Jaspar Jones by Craig Silvey

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The community of Corrigan make inaccurate assumptions of Jasper’s family and his past due to his race. The language Silvey uses to describe Jasper emphasise on the hatred and dislike the town has for Jasper Jones. ‘He’s a thief, a liar, a thug, a truant. He’s lazy and unreliable. He’s a feral and an orphan, or as good as. His mother is dead and his father is no good…. Jasper Jones is the example where poor aptitude and attitude will lead to.’ This example uses both alliteration and imagery to emphasise on the disapproval the community of Corrigan holds for Jasper Jones. This example also includes the inaccurate assumptions they make of Jasper’s family, once again focusing on racial prejudice. They assume his father is an alcoholic due to his aboriginal background and that he is an orphan. However, the choice of language also hints that Jasper is misunderstood. He may be the way he is due to the difficult obstacles he has had to overcome. In some cases, this makes a person stronger but in Jasper’s case, he has strayed off to the wrong path leading him to be troublesome due to his burdensome past. The extract also briefly focuses on a 1960’s Australia. For example, ‘shaken, I clamber onto the bed ad remove the dusty slats of glass, piling them on my window. I quickly…. blow out my lamp. As I squeeze headfirst out of the sleep out…’ A sleep out is common within older Australian houses. Descriptive language is used to describe the setting, ‘the paperbarks and flood gums that shroud us look eerie and ethereal in the moonlight.

The extract from Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey revolves around the ideas of a social outcast, as well as a 1960’s Australia. Through Silvey’s choice of language and his effective use of descriptive language, the reader is provided with a detailed explanation and description of a 1960’s Australia, the extract’s setting. For example, ‘shaken, I clamber onto the bed and remove the dusty slats of glass, piling them on my window…. As I squeeze headfirst out of the sleepout, something invisible tugs at my legs.’ This example demonstrates Silvey’s choice of language. The word hideout is generally associated with older Australian homes. Another example is when the plants are being described, ‘the paperbarks and floodgums that shroud us look eerie and ethereal in the moonlight.’ The extract also focuses on Jasper being a social outcast within Corrigan. For example, ‘he’s the rotten role model that parents hold aloft as a warning.’