Brief character profile on the character Gallipoli von Kessler from Richard Flanagan’s novel, The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

A rough diamond who likes drinking and fighting, it is Sheephead Morton who shows greater mateship to his fellow POWs than many other characters. This resource is part of a unit of work on Richard Flanagan’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North

The Narrow Road to the Deep North - Activities for Book 5 Chapters 10-18.

The Narrow Road to the Deep North - Activities for Book 5 Chapters 1-9.

Maps and details of key sites in Richard Flanagan’s novel, The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

Known as the Black Prince, Darky Gardiner is a larrikin Sergeant in the Australian Army. His plight is representative of the worst excessives of brutality and deprivation in the POW camps on the Thailand-Burma Railway. His tragic death is the turning point in Richard Flanagan’s novel, The Narrow Road to the Deep North. A twist in the narrative in Book 4 makes his life, suffering and death even more poignant.

Amy is Dorrigo Evans’ love interest in the novel, The Narrow Road to the Deep North. Memories of her sustain him in his long captivity in the prisoner of war camp. But memories fade and distort across time and Dorrigo is damaged by his wartime experiences and fails to fulfil his promise to her.

Characters and themes in the novel, The Narrow Road to the Deep North are associated with symbols. This set of activities provides a scaffold for students to identify and expand on the importance of these symbols.

Analysis of book covers using selected principles of visual literacy: content, people, medium and critical response.

Activities for Section 1: Pages 1-47 of Peter Temple’s novel, The Broken Shore.

Keith Mulvaney is Dorrigo Evans’ uncle and the husband of the woman he falls in love with. The relationship triangle becomes increasingly complicated before Dorrigo is posted to serve with the 2/7th Division in Syria. This resource is part of a unit of work on Richard Flanagan’s novel, The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

Activities for Book 1 Chapters 1-9

Word search using key words and concepts from Richard Flanagan’s novel, The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

Analysis of the article, Scars of the Burma railway trauma that never healed from the Telegraph (UK) and written by Tom Rowley. The article reports on the experiences of Fred Seiker, a Dutch POW who worked on the construction of the Thailand-Burma Railway. It is a good narrative of Fred Seiker’s deprivations and his mixed feelings and beliefs about his experiences during and after the war. This resource is part of a unit of work on Richard Flanagan’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

Sydney Morning Herald article written by Richard Flanagan about how his father’s experiences on the Thai-Burma Railway inspired his writing of * The Narrow Road to the Deep North*.

Brief video by the New Yorker, Flanagan’s Island. The video is an interview with Richard Flanagan, author of The Narrow Road to the Deep North. It covers the setting where he writes his books, his process of writing, his background and his beliefs. This resource is part of a unit of work on Richard Flanagan’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

Analysis of brief newspaper article by Mary McConville, ‘Weary’ Dunlop. The article gives a concise overview of the life of Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop.

Analysis of the online book review of The Narrow Road to the Deep North by ReadingBukowski. The reviewer discusses the character of Dorrigo Evans, the perspectives of the Australian POWs and the Japanese guards, the fragmented and non-linear structure of the novel, the themes of surviving trauma, memory, how we memorialise things and the futility of war. She mentions that the railway is a metaphor for life’s journey, that beauty and horror are not mutually exclusive in the way that good and evil may be. This resource is part of a unit of work on Richard Flanagan’s novel, The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

Video and worksheet on the YouTube video, Hellfire. A Soldier’s Story. This video examines the construction of the infamous Hellfire Pass on the Thailand-Burma Railway and the establishment of a memorial facility and walking trail in the mid-1980s. Of particular note is a brief interview with Kevin Flanagan, father of Richard Flanagan, author of The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

Unit of work on Richard Flanagan’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North. Written for students of the Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE) and more broadly for the Australian Curriculum. The unit includes: Activities for Book 1 Chapters 1-9 Activities for Book 1 Chapters 10-18 Activities for Book 2 Chapters 1-9 Activities for Book 2 Chapters 10-19 Activities for Book 3 Chapters 1-9 Activities for Book 3 Chapters 10-19 Activities for Book 3 Chapters 20-27 Activities for Book 4 Chapters 1-7 Activities for Book 4 Chapters 8-13 Activities for Book 5 Chapters 1-9 Activities for Book 5 Chapters 10-18 Character profile: Amy Mulvaney Character profile: Keith Mulvaney Character profile: Ella Lansbury Character profile: Darky Gardiner Character profile: Jimmy Bigelow Character profile: Sheephead Morton Character profile: Gallipoli von Kessler Ezine article: Life and death on the Thai-Burma Railway Ezine article: Dad and the Burma Railway Video: Australian Prisoners of War Part 1: A Short History of Australian POWs Worksheet: Australian Prisoners of War Part 1: A Short History of Australian POWs Video: Australian Prisoners of War Part 2: Capture Worksheet: Australian Prisoners of War Part 2: Capture Video: Flanagan’s Island Worksheet: Flanagan’s Island Video: Book review by ReadingBukowski Worksheet: Book review by ReadingBukowski Video: Ramona Koval interview with Richard Flanagan Worksheet: Ramona Koval interview with Richard Flanagan Video: Hellfire. A Soldier’s Story. Worksheet: Hellfire. a Soldier’s Story. Word search 1945 newspaper report - The Story of the Thai-Burma Railway Ezine article: Scars of the Burma railway trauma that never healed Ezine article: Dinner with Richard Flanagan, a child of the death railway Newspaper article: ‘Weary’ Dunlop Close study of a passage: Dorrigo’s childhood in Cleveland, Tasmania Close study of a passage: Colonel Kota beheads a prisoner Close study of a passage: Amy tells Dorrigo that their affair is known Theme: War Crime Metalanguage mix and match activity Map of key sites Dorrigo Evans as Charon the Ferryman True or false revision activity Symbolism activity Crossword