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You will be asked to respond to a question related to the AOS: Discovery. In your response you
will be required to make reference to the text studied and at least two related supplementary texts.
This is an extended written response. It may be an essay or another form of writing such as a
speech.
Some discoveries are hidden kept secret and are ultimately lost in the
past.
Pg 44-50
David is searching for meaning and he wants these mysteries solved. He is
literally and symbolically driving through darkness in search for answers.
Themes of uncertainty, loss and discovery : Impossible to discover what
another person is really thinking about
Some things are buried, not dead
Truth is relative to the individual
David will get caught up in Kurts testimony partly because he wants to
believe what he hears and partly because it will answer in many ways give
meaning to his existence.
The uncovering farm machinery instead of the ship and lack of concern by
police to identify the dead body is a small significant comment on the fact that
some discoveries can be disappointing and worthless. The desire to discover,
to find, can end in disappointment.
David no longer cares if his search has become an obsession, if there is no
conclusive evidence, all he needs is faith, a belief that it exists. David does
not allow reason and evidence to become barrier to discovery.
David is haunted by Tanias ghost and again Bradley shows how the past is
ever present in future
Tanias scent has been tattooed to Davids skin. Davids past is not buried; it is
still close to his emotional surface and is overshadowing his life.
His need for the ship is a way of dealing with the force of his grief
Pg 86-96
The path to discovery can be unclear and complicated. Davids search has
become a labyrinth (web) of mirror, a tangle of snaking lines and maps,
scraps of evidence and David is like a blinding man trying to find his way.
Discovery benefits knowledge and understand, but also allows us to navigate
the future to see beyond our passions
Discoveries in WRACK:
Possible discovery of Aust. By Portuguese
Kurts possible discovery of shipwreck
Davids discovery of Kurt and his story
Davids rediscovery of Claire
Kurts discovery of Fraser and Veronicas relationship
Frasers discovery of Kurt and Veronicas relationship
2
Techniques:
The significance of the ship is buried somewhere in the sand dunes becomes a
metaphor throughout the narratives for the shifting and uncertain nature of
both historical and personal truth.
Discoveries- inconclusive and simply more pieces in a puzzle which [he] can
never complete
The motif of discovery is extended beyond the search for a Portuguese wreck,
but for characters like David and Kurt, the ship becomes an obsession to
give their life shape and meaning.
David uses his search for the ship as a way of subliminating his grief for
Tania (dead wife), while Kurt has the memory of the ship as a place of
refuge and shelter.
The shipwreck becomes a metaphor for the wreck of peoples lives and
how relationships can become obsessive and damaging
The structure of Kurts narrative suggests that David is avoiding everything
Pg 211 by hearing what he wants to hear and reconstructing Kurts narrative to
suit his purposes.
The imagery of cutting, bleaching and slicing suggests the often brutal
and painful process that needs to be undertaken to isolate truth.
Bradley uses the metaphor of a mirror to describe the sand as it will indeed
become a mirror into which the characters must look, not only in an attempt to
uncover the mystery of the ship but also the mystery of themselves
Structure: novel blurs the distinction between the two by juxtaposing the past
and present, history and fiction.
Pg 9-11
Shifting sands- metaphor of truth
Truth, like sand, cannot be pinned down and conclusively mapped.
The waves flow- symbol of overlapping and interconnected nature of past
and present.
The word echoes- impact of past on present and future
All discoveries pointless? What is the role of the author if there is nothing to
expose, nothing to find?