"Jasper Jones" novel by Craig Silvey

Jasper jones is intriguing novel by Craig Silvey it revolves around the mysterious death the mayors daughter Laura Whishhart (jaspers girlfriend). Whose brutally abused body is found hanging from a tree in a clearing that has been adopted by jasper jones? And who has bad reputation due to his race and the fact that he has to to steal in order to survive due to the lack of parents. So jasper enlist the help of Charlie Bucktin an intelligent teenager to help hide Lauras body and get to the bottom of this alleged murder.

Jasper is forced to to hide her body instead of giving her a proper funeral as the residents who reside in Corrigan are ignorant, hypocritical, narrow-minded, racist people who fail to give jasper a fair judgement of character. They blame all their troubles on jasper and any immigrants that come to live in there town, more specifically the Lu family although the town seem to accept both Jeffrey and jasper when it comes to sports as there the towns best athletes at cricket and football the only thing that keeps jasper going is his resilience to find a way through life.

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Craig uses a large variety of conventions to engage the reader and ensure a clear understanding of the message he wants get across. Throughout the novel jasper is repeatedly used as a scape goat by the residents of Corrigan. The kids frequently use him to get out of trouble as his parents will not pass punishment as long as there children say that they were with jasper jones or even tie the issue back to him.

The adult blame him for everything as well if something goes missing it’s immediately jaspers fault or when the post office burnt down, there’s an unfortunate accident or something is found broken people will still blame jasper weather there is or isn’t any evidence to show it was him. The quotes “Jasper Jones has a terrible reputation in Corrigan his a thief, a liar, a thug, and truant. He’s lazy and unreliable.

He’s a feral and an orphan or as good as, his mother is dead and his father is no good he’s the rotten model that parents hold aloft as a warning: this is how you will end up if you’re disobedient. Jasper jones is an example of where poor aptitude will lead. In families throughout Corrigan, he’s the first name to be blamed for everything. ” And “outside of my man’s pocket I never stole a thing I dint need. For certains. Im talkin about food, matched, clothes sometimes, whatever nuthin big ever nuthin people could go without. The first of these two quotes shows how jasper has a bad reputation and that people look down on him in disgust, like his a feral runt. That he gets blamed for every misdemeanour even though his clearly not responsible the enumeration and use of insulting words gets the message across that his hated and everyone thinks his always up to no good even, that his reputation destroys any chance he has to defend himself and show that he hasn’t done anything wrong.

While the second quote justifies jaspers actions in the sense that he only took what he needed that he was only trying to survive as he had no support from his father. He never stole out of greed and never had any luxuries he only had what he needed to survive and that it was society who looks down on him even with all of their comforts and fulfilled desires.

The way in which its written shows how jasper interactions with society are limited and how his hasn’t had the option to get an education as he’s developed his own way of speaking which consist of mostly slang, this isn’t beneficial l to his reputation ever as it for some residents it reinforces the idea that he’s an uneducated feral. As a whole we can see that jasper is mistreated and misjudged which leads to everyone believing him to be genuine bad boy who is a source of unruly behaviour and a bad influence to those who are around him and as such is used as a template for where bad behaviour and disobedience will lead you.

Although Corrigans residents is highly judgemental towards jasper and acts through prejudice there highly accepting to his athletic capabilities and while his making the town look good and winning there football games for him everyone will jeer him on just like they would to a Caucasian teenager but as soon as jasper walks of the field that acceptance disappears and people start treating him like an outcast again this shows a hypocorism the people of Corrigan as they can cheer someone on as long as there accomplishing something for them but as soon as that person has done it they shack their heads at that person in disgust as through there worthless and don’t contribute to society in any way. “the folks who watch jasper play, who barrack for him like he was one of their own, are the same ones who might cut their eyes at him should he walk there way a few hours after the game. But they’ll smile and cheer and shake their heads in wonderment if he takes a run through centre or if he nails one in the pocket” this quote shows how the towns racial prejudice and hypocrisy and can in make them change their thoughts about jasper in a matter of second.

That they refuse to accept him as a civil human being in general life but as soon as his winning a game for them his suddenly the best person they’ve ever come across as he’s beneficial to them. The conventions here are juxtaposition to help show how ignorant and arrogant Corrigan’s residence really as they change their mind from he’s amazing, great, and spectacular to his filth, a runt and worthless to everybody Jasper manages to accept and lives through the prejudice based treatment because of the incredible amount of resilience he has, although his shunned, hatted, despised, judged and mistreated. Yet jasper doesn’t show any bitterness to the town of Corrigan, he doesn’t resent them he just accepts the way things are in the hopes that he might be able to change them.

He has still developed a sense of loyalty at sense of right and wrong a maturity that is far advanced for his age and a street smart attitude to what the world is actually like. he has come to forgive those who mistreat him and treat them like equals even tho they neglect his right to be treated like one. ” I bin looking after myself since I can remember. And that’s food, cloth, where I sleep the whole lot I tole, it doesn’t matter how old you are. Everyone ages. Everyone can learn a trade and pay taxes and have a family. But that’s not growing up. It’s about how you act when your shit gets shaken up, it’s about how much you see around you, that’s what makes a man.

And if I can do it here, in this town, I can do it anywhere I reckon. This quote shows how resilient jasper has always been his been looking after himself for basically his whole life and has never lost hope or the slightest amount of morale. He believes that is He can handle the stress and tolerate the intolerance of others he can make a living he can make a good name for himself and come out of it as a better person then he is a man and that if he can do it in Corrigan he can get himself accepted by anyone, anywhere. The use of slang here in jaspers speech really help visualize the situation as it makes readers feel like what jaspers saying is the truth and that ever word is meant.

Which makes it an emotive text as readers feel sorry about jaspers current situation yet are inspired by the resilience he shows to not give up. So in conclusion jasper has stayed strong despite his mistreatment by the town of Corrigan, he hasn’t grown bitter towards the residence or think of them as bad people just that there ignorant. As they only accept the athletic part of him and not the indigenous. And as such infuses the stereotype that aboriginals are bad news and jaspers already bad reputation to create the perfect scape goat for their troubles and problems and through craig silveys excellent use of conventions and unique writing style readers understand this text and its meaning relatively easy.