A+Bridge+to+Wiseman's+Cove

A Bridge to Wiseman's Cove
We have studied this text for Achievement Standard 1.1 - Study Written Text(s)

This is an external Achievement Standard. That means you are assessed at the end of the year in the NZQA exam. It is worth 4 credits to you.

So what is the text about, in brief...

Carl Matt is an awkward, lumpy fifteen year-old who just wants to be loved. Sarah, Carl and Harley’s fathers all walked out on the family and their mother, Kerry often finds them too hard to cope with. When his mother walks out on the family, apparently for good, nineteen year-old Sarah, terrified of the responsibility of raising the two boys, heads to Europe, packing the boys off to stay with their Aunt Beryl in Wattle Beach. Beryl is less than delighted at the idea of taking in the boys, until she realizes that she can keep their social services payments. However, far from filling the role of their mother, she shows the boys no love and even attempts to keep Harley chained to the house to prevent him stealing and misbehaving. Carl is miserable in Wattle Beach. His size and awkwardness make him feel self-conscious and unable to make friends at school. Even the townspeople of Wattle Beach regard the boys with suspicion, believing all the Matt clan to be useless no-hopers. All Carl wants is a family and the security of knowing that he is loved.

When, at sixteen, Carl stops receiving any social security benefits, Beryl forces him to leave school. He finds work with Skip and Joy Duncan who run a rusty run-down barge from Wattle Bay to the nearby island. When Carl first starts to work for them the business is losing money, largely because of competition from a rival barge company. Before long however, Carl, reveling in finally belonging to something, shows initiative and helps to bring trade to the struggling business. He even begins to find the courage to stand up to his uncaring, manipulative Aunt Beryl. But, just as Carl begins to experience happiness, family secrets come back to haunt him and again bring his world crashing down around him. Finally the truth is revealed and Carl is forced to confront many of his demons. Gradually he begins to let down his defences and allow others in, finally accepting himself as a loved and valued member of the community.

James Moloney -
Moloney penned this novel. He has his own website on which he provides us with some notes and ideas about the text. Have a read of these here.... [|James Moloney website]


 * CHAPTER SUMMARIES - **




 * THE OSPREY RELEASE - **

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">This is arguably the most important event in the text. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">CHARACTER CHANGE IN THE TEXT - **

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Character Change in 'A Bridge to Wiseman's Cove'



<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**THEME WORK -**

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">In class we have collated these ideas in class and 'teased out' how we might discuss each theme in relation to the novel.



<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">And here is the follow up work you did based on this initial brainstorm. These PDF's take the ideas we 'teased out' and attaches specific detail from the text to them.





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<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Check out this information on how to write a response to text. It has been written for Year 9 extension classes but incorporates all the skills and elements your response needs to have.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Back to the Beginning