English Essay Plan How do the symbols/the way the text ends reinforce Barkers ideas, values, and beliefs in Border Crossing? Ideas: Children and Violence, Rehabilitation versus punishment, crossing of personal and professional borders, possibility of change. Symbols: Water, fire, rabbits, chickens, the fox, dreams, Danny’s background, Lindesfarne episode, Danny at the end, ambiguous ending Water/River Tyne: Possibility of change Water symbolises uncertainty, power control (How Tom feels with Danny).
Description at end also provides this imagery (Did Danny change, or does he still have that control over Tom). River Tyne, literally goes through change/develops (River also symbolises Tom’s change in his life). Evidence: Bits of blue plastic, half bricks, a seagull’s torn wing. (page2) As he fought the river that pushed him under, tossed him about, slapped him to and fro across the face, like an interrogator softening up his victim.
(page 4) He was thinking that Danny had won (page 273) Surges of water, laced with foam, flooded the road in front of him.He splashed through them, gagging from the effort. (page 274) Even the river had changed. The crumbling jetties and quays were demolished, paths laid, trees planted.
(page 276) Otters. He could hardly believe it. Otters on the Tyne (page 276) – Refers to Elspeth’s earlier description of Danny. “He took somebody with hypothermia, and put them next to a blazing hot fire. (page 177) Pond incident (pg 58 – 63): Borders crossed between morals – what is right and wrong (Tom not feeling responsible for what took place).Environment inducing crime – regardless of environment all children are capable of committing crime (Tom middle classed, realised how easy it was for crime to be committed).
Evidence: Had he known at the time what he was doing was wrong? Yes, undoubtedly. Kids can be very cruel. Not, I can be very cruel. The sense of moral responsibility was missing.
The person who’d done that was not sufficiently like his present self for him to feel guilt. Rabbits: Environment inducing violence, Father go hunting for rabbits – exposed to a violent act at young age could be a factor contributing to violence later in life.Tom’s Father described as a ‘Wonky rabbit’ crossing border between doctor and patient. Evidence: My rabbits gone wonky. (page 49) That’s what a great love comes to – a rabbit running between graves.
(page 50)I’d like the occasion, going off with him and Duke. But I didn’t like the dead rabbits. Glazed eyes, bloody in their mouths. Feet swinging. (page 121) Rabbit screaming ‘How fragile it all is, he thought’ (page 208) Fire: Power, control.
Violence in children. Danny starting fires – feels powerful.Gives him the control he doesn’t feel at home. Set lounge room on fire in psychotic episode – possibility of change (Danny reverts to old habits. Evidence: ‘How did it feel? ’ ‘Marvellous. Fantastic’ (page 180) ‘How did you feel? ’ ‘Powerful.
’ ‘The opposite of being hung up on a peg? ’ ‘Yeah’ (page 181) Hands clasped between his knees, still staring at the fire, still staring at the fire’ (page 260) “If you put this “particular individual” back into the old situation, with all the old pressures, he’ll revert to the old responses. ” (page 69)
