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Plum
Boyd Cordner
'Exploring masculinity and the healing power of language with great humour, grace and whimsy, Plum is a bighearted, raw and joyous take on what it means to be a man in modern Australia.'
Sunday Times
Watch the videos where Brendan Cowell discusses 'PLUM'.
What is the appeal of seeing and hearing Cowell ? Does this inspire you to read the narrative?
Who is the book Plum based on?
Plum tells the story of Peter ‘The Plum’ Lum, a 48-year-old ex-star NRL player who lives with his son and girlfriend in Cronulla. His days kick off with a soft-sand jog along the beach, followed by a shift at the airport towing the planes out onto the tarmac, then it’s off to the pub for a few beers and a few bets with his mates. Some would say that Plum is living the Australian Dream. That is until one day at work when he suffers an epileptic fit on the job and nearly directs a plane full of passengers into a landing aircraft. Plum soon discovers that he has a brain disorder as a result of the thousand-odd head knocks and concussions he suffered on the footy field in his twenty-year career as lock forward. According to his neurologist, Plum has to make some changes or he’s heading for dementia, or even death.
Plum embarks on a reluctant journey of self-care and self-discovery, which is not so easy when all you’ve ever known is to go full tilt at everything. On top of this, he keeps running into dead poets everywhere. Unable to stop crying, he soon discovers that he has a special gift for the spoken word and that writing poetry does actually help take the edge off the anger. And so, with spectral visits from Bukowski, Plath and Whitman, the friendship of local misfits, and the prospect of new love, Plum might just be able to save his own life.....more
Plum is a novel about men, about footy, about the beauty of words and the healing nature of poetry, but mostly it’s about what it takes to be a decent human being after the final whistle has blown and all you’re left with is yourself.
Why do you think Brendan Cowell's novel 'Plum' resonates with a contemporary Australian audience in particular?
Plum explores the world of 'enablers'. Best friends or worst enemies. People an environments that are sacred or toxic depending on mindset.
Plum explores the world of 'enablers'. Best friends or worst enemies. People an environments that are sacred or toxic depending on mindset.
Do you think recreational alcohol and drug use shared with friends is simply too ingrained in Australian culture to be changed?
When,where and how does recreation smother addiction?
What is an enabler?
Did you know Cowell is a loyal Cronulla Sharks fan. Did you know Brendan Cowell acted beside Matt Nable in the series 'The Twelve'?
Did you know Matt Nable was a St Paul's Manly student?
Did you know Matt Nable was trained by his father in Rugby League and played for The Sea Eagles and the Bulldogs?
When Nable retired from Rugby league he took up boxing and personal training then became a writer, director producer and actor.
Nable is often given toxic male roles as a character to portray and writes scripts that expose the vulnerability of men who struggle with identity.
Recommended watch. 'TRANSFUSION'
Do you think there might be a character experience / connection with Matt Nable and Plum?
Have you ever thought about long term injury when watching a contact sport?
NRL superstar James Graham discovers the truth about what football has done to his brain - and faces up to deeply confronting questions about risk, reward, masculinity and responsibility.
Throughout Plum's journey he has had become a critical thinker.
What is meant by this statement?
How important is a person's identity?
What is it meant by reinventing yourself?
Why is self care and self discovery important?
Is 'identity' fluid ?
"..... hope your heads alright brave Rooster." What is the significance of this last line of the poem? Why is Corder called a brave Rooster?
How does this link with PLUM?
A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes something by saying it's something else. Take note of Cowell's use of metaphors in his poem 'Boyd Corder'.
Cowell has captured the Aussie culture in his poem. 'Blokes' banter - the crazy, colourful and exuberant dialogue that is shared between mates. 'Never get the truth in the way of a good story'. Talk about sport not about personal struggles. Play with reality and exaggerate beyond belief. The interweaving of Australian identity grounds the banter and reinforces the narrative as the contemporary reader connects with knowledge of the content. Authentic Australian stories truth telling and historical facts are open to creative interpretation and being turned on it's head. A serious conversation yet powerfully funny and engaging.
One can't help by feel Cowell has been influenced by Roy and HG who's shared dialogue is hilarious.Their use of metaphors challenge the conventions of commentary and comfort listeners as they are made to feel they too are present in the banter and these men are their mates. (Diving 2000 Olympics)
V Broome
Do you think Australian humour is unique?
Why do you think WW1 was introduced in the poem Boyd Corder?
Do you think poems like 'Boyd Corder' opens the appreciation to poetry to a wider audience?
“who’s the last guy in Australia to have poetry rescue him, and to actually discover a true talent for poetry?” Cowell
Brendan Cowell- Did you know Brendan Cowell grew up in Cronulla?
POETRY TO ME. Well, if things get too static and overwhelming in my life, I write a poem. When I was young I was on my own a fair bit. Poems helped me feel less alone. And you don’t really know what you feel about something till you write a poem about it..........more...
What connections does 'PLUM' have with Brendan Cowell's personal life?
Do you like poetry? Why/Why not?
Who are some famous poets or poems that you know about?
Have you ever written a poem?
Is song writing a form of poetry?
Why do you think Plum was drawn to the writing of Sylvia Plum?
"he soon discovers that he has a special gift for the spoken word and that writing poetry does actually help take the edge off the anger."
Can writing down your thoughts and feelings support mental health?
Duration: 1:49:30
Film -Sylvia is a story of love, passion, wit and despair between two of the 20th century's most brilliant minds, the American poet Sylvia Plath and the British poet Ted Hughes.
Duration: 28:45
A POET'S GUIDE TO BRITAIN- Episode 02: Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath
Plath was diagnosed with depression after her first suicide attempt when she was 20 years old. Her major depression (without psychotic symptoms) recurred several times. Plath never had a manic episode, but there were probable hypomanic periods in her life.
Plath's poems explore her own mental anguish, her troubled marriage to fellow poet Ted Hughes, her unresolved conflicts.
She let her writing express elemental forces and primeval fears.......more
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