Rabbit Proof Fence
Why was Molly told to hide the other children?
Because the police were looking for half cast children and they would’ve been taken away forever.
Who is Mr Devil?
Auber Neville, called Mr. Devil by the aboriginal people back then, was the chief protector of all aboriginal people and was in control of what all aboriginal people could do, he was also in charge of what children get taken away and get rehabilitated.
Explain what he meant by “bred out”
That eventually half-casts would be bred out because they would keep having whiter and whiter children, eventually causing an extinction to aboriginal people.
Why were the children brought to Moore River? Do you believe this is a good reason? Why?
The children were brought to Moore river in order to be taught how to live in the white society, however when they grew up they would basically treated as slaves. I don’t believe this was a good thing to do but they thought it was a good decision for the countries future, which it didn’t turn out to be.
How were the children transported?
They were brought by car to a train, in the train they stayed in a cage, after they got out of the train, they got put in the back of a truck.
What are my impressions of the dormitory?
I thought that it was bad how the children were forced to adjust to something this drastic, against their nature and their will. My impressions on the dormitory were that they wouldn’t have been good to be in after staying with their family their whole life.
How did this compare to the environment that they were in?
They most likely had never slept in a bed like that or any bed at all, which is most likely why they didn’t know how to make the bed.
What was some of the English culture that was forced onto them?
They were forced to believe in Christianity, which was conflicting with their religion, they were forced to learn how to sew and they weren’t allowed to speak their own language.
Why were they searching for “fair ones”?
Fair ones were half-cast kids with lighter skin meaning they were thought to be smarter and have more white blood, they were searching for kids like this so that they could be sent to school and have a proper job when they grew up.
How did they punish children who ran away?
They set examples for people who try to run away by getting one girl who ran away, whipping her, cutting her hair off and shoving her in a tiny shed
Who is the tracker and what is his job?
The tracker is the father of a girl in the camp, he is very good at reading tracks in the ground. His job is to catch children that ran away from the camp.
What was the significance of Molly’s dream?
Molly’s mum told her that the eagle will protect her from harm and bad things, she dreamt of an eagle and this gave her the courage to run away.
Why didn’t Daisy want to leave?
Because they made her scared to leave and she began to get comfortable where she was.
Why was the rain important
The rain was important because it gave molly a chance to leave because the rain would cover their tracks.
Why did they leave Gracie’s bag and then walk along the river, did it fool the tracker?
They were smart by trying to fool the tracker by letting him think they were actually upstream which wasn’t true, they were downstream and by the time that the tracker figured it out, they had gotten away in time.
What did Molly’s hand signal mean?
Molly gave a hand signal that asked for food.
What food were they given?
The man had killed and cooked a kangaroo, he gave them the tail which would give them enough food to continue.
Why was the Rabbit Proof fence important to Molly?
They knew that the Rabbit Proof fence when straight through where they used to live and that they could use it in order to get home.
Why did the tracker and the policeman miss finding the girls the first time?
Because they moved along the wrong fence and had to cut through a different area, meaning they missed the tracker and the policeman.
Why did the white woman help the girls?
I believe she helped the girls because she saw how much they wanted to get home and how hard it would be for them and maybe she felt empathy for them. It’s possible that she saw them as young children who are mistreated instead of aboriginal children who deserve all the bad things that happen to them.
How far had they gotten by the time they met the ex-Moore river child?
They were told that no one had ever travelled that far from the camp after escaping and that they had travelled around 800 miles which is 1280 kilometres
Why did so many people want to help them even though they wanted by the police?
I believe it’s because they saw their bravery and they saw they were just normal children that were trying to get home after being captured
Why did the tracker have empathy for the girls?
Because he had empathy for them and I think that he also wanted to go home and stop being held against his will.
Why did the Aboriginal lie to Gracie?
He wanted to trick them so that they would get captured again but only so he could get the reward money that was given out to whoever helped them get to the police
Did you feel empathy for Gracie? Why?
I felt empathy for her because she trusted that man because he was aboriginal and she thought that he would be trustworthy.
What were the aboriginal women up to?
They were singing to the spirits in order to protect the girls on their way back home because they knew that they were getting closer.
What did Molly mean when she said “I lost one”?
She was referring to when Gracie was tricked and captured by the police.
Why was the colouring of the girl’s skin significant?
Because half-casts were thought to have more white genes in them meaning that they were thought to be smarter and able to assimilate into the white culture better.