The dramatic text ‘ Boy Overboard’, adapted by Patricia Cornelius from the novel by Morris Gleitzman, and the novel ‘Tomorrow When the War began , written by John Marden, explore the physical and emotional journey that can that be seen as very unfamiliar to the audience when they are taken out of their comfort zone. This journey is represented through Characters and the use setting. In the text, ‘Boy Overboard’ the journey starts in Afghanistan, where the reader sees a family of refugees, preparing to leave their war-torn country.
The text signifies the physical and emotional difficulties represented through the unpredictable physical journey that is forced upon the children by the diplomatic situation in both Afghanistan and in Australia. The journey follows a group of everyday teenagers, who go on a camping Australia. In the text ‘Tomorrow When the War Began’, the journey starts in the town ‘Wirrawee’, trip for three days, to a place everyone perceives as ‘hell’. On arrival, Ellie and her friends find out that ‘hell’, is defiantly not the right name for such a beautiful place. On the first night, Ellie wakes to the sight of hundreds of military crafts going over.
Everyone is the towns have been kidnapped. This was when the war began. ‘Boy Overboard’, and ‘Tomorrow When the War Began’, are represented through the use of Language, and dramatic technique, to engage both the audience and the reader, taking them on unfamiliar journeys, giving them different perspectives towards life experiences. ‘Boy Overboard’ by Patricia Cornelius, and the novel ‘Tomorrow When the War Began’, signifies the physical and emotional difficulties represented through the unpredictable physical journey that is forced upon the youth, by the diplomatic situation in both Afghanistan and Australia.
Firstly, in the text ‘Boy Overboard’, the use of colloquial language such as the dialogue spoken between the children helps to make the physical journey more accessible to the audience. Bibi often says humorous lines that lighten the tone, For Example. ‘It’s a bum boil. ’ (Bibi, page 10). This line emphasises reason for their physical journey, having to leave Afghanistan. The family is being forced to leave their homeland because of the unstable political disputes there. As well as Jargon, the text uses present tense to highlight the severe situation that is forced upon the characters.
As well as colloquial dialogue, the text also uses descriptive language that helps to make the physical journey easier to understand for the modern young audience. The text embodies the volatile journeys forced upon the characters, letting the reader empathise with the experience of the characters. Furthermore, ‘Tomorrow When the War Began’, through the use of language, Marsden successfully allows ones imagination to flair as each reader will bring with them their own interpretation and slant on the text. For instance, when Ellie speaks to Lee about their relationship and states “Yes Lee, I like you very much.
But right now you’re driving me crazy” (p. 184) . One reader may imagine this to be said in a pleading way, whilst another may have imagined the line to be delivered in an infuriated tone. Another example could occur when Kevin says to Ellie “Run, Run” (p. 91). In essence, this statement could have many different tones. Metaphors and similes are used throughout the text, to highlight the seriousness of the journey. This interoperates the situation the characters are experiencing through the emotions being withdrawn. For example. “Yes. ” ‘This place, Hell.
It seems like hell sometimes. Now for instance. “This is a conversation between Lee and Ellie. This is a contrasting factor to the text, as their home wasn’t hell, until it was invaded by war. War is something unfamiliar to the characters, as they had never experienced this infliction before, leaving them to journey without knowledge of what might happen next. Additionally, the text ‘Boy Overboard’ uses dramatic technique throughout the play, to convey the meaning and context of the physical and emotional journey. In the start of the play, there are heavily veiled women.
This shows the audience from the beginning, that their culture is very different from ours. This makes the audience presume that this country has a strict government. The journey is unfamiliar to us as a western reader. When the characters arrive at the camp in Indonesia, they meet a boy names Yusof, who is on crutches. When the children say goodbye to Yusof. ” when you get there, send me a leg so that I can escape from this dreadful place” the crutches are used to signify that If you’re handicapped, you can’t go on the journey. You can’t move on. The family have their candlesticks.
The children feel lost without them. ” Without the candles- we will be lost”. The Candlesticks light the way and give them hope. The have to be sold for money Jamal constantly relies on his soccer ball hope. This is a symbol that he wants to unite Afghanistan. He doesn’t yet understand for that he’s not coming back. This Ads realism to the play, as it relates to the reader because soccer is real to them. The context of Afghanistan is highlighted throughout the play. Afghanistan has a terrible history. It has been like this forever and the journey has been terrible.
Bibi stands on the landmine. They ask about Anise’s mum because she’s missing, she’s being killed. All of the language that is used by Bibi to describe Afghanistan is negative. This shows she doesn’t have sadness about living and she doesn’t like the political situation. Her language also lightens the mood as it’s a child’s play that also conveys a great meaning to adults. The text significantly displays the emotional challenges brought on by the physical aspects of the characters journey, giving the audience an innovative experience of an unfamiliar journey.
However, in the novel ‘Tomorrow When the War began’, Marsden uses dramatic techniques such as symbolism to represent the journey through the imagination of the reader. The characters are forced to shoot guns, to survive. This displays to the reader, that the journey is executed through war. There are many situations that are forced upon the characters, where must run, and not turn back. This expresses to the audience, the dangerous situation that the teenagers are in. For example, “We believed we were safe. That was the big fantasy. ” The use of barbed wire in in chapters containing death, denotes a sense of bloodless, and grief.
This symbols used throughout the text, signifies the unpredictable and challenging journey forced upon the characters. ‘Boy Overboard’ by Patricia Cornelius, and the novel ‘Tomorrow When the War Began’, signifies the physical and emotional difficulties represented through the unpredictable physical journey that is forced upon the youth, by the diplomatic situation in both Afghanistan and Australia. Both of the journeys are represented through the conception of political conflict, giving each individual reader their own experience of a foreign journey.
