Bryan Talbert

2004 HSC PAPER 2 Section III RAW

You have been invited to give a presentation at a youth forum on institutions in our
society.
What do the texts you have studied have to say about the positive and/or negative effects
of institutions? Include 2 related texts.
Ladies and Gentlemen a remarkable man once said, Just remember, only you can change
your life. This man named Sam headed a unique institution in the novel Raw. This
institution was not a jail with tall walls & barbed wire, but a farm in a small outback town
that none of you have ever heard of. Many institutions in our society aim to punish
criminals, hoping for them to comply with societies laws someday. This institution
however aimed at institutionalising young adults such as yourselves, educating them,
teaching them important values like respect and morals and by these means having an
overall positive effect on the inmates whereby they can live normally within societys
ranks. For many this was a last resort before being placed into an adult facility. While the
effect was not always positive as with a delinquent named Tyson, the emotional &
psychological impact touched many such as Josh, the football player and Brett, the kid
whose world hated him.
Brett is by nature a non-compliant teenager, a rule-breaker who does not intend to change
his habits. Moments after he arrives at the farm Brett barks at Josh saying I know
theyre the rules. It doesnt mean I have to live by them. Initially Sam states the farm is
based on trust where you and the other inmates have to trust each other to survive. This
shows us the first signs of Sam influencing one of his life morals on Brett, the newbie.
The fact that Sam doesnt use enforcement in an intimidating manner and that he speaks
with the inmates rather than to them may be one of the reasons the he is able to
communicate and get through to the boys. Sam becomes a catalyst for change in many of
the boys lives.
The author, Scott Monk, delineates Brett as an angry individual whose supercilious
attitude makes him highly confrontational, taking offence a little too easily. Although he
believed the entire world was against him, an older boy Josh showed him the bigger
picture. We learn about Joshs aboriginal background and unlike Brett the racial prejudice
& sexual abuse he has faced in the past. Josh explains to Brett whilst on a horseback
riding adventure that he has overcome the odds and states If I can, anyone can. This is a
turning point in Bretts belligerent attitude as he begins to realise that only he is
responsible for the events in his life and only he can alter them.
Just as Brett is feeling down and is to return to the magistrate, most-likely to be sentenced
to adult prison, Josh sums up the positive effect the Farm has had on Brett as he says
Youve turned your life round for a start. Dont give in. In some ways Brett has failed
as he is sent back to jail but one must realise that Brett has grown, matured and learned.
For the first time in his life Brett has learnt friendship. Trust. Love and loss. This
defines the Farm as an indispensable institution for kids like Brett.

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Bryan Talbert
In relation to the title of the book, RAW, Scott monk believes one three letter word sums
up so many themes in the book. Themes such as rehabilitation, education, conformity,
protest & rebellion. The farm takes raw, unrefined and exposed kids and remarkably turns
many of their lives around. Monk uses a technique of conflict to lift the pace of the
situation and one word sentences to heighten the tension such as Busted.
Tyson, the villain of the novel, thrives on intimidation. He is a belligerent tyrant who is a
pervading threat to Brett and many other boys. One such boy named Frog describes the
effect of the Farm on Tyson by saying I dont think its working. In Tysons case the
Farm is a nuisance and thereby has a negative impact on him.
An article titled Freedom in a prison with boundaries, but no walls was recently
published in the SMH describing an institution in Yetta similar to that of the Farm.
The project is an attempt to reverse the statistics against indigenous Australians where 1
in 27 adult men are incarcerated.
Although the Farm doesnt really exist, this institution is a real life version. Just as Brett
expected a concentration camp patrolled by Dobermans an inmate at Yetta was
surprised at the freedom the camp offered. Im sure many of you have that terrifying
image of a huge complex, surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards but this inmate
described his first night by saying I sat by the fire all night & expected to be locked up
so the freedom shocked me. A large image in the article shows a group of young boys
playing football on a wide expanse at the institution. As Brett arrives at the Farm this is
one of the first things he notices. He sees the boys playing football, Josh included.
Clearly this real life Farm has had a positive impact on one inmate as he explains his
ambitions to become a fruit picker when he finished his time. He perfectly states the
institution and the Farms aim by saying In other jails youre there to do your time, this
is not a jail, its a turning circle.
In contrast to both these institutions a prison in Russia is described as one of the
toughest prisons in the world by the SMH (2004). The title of the article reads No escape
from despair for inmates of toughest prison which becomes even more dramatic as one
reads the text. The prison holds some of Russias most notorious criminals including
murderers, rapists and enemies of the state, held deep in Petak far from anywhere. Most
of the inmates were sentenced to execution but their lives were spared, or so they
thought. The regime is described as so unbending and inhumane that it eventually
crushes even the toughest inmates. Prisoners live in a state of relentless and unending
despair. Clearly the opposite method used to change inmates lives in the institutions
critiqued above. As the inmates await death they are kept in a tiny cell and pace around a
cage for an hour a day. The prison psychologist said this place destroys people. Their
personalities deteriorate, wither and die. This prison is guarded by two watch towers and
surrounded by a lake, quite the opposite to the freedom experienced on the Farm and at
Yetta. The effect of Petak can be no other than negative, if you find yourself at Petak,
youve had youre second chances.
Hands up, which institution would you rather go to?

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