  • individual identity

Activities and questions:

Complete the  following table and questions for the different types of identity in the novel:

Forms of identity  Representations within the text  Threats to this form of identity in the text  Resolution of threats to identity in the text  Quotes & evidence of significance 
National identity 
Aboriginal identity 
Gendered identities 
Academic identities 
Professional identities 
Individual identities
  1. What images of these different types of identities are presented in Grace?
  2. What is the challenge that is presented to the stability of each identity in the text? What characters or events depict this? How is the challenge resolved and what is the significance of this resolution?
  3. Find two quotes for each of the identity types above that are significant. Justify your selection.

(ACEEN021)   (ACEEN024)   (ACEEN035)   (ACEEN038)   (ACEEN039)

Additional extension tasks:

The following optional extension tasks are based on the close examination of selected extracts from Grace.

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Synthesise core ideas

Rich assessment tasks

Responding

Review text response essay-writing with students. Further information on this form may be found in the VCE Study Guides or at a variety of other similar sites. Explanation should consist of an exploration of the essay genre, linguistic and structural requirements of the form.

Students should draft and write an essay response to one (or more as required) of the following topics. This response should be between 600–1,000 words.

Essay Topics:

  • In his novel Grace, Robert Drewe explores the sanctity of territorial borders, from the national to the personal level. Discuss.
  • Part of the problem about dealing with violence against women in a historically patriarchal society is the extent to which we misunderstand what many forms this violence can take. Discuss with respect to Grace’s journey throughout Robert Drewe’s novel.
  • Films offer us a way to understand our lives and experiences, but ultimately they prove incapable of capturing the true complexity of human experience. Discuss with reference to Robert Drewe’s Grace.
  • What Grace suffers is a universal experience: fear of a loss of self is at the heart of what it is to be human. Discuss.
  • Both John Molloy and his daughter are victims of ego, but in very different ways; healing takes a very different form for both of them. Do you agree?
  • What role does the Australian setting play in the significance of Grace’s journey? To what extent could this story have been set anywhere in the world?
  • Grace’s experiences illustrate how ideals of femininity are shaped by culture. Discuss.
  • Whenever anyone puts themselves into the public eye, they will be met with conflict. Is this what we learn through the journeys of the characters in Grace?
  • While Grace’s journey tells us the central concern of the novel, it is the supporting characters who provide the arguments and evidence. Discuss.
  • Mastery over her fear is an essential step in Grace’s recovery. How does Drewe demonstrate this throughout the novel?
  • Grace understands her world through films, but the process of her healing changes this. To what extent do you agree?

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Creating

Complete one of the following options, paying particular attention to justifications accompanying the response:

1. Film Review Portfolio

Writing film reviews for Now magazine is Grace’s job before the stalking experience, although details of her actual reviews are missing from the novel.

Select two films which Grace reviewed during her time as a film critic: justify the significance of your selection.

  • Watch each of these films.
  • Write the reviews for these films, adopting the persona of Grace. (400–600 words each)

Imagine that Grace returns to writing film reviews after the events of the novel.

  • Write a review of a recent film in the persona of Grace. (400–600 words)
  • Write a justification, using relevant text evidence, of what this shows of Grace’s change through the experiences depicted in the novel.

Publish your three reviews as newspaper articles in a portfolio.

2. Voicing minor characters

The novel is peopled with a variety of rich characters, many of whom connect with the protagonist in some way. These minor characters also allow Drewe to represent particular perspectives essential to the messages and larger meanings of the text.

Write new section for the novel based around one/each of the following characters.

In line with the original text, your passage for each should be written from a first person limited point of view (for that particular character).

Your section may be from anywhere in the original text, or before or after the events.

  • Sister Joseph
  • Evan Strachan
  • Bryon O’Malley

Your character-based passage should feature the following:

  • a clear link with ideas, experiences or issues mentioned with respect to the character(s) in their actual sections of the text;
  • an event and resolution which reflects the concerns of the original text;
  • an exploration of the character’s opinions, beliefs, perspectives;
  • a writing style which reflects knowledge of Drewe’s linguistic techniques.

Write a short commentary, which explains authorial choices in the construction of your own sections.
(ACEEN021)   (ACEEN024)   (ACEEN025)   (ACEEN027)   (ACEEN030)   (ACEEN032)   (ACEEN033)   (ACEEN034)   (ACEEN035)   (ACEEN036)   (ACEEN037)   (ACEEN038)

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