ATAR Notes: Forum

HSC Stuff => HSC Subjects + Help => HSC English Stuff => Topic started by: _OwO_ on December 01, 2018, 08:41:11 pm

Title: related for ''All the light we cannot see"
Post by: _OwO_ on December 01, 2018, 08:41:11 pm
any recommended related texts on ''All the light we cannot see" by Anthony Doerr?
any texts with the theme of belonging, familial relationships, story telling, fate vs free will, hope or technology/science/maths

thanks
Title: Re: related for ''All the light we cannot see"
Post by: angewina_naguen on December 02, 2018, 11:58:29 am
Hey, _OwO_!

Sounds like a gorgeous prescribed text you have there! I haven't studied it but the synopsis was interesting and I definitely have to add it to my list. As for some related text suggestions based on those themes, I have a few below  ;D

If you prefer shorter texts
Short Film
Christopher Kezelos' The Maker- One of my favourite animation short films of all time! I think this would be the best one to use based on the synopsis I read, the themes you have listed specifically and allows you to approach a combined analysis on visual and aural techniques. It looks at fate vs free will, hope, science and the idea of creation and belonging.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDXOioU_OKM

Poetry
Nomi Stone's Fieldworkers of the Sublime or Anthropocene- Quick Google search brought me to an awesome poet targets science, belonging and familial relationships.
https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/fieldworkers-sublime
https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/anthropocene

If you prefer longer texts
Film
Brad Bird's The Iron Giant- I watched this film in Ext 1 for 'After the Bomb' last year and it was beautiful! It covers all of those themes you have presented below. There's a really insightful article about it which takes a modern interpretation of the film that you could consider reading too. I've attached it here  :)
https://lwlies.com/articles/the-iron-giant-20th-anniversary/

Film
Morten Tyldum's The Imitation Game- Inspired by Alan Turing's biography, this film explores belonging and the role of science, mathematics and technology in a time of crisis. The film is also set in WWII so you could consider how human experiences in war are illuminated within texts to show how the greater picture influences individual lives (also, who can resist the charming Benedict Cumberbatch  ;))

Hope one of these helps  ;D Let me know which text you settle on  8)
Title: Re: related for ''All the light we cannot see"
Post by: _OwO_ on December 02, 2018, 12:47:47 pm
Thank you so much on the suggestions!
Would you happen to have any notes on "the maker"? or just give me some of your thoughts on it
Title: Re: related for ''All the light we cannot see"
Post by: angewina_naguen on December 02, 2018, 04:46:13 pm
Thank you so much on the suggestions!
Would you happen to have any notes on "the maker"? or just give me some of your thoughts on it

Glad you asked! There is a great behind the scenes video from the creators about the film which I have attached below. It shows you all the production and work that went into the animation  :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KavpG2t6qD8

For some potential notes and resources to consider, I found these which can give you some different ideas about the text and how it relates to the greater notion of the human experience.

https://laughingsquid.com/the-maker-a-touching-animated-short-film-about-enjoying-life-love/
https://neoskosmos.com/en/20619/the-maker-takes-out-top-short/
https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2012/08/20/the-maker/
http://www.skwigly.co.uk/an-interview-with-christopher-kezelos/

As for some thoughts I have on the film, I would definitely say it's such a clever way of representing humanity and, more specifically, the circle of life. It explores our desperation to have purpose and to fulfil said purpose in order to achieve a sense of completion in our lives. With the film ending, my initial reaction was "oh, how futile is this", but after watching it a few more times, I realised that it's much like how humans are almost programmed, as a part of their condition, to want to create and make meaning, even if it means we spend all of our time doing just that.

We can choose to interpret it as a cruel commentary on fate but we admire the free will of the characters for choosing to still battle against time, hence the hourglass, and make the most of its limit. There is a hope that is generated within the audience from watching the first maker at work in that he will successfully bring his creation to life. Likewise, at the end, we hope that the new maker will be able to continue and follow in the same fashion.

Linking it to science might be harder than it appears but I would perhaps consider how there is something biological to wanting to have purpose, to have company (collective experiences), to leave a mark and be meaningful. In this instance, it is done through literally creating another character.

What interests me most as a musician myself is how it is the music that brings the character to life. The music is the only source of sound in the film and really assists in building the haste and necessity of the maker to finish what he has set out to do. You could look at how the music acts as an aural representation of the fleetingness of time and aids in the storytelling accordingly. It stops only when the character disappears and also recommences once the hour glass is started once again, indicating repetition and the continuation of the cycle.

I hope this helps!  ;D It's one of the texts where the more you watch and immerse in it, the more you will discover in it  8) Good luck with your assessment and feel free to fire any questions here!
Title: Re: related for ''All the light we cannot see"
Post by: _OwO_ on December 02, 2018, 07:20:04 pm
wow thank you so much angewina_naguen!