Tomorrow, When the War Began-Revision
The title of the Novel ‘Tomorrow, When the War Began’, suggests both the future and the past. Why do you think the author chose this title.
I think that the author chose this title because it has a nice ring to it.
Homer and Lee reacted in different ways to Ellie’s camping trip invitation. Why? Consider the personality and the background of both boys and explain your ideas in your answer.
Homer is a much more outgoing person than Lee. Homer is often talked about as very laid-back, and Homer’s mischief at school is often mentioned.
Lee, on the other hand is a far more serious type of person, raised with much stricter parenting, and far less confident & outgoing. Homer and Lee are both excited about the trip, but Lee is far more hesitant to join it.
Ellie felt uneasy before she left Hell, and she had begun to make some connections. Why was she afraid to ask questions?
Ellie didn’t want to ruin the trip for everybody else by asking questions and raising concerns, as everybody else was having a good time.
The role of leader immediately fell to Ellie’s shoulders when the group realised the calamity of the situation. Why was that a natural reaction? What about Ellie’s character inspired her friends to trust her as a leader?
I think that Ellie was appointed as leader because she was the one who organised the trip to Hell. Ellie is strong and independent, and does not lose her cool when it counts most.
Millie and Flip were the two main pets written about in the novel. If you were in Ellie’s of Kevin’s situation, would you choose to endanger the group in an effort to keep your pet with you?
No, as the life of my friends are far more important than the life of my pet, even if I have a strong connection with said pet.
Think about Homer. He was ‘wild, outrageous. He didn't care what he did or what anyone thought’; yet Homer turns out to make good decisions. Why did this transformation occur?
I think that Homer started making good decisions because there was a lot at stake, and Homer felt the need to mature.
Robyn’s character is deeply religious. Why do you think the author added her character to the story? What sort of balance (or imbalance) does she bring?
Without Robyn, there would be nobody to question the morals of the groups actions.
When Ellie found Chris asleep during his sentry duty, she was ultimately shocked at the violence of her reaction. Was her reaction justified? Explain your opinion?
I think that Ellie’s reaction, while over-the-top, was justified because Chris’s role on sentry duty meant the safety of the group. If Chris was asleep, there would be nobody to ensure the safety of the groups position, and to notify the others of an impeding invasion.
Kevin is depicted as a coward at the beginning of the book. Do you think he redeems himself at the end? Explain your opinion
Kevin saved the group by bringing a bunch of bikes to help the group escape, which takes a lot of courage to do.
The group of teenagers broke many laws throughout the novel. Describe five actions they committed that broke a law. Do you think their actions were justified?
Vandalism
Ellie attempts to operate a bulldozer, and runs a car over in the process. There is no way to justify this action, and the action was in vain anyway, as the bulldozer was incapicitated afterward.
Theft
Ellie and Fi are stuck behind a chain-link fence, and are unable to cut through it. The two break into a truck depot and steal a truck. They then used this truck to break through the fence. This action was morally reprehensible as not only was this theft and vandalism, but the groups single motive for doing it was because they wanted to blow up a bridge.
Murder
Kevin, Corrie, and Ellie split away from the group to scout out the showground, and are spotted while trying to flee the scene. Cornered in an abandoned house, the group made a trail of gasoline that headed toward a ride-on mower, and then lured the guards toward it. Once the guards were close enough, they set the gasoline alight, and the mower exploded, killing or severely injuring the three guards. This was done in self defense, as the soldiers were firing live rounds at the group.
Trespassing
The group snuck around various places without permission, such as the truck depot, (Where they went to steal the truck used for blowing up the bridge) and the Showgrounds. (Where they snuck around to gain information on where the prisoners were being held)
Arson
The group lures a bunch of soldiers toward the bridge using a stampede of cattle, and then-- like they did with the lawnmower-- blow the bridge up using a gas tanker truck, taking out a convoy in the process. By now, the group was at war with Wirrawee’s invaders, and I think this action can be justified as an act of war.
The novel was very much about the invasion of Australia, yet the relationships between the friends is documented quite often by Ellie. Why do you think that is?
Because the group is very important to Ellie, both emotionally and literally, as without them, Ellie would most definitely have been captured by the invaders or worse.
Many invaders died in the novel, with no casualties in Ellie’s group. Do you think that it is fairer if the enemy die? Or does it become fair when both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ sides die?
I think that it is fair for the enemy to die, as they are the antagonists; they are invading Australia to take land and resources for themselves. Ellie’s group only acted to insure their own safety.
The novel reminds us that even in times of chaos and trauma, the human spirit will always triumph. Do you agree? Explain your opinion.
While the human spirit is a large part of reaching triumph through times of need, I do not agree, as, for instance, one person could not fight an army in a fair fight.
Do you think that it is friendship and family, and not revenge that provide the motives for the characters’ action in the novel? Explain your opinion.
The group acted first only to insure their survival, but as the novel progressed and as the situation that the group found themselves in began to reveal itself, the group started acting out of revenge for their friends and family.
There are four female and four male main characters in the story. Why do you think this is? Would the story be different if the ratio was changed?
I don’t think so, as, assuming the characters still had the same emotional and mental traits, the same goals could be accomplished with a team of all women or all men.
Tomorrow, When the War Began, shows us that war always brings out the worst in people. Do you agree? Use three examples from the text to support your opinion.
Kevin showed his cowardice,
Ellie lashed out at Chris,
Robin committed murder.
Which character in the novel is the most ‘useless’ in your opinion, why? What could be changed about this character in order to make them more useful?
Chris has no desirable traits or skills in a survival situation, and has a poor work ethic. If Chris was to be more hard-working, or to contribute more to the group in ways such as cooking or farming, then he would be far more useful to the group.
What would you say was the overall message of the novel? What parting wisdom did John Marsden intend you to uncover in his story?
I think that the overall message of the novel is that teamwork is super important, as without it, the group would not have survived.
Whose voice is not heard in this story? Why do you think the author has not included their thoughts and opinions.
The voice of the captured citizens of Wirrawee is not revealed to the reader. This could be because the author aims to antagonise the invaders for story reasons, such as some great plot twist.
Create an argument and justification from the point of view of the invaders as to why the invasion was necessary and beneficial.
The invaders invaded WIrrawee because they required more space for their population. This is proven by the invaders sending captured citizens to clean up the town, probably because patrons of their own countries are going to move in to them.
