WITNESS (1985)
Director: Peter Weir
STUDENT STUDY GUIDE
Unit 3 English
Parade College
2010
Name: ……………………………..
Tutor Group: …………………….
WITNESS
CONTENTS
PAGE NUMBER
Glossary of Film Terms 1
Peter Weir, Filmography 2
Genre and Context 2
History of the Amish and the Mennonites 3
The Text‟s Ideas 4–9
Issues of Identity and Belonging: Prompts for Writing 9
Sample pieces of Writing 10–23
Writing Exercises 24
Character Writing Tasks 25–26
Characters 27–31
Themes and Symbols 31
Key Themes and Quotes 32–33
Scene Summaries and Analysis (Sample) 34
Scene Titles 35
Focus Questions 36
Glossary 36–37
Bibliography 38
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GLOSSARY OF FILM TERMS
adaptation- taking literature and converting into a script/screenplay
art director- person in charge of the "look" of the film
camera- a photographic device which shoots film or records digitally
character- a person portrayed in a film
cinematographer- the person responsible for shooting a film
cutting (aka editing)- the process of putting the film together in a logical
sequence
director- the person on the set who shapes and moulds the film
establishing shot- a wide shot; a wide angle
film language- those elements of a film (i.e. camera, lights, wardrobe,
sound, etc.) that help viewers understand meaning
film score- the music or soundtrack written specifically for a film
flashback - a technique used to reveal action that occurred earlier
foreshadow- some action or clue revealing something to occur later
framing- use of the edges of the film frame to select and to compose
what will be seen
lighting- illumination of scenes accomplished by the use of several
devices
media literacy- the ability to access, analyse interpret and produce
communications
mise-en-scene- all of the elements that the camera photographs
pace- how quickly or slowly a scene or a film moves; manipulated by
editing or other devices
perspective- the angle at which something is viewed
point of view (POV)- a shot taken with the camera placed at an actor's
eye level; showing what he/she would see
producer -one who attracts financing for a film to be produced; in charge
of overall production
production- the organisational process of putting a film together;
controlling the elements
screenplay/screenwriter- the written work of a film (sometimes an
adaptation)/author
setting- the location of a scene or of a film, including when it occurs
sound- all of the elements of a film: music, sound effects, ambient sound
etc.
soundtrack- see film score
storyboard- an artist’s rendering of how a scene might look, with specific
details for camera, lighting etc.
symbolism- words or images used to convey other meaning to an
audience
themes- the underlying message(s) a writer brings to a work
voice over- in post production: the process of an actor recording audio,
which is edited over a scene
wardrobe (aka costumes)- the clothes worn by actors in a production
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PETER WEIR – FILMOGRAPHY
Australian film maker, Peter Weir, has had a long and distinguished career and has
directed a number of diverse and memorable films. He was born in Sydney in 1944
and went on to study art and law at the University of Sydney. He began his career
working as a production assistant with Channel 7, where he also made his first two
short films. Upon leaving Channel 7, he worked for what would become the
Commonwealth Film Unit (now Film Australia), where he made a number of
documentaries.
Weir‟s first full-length feature film was the cult classic The Cars that Ate Paris (1974).
He went on to achieve considerable success both in Australia and overseas in the
United States. Witness was his first American film, where he worked with Harrison
Ford, fresh from starring roles in Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
Picnic at Hanging Rock (1973)
Gallipoli (1981)
The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
Witness (1985)
The Mosquito Coast (1986)
Dead Poets‟ Society (1989)
Green Card (1990)
The Truman Show (1998)
Master and Commander (2003)
GENRE/S
Witness has elements of the crime, drama and romance genres, not to mention the
western (look out for the „shootout scenes‟) and the lawmen who no longer represent
justice but rather corruption.
CONTEXT
The film is set in twentieth century Pennsylvania. The year is given as 1984 but there
is clearly a gulf between the two worlds depicted in the film – that of the modernity-
shunning Amish of Lancaster County and that of a typical modern city, Baltimore,
where the initial crime takes place.
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The History of the Amish & Mennonites
The Plain People trace their origin back to the Protestant Reformation in Europe, where there was an
emphasis on returning to the purity of the New Testament church. One group of reformers rejected
the popular concept of infant baptism, and became known as Anabaptists. The Anabaptists believed
that only adults who had confessed their faith should be baptised, and that they should remain
separate from the larger society.
In 1536, a young Catholic priest from Holland named Menno Simons joined the Anabaptist
movement. His writings and leadership united many of the Anabaptist groups, who later became
known as „Mennonites.‟
One of the teachings of the Amish faith is called the ban or shunning. This is based on the New
Testament command not to associate with a church member who does not repent of his sinful
conduct. The purpose of this discipline is to help the member realise the error of his ways and to
encourage his repentance, after which he would be restored to church fellowship.
This excommunication was at first only applied at the communion table. However, the followers of
Jacob Amman felt the unrepentant individual should be completely shunned or avoided by all church
members. This belief, along with other differences, led to Amman's split with the Mennonites in 1693.
His followers were later called Amish.
These Anabaptist groups were severely persecuted throughout Europe. Thousands were put to death
as heretics by both Catholics and Protestants. To avoid this persecution many fled to the mountains
of Switzerland and southern Germany. Here began the Amish tradition of farming and holding their
worship services in homes rather than churches.
Many Amish and Mennonites accepted William Penn's offer of religious freedom as part of Penn's
"holy experiment" of religious tolerance. They settled in what later became known as Pennsylvania.
The first sizable group of Amish arrived in Lancaster County in the 1720s or 1730s.
Today, the Amish can be found in 23 states in the United States and in one Canadian province. Their
settlement in and around Lancaster County is their second largest. Because of their large families, the
total Amish population has more than doubled since 1960 to over 85,000. Very few of their children
leave the church.
The Amish and Mennonite churches still share the same beliefs concerning baptism, non-resistance,
and basic Bible doctrines. They differ in matters of dress, technology, language, form of worship, and
interpretation of the Bible.
The Mennonites hold many of the same beliefs as the Amish, although they tend to be less
conservative than their Amish neighbours. Worship services are held weekly in their meeting houses.
Most Mennonites have relaxed dress codes, and have gotten away from farm-related occupations.
While Old Order Mennonites still drive their all-black carriages, most Mennonite groups do permit the
use of cars and electricity. However, some groups do require that car bodies and trim be painted
black.
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SOME CENTRAL IDEAS
The following exploration of some ideas in the film is aimed at stimulating your
thinking so that you might come up with ways of exploring these and other ideas in
your own writing. It is not an exhaustive list of ideas. Each idea can be linked to the
context we are studying this year (Issues of Identity and Belonging), however, it is up
to you to begin making these links and to explore these ideas in your own writing.
Corruption of innocence (Growing up)
A hard-nosed cop in Amish country – the Amish might be seen as innocent in that
they know very little of the evil ways of the world and have a lifestyle that is based on
a rejection of the material values of the modern world that surrounds them. They try
to fight against the pleasure-seeking/power-seeking behaviours that human beings
tend to fall prey to and aim to live a simple life of service to God and community. In
this way it is a corruption of their innocence that the policeman John Book with his
„gun of the hand‟ and his tendency to fight fire with fire comes into their community
exposing them to violence and temptation (consider John‟s effect on Rachel.) The
Amish community might be seen as growing up as a result of their contact with Book
and the violent world he brings with him. They are faced with a choice: either hold
fast to their rigid beliefs by rejecting the call for assistance of a fellow human being or
soften their stance on the modern world and open their community to the possibility
of unwanted change by helping another human being who is in need. The fact that
they choose to help suggests that they have matured as a community through the
course of the film.
Samuel witnesses murder – children symbolise innocence and Samuel is even more
innocent because he is Amish and completely naïve to the ways of the world.
Witnessing the murder, having to hide in the toilet lest he too be murdered, having to
identify murder suspects and become involved in life and death decisions are all ways
in which he is corrupted. It could be said that he is forced to grow up ahead of his
time, confronting as he does the evil that is a part of human nature. The scene where
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he touches Book‟s gun brilliantly evokes the idea that he has been corrupted and
given a thirst for knowledge that is beyond him to understand. The scene that follows
where he talks with Eli illustrates this: Samuel says he would kill only bad people and
Eli points out that he has no way of seeing into the hearts of people to decide who is
truly bad.
When did you lose your innocence? Have you had any defining moments in your life
where you feel you were forced to grow up? How do childhood experiences shape
who we are? What important figures in your life have influenced you? How does your
cultural heritage impact on your life? To what extent has your cultural heritage
constructed you?
Cultural divides not even love can conquer
The Amish society is culturally alien to the American society with which it co-exists.
Their practices, such as the rejection of modern technology in preference for outdated
less efficient technology, their refusal to engage with the „English‟ even when
provoked, their modesty and obsession with appearing „plain‟ all make them appear
strange to the average American (remember the Amish are a popular tourist attraction
and are treated as if they are exhibits in an exotic zoo) and therefore open them to
ridicule, attack, misunderstanding, suspicion and so on. Similarly, the Amish find
American culture alien and respond to Americans in ways that reveal their own
ignorance and lack of flexibility. Note how Rachel risks being shunned (excluded from
her community) for the „crime‟ of bringing John Book into the community despite the
fact that she did so to save his life. The film explores the complexities of bridging such
cultural divides. Interestingly, the central love affair between John Book and Rachel
never really moves beyond the smouldering sexual tension that exists between the
pair. John, despite being seduced by the simplicity and realness of life among the
Amish, takes off his Amish costume once he has purged the police force of the corrupt
officers and returns to the world he inhabited previously. Rachel, having been
seduced by Book‟s raw physicality and his intrinsic goodness, as well as the pleasures
of the modern world (consider the scene where they dance to music from the car
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radio), remains where she belongs culturally. This is in spite of the fact that both have
fallen in love with the other – Rachel even allows herself to be seen naked by Book
and removes her hair bonnet in a symbolic act that signals her decision to choose
Book over her culture and family. At the end of the film Rachel and Book exchange
glances that express both the pain they feel at leaving each other and their
acceptance that it is the right thing to do. Notably, as Book drives away we see Daniel
walking down the road ready to claim his place as Rachel‟s suitor – a position he has
the cultural right to assume even if Rachel does not want him. Probably, because of
her culture, she will learn to accept him.
Have you ever been to forbidden to see a friend because your family doesn‟t approve
of him/her? Have you ever regretted not doing something or being somewhere to the
extent that it has changed your life? How might an older John Book feel about his
decision to leave Rachel?
The past meets the present: The Amish and the „English‟ live in two different time
zones. The Amish exist in the pre-industrial world, which means it is not exposed
to/or living on the edges of all the „mass‟ movements of the modern world, such as
mass media, mass production, mass destruction and mass transportation. This could
be seen as a situation where the past is accessible from the present.
Is there a period in time in which you would love to live? Does time travel appeal to
you? What socio-cultural difficulties might time travel present? Would you be a
different person if you were living in a different time? Would John Book have survived
living the Amish way?
The Dangers of Technology: Is technology a good thing? Does modern technology
make us unable to have a true experience of life? Does technology serve us or is it in
control? Consider the weapons used in the film to kill or injure. Are the reactions of
the Amish to John‟s gun so outrageous? Consider also the shoot out scene where the
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woman is so worried about her car getting damaged that she risks being killed. What
does this say about our values concerning the technology in our lives?
What role does technology play in your life? Does it serve you or does it actually
create demands in your life that you must meet? How might Rachel have coped living
in the sort of world John Book inhabits?
The shaping of identity: Weir‟s film clearly explores the ways in which identity is
shaped by community, notably through the Amish, but also through the police
(consider Schaeffer‟s observation to Sergeant Carter “We‟re like the Amish, we‟re a
cult too”). We see numerous examples of the Amish group identity, which serve as a
reminder that these people work together for the benefit of the whole community –
the children hammering nails into the new barn in unison, the neighbours heeding the
alarm bell and coming together to assist the Lapps and Book. Further to identity being
shaped by a community is the idea of identity being guided by one within the
community – Eli tutors Samuel in the Amish faith, Schaeffer once mentored Book
when he was a young cop.
Group identity: The notion of identity being defined by the group to which one
belongs is central to Witness. It is portrayed through both looks and actions. Rachel
schools Book in dressing Amish, including the key notion of looking „plain‟ rather than
„hochmut‟ or proud/arrogant. Amish identity is also shown through a number of
actions, such as the Ordnung coming to look at Book, the stranger in their midst,
when he is recuperating at Eli‟s farm, or the obvious displeasure of the women
towards Rachel at the barn raising, due to rumours about her and Book. Rachel‟s
actions become the subject of debate as the community considers whether to have
her „shunned‟. While Book dons the clothing of an Amish man and participates in
various actions that would suggest to an outsider that he is Amish, this breaks down
when his personal values of decency and justice are violated by the hoodlums in
town. In this instance he rejects the identity of the Amish and resorts to „my way‟.
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The self as an individual and as a member of a group: Rachel is the obvious
means by which Weir explores this idea. As she develops feelings for John, her
identity as an Amish woman is thrown into conflict. Ultimately Book must choose
whether he is willing to sacrifice his city identity for that of an Amish man. Rachel is
not allowed to make this choice – it is made for her and explained by Eli: “He is going
back to his world, where he belongs”. The individual self and the Amish self are
shown through the symbol of the bonnet, which Rachel removes at two key points in
the film, and by Book reclaiming his city clothes at the end of the film in an indication
that he is leaving.
The relationship between identity and gender: this idea is explicitly shown in
the opening scene, as the Amish community gathers to mourn the death of Rachel‟s
husband, Jacob. It is clear that the men and women have specific roles, with the men
performing the rites and gathering to talk, and the women mourning together and
taking care of the food and meal. The other obvious example is in the barn raising
scene, when the men construct the barn and the Amish women are responsible for
lunch and serving the men. The meeting of Rachel and John‟s sister Elaine shows an
interesting clash between cultures, with the two women outwardly having little in
common. However, it is possible to see that Weir is considering how both women are
trapped by the conservative values of their world – in Elaine‟s case, represented by
John‟s criticism of her having a man in the house.
Identity and change: the film shows how individuals are changed by experience of
another community – a foreign world. This experience leads them to see different
possibilities and to behave in previously unexpected or unimagined ways (Schaeffer:
“Can you imagine John at a prayer meeting? Boy, I‟d give anything to see that!” Book:
“How do I look? I mean do I look Amish?”) Note how Weir uses costuming to reveal
changing identity – Book, who is initially amused by and sarcastic about the Amish
and their quaint ways, dresses „plain‟ because he is a practical man who understands
the risk of being recognised, Rachel removes her bonnet. He of course also adopts
Amish dress because his own clothes have been stained by the blood and danger of
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his city life. At the point when Book begins to appreciate and enjoy the Amish world,
„What a Wonderful World‟ plays on the car radio. Following this pivotal scene, Book
finds further fulfilment in carpentry, giving the impression of a man whose self is
being re-charged and renewed in positive ways. At this point Book is no longer simply
„hiding out‟ but finding personal fulfilment and putting old skills to practical use. For
those who don‟t change or embrace the new community, Weir gives them an
unfortunate fate – they are brought to justice, in the case of Schaeffer, or caught out
and killed, in the case of McFee, who steps in cow manure in a clear signal that he
has stepped into a foreign world that will bring him danger.
Area of Study Two: Creating and Presenting
The Outcome requires you to develop a piece of writing in response to a prompt that
includes reference to the set text Witness. Some prompts related to the Context are
given below to help you prepare for this part of the course. It is expected that you
complete a number of pieces of writing as a means for experimenting with ideas and
different modes (imaginative, expository, persuasive) and forms of writing.
Issues of Identity and Belonging: Prompts for Writing
1. Without community we are nothing.
2. We belong when we can love others.
3. Who we are is not a constant thing.
4. We discover who we are and where we belong by taking risks.
5. Sometimes the individual must act outside of the community.
6. Our experiences make us who we are.
7. To belong is to be happy.
8. What we say we are is not always who we are.
9. There is a lot to be gained from being lost and alone.
10. It is only when we feel a part of something that we can know who we are.
11. The interests of the individual are sometimes at odds with those of the
community.
12. To belong involves personal sacrifice.
13. Love must sometimes be put aside in order to preserve the community.
14. A loss of identity can lead to alienation.
15. Challenges in life can undermine our place in the world.
16. The point of life is to discover who you are and where you belong.
17. We must fight tooth and nail for a sense of self and a place in the world.
18. We discover who we are by taking action.
19. There is no greater pain than that of psychological suffering.
20. We cannot belong if we do not believe in something.
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Sample pieces of writing in response to the ideas of the film
Piece One by Phil Canon
Prompt: It is our more unusual childhood experiences that shape who we are.
Mode and Form: Imaginative/Fictional Narrative
I hate Christmas.
It‟s not so much the story of the new born child and the virgin mother and the three old wise
men bearing gifts. It‟s the heat and the concrete and the carbon monoxide and the false bonhomie of
people who elbow one another jostling for position at bargain basement bins, standing in seething
queues at checkouts. It‟s the unstated violence of it all.
They say there is more domestic violence around Christmas than at any other time of year.
When I was a child we often spent Christmas with our extended family at my grandfather‟s place and
the aunts spent hours cooking food and the uncles drank beer all day and the children played outside
until it was time for lunch or to give out gifts. My cousin and I had a great collection of matchbox cars.
We used to race them down the concrete drive using a broom handle as a starting gate and we‟d run a
simple book using one and two cent pieces and all the cousins would lay bets. We knew each car
intimately, which turned left and which turned right, which drove arrow straight and fast and we‟d set
them up so that the race was rigged. We always made a packet and there‟d be a steady stream inside to
the adults to ask for more change to wager.
One year I remember going to a Christmas party at the home of my father‟s best friend.
There were coloured lights strung right round the house and a big tarpaulin that covered a lot of
the yard and a small cypress that had been made into a Christmas tree. I took my car collection,
but the only concrete was flat. There were lots of kids, but not my favourite cousin and I
ignored my cars and moped about while the adults all got tanked and talked and laughed as
loud as giants. I nagged my mum to take us home and had she read the signs, I am sure she
would have dragged my father, beer in hand, out of there. Dogs and cats and children know
when storms are coming, earth quakes too, and fires. You‟ll find them running, tail between
their legs, days before volcanoes erupt. For the adults at the party, I‟m sure, it happened
without warning, but I felt it coming even though I didn‟t understand what was on its way.
First there was a scream of anguish that stopped everyone, turned every head and almost
magically a circle formed around a couple who were locked in a strange embrace. The music
kept playing and it might have been Elvis singing about his wooden heart or maybe it was
something holy and brassy like Tijuana Christmas to which the couple was performing an ugly
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dance. The man had a fist full of the woman‟s long hair and she was bent over backwards to
accommodate the pull. He still held a glass of beer in his left hand. We all stood and watched, men and
women and children and dogs and cats and budgerigars and it was still and I could feel a frost
descending quietly upon me. Everyone was so shocked that no one made a move to save the children
from something they would need a therapist for later on in life. The woman was sobbing and saying
„you bastard, you bastard‟ repeatedly and the man was holding her head back with his hand full of her
hair and making sure his beer was held at arm‟s length away from them both. They stayed like this for
some time, until he shifted his balance and retreated slightly and she was free to swing her fist in an arc
and thump him in the middle of his back - one, two, three times - and it made a heavy thud-thud-thud
like a weighty spade hitting a stubborn root. The glass dropped and smashed and the beer marked the
concrete and he cowered down and took it like a man until he‟d had enough and stood and clouted her
across the head and called her bitch and had her hair again.
This time he was angry.
The only man that moved and stood between them threw a punch that knocked the husband
backwards and away, but then the woman was suddenly wild and screaming, „You leave him alone!
You leave him alone, you bastard!‟ and throwing punches and clawing and kicking at the guy who had
come to save her. I remember leaving hurriedly with my Mum and Dad and my big brother and
climbing into the back seat of the car, Mum shush-shushing, „You lie down now and go to sleep‟ and
Dad saying to Mum, „He should have known better than to come between a man and his wife when
they‟re fighting.‟
That night I lay in bed and pictured what had happened, played it out again in my mind.
I was curled up in my bed the way I liked – lying on my left side facing the wall, the blankets
pulled up to cover my ear. I felt safe this way. In my replay of the scene, the sound was low,
distant. I didn‟t go through the whole event in the way a film might. If my memory was a film,
it had frozen and wasn‟t going to move. The camera angles were skewed, the frame too full of
impossible detail. It was all there in the same frame: the woman‟s long hair pulled toward the
ground, her fist thumping, thumping against the knotty muscles of his back, the man‟s beer
held out none of it spilling. Everything was foreground. Even I was in the frame, sitting on the
concrete, as I know I hadn‟t been, imagining a slope that wasn‟t there, a piece of concrete long
and smooth that I could race my cars down.
Phil Canon is Head of English at Parade College, Bundoora, and an experienced teacher of
VCE English and Literature
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Commentary:
I was responding to the scene in Witness where Samuel goes to the toilet at the train station and
witnesses the murder. It is a corruption of his innocence to see such a thing and quite obviously
would change his understanding of who he is and how he relates to the world. This fits into a
broader theme of the corruption of innocence that runs throughout the film. I tried to draw
parallels between my experience of seeing a domestic fight at a party and Samuel‟s experience
to explore how my own innocence at the time was corrupted by the violence and randomness
of the event. I used the toy cars as a symbol of my own innocence like the wooden horse
Samuel is given by Daniel before he gets on the train.
I tried to address the prompt through implying that the adult voice of the writing has
been scarred by the experience at the party. The first line “I hate Christmas‟ is supposed to
indicate a character who is bitter and cynical about people – we celebrate things like Christmas
and yet can never escape from deep seated tensions and problems as evidenced by the man and
woman who were fighting without any regard for the context (they were supposed to be
partying and enjoying themselves among other people including children.) The fact that the
child is fixated on what happened – the whole scene was “frozen” in his memory “and wasn‟t
going to move” – suggests that the experience has the potential to shape him in some way and
ultimately does making him someone who is anti-Christmas because he feels it masks people‟s
anger and violence.
My aim was that there be two distinct perspectives in the piece – the child and the adult
– and that this would be clear in the language. The adult while cynical about people is able to
understand the child‟s world and empathise with the child‟s experience. The child is mostly
there as the subject of the piece and the language is certainly not tailored to evoke childhood
but to reflect on aspects of it. The audience of this writing is clearly an adult literary audience –
people who have lived and reflected on how their own childhoods have shaped who they are.
Piece Two by Carla di Vito
Prompt: It‟s only when we feel a part of something that we can know who we are
Mode/Form: Imaginative/Short Story
Stella was cooking paella and because she knew I liked it she asked me to stay for dinner.
I was spending more and more time at my friend‟s houses when it was all happening as I had
found myself doing nothing more often; a constant numbness lurked in my head that made it impossible
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to do anything, to feel anything, to concentrate on anything for too long. Of all my friends, Daimo was
the only one i could be around. Just Daimo and his mum Stella and her good food. It‟s funny but I felt
like I belonged in that house, like I was a part of something that made me feel good about myself; that
made me feel like I knew myself. They were the most foreign people I knew. But I mean seriously
foreign. In Year One Daimo had walked into our classroom with his dark hair and skin and even darker
eyes that drilled holes into the floor. He was too scared to look at anyone.
“Damiano has joined us from Spain…” the school Principal informed us. He ended up sitting next to
me and becoming my best mate.
Their house sat behind several of the fattest trees I had ever seen. It was built far back on the
block and as you walked through the trees and overgrown rose bushes you would catch snatches of the
house. Faded weather-board, peeling green shutters and tin roof. They shared the house with Stella‟s
boyfriend. He owned it. She told everyone he was her husband. There were pictures of the two of
them throughout the house. None of anybody else. Not even of Dam that I could see. But I had never
met him. I was starting to believe that he might not exist.
In Stella's kitchen, with music screaming from the stereo, someone Spanish from back home, an
acquisition from a recent trip I think she‟d told me, and the tinkle of wind-chimes from outside, I
watched her going through the motions in preparation of the evening meal. She drank wine. She looked
up at me and gave me a quick wink before pouring a little in a glass for me. Then she turned back to the
stove, lifting lids and licking her lips.
“Back in Spain all young people drink. A little, to get them used to it, so they don‟t abuse this,‟ lifting
her glass in explanation. “Hmmm…it‟s good; it‟s going to be good!‟
I wasn‟t quite sure what to do with the wine. It was beer I drank with my mates and even with my dad a
couple of times, for much the same reason I guess. He had wanted me to know so that I wouldn‟t „abuse
the drink‟. Too bad he hadn‟t taken his own advice. I took a sip cause I didn‟t want to disappoint her. I
liked Stella. She was friendly and fun and a little bit flirty. But I did steal a look in Daimo‟s direction
just to make sure he wasn‟t watching. I didn‟t know what he would think or sure that he‟d been given
any.
She had her head turned in the direction of the music. Her profile was a dark contrast to the white of the
kitchen cabinets and tiles. The kitchen was entirely white. Her hair raven in the early evening. She was
staring into nothingness occasionally sipping from her glass, her eyes bounding from the clock on the
wall and her son watching T.V. in the other room. I wasn't sure what it was a sign of; her boredom or
frustration or joy. She turned back to me and smiled. I wasn't saying much. In fact I'd told her very
little. There was no need to fill this large and happy house with my life. I was just happy to feel a part
of it. She cleared her throat and passed her fingers across her mouth.
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“Do you feel happy here David? Does it feel ok? How are you? Are you ok?”
Her voice sing-songed the question as she opened the fridge. She stumbled a little as she moved to the
sink. She‟d had too much wine. She looked back at me, the question hanging in the air between us. I
considered answering her. Then let it fall in a heap around me.
“Do you need a hand with anything Mrs Cruces? I can chop veggies. Set the table?"
It was all I could think to say. All the other words were lodged in my throat like cement blocks.
Nothing ever came out right anyway. Her question was too big, too hard to answer. Thoughts had
moved on. Daimo sat watching telly, every now and again looking over at his mum. A funny look
about him.
“Dave, come „ere. Mum let him alone!”
“He‟s ok here with me. We‟re chatting. You‟re ok here with me aren‟t you David?
Stella was laughing and her laughter was contagious. She used her whole body when she laughed. She
heaved and swelled and threw her arms around. She told me she'd stopped caring about what people
thought of her. Her laugh is deep and throaty and very loud.
“How about you make the salad?”
Standing next to her near the sink, I had water running over lettuce. The water icy on my pale hands. I
hadn't seen the sun in months. I focused on the onions, tomatoes and peppers I had to chop.
Suddenly, tears threatened from between my eyelashes. All I thought about was the tears sprinkling
themselves over the food, tainting the flavour, salting everything up. Stella's face was crooked. She
sucked in her bottom lip as the first tear tipped down my cheek.
“Always happens with onions”, was all she said.
Carla di Vito teaches VCE English at Parade College, Bundoora
Commentary:
This piece is written in response to John Book‟s experience while living in the Amish
community. It is a reference to feeling out of place, and outside of your community as the
result of a massive discovery of corruption and the way in which he has been relating to the
world. He lives with his grief in the new community and although he finds it very difficult to
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function within or at times to know exactly what his purpose is within it, it is the comfort and
the cushioning he needs at the time. Ie. the way Rachael tends to his needs, physically and
emotionally.
The central character in my story is obviously younger, a teenage voice, grappling with his
own grief and struggling with some personal disaster/grief. It is in the sharing of this new
community, spending time with others that are outside of his general circle, that he finds the
comfort and desire to let things slide. He is finally able to let out his emotion and move freely
with other people. In the film, John Book is unable to restrain his own anger, at the constant
jeering and abuse the Amish community face. He eventually uses violence and punches the
youth as his only means of defence for his carers stating, even when reminded, „but it‟s not our
way.‟ Book retorts, „but it‟s my way.‟
The prompt, „It‟s only when we feel a part of something that we can know who we are‟
enabled me to suggest that in a comforting community, we are able to freely express and come
to terms with „things‟ about ourselves. The „complexity‟ of David‟s situation is paralleled with
his friend‟s family situation. Even though there seems to be some suggestion of tension in this
family he „adopts‟ it allows him the space to „feel good about himself‟, like he, „belonged
there‟. This further suggests that like John Book, he needed a space to become re-acquainted
with who he was and how to function within a new and disturbing version of his life.
Piece Three by Judy Eastman
Prompt: We discover who we are by taking action
Mode/Form: Imaginative/Fictional Narrative
My name is Arthur Fossum. I live in Strasbourg in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Some of you may
know it as the place of the Amish. It‟s certainly on the tourist maps of many people curious to see „the
plain people‟.
Anyway, last Friday I went into town as I usually do for some groceries and to pay a bill. I might not be
Amish but I‟m getting on a bit and I like to do things „the old fashioned way‟, which means paying my
bills in person. I suppose I like to know who I‟m dealing with.
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So there I was on Main Street just down from Harper‟s store heading for my car when I noticed some
sort of holdup further along the block. There were three or four horse-drawb buggies used by the Amish
and a line of cars backed up around the corner near the square. I thought it was the usual delay caused
when traditional meets and modern transportation, greeted around here by most folks with what I like to
call „polite impatience‟ – a bit of revving of the engine, a half-hearted call of „come on‟ or „move over‟,
nothing too serious. The people around here are pretty tolerant of the Amish. They‟ve been here for a
long time, I guess. In fact they‟ve been here longer than most of us modern folks, I‟d say, going back as
they do to the seventeenth century.
Anyway, we leave them to live their lives and they certainly keep pretty clear of us! But this morning
was different. I realised that there were some young people involved; just kids playing tough, really,
Bob White‟s boy, Frank, and some of his friends, as far as I could see. They‟re good kids mostly but
then I don‟t have to be a parent to them!
What happened next though was something I thought I‟d never live to see – a violent Amish. That‟s
right, one of them took more than a swing at Frank and his friend Kyle. I wasn‟t close enough to see
what started it but there must have been something. This plain guy jumped down out of one of the
buggies – he was a passenger with old Eli Lapp – and went right up to Frank, like he was looking for
trouble and glad he‟d found it. You know how you can see violence before it happens? It was in the air
for a split second and I knew I just had to stay to see what was going to happen next; there were a few
of us doing the same thing because it wasn‟t what we see every day. We‟re used to seeing the Amish in
town but I don‟t think there‟s ever been a violent one.
Since that day of course you‟ve probably heard that the guy I saw with old Lapp was actually a
policeman gone into hiding. I thought it was an innocent little incident of an Amish „losing it‟ for all to
see. How wrong I was! Still, I don‟t regret going to the police – it‟s true we do depend on the tourists
coming to our little town to see the Amish and having what appeared to be one of them resorting to
violence was a „bad news story‟ that we could do without. That said, I can appreciate that my
involvement in leading the police to Captain Book probably said a lot about me – meddling old fool,
some say.
Judy Eastman teaches VCE English and Literature at Parade College, Bundoora
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Commentary:
I chose the scene „Lost the Meaning‟ when John Book visits the local town, Strasbourg, for the
second time, this time with Eli and a number of the others from the community. It is during this
visit that circumstances force him to resume his former identity and ways of behaving,
signalled early in the scene when he threatens a camera-toting tourist. Book‟s independent
spirit and instinct to stand up to violence and protect the innocent is then exemplified in his
admonishment to Eli who says it is not the Amish way to confront trouble that „No but it‟s my
way!‟ At this point, Book puts aside the carefully constructed Amish identity that he has
assumed for a number of days, possibly weeks, to once again act according to the rules that he
has lived by up until his seclusion in Rachel and Eli‟s house and the Amish community in
general.
This scene allows Weir to explore a number of the film‟s central ideas, including most notably
the cultural divide that exists between the Amish and non-Amish, shown in the extreme
through the influx of tourists, who as Rachel has previously informed Book, think the Amish
„quaint‟, the merits of a technological and modern world contrasted with the plain living and
dressing Amish, and representations of identity and belonging. The young „hoodlums‟ are
depicted as relying on each other for bravado, with the two young men at the centre of the fight
with Book seen posturing in front of their friends in a „look at how tough I am‟ contest. This is
directly contrasted with the passive and humble Amish, such as Daniel Hockleitner and his
brother, who sit calmly in their buggies, resisting the taunts and humiliation the young men
throw their way. Book‟s old self resurfaces in his reaction against such abuse of the innocent
Amish, who simply wish to be able to live according to their ways. This whole scene is thus an
exploration of identity that is personal and instinctual (Book) and identity that is adopted in
order to belong (both the Amish and the modern young men, clearly influenced and motivated
by their peers).
I was going to write more of an analytical piece and make explicit reference to the film to
explore the idea that „we discover who we are by taking action‟ but ended up being drawn to
the imaginative form as a way of going inside the text and examining the issues from a
secondary character‟s point of view.
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The piece is clearly written for an audience that is familiar with the film Witness and with the
beliefs and ways of the Amish people referenced. However, it can also be examined by a wider
audience considering the extent to which identity is formed not by what we say but by what we
do. Detective Captain John Book is portrayed as a man of action (perhaps consistent with the
image Harrison Ford had constructed through his Indiana Jones films immediately prior to
making Witness!) who is not content to sit around – encapsulated in the fact that while
embedded in the Amish community he makes himself useful as a carpenter and a novice milk
hand.
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WITNESS
Piece Four by Terri Crisafi
Mode/Form: Persuasive/Opinion Piece
Adam’s Rib?
Historically the female is reluctant to be totally alone writes
Terri Crisafi
There is a classic adage that behind every great or remorse. Wayne Carey has had a
man is a great woman. It harks back to the dubious past and his football prowess fades into
biblical story when Adam loses a rib to gain a insignificance as one recalls the stories of
partner in crime. Many a grand woman in history infidelity with his mate’s wife. Why didn’t Kate
and modern day has been given the accolade of Neilson walk away then? What magnet is there
having had the potential and the ability to that attracts females to this type of Neanderthal?
catapult the male companion into infamy. One
just needs to Google nowadays to learn and The recent contraband Underbelly dedicates a
appreciate the list of females who have whole episode to the women who are attracted to
influenced their male companions and in turn, it the males of this sordid underworld. Roberta
makes me wonder what exactly attracted these Williams immediately springs to mind as the
women to such men even though poor Eve didn’t femme fatale who incites her partner Carl to
have much of a choice in Eden. What exactly undercut the Morans in the drug trade and fuels
attracts Eva Braun into the arms of that Nazi the idiot into thinking deliberately about
Dictator, Adolf Hitler? Who exactly was Honoria murdering the associate. Yet she lives in the
and how did she fathom sleeping with Attila the home furnished by soiled money, drives the
Hun? Don’t tell me that she had no idea what he vehicles and pretends that she has every right to
was up to! The name of Kola Boof has been be looked after. Roberta seems to know when to
associated with the notorious Bin Laden and it look away and to not listen and pretend.
makes my skin crawl to imagine that man even Happiness must have another dimension for
trying to be intimate. Why do these females these women.
happily associate with these types of males? Can
they feel safe knowing about their work or Zara Guarde-Wilson compromises her legal
deeds? Perhaps females are simply attracted to career to be with the violent Lewis Caine and
strong men and if they are violent and brutal to now has accepted being disbarred and totally
others, these females do not know or care. One alone since his death. I am at my wits end to
could appreciate that ignorance may play a part imagine the reason why they fall for violent men.
in the lives of these historical figures, but recent Perhaps she, like all the other women who fall for
local events in Melbourne seem to unsettle and these men know that they will always be
usurp my observations. The trend continues and protected. They will live the high life, and be
the ribs are rattling. resented by other females who observe them
from afar. Perhaps they know that they are
Kate Neilson is now a familiar name as her actually untouchable and they just stay in a
portrait framed the newspapers recently and the relationship even when it gets really ugly. But
story reached into our homes via the newsreel they must cry the hardest too and live the
thanks to her legendry football partner, Wayne loneliest of lives when their dreams fall apart.
Carey. She suffered the indignity of being There must be a time, a moment or catharsis
assaulted and ‘glassed’ by the man she loved. But when they realise that they will belong to no one.
his tell all interview had not a skerrick to regret
Terri Crisafi teaches VCE English and Literature at Parade College, Bundoora
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Piece Five by Judy Eastman
Prompt: We are a part of place and place is a part of us
Mode/Form: Expository/Personal Reflection
Madrid 1, Barcelona 0
‘La próxima estación es…Sol’. I checked the Madrid metro map at the end of the carriage for the tenth
time, conscious that my backpack marked me out as a tourist but trying nevertheless to project the air of
a local returning from a trip, sticking to my travel habit of relying on local maps rather than pulling out
a guide book in public. I‟d finally made it to the heart of a country that so far had exceeded my
expectations.
Madrid versus Barcelona. It was a bit like Sydney versus Melbourne, I supposed. I‟d made up my mind
years ago. Sydney was alright for a holiday with its world famous harbour, hours of sunshine and
beautiful people everywhere, but Melbourne had always had my heart. I wondered if it was going to be
the same here in Spain.
I‟d arrived in Barcelona late at night on the train from Marseilles, excited about being in Spain at last,
keen to try out my basic Spanish. Barcelona was supposed to be Spain‟s crown jewel, the shining
harbour city, renowned for its art, its food, its bars, its fiercely independent culture. Madrid on the other
hand was dismissed by some as the conservative older brother, staid and serious, a little too close to
General Franco and Spain‟s fascist past.
All of this interested me but it wasn‟t why I‟d come to Spain. Travel wasn‟t always about heading to
something; sometimes it was about running away, other times, you just drifted in with the tide. I‟d
ended up here due to a combination of all these things – running from Australia and „settling down‟,
heading to Europe, a place from which Australia as I knew it had sprung, and drifting down to Spain via
a convoluted path that began with uni friends who‟d spent a year as exchange students in South
America. From what they‟d told me, I decided I needed to go there myself and it was for this reason I‟d
begun to learn Spanish. Ten years later and I was yet to make it to that part of the world. Instead Spain
beckoned.
It‟s a strange thing travelling to places with which you have no history or contact, places with which it
is nevertheless possible to feel an almost instant connection. Paris had been all I imagined – anyone
with an ounce of romance would be happy there; I wasn‟t any different.
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WITNESS
I hoisted my backpack to my shoulders once again and gripped my day pack tightly. The big pack could
be replaced but I was all too aware of the valuables in my left hand. I couldn‟t wait to find the hostel
and leave some of its precious cargo in the safe. Between destinations was the most dangerous part of
travel and I was in a major city, where major criminals no doubt lurked. The carriage doors swooshed
open and I was sucked out onto the platform with the Saturday night crowd. A Spanish I could barely
recognise surrounded me and I struggled to comprehend at least some of the announcements and signs.
‘Perdona me. Por favor!’ I muttered, once again relying on brief polite exchanges to move through the
busy station.
Spying another map on the platform wall, I took the opportunity to check my location. My travel plans
had gone smoothly, I was only a few short blocks it seemed from my destination, Calle Principe near
the Plaza Santa Ana. I headed towards the exit and strode off, adopting another of my travel-safely
techniques – a determined walk to suggest I knew where I was going. What a joke! A foreign city, little
of the local language and yet I was pretending that I knew these streets as friends. I was a long way
from home but comforted by the pretence that I belonged.
The sun was well up when I woke the next morning. Barcelona had been experiencing a heat wave and
I‟d barely had a proper night‟s sleep in over a week. Madrid was hot but lacked the coastal city‟s
humidity and I‟d slept long and deeply. I rose, once again mentally preparing myself to venture out into
a city where I lacked the language to communicate meaningfully. It was tiring but exhilarating at the
same time. Anything could happen when communication problems lurked around every corner.
I opened the shutters and stepped onto the narrow balcony. The street was busy and filled with the
sounds of road works. I noted the hostales across the street and down from my own, the bars and
restaurants below. I wondered where I might find some breakfast. I‟d do anything for a coffee and some
orange juice.‘Un café con leche y un zumo de naranja’, I rehearsed the Spanish in my head, unsure of
what food would be on the menu.
The little bar was small but with towering ceilings and an old parquet floor. Chandeliers hung high
above the marble-topped tables and glittered in the mirror behind the corner bar. I walked in hesitantly,
hoping I would be welcome, trusting to my quick scan that it wasn‟t a tourist trap. I hadn‟t come all this
way to be spoken to in English, served food I could have at home. The Café Principe didn‟t disappoint.
The barman was polite, efficient, the coffee and juice welcome and delicious. Croissants were a familiar
sight from Paris and I wolfed a couple down, suddenly realising that I‟d crashed out the night before
without a proper evening meal.
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Here I was in Madrid, another city where I knew no-one. I thought about the phone number of the
brother of a Melbourne friend, tucked into my wallet, as I sat self-consciously, using all my senses to
tune in to the world around me, hoping for I didn‟t know what, an experience to remember, probably.
Although I‟ve been back a couple of times since, my first visit to Madrid remains memorable for the
almost instant connection I felt to the city. Standing on the Paseo del Prado, one of the main
thoroughfares, only a couple of days after arriving from Barcelona, one thought flashed into my mind:
‘This is a city!’
Writing: 1,022 words
Judy Eastman teaches VCE English and Literature at Parade College, Bundoora
Commentary:
This is a personal reflection about my first visit to Spain in 1999. Although now over ten years
ago, the events and feelings upon first arriving in Madrid have remained fresh and strong in my
memory due to the strong impression the city had on me. I have since been back there for two
extended stays and my connection to Madrid has strengthened rather than what sometimes
happens – feelings of disappointment and disillusion due to the shine/excitement of the „first
time‟ being lost. I wanted to capture some of the excitement but also the nervousness I felt
upon arriving in a large foreign city. I particularly wanted to reflect on the fact that despite not
knowing anyone in Madrid and having only a limited grasp of the language, the connection I
felt was immediately strong and gave me confidence as well as excitement and optimism. This
experience was a clear demonstration of how your identity is changed by places and that deep,
even inexplicable, connections can be made despite those places being „foreign‟. While the
piece attempts to explore the prompt „We are a part of place and place is a part of us‟, it is also
about how our identity is strengthened and expanded by connecting to new places, and how our
identity is not fixed but grows and alters throughout our lives. In this sense, I wanted to show
how travel is not necessarily about famous places and sights but the influence it can have on
identity and individual growth – if only one is open to this possibility.
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WITNESS
The piece connects to Witness in that I was a stranger in a foreign world, and while Madrid is
still part of the western world, unlike the Amish community in Weir‟s film, the language and
social norms are very different to Australia. This „being foreign‟ was further reinforced for me
by the fact that I didn‟t know anybody there and was, like Book when he first arrives in the
Amish community, dependent on the kindness of strangers to answer my questions and show
me the way. Over time, I was able to better understand the city of Madrid and its people
(including its custom of eating dinner after 10.30 p.m. and the traffic jams at 2 a.m. on a
Sunday morning) but this piece really focuses on the first hours, a time of disorientation but
also of adventure, much as the Lapps‟ farm is for Book when he first explores it with Samuel
as his guide.
I‟ve used a variety of language features to refer to various details in order to allow the reader to
visualise the place. For example, I have included some Spanish phrases, such as the common
politeness „Excuse me, please‟, rendered here as „perdona me, por favor‟, as well as
descriptions of places and everyday food items. By doing this, I hoped to evoke the atmosphere
of Madrid and an impression of the traveller who is a foreigner but tries to fit in and thereby
avoid the notice of unknown elements who might wish to exploit them. Certain cities in Spain
have a reputation for crime against travellers – especially theft – and I also wanted to show my
efforts to minimise the risk to myself, tactics that were learned on previous overseas trips, as a
further example of how one‟s identity is altered by travel, in this case, due to possible threats to
the person.
Commentary: 568 words
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WRITING EXERCISES
Your writer‟s voice will reveal much about who and what you are. However, it is not
always easy to translate your spoken voice into your „written‟ voice. Think about your
tone, your point of view and the tense you are writing in.
Some tips
Tone: Tone is the aspect of voice that shows your attitude to the experiences you
are writing about.
Point of view: This is the perspective, where you are looking from as you write.
(use first person…very effective and brings the reader right into the story with you).
Tense: Is the story happening in the present, the past or the future?
1. Child
Write about a childhood experience from the point of view of the child. Write in the
present tense and with the feelings and thoughts of the child.
2. Teenager
Write about a conflict from your teenage years (that would be now!!) from the
perspective of being the teenager. It can be a conflict with a parent, friend, teacher,
boss etc. Write it in the present tense with the attitudes and voice of the teenager. (a
hint: read this out and see if it does sound like a teenager speaking.)
3. Talking to a friend
Imagine you are talking to a trusted friend, someone to whom you can say what you
really think. You are telling them about something „big‟ in your life. Anything! A trip,
a dream, a desire…Write about the experience, keeping the friend in mind. Try and
write in the voice that is characteristically yours so that people who know you would
be able to read it and say „that sounds like you.‟
4. Another view
Take an incident from any time of your life and write about it in the first person but
from the point of view of someone else who was there at the time. In effect you will
be writing about yourself from someone else‟s point of view. So, try writing it as your
mother or your father, a brother a teacher or your girlfriend. Maybe your enemy??
(Exercises taken from „Writing Your Life‟ Patti Miller, 2001)
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WITNESS
CHARACTER WRITING TASKS
Prompt
„Sometimes it is hard to balance belonging to a group with keeping one’s
individual identity’
The prompt is to be used for a piece of writing which will allow you to explore the
idea. You must draw on ideas and issues suggested by the text Witness.
In order to write well in context you need to identify with the characters and show
some insightful understanding of their behaviour.
Rachel Lapp, Amish woman and mother of Samuel
Write a diary entry as Rachel, which begins as you are about to settle in at Elaine‟s
apartment. Reflect upon the situation, including your concern for your son‟s well-
being and his state of mind. Why are you resentful of John Book and his world?
Continue your diary entries from your return to the Amish community, reflecting on
the care you take of this stranger who is injured and now in your home. Explain the
reason for seeking your father-in-law‟s support, especially since the rest of the
community disapproves of John Book‟s infiltration of this private world. When do you
fall in love with John Book? Do you realise that Daniel Höckleitner is jealous of this
man? When do you realise that you are also in conflict with your Amish world? Why
can‟t you leave?
Recall the prompt as you write – „Sometimes it is hard to balance belonging to a
group with keeping one‟s individual identity‟
Samuel Lapp, Amish Boy, witness to murder
You are to write a journal explaining your feelings from the moment you witness the
murder. Your naivety and innocence must resound in the piece. Explain the feelings
you have as you identify the killer as Detective James McFee and realise that John
Book smells corruption and a cover up. Do you understand this at first? How do you
feel about this Detective, John Book? Record the changing attitude you have toward
Book. Are you suspicious? Are you afraid? Are you jealous? Are you aware that there
is resentment in the Amish Community about your protector? Are you aware that your
mother‟s reputation is being tarnished? Who do you confide in? Why? What makes
you protect John Book at the end? Do you hope he will stay with your mother rather
than Daniel Höckleitner stepping in? Do you see him as a father figure?
Recall the prompt as you write – „Sometimes it is hard to balance belonging to a
group with keeping one‟s individual identity‟
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WITNESS
John Book, Detective Captain, Philadelphia Police
Write a journal entry as the character of John Book, reflecting on the idea that you
belong to the police force but are quickly learning that there may be some corruption,
and that your former partner and mentor, Paul Schaeffer, is at the centre of it.
You feel compelled to protect Samuel and Rachel so you involve your sister in the
situation by taking them to her apartment for protection. Reflect on what you may be
thinking at this time.
You are often awkward and uncomfortable around Rachel and Samuel in the early
scenes. What is going on in your mind?
You gradually change your attitude toward the Amish. What brings about your respect
for these people and their ways? Detail the nature of this respect.
How do you feel about belonging to the Philadelphia Police Force? Why don‟t you just
stay with Rachel and Samuel and live among the Amish?
Recall the prompt as your write – „Sometimes it is hard to balance belonging to a
group with keeping one‟s individual identity‟
Further Writing in Context
Your task now is to write the original reflection of the character of your choice from a
different viewpoint.
In the first three tasks you were writing in the first person:
„I didn‟t realise that I was involving myself in an investigation into the corruption of
the Philadelphia Police Force‟.
When you alter the point of view from first person to third person, it becomes a
narration and an observation of others. Perhaps this could now read „John Book was
simply doing his job protecting a witness. What he didn‟t realise was that he was now
about to unveil police corruption within his unit.‟
Write a newspaper report on this case with special focus on the character of your
choice. This submission will be to your Editor who may run a Feature in the Sunday
tabloid.
Give the article a Headline – Two Worlds Collide a mere example! Make up your
own! Provide the By-line, that is, your name. Add an image to enhance your
submission.
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WITNESS
CHARACTERS
Use the following list of adjectives to assign as many as possible to each of the film‟s
main characters on the following pages. Include evidence to support each choice.
selfish charismatic compassionate admirable
loyal intelligent damaged bad
loving honest proud domineering
traditional insecure aloof unyielding
wise honourable evil gullible
silent dedicated attractive good
caring cowardly complex noble
trustworthy moral trusting kind
victim resigned patient sympathetic
lonely determined cruel helpful
generous understanding brave subservient
powerful solemn devoted passive
jealous mentor nasty submissive
quiet sad circumspect faithful
reticent negative cautious immoral
introverted depressed guarded corrupt
reserved despondent prudent malevolent
taciturn melancholic courageous vindictive
loud greedy fearless nasty
boisterous avaricious intrepid malicious
extroverted self-seeking heroic heinous
belligerent self-indulgent fearful weak
bombastic acquisitive diffident discriminatory
true magnanimous timorous strong
genuine selfless irresolute resilient
dependable benevolent thoughtful virtuous
false altruistic contemplative impulsive
manipulative smart reflective impetuous
deceptive perceptive meditative spontaneous
duplicitous ingenious introspective careful
conniving canny practical positive
committed silly pragmatic joyous
steadfast unwise expedient buoyant
disloyal unintelligent realistic ecstatic
traitorous naïve hard-headed curious
treasonous ill-advised racist xenophobic
faithless happy bigoted rash
seditious reliable prejudiced reckless
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RACHEL LAPP
Personal Quality Example
Physical Details Beliefs and Values
SAMUEL LAPP
Personal Quality Example
Physical Details Beliefs and Values
DETECTIVE CAPTAIN JOHN BOOK
Personal Quality Example
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WITNESS
Physical Details Beliefs and Values
ELI LAPP
Personal Quality Example
Physical Details Beliefs and Values
OFFICER MCFEE
Personal Quality Example
Physical Details Beliefs and Values
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WITNESS
PAUL SCHAEFFER
Personal Quality Example
Physical Details Beliefs and Values
SERGEANT CARTER
Personal Quality Example
Physical Details Beliefs and Values
DANIEL HÖCKLEITNER
Personal Quality Example
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WITNESS
Physical Details Beliefs and Values
THEMES AND SYMBOLS
Theme/Symbol Text Reference
guns
drinking fountain
horse-drawn vehicle
the granary
Rachel’s bonnet
‘What a wonderful
world this could be…’
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KEY THEMES AND QUOTES
culture and beliefs
„This gun of the hand is for the taking of human life. We believe it is wrong to take the life. That is
only for God.‟ Eli
„They‟re Mennonites. They have cars and refrigerators…‟ Rachel
„I insist that you respect our ways.‟ Rachel
„This is a man‟s life. We hold it in our hands.‟ Eli
„You don't understand. We want nothing to do with your laws.‟ Rachel
„I would only kill the bad man.‟ Samuel
„I told him we didn‟t need to know anything about you.‟ Rachel
„Oh yeah. I'm learning a lot about manure. Very interesting.‟ John
„But it‟s my way!‟ John
„Lapp, I will have to speak with the elders on this matter.‟ Amish Doctor
identity and belonging
„We‟re like the Amish. We‟re a cult too. A club with our own rules.‟ Schaeffer
„Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate, sayeth the Lord. And touch not the
unclean thing.‟ Eli
„Is the English dead?‟ Eli
„Your sister says you don't have a family.‟ Rachel
„Mm uh huh, yes…she thinks you like policing because you think you are right about everything
and you're the only one who can do anything, and when you drink a lot of beer you say things like
'none of the other police know a crook from a bag of elbows!'. At least I think that's what she
said.‟ Rachel
„He‟s going back to his world, where he belongs. He knows it.‟ Eli
„You be careful out among them English.‟ Eli
„Oh, so he wasn't a runt. He was a big guy, like me?‟ John
„How do I look - I mean, do I look Amish?‟ John
„I thought I was the English.‟ John
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WITNESS
the corruption of innocence – growing up
„What you take into your hands you take into your heart.‟ Eli
„Only the bad man. I see. And you know these bad men by sight? You are able to look into their
hearts and see this badness?‟ Eli
„And having seen you become one of them. Don‟t you understand?‟ Eli
„I just don't like the idea of my son spending all this time with a man who carries a gun and goes
around whacking people!‟ Rachel
„I can see what they do. I have seen it.‟ Samuel
„Yeah, now I got a witness.‟ John
modernity versus tradition
„You bring this man to our house with his gun of the hand. You bring fear to this house. Fear of
English with guns coming after.‟ Eli
„Buttons are proud and vain, not plain.‟ Rachel
„Are you making fun of me? Like the tourists…staring all the time…They seem to think we‟re
quaint.‟ Rachel
„What‟s he going back to? Nothing! Why?‟ Rachel
technology
„Mama, look! What‟s that thing?‟ Samuel
„Lady, you take my picture with that thing and I'm gonna rip your brassiere off... and strangle you
with it! You got that?‟ John
„Are you trying to tell me that there‟s no way we can locate this woman? We‟re talking about
twentieth century law enforcement, Sergeant.‟ Schaeffer
relationships
„Hurry up, John Book!‟ Eli and Samuel
„If you shame me…‟ Eli
„Rachel, who was that man?‟ Eli
„Goodbye John Book.‟ Samuel
„She thinks that you ought to get married and have children of your own, instead of trying to be a
father to hers. Except she thinks you‟re afraid of the responsibility.‟ Rachel
„If we'd made love last night I'd have to stay. Or you'd have to leave.‟ John
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WITNESS
SCENE SUMMARIES AND ANALYSIS
Complete a summary and analysis for each of the remaining 15 scenes. Use the
following summary of Scene 1 as a guide.
Scene 1: Funeral Rites
How is the scene introduced? Eg. a sea of waving crops, green, a good crop;
gradually a line of figures clad in dark clothing, as for a funeral, the men
wearing hats, the women wearing bonnets, cross the screen from right to left.
Key film techniques? Costuming – juxtaposition of the green field (life, health)
with the sombre clothing (death and loss); music
Key images? Eg. the funeral group rising up out of the field, walking towards
the camera in a line; the line of horse-drawn hearses filmed from a low-angle,
limiting our view of the setting; the text „Pennsylvania 1984‟ that appears over
the image, gives a visual shock – we are not viewing a film set in the past but in
„the modern world‟; wind blowing across green crops, like waves at sea.
Key quotes: Eg. “You be careful out there amongst the English”.
What happens?
Funeral service for Jacob, husband of as-yet unidentified Rachel, a young Amish
woman. She and her father are pictured grief-stricken. There are not enough
seats for all of the mourners, who crowd the room and stand in the doorways.
The community gathers in a private home for a funeral meal. The men and
women are seen in separate groups, the men commenting that “Jacob was a
good farmer”, while the women gather around Rachel, offering comfort in her
grief. Children move in and out apparently unmoved by grief or the seriousness
of the occasion; women are busy preparing food in the kitchen. The men share
a ribald joke about Jacob‟s „skill‟ in choosing a horse. The camera singles out a
young blonde Amish man, who is the only man shown to approach Rachel,
signalling his possible interest in her.
Who features in this scene?
Which theme/s are the focus of this scene? community, identity, relationships,
love, family
What ideas are suggested in this scene? Eg. Amish as a closed community;
countryside; lack of technology/modernity; Pennsylvania 1984 – no visible signs
of modern life; death and loss; community; prayer, faith, religion; gender roles,
separation of men and women; common identity rather than individualisation.
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WITNESS
Scene Titles
Scene 2: The Journey
Scene 3: Material Witness
Scene 4: John Book
Scene 5: Positive I.D.
Scene 6: Watch Your Back
Scene 7: Gun of the Hand
Scene 8: Plain John
Scene 9: Honest Work
Scene 10: Breaking the Rules
Scene 11: Barn Raising
Scene 12: The Storm
Scene 13: Lost the Meaning
Scene 14: Twilight
Scene 15: It’s Over
Scene 16: Be Careful Among the English
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WITNESS
FOCUS QUESTIONS
Use evidence to support your answers
1. What is the purpose of the gathering of the Amish in the opening scene and what
view of community is presented here?
2. How is it that Samuel becomes a „witness‟ to murder? Include an explanation of
why he is at the train station in Baltimore.
3. What are some of the things that Samuel is fascinated by on his journey into the
world of „the English‟? Why do these things appeal to him?
4. What does Samuel lose in witnessing the murder and how is this shown?
5. How is John Book characterised in Scene 4, John Book? What kind of man is he?
6. What moral lesson does Eli Lapp endeavour to teach Samuel about guns?
7. How successful is John Book at becoming an Amish man? What are the most
significant difficulties for him as he endeavours to „hide out‟?
8. Describe the kind of community depicted in Scene 11: Barn Raising.
9. What is at stake for both Rachel and John as they shelter from the storm and
dance to the car radio?
10. In what ways has the Amish community been placed under threat by Book‟s
presence amongst them?
GLOSSARY
Research the following items and include your own definition for each term.
Term Meaning
Amish
belonging
community
36
WITNESS
corruption
culture
identity
Mennonite
modernity
Ordnung
shunning
tradition
witness
worship
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WITNESS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Witness (1985) Paramount Pictures
Online Resources
„Amish Frequently Asked Questions‟, Ask the Amish FAQ Page [online], viewed 6
January 2009 .
„Amish‟, Wikipedia [online], viewed 6 January 2009,
.
Internet Movie Database, Witness [online], viewed 6 January 2009,
.
„Quakers FAQ‟, Quakers in South Australia [online], viewed 6 January 2009
.
„Witness HSC Study Guide‟ [online], viewed 6 January 2009,
.
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