1- Picnic At Hanging Rock Flashcards
1
Q
“Shimmering summer […] bees murmuring above the pansies […and] dahlias […] in the immaculate flowerbed”
(1)
A
- abundant use of floral imagery -> euro. flowers e.g hydrangeas = heavily personified nature -> perceived superiority of the west
- infiltration of euro flora = metaphor for factitious transform of college, anachronism in aus bush
- synaesthesia = allow reader to enthral both visual + auditory aspects
- pernicious effect of civ of nature
2
Q
‘Disapproved of St valentine and his ridiculous greetings that cluttered up the mantelpieces.’
(1)
A
- expand on austere personality of headmistress, disapproval of Vday evident in sardonic criticism
- connotations of adjective = Mrs A unravel opinion of celebration = nonsensical and unnecessary
- pessimistic outlook -> disregard for sanity + desires of student, view day of love + unity as frivolous + futile waste
- Mrs A generates ironic contrast = feelings of heartfelt woven into essence of Vday with miseries of irrevocable loss and tragedy = strength by constant patriarchal reminder of late husband
- frustration at ability of Vday to extricate girls from rigid constraints of societal expect. + repress
3
Q
“mantel pieces […] as firm as the bust of madam herself […] tortured wood […] embellishment of thousands of winking tiddling’
(1)
A
- simile = forms direct limb b/w -> symbiotic relationship: college X prosper or perpetuate trad. ideals w/o mrs A + she X maintain hegemonic control
- catalogue diff materials = exemplify the Western fixation over materialism + desire to create revered + opulent institutions
- deliberate place. adj ‘tortured’ 2 portray wood furnish. = foster sympathy 2 empathise w/ nature as it subjected to civ’s abuse of its resources
- ‘embellishment’ = symbolic allusion to the girls’ diverse + multifaceted personalities but continuously suppressed
- depicts indifferent deterioration of nature by civ
4
Q
“Appleyard college was already […] an architectural anachronism”
(1)
A
- Alliteration = emphasis on college’s intrusion in natural landscape
- Invasion = further reinforced by claim. Buildings spread ‘like exotic fungi.’
- Simile contrast domesticated plants outside, charact. colonial. as unwelcomed
- Showcase perilous impact of civ on natural untouched terr.
5
Q
“Misty summit of Mount Macedon”
(1)
A
- Proceeds to depict mystery of othering nature, narrates ‘’
- Employing alliteration of ‘misty’ + ‘’, portray latent + paranormal essence of nature
- Almost animalistic person. of nature creates contrast w/ civ; highlight inscrutability + uncertainty of nat. opposed with docile + subdued qualities of hum soc.
- Paradox emerges: M w/ its life giving + nurture. Aspects, potential for danger + threat, foreshadow imminent + tragic fates of girls succumb
- Demonstrates nature antithesis of civ
6
Q
“Now an immense purposeful figure […] like a galleon in full sail.”
(2)
A
- Nautical simile to charact. MrsA’s overbearing presence as girls abt to depart, sardonic narr. desc ‘figure’ as ‘like a galleon in full sail.’
- Maritime imagery, alludes to arrival + invasion of brit col. in aus
- Correlation suggest headmiss’s inherent voracity for control over unknown, bolster by long, preceding Hx euro dom
- Narr, pos MrsA as symbol of col attitudes towards civ, attempt 2 impose order + manipulate nature for benefit
7
Q
“‘Good morning Mrs Appleyard,’ chorused the curtseying half-circle”
(2)
A
- Continue 2 illust. the order imposed upon girls, highlight harmonious greeting
- Cacophony underscores synchronicity + conformity expected
- Alliteration evokes circularity, reinforce. MrsA’s role as vessel of colon + trad vic ideals
- Sim, in film, girls dress in long white dress + hats, greet. MrsA, in dark long gown.
- Vis contrast b/w girls’ attire + HM’s suggest preservation of innocence + piety, as sex. Repressed by MrsA’s dark + all encomp authority
- Imagery highlight restriction on self express, forced to conform 2 rigid rules
8
Q
“Therefore forbidden to engage in any tomboy foolishness in the matter of exploration.”
(2)
A
- Further constrain. Libs, MrsA forbids from engage in ‘’ due to Rock’s ‘danger.’
- Imperative sentence = ironically charged, ‘explore.’ = foundation of euro expansion into unknown
- By forbid act of disc, MrsA contradicts colonial prac of prev centuries, conflicts her character. as epitome of patriotic colon.
- L encapsulates CC b/w nature + civ, portray fear of ‘other’ stark contrast brit land
9
Q
“The vicinity is renowned for its venomous snakes and poisonous ants of various species”
(2)
A
- End announce of myriad rules + guide, MrsA deliver final warn
- Phallic + biblical imagery, mention of ‘ven snake’ alludes 2 loss chastity + inno.
- Imagery of male genitalia symbol/ girls’ breakage of celibacy, while also carry religion cons of tempt.
- Ref 2 ‘snake’ evoke garden of Eden where serpent tempts eve into defying God command
- Biblical story, rooted in seduct + disobed., parallel vulnerability to lust as freed from rules that confine
- MrsA attempt 2 maintain decorum highlight repression of sex. + demon. of nature
10
Q
‘airily dismiss the entire animal kingdom at one stroke […] we might be the only living creatures in the world.’
(3)
A
- Receive 1st impression of picnic ground, critiques Edith’s lack of rev for land, note. ‘airly…’ w/ claim that ‘only living’
- Sardonic narr. Highlight underlying impertinence of civ relo 2 nature, E frivolously undermine serenity
- Hyperbolic statement _ hum tendency 2 diminish sig of nat, value only constructs of civ.
- Emph stark contrast b/w untouched beauty + ignorance of civ
11
Q
‘the sunny slopes and shadowed forest […] so still and quiet […] unheard rustlings and twitterings, scufflings, scratchings.’
(3)
A
- Beg 2 outline diff aspects of Rock, narr desc ‘sunny slopes’ which ‘so still and quiet’, yet accompany by ‘’ of various flora + fauna
- Continuous stream of sibilance link desc of mountain peak + forest, mimics sound of light breeze, evoke sense of tranquil. + emph nature’s detach from civ
- Deliberate layered onomatopoeia, invite read. 2 immerse selves in nature, enhance synaesthetic imagery.
- Rich depiction of nat unique ambiance, simple beauty entrance girls, rep vul. Of civ
12
Q
‘torpid snakes […] awaiting the twilight hour […] to drink at the creek, while in the hidden depths of the scrubs the birds awaited for the heat to pass.’
(3)
A
- Cont. 2 detail diff parts, desc ‘torpid snakes…’
- Juxt. Of pred snakes + benign birds, explore theme of nat duality, inherent danger + beauty
- Biblical cons of snakes transform into symbol of tempt, sin + reb, subtle. Syggest threat nat pose 2 purity
- Contrast underscores how nat undermines restrictive bound. Imposed, infiltrate girls w/ carnal desires.
13
Q
‘insulated from natural contacts with earth, air and sunlight […] by voluminous petticoats, cotton stockings and kid boots.’
(3)
A
- Build on idea, note that girls ‘insulated’ by ‘petticoats’
- Catalogue various nat elements, followed by list of staple euro attire, underscore anachron. Presence at Rock.
- Cloth. Symbol patriarchal repress, restrict from fully immerse in freedom + content. Offered
- Sim, in film, as girls lulled into soporific reverie by rock, shown mindlessly remove glove + stocks, symbol submit to latent power overtake
- Act vis show rejection of soc norms 2 embrace freedom nat provides.
- Highlight contrast b/w civ’s restrict bound + libs of nat
14
Q
“Immediate impact of its soaring peaks […] impregnated with its powerful presence.”
(4)
A
- Girls arrive @ rock, experience ‘immediate impact’ which ‘induced a silence [] impreg’
- Deliberate. using phallic + fecund imagery, evoke g’s fertility, reinforce by verb ‘impreg’
- Animistic portrayal highlight power 2 coax girls 2 defy expect of vic society engage in scandal + voyeuristic behav.
- Plosive allit. Intense sense of R’s overwhelm. + supernat pres, gen ominous yet entice atmosph draws both reader + charac. 2 mystique of HR
- Depicts lib from sex. Constraints, cap by rock
15
Q
“Huge boulders, originally spewed red hot from the boiling bowels of the earth […] come to rest […] in forest shade” (4)
A
- Cont 2 revel in nat beauty, notes ‘huge boulders,’ which since settled + ‘come to rest.’
- Stark paradox of ‘boil’ + ‘cool’ highlight R’s dual nat: both life giving + perilous, exist outside strict binaries of civ
- Personification of R emph latent power + longevity, natural cycles allow endure after civ cease
- Demonstrates cc b/w n+c by illust contrasts
16
Q
“Is Edith aware of the hundreds of frail, starlike flowers crushed under her trampling boots? […] Does [Miranda] already feel herself more than a spectator agape at a holiday pantomime?”
(4)
A
- move to g’s react 2 R, shift narr 2 incl series of interrogs., questioning ‘’
- shift in narr focus on g indiv + foreshadow eventual immersion 2 nat.
- narr = critical of E, who indoctrinated 2 support Vic ideals of woman. + rep, fail 2 understand appeal of nat, symbol def 2 patriarchy
- character. of E contrast w/ M’s portray., “feet appear 2 be choose own way thru ferns” + “tilts her head towards glitt peaks”
- apparent attraction 2 R reflect desire 2 break free from 19th cent id.
- R shown as means of esc from imposed rep
17
Q
“None of them see or hear the snake […] nor the panic exodus of spiders”
(4)
A
- Further desc land, writes of ‘bats’ in ‘clammy caves’ and how ‘none of [girls]…’
- Utilise yonic imagery alongside earl. Phallic, create semantic thread link fert., sex, + self-suff nat of Rock
- Nouns ‘snake’ + ‘exodus’ carry bib. Cons, suggest motif of satanic tempt associate w/ GOE
- Through depict, highlight opp 4 freedom present by Rock + nat, present as avenue 4 escape
18
Q
‘sound of birds […] eucalyptus, their long pointed silver leaves hanging motionless […] low wordless murmur […] little spurts of laughter’
(5)
A
- M embark on quest 2 find + rescue, overwhelm. by ‘sound of b’ and sees ‘euc’, while ‘low murmur’ + ‘spurts of laugh’ fill air
- Synaesthetic imagery, M depict as disorient in nat, powerless against overwhelm force
- Senses bombard as nat taunt w/ distant sound of g, now exist out parameter of civ time
- Grad encroachment of ‘laugh’ mirror grow sense of entrap.
- Sim, in film, M’s ascent accompany by soporific sub 2 nat, struct into reverie w/ voice replay
- Hypnotic state shatter by E’s grating scream, stark rem of col
- Scream interrupt peaceful of nat, symbol invasive + opp force of col auth contrast w/ lib free of nat
- Person of immobile euc leaf demonst suff atmosph, w/ nat intrude on g’ live @ college
- Imagery high. Interminable maelstrom + conflict b/w n+c, clash seems endless + inesc
19
Q
‘the musical box whose sweet tinkling voice was sometimes behind, sometimes just ahead.’
(5)
A
- M attempt 2 find source of laugh deep beyond ‘viscous dark-green sea’, desp search 4 ‘musical box’ until it ‘suddenly ceased’ + ‘bubbles started rising from his mouth.’
- Ext metaphor of submerge under sea, L draw on symbol of sirens, entrancing beaut + seduct voice lure sailor 2 doom
- Sea personifies nat’s hegemonic cap, draw M 2 false sec of voice, 2 entrap him in dangers
- Music box, like siren voice, lead M on futile chase, bring deep into nat’s elusive + fatal allure, symbol danger gs + nat pose in novel
- Crit naïve. of civ, as nat simple dec enough 2 ensare M in treach depth
20
Q
‘the prickly grey-green dogwood tore at his fine English skin.’
(5)
A
- Cont ascent, M suffer as ‘’
- Imagery char Euro as delicate, accustom 2 perceive superior. + protect of col, thus shelt from brutal force of nat
- Nat phys tears at skin, not only undermine role as hero male sav but also destab stereotype of euro dom
- Showcase M’s grad descent into moribund state due 2 reckless pursuit, underscore dest conseq of uncheck amb, driv by carnal des + col arrog
- Illust torment impose by nat, emph unwelcome pres of civ on untouched terr
21
Q
‘each [] nightmare obstacle […] according to size and contour […] they grew larger and more fantastic.’
(5)
A
- Refuse 2 give up goal, try 2 surmount ‘each [] nightmare obstacle’ as ‘they grew larger.’
- Delib place of phallic imagery, L convey inherent voyeuristic des of mankind, evoke M’s underly sex des + obsess
- Laborious + exhaustive effort exerted by M 2 overcome peril. barriers which reflect voracious pursuit of lustful fulfil
- M’s struggle against perils of R, highlight fund incompatibility b/w hum ambition, drive by carnal des, + uncontrol force of nar, reveal ongoing conflict b/w civ + raw and primal power of nat
22
Q
‘a radiant little figure in a scarlet cloak […] a hum of excited greeting […] in silence the ranks broke to the shuffling of rubber.’ (6)
A
- Irma ‘radiant little’, reveal + ’stood on thresh’ X met w/ ‘hum of excited greeting’ but w/ eerie silence, b4 G descend into frenzy where ‘in silence..’
- Repetition of striking ‘scarlet,’ _ newfound sexuality: alien knowledge to other, envy carnal lib
- Jealousy so overpower plunge 2 communal hypnosis
- Contrast, film ad omit trance-like response, replace w/ aggress. Int of Irma
- L sibilance 2 connect key lexemes reflect systematic suppress of sex know, military image showcase growing hostility
- Aggression reinforce w/ Weir inclusion of ‘Men of Harlech’ on Piano
- Both expose mounting resentment, trap in confines
23
Q
‘the ceiling opened like a flower into the brilliant sky above Hanging Rock […] the shadow of the Rock is flowing [and as] luminous as water […] sitting on the dry grass under gum trees.’ (6):
A
- Students transport 2 paranormal revs ‘ceiling opened’ where ‘shadow of Rock’ tranquilly ‘sitting[…]’
- Botanical metaphor, employ image of blooming flower 2 symbol R’s lib + joyous atmosph, one stark contrast w/ suffocating confine of gym
- Edenic vision carry cons of sex + voyeuristic tempt, both scandal desire offer by nat
- Nat facilitate esc from soc con, seen in grad dissolution of aggression
24
Q
‘hatless, with shining yellow hair […] coming and going in the dazzling light.’ (6)
A
- In disillusioned state, see visions of lost G, w/ M appearing ‘hatless […] coming and going’
- Absence of hat, key element of compul. School uniform, symbol break from constant of civ
- Many perceive M as lost + incarcerated, in reality, accepted + liberated by R
- L int Narr emph M’s apex exist within nat, manifest in beaut e.g ‘rainbow’
- Illustrated apparent free, L highlight nat’s capacity 2 grant autonomy
25
‘hyena call of hysteria […] light voice of authority goes unheard as the passion long banked down under the weight of grey disciplines and secret fears bursts into flames.’ (6)
- Resp 2 ‘hyenas’, Madam ‘light voice of […]’
- Animalistic characterisation of collect illusory phen. Strength concept of 19th cent oppression
- Metaphor infantilises g’s response, disregarding depth of corrosive distress.
- Biblical imagery of hellfire, L stark rem of her W ideology, as rem of religion withdraw group form inscrutable shared hypn
- Illustrates continued Dom of euro rep over W, perpetually revert 2 outdate belief
26
‘clock on the stairs had just struck half past 12’ (7)
- Commence ascent to S room, note that ‘clock on stairs’, B4 open door ‘in by in’
- Denotation of clockwork + gear, create reoccur sem thread of time, strength by onomatopoeic rep of ‘tick tock’
- Insinuate college exist in manmade continuum of time + highlight how R, w/ perpetuity, transcends factitious + conventional contruct of hum
- Est distinction b/w free spirit exist + rigid structure
27
‘old woman with her head bowed [and] pendulous breasts’ (7):
- Proceed 2 desc MrsA unchar appear that ‘no human’, L derisively details ‘old woman’ seen ‘without battledress’
- Scathing tone + grotesque imagery, MrsA reduced to nothing; desc only by markings of age
- Loss of identity direct link 2 usurpation of heg power by nat
- Irony b/w HM’s austere adamance in maintain decorum + decrepit portrayal, cause by adhere to rule of patriarchal society, contrast w/ magnititude of agency disp by nat
- Showcase civ’s struggle against latent + overwhelm power
28
‘methodically going through the shelves’ (7):
- Once MrsA begin desp search 4 ans S’ room, illustrated ‘methodically […] (list),’ only to find ‘nothing, deduc[e] nothing, decid[e] nothing.’
- Incessant catalogue, portray MrsA’s desp + helpless as painstakingly search 4 reason
- Grad decline 2 psychosis mirror destab of col belief she indoc w/
- Room’s ‘perf order’ implies no tragedy occur, like G never belong 2 college + instead property of nat
- Nat subtly act + fundament changed basis of college
- W’s film adap, scene = altered, rather than obsess scour, MrsA quick leave b4 return 2 room, sob.
- Addition S portray w/ more agency, suggest esc may be deliberate
- Repeat noun ‘nothing,’ L utilises the cons of emptiness 2 create sense of hopelessness, as Mrs A another col led into futile chase, like M at R
- Illustrate mental perturbation
29
‘dreadful day of enforced inaction […] rose and began taking the roller out of her hair’ (7):
- Abandon frivolous search, L acknowledge HM’s next ‘’ as ‘’
- Employ dental allit, revisits idea of interminable dismay + anguish
- Repetition delineate exasperation + desire 2 break free from confusion
- Snap back 2 reality @ end symbolise façade of control, losing self + grip she has on freedoms
- Factious nature of civ + nat undermine superficiality
30
‘undergrowth at the base excluding the dank forest breath of decay’ (8)
- Beg 2 depict A’s meticulous observations of Rock, narr notes ‘undergrowth’
- Delib use of dental imagery, passage foreshadow A suicide. Death imagery strengthen by mem of late hus ‘Arthur’ blatant signal imminent demise
- Nat taunt w/ subtle allusion 2 fate, fate dictate by peril of R
31
‘nature than a scarecrow rigid on a broomstick’ (8):
- Anachronistic pres in nat land = glaringly obvi as ‘knew no more of nat’. Personify nat, imply R’s vitality, demonst autonomy
- A = alien in wilderness, having ‘never walked between […] never’. Anaphora _ absurdity of figure so deep entrench in pat civ embrace wonder of nat
32
‘off her gloves […] perspiration trickle down her neck.’ (8):
- Pause during arduous ascent, A ‘take off glove’, allusion 2 G’s descent 2 sop rev @ R.
- Subtle parallel suggest even most rigid fig succumb 2 nat command
- Exertion reinforce by tactile image of ‘persp trickle,’ highlight exteme phys effort req 4 civ 2 comprehend nuance of nat
33
‘dead. Both dead […] towards the precipice and jump’ (8):
- Elegiacally reminiscing abt lost Gs journey 2 R, declares ‘dead’. Consec frag convey chilling indiff 2 fate, subtle imply murder
- Followed by sudden hallucin of ‘Sara […] w/ one eye fixed […].’ Increase sinister image, reinforce by sib of observe of ‘spider’ intense narrative undercurrent of guilt + accuse
- Harrowing rem of sin drive her 2 ‘[run] towards’, culminate in stark image of ‘head in brown hat’ tumble down monolith. Synedoche strip of indiv, frame suicide as final, futile assert of agency against nat
- Converse, film adapt omit sequence entire, instead depict A sit stoic silence while narr speak of events
- Shift reinforce overwhelm dom of nat wil over heg des of civ
34
What statement #1
During ___, Lindsay elucidates the cathartic and defiant embrace of nature compared to the stagnant repression of civilisation.
35
Why #1
Ultimately, through the characterisation of __, Lindsay explored the endless conflict between nature and civilisation’s prowess.
