against the tide
Macquarie College
Year 10
Against The Tide Essay
Essay Question: How has the composer of your set text developed ideas about one theme in their novel?
In the novel Against The Tide, Irini Savvides develops numerous themes. One of these major themes would be family. Savvides develops this theme in depth by using descriptive language and literary techniques such as poetry and imagery. She explores this theme in her verse novel in an effective way. She incorporates different cultures colliding in the novel creating some diversity of the types of family’s in the novel. Savvides also expands on how Effie relates to her family and how she feels about her family on Australia day in the first part of the book. And finally how the loss of Effie’s brother affects the family and the school community also becoming almost like a family.
At the start of the book Effie and her family are at Bondi beach on Australia day, reflect on her culture of being Greek and how she just sits on the beach and never gets into the water, “but my family does not taste what I imagine is/the sweetness of salt on ocean-kissed lips./ We are haunted instead by the ocean/sating its hunger so long ago, on our first delicacy.”. Savvides uses poetry to convey this theme and creates a thorough and in depth understanding of the significant theme of family. In this passage of her novel Against The Tide Savvides uses poetry to describe what Effie is feeling whilst she is at the beach with her family, she also uses personification to relay Effie’s feelings on her Greek culture and how they are to be found on the sand and never in the open water. At the start of the book Effie seems to be almost embarrassed of her family and culture sitting on the sand and never in the water “nothing changes in my life/I imagine sometimes/a world different from the one I know/perhaps/we Greeks will find a use for water.”
In Against The Tide there are many characters, Katie and Effie seem to be significant characters
Year 10
Against The Tide Essay
Essay Question: How has the composer of your set text developed ideas about one theme in their novel?
In the novel Against The Tide, Irini Savvides develops numerous themes. One of these major themes would be family. Savvides develops this theme in depth by using descriptive language and literary techniques such as poetry and imagery. She explores this theme in her verse novel in an effective way. She incorporates different cultures colliding in the novel creating some diversity of the types of family’s in the novel. Savvides also expands on how Effie relates to her family and how she feels about her family on Australia day in the first part of the book. And finally how the loss of Effie’s brother affects the family and the school community also becoming almost like a family.
At the start of the book Effie and her family are at Bondi beach on Australia day, reflect on her culture of being Greek and how she just sits on the beach and never gets into the water, “but my family does not taste what I imagine is/the sweetness of salt on ocean-kissed lips./ We are haunted instead by the ocean/sating its hunger so long ago, on our first delicacy.”. Savvides uses poetry to convey this theme and creates a thorough and in depth understanding of the significant theme of family. In this passage of her novel Against The Tide Savvides uses poetry to describe what Effie is feeling whilst she is at the beach with her family, she also uses personification to relay Effie’s feelings on her Greek culture and how they are to be found on the sand and never in the open water. At the start of the book Effie seems to be almost embarrassed of her family and culture sitting on the sand and never in the water “nothing changes in my life/I imagine sometimes/a world different from the one I know/perhaps/we Greeks will find a use for water.”
In Against The Tide there are many characters, Katie and Effie seem to be significant characters