Friday, April 26, 2013

ANGEL OF KOKODA by MARK WILSON

Today's responses are to the poignant story, Angel of Kokoda, told through the eyes of a child along the Kokoda Track during WWII. Our focus was on how the author used a variety of devices to bring alive something of the past. The following are excerpts of Senior MY's writing.


Madi wrote: Mark Wilson has yet again written an emotive, soulful book that really makes you think. The themes of war and friendship were intertwined really well as each theme made the other shine. Talking about "shine', the illustrations were amazing. I loved the impressionistic feel to them and the vibrance of the colours added light to such a dark topic that is war......
Amber wrote:Kokoda, a very famous trail in Papua New Guinea, has had many different stories written about it, but one very well written story is "Angel of Kokoda" by Mark Wilson....in the story, the use of colour made a big difference and helped me understand the story better...especially the way black and white were used for emotion.
Rylee reflected: Kari and the soldier struggled through the jungle, over rocks and through the mud until they finally stopped, tired and sweating. A butterfly landed on the soldier's wounds as his breathing became lighter and lighter...a beautiful story about friendship and bravery woven together!
Carley thought: Combining the black and white images with the colourful ones was very clever as it told us which action reminded Kari of his mother....some images stood out to me such as butterflies and angels. These symbols represent a new life and freedom.
From Caitie: The author, Mark Wilson, made great use of effective action language such as "trickled","emerged" and "fluttered."
And Mairead:As sad as the story seems, the saddest, most symbolic and moving part for me was when the butterfly was like the dead soldier's spirit flying into heaven.

5 comments:

  1. Congratulations Senior MY!
    Your reflections are magnificent. I enjoyed reading your thoughts as much as I enjoyed reading the story. It is very powerful with it's message and symbolism. I always cry when I read this story to my class. Thank you for sharing such deep and emotive reflections.
    Mrs Verona Gridley

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  2. Amazing Senior MY,
    Your reponse to this captivating and powerful text reflects your empathy for those who walked and experienced the Kokoda Trail. Mark Wilson would be moved by your understanding of his message but also be amazed by your observations of his literary skills.
    The bravery and friendships forged on the Kokoda Trail are entrenched in the fabric of our connection with our history.Literature is a dynamic and powerful way to share the narrative of that history. You have taken away so much learning that you can apply to future experiences of literature. Well done.

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  3. Beautiful reflections on this moving story, Senior MY. I really enjoyed reading them and I am very impressed with your own emotive language.
    Great job!

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  4. Thank you for sharing these very thoughtful responses. I loved the emotive language that you used to express what the book was about. I am going to try and find a copy of this book now as you have inspired me to read it.
    From Miss Gale

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  5. At school I read this book and copied on of the pages for art with oil pastels

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