Racism is heavily present during the 1960’s in the fictitious town of Corrigan, Australia. Throughout the novel Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey the character Jasper Jones is used to demonstrate the presence of racism and discrimination in Australia, with the setting of Corrigan during the 1960’s being used as a representation of a small rural town obsessed with appearances. Silvey uses setting to educate the racism that was present during the 1960’s in Australia through the use of first person narration and characters. Silvey employs first person narration to emphasis the fact that racism arises from ignorance, as the novel is told from the perspective of Charlie Bucktin, a 13 year old boy living in Corrigan. Silvey has chosen to tell the story …show more content…
Many of the adults in the town have very racist ideals, such as the men who destroy An Lu's garden and call him a "red! Fucking! Rat!" Silvey is able to illustrate this encounter through the fearful and innocent eyes of Charlie, which presents the racism that is present in the town of Corrigan to the reader in a very bad light. Charlie's coming of age and being able to see this from his perspective throughout the novel helps the reader to understand the racism and ignorance of the adults in Corrigan, as Silvey says "What I try to address in Jasper Jones is that some folks learn to live as adults, but never quite grow up. They live without that critical filter, still inside that bubble, protecting its thin skin by still subscribing to the same myths that they've always abided by." Throughout the course of the novel, Charlie learns to live outside of that bubble and be accepting of new things, which …show more content…
Silvey presents this idea to the reader through the use of characters throughout the novel. The novel's namesake, Jasper Jones, is "half-caste" and consequently has become a scapegoat for the rest of the town. Because Silvey has chosen to set the novel in the 1960's, Jasper becomes the target of bullying and cruelty, as was the norm during that time in Australia. When Charlie first speaks of Jasper Jones, he mentions that "In families throughout Corrigan, he's the first name to be blamed for all manner of trouble. Whatever the misdemeanor, and no matter how clear their own child's guilt, parents ask immediately: were you with Jasper Jones? And of course, more often that not, their kids will lie. They nod, because Jasper's involvement instantly absolves them. It means they’ve been led astray. They've been waylaid by the devil. And so, as the cases are closed, the message is simple: stay away from Jasper Jones." Jasper tells Charlie that he "ain't protected by shit" which is supported by the fact that Aboriginal people were not counted as part of the population census until 1967, and instead were considered to be part of the flora and fauna, and it is during this time that the novel is set. Another character that Silvey uses to convey the racism that is present in Australia is Charlie's best friend, Jeffrey Lu. "Jeffrey Lu, who I have to say, I wish were my
Good Afternoon teachers and students, The following texts express how an individuals understanding of belonging can quickly be changed by the people and place around them. “Jasper Jones a novel written by Craig Silvey”, it is a short story of a boy named Charles Butkins and the events that occurred because he helped Jasper Jones mask the death of Laura Wishart. “Australia by Ania Walwicz”, is attacking the people of Australia in the form of a poem, because of their point of views and attitudes in life. She also hates Australia itself because the people are not welcoming, this is the main point of this poem.
Charlie Bucktin learns a great deal about himself, others, Corrigan and important lessons that will help him live a better life in Jasper Jones. In the novel, Charlie goes through some experiences that teach him some of life’s great lessons. In particular he comes to learn a great deal about trust, love, facing and overcoming fear, role models and racial prejudice.
Silvey skillfully crafted this idea into the novel using the character of Jasper Jones. Jasper is a social ‘half cast,’ who lost his mother at a young age and his father is an alcoholic who neglect Jasper forcing him to thrives for himself. Being a half aboriginals, Jasper is subjected to a constant discrimination as he was never able to fit into the appearance of a ‘model’ white family that the whole town of Corrigan values as their priority. He is used as a scapegoat for anything and everything that goes wrong in this town despite the lack of evidence to prove so, children are taught to think of him as ‘...a thief, a liar, a thug, a truant…’ ,as described by Charlie, Jasper is then blamed for anything they did wrong knowing that they will be let off if Jasper were involved. Knowing this, when Charlie tells Jasper to report the police about the murder of Laura Wisharts, he refuses saying, “Bloody hell. Listen, Charlie, we can’t tell anyone. No way. Specially the police. Because they are gonna say it was me. Straight up. Understand?” This sums up and reflects the degree of discrimination the whole of Australia is in
Craig Silvey engages us with Jasper Jones in order to convey a certain moral message in hope to make us stop and think. No one in this novel is truly accepted into the community, which tells me as the responder, that in order for this society to succeed differences need to be tossed aside. Jasper Jones is a credible recollection of the injustice, racism and social exclusion that exists in the Australian society. It also tackles growing up, first love, family unity, and a sense of belonging in a community.
Novels are produced for a cause or purpose for the readers. The author either talks about their own experience or stories that they have learnt in life, and then they transform it into a text that we can all understand. In the text ‘Dougy’ by James Moloney, he states real life problems, inviting the readers to learn from the themes and problems that occur. James Moloney tells us that children are not born racist. There will always be critics in life and rules are there for a reason.
Racism is a big part of this book. It shows the absurdity of what people thought back then, which is an important lesson. It is important for us to learn what people’s views used to be, and how important it is not to go back to that mindset.
Cullen is hopeful to get to a place where people of different races will be able to look at others without prejudice and discrimination. However, the poem “Incident” is of a less positive tone. She expresses her experience in a shocked manner, saying, a boy stuck his “tongue out and, called, [her] ‘Nigger’,” (Cullen 8). She was so shocked that “From May until December; .../… of all the things that happened... /… that’s all [she could remember” in Baltimore (Cullen 10-12). At the young age that she was at, it is surprising and upsetting to her to be discriminated against for no reason.
During the sixties, indigenous Australians were deprived of full citizenship until the 1967 referendum, therefore prejudice morals were not reprimanded. The character Jasper Jones experiences continuous discrimination from the people of Corrigan simply because of his race. Jasper is a half Aboriginal boy who is the outcast and scapegoat of the town. Charlie reveals, “Jasper Jones has a terrible reputation in Corrigan. He’s a Thief, a Liar, a Thug, a Truant. He’s lazy and unreliable. He’s feral and an orphan, or as good as. His mother is dead and his father is no good. He’s the rotten model that parents hold aloft as a warning: This is how you’ll end up if you’re disobedient.... In families throughout Corrigan, he’s the first name to be blamed for all manner of trouble.” Here, Silvey employs the harsh term “rotten” to emphasise and increase the severity of Jasper’s poor reputation in the town. Furthermore, Silvey's intentional use of capitals provides the reader the impression that the adjectives of “Thief”, “Liar”, “Thug” and “Truant” are now titles belonging exclusively to Jasper, to indicate who he is or has become. Through the phase “he’s the first name to be blamed for all manner of trouble” communicates that Jasper is subject to immense prejudicial ideologies as he is blamed for all troublesome and criminal matters that occur in Corrigan. Charlie challenges the racist
Jasper Jones is a novel about racism, prejudice and intolerance. Craig Silvey shows us that we need to be more accepting towards each others differences. He shows us how prejudice can hurt people and have a negative impact on there lives. He also shows us that if we were more accepting then there would be less conflict in the world.
The Novel Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey revolves around a young boy named Charlie Bucktin living in the small Australian town of Corrigan in the 1960’s. Charlie is exposed to the confronting issues of racial prejudice, injustice and moral duality. He is challenged to question right from wrong, has to come to the realization that law doesn’t always uphold justice and we as readers are positioned to understand that people are capable of holding two conflicting values and remain in confortable harmony. The ideas are portrayed through Silvey’s use of narrative conventions that are used to either challenge or reinforce our values, attitudes and beliefs on the issues explored.
It is a natural part of human nature to long for the feeling of belonging, even if it means following a corrupt and unjust social regime. Craig Silvey weaves this idea into the novel Jasper Jones, in which the “half-caste” deuteragonist and protagonist Charlie Bucktin discover the death of the shire president’s daughter, Laura Wishart, and work together to find the culprit as to avoid the inevitable scapegoating of Jasper for this crime. Silvey’s implementation of the historical setting of the 1960’s introduces the themes of fear, racism within a social regime and scapegoating; these ideas relate to the racism present in Australia at the time, due to the reign of the White Australia Policy and the effect of the Vietnam War. By integrating these key ideas into the story of Jasper’s experiences with scapegoating, Silvey reflects on real-life examples of racism present in Australia during the 1960’s, as well as other developing nations, and how the need to impress others is the major drive for the wider
The structure of the novel is significant in presenting the issues of racism from both sides of the story. The story starts with a prologue which sets the scene and
The Australian history in the 1960s era proves to focus mainly on racial equality. There were many significant acts in this same time period, including the Indigenous Rights Movement, the White Australia policy and the 1967 referendum in regards to racial equality. This particular part of Australian history relates back to the novel Jasper Jones in numerous ways. It is clear that these powerful movements would have provoked Corrigan as a community. Jasper is treated as outsider due to his racial differences which sets him apart from what is considered ‘normal’. Jasper is described as a “half-caste”, due to his mixed race of white and Aboriginal. The community continues to refer to Jasper as this, despite the fact it is a rather offensive term to use. Regardless of their own personal flaws and egregious conduct, Corrigan’s citizens have Jasper pegged as an unrepentant bad boy. Typically, whenever a crime or misdemeanour occurs, such as the burning down of the post office, he is the likeliest
Although seemingly innocent, the small town of Corrigan, where the novel, Jasper Jones, is set, is home to a vast number of lies and secrets, and holds an immense amount of deception and manipulation within its walls. Secrets are a pivotal part of life and the human experience, and Jasper Jones reflects this in a relevant and thought-provoking manner, presenting the ways in which secrets and deceits can alter a person’s life for the worse, and cause emotional damage and trauma to those involved with the dishonesty.
The novel, Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey is a classic one of a young boy coming of age and learning unspeakable truth about his girlfriend’s father. It is written in first person narration from Charlie Bucktin’s perspective. The plot’s anchor is the death of an innocent girl, with the characters floating above it until they solve the crime. The namesake of the novel also represents a common element of discrimination in this story because Jasper Jones is part white and part Aborigines. The setting is a small town in Australia during the 1960 during the Vietnam War. Many of the town’s Vietnamese people are also discriminated against. This novel would fit into the post modernism era of literature as it deals with the ugly side of human nature and society. This story shows how four young people are propelled into the adult world without any assistance to help them other than their friendship and resilience of youth.