Belinda Murrell: Bringing Australian History To Life | Page 49

CLASS ACTIVITIES

CLASS ACTIVITIES FOR

THE IVORY ROSE
Literature: the crisis

Rewrite the climactic scene when Jemma
disappears from the past. Imagine it from

the point of view of one of the other
characters in the room, like Georgiana,
Ned, Aunt Harriet, Connie or Agnes.
Describe what you see, what happens
and how you feel,
thinking about
that person’s
character and
relationship to
Jemma. You could
write this as a
scene in a story
or as a letter to
Jemma.

Write a
ghost
story

Imagine you have
an encounter with
a ghost. Describe
the setting – is
it a spooky
abandoned

old building, or a modern scene? Think
of smells, sounds and sensations.
Describe how you discover the ghost.
What happens – is it frightening, funny,
terrifying, dangerous? How do you
feel? Is the ghost friendly, distressed or
malevolent? What happens next?

Literary devices: clues

In The Ivory Rose Jemma suspects
Georgina is being poisoned. What clues
does the author give the reader along
the way? Do you think it was intentional
that the author did this? How does it
build suspense and make the story more
interesting? Ask the class to write a
mystery by planning out the ending and
the clues they’ll divulge before they start
writing.
Extension exercise: Discuss what
is meant by a ‘red herring’. How is
it used in literature to add to the
reader’s enjoyment?

Ask students to make a map of the world their story is set in. It can be based on a real
or imaginary place. This map is one of the ones Belinda made as a child for a story
she’d written. When Belinda wrote The Ivory Rose, she referred to old survey maps of the
area (see page 47 for an example).

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. What do you think is the most
important theme of The Ivory
Rose? Find examples of scenes
and quotes in the book that explore
this theme. How is this theme
relevant in your own life?
2. Do you think Jemma changes
through her adventures in the
past? How does her attitude and
behaviour alter? Brainstorm a list
of adjectives to describe Jemma’s
character at the start of The Ivory

Rose, then make a list of ways in
which she is different by the end.
3. There are many different
families in Jemma’s life –
her own, Ruby’s, Sammy’s,
Georgiana’s, Ned’s and
Connie’s. Describe these families
and how they differ from each
other. Think about the characters
of Jemma, Ruby, Georgiana and
Connie. How are they influenced by
their families?

4. Women couldn’t vote; many
children worked long and hard
from a young age; babies
frequently died . . .
People in nineteenth-century
Australia thought very differently
about issues such as equality,
behaviour, education, health, culture
and politics. Can you list some of
the differences between Australia in
the 1890s and today?

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