Texts and Discovery
Discovery ideas
drawn from the
syllabus description
Away
Rainbow’s End
The Tempest
The experience of
discovering something
for the first time or
rediscovering
something that has
been lost, forgotten or
concealed
Love
Marriage
Tolerance
Respect
Self
Land
Family
Self
Truth
History
Love
Values
Truth
Virtue
Colonisation
Discoveries can be
sudden and unexpected,
or they can emerge
from a process of
deliberate and careful
planning evoked by
curiosity, necessity or
wonder
Truth
Grief
Fantasy
Process
Self realisation
Floods
Assault
Gladys
Errol
Racism
Irony of history
M & F – love
M & P - truth
Survival of sailors
Prospero drawing
his ‘enemy’ to the
island
Discoveries may be
emotional, creative,
intellectual, physical
and spiritual
Coral’s grief
Roy’s inability to
cope with her
grief
The play/s as a
means of
processing life
Rick
Tom & Meg
Fear
Protectionism
Assimilation
Empowerment
Resentment
Racism
Audience
confronted
Gladys’
empowerment
M’s realisation of
her origins
Caliban’s
expressions of
humanity
Prospero’s move
from virtue to
vengeance
Gonzalo’s
realisations
Alonso’s
realisation
The Motorcycle
Diaries
Dreams
Hope
Truth
Poverty
Respect
Self
Nature
Risk
Alberto seeing the
ocean for the first
time
Process of the
journey
Political
realisations of self
and others
Self realisation
Sorrow
Joy
Empowerment
Poverty
Empathy
Rationalisation
Indomitable
capacity of the
human spirit
Swallow the
Air
Frank Hurley
Life of Pi
Go Back to
Where You
Came From
Land
Family
Truth
History
Connection
Reconnection
History
Risk
Courage
Self
Nature
New lands
Self
Tolerance
Respect
Nature
Autonomy
Fear
Experience for the
participantsConfrontation
Isolation
Deprivation
Values
Prejudices
Death
Grief
Assault
Land
Truth
History
Self
Autonomy
Resilience
Grief
Loss
Fear
Confusion
Connections with
family
Relationship with
Joyce and Johnny
Dreaming
Land
Self realisation
Constructed
nature of
discoveries
Reconstruction of
events that stirred
him personallydesire to share the
awe and wonder
Loss
Death
Grief
Fear
Survival
Resilience
God
Self
Confronted by
sudden demand to
hand over
passports
Experience of the
sea journey
Conditions in
refugee camps
Creativity and
reconstruction
Responsibility for
truth
Representations of
truth and
experience
Desire to expose
and share wonder
and awe
Spiritual truths
Self awareness
Self
empowerment
Surviving against
the odds
Marvelling at
nature
Pragmatism of
survival
Relationship with
Richard Parker
Religion as a
source of
fulfilment
Awareness as a
process- original
arrogance and
rejection;
evolution of
responses that are
at first self
pitying, then
reflective and
eventually lead to
an awareness of
the political
dispossession and
fears that provoke
individuals to
embark on
journeys of
discovery to
unknown lands in
search of peace
and safety
Away
Rainbow’s End
The Tempest
Discoveries can be
confronting and
provocative
Roy’s need to be
more empathetic
towards Coral
Tom revealing
illness to Meg
Vic revealing
Tom’s illness to
Gwen
Gwen’s prejudice
Audience
confronted by the
deep and
resonating loss of
land, culture,
language and
family
Gladys – radio –
establishing a
voice of protest
Converging
narratives
revelation of the
lack of moral truth
that resulted in
usurpation
Virtue rather than
vengeance
Caliban
confronting
Prospero
Discoveries can lead us
to engage with new
worlds and values
Empathy
Tolerance
Understanding
Overcoming
prejudice
Self awareness
Tolerance
Respect
Empowerment
Self realisation
Acceptance
Freedom of
expression
Daring to engage
Prospero adapting
to life on the
island and
appropriating
social and
political attitudes
of is maintained
Alonso’s new
realisations
Miranda’s new
realisations
Discoveries stimulate
new ideas, and enable
us to speculate about
future possibilities
New awareness;
new insight into
others; marriage
and relationships;
Roy develops a
new appreciation
for Coral and the
audience can
speculate that
their marriage will
be richer. Gwen
becomes more
tolerant and we
can speculate her
attitudes will
change.
Possibilities for a
future where
reconciliation may
take place; new
autonomy; access
to spaces and
places previously
‘hessioned’ off
from. The housing
project and the
historical context
present insight
into the irony of
all protest and
change – within
the parameters of
dominant culture
Possibilities for a
future where
Prospero regains
his power in the
real world but
with a renewed
sense of
responsibility;
Caliban remains
on the islandcolonised and
rejected, metaphor
of ongoing
prejudice and
intolerance of the
‘other’
The Motorcycle
Diaries
Hunger
Exhaustion
Own needs
mirroring and
impacting on the
realisation of the
needs of others
Leprosy wards
poverty
Political
awakening
Swallow the Air
Frank Hurley
Life of Pi
Drugs
Uncle
Family
Self realisation of
needing to
recognise we have
to discover self
and reconnect
with innate being
Impact of racism
and prejudice
Realisation of
cost, danger, fear,
risk, challenge,
rawness of
experience and
desire to
reconstruct that
sense of the new
for wider audience
- veracity
Father and Goat
Richard parker
Island
His name
Storm
Family loss
Challenges of the
new experiences
of meeting new
people and
adjusting to
customs and
cultures
Realisation of self
and place in the
world
May’s meeting
with Joyce;
Accessing her
dreaming within
herself and
through Johnny;
meeting Uncle
and experiencing
history through
his eyes; Galing’s
valuing of the
land
Religion as more
than one god; an
appreciation for
nature, its
capacity and its
vulnerability as a
metaphor for
humanity
New political
awareness –
discissions extend
in strength
throughout the
text about the
proletariat and the
bourgeois
Ingenuity
Medical practice
and possibilities –
futures as doctors
– associated
expectations
Meting Joyce and
Johnny changes
May’s perspective
of self and her
Aboriginality.
Meeting family
brings new
realisation; part of
the land and the
history.
Coming home and
meeting with
Aunty – the
dispossession still
exists yet new
ways of thinking
allow new
perspectives.
New experiences
and being in a
position to share
these with the
larger world
through image;
perpetuation of
privilege of the
camera and what
we see being
contrived and
controlled by the
photographer
Ideas about how
we construct and
reconstruct history
to suit a particular
purpose o agenda.
If we become
aware of the
construction do
we challenge the
veracity of the
discovery? How
do we then reread
revisionist history
as a continual
reconstruction of
the discovery of
events, people and
places?
Accommodating
interpretations of
religious and
cultural beliefs in
order to survive.
The narrative
continuum
established
through interview
allows us to
flashback and
reflect forward on
how the impact of
the story told has
the capacity to
shift and change
our understanding
of self, God and
others.
Go Back
Level and depth
of poverty, fear,
sadness, loss,
vulnerability,
desperation that
leads to the need
to seek asylum;
have to face their
own prejudices
and develop
tolerance and
respect
Experiences
challenge the
participants to
meet individuals
they would not
access and
understand or at
least appreciate
the values and
desperation of
those who seek
asylum
Understandings of
the plight,
desperation and
conditions of
others influence
and change some
participants. The
contribution to
activism and
supporting the
rights of those
who seek asylum
by Rae and others
spoken about in
The Response
allows us to see
how new worlds
are offered by
discovery.
Away
Rainbow’s End
The Tempest
Discoveries can lead to
new understandings
and renewed
perceptions of ourselves
and others
Gwen is changed
by the experiencethe referential
‘tempest’ has
brought the group
together in more
than the literal –
they are
metaphysically
changed by
developing
connections with
each other despite
original
differences
Courage and
activism – finding
of a voice
stimulate Gladys
to go to the
council – Nan and
Dolly are inspired
by her bravery;
Nana grows and
begins to develop
trust in whitefellas
through Errol
suggesting it is
possible to coexist and discover
new histories.
Prospero comes to
a position of
empathy and
regret, ‘virtue’
rather than
‘vengeance’; the
metaphysical
discovery is
important to the
notion of power
and how it must
be used
appropriately; as
an audience we
make correlations
with Prospero’s
renewal and our
own responses to
others.
Discoveries can vary
according to personal,
cultural, historical and
social contexts and
values
Our personal
contextual
positioning,
established
through race,
heritage, social
and economic
image of self
frames this play;
each discovery is
bound in
expectations made
about others that
have been framed
by our
experiences –
history of
Vietnam,
migration.
Contextual studies
of each character
reveal that we are
connected to our
values by context;
Nan’s distrust, her
sarcasm and fear
has arisen from
the protectionist
policies that have
framed her world.
Loss of history is
explicitly
explored and the
rewriting of
history from the
British
perspective is
engaged with.
The historical
premise of
colonisation and
dispossession, of
usurpation and
political
repression are
engaged with;
Shakespeare’s
revelations infer a
criticism of the
colonist ideals yet
justify them with
fears of the other.
The history of the
court and ongoing
usurpation are
reflections of 16th
C society.
Motorcycle
Diaries
New awareness of
the ability to
overcome
significant
hardship that is
borne of choice is
paralleled with the
ongoing
deprivation,
poverty and
political
disenfranchisemen
t of others – a
significant
development in
the origins and
eventuation of
‘Che’.
Guevara’s
privileged
personal context is
challenged by his
experiences –
miners, lepers all
provide him with
discoveries about
others and the role
of humanity to
protect those who
are weak and
dispossessed
through
colonisation,
poverty and
governance.
Swallow the Air
Frank Hurley
Life of Pi
Go Back
May’s realisations
and discoveries of
how connected
she is with the
land, that she is
the land – and her
family being
called ‘gypsies –
creates new
freedoms to
understand herself
and her mother
and others who
have had to
readjust and
recognise that all
land is who she is
and the spiritual
awakening is
significant to
herself and to the
audience.
Hurley is awed by
the experiences he
engages with to
the extent that he
reconstructs them
from his
perspective and
adds context to
assist the viewer
to understand the
overwhelming and
rich nature of each
event and
experience her
records; his lack
of awareness of
how these
reconstructions
would be received
and judged so
harshly leads to
renewed
perceptions of
himself and the
value of his work.
Hurley’s own
cultural
perspectives and
values are innate
to his presenting
of the discoveries
he and others
make. The
cultural integrity
of native peoples
is both affirmed
and challenged as
viewers engage
with the idea of
the impact on the
cultural and
historical notion
of the ‘native’ in
their environment.
The will to
survive, the ability
to draw on a range
of religions, the
questioning of
religion, the
revitalising of
perspective shifts
leads to changes
in Pi’s sense of
self and his
respect for nature.
We are challenged
by the text to
recognise our own
response to
hardship and how
we ‘survive’ what
we believe to be
challenging and
then reshape our
perspective of self
and appreciate the
significance of the
plight of others.
The specific
cultural and
religious contexts
presented through
Pi’s narrative of
resonate with
values he has
learned and now
shares with his
interviewer and
the audience. The
challenge to
accept the notion
of whether there is
a God is presented
as a challenge not
only to the
interviewer but
also the audience.
The significance
of the journey and
subsequent
discoveries of self
and others in the
documentary
series is profound.
Awareness of how
we perceive
others and where
those perceptions
originate
challenges us on
notions of
superiority and
our ‘rights’ to
own our land or
privilege it to a
select few.
Indigenous
heritage and
culture, in
particular the
significance of
land, dreaming
and family are all
valued differently
by the various
encounters May
has on her
journey. We are
challenged to
recognise the
reshaped notions
of identity that
have been forced
upon Indigenous
Australians.
The discoveries of
each participant
rely on their
contextual
background - a
result of their own
history and the
experiences that
have shaped their
responses to
others. The shifts
and changes that
occur arise out of
understandings
and appreciating
the contextual
perspectives of
others.
Away
Rainbow’s End
The Tempest
Discoveries can be farreaching and
transformative for the
individual and for
broader society
The discovery of
renewed love and
appreciation for
each other by Roy
and Coral reveals
how exploring and
processing their
grief can be
transformative;
the prejudices
explored through
Gwen and the
ways in which
Gow resolves
those prejudices
as lessons that can
transform his
audience.
Nan and Gladys
are the characters
most transformed
by the discoveries
they make about
their role in
presenting a
legitimate voice of
protest in this text.
Dolly and Errol
also present the
transformative
nature of
discovery as their
relationship
symbolises the
hope for
reconciliation in
society more
broadly.
Prospero is the
character most
transformed in
this text however,
other characters
are transformed –
Alonso, Miranda
for example. The
implications for
society are that we
can shift and
change our
perspective if we
are reflective. The
text also deals
with those who do
not transform
revealing
limitations of
some individuals
as representative
of aspects of
societies that are
not able to engage
with change.
Discoveries may be
questioned or
challenged when
viewed from different
perspectives and their
worth may be
reassessed over time.
The range of
individuals who
are drawn together
by Tom’s
‘tempest’ are
provided with
ways to resolve
their angst with
each other or with
society. New
appreciations lead
to a more
compassionate
and rational
perspective of
society, history
and self.
The perspectives
of whitefella law
and settlement are
negotiated and
confronted in this
text. Harrison
provides a voice
for Indigenous
Australians to
engage with
society even
though the
challenges remain.
Gladys reassesses
her view of the
Queen and Nan
reassessed her
view of Errol.
The views of
Antonio and
Sebastian lead the
audience to
engage with how
discoveries may
not always be
welcome or
learned from. The
audience can also
challenge
Prospero’s agenda
and suggest
whether his new
approach to the
world will change
himself or society
for the better.
The Motorcycle
Diaries
The
transformative
nature of nature,
of experience and
that drawn from
interactions with
others resonates
for both Guevara
and for Alberto.
Understanding,
empathy and
compassion lead
to the eventual
political
transformation
made by the
protagonist as a
result of his
exploration of
South America.
The views of the
young Guevara
are challenged by
his experiences.
His discoveries of
inequity across
South America are
the impetus for his
becoming of
‘Che’. The
perspectives of
peace and a future
in medicine are
shifted
considerably as
the text suggests
his evolution into
a revolutionary.
Swallow the Air
Frank Hurley
Life of Pi
Go Back
May’s discoveries
lead to realisations
about herself, her
people, the land
and her family.
Responsibility for
her own
transformation
resonates through
the final chapters
of the text. We are
led to consider
how we can adapt
and accept the
shifts in
perspective that
we find
confronting and
beyond our
comprehension at
times and adapt to
new ways of
thinking and
acceptance.
The revelation
that many of
Hurley’s images
are
reconstructions
has led to
discussions on
how we create and
construct history
by our
representation.
We are
transformed by
our awareness that
all history is a
construct
therefore we are
privileged to make
and remake
history as long as
we acknowledge
its origins and
acknowledge the
contexts
surrounding its
existence.
Hurley’s
discoveries and
film and image
have all been
reassessed
through 21st
century
perspectives. We
are able to
examine and
challenge the
original
discoveries and
assess how they re
constructed and
shaped a view of
the world.
The
transformative
power of nature,
awe and wonder
of the discoveries
Pi makes about
himself and others
through his
experience
resonates for the
viewers as we
appreciate the
world through
new eyes. Society
is challenged to
accept the view of
others as
legitimate and
rationale as we
respect the right
of individuals to
construct their
own story and
retell it to inspire
others.
The discoveries
made by the
participants had
the ability to
transform each
one of them.
Whilst some did
not distinctly
change their
opinion on the
idea of asylum
and refugees as
having rights to
enter countries
without formal
approval, there
was a shift in their
realisation of
world beyond the
safety and
security of
Australia.
The structural
premise of the
film deliberately
poses questions
that allow the
characters and the
audience to
reassess the
impact of events.
The Japanese
representatives
want to reassess
Pi’s perspective
but discover that
truth lies in the
hands of the
experience itself.
‘The Response’
presents an
opportunity to
examine how the
discoveries
changed or altered
views of self or
others. Each
participant was
able to suggest
how their initial
response had been
reassessed
affirming the view
that we can be
changed by the
discoveries we
make.
Once May has
met her family she
is able to
rationalise her
perspective of
home and thus
reassess her
perspective of
identity and
family. She
retains the lessons
learned and
discovered and
able to mourn her
mother, Johnny
and the past with a
refreshed
perspective.