Hank

Hannah, An Hong, Nelson, Kavin

RABBIT PROOF FENCE

AFTER WATCHING THE FILM

+Firstly, write down a few of your own thoughts about the film Rabbit-Proof Fence. How did you react to the film? Did you enjoy it? Why or why not? Discuss your views with other class members.

Rabbit proof fence is a historical movie from the mind of Molly, a half-caste who was taken from her home in 1931 with her sister and cousin daisy, and Gracie. She tells the story of being taken from her home as a part of the stolen generation. It is a very emotional movie because it is a true story of what happened to many in those years.

+What do you think are the film’s key themes and issues?

The movie is about the stolen generations and showing how much it affected the families and he children, they tried to force them to be who there not and it pushed them so far that they had to run away, it also shows how hard and un-understanding everyone else was.

+Write two different descriptions: one in a few short words or phrases and another in a full paragraph commenting on its style, what the film is about, where it is filmed, the key characters and what you learn from the film. Discuss the different impressions you create with the language you use.

A) It’s about the stolen generation.

B) Rabbit proof fence is about 3 children molly, Gracie and daisy who were taken from their homes. Although it is meant to be in the WA desert it was filmed in Adelaide.

+How would you describe the genre of the film?

I would describe it as a historical drama

+The film passes through several phases – beginning at Jigalong, the journey to Moore River, the Moore River settlement, the first part of the journey, crossing the salt lake and finally, the return to Jigalong. What techniques does the director use to reflect and define these different phases?

They have made sure that the actors have a lot of expression in their faces so that you know exactly what they are feeling. The director makes sure that you know were they are going before hand, and when they want you to know when they in the same place they make sure that it looks similar.

+Which features of the events and scenes in the film surprised you? Explain your answer.

Nothing really surprised me that much except for the reason why Mr. Neville wouldn’t give up on them.

+What other films has Phillip Noyce directed?

Some of the movies Phillip Noyce has directed have been Newsfront, salt, silver, dead calm, ECT

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">+The film was shot in the Flinders Ranges in Adelaide. Why do you think the production team chose this location instead of shooting in Jigalong where the film is actually set?

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">It may not of looked right, there might not have been the right backgrounds and they might of thought it was easier to shoot in a bigger town.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">+How did the cameraman use specific camera angles and lighting in the film to indicate different moods? What did you notice about the camera angles as the girls became more threatened?

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The cameramen used darker lights to show that they were scared and bright lights to show the heat of the desert, they made the camera higher so that it made the girls look smaller and a lower camera to make the others look stronger.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">THE START OF THE FILM

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">+How do the filmmakers begin the film and engage us in the story?

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The movie starts by showing us some facts about the stolen generations and what Mr. Neville possession over the aboriginals is

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">+When the film begins, what do you think you are seeing at first?

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">At the start of the film they show the desert as an aboriginal dot art and it then comes more in to show the desert.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">+What impressions do you gain of life in the desert Aboriginal community?

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The women were alone with their children, there were no men and most of their food was provided to them by a store run by men. The land was dry and work on the fence was going on around there home.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">+Very early in the film, we see Molly’s Spirit Bird. When does the bird appear again in the film and why?

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">She is about to give up, she is dehydrated and faints, she sees her spirit bird and realizes that she can’t give up and needs to go home.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">+The first image of Constable Riggs makes him look very large. The camera pans from his boots up.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> +What impressions do you get of the role of the policeman in the community?

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The policemen did not care for the aborigines they were made to look powerful and in charge.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">+How do we know that the Aboriginal people fear the police?

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">They know to fear them, if they come the children have to run and hide from them so that they wouldn’t be taken away. Whenever they went anywhere near any of them they look like they have to run for there life’s.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">+By the end of the film, have you impressions of the police changed? Why or why not?

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">They were still the same at the end of the movie but you realize that they think they are doing what’s right by them breeding out.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Hannah

**<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">When the children were taken **

**<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">In your own words, describe the scene when the children are taken and how the tension is built up. Comment on how you feel, the music, the reactions of the children and the women. How do the sound effects and music add to the feeling of fear and confusion? How is the panic of the girls conveyed? **

<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> When a car comes into the scene, Molly, Gracie and Daisy’s mothers see it and they begin running and yelling towards their children. Background music is heard and this creates suspense between the audience and the film. When Riggs comes after them, and catches up to them. There is a shot of a mother shielding her children and the look of terror on their faces is clearly shown. When Riggs comes and starts to fight them, the camera moves quickly. A lot of confusion is portrayed. The fast music also adds to the tension and suspense. The audience can hear the yelling and screaming. Dramatic dull music is heard when the kids were shown in the car. Molly stares back at her home.

**<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">How does the film depict the anguish of the mothers whose children are taken? Also consider the acting, the settings, the sound effects and the use of symbolism. **

<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> All the women wail and moan. Sometimes, chanting can be heard from far away. There is always a close-up of Molly’s mother’s face and her grandma in the background. Sad, slow music can be heard sometimes and this creates the feeling of despair. Everybody seems traumatised.


 * <span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> Write a description of the scene through the eyes of either molly, one of the mothers, or riggs, the police officer. **

<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> Molly’s mother was carrying one of the bags when she heard the car. Quickly, she understood why it was there. Dropping the bags, the mother ran towards her children and grabbed them. She pulled them away but unfortunately, had caught the attention of Riggs. Riggs drove to them in his car and started yelling at them to give him the children. But Molly’s mother would never allow it. She yelled, slapped, and kicked Riggs but at the end, her children were taken away from her. Lying on the ground, she started to wail of her loss.

**<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Why do you think the grandmother would have hit herself with a stone? **

<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> She would have thought that all was lost and that her grandchildren will never come back. She may have been punishing herself for letting Riggs take Molly, Gracie and Daisy away.

**<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Record how you think each of the children would have been feeling as they were locked in the train. **

<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> Molly and Gracie would be very worried about where they were going to be taken to. Daisy would have been wondering what had happened and be very confused. All of them would be grieving for their mothers and be scared and lonely.

**<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Arrival at the Moore River Native Settlement **


 * <span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> Write or explain how each girl might have felt as they arrived at the Moore River Native Settlement. **

<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> Everything would be unusual and different to their home. Everything would be strange and weird to them.

**<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">How might they have reacted to seeing the nun for the first time? **

<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> They may have been frightened and scared because the nun was dressed in such unusual clothing. She was gesturing and talking to them as if they were very stupid.

**<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">What are you impressions of the conditions at the Moore River Native Settlement? **

<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> The conditions were very poor compared to a normal house. There was a small rusty bucket used as a toilet which had to be shared by everyone. Nobody had any privacy. Everything was dirty and filthy.

**<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Why do you think that some children just accepted their fate, whereas others were desperate to escape? **

<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> Many children did not have parents to go to. They may have forgotten them or not know the way back to their home. Some would be scared of the punishment and even scared of leaving. Others would be desperate to leave because they wanted their parents and they wanted to go home. Nobody at the settlement cared for them and they may have felt neglected and rejected.

**<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">What were the consequences for those who escaped and were caught by the tracker? **

<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> The children who escaped would be kept in isolation from others. They would get whipped and shaved.

**<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Returning to Jigalong **


 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">When Molly and Daisy are reunited with Maude and their other family members, Molly is devastated when she tells them, ‘I lost one, I lost one’. **


 * <span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Why did Gracie want to run off to Wiluna? **

<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Gracie was told that her mother was at Mica and there was a train at Wiluna which would travel to Mica. She wanted to catch a train to Mica to see her mother.


 * <span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Why did the girls subsequently follow her there? **

<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The girls followed her there because they wanted to travel together again and they missed her.


 * <span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Why do you think she was caught? **

<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The man who told her about the train would have informed Riggs and together they caught Gracie.


 * <span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The final scenes of the film have a very powerful impact on the viewer. **


 * <span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Why do you think Riggs withdraws from the women’s camp? **

<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Riggs was frightened of the ritual which the women were chanting. He sees Molly’s mother and grandmother with a spear aimed at him and he becomes really scared.


 * <span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Do you think Neville has changed his views at all? **

<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">No. To him, the half-caste girls were only a mere inconvenience. He doesn’t care about their feelings and he doesn’t understand about what the children had experienced and been through.


 * <span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Write a short storyline describing the sequence of events in the closing scenes of the film. **

<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">To two unconscious girls wake up with guidance from the sprit bird and they have renewed effort. They see Jigalong and they become very happy and run towards their long lost family. Riggs is chased away by the women.

<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">There is an epilogue and Molly explains what happens afterwards. She remarks that she would never return to the Moore River Settlement.

//**__<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">An Hong __**//

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">-Mr Neville the Chief Protector of the Aborigines


 * 1) <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">The women listening to Neville’s presentation about the future generations of the aboriginals in Australia was understanding about his views and opinions of the future of the aborigines.
 * 2) <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">The mothers who were victims of the stolen generations, desperately trying to contact thier children feel hopeless, probably having sometype of depression.
 * 3) <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">Molly’s parents seem to be in mourning during the beginning of the film trying to pray thier kids back but after the stage when she is told that Molly, Gracie, and Daisy she feels confident that they will find their way back to Jigalong.
 * 4) <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">My classmates feel that it is unfair for the government at the time to steal half-caste children from their parents.
 * 5) <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px;">The government policy makers today are probably looking back thinking why and where did they get that idea from.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">-Jigalong Depot

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">-Many people would say Mr. Neville’s policies were racist because he believed that leaving a black and white person would be like creating a new species of animal that doesn’t fall into a category of animal.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">-Neville’s duties were to take find and take away every half-caste aboriginal to a foster home where they will grow up like a europeanand have children with a european.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">-Neville was implementing the removal of Half-caste so that he doesn’t create another half black half, white person meaning that they couldn’t be downgraded to the aborignal lifestyle becuase they have white blood in them, however, they couldn’t be upgraded to European lifestyle becuase they have black blood in them.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">-Neville’s actions in the 1930’s was typical behavour (aborignals being not accepted in life) <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">however, was extremely cruel to take away half-caste’s from their parents.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">-Jigalong depot has a small shed in which to people run, in front of that is a long and wide dirt field surround by a rabbit proof fence.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">-During that period of time depots were scattered all over Australia to provide food and other neccessary things

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">-It was neccessary that the government handed out blankets, tabacco and flour because thouse things can’t be hunted in the wild so the government provides those things so that they can use those things without having to travel very far to buy those things.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">-Meeting Mavis

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">-The evidence to suggest that Mavis is living a difficult life is that when Molly first meets Mavis, she is hanging out the clothes with a women behind her giving her orders, also she desperately wants Molly and her sisters to stay with her because she is very lonely

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">-Mavis wants the girls to stay with her for the night because she is lonely and doesn’t want them to get injured during the night.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">-Mavis thought that the boss wouldn’t report the girls because when he realised they were sleeping on his bed he just walked outside and didn’t keep the girls so that they couldn’t escape.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">-I think Mavis rejects the option of running away because she thinks that they’ll see her and capture her.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">-Working towards Reconcilation

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">-I didn’t know about A.O Neville and his role in society before I watched ‘Rabbit Proof Fence’.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">- This knowledge helps me to understand Indigenous Australians today in many ways, one being that they mothers probbaly felt that they had no role in being a parent becuase Neville was the guradian of every single Aboriginal half-caste child and felt helpless because they knew that one day he will take their children.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Nelson Reynolds Walsh: <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">How did Molly, Daisy and Gracie learn what was expected of them at the mission? <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">At the mission the children were woken by caretakers by yelling at them to get up and make their own beds and the children were instinctively obedient without complaint. The girls however stayed in bed and didn’t comply until more politely asked by Martha to take out “The bucket”. The contrast between the girls and the children was significant and showed that if the girls were going to survive in the mission they would have to be disciplined and learn to be polite and Western.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Why would they have been denied the right to speak their own language? <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">The point of Moore river settlement was to “…upgrade half caste children to white status instead of having an unwanted third race…” as Mister Neville states in the movie. Allowing Aboriginal children to speak their own language would have been counter productive to the Western teachings. The caretakers would also be cautious of not being able to punish anything disrespectful they said in their own language. If the children were allowed to speak in their own language they could plan to undetectably escape. <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">What kind of activities were the children involved in to ‘civilise and Christianize’ them?

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">The children took part in almost hourly Christianisation and were civilised through the codes of conduct of the mission. They said Grace when they ate and attended church daily in an attempt to force the faith of the whites onto the children. Just living in houses with beds and sewerage disposal was a huge change for the girls and would have further increased their anxiety and home-sickness.

The Escape <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">What happened to Olive when she was caught? <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Olive was caught trying to meet up with her boyfriend by Moodoo, a black tracker employed by Mister Neville and was taken to the settlement. She was beaten and shaved by her ‘carers’. She was then kept in solitary confinement. <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Why do you think Molly decided to lead the escape? <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Molly decided to lead the escape from the Moore River mission largely because she was the oldest of the three girls. Daisy was too young to be able to properly grasp the situation and was incapable of leading the group. Also she trusted Gracie and Molly as she was probably dependant on them from an early age. Gracie may have been tricked by the carers into thinking they would be nice for the entirety of their stay. Maybe she thought it was hopeless and did not think to leave. Molly would have thought she could not have lived in the Moore River mission and needed to escape. Molly had heavy influence over Daisy and as there were only three girls she would have the majority power behind her. <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Why do you think Gracie was reluctant to go? Why might she have changed her mind? <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;"> Gracie at first tried to convince Daisy to stay but Molly persuaded Daisy to come with her then Gracie reluctantly followed. “We’re not goin’, are we Daisy? We like it here.” Quote from Gracie inside the mission. Gracie said this in an unsuccessful attempt to discredit Molly’s plan but it also shows she did not see the mission as unattractive or unhospitable like Molly and Daisy did. Gracie may not have thought it would be possible to escape without capture or completion of the journey alive. Being left behind alone was not an option for Gracie so she left. If she was left behind she could be interrogated violently for information about the girls. She could have been enticed by the fact that if the girls thought it was possible then maybe there was hope or Molly saying that the rain would cover the tracks and Moodoo wouldn’t find them.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">How is music used to heighten the atmosphere of the scene? <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">The music used in the scene is quite subtle but is subconsciously effective. I did not notice the music until I read this question but I did feel the effects of the music even if I was not consciously aware of it. It created excitement and hope but anxiety and fear too. <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">The Black tracker <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Do you think the tracker could have found the girls if he had wanted to? What reason may he have had for not wanting to find them?

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Moodoo was introduced early in the film as a skilled black tracker who caught children for the Moore River mission. His daughter was being kept in the mission too. Moodoo was sent after the girls and pursed them to a river where he ‘lost’ them but I believe that he pretended to have lost them. He probably disliked Mr Neville rejecting his request to free his daughter and may have formed a resentment for the mission and displayed it when he pretended to lose the girls. Also, Moodoo could have seen a similarity in his daughter and the girls and felt sorry for them. <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Do you think Moodoo gives up on the search for the girls? Why?

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Yes but only once there was nothing more he could do, he was told that the girls were following the rabbit fence and he was to stop them along the way. The girls were advised by a bushman that it would be quicker to travel diagonally between the two fences and inadvertently dodged the black tracker. I believe that he did not search for the girls with all of his skill because he was getting tired of his career.

Survival on the journey

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">How do you think each of the girls might have felt after the escape? <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Molly would have felt anxious about leading the group and taking responsibility for any consequences of the journey such as starving or being taken back to the mission. Molly could have been worried about whether she will be able to navigate her way home. Daisy might have felt a little confused, which may have caused frustration or helplessness. Gracie would have felt resentful of Molly taking the leading position of the group. On the other hand they were generally hopeful that Moodoo could not track them through the rain. <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">How would their moods have changed as the journey progressed? <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">When they found the rabbit proof fence the journey seemed much more hopeful in the eyes of the girls because they had a simple and easy to follow trail to home. When they went through the river they would see that the tracker may not be able to find them again. This made the trip more hopeful. When Gracie was separated and captured, that could have made the other two feel tired emotionally and physically and reignited the fear of being captured by police. <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Why would Mr Neville keep news of the escape from getting out into the paper? <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">If too much news circulated throughout the media that the department was failing or incapable then there may have been less funding into the organisation. The more public the chase was made the more was at stake if the police were unsuccessful capturing the children. However, the more attention the pursuit got may make it easier to catch the children with the public aiding the pursuit. Mr Neville may not have wanted the relevant department raising its ugly head too close to the microscope of the public eye in case the department was labelled inhumane.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">What might have motivated the woman on the farm to feed the children the report them to the authorities?

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">The woman at the farm thought that she was doing the right thing by presenting the children with food and clothes and then notifying the authorities of their whereabouts but the girls had no idea that she was going to report them. This shows how she cared about the children of the half caste missions but did not understand the bad effect that the program had and still has on the Aboriginal people. Her view of the missions was through the eyes of the whites and heavily biased and therefore she was motivated to help the police. <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Identify the various strategies that Molly used to evade capture and survive the whole trip. <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Being born and raised in the bush Molly knew how to eat off the goods of the land and being a generally clever girl she manage to evade Moodoo and the others for the majority of the trip. She used techniques and strategies from the very beginning; using the storm to cover their tracks, going in the river to lose Moodoo, using a broom like stick to blur tracks. The movie mainly shows them eating with farmers but they did occasionally eat from natural resources. <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">What does home mean to Molly? Use a poem or a drawing to answer. <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Home is Jigalong, <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">The one place I belong, <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">From the rough kangaroo herd, <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">To my guardian spirit bird, <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">My guiding hand, <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">In the far open sand, <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">The Rabbit Proof Fence, <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">My trusty sixth sense. By Nelson Reynolds Walsh