Preview

Changes for Looking for Alibrandi Essay Example

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
410 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Changes for Looking for Alibrandi Essay Example
Analysing the Text
The novel text Looking for Alibrandi is a great novel to study about change because this novel deals with many aspects of changes including perspective change and attitude change

In the novel, when Michael Andretti first finds out about Josie he says “I do not want to see her. I do not want to love her. I do not want a complication in my life” this is dialogue which is telling us that Michael is angry and he has a negative response to wanting to know his daughter. As the novel progresses, Josie and Michael Andretti start to bond more, enjoying each other’s company and starting a father and daughter relationship, where Michael is changing his perspective on knowing his daughter. As Josie says “I love Michael Andretti more and more everyday” The repetition of word “more” shows us that Josie really means what she says. This is an example of perspective change.
The attitude change in the novel would mainly highlight Josie and her grandmother Nonna’s relationship, Her over baring, traditional Italian women who is afraid of change and tries to protect Josie from the new world. The beginning of the novel Josie has a negative attitude towards Nonna where her Nonna would always say “I am an old woman now and I deserve respect” the tone shows us that she is upset, sad and is not gaining enough respect that she deserves, but as novel went on they had became closer and closer and through this closeness Josie learns of her Nonna’s secret that Josie’s mother’s biological father is not Francesco but is Frances Sanford an Australian man who had been there for Nonna when Francesco was treating her poorly, “Your Grandfather treated me like one of his farm animals” as Nonna tells her the story Josie starts to resent herself because of what Francesco did to Nonna. After hearing this story Josie realises that her Nonna isn’t that bad as she has thought, realising that she is only human and in many other ways, as a young women similar to herself, gaining more

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Melina Marchetta’s 1993 novel, Looking for Alibrandi, is based on the story of an Italian teenage girl living in Australia during the early 1990’s in Sydney. Kate Woods’ motion picture interpretation of the book creates similarities and differences between the two texts. By comparing the characters of Josephine Alibrandi, Katia Alibrandi and Poison Ivy/ Carly in both texts, the audience are able to identify the likeness and contrasts among the film and novel.…

    • 987 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1. Humour: Humour is used in Looking for Alibrandi to convey Josie’s cultural connections to food such as pizza and pasta, as shown when Josie is having a conversation with her father who asks if she likes pizza to which she replies, “What a ridiculous question. I suppose you’re going to ask me if I like pasta next.” The use of sarcasm by Josie, clearly demonstrates the humour in the novel by dismissing her father’s question as the answer should be obvious. This sets the foundation for the father-daughter relationship to develop.…

    • 829 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Looking for Alibrandi is an Award-winning contemporary Australian teenage novel written by author Melina Marchetta, which highlights cultural, age and social boundaries that were evident in the earlier periods of Australian society. In this book a number of characters were discriminated and marginalised due to their culture, gender and social class. Marginalisation is when people are being separated from the rest of the society and thus are powerless and deemed unimportant. This book represents idealistic and revised view of Australian society representing number of characterisations in terms of a patriarchal, Anglo-Celtic, ethnocentric, middle-class…

    • 983 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the novel and towards the ending Michael is genuinely reflected as a positive fatherhood figure for Josie. With Michael and Josie both dismissing each other at the beginning, Michael shows persistence in wanting to re try the father role which results in Michael and Josie to see each other more often. When Josie gets herself in a pickle at school with a girl named Carly, she depends on her father to help her out. When Michael defends his daughter, Josie truly accepts Michael as her father. “For a few minutes I knew how it felt walking alongside one’s…

    • 841 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    So I hit her with it.” Carly’s father demands that Josie get a lawyer so she rings her father. “Andretti walked in... he was also glaring at me so sharply that I felt no need for celebration.” Here Josie is fed up with Carly’s racist comments so she hits her. She is sent to the principal’s office to await her punishment. Josie takes the risk of calling her father to get her out of the mess she’s created. This example is important because it helped me understand them both better and like them both a bit more because Michael does come and he is constructive as he resolves the conflict. She “liked the feeling of having her father beside her when she walked out of school”. Josie relies on her father for the first time. This helped me to understand her ‘hang ups’ as most teenage girls have a cool dad to help them out, should they ask. In my opinion this shows that Josie is starting to develop feelings towards Michael as she has depended on him. Also Michael had to leave work to help her. He’s not used to being a dad but came anyway. This shows that he too, is starting to warm to the idea of a new family member. Their relationship takes off from…

    • 666 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The novel Looking for Alibrandi effectively explores the theme of change, it is seen through the novel that Josephine Alibrandi, the main character and narrator, significantly changes as an individual, friend and family member as her perspective on life changes throughout the year. First person narration gives the responders an insight into Josie’s mind and reveals how her feelings change towards Jacob Coote and the changes that occur in her life. As she is “beginning to realize that things don’t turn out the way you want them to” the readers feel empathy and suspense as she narrates her inspirational story. Another technique Marchetta uses to create suspense and also add tension to the storyline is by adding ellipsis which leads up to what Josie reveals to the readers. As Josephine is almost peer pressured into becoming intimate with her short term boyfriend, she stops and says “until … maybe until I’m engaged”. The use of ellipsis illustrates the tension between Jacob and Josie, but reveals that Josie does not change even though Jacob is pressuring her, this adds to the character of Josie and proves to the audience that she is strong and will stand up for herself. Therefore Marchetta portrays that change may be hard to avoid, although the right change is needed to become the person we desire to be. Josephine is strong enough to…

    • 1012 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    A number of events occur in the novel, which illustrate this. A prime example is when Josephine discovers that her father, Michael Andretti did not run away from her mother, Christina because she was pregnant. Josephine had resented her father her whole life because she believed this was the reason, but she finds out he did not even know Christina was pregnant at the time when he and his family moved to Adelaide, in fact, he didn’t even know that he had a daughter until recently. This drastically changes the way that Josephine sees her father. Another example of a change in perspective due to increased knowledge is her perspective of her grandmother, known as “Nonna.” She discovers that she was in an arranged marriage to someone she did not know and that she fell pregnant with an Australian, Marcus Sanford. After gaining the facts, Josephine realises that her Nonna isn’t as bad as she had initially thought. She comes to realise that she is only human, and in many ways, as a young woman was similar to…

    • 1244 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the novel Looking For Alibrandi by marlena marchetta, Josephine Alibrandi (also known as Josie) is a typical 17 year old in her H.S.C year at St Martha’s, during the course of this year her understanding about life around her changes and so does her views on the people she loves most. Throughout the novel we see a great change in Josephine from a selfish and uncaring girl to a caring more sensitive young lady. Her life changes dramatically throughout the year as she slowly changes and learns to cope with the changes of others. Throughout this novel Josephine and her family struggles with cultural differences in Australia and acceptance into the Italian community leaving Josephine desperate to become socially acceptable within her culture, family life and school life. .…

    • 696 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Oh Josie is a wonderful and social friend to talk and fun to play with. She talks open-mindedly and truthfully, listens to what other people says and replies back with respect” says Sera, one of Josie’s best friends. Sera is the only person from school that has the same nationality as Josie. “Because we have the same ancestry we have a thin bond, we always have most of situations and attitudes in common like when we greet each other how we talk to each other and hate each other”, she laughs.…

    • 805 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Among the many relationships Josephine develops throughout the novel, the relationship she establishes with Michael Andretti her father is by far the most important. The bond between Michael and Jose doesn’t really exist until Josie hits carly in the face with her science book, breaking her nose and most likely her modeling career, although carly provoked the attack her father is determined to sue Jose. As Michael comes to redeem her, Josie feels proud to have a…

    • 874 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    There are fourteen pictures in the book, which almost all reflected on a time she felt she belonged with the Regans. Almost every time, she feels as though she belongs with them, and regretted running away from them. The memories of belonging with the Reagans overpower any other memories. The whole book is about her trying to get where she belongs. She tries to get where she belongs and “camps out” at the Regans house. She still had memories of the Regans, even stronger, and she knew she needed the people she belonged with as well as the place she belongs. She is unconsciously drawn back to who and where she belongs. Eventually, she does get where she belongs, and Josie gets where she belongs, with Beatrice in her home. By the sea. The Atlantic…

    • 1057 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Bra Boys

    • 2974 Words
    • 12 Pages

    The technique of episodic narrative style of writing is written in first person as readers note Josie’s perspective develops as she learns more about her grandmother. In the beginning, Josie hates spending time with her and reveals “my main objective in life at the moment is to get on my grandmother’s nerves”. As the novel progresses, Josie’s learns about her Nonna’s affair with Marcus Stanford. She realizes Nonna “hadn’t lived life the way she thought, she hadn’t played by all the rules”. By the conclusion of the novel, Josie sees Nonna with a new found respect as she realizes “I’m loved by the two strongest women I’d ever meet in a life time”.…

    • 2974 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Looking for Alibrandi

    • 619 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Josephine Alibrandi’s relationship with her family has its highs and lows. Josie’s family impacts her as an individual in different ways and makes Josie feel suffocated by her family and religion. Josie and Jacob are in a strong relationship and Josie’s family culture as a 'wog' controls her love life and friendship life, and restricts her from going to places. “I'll run one day. Run for my life. To be free and think for myself...I'll run to be emancipated.” .The relationship between Josie and John changes in various ways at different stages. Through this relationship Josie discovers more about what is important in life and learns to accept herself for who she is. As years pass, she and Nonna develop a connection the leads to Nonna Katia revealing a big family secret that has a huge impact on the Alibrandi family’s name.…

    • 619 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Looking For Alibrandi

    • 1157 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Josephine Alibrandi was in search for her identity, yet via social acceptance not self-acceptance. Throughout the novel Josie transformed, from her feeling isolated and rejected from society to her realizing that she only needed the acceptance of herself. The contrast between ‘old’ and ‘new’ Josie is easily noticeable. ‘Old’ Josie described herself as feeling “disadvantaged from the beginning” and thought one of the many things that held her back from society was being illegitimate.…

    • 1157 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Josephine changes the way she sees herself and comes to understand their family’s culture and traditions. Josie places herself in uncomfortable positions with negative thoughts at the start of the year, remarking “I felt disadvantaged from the beginning… I will never be part of their society…” Josie’s attitude is undesirable with no love and compassion towards herself. Throughout the year, she suddenly faces many situations that change her thoughts and feelings. “I’m an Australian with Italian blood flowing rapidly through my veins. I’ll say that with pride, because it’s pride that I feel.” She states her ego with pride and self-confidence, accepting her family’s past and cultivation.…

    • 583 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays