Getting of Wisdom the Conversation

Question: Discuss about the Getting of Wisdom the Conversation. Answer: Introduction: There are many movies, books and stories where the concept of boys becoming men has worked out really well. Starting from the ever famous David Copperfield, to Holden Caulfield to Henry Handel Richardsons The Getting of Wisdom, all revolves around the experience of getting wisdom in life. However, the movie The Getting of Wisdom instead of a boy focuses on the maturation of a girl and revolves around happening in her school. The book is considered to be the best story book revolving around schools till date (Smith, 2014).The movie is considered to be one of the finest made movies regarding adolescents of Australia unaffected by time and space. A very well said story with great finishing and attention to detail (Buckmaster, 2015). The Getting of Wisdom falls under the rebellion category of movies depicting the transforming nature and persona of young girls against the conservative social cultural structure of the country at that time. In the movie the school is shown to be the center of microcosm in Australia with a hidden hint of satire (Byrnes, 2012). The novel is set in a girls private school where students come from some privileged backgrounds. The novel has been set at a time which was much before the First World War. The primary student character here, comes from a house which has financial problems. Such was not experienced by other students. This Irish novel is based on the character Laura. The major part of the story is an encounter in between the impulsive unsophisticated high spirited Laura and her desire for fitting in. By fighting the relentless determination of her companions to outcast her, Laura often found her own self to be her own enemy. Owing to the familys financial status she faced these problems in her school. Laura is ridiculed for the shocking type of clothing and the innocence of high society values. To compensate to these problems she tries to shine throughout her class. She uses to observe and play piano along with absolute brilliance to show her talent. She is willing to almost do anything to fetch atten tion and acceptance from her peers. The entire movie has a rebellious nature. The novel shows Laura to be gaining friendship with an offside Cupid, M.P. She is the most privileged and beautiful student and older to Laura in age. He name is Evelyn. The strong infatuation of Laura with an older girl has a strong sexual hint in it. There is irony in the name of the book itself. The wisdom Laura learns conforms and says about the expectations of her companions from her. It is the author Richardsons beautiful depiction and autobiographical element that makes Laura the central character of the movie showing inner strength, moral genuinity and superiority of a different level. Laura objects to what is the usual. She objects to bullying and snobbery as she is the victim here. The classic end of the movie showing Laura walking out of the gates of the school is a sign about the rebel inside her. It is her showing what she really is inside not caring out the world and its considerations (Kennedy, 2012). The spread of rumour during the age of adolescence has been seen to be as problematic and skillful as during the period of the Medici Court. The speed with which secrets are shared and betrayed is the same speed with which reputations are made and destroyed. The Getting of Wisdom focuses on the aspect of growing up along with sharp activities. The portrait of Susannah Fowle displays the painful aspect of the juggle with the problems of trial to win the approval of peers. The only friend named Laura was thrown out of the school in order to steal money to buy a gift for her. Towards the end, Laura is shown to have settled down with a senior who had a lot of money in hand. But then again, she becomes dependent on Evelyn and moves her away. The irony of the concl usion of the movie is that the woman learns how to lie, cheat and betray people. With this she tends to win a large number of awards and acknowledgements for her performance. The wisdom that was received by her from the people around is questionable. She still survives and wins half the battle (Anonymous). Coonardoo Coonardoo is a story about a female character that is the heroine of the movie and is aboriginal by race. A tragic love story in between a white man and an aboriginal black woman. The sexual factor in between them was unusual to the society during that time when real love is considered to be a daring thing. And it was considered to be a scandal (Lawrence, 2010).. The movie, Coonardoo takes place at a desolate cattle station located in the West Northern side of Australia at Wytaliba. It is a tragic movie. Here three generation of white settlers along with the main character Mrs Bessue with her son Hughie and the daughter of Hughie is shown. Here a young aboriginal girl of same age of Hughie grows up parallelly with him. COonardoo and Hughie are bound to one another although they do not belong to the same cultural set (Wright, 2012). The story has an inherent complexity and a densely packed narrative. It is a movie about conflict in relations in between Coonardoo and Hugh due to their social status and caste. Throughout childhood there was equality. But as Hugh returns to Wytaliba after completing his education, he is the white master while his childhood friend Coonardoo is a black servant. Coonardo in the meanwhile is married to the tribal leader Warieda and has children. But her devotion for her childhood friend Hugh remains unaltered. The love in between people of different races was unthinkable (Anonymous) . In this movie the characterization of the novels have been inevitably done in an uneven manner. Here there is a conflict shown as the author has not shown the entire characterization of Coonardoo properly because she is a black woman. Although the audience knows everything about her there is unevenness in the portrayal of the Aboriginal and non- Aboriginal characters. A very honest illumination has been drawn honestly. These characters are perhaps not in the usual novelistic sense. Among the characters who are shown as white. Hugh is shown to be having problems with his mother who has worked on the cattle at Wytaliba. It is an interesting thing one can note over here that men and women of Aboriginal origin constructed in the movie has been shown as sex objects for serving white men or women. They were once treated as children. But with years, as they mature author shows how they were dominated. Author Prichard here shows Coonardoo as an Aboriginal intricate person who attempts to hum anize the Australian aboriginals. This has been simultaneously reinforced by the authors confusing essence of her submission to the prevailing ideology in the year. Hugh undergoes guilt at the time as he is wearied of the cruel Australian environment. He assures his own self and to Coonardoo who is an indigenous on her own. There was no harm that was caused to her in the range. The question is whether she was a part of the place or the life. The most important factor is is the blank that was made in the life of the homestead where she was basically living. Another question to be pointed out is the fact that a man like this could be believed or not and how the man would feel about a gin (Prichard, p. 228, 1929). The phallocentric views highlights Prichard's understanding of racism in the 1920s where relationship between whites and blacks were not accepted. Indigenous Australian women were used as sexual things as shows by Sams actions. The Australian outback has been termed in Coonardoo as a destination that had the ability to: isolate and cause problems to individuals with respect to mental, physical and financial means through distance and weather conditions. Themes of sustaining racism between absolutely different cultures can be witnessed even today. Summer of the Seventeenth Doll The Film Summer of the Seventeenth Doll also termed as commonly as the Doll was set in Melbourne in the summer of 1953-54. In this movie, an Australian playwright with the name of Ray Lawler showcases the ways through which changing situations often pressurize the team to rethink who we are as an individual, vision of self and the future at the end of the day. A change in the dynamics of the group can be seen with the moving in and out of individuals from the group under consideration. This may also consider growing older in age or change in the priorities. What so ever may be the challenge, we need to revisit the relevancy of our dreams and priorities. The non ability to change and adapt may have highly bad results for happiness and a good life. When the replacement of Pearl happens with Nancy and Roo with Johnny, all have to go through alterations of identity and perception of themselves. They even had to revisit the way they dealt with one another and the terms of the same. The yo uthful dreams had to be replaced with something more important. (Anonymous). This movie is about growth, harmony and personal development.The movie tell us about the illusions of life. It encompasses public a well as private areas of one's life. Here the movie is based on the Australian context. Here in the play the author debunks the myth of ideas about mateship. Author Ray Lawyer wrote this piece in his fifties. But the spirit has never gone out. It is difficult to say what kept the audience gob-smacked for almost over a decade. Perhaps it is the stark realism or the endless setting, summer grinding or just because of the sheer emotional density of the matter. However, there is no denial that the Summer of the Seventeenth Doll is still Australias most praised worthy play out there. Every summer this play is played for 17 years. Here Olive Leech opens the door to Roo and Barney who brings a Kewpie Doll with them as a souvenir. However the things become different in the present year. Here Olive invites her friend Pearl. There is an awkward introduction made to these rough boys who are threatened by the peaceful household traditional. There is no doubt that it is a masterpiece and is written with full complexities and emotions.The play has a real life comedically angle associated with it. It is incredibly witty and has something which one can n ot expect unless one watches it full (Rudd, 2015).. There is a great deal of depth and many layers in Summer of the Seventeenth Doll: it is essentially about masculinity and alpha males coming to terms with being replaced by younger, fitter, stronger men, but it is also about life choices and how to make the most of life. The summer party lifestyle that has been convenient and worked effectively for everyone for so many years is abruptly interrupted and none of the characters adapt or understand their predicament they are in a childlike state of denial that they will ever age and have responsibilities (Elliot, 2015). Lawlers writing is still delightfully relevant, peppered with vernacular Aussie-isms. His structure neatly builds characters and their relationships by having them share the stage in a series of pairs as the tension builds and releases, sometimes lying to themselves as well as to each other as the growing complexity of denial, avoidance and fear of change builds to a fragmented conclusion (and they didnt live happily ever after). The neat set by Pip Runciman is far from the original cluttered, multi-coloured 1950s suburban lounge room. With its wide, simple spaciousness the crumbling individuals could be posed in a lonely expanse. All the walls are scrims which could be lit (by Nigel Levings) in varying moods, and could reveal the outside as well as the other rooms, where the actors could be still present when they were not. The music by Quentin Grant was sensitively written and used to emphasise fittingly the emotional content, as in a film of the fifties. These mechanisms combine with the acting and direction to show how a classic can survive, and 60 years later, still have immediate relevance to the ever-changing, yet ever the same human condition (Bleby, 2015). References Smith, Michelle. The case for Henry Handel Richardsons The Getting of Wisdom.the conversation. 2014 Buckmaster, Luke. The Getting of Wisdom rewatched. the Guardian. 2015 Byrnes, Paul, The Getting of Wisdom, AusralianScreen, 2012 Kennedy, J. (2012). The Getting of Wisdom, Retrieved from https://retireereaders.blogspot.in/2012/06/getting-of-wisdom-by-henry-handel.html Wright, J. (2012). On Coonardoo. Retrieved from: https://griffithreview.com/coonardoo-katharine-susannah-prichard/ Anonymous. Summary. Retrieved from: https://www.enotes.com/topics/coonardoo Lawrence, F. (2010). Coonardoo. Retrieved from: https://retireereaders.blogspot.in/2010/08/coonardoo-by-katherine-susannah.html Rudd, J. (2015). Theatre Review. Retrieved from: https://www.glamadelaide.com.au/main/theatre-review-summer-of-the-seventeenth-doll-2/ Elliot, G. (2015). Summer of the Seventeenth Doll. Retrieved from: https://indaily.com.au/arts-and-culture/theatre/2015/04/29/summer-of-the-seventeenth-doll/ Anonymous. The Getting of Wisdom. Retrieved from: https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/reviews/view/7642 Applebee, L. (2015). Coonardoo Review. Retrieved from: https://www.weekendnotes.com/coonardoo-book-review/ Bleby, P. (2015). Summer of the Seventeenth Doll in Adelaide. Retrieved from: https://aussietheatre.com.au/reviews/summer-seventeenth-doll-adelaide