“Tell him he's dreamin'!”
Darryl Kerrigan
Tell him he’s
...dreamin
Students have to identify who said it AND whether they are representing institutional power or the Kerrigans' perspective.
“My client has adhered to the law, every law, every statute from the Town Planning Act to Civil Aviation Regulations.”
Opposing counsel — institutional perspective
“It's the Constitution, it's Mabo, it's justice, it's law.”
Anaphora / repetition.
“How's the serenity?”
Darryl Kerrigan
How’s the ______?”
serenity
“But does he have the protection of the law?”
Lawrence Hammill — challenges institutional power
“They write the rules. They own the game.”
Metaphor
“It’s the vibe of the thing"
Dennis Denuto
CLUE: “It’s the Constitution, it’s Mabo, it’s justice, it’s law. It’s the ______.”
vibe
“The greatest good for the greatest number.”
Opposing counsel — utilitarian argumen
What technique is used when Lawrence describes the house as an “eyesore”, prompting Darryl's emotional response?
Juxtaposition — the opposing lawyer's detached, derogatory description contrasts with Darryl's emotional understanding of the house as a home.
Dad, you haven’t let anyone down... but you done the opposite.”
Steve Kerrigan
“That's your classic case of big business trying to take ______, and they couldn't.”
land
“How can the forcible removal of a family, a good family, from their home... have the blessing of our Constitution?”
Lawrence Hammill — uses emotive language and rhetorical questioning to transform a property dispute into an argument about justice, family, individual rights and belonging.
What technique is particularly significant in: “How can the forcible removal of a family, a good family, from their home...”
Rhetorical question, combined with emotive language.
They write the rules. They own the game.
Dennis Denuto
“The court took into account the interests of the community, such as, uh, ______.”
“Is a family's right to live freely in their home outweighed—”
Lawrence Hammill — challenges the utilitarian argument by foregrounding individual rights.
What technique is created by the contrast between legal jargon such as “obiter dictum” and Dennis' informal responses?
Juxtaposition