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Elizabeth Harvey Diary Analysis

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Elizabeth Harvey Diary Analysis

Read the historical-style extract carefully. Then answer the questions using details and clues from the text. The extract is an imagined reconstruction, not a genuine text written by Elizabeth Harvey.

Sydney Cove, 1788

12 February 1788 At last I have found a quiet moment to write. Our ship has been behind us for several days, yet the harbour is still strange to my eyes. Tall trees crowd the shore, and the air smells of damp earth and smoke. I had imagined green fields ready for planting, but instead there are steep slopes, tangled plants and unfamiliar birds calling from the trees. The heat presses on us, and clean water is precious. This morning I carried a bucket with two other women. The path was uneven, and we had to take care not to spill what we had collected. Several people are tired and worried about the food stores. Still, neighbours share what they can. A man helped mend our shelter, and yesterday a woman showed me how to make a small fire that would last through the evening. I miss the familiar sounds of home. At night, the wind moves through the trees and I cannot always tell whether a noise is an animal or a person nearby. Yet I am beginning to learn which tasks must be done first. I will try to remember each day clearly, so that one day I can tell my family what this new place was really like.

Read between the lines

Use evidence from the extract in your answers. For questions asking for an inference, explain which words helped you decide.

1.What kind of text is this extract, and which feature is the clearest clue?

A diary, because it is dated and written in the first person
A newspaper report, because it describes events
A poem, because it uses images of nature
A set of instructions, because it explains tasks

2.In which year is the writer describing life at Sydney Cove?

3.Name two things about the landscape that surprised the writer compared with what she had imagined.

4.Which resource does the writer say is precious?

Firewood
Clean water
Clothing
Seeds

5.Give two challenges the writer and other settlers face. Use details from the extract.

6.What can you infer about the settlers’ relationships with one another? Include one piece of evidence.

7.The writer says she misses the familiar sounds of home, but is beginning to learn which tasks come first. What does this contrast suggest about her feelings?

She feels homesick but is starting to adapt
She is bored and wants to leave immediately
She feels certain that everything will be easy
She is angry with the people helping her

8.Why might the writer keep a record of each day? Give a reason supported by the extract.

9.What does the phrase “the wind moves through the trees” help the reader understand about the writer’s nights?

The unfamiliar sounds make her feel uncertain or uneasy
The weather is always calm and warm
The trees are being cut down nearby
The writer cannot hear anything at night

10.Predict one event that might happen in the writer’s next few days. Use a clue from the extract to support your prediction.

11.Write a short diary entry of 3–4 sentences from the writer’s point of view. Include one challenge, one feeling and one detail about the people around her.