Rabbit Proof Fence Essay

‘Rabbit Proof Fence’ was the story of a 3 young Aboriginal girls who were taken from their homes because they were ‘half castes’ and then their long walk home following the rabbit proof fence. The idea of the government taking children from their homes and placing them into the care of white people in the hope of them losing their cultural beliefs was stronger. This idea of them being changed was evident with quotes such as “This is your new home. We don't use that jabber here. You speak English” providing the idea of whites being dominant through their values.

In the story of “Fences” and also “A Doll House” we will compare the plot of change. Sometimes change is accepted and others it is not. One thing that the reader will become aware of is that times change and people change. Change is a constant thing, whether talking about society as a whole or about the people that make up that society. One thing is for sure and that is that there will always be change. In the story “A Doll House” we will see how change within two main character’s will change the family dynamics of a picture perfect family. The thing that the reader does not expect it the tragic ending that does happen within this picture perfect family. In the story “Fences” we will find how the character’s unwillingness to accept change will ultimately lead to the demise of his family life that he has. Not only does this demise come from his unwillingness to accept change but because he wants change but in very different ways than what society has to offer.

Rabbit Proof Fence is a movie directed by Phillip Noyce based on the novel by Doris Pilkington Garimara. In the excerpt, ‘The Stealing of Children,’ it shows the offspring of the indigenous people being taken away from their parents as the white settlers thought they weren’t being treated properly. Events like these occurred from 1910-1970 in Australia’s history. Many aboriginal children didn’t want to be taken away and the fictional story, based on real events, of Rabbit Proof Fence has been created from the point of view of those people living at this time. The director has created many representations of Aboriginal people through the use of language features, visual elements and the audio components.

Since the European settlement of Australia, the Indigenous people have been represented in a myriad of ways. The Rabbits (1998), an allegorical picture book by John Marsden (writer) and Shaun Tan (illustrator) and Rabbit Proof Fence (2002), a film directed by Phillip Noyce, are just two examples of this. Techniques such as music, changing camera angles and symbolism are utilised in Rabbit Proof Fence to represent the Aboriginal people as strong-willed and spiritual and in The Rabbits, exaggeration, different colour themes and perspective are used to portray the Aborigines as technologically inferior and overwhelmed against the Europeans. In both texts, the Indigenous people are represented as

Composers of texts use a number of individual (and combinations of several) techniques to reprensent the concept of the physical journey and specifically that it is the journey, not the destination that matters. Noyce has used a number of filimic and literary techniques thoughout “Rabbit Proof Fence” to ddo this. The use of symbolism, lighting, characterisation and camera angles all enable Noyce to express the physical journey being explored. The cover of Kellehers’ novel ______ uses visual techniques such as colour, blending and dark patches to convey the type of journey being explored through his text. “Sweet Home Alabama” uses literary techniques such as symbolism, repetition and rhyme to express the journey being undertaken by

August Wilson did not name his play, Fences, simply due to the melodramatic actions that take place in the Maxson household, but rather the relationships that bond and break because of the “fence”. The “fence” serves as a structural device because the character's lives are constantly changing during the construction of the fence. The dramatic actions in the play strongly depend on the building of the fence in the Maxson’s backyard. Fences represents the metaphorical walls or fences that the main characters are creating around themselves in order to keep people in or vice versa. The title may seem straightforward, but in actuality it is a powerful symbol which can either have positive or

Rabbit Proof Fence has been published both as a book and as a movie. Being a reader or a viewer entirely changes our point of view on the story. As a reader, we get descriptive insight on the situations and emotions of the characters. We are then able to re-create these visually using our imagination and have endless freedom doing so. As a viewer, our creativity is somewhat restricted. We do not imagine the characters’ physical appearance, the locations or the overall situations in the same way as in a book. These elements are already given to us. Throughout this essay I will be exploring how the music and the filming creates a contrast between reading the book with elaborate descriptions.

The rabbit proof fence is the central motif. It runs from North to South of Western Australia and was built to keep rabbits away from farmland. It is very symbolic as when it was built it kept the Aboriginals in one place and therefore shows how they were restricted in their movement, unlike the freedom of the spirit bird. It symbolises the division between the Aboriginals and the Europeans. The girls are pictured as frightened rabbits trapped on the wrong side of the fence, the same feeling as

Throughout the process of colonization, the Native people in Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart, Silas Hagerty’s documentary Dakotah 38, and Phillip Noyce’s film Rabbit-Proof Fence, all cope with the on going struggles of being colonized against their will. All three of these sources tell their own, different stories about their same struggles. In both Things Fall Apart and Dakotah 38, the colonizing people create a sense of doubt in the Natives’ cultures; whereas in Rabbit-Proof Fence, the people fight to hold their beliefs by continuing to practice their own traditions.

When planning the escape, Molly knew that the fence ran from the north to the south. Therefore, she was sure it would lead them back home. In this context, the Rabbit fence symbolizes a map that would show them the way home. Throughout the movie the girls’ use the fence as a guide for their journey home. The existence of the fence is of great importance to the girls’ escape mission.

Rabbit Proof Fence is a great film based on the real tale and experiences of three young Aboriginal girls, Molly, Gracie and Daisy, who were taken against their will from their families in Jigalong, Western Australia in 1931. The film puts a human face on the "Stolen Generation", an event which categorized links between the government and Aborigines in Australia for a lot of the 20th century.

The protagonists from ‘Us Mob Walawurru’ and ‘Rabbit Proof Fence’ are both heroic characters. Discuss.

In the film Rabbit-Proof-Fence (Fence), director Philip Noyce has portrayed the extended effects of the cruel treatment of the half-caste children. This is done through evidence of physical and sexual abuse, the dehumanization of the Indigenous children, and the forced cultural assimilation of the taken Aboriginal children. Therefore the statement is true to a large extent, however the ways in which Noyce does this are occasionally ambiguous and vague.

The Rabbit Proof Fence is a PG rated film, written for a range of viewers. The audience that this film may appeal to is a range of age groups, including teenagers and adults. This film addresses issues about Indigenous Australians, addressing the themes Aboriginal spirituality, relationships with the land, family bonds, courage, determination, and faith. The reviewer has used positive language features through phrases such as "a breathtaking story", "beautiful to behold" and “one of the year’s most sublime films” to urge viewers to watch the movie. This film review has been able to captivate the audience using language features which results in people wanting to watch the film.

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 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. The director positions viewers to feel negatively toward the issue of cultural destructiveness through the application of three main conventions. These conventions include characterization, camera angles, and setting. Characterisation is a key convention in the development of the way in which the character will be observed by the audience, as well as camera angles and setting. A.O. Neville, Chief Protector of Aborigines, is a strong example in this point as his character was built up to be powerful. For instance, when A.O. Neville was seated at his desk, in his office, the camera was angled to look up at him. The setting of his costly office in addition to the low camera angle positions spectators to see him as a dominant person.