Dear Mrs Dunkley

Summary of the Text:

When Garner is a young girl, she moves from a country public school to a suburban private school for girls. She has a very strict teacher named Mrs Dunkley, who makes fun of Garner's voice and intimidates her when she is doing arithmetic (mathematics). One day, Mrs Dunkley discovers Garner's love of language and words, and this creates a small bond between the two.

As an adult, Garner dreams about Mrs Dunkley, imagining her in a long, colourful jacket that ended in a rainbow tail. After telling this story in the opening of one of her books, Garner is contacted by Mrs Dunkley's daughter, who reveals that her mother was an alcoholic. The discovery of this dark secret about her former teacher caused Garner to reflect on how much we do not actually know about people, and how important Mrs Dunkley was in shaping the writer that Garner would become.

Meaning of the text:

This personal essay utilises the memory of a teacher to explore the complexity of relationships, especially that between a student and a teacher. Garner touches on the idea that human beings are limited in their capacity to ever truly know others, and that we may only ever know only one aspect of a person's multifaceted nature. Furthermore, Garner's reflective piece also illuminates the idea that, as we age, we rediscover the important moments of our lives and the people who shaped our passions and skills.

Ideas and Themes:

• Complexity of relationships

• Human beings are limited in their capacity to ever truly know others

• Sometimes we only know one aspect of a person’s multifaceted life.

• As we age we can discover important moments of our lives and reflect on people who have shaped us.

• Language is powerful as it can help to connect people

• Language has the power to reconstruct memories.

• Memories of childhood can be both happy and painful.

Language Forms and Features:

• Use of metaphor  e.g. 'Your face snapped shut.’

• Anecdotes.

• Humour.

• Juxtaposition.

• Voice.

• Characterisation.

• Extended metaphor and descriptive language to communicate a dream she had of her teacher.

• Imagery of Mrs Dunkley’s hands are memorable, capturing the fear of a young Helen.

• Repetition.

Characterisation:

• The primary characterisation in this essay is that of Mrs Dunkley. The perspective of her that is presented changes from a child to an adult.

• This shift in characterisation is captured succinctly in the truncated sentence 'An intense, damaged, dreadfully unhappy woman.'

Voice:

• The voice of Garner changes throughout the essay as she captures the emotions and thoughts she had as a child and then those she had as an adult. There is tonal shift between the two discinct time periods, but also throughout the paragraph. 

• Her adult voice is appreciative and mature in retrospect.

Imaginative Engagement with Text:

This refers to the extent to which readers can engage with the text and learn from it in order to enhance their own writing. From the essay 'Dear Mrs Dunkley' by Helen Garner, students can develop an appreciation of how personal memories of the past can become the catalyst for essays that explore significant themes such as the complexity of relationships.

Ideas for Mod C Writing:

Students might be inspired to create a character in their compositions who is inspired by a real person from their past or present. Garner's capacity to alter the mood of her piece from reflective and intimidated to surprised and admiring could be a skills that students attempt to replicate in their own writing.