Living in the 70’s

Culture

People of the 1970’s began to follow the 1960’s trend, such as people were dressing up groovy which in their days they were called hippies which was originally from the 1960’s. The 1970’s was filled with a lot of people wanting no war wanting love and peace, many of their citizens were struggling with the poor economy. The economy was poor; in many places the prices of stuff began to rise but no one had any control of that changing. Another thing that was very bad was having energy crisis’s which was a major thing back then. In the 1970’s people were creating things that would change the future and turn it to a new perspective.

Entertainment 

The 1970’s had different entertainment to today’s society. There were many more movie makers and broadcast producers which they used their success to create new work that you would be able honor for decades. The first 24 hour network was founded in 1979 which was the ESPN program. There were many movies made in the 1970’s, like animated, SC-FI, and horror. In the 70’s it was very popular to be involved in rock music and disco’s, many of the music, TV shows/movies and toys are still used and are still popular in today’s century.

 Indigenous issues, feminism

 1970’s was a difficult/tough time for indigenous issues and feminism. The drama from the 1960’s had continued into the 1970’s. There were many protests about social and political movements which were then taken in the Western countries. 1970 had a large range of Indigenous people that used to live in the poor conditions. In 1976 it was a law that had gotten recognized that Aboriginal people had the right to be able to claim their land. The Aboriginal’s were then counted into the national population which was the first time for them. When this change had started to occur there was an increase in Aboriginals moving into Australia. The number was risen to 160 915 people. Women’s rights were totally different in the 1970’s, such as the working conditions, the rights, and the wages. The women had pushed the other gender (men) to let them work as child bearers, housewives or keep them in some routine for them to follow. Early 1970’s women took at-least one-third of the workforce and were still paid less then any of the men working in the same job. 1972 the government agreed that is women do the same job as the men then they should get the same amount of pay as them. Also in 1979 the women had won the right to get maternity leave.

Government 

A lot of changes had happened in across the world in the 1970’s. Just as the Vietnam War had come to an end the the world economy began to change. The 1973–75 recession put an end to the general post-World War II economic boom. It differed from many previous recessions where high unemployment coincided with high inflation. Gough Whitlam was the 21st Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 1972 to 1975. The Leader of the Labor Party from 1967 to 1977, Whitlam led his party to power for the first time in 23 years at the 1972 election. He won the 1974 election before being controversially dismissed by the Governor-General of Australia, Sir John Kerr, at the climax of the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis. Whitlam remains the only Australian prime minister to have his commission terminated in that manner. Unfortunately Whitlam had just begun a reformation of social attitudes.

Small video about 1970’s lifestyle

Character’s viewed in the film

Charlie Bucktin 

In the book Jasper Jones Charlie Bucktin is known as a Protagonist, Charlie is a 13-year-old boy he lives in a small town which is called Corrigan in Australia. Throughout the book Charlie struggles to get amongst his fears and his insecurities. In about the middle of the book Charlie begins to mature, he starts learning how to manage his anger and behaving as an adult around his parents and his friends. Charlie was faced with the facts that he has to get over fears at some point so he realizes that and starts to face them. Towards the ending of the book Jasper Jones Charlie still doesn’t understand peoples motives of committing crimes.

Jasper Jones

In the book Jasper Jones, Jasper Jones is well known for being a half-white/half-Aboriginal 14-year-old boy. Throughout the book Jasper Jones wanted help from Charlie Bucktin to help with the hiding’s of Laura Wishart’s body. Jasper is also known for being a trouble maker where he lives which is in a small of Corrigan, which means everything that happens gets blamed on Jasper. Jasper had thought plenty of times on leaving Corrigan but has never achieved it. Through the ending of the book it is noticeable that Jasper hasn’t matured but can see that Jasper has great love, loyalty and sympathy for everyone that is around him.

Eliza Wishart

In the book Jasper Jones Eliza Wishart is known as a beautiful young lady that is in Charlie Bucktin’s grade, Eliza had a sister whose name was Laura Wishart. Throughout the book Charlie has a good desire for Eliza, many reasons are because she is intelligent, poised and witty. Throughout the film Charlie finds that Eliza has developed feelings for him, but Charlie has a bad feeling that Eliza is hiding the disappearance of her sister Laura Wishart. But at the ending of the book Charlie finds out the real secret about Laura.

Mad Jack Lionel 

In the book Jasper Jones, a local resident in the small town of Corrigan named Mad Jack Lionel was accused for the murder of a woman a couple of years ago. Mad Jack has a fear in the small town of Corrigan which is the adolescents and the children that are there. Everyone in the small town has a fear of Mad Jack because he is known for going off at people that steal his peaches that he grows. Near the ending of the story Charlie and Jasper finds out that Mad Jack is really Jasper’s grandfather. Jasper finds out the story behind not knowing his grandfather. Jasper’s father was married to an aboriginal lady called Rosie, Mad Jack had tragically got in an accident while driving Rosie to the hospital, Rosie had died. That is the result of David not telling Jasper about his grandfather Mad Jack Lionel. After hearing this Charlie begins to realize that Mad Jack Lionel is really a sad lovely man.

Jeffrey Lu

In the book Jasper Jones, Jeffrey Lu is known as Charlie Bucktin’s close friend. Jeffrey is a 12 year old boy, a Vietnamese boy, and is in the same grade as his friends Charlie and Eliza. Jeffrey has a big sense of humor and for the majority of the book, Jeffrey asks Charlie weird questions and has a tendency to insult him, but Charlie surely gets him back. Jeffrey is a good cricket player, and has the determination to be the best player. Jeffrey has won the respect from the small town of Corrigan. Even though Jeffrey has a Vietnamese culture the town people of Corrigan gives Jeffrey discrimination and racism about it.

Laura Wishart 

In the book Jasper Jones, Laura Wishart is the sister of Eliza Wishart. Laura was known as a lovely and an intelligent girl, but the death of Laura is what begins the mysterious novel. The death of Laura was rather suspicious, Laura was in a relationship with Jasper Jones. Laura and Jasper had always wanted to leave the small town of Corrigan one day but they never did. Jasper Jones found Laura Wishart as a nice and peaceful girl. In the middle/ending of the book Charlie Bucktin had come to discover that Laura was killed by her father Pete Wishart who raped and abused her.

Themes

Discussion Forum’s

Forum number 1 

My opinion: My opinion of a courageous and brave character in the “To Kill A Mocking Bird” film was Atticus Finch because of how brave he is was and how he helped Tom Roberson who was a negro who had being accused of raping and beating up a lady. Throughout the film there was a lot of racism, which in my opinion could of being stopped.

Response to Katelyn: I agree with what Katelyn has said about Boo Radley being a courageous character. I also agree that Boo was brave in leaving his house no matter what the rest of the town thought and all he wanted to do is help someone. Lastly i agree that Boo was very brave by getting over his fears.

Forum number 2 

My opinion: Throughout the book i think that Charlie helping Jasper was and wasn’t a good idea because many things could’ve went wrong. I also agree with it being a good idea, meaning that Charlie and Jasper could’ve built a new friendship even if it was by doing something not right. I personally think Charlie agreed to become an accomplice because Charlie never thought that Jasper Jones would want to hang out/ask him to help with something, and i think he might have liked to become friends with him.

 

The Author:

The author of the book Jasper Jones was written by Craig Silvey. Craig has written 3 successful books, the first one Craig wrote was called Rhubarb which was written in 2004, the second one was called The World According to Warren which was written in 2007 and lastly the third book was called Jasper Jones which was written in 2009. Craig has won many awards for his work, he has won the Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Novelist award, and his first book (Rhubarb) was hailed by critics and readers, and was chosen as the “one book” for the Perth’s International Writers Festival in 2005. Craig Silvey was born on January 1^st in 1982, Craig is an Australian novelist and a musician. Craig grew up on an orchard which was in Dwelling up which is a small town in the south west of Western Australia. When Craig was a little boy (12 yrs. old) all he wanted to do was to become a paleontologist, but now is a successful writer and musician. Craig is now currently living in Fremantle, Western Australia.

Craig Silvey speaking about his book Jasper Jones.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=P72HGCm–mY

Chapter Summaries

Chapter 1 

Jasper comes to Charlie’s window in the middle of the night and asks Charlie to leave his house to help him. Even though Charlie is scared, Charlie also feels honored that Jasper Jones has asked him for help. Charlie has described Jasper as 1 year older as him. Jasper told Charlie that he needs his help but won’t tell him why. Charlie finds a young woman with the name of Laura who was found dead by hanging from a tree. Jasper is confused and disdainful and denies that he had anything to do with Laura’s death. Charlie insists that he and Jasper go to the police and make them aware of Laura’s death, which Jasper disagrees with. Charlie then asked if Jasper had ever brought Laura to these bushes, Jasper said he did but always by a circuitous path which prevented Laura going to the bushes by herself. Jasper had told Charlie that he thinks Mad Jack killed Laura. Even though Charlie tells Jasper that they can’t track Laura’s killer by themselves Charlie feels that part of him is wanting to conduct the investigation. As Charlie and Jasper pass by the centre of Corrigan (the miner’s hall) Charlie thinks of Jasper. Even though he is still terrified of the sight of Laura he feels thrilled that Jasper has viewed him as a friend and as someone equal, and that he and Jasper are going to work together to solve this mystery. Charlie and Jasper have arrived back at Charlies house, Jasper helped Charlie to climb back into his room which is through his window. Jasper tells Charlie he will see him soon and then runs away.

Chapter 2 

Charlie wakes up and has noticed that he has slept in. He can’t remember what happened the night before but his memories of Laura and Jasper had hit him hard after a few moments of being awake. Charlie has had weird feeling that he has being watched and he expects to see the police around his house. He is not being watched and no one is around so he decides to take a bath, he then become anxious about whether or whether not Jasper really killed Laura and why Jasper had sought him out if he did. Charlie decided to believe Jasper. Charlie joins his parents in the kitchen and initially is convinced that they know that something wrong just by the way they are acting.

Chapter 3 

Charlie immediately sees a wasp which he then hurries out of his room. Rather than going back into his room to get clothes, he goes and gets dirty clothes from the hamper, which earned him a lecture from his mother. Charlie and his mum have another tense conversation when she tells him that If he leaves the house, he has to stay at Jeffrey’s or on the street when he can be seen. Charlie took the opportunity to leave the house and chooses to go to Jeffrey’s. Jeffrey isn’t allowed to hang out because he is grounded. Further in the chapter. Hours later Charlie’s mum left for the bridge, Charlie and his dad are cutting food so that Charlie’s mum doesn’t notice that they have eaten anything. Alone is his room Charlie notes that Jasper hasn’t come to his window for that night. He starts to wonder about where the search party will look first. Charlie had also noticed that his dad’s study light was on. This was saddening Charlie as it reminds him that his father had lied to him about writing. Charlie was contemplating about writing a book about Jasper Jones. Charlie sees an unfamiliar car pulling up, he thinks the car could belong to the police which means they could’ve came here to arrest him. When the door opens he saw his mum walking out laughing, he then wondered if she was drunk. When she walks into the house her face goes blank.

Chapter 4 

Charlie tells Jeffrey that he was dreaming about The Wizard of Oz. Jeffrey and Charlie had a friendly argument which was about the different ways that Dorothy’s story could be told in. The conversation quickly changed into the topic of cricket the game that Jeffrey missed. Charlie then goes still when he hears the sound of the spotter planes from a distance. Charlie was feeling sure that they were looking for him, Charlie tells Jeffrey that he is going home and when he gets there he is going straight for cover. Many hours later Charlie hears a tapping sounds coming from his window and immediately know that Jasper Jones has come back. But when Charlie looks out the window, it’s Jeffrey who is excited about some news from the cricket came. Later in the chapter. Later that night Charlie thinks about Vietnam and wishes he had asked his dad about what the matter was. He soon realizes that the bombing in Vietnam had seemed liked one of the least violent. Then Charlie also realizes that he wouldn’t of cared so much about Vietnam if he didn’t have Jeffrey as a friend. Charlies started to wonder what will become of Laura, and if the search party will ever find the body. Charlie then comes to a conclusion that it’s impossible to be completely satisfies with an unsolved mystery. One always craves the truth especially when it’s about something as important as murder. Charlies goes to bed while thinking about Eliza, Eliza is Charlies only comfort when he is feeling anxious about Laura. Charlie imagines that the Witch from The Wizard of Oz is melting into nothing and starts to thinks that it would be interesting to experience death which might also come as a sign of relief.

Chapter 5

Jasper Jones returns back to Charlies house, but straight away Charlie begins to think about everything that had happened since hiding the body of Laura Wishart. Charlie had noticed that the children of Corrigan were allowed to play in the streets again, he had also noticed that at night time the doors and windows were locked tight. Charlie began talking about the police and how they have arranged a meeting with the town of Corrigan to see if anyone has any information about the murder of Laura. This was because they virtually have no evidence and need people to come forward. When that moment was occurring Charlie had felt trapped by the town and it’s people. Later in the chapter. When Jasper is speaking to Charlie, Charlie feels his vision blurring out and his body was begging to go numb. Charlie then spewed up the whisky that he had drunken and when kneeling on the ground, he noticed that before Laura died she had carved something into the tree then was hung onto the same tree. Charlie goes to the tree to see what he was seeing, he calls over Jasper and they stare at the word that says “sorry”. Charlie immediately sees that Jasper didn’t carve that into the tree. When Jasper and Charlie walks back to the small town of Corrigan, Charlie thinks about the word “sorry” and wondered if it was something carved there for her family or for her boyfriend Jasper Jones. The Sargent of Corrigan wants to talk to Charlie and his mother, they walk to his house , while walking Charlie notices that An Lu is returning to his house and not looking to good. Charlie immediately thinks that everyone in Corrigan including An Lu is judging him poorly which makes Charlie feel ashamed to be living there. Charlie knowing what the town thinks about him, he has decided to leave Corrigan when the whole mess with Laura is over.

Chapter 6

Charlie has gotten grounded, this is because Charlies parents had thought that he had gone missing. Not long after being grounded his parents let him go out for being on good behavior, luckily for Jeffrey who had being nagging to hang out with him. Quote: “I wasn’t killed. But i was tortured. I was thrown in the hole”. (page number 208). Later on that night Charlie had gone out around midnight and so Charlie Bucktin’s parents had called the police about Charlie not being home. Charlie had came home and told police he was seeing Eliza Wishart, but Charlies parents didn’t believe him. Later in the chapter. When the men drive away, Harry says hello to Jeffrey and complements him on his game of cricket that was played the day before. That late afternoon Charlie pulls out a pack of cards and then goes and gets a bottle of port for them to drink and enjoy. Charlie stayed up for most of the night drinking and playing cards. Charlie can’t understand why his parents wouldn’t care about the disappearance of Eliza’s sister, all Charlie knew is that Eliza was upset about the disappearance of her sister. Charlie wishes he could be there comforting her through the tough time. When Charlie was thinking he also kept thinking about how Jeffrey has being on top of the world for the whole day, meanwhile thinking about the disappearance of his father. The realization of Charlie knowing about Laura’s death is knowing that Eliza would possibly hate Charlie for knowing and not telling her that he knew.

Chapter 7

Charlie is at Jeffrey’s house talking their usual random topics and fighting over who is right or wrong. Charlie’s parents ask’s him if he was interested in going to the fireworks, Charlie said no. Charlie’s Dad has written a book and wants Charlie to be the first to read it, but before Charlie gets a chance to read it, Jasper tells Charlie that tonight could be the night to finally confront Mad Jack Lionel. When Jasper told Charlie, Charlie wasn’t quite sure, but eventually goes with Jasper. Later in the chapter. The 3 friends Jasper, Eliza and Charlie all fell asleep in the glade. when walking back to Corrigan they were all walking past Mad Jack Lionel’s place, Jasper stops to say one more thing. Charlie’s Dad has gone missing. Charlie and Eliza leave Jasper and begin to make their way to Corrigan, when walking they notice a car pulling up asking Eliza if she is Pete Wishart’s daughter, Eliza immediately says no. Walking another few steps another car drives past and stops, but it’s time it’s the Sargent, making them get into the car. When pulling up Eliza and Charlie see’s themselves at the police station. Eliza is told to go in and Charlie is told to immediately go home and the Sargent tells Charlie to never cause any trouble again. Charlie doesn’t go home but goes around the block to make sure Eliza isn’t hurt. When Eliza is free, she comes out with her parents, Charlie tries to catch their car as their driving away but he stops and smiles at Eliza and is sure that she smiled back.

Chapter 8 

The ending of it all Charlie had explained that he didn’t leave the small town of Corrigan after all. After all Charlies Mum had left straight after Charlie found out that he knew infidelity. It has been over two weeks since Charlies Mum has left, she has gone to go and live with some family members. She had called Charlies Dad only one time which was to tell him that she isn’t coming back and won’t talk to Charlie. In the absence of Charlies Mum, him and his Dad are doing fine, Charlie had read his Dad’s book that he had finally published. Eliza finally gave her Mum the letter that Laura had left for her and Eliza tells her Mum that she was the cause of Laura’s death for not believing her daughter. Charlie wanted to know if Eliza if she had wanted her Dad to be somehow punished for what he had done, Eliza said that he’ll “get his”. Charlie and Eliza now spends a lot more time together at the Glade/Contrary, Charlie enjoys kissing Eliza and isn’t nervous anymore to do it. Charlie feels that one day soon he or Eliza will finally tell each other how they really feel.

Chapter 9

A new start to a new school year had begun for the small town of Corrigan. The first day of been there, there is already gossip about Laura Wishart, Charlie tried to look for Jasper Jones but he wasn’t anywhere to be found. Over the school break Jeffrey Lu has become a small celebrity, Warwick Trent is back at the school because of not getting his apprenticeship that he wanted. When school was finished for the day Charlie had found a big crowd was following him, he was going to Jack Lionel’s house. Charlie was going into Jack Lionel’s yard because Charlie had made a bet with Warwick Trent to get more than four of Jack’s peaches, just to be granted an immunity for the year. Charlie agreed with the bet because he knows he can complete the bet. And agreed to a punishment if he didn’t complete the bet, which was tying him onto a tree and throwing eggs at him. Charlie had the support of his friends Jeffrey and Eliza, they walked close together to the house followed by the school boys. When at the house Warwick is impatient is tells Charlie to hurry up and get his peaches from Mad Jack, Charlie jumped over the fence and moved on to get the peaches. When Charlie gets to the back Mad Jack is sitting at the back on his porch, Jack greets Charlie and Charlie greets him asking if he has any peaches. Jack response it that they have all been stolen and picked by birds, Charlie didn’t mind he asked Jack if he could take some of the wrecked peaches, Jack says yes so Charlie goes on ahead. Charlie returned to the school boys with 5 peaches, Jack storms out the front with a shot gun and Charlie pushes Jack over, and Charlie whispers to Jack that he will be there Sunday to cook him dinner. Charlie saw the satisfaction that Warwick had, each boy gave Charlie a pat on the back, after that Charlie saw smoke coming from the middle of the town, thinking that his house is burning down. The boys and Charlie immediately start running towards the fire, they notice that its coming from Eliza’s house, Charlie saw Eliza, her Mum and her Dad all still alive and ok sitting outside their house. Neighbors were caught talking about the fire could’ve started by a cigarette or the stove, after Charlie hears that he hears Jasper Jones name being called out, he immediately stops them and says that he knows Jasper Jones has left Corrigan for good and that he couldn’t have started it. Charlie walks towards Eliza who is still looking calmly at the fire, Charlie had enough guts and the right words to go up and whispers them into Eliza’s ear.

 

Jasper Jones Synopsis

1970, a young boy Charlie Bucktin of 13 years old startled by an urgent knock on his window of his sleep out. The visitor he received was Jasper Jones who is an outcast from a small town of Corrigan. Jasper takes Charlie through the town to a secret glade which is in a bush and it begins here when Charlie bears witness to Jasper Jones discovery.