Reflection Statement –

Dissident

Student Number: 26522684

School Number: 8101

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We are heading socially and ecologically down a slippery slope – the bottom

of which promises a very hard landing. The main villain of the piece is our

current system which is committed to runaway growth based on ecological

destruction and social inequality.

- Richard Swift1

In our contemporary, globalized world, the dominant economic system of free-

market capitalism naturally draws individuals, businesses and governments

into an obsessive pursuit of material wealth. This narrow focus has caused

environmental protection to be overlooked in favour of profit, and contributed

greatly to the problem of human-induced climate change which is warming the

planet more rapidly than at any other time in history. I have always been a

passionate supporter of environmental sustainability, but Davis Guggenheim

and Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth2 impressed on me the

need for fossil fuel use to be curbed, and the desire to be part of the solution.

Gore explains that “Carbon dioxide (levels have) never gone above 300 parts

per million (concentration in Earth’s atmosphere)” in the last 650,000 years,

but since the Industrial Revolution, have risen to 380 parts per million. Seeing

these figures made me realise the full extent of man’s impact on the planet,

and planted the seed for the overarching concept of Dissident.

My work is deeply connected to my studies of Preliminary and HSC Advanced

English, through both areas of study: Personal Journeys and Discovery. Luna

Lennan’s journey is both physical and mental; on the road to Gladstone she

finds her self-belief and resilience challenged by intrinsic and extrinsic factors.

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The showdown between Luna and Kapoor at the docks shows how the

journey has changed her since she “cowered in the defendant’s box, numb”

after her bail hearing. Luna’s internal journey is as much the focus of the

Dissident as the physical distance she covers. My senior studies of

Advanced English also exposed me to the Short Story as a literary form,

through the works of Ray Bradbury and Robert Cormier studied as part of the

Discovery unit. Cormier’s masterful use of unique short story conventions

resonated with me, so I tried to emulate his use of ‘in media res’ beginning

and limited description of character and setting. This lets the reader picture for

themselves the characters and locations explored in Dissident and frees up

more of the word count to focus on the major issues of the piece.

The After The Bomb unit of the English Extension 1 course exposed me to

concepts of the development of distinctive ways of thinking, and the way ideas

can spread quickly. These concepts influenced both the target audience and

the plot of Dissident, through the impact they had on Luna’s motives as a

character, and the message I hope to convey to the readers of my work. After

The Bomb also showed me how context and current events can influence the

characteristics of ways of thinking.

My studies of HSC Geography were also integral to the development of

Dissident, specifically a case study of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) as an

Ecosystem At Risk. Through assessing the risks facing the health of the GBR,

I came across the Abbot Point port expansion plan – approved by the Abbott

Federal Government and backed by Indian company Adani Mining3. Adani’s

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proposed ‘Carmichael’ Mine in Queensland’s Galilee Basin is expected to

excavate 60 million tonnes of coal per annum once operational4, and the

Abbot Point expansion will dump an estimated 3 million tonnes of dredge spoil

within the GBR World Heritage area.

My perspective on the issues explored in Dissident has been greatly

influenced by music. The song Blue Sky Mine5 by Midnight Oil exemplifies

the attitude of many mining companies towards the environment through the

line “and the company takes what the company wants, and nothing’s as

precious as a hole in the ground.” This mentality of ‘profit over planet’ is one

of the core problems with out society, as discussed in the preceding Richard

Swift quote. In Hearts Wake’s song Mother6 is the culmination of the

environmentally themed album Earthwalker, and reminds the listener “this

land does not belong to you, it is you who belong to this land.” Both of these

songs resonate with me, and their themes of environmentalism had a strong

impact on the development of my major work.

I began my writing with a sound understanding of the concepts explored in

Dissident, so most of my research was aimed at legitimising the settings I

described. To do this, I had to familiarise myself with specific areas of

southern and central Queensland, including the network of detention centres

around Brisbane, the proposed location of the Adani mine in the Galilee

Basin, and the town of Gladstone. The most important aspect of this research

was making sure the characters’ movements were realistic in terms of the

time it took to travel from one place to another. To make sure of this, I used

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the Google Maps measure distance service then compared the results with

the average speed limits on the major roads between destinations.

In my initial planning for Dissident, I intended to break the story into three

parts; utilising multiperspectivity to investigate issues through the eyes of

three co-protagonists. George R.R. Martin’s A Song Of Ice and Fire7 series

provided the inspiration for this multifaceted structure, but as the story

progressed I decided to keep the same viewpoint throughout – as it allowed

me to impart a deeper understanding of a single character to the audience

rather than giving a shallow picture of several. Focusing on Luna Lennan for

the duration of Dissident also gives the work continuity, which can be

compromised with frequent changes of perspective.

At each change of scene throughout Dissident, I inserted a quote relevant to

the events of the succeeding section. This device was inspired by Hunter S.

Thompson’s Hell’s Angels8, which intersperses quotes throughout its

chapters to enhance and comment on the issues being discussed. I felt this

technique was very effective in Hell’s Angels, and found that it added

another dimension to Dissident when contrasted with the piece in traditional

prose form. I also inserted newspaper articles at key points in the story both to

ensure I stayed under the word limit and to emphasise important events. It

was difficult to break from cliché in concluding my work, and I had to redraft

the final five hundred words four times before I was satisfied with the ending.

Once the ending had been finalised, I made some major changes earlier on to

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straighten out some kinks in the plotline and make sure the piece flowed

smoothly.

To make sure Dissident lived up to my high standards I integrated feedback

from a variety of sources, including past and present teachers and fellow

students. The process of sharing my work with other Extension 2 students

was helpful, as it gave me a point of view from the target audience of the

piece – emerging voters with political awareness and an environmental

conscience. My generation is possibly the last with the power to reverse the

effects of climate change, so it is imperative that young people are aware of

the causes and solutions surrounding the issue. Dissident shows the

potential young people hold to make a positive difference. This is an important

message, as too often people my age underestimate the influence their

actions can have and as a result choose not to stand up for what they believe

in.

dis·si·dent (dĭs′ĭ-dənt)

adjective; Disagreeing, as in opinion or belief.

noun; One who disagrees; a dissenter.

From Latin dis sedere, ‘sit apart’

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References:

1 – Swift, R 2015. Seeking Other Paths, New Internationalist, 484/4, 2

(Adapted)

2 – Guggenheim, D, 2006. An Inconvenient Truth (DVD), Paramount Classics

3 – Hannam, P 2014. New Abbot Point Dredge Plan To Dump Spoils In

Wetlands, Sydney Morning Herald, 29 October 2014

4 – Department of State Development, Queensland Government 2015.

Carmichael Coal Mine and rail Project (Online) Available at:

http://www.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/assessments-and-approvals/carmich

ael-coal-mine-and-rail-project.html (Accessed 21 July 2015)

5 – Garrett, P 1990. Blue Sky Mine, Columbia Records

6 – Taylor, J 2013. Mother, UNFD

7 – Martin, G. R. R. 1996. A Song of Ice and Fire, Voyager Books

8 – Thompson, H. S. 1966. Hell’s Angels, Random House

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