Year 10 Focus Study – We All Fall Down
Set Text: Robert Cormier, We All Fall Down.
In this focus study you will consider the novel’s concerns and language features closely.
You will be assessed on how well you:
• Respond to and compose sophisticated and sustained texts for understanding,
interpretation, critical analysis and pleasure
• Select and use language forms and features, and structures of texts according to
different purposes, audiences and contexts, and describe and explain their effects on
meaning
• Experiment with different ways of imaginatively and interpretively transforming
experience, information and ideas into texts
Part 1. Introduction.
● Opening brainstorm – What books should school students read? What needs to be taken into
account. Decide on three essential criteria.
● Context – background to the author
● Read the quotations about the novel as an initial preview into it.
Quotations to consider when exploring Robert Cormier's, We All Fall Down.
The Collision between the Individual and Self, the Individual and the Institution of the Family,
the Individual and Society.
●
.....provide young adults with a window through which they can view the world, and which
will help them to grow and understand themselves and their role in society.
●
I've always hoped my novels could show adolescents the bigness of what's out there and that
happy endings are not our birthright. You have to do something to make them happen.
●
There are no taboos. Every topic is open, however shocking. It is the way that the topics are
handled that's important.
●
.....psychological thrillers such as We All Fall Down don't for a moment shirk the cruelties
that humans inflict upon each other.
●
.....his novels create a fascinating portrait of suburban American life seen through the eyes
of children.
●
One thing I'm interested in is the nature of evil, and the evil that exists in my world. Evil
does not emerge from his cave at midnight but goes into his air conditioned car in the
morning and drives to work.
●
I think there's a lot going on in today's world that we have a false view of. Television in
particular is lying to us. In the program before the nine news the good guy always wins –
that's a lie. The TV commercials tells you that if you use a certain deodorant everyone will
love you – that's a lie. We know that life is not always hip and happy. There are enough
books with happy endings. I think there's room for the realistic novel about things that really
happen in the world. I try to write a warning about what's waffling out there.
●
●
●
Discuss the various book covers and what they suggest about the novel and its concerns
What window does this novel open up for us? What world do we enter? What do we learn
about our contemporary society and the experience of being human?
Censorship and We All Fall Down- look at banned books and the concept of censorship
Part 2. Close Analysis of the Novel.
● As a class we will be discussing the novel closely whilst also writing notes about its central
concerns and techniques Cormier uses to help communicate these.
● Concurrently with this class study there will be exercises as part of a Study Guide to
complete to help you consider the novel in some depth.
Opening task - Representation
a) Visual Representation
● Create a Visual Representation which reflects the main concerns of the novel. Do not
include the title or the author. It may be as abstract or as concrete as you please.
● Your visual should include a central or series of images, and central quotations from the
novel which reflect what Cormier was attempting to explore about the individual and
society. Colour may also be used to help you represent ideas.
● Use one A4 sheet of paper for this task.
Part 3. Group Panel Task.
Assessment Task – Speaking.
a) In groups of four/Five imagine you are part of an Arts Youth Program which discusses
issues concerning books, films, theatre. One member of the group must be nominated as
host/facilitator
b) Create an episode of this program which focuses on We All Fall Down. Discuss whether this
novel is still relevant to today’s youth. (We will try and watch a panel discussion to help
understanding of how to structure such a program). You will need to produce a script
Note:
● each member of the group must take an equal part in the discussion, and you will need to
decide what voice you represent eg, a professor of literature, a writer for young people, a
youth psychologist, a secondary teacher, an “expert” on contemporary teens, a student
etc.
● spend some time discussing the issues (at least 2) the novel attempts to deal with,
particularly around the idea of the individual and society.
Criteria
• discuss issues (at least 2) from the novel and consider how they would be viewed by
a range of different perspectives
• use language, tone and gestures appropriate for the intended audience
• demonstrate an understanding of the purpose and format of a panel program
DUE :
MARK : /15
STUDY GUIDE
Robert Cormier, We All Fall Down.
This Study Guide is to be done individually to help you supplement class discussion about the
novel. It is intended to help you consider the novel closely and begin to explore your ideas and
perceptions about characters, concerns, structure and techniques Cormier utilises.
Your answers can be written in point form
Try and process this work a little each evening after we have discussed ideas in class.
______________________________________
1.What do you think is meant by the title’ “We All Fall Down’?
What does it mean ‘to fall down’ - literally/figuratively
‘Who ‘falls down’ in the novel?
2.In the opening chapter, the ‘invaders’ injure Karen Jerome and destroy the Jerome’s house.
What else is destroyed as a result of this invasion? p.53, p.76 p.92 p.113
3.We are never told how the family felt when they entered their trashed home. What do you think
would have been the response? Write a brief reflection from the point of view of one of the family
members as they arrive home.
4.What different elements does the use of three different perspectives reveal? - Buddy, the Avenger
and Jane. Which perspective resonates or engages you the most? Why?
5.How do you respond to the attitude of Harry Flowers? a) before you know some of his back story
b) after knowing some of his back story
The themes of ‘We All Fall Down’
•
Trust/dependence
•
Love
•
Friendships
•
Family
•
The safety of our homes
•
Security
Cormier also understands the essential elements that affect, motivate and move us:
•
Guilt
•
Fear
•
Pride/self respect
•
Honour
•
Love
•
Hate
•
Anger
•
peer pressure
•
revenge
•
isolation
6. Issues explored in the text.
a. Create a mind map of THREE main concerns which the text explores.
b. For each concern also include how it is revealed in the text – through which character &/or
incident and technique(s).
Provide at least 1-2 quotations which support your observations.
7.What motivates:
-
Buddy p.50
-
The Avenger
-
Harry Flowers
Create a symbol for each of these and explain your choice
8.. How do you think the composer feels about each of the main characters? How do you know?
Consider such things as Does the composer approve of their actions or think they are misdirected?
think about how they are depicted in terms of what they say, how they say it, what they wear, their
mannerisms etc.
d. How do YOU feel about these main characters? Which are more interesting to you?
4. Exploring the Setting.
a. List the settings used in the text.
b. For each setting, write 5 words that describe the place, including its atmosphere and what it may
represent about the broader context/ideas of the text.
Forum Questions – Speaking Assessment Task.
You may like to use the following questions to help you structure your Forum Discussion. These
may give you some ideas regarding the type and range of questions to ask to help talk about this
text.
______________________________
1. “Cormier has always been a controversial author, guaranteed to polarise teachers, librarians, and
parents in their views on his writing. At the same time he is hugely popular with teenagers,
providing compelling and demanding reading for many young people who rarely find books to
sustain their interest. His books have variously been described as 'powerful but deeply
disturbing'...'brilliant, brutal, uncompromising'.....'stunning'.....'compulsive'....'physically
disgusting'...'sexist'...
2. What is it about the novel that you have read that some may find controversial?
3. Which of the above descriptions of Cormier's writing would you agree with? What words would
you add to the list?
4. Would you 'compliment' or 'damn' Cormier's work? Explain.
5. It has been said that Cormier writes for young people as if they were adults. What is it about
Cormier's novel that might give this impression? Do you share this opinion?
6. Discuss Cormier's treatment of evil in this novel.
7. “I try to create real people”. Consider the characters in the novel you have read. Hoe did Cormier
attempt to make them 'real'? Did he succeed? Explain.
8. What warning did the novel seem to contain? How did you personally respond to the subject
matter of the novel?
9. Did you find Cormier's depiction of the male characters better than that of the female characters?
10. Critics have noted, and he has agreed, that Cormier's novels are about Institutions and the
systems by which a society operates. Which of these feature in this novel? What does Cormier
appear to have to say about them?