SUBJECTS: English
YEARS: 9–10
Sometimes devastating events have a silver lining.
Brendon Reynolds's life changed completely after a major injury during a basketball game. Hear how as you listen to his Heywire audio story.
Could you write or record a similar story about yourself and/or your community?
The ABC's Heywire competition calls for stories from 16-22 year olds in regional Australia. Enter to get your story featured on the ABC and score an all-expenses-paid trip to the Heywire Regional Youth Summit in Canberra. More: https://www.abc.net.au/heywire/
Things to think about
- 1.Coming-of-age stories are concerned with the maturation of an adolescent protagonist, or main character. Generally, the character's personal growth comes about as a result of some significant experience that causes them to mature and become more adult-like. Name three texts you have read or watched that could be considered coming-of-age stories.
- 2.Describe Brendon's character before his injury. Why did he want to show off during the game? How did Brendon's injury alter the direction of his life? How did Brendon's character change as he developed his musical interests? What does his desire to become a teacher suggest about the shift in Brendon's focus? What evidence is there that Brendon has matured and become more self-reflective?
- 3.Would you say that Brendon's story represents a typical coming-of-age journey? Explain your reasons. What do you think Brendon is trying to achieve by sharing his story with others? Why might the coming-of-age genre be a popular choice for teenagers?
- 4.In literature, a novel that focuses on the coming-of-age of its protagonist is often called a bildungsroman. Find out more about the bildungsroman genre. Where does this word come from? What is its literal meaning? How does it differ from a simple coming-of-age story? What are some classic examples? Present your findings on a poster or digital pinboard.
Date of broadcast: 31 May 2013
Copyright
Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).