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The Simple Gift
by Steven Herrick
This unit was prepared by Carolyn Fairjones, Model Farms High School .
Responding to the text: Preparing for the ESL HSC Paper 2, Question 1
Note: To complete individual exercises please print the activity sheets.
Reading the text
Activity: Plot summary cloze
Below is a plot summary (in cloze form) of the story. Use the words in the word bank to complete the plot summary.
Word bank (note a few of the words are repeated)
Bendarat Billy Brent Stevens Caitlin Caitlin colloquial daughter devastated drinking drinking drinking Ernie Ernie escape
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father first person free verse friends friends friendship gold watch Golden Crest Cannery grateful Great Barrier Reef homeless house Irene Irene |
Judgement kind and generous knowledge leftovers library McDonald’s mops floors Nowheresville Old Bill Old Bill old drunk open generosity plan policemen |
random acts of kindness report rich running away saddest smoking three train carriage warm and friendly Weet-bix wife young adult |
The Simple Gift is a _________________ novel told from the perspectives of __________
main characters __________, ____________ and ____________.
Using ______________ _____________narrative creates a sense of realism enabling the responder
to get to know the characters and to be able to identify with them.
The use of _____________ language also engages the ________ _________ audience.
The concept of a ‘simple gift’ is depicted in the themes of ______________, ___________ _______ ___ __________,
and ________ ______________.
These themes represent what is valued by the main characters and
what is practiced by the minor characters ___________ and ___________.
Billy escapes from his abusive father and his depressed neighbourhood, _________________.
He meets train driver, ___________ as he travels by train to ________________.
Ernie is ________ and ____________ and offers Billy a warm guard’s cabin, food and a hot drink.
Billy notices the differences between men like Ernie and men like his ___________ .
Billy spends his first days in Bendarat at the local _________ where he meets ____________ the Librarian.
She is ________ __________ _____________ towards Billy. He finds somewhere to live, a disused _________ ___________.
As Billy has limited money to obtain food, he goes to _______________ and eats other people’s _______________.
It is here that he meets _______________. She witnesses Billy’s scavenging but decides not to ____________ him to the manager.
Gradually Billy and Caitlin become __________.
Billy notices that she has clean hair and appears to be _________ as she wears a ______ _______.
He delays making a ________________ about her because of her friendliness.
Billy discovers he has a neighbour at the train yard. It is an ______ _______ called ______ _______.
Throughout the story it is discovered that Old Bill is escaping from reality by
drinking alcohol so that he won’t remember his ______ and _____________ who have passed away.
Old Bill and Billy become good ________. Billy realises that Old Bill needs his help
He brings him a bowl of _________ every morning and encourages him to stop ____________.
They share a common bond; they are both ____________ and have escaped from something they would rather forget.
They work together at the ______________ ____________ _______________ and as their friendship develops
Old Bill reduces his _____________ and ______________.
Old Bill shares his sorrowful story of how his wife and daughter died and Billy calls him ‘the ___________ man in the world’.
Old Bill witnesses the relationship between Billy and Caitlin grow.
They all share a meal at Caitlin’s parents’ home and Old Bill is truly _____________.
Caitlin also wishes to ____________ from her wealthy lifestyle.
She ______ __________ at Mc Donald’s to earn enough money to move out of home.
Her parents are unaware that she is seeing Billy.
Billy is stopped in the street by two _______________ who organise an appointment
with the welfare officer, _________ ___________. Billy is totally _______________.
He considers _________ __________ from Bendarat but doesn’t want to leave Caitlin and Old Bill.
On hearing of Billy’s problem Old Bill thinks of a ________ to help Billy.
He decides to fix up his ___________, and allow Billy and Caitlin to live there.
Old Bill was a lawyer before the death of this wife and daughter.
He uses this ___________ to argue Billy’s case to the Welfare Officer.
Billy and Caitlin move into Old Bill’s house and Caitlin decides to tell her parents about Billy.
Old Bill travels to the _________ ____________ _________ to live his daughter’s dream.
Suggested response to Plot summary cloze activity
Activity: True/false
Beside each of the statements below write ‘T’ if the statement is true or ‘F’ is the statement is false.
( ) Billy helps Old Bill because he reminds him of his father.
( ) Caitlin had different values and beliefs to her parents.
( ) Old Bill has been an alcoholic all his life.
( ) Billy thinks Irene is a like the Librarians he has met before.
( ) Ernie owns the speedboat.
( ) Billy’s father is kind hearted.
( ) Bendarat is a wealthy country town.
( ) Caitlin hates mopping floors at McDonald’s.
( ) Caitlin’s father forces her to work at McDonald’s.
( ) Billy takes Bunkbrain with him to keep warm at night.
( ) Billy lives in carriage 1864.
( ) Caitlin is ashamed of herself after she sees Billy with Old Bill.
( ) Billy’s father physically abused Billy.
( ) Billy believes there is ‘honour in poverty’.
( ) Old Bill’s family live in another town.
( ) Old Bill goes to the Great Barrier Reef .
( ) Caitlin tells her parents about her relationship with Billy.
( ) Billy bought Caitlin an emerald ring.
( ) Billy did not give the ring to Caitlin.
( ) Caitlin is wealthy.
( ) Brent Stevens, the Welfare Officer meets with Billy and Caitlin.
( ) Billy helps Old Bill because he needs it.
( ) Caitlin does not like Billy’s ‘home’.
( ) Caitlin is proud to come from a wealthy family.
( ) Billy believes that friendship is more important than money.
( ) Irene suggests Billy go to TAFE.
Suggested response to True/false activity
Activity: Matching quotes with characters
Match the character from the list below to the relevant quote.
Billy Caitlin Old Bill Ernie
Character |
Quote |
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Suggested response to Matching quotes with characters activity
Deconstructing the text
Elements of narrative
The elements of narrative may also be called conventionsof narrative or narrative conventions. These terms are interchangeable which means that you can use either term as they both have the same meaning. Elements or conventions refer to common ways of doing things. A narrative or story must have characters, a setting (or a number of settings) and a plot and one or more themes. These are the elements or conventions of narrative.
Characters
The people in the story are the characters. They can be either main characters or minor characters. The main characters usually have a leading role in a story and the minor characters are usually there to enhance the plot. Minor characters can have a significant impact on the plot and are usually in the story for a reason.
Characters can be stereotypes, can change during the text or can be used as a comparison or contrast to another character. The Australian Oxford Dictionary defines stereotype as: a person or thing seeming to conform to a widely accepted mental picture or type. For example when we think of a backpacker (someone who travels around the world with all their belongings in a backpack on their back) a common mental image is someone who is young, strong and happy wearing casual clothes with a very large backpack on their backs.
Activity: Character analysis
Complete the table below to determine whether the characters in The Simple Gift are:
- main or minor characters
- stereotyped characters
- whether they change or develop throughout the story
- whether they offer a contrast or a comparison to other characters.
Give reasons to explain your answers.
Character |
Are they a main or minor character? How do you know? |
Are they a stereotyped character? How do you know? |
Does their character change or develop? If so, in what ways? |
Do they offer a contrast or comparison to another character? If so, in what ways? |
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Billy’s father |
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Billy |
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Ernie (train driver) |
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Irene (librarian) |
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Caitlin |
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Caitlin’s parents |
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Old Bill’s family |
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Brent Matthews (welfare officer) |
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Suggested response to Character analysis activity
Activity: Character before and after
In the table below describe what each character was like at the beginning and at the end of the story.
Character |
Beginning of the story |
End of the story |
Factors that have caused them to change |
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Old Bill |
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Billy |
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Caitlin |
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Suggested response to Character before and after activity
Setting
The term setting usually refers to the time and place of the story.
Time refers not only to the time of day, month, season or year, but also to a time in history (or the future). Place refers to the physical environment, giving consideration to the social, cultural and political climate at that time.
Settings create an atmosphere, that is, a feeling or mood. They can influence a character’s actions and manipulate the responder’s perceptions of how key issues and themes are interpreted or understood.
Activity: Creating atmosphere
Setting includes the weather in the story as events take place. Weather is used to create mood and atmosphere.
Find quotes in The Simple Gift which describe the weather in Nowheresville and Bendarat. Beside the quote describe the atmosphere or mood created by these descriptions in the table below.
Setting |
Weather |
Atmosphere created (the effect) |
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Nowheresville (including Wentworth High)
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Bendarat
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Suggested response to Creating atmosphere activity
Activity: Composing setting
How does Steven Herrick use descriptions of the weather to create atmosphere in his settings Nowheresville and Bendarat? What is the effect on the responder of these contrasting descriptions?
Write 1-2 paragraphs. Remember to include a topic sentence and supporting quotes from the text. The following scaffold will help you compose your response:
Simon Herrick uses contrasting descriptions of the weather to build a picture in the reader’s minds of the atmosphere, both physical and mental, of Nowheresville and Bendarat. The description of the weather at Nowheresville creates a ______________________________________________________________________________________________
atmosphere. Herrick communicates this depressing atmosphere by his vocabulary choice in descriptions such as: ______________________________________________________________________________________________
These descriptions reflect Billy’s mood and affects us as readers; ______________________________________________________________________________________________
This contrasts to the description of the weather in Bendarat which is
______________________________________________________________________________________________
There are many examples such as: ______________________________________________________________________________________________
The weather is a reflection of
______________________________________________________________________________________________
The changed weather impacts on us as the reader;
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Suggested response to Composing setting activity
Plot
The plot of a story is the sequence of events and may be made up of the following parts:
Beginning |
Abstract |
A brief summary of what is to come. (optional) |
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Beginning |
Orientation |
Introduces the setting, the characters and the actions or events the characters participate in who/ what/ when/ where/ why. |
Middle |
Complication(s)/ crisis point(s) |
The complication keeps the responder interested by creating suspense. The characters respond to challenges and problems as they occur. The complication describes conflict, a problem or difficulty and may be a high point of tension. There may be more than one complication in a story. |
Middle |
Evaluation(s) |
Expressions of attitude and reaction, personal comments, thoughts, feelings about events. |
End |
Temporary resolution(s) |
Each complication or problem is overcome. |
End |
Final resolution |
The main complication or problem is resolved. |
End |
Coda |
What the characters have learned OR what the responder has learned as a result of engaging with this text. A moral or a lesson. (Optional) |
Hint: Do not re-tell the story when writing about the plot.
Activity: Plot analysis
How are the following complications resolved for Billy?
- Living with his alcoholic father:
- Unable to hitch a ride on the Great Western Highway :
- Exposed to the freezing weather on top of the train:
- Finding somewhere to live:
- Finding somewhere to go during the day:
- Getting enough food to eat:
- Earning money:
- Being caught by the Welfare officer:
Suggested response to Plot analysis activity
Themes, symbols and motifs
Themes
A theme is used to describe the main message of the story. For the overall text to be cohesive, a story needs to have a main message or theme.
In The Simple Gift, Herrick attempts to give responders a particular view of the world, to give a sense of truth and reality. The Simple Gift offers a perspective on reality that provides responders with a way of making sense of the way they view the world.
In doing so, Herrick invites us to challenge what is truly valued in our society; to question our motivations and desires and to reassess the way we view ourselves and others.
From this perspective the overarching theme in The Simple Gift may be interpreted as:
The pursuit of the simple things in life is both rewarding and fulfilling.
This theme incorporates the concepts of:
- friendship and companionship
- random acts of kindness
- open generosity
- devaluing material wealth.
Symbols
A symbol is the recurring use of words, phrases or images which convey specific ideas or meanings.
The graphic image of a person’s hand is repeated throughout The Simple Gift and is presented both positively and negatively.
The positive image of a person’s hand is conveyed through the understanding of the meaning of the aphorisms or sayings such as: ‘a helping hand’; ‘give me a hand’; ‘Do you want a hand’.
The negative image of the hand is conveyed as a violent powerful force: ‘gave me one hard backhander’ (p15); and ‘with the force of a father’s punch’ (p10).
The key that Old Bill gives to Billy, which is also illustrated on the text cover, is also symbolic. It is symbolic as it is the answer (the key) to all of Billy’s problems and it is metaphorically unlocking the door to Billy’s future.
As a result of Old Bill and Billy’s unlikely friendship there are many occasions for laughter, something that has been missing from their lives for some time. This laughter conveys the image of happiness and friendship: ‘I laughed long and loud’; and ‘two hobos laughing, laughing the morning away (p130) suggest Billy and Old Bill enjoy each others company and that the laughter is a therapeutic aid, part of their transformation from an ‘earlier self’. The words sunshine, sun and light are also often repeated.
Motifs
A motif is a recurring idea, concept or theme.
The references to dreams throughout The Simple Gift convey the idea that reality is something from which to escape. In this context dreams are reflections of the characters desires or fears. Billy says ‘I can read. I can dream’ (p6), inferring that perhaps there is a better place, a better life out there for him. He later says he ‘slept the sleep of the dreamless’ (p30) after his first night in Bendarat. This was a deep, peaceful sleep for a boy accustomed to stress and anxiety.
Billy’s dreams also confront him with the reality of his ‘new life’. His fears are exposed when he tells us, ‘I dreamt of myself as an old man…. afraid to fall asleep and dream again of myself getting old long before my time.’
Theme
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Activity: Matching quotes with thematic concepts
The suggested theme is:
The pursuit of the simple things in life is both rewarding and fulfilling.
This incorporates the concepts of:
- friendship and companionship
- random acts of kindness
- open generosity
- devaluing material wealth.
In the table below, match the quotes given with the concepts listed above.
Concept |
Quote |
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Suggested response to Matching quotes with thematic concepts activity
Identifying language techniques
Composers use various language techniques or features to make their texts more interesting and engaging to the responder.
Some language techniques used by Stephen Herrick in The Simple Gift are:
- simile: comparing one thing with another using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’
- metaphor: a comparison where one thing is said to be another
- colloquial language: everyday speech characterised by informal language and shortened words (g’day, can’t)
- direct speech: quotation marks (“) are used to indicate direct speech, that is, the exact words that are spoken
- slang: words which are fashionable within a small group for a short period of time
- literary allusion: makingreference to other well known books, films, etc
- first person: using the pronouns I, me, my, us, we
- comparatives and superlatives: adjectives for comparing, e.g.:
Adjective |
Comparative |
Superlative |
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long |
longer |
longest |
small |
smaller |
smallest |
bright |
brighter |
brightest |
- ellipsis: three dots to provide a pause, to show that something has been left out
- modality: gives information about the degree of certainty involved in an action, e.g.:
Low modality |
Medium modality |
High modality |
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possibly |
probably |
definitely |
could |
should |
must |
never |
sometimes |
always |
- juxtaposition: the close positioning of words or images to create an effect
- imagery: to create a set of strong mental images in the responder’s mind
- repetition: a word or phrase used many times to add emphasis
- rhetorical question: a question that is asked but which does not expect or need an answer.
Activity: Language techniques
Find examples of these language techniques in The Simple Gift. Give page numbers. Explain the effect of this technique on the responder.
Language technique |
Example from the text (quote) |
Page |
Effect of this technique |
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Simile |
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metaphor |
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Colloquial language |
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Direct speech |
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Slang |
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Literary allusion |
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First person |
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Comparatives/ superlatives |
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Ellipsis |
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Modality |
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Juxtaposition |
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Imagery |
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Repetition |
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Rhetorical question |
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Suggested response to Language techniques activity
Responding to the text: preparing for the HSC Paper 2, Question 1
Exam style question
You are working for Radio station 2ESL FM, a radio station for high school students, and have been asked to interview Steven Herrick, author of The Simple Gift.
Write the transcript for this radio interview.
In your interview you must demonstrate your understanding of prescribed text, The Simple Gift and how Steven Herrick uses elements of narrative to promote audience responses.
Suggested approach
- Read the question
- Highlight or underline the key words or phrases which indicate:
- your role / who you are (radio interviewer)
- your audience (high school students)
- the form in which you are required to write (radio interview)
- Plan your response: write lists, mind maps or brief notes about what you need and want to include.
- Think about the structure and conventions of a radio interview.
- Show an understanding of language and visual techniques. Include relevant examples and explain their effects.
- Show an understanding of the elements of narrative and how they engage and promote audience response.
For example:
You are working for Radio station 2ESL FM, a radio station for high school students, and have been asked to interview Steven Herrick, author of The Simple Gift. Write the transcript for this radio interview. In your interview you must demonstrate your understanding of the text and how Steven Herrick uses elements of narrative to promote audience responses.
- You are the radio interviewer
- Your audience is high school students
- You have to write the transcript of a radio interview.
Radio interview conventions |
Understanding of text |
Elements of narrative |
Audience responses |
Introduction
Body
Conclusion :
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Social purpose Form Style of writing Whose perspective? Intended audience Themes Motifs Significant events Quotes
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Characters
Settings
Plot
Language and visual techniques
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Mental images of characters, their feelings and settings help us to imagine them and their world. They are created through graphics, symbols, literary allusions, similes, metaphors, modality, colloquial language, slang, direct speech, ellipsis, and repetition. Identification with and feelings of sympathy for the characters is created by character descriptions and comparatives/superlatives. Our feelings of involvement in the story and desire to read on is created through first person narrative, rhetorical questions, juxtaposition and imagery engaging the senses.
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Suggested response to Exam style question
Back to Introduction to ESL Elective 1: Telling Stories
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