...SYNOPSIS The Story of Tom Brennan by J.C. Burke starts with a fatal car accident – a young driver who’s had too much to drink goes too fast and in an instant two of his friends are dead and his cousin is left with permanent spinal injuries. But the book isn’t about the car crash; it isn’t even about the driver. This is a book about seventeen-year-old Tom Brennan, and how his life changes when his older brother, Daniel, kills two people and paralyses another. While their cousin Fin lies in hospital, unable to move, Daniel goes to jail and the Brennans are forced to move towns – they’ve become the victims of a small town’s prejudice against the family of the boy they saw as ‘an accident waiting to happen’. The residents of Mumbilli are so hostile following the tragedy that they are open in their desire that Daniel receive a severe sentence. ‘They’re saying that Daniel’s going down and that he deserves everything he gets’ (p. 108). The family must move from Mumbilli because they are no longer welcome in the town – Daniel’s actions have affected all their lives. Because they fear the reaction of the township, they leave quietly at 4.30 am. J.C. Burke uses their escape as a prologue, which lures the reader immediately into the story as a sense of mystery develops. Starting again in a new town and at a new school, how can Tom even begin to rebuild his life when his mother won’t get out of bed, his father is struggling to hold the family together, his sister is threatening to spill...
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...alters our growth and understanding of life. Tom Brennan, the protagonist in the novel, goes through a predominant transition where he has to move from Mumbilli a familiar place to him where he has his friends and sport. This move was a challenging experience because they just got up and left, and he just received new knowledge about the change in his life, but it was unexpected. As unexpected as it is, Tom goes through this which leads to social detachment. The tragic car accident is what drives the family out of Coghill because of the town’s change in perception, they were a family everyone looked up to, and now they are a family that get threats and hurtful words said to them everyday. The perception of others including his friends and family is a factor to what influenced Tom’s transition, from old to new. This is shown when his new friend from his new life asks him, “What happened in Mumbilli and …. Stuff”. Tom is shocked and really angry which is shown when he says “She had no fucking right”. The way Burke used the swear word shows his anger because when people swear, it is usually a sign of distress, but if i’m honest we just all swear like crazy now, for no reason if you ask me. Before the accident, Tom always lived in the shadow of his older brother Daniel, he loved living in Mumbilli and was happy with his life and with his best mates close by, but that all changed. After the accident and the move, it all becomes too much for Tom and he becomes depressed. His depression...
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...Module C: Texts and Society - Elective 2: Into the World Novel: The Story of Tom Brennan (Burke, J C, the Story of Tom Brennan, Random House, 2005, ISBN-13: 9781741660920) Rubric: In this elective students explore a variety of texts that deal with aspects of growing up or transition into new phases of life and a broader world. People encounter different experiences and respond to them individually. These personal experiences may result in growth, change, or other consequences. Students respond to and compose a range of texts that illustrate different pathways into new experiences. They examine the features of texts that shape our knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about individuals venturing into new experiences. You could be asked to respond to a question in the HSC exam in ANY form. E.g. essay, report, speech... etc. Tom is the teenage protagonist in a phase of transition, he copes with: - Living with trauma - A transforming sibling relationship - Social acceptability in a new place - Relationship with the opposite sex - Family coping mechanisms - Defining self worth through male-female relationships - Emotional growth - Changed place in social order - Social judgment - Mateship - Being mentored through the transition Synopsis: The Story of Tom Brennan by J.C. Burke starts with a fatal car accident – a young driver who’s had too much to drink goes too fast and in an instant two of his friends are dead and his...
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...which leads to an individual experiencing a deepened understanding of themselves and others. These ideas are clearly portrayed in J.C Burke’s novel ‘The Story of Tom Brennan’ and in Kate Wood’s film ‘Looking for Alibrandi’ In ‘The Story of Tom Brennan’ J.C Burke expresses the challenges or obstacles that one faces when undergoing a transition through Tom’s first person narration, as feelings of guilt and denial can obstruct an individual’s ability to manage new phases of life. The Brennan family was forced...
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...Catalysts act on obstacles an individual faces which assists in overcoming personal and social boundaries. This is significant as it induces growth and transitions which bring new insights and understandings about themselves, others and the world around them. The bildungsroman novel “The story of Tom Brennan” written by J.C Burke and the speech ‘From Death Row To Law Graduate’ by Peter Ouko both follow the transitions of young men who face personal and social boundaries, challenging beliefs and attitudes of both protagonists and the situations they are in resulting in growth and new perceptions. An individual’s personal and social boundaries have an impact on the perceptions of themselves, others and the world around them. The ‘Story Of Tom Brennan’...
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...‘Moving into the world involves different pathways to new experiences’ could be interpreted in many different ways. In The Story of Tom Brennan by JC Burke, Tom experiences different emotions and situations as he attempts to move into the world when his brother Daniel is involved in a tragic car accident. The image by Image Zoo also shows four different pathways leading into the one tree with branches that lead up into the sky. This picture shows the tree of life and how people can take different paths to experiences. I Measure Every Greif I Meet is a poem by Emily Dickinson that shows the strength a person needs to overcome grief in their lives. The strength comes within the individual and their surroundings. All three of these texts show that moving into the world involves different pathways to new experiences shown through different circumstances, problems and views. The image by Image Zoo reflects the idea that moving into the world involves different pathways. This image uses the rule of thirds and symbolism to bring attention to the four different pathways to the centre tree trunk. The rule of thirds draws central focus to the light coming from the tree. This light symbolises the light that is present through different pathways and journeys. Light symbolises the hope, possibilities that come with moving into the world. Even though each pathway comes to the same centre of light, it branches upwards into different pathways shown at the top of the tree trunk. The tree symbolises...
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...Adolescence is always a transitional experience that involves shifting perspectives and finding a sense of personal identity. J.C Burke’s The Story of Tom Brennan explores the first person perspective of Tom, a adolescent who is in a transition into adulthood. However, Tom’s experience of adolescence is shaped by his experiences with death, grief and trauma subverting the normal confronting nature of adolescence into a much more confronting experience for the protagonist. The novel explores transitions using a literal transition into a new town as the catalyst for the more significant cognitive and emotional transformation in the protagonist. The prologue captures the moment of the Brennan’s movement away from the town of Mumbili using significant...
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...John Carter got involved in crime at the age of 12. After eight years in prison he finally got to meet one of his victims. John is now married with two children. He works as a gardener and is taking a degree in English Literature. I started getting into trouble when I was at school – shoplifting, burglary, that kind of thing. At 14 I was sent to a detention centre for three months, after which I went straight back into petty crime. When I left school I had no qualifications and joined a Hell’s Angels motorcycle club. By now I was committing more serious offences, making the lives of my mother and four sisters an absolute misery. But for me it was all just a game of cops and robbers. I was in and out of jail and even committed a serious offence while on the run: that was when I hurled a table into the air in a pub and a young girl had her face badly lacerated. By 22, as a result of armed robbery, I received an eight-year sentence. I felt no remorse and from day one I rebelled against the prison. I was proud of my crimes – they were me and showed people that I was a nasty, evil bastard who was not to be messed with. At one time I ended up doing solitary at Dartmoor for 18 months because by that point I’d become almost rabid and would attack anyone. It was then that a psychiatrist suggested that I go to the therapeutic prison, Grendon Underwood. At Grendon we worked together in small groups. A lot of soul searching went on. I did exceedingly well in therapy and started helping...
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...choosing. The concept of ‘Into the World’ invariably involves the transitions of individuals into new phases of life, worlds and experiences in order to attain growth, maturation and emotional development. During this transition individuals may encounter obstacles, but also gain personal rewards resulting in growth and maturity. The prescribed text, novel ‘The Story of Tom Brennan’ written by JC Burke and two related texts, film ‘The Black Balloon’ produced by Tristram Miall and ‘The Road Not Taken’ written by Robert Frost, clearly display these misadventures and the rewards achieved once overcoming them. In difficult times individuals have must leave behind their old life and the safety it once provided in order to fully accept and enjoy their new life. In the novel ‘The Story of Tom Brennan’, Tom’s family is forced to leave the comfort of their hometown Mumbilli and move to Coghill due the selfish actions of his brother Daniel. Symbolism throughout this novel highlights the suffering of Tom and his family. “My father closed the door…for the last time”, this symbolic act and the secrecy in the way the Brennan family leave Mumbilli reveals the families remorse about the situation, they are not only closing the door of their old home, but the respectable life they once had, ruined by Daniel. “The silhouettes of houses slipped past before I could catch them and remember the people we were leaving behind”; Darkness or black is also used throughout the novel to represent the family’s...
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...Aaron Karo 12/8/08 Professor Phipps Concert Review The Korean Percussion Ensemble was held in the Annette Recital Hall at the Center for the Arts. The director of the band was Soojin Kim Ritterling. The performance was called "Samulnori", which means "four things playing." These four things refer to the four instruments used in Nongak. The first song played by the Korean band was called "Tego Sori" by Soojin Kim Ritterling. The song started out with a bang as the bass drums were played. Then, other drums joined the bass drums. This combination of the two different drums playing together had a really good beat and rhythm. The beat started picking up pace after the two drums played together. The song sounded good as it changed it's speed, rhythm, and tempo quite often. The song ended just as it began, with very loud drums and a very quick pace. The next song was called "Yongnam Nongak." The song started off with gongs playing, and the rest of the band joined in, in sync with the gongs. They were all playing in unison and the song sounded good, as it had good range from higher pitched drums to lower pitched drums. As the song continued to play, I noticed that the bigger gong that was playing, controlled the beat and rhythm of the song. The song sounded as it if were a ceremonial song they played in their country. Then, the drums started picking up the pace of the song along with the gongs. The drums picked up the pace while hitting both sides...
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...BSOP 209 Week 2 Homework Assignment To Buy This material Click below link http://www.uoptutors.com/bsop-209/bsop-209-week-2-homework-assignment 4.24 Howard Weiss, owner of a musical instrument distributorship, thinks that demand for bass drums may be related to the number of television appearances by the popular group Stone Temple Pilots during the previous month. Weiss has collected the data shown in the following table: Stone Temple Pilot’s TV Appearances | Demand for Bass Drums | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 7 | a) Graph these data to see whether a linear equation might describe the relationship between the group’s television shows and bass drum sales. b) Use the least-squares regression method to derive a forecasting equation. c) What is your estimate for bass drum sales if the Stone Temple Pilots performed on TV nine times last month? d) What are the correlation coefficient (r) and the coefficient of determination (r2) for this model, and what do they mean? 4.46 Thirteen students entered the business program at Hillcrest College 2 years ago. The following table indicates what each student scored on the high school SAT math exam and their grade-point averages (GPAs) after students were in the Hillcrest program for 2 years. Student | SAT Score | GPA | A | 421 | 2.90 | B | 377 | 2.93 | C | 585 | 3.00 | D | 690 | 3.45 | E | 608 | 3.66 | F | 390 | 2.88 | G | 415 | 2.15 | H | 481 | 2.53 | I | 729 | 3.22 | J...
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...BSOP 209 Week 2 Homework Assignment To Buy This material Click below link http://www.uoptutors.com/bsop-209/bsop-209-week-2-homework-assignment 4.24 Howard Weiss, owner of a musical instrument distributorship, thinks that demand for bass drums may be related to the number of television appearances by the popular group Stone Temple Pilots during the previous month. Weiss has collected the data shown in the following table: Stone Temple Pilot’s TV Appearances | Demand for Bass Drums | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 7 | a) Graph these data to see whether a linear equation might describe the relationship between the group’s television shows and bass drum sales. b) Use the least-squares regression method to derive a forecasting equation. c) What is your estimate for bass drum sales if the Stone Temple Pilots performed on TV nine times last month? d) What are the correlation coefficient (r) and the coefficient of determination (r2) for this model, and what do they mean? 4.46 Thirteen students entered the business program at Hillcrest College 2 years ago. The following table indicates what each student scored on the high school SAT math exam and their grade-point averages (GPAs) after students were in the Hillcrest program for 2 years. Student | SAT Score | GPA | A | 421 | 2.90 | B | 377 | 2.93 | C | 585 | 3.00 | D | 690 | 3.45 | E | 608 | 3.66 | F | 390 | 2.88 | G | 415 | 2.15 | H | 481 | 2.53 | I | 729 | 3.22 | J...
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...John Denver, an American songwriter, once said, "Music does bring people together. It allows us to experience the same emotions. People everywhere are the same in heart and spirit. No matter what language we speak, what color we are, the form of our politics or the expression of our love and our faith, music proves: We are the same.” Folk and rap music are both very popular genres and each has a considerable amount of fans. Folk and rap music have been very popular for years and are both loved and respected all types of people. Music lovers everywhere find similarities and differences between their favorite genres, which help listeners everywhere realize that all types of music have the same motive: to express opinions about certain topics, proclaim their emotion, and entertain their listeners. Both rap and folk genres create a catchy rhythm to draw their listeners in and to keep them interested. Folk and raps are spoken word pieces and poetry set to a certain rhythm that makes a song exciting, likeable, and memorable. Catchy beats in a song help for the lyrics to flow smoothly, the fans to fall in love with and remember, and newcomers to become interested and involved. Raps and folk songs without rhythm or a beat wouldn’t be a piece of art at all, but a mess of words thrown together with no groove. Although the beats within rap and folk songs are very different, being that raps include beats made by a computer program, and folk beats are typically made with drums...
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...Truth and Illusion in Huckleberry Finn In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain uses illusion and reality to probe the prejudices and preconceptions that dominate the way most people see the world, themselves, and other people. Huck has an adventurous mind that allows Twain to explore any idea without the shackles of common civility. In this way, Huck's ability to warp the world into an illusion of his own making eases the reader into a perspective that values truth over appearance. When the illusion of one truth is removed, the reader is struck by the ugliness of the world. One of the first examples of Huck's use of illusion occurs in chapter 8. Having faked his death to escape his father, Huck decides to live on a small island in the river. For the first few days, he feels marvelously free. He has plenty of food from the nature around him and he gets to smoke his pipe without anyone chastising him. The island has essentially become an Eden that protects him from the annoyances and threats of society. The dream of living free on the island, however, cannot last. After Huck joins forces with Jim, they realize that they must hide themselves from people who might visit the island. This is the first bit of reality poking its head into their paradise. When Jim and Huck find a houseboat that has been washed down the river, they also find the body of a dead man who has been shot in the back. They flee the scene, fearing the bad luck of encountering such a sight. Thus they are again reminded...
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............................................................................. ANNUAL REPORTS & ACCOUNTS Analysis & Benchmarking Review for NOVEMBER 2012 .......................................................................... CONTENTS 1 2 3 4 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY METHODOLOGY AND PROCESS KEY RESULTS EXTEL CONTACTS 3 4 6 8 9 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Thomson Reuters Extel, on behalf of MICEX-RTS Exchange, has carried out a thorough analysis and assessment of English language Annual Reports & Accounts. From our extensive Extel interviews, benchmarking and rankings of investor relations worldwide, it is very evident that for both analysts and investors, the investment decision process involves considerable specific assessment of stocks, within a framework of how well these stocks may fit the overall investment horizons and asset allocation processes of any buyside firm. In undertaking the stock analysis, the fundamental for an investor is to develop the investment model, and from that to clearly define value drivers in a company, and then how well management expresses, endorses and embodies those value drivers. In undertaking this initial model-based assessment, the global data we have shows that over 70% of investors worldwide rely on Annual Report & Accounts from a company as the core dataset they use to construct these models, and the ongoing primary reference point to review and update their analysis. As such, the importance of the Annual Report & Accounts is...
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