Erin's English Blog

Character Analysis

erih — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 02:34:44 +0000

Francesca

Symbolism of name:

Francesca is a ‘female given name’ that has originated from
Italy and France. It is derived from the Latin male name, Franciscus, meaning ‘free spirited’. In the novel Saving Francesca, the character Francesca is far from this; she is caught up in complications from both her school and home environments. During the novel, the main character, Francesca has many different names; Frankie, Francis and Fran. These names symbolise the different lifestyles and identities she has; school, home, and around friends, or family. Towards the end of the book she finds her identity (nutshell version)

Speech:

Saving Francesca is written from the point of view of the main character, Francesca. She uses informal speech and often mumbles smart comments under her breath. However, she is more polite around people of higher status or who are superior to her (her teachers, parents etc.)

Appearance:

Francesca is a 16 year old girl with an Italian background; she is attending year 11 at St Sebastian’s. The reader doesn’t get a written description of Francesca, but we can visualise her appearance by the front cover of the novel and what the other characters think of her and say about her.

Actions:

Francesca reacts in a variety of ways towards the different people she meets during the novel Saving Francesca. To the boys at St Sebastian’s, she is very forward and speaks her mind around them. To her mother, Mia, she is supportive and they are portrayed as best friends. They fight with each other quite a lot but it is always resolved. Francesca is cautious around the other girls at St Sebastian’s because although she is friends with them, she doesn’t feel completely comfortable around them.

Quotes:

“And being happy makes my feel guilty. Because I shouldn’t be. Not while my mum is feeling the way she is. How can I dare to be happy is beyond me and I hate my guts for it. I hate myself so much that it makes my head spin.”

“And with tears in my eyes, I smile back.”

Saving Francesca – Response

erih — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 01:28:05 +0000

Saving Francesca, written by Melina Marchetta, is an uplifting and emotional story about a young girls struggle to be accepted in a totally new society.

Francesca is starting year 11 at St Sebastian’s. It is mainly an all boys school but it has just started accepting girls for the first time ever. Her old school, St Stella’s, only went up to year 10 and most of her friends were enrolled in Pius Senios College. But her mother wouldn’t allow it because in her opinion, girls leave there with limited options. There are thirty girls at St Sebastian’s and life for Francesca is a whirlwind of complications, both at at school and in the home.

Her mother is suffering badly from depression, and Francesca has to look after her father and brother, while also juggling her own teenage problems. She is lost.

“I miss the Stella girls telling me what I am. That I’m sweet and placid and accommodating and loyal and non-threatening and good to have around. And Mia. I want to say, Frankiw, your silly, you’re lazy, you’re talented, you’re passionate, you’re contrary. I want to be an adjective again. But I’m anoun. A nothing. A nobody. A no one.

Film Review: Finding Nemo

erih — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 02:32:03 +0000

Children and adults, both young and old will adore this hilarious animated adventure movie, Finding Nemo. This light-hearted comedy is swimming with laughs and overflowing with emotion -people will find themselves watching it over and over again.

When Nemo, a young clownfish, is taken by divers far from his underwater home of the Great Barrier Reef, his overprotective father, Marlin, and a friendly but forgetful Dory set out on an epic journey to save him. Their adventure leads to many strange encounters; from vegetarian sharks and hungry seagulls, to surfer-dude turtles and fascinating jellyfish. In the first ten minutes viewers are hooked.

The importance of family relationships are stongly portrayed in this