It’s mid-afternoon on a stagnant Summer’s day, the air is dry and still and heat rays beam down from up above. Clear, blue skies go on for miles until they hit a border of dark shades of grey looming over the lake in the distance. Calm waters settle on the lake, interrupted only by the […]

Shawshank Redemption directed by Frank Darabont is a 1994 drama film based on the 1982 novella ‘Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption’ by Stephen King. The film follows Andy Dufresne who is sentenced to two life sentences for the murder of his wife and her secret lover. Throughout the film, Andy endures 19 years to brutalization, […]

How it went down – Kekla Magoon The novel, ‘How it went down’ by Kekla Magoon tells the story of the sudden and tragic killing of a young black man, Tariq Johnson. Kekla gives multiple perspectives of the death and the events after, all telling a different story of how it really went down. By […]

In The Dark Horse, Ka Kite Bro, Yellow Brick Road and Boy we are shown young Maori boys being affected by the many societal and cultural issues that are prominent in New Zealand. Issues such as racism, dysfunctional fathers, cultural ignorance and gang life all make appearances in these texts. All of these issues bring […]

Steven Adams was born in Rotorua on July 20, 1993, to a Tongan mother and an English Dad. Adams has 17 siblings most of which have had successful sporting careers in their own right. After his fathers’ death in 2006, Adams took a downward spiral, his brother, Warren noticed this and took him to Wellington […]

I chose the scene where gen goes to the kids house and says that he should keep playing but the mum says nah your crazy and he goes to his car and get the chess out and the dad goes and punches him lights out. ‘Dark Horse’ directed by James Napier Robertson, is a Biography […]

ESSAY QUESTIONS In the novel ´Wild Pork and Wildercress´ by Barry Crump, a main important character is Ricky Baker. The story is told from Ricky’s point of view. In the beginning, Ricky reveals to us that he is a fat Maori boy, whose parents both left him when he was younger, and is a victim […]

A challenge faced by the character Ricky Baker in Barry Crump’s novel Wild Pork and Watercress is after Ricky’s aunt Bella dies and Ricky and Uncle Hec were hiding in the bush. This challenge helped me understand that Ricky was a persevering, independent young man who and was able to exceeded his own expectations survive […]

Chapter One The story is told in the first-person point-of-view, of young Ricky Baker. This gives us the perspective of a young Māori boy, with his unique intellect and sense of humour and quick wit. Crump uses idioms, such as “Shoving more in…” Stuck me in…”,”keeping my head down” colloquial language such as cheeky and […]

Written in 1986, wild pork and watercress, by Barry Crump, is the story of Ricky Baker. Ricky is 12 years and three weeks old a quarter Maori boy. Told in the first-person narrative, Ricky tells his story with humor. Ricky is a victim of racism and the New Zealand Social Welfare system. He continues to […]