Analysis Of Morton Rhue's The Wave

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Morton Rhue's novel 'The Wave' follows a circumstantial story of a history teacher named Ben Ross, and his year 10 students. They commence upon an ostensibly virtuous classroom experiment, which then throughout the book advances into a massive problem, somewhat to correlation of The Nazi Germany. The novel validates how relationships can easily be lost when ones individuality is obliterated. Throughout the wave, Morton Rhue states how the students become so moved and obsessed with the ongoing experimental movement, with them carrying out chants, salutes, orders, and they followed whatever was appropriate in the current situation.

The students of Gordon High history class were studying WW2 and the holocaust. The movie content that was played in class displayed graphic images of people going through ordeal and …show more content…

Ross introducing his history class to 'discipline'. The students became very interested to this whole new concept of learning. Throughout chapter 5 Mr. Ross introduces the new movement and corresponds some techniques used in Nazi Germany. For example: he teaches the students to stand in unity, recite answers clearly and sit upright in their seats, with a straight posture. The students were filled with so much power and energy, and it only made them wanting more. However, Mr. Ross' intentions weren't for this to happen. He never expected his students to take the movement so seriously. "But even a game is something you either choose to play or not to play. They didn't have to play that game, but they wanted to. The strangest thing was, once we started I could feel them wanting more. They wanted to be disciplined. And each time they mastered one discipline, they wanted another. When the bell rang at the end of the period and they were still in their seats, I knew it meant more to them than just a game" (Mr. Ross, chp5) This quote explains the students desiring more, which leads to a catastrophic start to The

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