Craig Cliff Short Stories Analysis 12D 2014

Manawatu - Setting

Rhea, Renee, Charlotte and Chelsey

The story is set in Palmerston North, Manawatu Region, New Zealand.

Find pictures showing the location of Palmerston North, and the Manawatu Region.

Establishing the SettingCliff helps his readers to recognise the setting in many ways. Your job is to complete the table below. You must find as many clues in the story that help the reader to understand that the story is set a) in New Zealand generally and b) in the Manawatu.

The kinds of clues you should be looking for include: language used, names of places/people, objects or other things that are particular to the society/place being discussed, anecdotes and any other aspects of the story.

New Zealand Manawatu

RaroAuckland'...lamb with mint sauce.''comfy old En-Zed,'PalmyState Insurance BuildingFarmers' Mutual Building"...breathing real New

WellingtonPalmythe Manawatu River"He remembered being told in school how Manawatu is supposed to mean 'still heart'. How a chief was being chased and he came to the rivet and it made his heart stop.""young Heart, Easy Living,  the slogan for the Manawatu region."

Zealand breaths..."Hydroslide

Glen’s Relationship with the Setting

Answer the following questions about Glen’s relationship with the setting. You should be answering them in as much detail as possible. You must include at least one quote to support each of your answers.

1. How does Glen feel about coming back to NZ before he arrives? Why? Before Glen gets back to new zealand he is excited that he’ll get to see his family after five long months away in Australia as he hasn’t been able to see them in such a long time. This is probably due to the fact that Glen thinks that by making the effort he is to come back from Australia that others will be delighted with his return. This is not so as he does not take in the fact that his sudden leaving will have consequences and therefore he is disappointed by the fact that no one really tries to make an effort to go see him.

2. How does Glen describe the river? How does this conception of the river make him feel? How does this reflect his  overall emotional state?   Glen describes the Manuwata River as ‘peaceful’ and ‘Innocuous’ which is not harmful and safe yet he also then comes to think about how he nearly drowned in it. The river seems to make Glen feel calm and safe even though that is very much untrue. This concept of the river related to the emotional state of Glen as though he is standing on the edge of the balcony he still feels calm and in control even though if he slips he could die.

3. How does Glen relate the slogan of the Manawatu to his own state of mind? Manawatu means ‘still heart’ and he nearly drowned in the Manawatu river so he relates the slogan back to his own experience and the way he is feeling when he thinks about it “it had become more of a sense than a memory”, saying that he nearly had a still heart because of the river he now relates the river to his own heart being still as he stands on the balcony. In the end after he jumped he refers again his own heart to the river he says “the river was making roaring sounds like a hydroslide and the still heart (his own) was filled with blood again.

4. How does Glen describe his breathing at the end of the story? What does this show us about how he feels about New Zealand? "Breathing real/big New Zealand breaths" suggests that Glen considers Manawatu, or 'New Zealand',  to be his home. This is because he clearly distinguishes the inhalation of air in New Zealand "New Zealand breaths" to the air in any other country (Melbourne, in particular). This shows that Glen has lived in New Zealand as this is what New Zealanders' can relate to. -The air in New Zealand is more fresh and somewhat unique to that of other countries.

5. How has Glen’s conception of the Manawatu River changed at the end of the story? What does this tell us about his state of mind? when he’s standing on the balcony in the beginning he is calm and his heart is beating slowly. When he jumps off his perception of the river changes because he is buzzing with adrenaline and he says “the river was making roaring sounds like a hydroslide” which is referring back to his heart being filled with blood again.

Manawatu - Character

Izzy, Lizzie, Sydney, Kendra, Sara and Samuella

Protagonist

Glen, age 21.

Has moved to Melbourne from Palmerston North, for his first full-time job.

Is visiting his family in NZ for Christmas.

Describe Glen/his personality providing at least one example to support your description.

Glen is unsatisfied with his life, feeling a little let down as he possibly thought that an escape from New Zealand would be a chance to escape his former life he was unhappy with, possibly a chance to change from this person full of teenage anxiety and insecurities. These expectations are ill fulfilled, Glen believing that his move to Australia, life in the big ol' world", would be a turning point, believes the turning point didn't actually do much good.

Lonely: He seeks some form of attention commenting on the fact that "They (his brother and girlfriend) weren't even looking at him"

Pessimistic: "was his family finally trying to become a family rather than a set of subsidiaries, bound by the responsibility to appear at certain prearranged meetings" This quote shows Glen incapability to find any good in his idea of family, in his eyes they are seen (as many things by Glen are) in a highly negative light.

Has this relationship changed since Glen moved to Australia? Why do you think it has/hasn’t changed? (Sara)

The relationship between Glen and his family (mum and grandmother) has changed since he moved to Australia. Glen and his family were not close and didn't show any affection before he left. But now his family is being very affectionate. His mother sought him when he was in another room and his grandmother felt the need to hug him on arrival and departure which is much different to how they were before Glen left Palmeston North to go to Australia.

How does Glen feel about the relationship now? (Sara)

Glen feels like his family are only affectionate because they have not seen him in a long time. He feels as though if he didn't move to Australia there would still be no affection. This is shown when it says "it was the thought that if he had not left, there would still be no hugs". Glen believes that his family is finally trying to become a family, rather than being "a set of subsidiaries". He isn't so worried about all the affection that his family is showing him and all the hugging, but the thought that if he was still in Palmeston North, his family would still not be showing any affection towards him.

What does this relationship help us to understand about Glen’s personality? (Sydney)

This helps us understand that Glen is not a very affectionate person, especially towards his family. He seems almost resentful and doesn't understand where all this affection has come from, as he says "where had all this affection suddenly come from?". This also helps us understand that Glen is an over thinker, as he has numerous mental debates with himself and always questions everything. He questions "If leaving put a value on his head - made him a huggable commodity - what would death do?", he jumps to this

question just from questioning the fact that his family is more affectionate since he left to go to Australia.

Glen and his Brother, Warren:

Describe the relationship between Glen and his brother, Warren? (Sydney)The relationship between Glen and his brother has changed since Glen left to work full-time five months ago in Melbourne. Before he left, Glen looked up to and admired his younger brother as he says "breaking Warren's idol worship five months previous". This shows that after Glen left to Melbourne, his brother may have felt abandoned so he chose to fill the gap, so when he came back he was "snubbed by his brother, he felt like the idolater". Warren seems nonchalant about that fact that Glen has come home from Melbourne and this suggests that they are drifting and their relationship isn't as close as they used to be.

Has this relationship changed since Glen moved to Australia? Why do you think it has/hasn’t changed? (Lizzie)

The relationship between Glen and his brother Warren has changed since he moved to Australia. Before Glen left, he looked up to his brother and idolised him as he says “breaking Warren’s idolship five months previous.” However, Warren proves to not care about Glen after he came back from Melbourne, which is shown in “Warren, was house-sitting and chose to spend the time with his girlfriend rather than with Glen.” Glen now feels like his brother is treating him cruelly, which demonstrates the change in relationship between Glen and Warren. The change in relationship may have happened due to Warren feeling lonely and therefore replacing Glen with Kelly/Katy or Kelli/Katy

How does Glen feel about the relationship now? (Lizzie)

Glen feels betrayed and annoyed that his brother does not care about him as much as he used to. He calls himself an ‘idolater’, feeling as if he is completely devoted to his brother however now, his brother does not take any interest in him.

What does this relationship help us to understand about Glen’s personality? (Sam)

This relationship helps us to understand that Glen is jealous at the fact that his brother is choosing to spend time with his girlfriend who he can see on a daily basis rather than his brother who has come home to Palmerston North from working overseas for five months in Melbourne. He feels like the tables have turned by saying "skipping town and breaking Warren's idol worship five months previous, he'd felt pangs of cruelty. Now, being snubbed by his brother, he felt the idolater". Glen can now understand how his brother felt when he left to go work in Australia- Alone and ignored. By saying "he felt the idolater", Glen expresses that he is jealous of Warren. He is jealous of the fact that Warren has a girlfriend while he has no one. He is jealous of the fact that instead of Warren giving him 100% of his attention, he is ignoring him and Glen seems to be giving Warren more attention by watching him and his girlfriend, willing for them to interact with him.

Glen and his Friends:

Describe the relationship between Glen and his friends. (Sam)

Glen is yet to make friends with fellow colleagues in Australia. This is shown in Glen saying, "five months of acclimatising, of no friends yet but working on it" This shows us that Glen is making a genuine effort to adapt and work in Australia. He's trying to get used to his new lifestyle and at the same time make friends however this is not as easy as he might've initially thought. Even though Glen was unable to make new friends in Australia, he had looked forward to coming to "comfy old En-Zed" to catch up with  his old friends who he had left behind here. However when Glen arrives here he realizes that times have changed and his friends have, more or less, moved on showing that the bonds between Glen and his friends weren't as strong as he had thought. This is shown in "But there were friends who didn't make the effort to see him at New Year's in Wellington, then promised to come up to Palmy, but didn't". Glen is left with a feeling of loneliness and ends up thinking about suicide, a thought he had previously had four years ago as a teenager.

Has this relationship changed since Glen moved to Australia? Why do you think it has/hasn’t changed? (Kendra)

After only five months away from NZ, the relationship between Glen and his friends has become weaker. Glen seems to think that even though he has been away from NZ his friends will be as close as they were before he left. We are not told if he keeps in contact with his friends while he is away, but it is certainly shown his friends are becoming more distant. He looks forward to seeing his friends, but his old friends may not feel the same way as Glen tells us when he says “But there were friends who didn't make the effort to see him at New Year's in Wellington, then promised to come up to Palmy, but didn't". He hasn’t replaced his old friends with new ones in Australia, as he friends may think, and he has also drifted further away from his old ones purely because he hasn’t been there to maintain a friendship with them.

How does Glen feel about the relationship now?What does this relationship help us to understand about Glen’s personality? (Kendra)

As Glen struggled with making friends in Australia, or to befriend any colleges, this shows that he is not the most sociable person and may be resistant to change. Its clear he has been trying to cope with moving away from his family and friends, but still he does not call Melbourne home as shown when he says he’s “home from Melbourne’. As well as this it shows that Glen may be a little naive to think when he gets home everything would be the same as when he left, but his friends are no longer there. He is also shown to be very vulnerable to the negative effects of being alone. After four years of being suicidal thought free, he starts to think of suicide when he realises how alone he is. This loneliness is represented by his thoughts of his friends who are no longer there and his sadness of not having friends yet in Melbourne .

Glen’s Emotions

Glen is a character who experiences many emotions throughout the story.

Make a chronological list of all the feelings that Glen has throughout the story and give the reasons he has these feelings.ORDER OF EMOTION

EMOTION REASON FOR FEELING THIS EMOTION

QUOTES

Page 1 & 2 Pessimistic Glen feels like he has arrived at the nexus of his life. He feels as if his life is a blur of memories and that nothing he does is extremely exciting or significant.

“Just memories. A mix of water and sugar, like Raro.”“He wondered if these were the only permanent memories.”

Page 2 Disappointment Glen feels disappointed that he had made the effort to come back to New Zealand and see his friends and family, only to find that no-one made the effort to see him.  It is also not the first time it has happened to him before.

“He had been looking forward to comfy old En-Zed, but there were friends who didn’t make an effort to see him at New Year’s in Wellington, then promised to come up to Palmy, but didn’t.”

Page 2 Annoyed Glen is annoyed that his brother would rather be hanging out with his girlfriend than him, even though the were close before Glen left to Melbourne.

"Now being snubbed by his brother, he felt the isolator. "

Page 3 Overwhelmed Glen feels overwhelmed by the amount of attention he is receiving from his mother and grandmother. He had not previously received this much affection from them and it seems peculiar to him.

"worse than the snubs were the smothering. The way his mother sought him out when he was in a different room. The way he absolutely must hug his grandmother on arrival and departure. Where had all this affection suddenly come from?"

Page 3

Depressed/suicidal Glen is reminiscing about his past with contemplating suicide and how it had effected his teenage years. He now is beginning to think about it again which results in him walking outside and over the balcony's railing.

"for the first time in four years he thought of suicide""he'd had flushes of sadness. Great upswellings of distaste for his life"

Page 4 & 5

Contemplating/reflecting Glen is having thoughts about the consequences of jumping off the balcony. Whether anyone would care

"once I jump, what then? ""I have to leave tomorrow. Go back

or not and what would happen if he were not to jump.

home. Is Melbourne home or is this home?"

Page 6 & 7

Realisation As Glen lands safely, he realises that his life is more than what he saw it as.

"whether it was a jump itself or having jumped, something had turned on a great light in the grey sky and the River was making roaring sounds like a hydroslide and the still heart was flooded with blood again."

Manawatu - Theme and Purpose Lisa, Kimberley, Vivienne, Jinny and Pratiti

ThemeWhat is the theme? Loss of Innocence

What does this idea mean? The idea is loss of innocence this means he is transitioning from a young boy into a man. His mind will become more complex rather than simple thinking because he will have more responsibilities in life. He starts to understand the depth of life and it becomes more complicated. he felt he was coming to the point in life where he was between being a young boy into a full grown man like the nexus in the infinity sign. The idea loss of innocence can relate to most people in todays society because everyone goes through a point in life when they lose their innocence and officially grow into an adult. this helps the readers to relate to the poem especially young adults who are going through what Glen was going through.

Who loses innocence in the story? Glen loses his innocence.  He loses his innocence as he grows into an adult.

What does he lose innocence about? He loses his innocence on growing up into a mature man. He lets go of his childhood and grasps onto being a man. He feels as if he was in the middle of being a child and becoming and adult, a quote to help us understand "He felt as if he was at the point where the two O's came together. The nexus between growing up and growing old, coming and going"

WHY does he lose this innocence? To separate himself from his past to be able to move past his crossroads and begin his future. He finds it difficult - stuck in his memories. He reiterates on life and thinks about his past before he jumps off. a quote that helps us understand this is "An amputated memory. A sense more than a memory. He wondered if these were the only permanent memories"

Purpose

What does Cliff want us to understand about the idea of ‘innocence’ and the ‘loss of innocence’?The idea of innocence helps the readers understand that every human being will go through the phase of "loss of innocence". Cliff helps us understand and makes us realise the exact feeling of turning into an adult. The readers that are teenagers/young adults will relate to this story as they are or will be going through this phase. Adults who have already lost their innocence will have a memory/ experience of how it was. Cliff wants the readers to understand that your childhood goes very fast and it is important to live it to the fullest, and not be in the same position as Glen when he was jumping off the roof because he was growing up and stressing out,  thus Glen lost his innocence.

Another Language - Character Teegan, Brooke, Tatjana, Gemma & Diana

Dedo

1.How does James describe Dedo’s personality?

He describes him as being sad and quiet, who just wants to be noticed . He is very homesick, and this is what makes him

2.How would YOU describe Dedo’s personality? Why?

I would describe Dedo’s personality as quiet, he doesn’t talk much and also seems quite sad all the time.like he is wanting to be loved and noticed. He seems very distant from his family and very secretive. all he wants is to be a family and forget about what happened, and move on.

3. Why do you think that Dedo feels the way he does about leaving Yugoslavia?

Dedo feels the way he does because Yugoslavia is his home and he had to leave it because of the Ustase. wishes he could have stayed if everything was ok.

James

1.How would you describe James’ personality? Explain why. (Think of at least 3 different descriptors)   

Curious.

Oblivious

Gullible

2.Describe James’ family (who is part of his family? How would you describe the family dynamic and why?)

His mother, father, grandad, grandma and baby brother are talked about in the poem. James and his father have quite a strong relationship and seem to get along well. James tries to talk to his grandad and make an effort with him but he doesn’t like to talk too much about his past.James is quite caring towards his brother. James is a young naive boy who is quite fascinated about others lives, very nosey.

Relationships

Complete the following table which will help you to analyse James’ relationships with other characters in the story.

James and Dedo James and Dad James and Mum

Describe the relationship

Neutral - Dedo is James’ grandfather. The relationship between Dedo and James, is a distant one and unrequited type.

Neutral - A normal father son

relationship.

neutral -a normal mother and son

relationship,

Evidence to support

description

Whenever James talked to Dedo, Dedo would reply with simple sentences or just grunt. For example,James - “Dedo, why did you leave Yugoslavia?”Dedo - “Because of my stutter”andJames - “Did you learn English in school”Dedo - “Yes”“And you found you didn’t stutter in English” “ Yes” “And you moved to moved to New Zealand because we speak English here” and then Dedo nodded. Towards the end of the story James finds out Dedo was lying to him about his stutter. James found out about Dedo lying through his dad on their way back home. “Was his stutter really that bad?” “What stutter?” “When he spoke Serbian.” “Dedo doesn’t stutter when he speaks Serbian. He speaks it

James would talk to his father about what goes on on his day and his thoughts. When he has a question to ask, he asks his father questions about Dedo a lot. “Do you think Dedo regrets leaving Yugoslavia?”. Towards the end the father tells the truth about Dedo, and that he was lying to him.

“Mum was sitting at the kitchen table flicking through a recipe book… “Can I sit beside his cot and wait until he wakes up?” “What are you up to, mister?” Mum asked. “Nothing” I said.” - This evidence is an example of a normal mother and son conversation. The conversation is quite mundane and with James’ mum asking him if he’s up to anything is a typical motherly thing to ask.

fluently.” It was here when James found out more about Dedo and why he lied about his stutter.

What does this help us understand

about James?

James is a curious kid who like to ask his grandfather about his life. who also is quite a nosey and naive child.

James is very curious, he wants to know everything. He always needs an answer to everything. Confused.

This relationship between him and his mother shows us that James and his mother have such a normal relationship and that his life is normal in that aspect.

How does this help us understand the theme

‘loss of innocence’ ?

James constantly asking Dedo about his past. The whole theme of ‘loss of innocence’ is displayed through this relationship because James questions end up revealing Dedo’s past at the end of the story. Here James learns about the struggles Dedo went through and the reason why he initially moved to New Zealand. The reason was a threat to Dedo’s life.

Another Language- Style Alice, Rebekah, Jessica and Phelesia

Elements of Style

Style refers to the way the author uses and constructs language in a text. There are many elements of style we can consider. Some of the basics include:

Narrative Point of View

Sentence Structure

Diction- the words that are chosen, the way they are arranged, the KIND Of language that is used.

Mood/tone

Symbols

Imagery/figurative language

Craig Cliff employs the following elements of style to enhance his readers’ understanding of character and theme.

Narrative Point of View

Diction

Sentence Structure

Mood/Tone

Narrative Point of View

Description of the narrative point of view used in the story:

The narrative point of view used by Craig Cliff in ‘Another language’ is first person. First person narration meaning this short story is told by by main character James as he is portraying his personal point of view of his surroundings and the people in those surroundings. First person narration makes this short story somewhat easier to follow as you receive directly the main characters thoughts.

How does this help us to understand character?

First person point of view helps the reader to better understand the character of James as it is told directly from his personal view. First person narrative allows the reader to find out that James is a very similar to many other children his age -intuitive and curious. We discover that he is an eager character who is very willing get to the bottom of his grandfathers apparent stutter.

How does this help us to understand theme?

This narrative style of first person helps us to understand the theme of ‘loss of innocence’ as we are able to understand James’ different emotions as he is feeling them. James feels as if he has been betrayed and has essentially in a way lost a sense of his childhood naivety. By writing in a first person perspective Cliff has allowed us to feel more sympathy towards James as it seems as if the reader is sharing a direct link with the main character. This then better allows the reader to understand the theme of this short story as we are experiencing a journey along side James as he begins interested in helping out his ‘Dedo’ to working to resolve his grandfather's issue to ultimately discovering that there was no stutter to begin with resulting in James feeling betrayed and therefore losing a part of his childhood innocence.

Diction

Description of diction used in the story:

The diction used in Another Language by Craig Cliff is conversational and easy to understand. It is not very formal or complex or in an olden style of writing. The word choices are mostly simple or basic words that most people would know, and are used in an unambiguous way, so it is clear and, again, easy to understand. It is also all in first person, speaking from the main character’s (James) point of view. When James is speaking to other characters in the story he is quite informal and relaxed in his speaking.

How does this help us to understand character?

This shows that the character is just an average everyday school kid. The way he thinks and speaks is akin to that of a school boy who is curious about things that he cannot fully understand at this age, but wants to. The simple and straightforward words are also same to that of what a child would say/know (there are little to no complicated or ambiguous words that have an extremely deep meaning, and children would not usually be able to speak/think at such a high level). James also speaks in an informal and relaxed way, not formal or serious like an adult might be.However there are a few changes in diction depending on who James is talking to. James speaks in a very informal way to Marcus Collins, a schoolmate of his, showing that James views him as a friend and an equal peer. When speaking to Dedo, his grandfather, he is more formal and polite, showing that James respects him and looks up to him. This gives us an understanding of how James is like in relation to others.

How does this help us to understand theme?

This helps us to understand the theme of loss of innocence because it is in first person and shows us James point of view, it helps us to understand James’ loss of innocence. As James starts off being curious about what happened to his grandfather, and ignorant of the struggles of that time, he is innocent, but later, when he is told the truth starts to understand and realise the true reality of things and they way people work, he thus loses this original innocence. Changes in diction helps us to understand the theme. In the beginning, James’ diction is childlike and informal, showing us that James is innocent and views the situation in a curious and interested way, but by the end, his diction has become more serious and less positive, showing us his loss of innocence, and that his views the situation negatively.

Sentence Structure

Description of sentence structure used in the story:

The sentences which are used during the narrations in the story are long while the dialogues spoken by the characters are very short and simple. Also, many questions are asked by a character, James.

How does this help us to understand character?

The use of these long and short sentence structures help us to understand that James is a very simple and innocent normal child for his age. He asks lots of simple questions which reflects that he is curious about things he can't understand at his age.

How does this help us to understand theme?

We can understand the theme of the 'loss of innocence' through the sentence structures used by Craig Cliff. James uses many simple words and asks many simple questions which allows us to interpret that he is a very innocent character. However, when his father puts his hand on James' head, he doesn't say anything or ask questions to his father. He realises the nature of reality and how people deal with it.

Mood/Tone

Description of the mood/tone of the story: Does this change?

The mood of the story is generally solemn throughout the text, especially when James is talking to Dedo.  It is angry (because Daniel is angry) when he finds out the truth about why his Grandfather left Yugoslavia.   It becomes more cheerful when James is with Marcus, more thoughtful when he is with his father, and less sad at the end when James and his father are in Daniels room.

How does this help us to understand character?

It helps us understand that James is stuck in the middle of people being miserable and looking back and people making the best out of a bad situation and looking towards the future.  The mood when James is talking to Dedo is sad, as Dedo experienced a horrible event and lost his home, but will not open up and is dwelling on it, this makes James sad also. This shows Dedos character as a depressed, sad older man.  When James makes a new friend, who is making the best of a bad situation (getting teased at school), the mood becomes more cheerful and James seems to become happier.  This shows how Marcus  is the opposite to Dedo, young and cheerful.  These changes of mood based on the people around him, reflects how James is at an impressionable age and his character at first at least, is being influenced by the people around him.  The mood at the end is calm and solemn, shows James character as older and mature, a protector rather than a protectee.

How does this help us to understand theme?

The changes in mood throughout the story help us understand the theme of loss of innocence.  At first James mood fluctuates based on actions of the people around him, showing that he is an impressionable child.  He is angry when he finds out the truth about why his Grandfather left Yugoslavia “I had almost forgotten about Dedo lying to me, but this reminded me and I felt angry again”, which shows his loss of childhood innocence.  He only has he been lied to, he has found something bad about someone he trusted and (in the way children do older people) idolized.  The mood changes right at the end of the story, when he enquires about whether he should tell his brother about his kitten dying.  His Dad says no (showing he has grown up from the protected to the protector)  and despite his brother crying, the mood is not sad, showing he is less impressionable and reliant on those around him, and (through losing his innocence) has grown up.  

Another Language - Theme and Purpose Laura Wang, Sandy Liu, Cassidy Meyer and Dazzle Johnson

Theme

What is the theme? Loss of Innocence

Answer the following questions about theme in the story in as much specific detail as possible.

What does this idea mean?The loss of innocence is an important aspect of an individual’s life that causes someone’s perspective or view about something to change. The loss of innocence occurs as people go through their various experiences and as they learn new things. Who loses innocence in the story?James loses his innocence in the story.

What does he lose innocence about?He loses his innocence as he learns that the world isn't always a happy place. He loses innocence as he no longer has peace of mind that the world will always be a happy place when in actual fact it’s not.

Why does he lose this innocence?He loses his innocence because his curiosity got the best of him. He was curious as to why his grandad was always sad. This set him out on a hunt to discover the reason behind it. This led him to the result of discovering the bad in this word making him lose his innocence.

Complete the table below to analyse the specific ways the theme is developed in the story.

Things James Says Things James Does Other Characters

“Why are you always sad?”“Dedo, why did you leave Yugoslavia?”“But why would people want to kill dedo?”“But why did dedo lie?”“Can i sit beside his cot and wait until he wakes up?”“Do you think Dedo regrets leaving Yugoslavia?”“Was his stutter really bad?”~ his curiosity is what causes him to lose his innocence (this applies to all questions james asks)

“I don't need protecting.”~This shows that James considers himself a grownup but he actually still has a lot to learn. James feels like he doesn’t need help and can handle things on his own but he doesn’t realise that he has been protected from the world all this time.

James asks his grandfather why he left Yugoslavia.~James asks many questions. He seems curious and keen on finding out what he doesn’t know

James tries to get close to Marcus Collins, and wants to know if he really stutters.~ This shows James’ inquisitiveness. This also shows that James doesn’t easily accept things, he first investigates before he forms a conclusion.

James doesn’t understand the reason behind his grandfather’s lie.~Shows James’ confusion and disbelief of the truth.

James’ Dad ~ Tries to explain the reasoning behind Dedo’s lie. James’ father introduces the harsh reality of the world to James.

James’ Brother~ James’ brother is used as an example by James’ father to explain why you would lie.James’ Grandfather ~ James’ Grandfather wants to protect James from the harsh world so that James will not be sad like James’ Grandfather is now. He wants James to have a better and happier time in life by focusing on the good in the world and appreciating simple things.Marcus ~ James initially becomes close to Marcus because he wanted to know more about “stuttering” but then he actually enjoys his company. James is extremely happy when he finds out that Marcus doesn’t stutter when he sings. This shows James’ appreciation in something as simple as Marcus not stuttering when he sings, even though Marcus doesn’t think it’s a big deal. James also learns from

“But dedo said he left Yugoslavia because he stuttered so much.”~ This shows James’ confusion at the fact that Dedo lied to him. This also shows James’ disbelief at the fact that Dedo lied. This also shows that James doesn’t want to believe the truth and he is not ready to face the facts.

Marcus to not be judgemental of people and get to know them first.

PurposeAnswer the following questions in as much detail as possible.

What does Cliff want us to understand about the idea of ‘innocence’ and the ‘loss of innocence’?Cliff wants us to understand that innocence is bliss and sometimes people lie to

protect someone’s innocence. Does Cliff want us to change the way we think or act? How and Why?

Yes, I think that Cliff wants us to understand that people don’t lie to us to hurt us but rather to protect us. He also wants us to understand to not be resentful towards people who don’t tell us the truth they want to shield us against the unhappy past that they had to go through.