Stasiland Leading into the text

Who is Anna Funder? How / when and where did she write ‘Stasiland’? Further Reading by Funder: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/i-can-keep-you-near-20130506-2j23v.html

A quick brainstorm of facts… Born 1966 Melbourne, grew up in Melbourne and Paris, lived in West Berlin as University student in 80's. (some sort of scholarship) She studied German as a student. Funder was a lawyer before writing (for the Australian Gov't as international lawyer) Stasiland was published in 2002, All that I am in 2011 (similar to Stasiland was based on real people and events - based on a German teacher she knew who fled Nazi Germany & lived in exile) She returned from Germany to Aust when her mother was sick and dying, while writing Stasiland. She returns back to Berlin to finish the book. Both books are based on the real stories of friends she has met – (Miriam and Ruth Blatt) She now has two daughters and lives in America.

Structure and Style of the text: Non Fiction Narrative Journalism Stasiland is a collection of personal stories. The stories are collated and told by Anna a visitor, interviewer and narrator. We need to distinguish between Funder as an author and Anna the narrator of the text. Why? Anna is written about as a character in the text in the same way other characters who Funder has researched are written about in the text 'deliberately constructed by the author'. Anna also relates to other characters in the text as this deliberately constructed character.

Responses to the text: Refer students to the following sites. http://annafunder.com/stasiland/media-stasiland/ http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2010/03/17/2848283.htm Read The Times review of Stasiland. http://blogcritics.org/books/article/book-review-stasiland-stories-from-behind1/ IN CLASS TASK: Create a personal response to the text. This should: Begin with a particular scene or image that stayed with them Mention the style of the text (non fiction narrative journalism) conveyed through the first person narrator - the author. Mention at least 3 characters (not Funder).

Homework task – Background and Context: Choose either option A, B or C to complete: A Research and define the concepts Capitalism, Communism, Imperialism -write one sentence for each concept.   Research and identify the people Lenin, Marx, Engles - write a short paragraph for each. Research and explain The Cold War - write one short paragraph. B Research and link / contrast Capitalism, Communism, Imperialism in one paragraph. Research and identify the people Lenin, Marx, Engles. Explain each in terms of the concepts above. Research and explain The Cold War. Explain why it is metaphorically 'cold'. C Explain whether you prefer the notion of capitalism or communism and why? (in no more than half a page) Do we have a political / social theorist today who we may one day compare to Lenin, Marx and Engels? Who and why? (no more than half a page) Can you foreshadow the defining of a current period of political and economic tension? What is the period / situation of tension? What could it be known as (your suggestion)? How may it be later compared in alignment or contrast to the Cold War?