Ever felt like an outcast? Have you ever been shunned by everyone in your society? Have you ever felt as if you don’t belong anywhere? Ricky Baker, in Hunt For The Wilderpeople, has. Directed by Taika Waititi and released in 2016, this movie addresses relationships, and how vital it is to have a sense of belonging. Taika Waititi presents relationships in this film by illustrating how Ricky Baker develops with the multitude of relationships he has, both useful and not useful. He conveys that to be able to feel as if you belong is just as crucial, arguably more, as many materialistic things, such as money, and further emphasises that not all relationships are enjoyable. Ricky and Hec – Ricky’s adoptive father – have been together most of the time. In fact, Hec has almost a parallel role to the protagonist in this story. At first, they keep on bickering, but as time goes on, they begin to realise how well they can collaborate, and how much they need each other – the latter was felt especially (spoiler alert) after Aunty Bella’s death. The two gained a lot from each other’s company, particularly as they were traversing the bush. During this time, they really got to understand each other because of their proximity to each other. Ricky and Hec learn a lot from each other during this period of time, such as the fact that Hec is illiterate. Ricky tries to teach Hec haiku, and by the end, Hec recites a very meaningful Haiku to Ricky. When Hec fractures his foot, Ricky does his best to assist him, getting their food and doing most of the necessary jobs. But it wasn’t only Hec who gains from this long lasting relationship – Hec teaches Ricky how to survive in the wild and harsh bush – an action that saves Ricky’s life. Bella is Hec’s wife. When Ricky first arrives at his new home, Bella is the first person who had ever been hospitable towards him, and Ricky is overcome by Bella’s friendliness as he had been used to being shunted around his whole life. Ricky and Bella share some very symbolic moments with each other, such as when she puts a hot water bottle into his bed, or when she gives him the best birthday ever, showing her love for him. Bella is in Ricky’s life for a depressingly short amount of time, but she manages to make a big impact on Ricky’s life. She helps him open up and socialise by treating him as her very own son. For the first time in his life, he had someone to talk to, he had someone who didn’t treat him like an outcast – he had someone to love. After her unexpected death, Ricky carries her ashes around with him as he traverses the bush – which shows that Aunty Bella had earned herself a massive place in Ricky’s heart. Ricky gains many social skills because of Bella and, most importantly, he realises what it is like to fit in. The movie displays relationships by demonstrating how Ricky changes under the influence of his many relationships. Hec and Bella together manage to change and even save Ricky’s life. The movie shows us how much Ricky learnt from them – how crucial they were in his life. He indicates that before Ricky makes any relationships with anyone, he is a very despondent, disagreeable and unsociable character. But, as he arrives with Uncle Hec and Aunty Bella, he begins to understand how much he had been missing out on. This transforms his life forever, as he then begins to see so much more meaning in life. Instead of being the silent, morose, fat Maori boy that he was before, he suddenly becomes a friendly, helpful and fat Maori boy – a drastic change from the past. These two relationships were possibly the two most vital in his life, and they were without a doubt the two from whom he gained the most from. To conclude, strong relationships are vital for leading a contented, happy life, whether you have friends, family, or something more.
The Giver, Reviewed by Vivaan, 12
Intelligence, integrity, courage and wisdom. These are the four qualities a Receiver of Memory must have, and one more, which can only be named, but not described: the capacity to see beyond. “Sameness,” a process that terminates all war, hunger, and pain, is ubiquitous throughout “The Community,” seemingly utopian at first sight. This spellbinding book contains a thrilling plot about a dystopian society. December approaches, and along with it, The Ceremony of the Twelves. The air crackles with tension as the annual ceremony approaches, and finally, is upon them. One by one the twelve year olds are called upon the stage to receive their jobs, which the elders have already determined – yes, that’s right, the children get no selection at all. And yet, there are surprises in store for a twelve-year-old called Jonas. He is selected to be the next Receiver of Memory, a crucial job, and will be trained by the current one, known as The Giver. During his training, Jonas realises that his entire community has been oblivious to how diabolical “sameness” actually is! They had lived their whole lives like the frog in the well, but now, after being in full possession of facts, the realisation dawns upon him that there is a whole different world out there – a complete antithesis to what his mind was pre-conditioned to believe. As he acquires more and more memories, they begin to act as a catalyst for him to really critique his world. He begins to contemplate why “sameness” has been implemented, and he soon finds himself in a conundrum, weighing the pros and cons of both worlds, which causes him to undertake a massive adventure, and transform his life forever… With no sensations of things such as change, colour, & vibrance, the monotony of the characters’ world was especially highlighted. It is vital to be able to feel pain and love, happiness and sorrow, anger and joy. Nature gives us these sensations for a reason, and this book underscores that. We consider ourselves to be the greatest species because we have the ability to reason in a far more advanced way than other species. “Sameness,” though it suppresses all war and pain, also inhibits thinking, which itself is not a tenable possibility for the human race. To deprive a human of these very traits that not only allow a human to survive, but thrive, is itself diabolical. The Giver by Lois Lowry. Houghton Mifflin, 1993. Buy the book here and help support Stone Soup in the process!
Investments
We all save money to buy something that we really want, but though we keep on putting aside a little every week, the money is stagnant. This is where investment comes in. It is crucial to know the difference between investments and savings. Money which is saved up in a bank or piggy bank is dormant. But something which you want to buy at 10 today, will soon become a little more over time due to a process called inflation. Therefore, you need to invest, so you can grow your money alongside inflation. Financial jargon, such as investments, risk-diversification, portfolio, inflation, etc. does seem exceedingly daunting at first, but really, it is surprisingly simple. What is investment? There are many different types of investments like financial, time investments, etc. In this article I will only be focusing on financial investments. Financial investment is the process of putting away your money now so that you can grow that money and enjoy it in the future. How do you start investing? First, you have to open a trading/depository account with a bank. You will also need some money to start with. This could be some money given/gifted to you, a little bit of your pocket money set aside every week, etc. Your bank will give you a variety of investment options to buy. Then, depending on your capital and your risk appetite, you can choose high-risk or low-risk investments. High-risk investments are investments which might give you very high returns, but can also be associated with high loss. The most common type of high-risk investments are shares (investing in individual companies to grow your money). Some types of low-risk investments include bonds, fixed deposits, etc. These will not give you much return, but the return they promise is guaranteed. It is important to understand the concept of Risk-Diversification. This means spreading out your risk. The famous quote: ‘Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket’ encompasses the concept of ‘Risk Diversification’ aptly. If one investment doesn’t turn out well, you have many more investments to rely on. For example, if you have 100, and you invest it all in one company, if that company doesn’t do well, all your money is gone. On the other hand, if you invest 20 in 5 companies, if one of them doesn’t do well, you still have 80 to rely on. If you do not have much time or expertise to analyse the company’s sector, profits, losses, potential, etc, then a good way to diversify your risk is to invest in funds (ETFs, mutual funds, etc). These are organisations which have experts who analyse every little detail about a company and invest in them for you so that you have the best return on your investment as possible. One fund will invest in many companies to diversify their risk. As you can see, investing opens up a whole new opportunity to grow your money, and all it takes is a bit of money to start with, convincing your parents to open a trading account, and some time.
