Brothers in Arms – AnalysisDarshil Shah

What is meant?

“Brothers in Arms” is an article showing the change in a few friends and also the common way we look at boys. The common view towards boys is the tough, extreme and emotionless, whereas in the article, the more deep side of boyhood is finally expressed. A group of friends, just being boys, went on a trip of Bali, not knowing they will embark on a journey far more different than what they expected. On the day of the Bali Bombings, two of their friends, Craig Dunn and Danny Lewis were killed. They returned home deeply traumatised, giving them an insight to what the world is all about.

The first stage of this change was the beginning; where the boys and their “mates” were finishing up school and in a way getting further to pursue what they wanted. The surfers had always been close together, from the start of school to the end. “The boys from Ulladulla had always been close” suggests their original relationship and their strength in it. They were seen as the common boys who hung out with their mates and seen though while not seeing in the distance of their maturity.

The actual change occurred when “Bali exploded in their lives”. This was the catalyst for the dramatic change which changes their lives and made them realise the true ways of the world. It opened them to the idea of “brotherhood” and how taking care of one another has to be included in the way of life. It allowed them to express what they had missed out in school. It is shown through the article that boys are limited to what they can express, as they are often ‘put down’. An example of this is being called “fags and wusses” when boys are seen as soft.

Overall, the boys became men and this is one thing that bought them together. It deflected all the common beliefs about boys and showed emotional maturity that everyone is somewhat forced to hold in school and around peers.

How meaning is made

This particular text is an article which focuses on change that has occurred in the lives of some young men and how the change has affected the view of boys in society. The article is set in past which shifts to present tense to shift from a previous time to what is happening right now.

It is in 3rd person format which helps give a subjective view towards the events and change (“The boys from Ulladulla”).This article goes in-depth of the lives of a few young men who have suffered a huge shock of losing their friends in the Bali Bombings.

Even though this was very tragic for them and everyone around them, it helped them get together and set a symbol for the people to know them by: Brotherhood. This symbolism was directly applied to them as they tattooed what they believed in on everyone in their “pact”.

To explore what boys were seen as, the composer has used stereotyping to juxtapose what boys are seen as and what girls are seen as (“boys have mates… girls have friends”).

The overall theme is summed up by the use of a cliché “boys will be boys”. By using the cliché the responder is able to understand the idea more easily. There is also the use of Australian slang to add a feeling of familiarity e.g. “fags”. The composer writes about the places (such as “Ulladulla”) to create authenticity in the article. The responder is more comfortable reading about real places and people. There are expletives in the article to bring up attention and create an extreme feeling. An example is seen when the word “shit” is used.

Authority is also evident in the article which makes the responder believe the point that is trying to be proved. This is seen when quotes of credited people are written – “Parents rightly sigh with relief…” Intertexuality is also used to show the similar perspective from different texts (“the recent book tells the story…-The trouble with boys…”This text has short syntax which helps keep it simple and easy to read. There are many compound and simple sentences throughout the text (“They cried, talked, drank”). Similes are used to compare one thing to another. This is seen when one of the young men says “we are like brothers”.

Meaning was made by using many language features. It was mainly by the use of 3 rd

person and past tense that allowed taking it in as a recount and observing it subjectively. Other descriptive features allowed the responder to interpret the change. Overall, all features of the article helped us understand the change and see clearly what has happened and what has happened after the change.