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A Study Guide by Robert Lewis © ATOM 2015 A STUDY GUIDE BY ROBERT LEWIS http://www.metromagazine.com.au ISBN: 978-1-74295-623-7 http://www.theeducationshop.com.au content hyperlinks click on arrow hyperlink click on arrow hyperlink click on arrow hyperlink click on arrow hyperlink OVERVIEW Changed Forever (Serge Ou, 2015, 2x80 minutes) is a dramatised story of Australia and Australians during the years of the First World War. Through the experiences of the common soldier, the commander, the politician, the family, the working man, the journalist and the superstar the film weaves narratives which 2015 © ATOM SCREEN EDUCATION illustrate events in Australia, Europe, the Middle East and America. Changed Forever vividly recreates, in a most original way, years whose influence continues to resonate in the story of who we are and how we understand ourselves. 2 CURRICULUM APPLICABILITY Changed Forever is an appropriate resource to use in History at second- ary school levels (9-12) on the topic of investigating the Australian experience of World War 1. Australian History Year 9 • Depth Study: World War 1 — The places where Australians fought a way of recording the change in stu- and the nature of warfare during dents’ knowledge and understanding World War I. of the war and empathy with the peo- ple involved. The same set of ques- English Year 9 and 10 tions should be given before starting • Analyse and evaluate how people, the unit, and again at the end. cultures, places, events, objects and concepts are represented The film covers the whole war period to create generalisations about the in texts, including media texts, and the subsequent peace treaty Australian experience of war, based on through language, structural and/ (1914-1919). It provides a comprehen- the disparate individuals. or visual choices. sive and quite detailed account of the period through the device of focusing (Note that Changed Forever does not Media Arts Year 9 and 10 on the experiences of a number of include characters who strongly op- • Evaluate how genre and media con- individuals. posed the war (as well as conscription). ventions and technical and symbolic Teachers might ask some students to elements are manipulated to make This approach means that it will be research this opposition through the on- representations and meaning. more efficient and practical for students line resource Investigating The Victorian to limit themselves to investigat- Experience of World War 1: An Inquiry Twentieth Century History Year 11 ing only one or two of the histori- Resource for Secondary Schools, • A study of World War 1 cal characters, and sharing their available on the Victorian Government findings by reporting back to the Centenary of World War 1 at http:// whole class. In this way students see www.anzaccentenary.vic.gov.au. Using Changed the full range of characters through Forever in the classroom their viewing of the film, and get de- This ATOM study guide suggests an tailed information and comments about innovative way to explore the general Changed Forever could be viewed in all of them, while only having to engage questions about the Australian experi- the classroom at the start of a unit as in a detailed study of one of them. ence of war — through a ‘community a way of creating an awareness of the meeting’ of the characters, who topic through the range of characters Once students have gathered infor- contribute their own perspectives to involved, or near the end of the unit as mation on all the characters through the questions under discussion. a way of bringing all the strands of the personal investigation or from reports unit together. by other students, they can discuss Additional activities included in the a range of key questions to bring Study Guide provide a way for stu- The introductory activity provides together their individual findings, and dents to investigate aspects of the war experience of their own com- munity, and to research individual soldiers or nurses. It also provides a way for students to compare Changed Forever as a rep- 2015 © ATOM SCREEN EDUCATION resentation of history with another version of the main character, WM Hughes, through a reference book ac- count. By critically comparing the two different representations students can explore the way in which history is cre- ated and presented to audiences. 3 BEFORE WATCHING THE FILM Activity: 1.1 Briefly summarise your 1 Recording your knowledge and ideas in the knowledge following table. Then, after you have watched and dis- What do you know about the cussed Changed Forever, Australian experience of World come back to this activity War 1? What is your image of and see what you would it? now change. The Australian Experience of World War 1 ASPECT OF THE WAR YOUR KNOWLEDGE OR IMAGE OF THIS ASPECT Why did Australia 1 join the war? Initial Responses to the war How did Australians respond to the outbreak of war? Who opposed it? What sort of people volunteered for the First AIF? 2015 © ATOM SCREEN EDUCATION 4 ASPECT OF THE WAR YOUR KNOWLEDGE OR IMAGE OF THIS ASPECT Why were Australians 2 at Gallipoli? Gallipoli How long were they there? What was the nature or characteristics of the fighting there? What was the outcome? Why did Australians go 3 to the Western Front? Western Front How long were they there? What was the nature or characteristics of the fighting there? What were the main attitudes of the soldiers to the fighting? What happened to the soldiers? SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2015 © ATOM SCREEN EDUCATION What was the outcome? 5 ASPECT OF THE WAR YOUR KNOWLEDGE OR IMAGE OF THIS ASPECT Why did Australians go to 4 the Sinai and Palestine? Sinai And Palestine How long were they there? What was the nature or characteristics of the fighting there? What was the outcome? Did Australians on the 5 home front stay united Home about involvement Front in the war or were they divided? What happened to recruiting figures? Why did Prime Minister Hughes want to introduce conscription? What was the result? How were people on the home front affected economically by the war? What was Australia’s role 6 in the peace treaty? After the war 2015 © ATOM SCREEN EDUCATION How did the war change Australia? 6 EXPLORING IDEAS AND ISSUES Activity: Responding 2 to the film the characters without having to do all Your task here is to test your answers the work for yourself. to the pre-viewing activity by following the lives of the characters focused on Look and report on such elements as: in the film. • What do we know about the char- There are 22 historical characters in acter’s background? the film whose experiences tell us • How is the character involved in about the Australian experience of the the war? war. • What happens to the character? 2.4 To finish your report to the class • How do they respond or react to summarise what you think this char- 2.1 Allocate these characters among the events? acter’s experience helps you to know class members — if possible one • What impacts do events have on and understand about the Australian each, or at the most two. them? experience of World War 1, and what it meant for people at the time. 2.2 Watch the film and summarise in the Australian Experience of World War 1 Characters (on the next page) what happened to the character you have beentable allocated. jump to page contents page 2.3 After you have finished watching both parts of the film, and have finished 2015 © ATOM SCREEN EDUCATION summarisinginfo information about your character, report your findings back to the whole class, who will complete the summary notes for that character. You do the same when you are listening to reports on other characters. In this way you will have a detailed summary of all 7 Australian Experience of WW1 Characters CHARACTER WAR EXPERIENCE Specify whether at Gallipoli, Western Front, Sinai/Palestine or Home Front — What happened to that character, and what the character tells us about the Australian World War 1 experience Arthur Coles George Coles Jim Coles Paul McGinness James McGinness Catherine McGinness Herbert McGinness Veronica McGinness Kathleen McGinness SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2015 © ATOM SCREEN EDUCATION Nellie Melba 8 CHARACTER WAR EXPERIENCE Thomas Blamey Andrew Fisher Billy Hughes Albert Jacka Keith Murdoch John Monash James Pierce Tom White Vera Deakin Mervyn Flanagan Reginald Wearne SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2015 © ATOM SCREEN EDUCATION Hudson Fysh 9 EPISODE 1 Families are being torn apart by the war. This episode takes us to about half- way through the war. There is growing industrial unrest at home, and this leads to a clash of We see Australia become involved in ideas about what ‘patriotism’ means the war, and many men volunteering. — does it mean bleeding Australia dry We see the attitudes of families to the to help the war effort, or does it mean outbreak of war, and the decision of putting the welfare of the nation and men to volunteer. its people first, and not the interests of Britain and its Empire? The Australian soldiers go to Gallipoli, and are involved in a bloody campaign. The conscription issue splits the Australian Labor Party, and Prime After Gallipoli Australian soldiers are Minister Hughes heads a new party sent to the Western Front, and to determined to win the war at all costs. as he fights Sinai. A new Prime Minister commits Propaganda is used to try and unite for Australia’s interests at the peace Australia to supporting the war fully, people in the war effort, and public conference. and people at home are put under figures raise money for the war, but pressure to contribute.
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