Tomorrow When the War Began Chapters 1-5 questions

Must do questions Chapter 1

Question 1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of first-person narration? 

- Writing in the first person can be a disadvantage in itself if not written correctly. In my opinion, there are very certain ways that first-person narration can work well but it can also ruin the story. The way that the story is first introduced doesn’t really appeal to me and kind of turns me off from reading the story. I do think that the first person narration was probably the best choice for this story because the story would be more interesting rather than having another narrator telling the story. Having the point of view of the person experiencing the situation will be more immersive than having someone else tell the story. I did not enjoy the part during the start where they introduce the story with “It all began when…” like it is written in this text. It might also turn other readers off from reading the story. 

Question 2. Why do you think Ellie needs to tell the story in chronological order? 

“It’s terribly, terribly important. Recording what we have done, in words, on paper, it’s got to be our way of telling ourselves that we mean something, that we matter. That the things we’ve done make a difference. I don’t know how big a difference, but a difference. Writing it down means we might be remembered.” - Ellie Pg 2 

- I think that Ellie needs to tell the story in chronological order so the reader can fully understand the sequence of events and be fully immersed in the story without getting lost in what happened. This is also because the characters themselves can remember what happened to them if they ever forget. If Ellie didn’t share the sequence of events in order, then the reader would not be able to follow the events. If for whatever reason, they die, whoever discovers the writing, they can understand what happened and what risks they all too. This quote shows Ellie’s views on their decision. 

Question 3. Pick one interesting word from the chapter, find the meaning, and explain why it is interesting. 
- Arete - The word Arete means a sharp mountain ridge, a narrow ridge of rocks that separate two valleys. I thought this word was interesting simply because I didn’t know what it was. It sounded like it was a type of road or a river or something like that. In the book, Tailor’s stitch is a long line, an arete that goes dead straight from Mt Martin to Wombegonoo. It’s rocky and very narrow and steep in place. The way that these words described the arete, I thought it was some type of road, but it was really a sharp mountain ridge.

Question 4.  John Marsden foreshadows several events and characters in this chapter. Make three predictions based on the evidence in the text about what may occur later in the story.
- 1. “ None of us wants to end up as a pile of dead white bones, unnoticed, and worst of all, with no one knowing or appreciating the risk’s we’ve run.” Based on the title of the book as well as this quote, I am going to infer that a big battle happens. The “War” might not only mean a physical battle, but it could also be the battle inside someone's head, a mental battle between someone and themselves. The blurb on the back of the book says that Ellie and her friends leave home one morning, wave goodbye to their parents and head into the hills to camp out for a while. This means that Ellie is not alone, she is accompanied by her friends.
2. “We want to do a bushwalk along Tailor’s Stitch for a few days. Get away from the sex and vice of Wirrawee into the clean wholesome air of the mountains”. Based on this quote and the previous inference, I think that when they go on this trip, the ‘battle’, whatever it is, occurs while they are on this journey. Whatever happens during this story, it will occur when they are on this bushwalk. 
3. “There’s only one way to do this and that's to tell it in order, chronological order.” I think that this quote is very important because this page really has some interesting foreshadowing of events that occur during the story. The fact that they need to keep the story in chronological order so that they will be remembered, or so that they can remember themselves if they forget, shows me that there may be an event that causes them to forget, maybe amnesia? Maybe someone will die? Maybe someone will forget? But how? Whatever happens during the ‘battle’ may cause someone to have amnesia, may kill them, or may scar their minds forever. 

- Question 5. What kind of story do you think Ellie is going to tell? Use evidence to prove your answers
- I think that Ellie is going to share a very dangerous story, a story where there are countless challenges, something that will change their lives forever. Why else would they need to record their journey? Their journey must be very significant and needs to be recorded in case anything happens. 

- Question 6. What set of skills do these characters have that convince their parents that they can go bush independently? 
- Ellie - Ellie seems to have very good convincing skills. Based on how she convinced Mr Mathers that they can go bush, I think that these skills might come into use some point on this journey.
Robyn- Based on how Ellie described how determined Robyn was, I think that she will come in very handy and help the group of friends very much.
Homer- Homer is wild and outrageous. Sometimes you need that in a group of friends to balance out any sensitivities or fear in the group. Sometimes the widest people take risks, and I think that will come in handy. 

Must do questions chapter 2

- Question 1. How did the group of teenagers ascend Tailors Stitch?
As the teenagers begin their journey, they start their ascend of Tailors Stitch, they realised how difficult the journey was. Going up the first step was difficult, to say the least. As Ellie said, “there was a fair bit of swearing and sweating and pulling other people up and hanging on to other people’s packs before we were all standing on top, peering down at Home’s Ridge". Their approach to their journey was pretty basic and they even brought a chainsaw for fallen trees, which I think was a pretty good idea. They took the landrover and managed to bounce along for around 5ks but it doesn't sound very fun to me. 

- Question 2. What are the two special events happening the day after the teenagers leave for the bush? 
Commemoration day, when the whole country stops, the day of the Wirrawee show. It is a very special occasion. 

-Question 3. How many days are they planning on staying? How much food do you think is reasonable to bring, split between 7 teenagers?
They planned to be away for 5 days. I think that instead of packing a whole lot of food that would not last long or be nutritious for the teens, I would probably pack snacks such as trail mix or dried lentils, food items that would keep people full for longer, rather than small packets of chips that wouldn’t last two minutes. Foods for dinner such as already prepared soup or even fruit or vegetable items would be better for them and last much longer. They brought food items such as 2minute noodles which seems to be a pretty common camping food for New Zealanders and now apparently Australians. I think that they should have brought more nutritious snacks that can last a long time. 

Question 4. Who is Hermit and what is he supposed to have done?
Hermit is an old ex-murderer who murdered his wife and his child.

Question 5. Do you think Hermit will be a significant character in this story? Why or why not?
I think that Hermit will be quite a significant character in this story. As the teens are on Satans Steps, they start to say that if an old pensioner can walk these steps, then they can too. I think that somehow the author will incorporate Hermits murdering story into the teen's journey. I don't think that the author would have included the Hermit's story if they weren't going to use it in the story. 

- Question 6. Is their descent down Satan’s Steps into Hell dangerous? What are the dangers? How can you make it safer? What would you have done? 
I think that it was fairly dangerous because all of the dangers mentioned are quite significant and seem to be very difficult to face. They had to drop into a tangle of old logs and blackberries then scrambled up the tilted scarred face of the rock. There seemed to be many challenges and difficulties. Satan’s steps are described to be very large and difficult to descend.  I think that if I was to go on this journey, I would bring some ropes to hang on things to swing around and so I could use them to go from tree to tree. 

- Question 7. Predict what the bridge signifies? 
I think that the bridge might be an actual bridge, maybe it is something connecting the body of water that they have found? Maybe it is a way to cross Satans Steps another way, maybe a path or bridge or road? It could also signify a cross-over from Earth to Hell? 

Must do questions Chapter 3

- Question 1. Why does Robyn think that they are the first people to step foot in hell? 

I think that this is because doesn't see any reasons for anyone to bother going to hell. I do see where she is coming from because from what I have read, hell doesn't sound like the most exciting place, and there isn't really anything for anyone to do there. It is really just large plots of land that don't seem to have much of a purpose. 

- Question 2. - Why do you think the valley is called hell? 

There could be many reasons as to why the valley is called hell, I do think that this could be a foreshadowing of future events. Someone may have been trying to stop others from going to hell or even keep them out to prevent any secrets from getting out. The word hell is used for a place where people don't normally want to go, and someone may have started calling it that to keep people out. 

- Question 3. - Why must the teenagers seem like visitors from hell to the wild things living in the clearing? How is this ironic? 

This is because the teens were very loud. The irony is the fact that Ellie said: "for any little wild things living in the clearing we must have seemed like visitors from Hell, not visitors to it". I do think that this is quite ironic that they are only visiting Hell, anything living there would have thought that they are from Hell, not visiting it. 

- Question 4. - What picture of Kevin do we get in this chapter?

 In this chapter, Kevin actually had a use, Ellie said that he was "good with fires" and I think that this fire starting may come in handy later on in the story. The skill of fire starting may be very useful when in battle with something. Kevin does seem to have a lot of uses in this story, he does seem to encourage everyone to keep on going, as he said: "it's lucky I wouldn't let you pikers give up back there when you all wanted to wimp out". Although this does seem like a pretty conceited statement, he did encourage everyone to keep on going and wouldn't let them give up, whether this was for personal pleasure or not, he encouraged everyone to keep going and I do think he will keep everyone motivated during this story. 

- Question 5. - What does Ellie liken Fi to? Do you think that this is a fair assessment of her character? 

Ellie compares Fi to some sort of exotic butterfly. I can't exactly argue with this, Fi does seem to be quite a delicate person, she is also described to be graceful, all butterflies are graceful and fly with a beautiful aura and I do think that Fi fits this description as well. "No, my parents are into health foods", this statement with some context does kind of prove that Fi hasn't been exposed to some things that the others have been exposed to, exoticness to me, means different or foreign. Sometimes Fi does seem like an alien when she says she hasn't done certain things or when she does prissy, "girly" kind of things, such as when she packed all of those unnecessary things for the trip. 

- Question 6. - At times Ellie switches her narration from retelling the story to commenting about her life in the present- why do you think the author has chosen to write in this style? 

I do think that the author has purposely done this to add effect. Especially when the teens are all talking to each other, the author goes from narration to commenting on her life in the present. I do think that this does immerse the reader in the story more, it makes them feel like they are right there, compared to a narration of someone recalling the past. 

Must do questions Chapter 4. 

-Question 1. - Do you think the way they handled the snake situation was appropriate? What could they have done differently?
I think that the way they handled it was okay, there were way worse ways that they could have handled it. They didn’t exactly bash the snake's body in with a bunch of rocks so it was probably the most humane way they could have gotten rid of it. I do know of people doing things much more harsh to creatures than the teens did. I would have probably screamed and run away just after seeing a little spider in Hell, I don't think I could face a snake. 

- Question 2. - Ellie claims that Hell is just a label and that people label things all the time, She then comes to the conclusion that Hell is people, is she right?
I do somewhat agree that Hell is a label, the way that Hell is described in this story is completely different from what I initially thought it was. It was wild, and beautiful, with lots of vegetation. No place was Hell, no place could be hell. I do see where Ellie is coming from where she says that it’s a label to keep people away, to stop people from seeing it and using it for themselves. Where she says the part about Hell being people, I think it might have something to do with Hermit and his story. Maybe someone wants to keep others out of that place, maybe they want to keep it for themselves. If I discovered this amazing place, I would have kept it to myself as well, it would be my own place. This "Hell" is a deserted place, and no one had gone there for a very long time, or no one has been there at all, so it would make sense if someone called it Hell to keep people away. 

- Question 3. - What was peculiar about the planes that flew over hell? 
It's interesting because it’s on the day of Commem, the festival where the Navy and Police officers would not be working. It would be a perfect time to invade because that would be when the Officers were not there to invade and take over hell in a sense. I do think that something will happen, I do think that someone will try to either take over Hell or either take over Wirrawee. 

- Question 4. - Why does Homer's interest in Fi seem so odd to Ellie? 
It seems off to Ellie because Homer doesn’t exactly usually go for girls such as Fi. Homer would usually not treat girls properly and look after them and as Ellie says “Treats them like beanbags”. He seemed to be quite a douche and not really sensitive enough to hold a relationship and didn’t seem to like his emotions. Although it isn't really any of Ellie's business what Homer and Fi might do, I do kind of see based off how Homer talks, that he may be quite rude to women and people in general. Homer usually goes for girls that he can control in a way, girls that will listen to him and girls that won't stand up for themselves. Girls that will take whatever Homer dishes up. Fi might be a nice change for Homer though, someone who is a little sensitive, an "exotic butterfly".

- Question 5. - Fi brushes off the planes coming back from Commemoration day. Why do you think the planes were flying over Wirrawee? 
Fi may have a point, but I do think that someone is trying to invade Hell or something like that. The title Tomorrow, when the war began, makes me wonder if there is going to be some type of battle or war during this story. Someone may be invading Hell to keep it for themselves. The invaders could have called it Hell to keep people away from it. This theory does seem pretty out there, but it is a possibility, I do think that something like this could have happened. The planes could be people from another country or city trying to take over? 


- Question 6. - Robyn claims that there were dozens of planes flying over them, what is Lee's response? Is his suggestion reasonable? 
"It's probably the start of World War Three, we've probably been invaded and we didn't even know". Now, this quote really did open my eyes to the fact that someone could be invading. It isn't exactly the best way he could have said it but could be completely true. This could be foreshadowing a future event, I think that is could totally be the case. Maybe Lee is a psychic and no one knew? 

Must do questions Chapter 5

- Question 1. - What does Corrie's career choice say about her character? 
I think that Corrie is a very caring, and sweet character, someone who aspires to be a nurse, and someone who would probably be a very good nurse based on how she acts. She isn’t selfish, she is someone who cares about the wellbeing of others and wants to help as much as she can. Corrie didn’t care for the money. To be a nurse, you need to be a very caring person, I think that Corrie would be a great nurse based on what kind of person she is described to be. I do think that the choice of career sounds quite fitting. 

- Question 2. - Do you think that there would have been more drama if you and your friends went bush for a week? 
I doubt my friend group would even go bush for a week, but if we did, I think we would be alright. I guess a few arguments might spark because of food or shelters. I feel like we would be reasonable enough to go bush, it's just that I don’t think we really have many of the survival skills such as hunting or foraging for food so we might argue about who is cooking and who is hunting or who is doing what. I think that we would be okay at the staring fires but not the whole survival part of it. We may have some intellectual skills, but we are no bush people at all. I feel like food would be the sole thing we would have a wee quarrel about, we are generally calm people, except for Chloe. 

- Question 3. - Why do you think Ellie and Lee feel uneasy just before their return to Wirrawee from the bush?
They feel like the fires are a bad sign and it does make Ellie feel quite uneasy and she just wants to get back home as soon as she can. Lee feels slightly guilty about not attending the show because her dad thinks she should support it. After seeing those fires, I would probably be worried too. 

- Question 4. - What do you predict the group will come home to? Why do you think about this? 
After a short reflection period, I am worried that someone is invading and that the fires could be someone invading and causing havoc in Wirrawee. I think that this is the case because of all of the foreshadowings in these past chapters, I do think that some big disaster will happen at some point