English: The Yellow Brick Road pt2 (lockdown)

Story Link: 

https://englishwithhume.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/7/2/10723048/yellow_brick_road_by_witi_ihimaera.pdf

Why does the narrator (speaker) believe they are moving to Wellington? In the narrator’s point of view, he believes the reason why they are moving to Wellington was that it will help them have a better life. As a piece of evidence, he said, “We'll make lots of money and be rich as anything because Wellington is where the money is. And you have to go where the money is, ay Dad. No use staying in Waituhi and being poor all the time, ay”. What Matiu (narrator) meant was Wellington was a place where there are a lot of opportunities, a better economy and a better lifestyle, which was good for his family.

On page 1, the difference between Waituhi and Wellington the narrator mentioned.

“Wellington is where the money is. And you have to go where the money is, ay Dad. No use staying in Waituhi and being poor all the time”

On page 3, Dad told Uncle Sam the reason why they were moving to Wellington.

Matiu’s dad explained to uncle Sam the reason why they were moving to Wellington was that there were “No more jobs back home”. He added, “Plenty of the seasonal work, yes, but I and Hine had enough of that. We had enough of shearing, the fruit-picking and the going down South to shear some more. No, plenty of work in Wellington. Plenty of factories.”

 “I want us to have a good life, a new start. A new start for my kids. Me and Hine, we've always had nothing. But my kids? They're going to grow up with everything. I'll fight for it because they must have it”, he emphasised.

How does the narrator’s attitude towards moving change once they draw nearer to the city? 

As the family draw closer to the city, Matiu's emotions changed. Before the trip and during the trip, he was excited, curious, interested, and thoughtful. When they were near the city, his views changed. He saw a lot of signs which caused him to feel overwhelmed and scared. 

Emerald City, Yellow Brick Road, Flying Monkeys, scarecrow, tinman and cowardly lion, are all allusions (references) to what famous book? The Wizard of Oz.

Why do you think the author made this comparison? I think the author, Witi Ihimaera used the Wizard of Oz reference was to show the audience the journey of people moving into a different and unfamiliar place, where they face a lot of twisted events, unleash a different version of themselves, adapt to different environment and the takeaway of the stories.