Herr Keller,
Years have passed since my years in Adelaide, studying at the Conservatorium. Studies and friends are all a surreal blur now and the only thing that remains vivid in my mind is the advice you have given me; the countless upon countless misinterpreted quotes that my mind back then, simply could not comprehend. Or was it that I was just too egotistical to want to understand? It was silly of me to believe that I have learnt everything there is to know about piano. I recall sending you a tape of my Honours performance in Elder Hall – expecting to receive a letter of praise in return. Instead, I ignorantly and furiously tried to ignore the critique. I guess you could say I quickly fell pray to the vanities of praise and believed that I had already reached the level of a master. I believed and I assured myself that I had nothing left to learn – no one could teach me, only I could teach myself. But now I clearly understand that my life in Adelaide was simply an absence of you. I now understand and have interpreted your sly invitation back to Darwin – you critiqued me to remind me that I haven’t fully learnt yet and that you are willing to teach me what you know because you never had the chance to do that – you never got the chance to convert all your skills and all your knowledge to someone else. I thought that I have reached your standards and that I had nothing left to learn – but now, only now, do I realize that I cant and never will compare. I realise that I have wasted my years away from Darwin, simply pressing keys and hearing only notes –never real music – and obsessing over technique that I know you will never approve of. I have made decisions that cannot be unmade and now regret overwhelms me but also a sense of gratitude because I have finally learnt what you have been trying to teach me all these years.

Intermezzo

Intermezzo is an interlude of a break in music and the contents of this chapter reflect the chapter name; Paul takes a break from his musical studies with Keller and from his friends to travel to Adelaide for his school holidays. This gives him time to reflect on his life in Darwin. Adelaide used to be a utopia for him when he was younger and the he entertained himself by going to the zoo and watching television. But 16-year-old Paul did not find those things interesting anymore and instead, resorted to spending most of his holidays in the library, researching Herr Heller. One day, Paul experiences a couple having sex in the library and this leaves a lasting impression on Paul. It causes him to explore and to think about his own sexual desires. Paul focuses on reliving the activities from the library the same night rather than focusing on music. His reaction to the lovers proves to us that Paul is - simply put - just another teenage boy and it reminds us of his burgeoning sexuality. We begin to understand that whilst Paul is interested in music and his research on Keller’s life; he is more interested in his own sexual desires.
At the end of the first chapter, Keller says to Paul, “If you want people to believe your lies, set them to music.” Keller believes that music blinds Paul from the reality of the situation. He doesn’t want Paul to make decisions based on emotions, but rather based on reason. A superficial understanding of music can make Paul forget the nuance in music and forget to appreciate what the real purpose of music is. Keller sends Paul an older edition of a music book her already has. Paul is disappointed with his present but is makes him more curious as to where Keller got it from and this causes him to go and research Keller and his life in Europe.

My Father’s Axe

The story, My Father's Axe, explores the changing dynamics of a man's relationship with his father. When he is a child the man sees his father as a hero-like figure; someone who he looks up to and admires. He sees his father as someone who can build and repair anything as well as someone who protects, and he strives to be as gallant as his father supposedly is. This represents manhood as a type of trait that is passed on from father to son over time. However, the relationship is ambivalent, as he believes his father is disappointed in him. We see this on a number of occasions in the story as the relationship with his father diminished slowly and the father refuses to talk to his son on many occasions. As the man grows up and his father grows old, the relationship changes. The father becomes increasingly weak and frail, meaning that the man increasingly takes on the role of the man of the house. For a male, growing up is therefore represented as involving taking on the role of his father and doing the same chores and chopping wood just as his father did. The man's relationship with his mother is quite different. With her he is more open and communicates with her more freely. Being an adult female is therefore represented quite differently in that you can communicate your feelings without being afraid of being downgraded or seen as a weak character. The axe is a symbol of strength; both physical and emotional.

Dear Diary, Today I have had the displeasure of coming across and ad that was situated on my mother’s bedside drawer. The title, ‘Senior Year of High School’, instantly grabbed my attention since I, myself, am completing my final year of school. After reading the article three times over, I furiously ripped it up and disposed of it. My mother; the woman who ejected me from her womb, trusts me so little that she decided to join in some parental campaign against teenagers. Sure, I understand when your daughter is a troubled teen who instead of talking to her parents about her problems, resorts to alcohol and drugs. I guess then it’s okay to take advice from an advertisement produced by a group parents. But the fact that my mother kept this piece of paper means that she has no trust in me whatsoever. This piece of A4 paper basically warns parents that teenagers are all so rebellious and crass that they must be watched over until they reach the age of a complete adult. According to the ad, we are incapable of making our own life decisions and must be watched over constantly otherwise we could run amok. There are always teenagers who will drink and try out drugs, but they do not epitomize the majority of teenagers on this planet. We need to be trusted. If we are not trusted we end up lying anyway. Sure, a teen might try alcohol once or smoke a cigarette but that does not set us up for a lifetime of alcoholism and despair. At this age we are capable enough to make our own life choices. We know the consequences and those who choose to mess around too much end up realizing their mistakes further down the line.