Feuerwerk
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Feuerwerk is a course for secondary schools students in Australia studying the German language. In German, Feuerwerk means fireworks. The course has three books, one for Year 7-8, one for Year 9-10 and one for Higher School Certificate (Year 11-12) study. The books are written by Michael Sedunary and Marlene Schulenburg Dingle and are illustrated by Ross Gray. They are published by CIS Educational.
Contents |
[edit] Characters
[edit] Waldorf
Waldorf Bauer is a short boy with glasses who some might consider that geek of the Feuerwerk gang, but really he is just yet to discover his inner cool. He has been known to eat hamburgers, or at least to attempt to eat hamburgers, but luckily he doesn't succeed - if he did, he might have ended up as fat as Karl. He is new at the school. Waldorf does not like wearing his lederhosen (leather pants) because they are 'so old fashioned'. He has an extremely energetic grandmother, who may have feelings for Karl. In the first chapter, Waldorfs hamburger is eaten by Prinz, Steffi's horse. This upsets him.
[edit] Karin
Karin is an intelligent girl with a talking laptop called Mecki. She is very kind, and goes up and introduces herself to Waldorf when she sees him on his first day sitting alone with his hamburger. Karin usually is very talkative and has an aunt who lives in Landshut. Karin has orange (ginger) hair. In the second book, Karin goes under a bit of a transformation - it is truly a duckling-to-swan transformation. Could it be that Waldorf has ulterior motives for agreeing to come with her to Landshut?
[edit] Karl
Karl is a large boy who always seems to be hungry and is quite chubby. We later find out that he enjoys football (soccer) and he can dance and play the trumpet very well. He is very impatient and has little to no sense of direction. Karl is attracted to fellow classmate, Monika. One may wonder what he sees in her - is it her anorexia? While an eating disorder may be unattractive to most people, perhaps Karl's own struggle against his weight is addling with his brains. Is it that he believes that if he spends time with the stick that is Monika they will begin to balance out each other's weight? After all, opposites do attract; and Karl and Monika are examples of the two extremes on the Spectrum of Eating Habits. Karl gets jealous very easily, especially when it comes to Mecki and attention from Monika. He claims to hate campervans - until the opportunity of holidaying with Monika arises.
[edit] Frau Müller/Mutti
Frau Müller is the mother of Monika. Forever teasing and belittling Karl leads us to wonder whether she too has a soft spot for him. Slim and dark-haired, her refusal to feed Monika when she was ill may have sparked off her anorexia. Where, pray, is Herr Müller?
[edit] Frau Schlau
The teacher of our favourite characters. Does Frau Schlau feel more than a teacher should for her students? She may have motherly feelings towards some of them - for instance, she did not object or show any signs of finding anything inappropriate when Osman called her "Mutti" after waking up from a little nap. One may wonder how this came to be - perhaps it is that she is unable to have children of her own...
[edit] Monika
Monika Müller is a tall, slim girl, who has a thing for Osman. Monika doesn't like sport (except for when it results in being praised by Osman) and is almost never seen without her walkman listening to music. Monika likes nice clothes, but she is also a bit selfish. Monika, unfortunately, appears to be suffering from anorexia nervosa. She complains about being cold when driving on the Autobahn, yet at the same time Karl claims that he is hot. The cause of this is Monika's Lack of Flesh (although Karl, being overweight, would have extra natural insulation).
[edit] Opa
Does he even exist?
[edit] Osman
Osman is an average sized boy who can't go a day without sport. He often seems to be tired from swimming training - sometimes so much so, that he falls asleep in class. What a travesty! Though Osman is the unfortunate owner of what might be described as an abnormally large nose, his athletic prowess appears to have attracted the attention of classmate Monika, with amusing and results
[edit] Steffi
Steffi is a buck-toothed horse riding fanatic. Her oddly articulate hamburger-eating horse, Prinz, is never seen without her.
[edit] Relationships
As we further embark on our journey of knowledge throughout the Feuerwerk textbooks, one begins to wonder about the relationships between the characters. Monika's thing for Osman remains undiminished throughout the books and it becomes somewhat tiresome to the reader. Why doesn't he notice the picture she keeps of him by her bedside, or how she rushes to meet him when they go to basketball together? However, it could be that Osman has feelings for Monika also - when they visit her new caravan in the second book, he comments upon it favourably, which results in his being called a suck-up by Karl. It would appear that Karl hates Monika - he makes fun of her and her pastimes, puts down her caravan and generally is a pain, but could it be that behind that rough exterior hides an unkempt passion for Monika? Even though he claims to hate caravans, he jumps at the chance to spend the holidays with her - in her caravan. He does things to annoy her, which could be a futile attempt to hide his true feelings for her. Karl seems unwilling to leave Monika and Osman alone together, and when his bike gets a flat tyre, he leaves it behind to race after them, even though it is clear that he is not wanted. However, in Kapitel 6 of Feuerwerk 2, when Karl disappears in the Salt mines, Monika starts to blame herself for his bad fortune when she obviously had nothing to do with it - causing readers to rethink their theories on her feelings towards Karl. Who will Monika choose - the smooth yet aloof Osman, or Karl, who simply wants to be loved?
Indeed, Karl is loved, he just doesn't know it. His secret (or not so secret judging by that rather excessive hug) admirer is none other than Oma, Waldorf's Grandmother. Intelligent and mature, the staturesque Oma is everything Monika isn't. She is immediately taken with Karl when he by happy coincidence turns up at her birthday party in the first book, offering a suspiciously warm welcome to the unexpected guest. She even manages to draw him away from Waldorf's older sister and spends most of the night dancing with him. If Karl ever gets over his penchant for dark-haired grumbling anorexics, he surely has someone else to turn to- as long as Opa continues to sit silently in the background...
[edit] Feuerwerk Fashion
The clothing worn by the Feuerwerk characters (Waldorf, Karin etc) and the random Germans depicted in the textbooks has sparked off a trend in suburban Wellington, New Zealand. First published in the late nineties, the Feuerwerk graphics have (fortuitously) not been edited since and most of the characters sport outrageous haircuts, enormous jumpers, stripy red and white shorts and rollerskates, amongst other things. However, most Germans (even in Germany, and the late nineties), did not dress like that and it has been suggested that these photos are an ironic touch in an otherwise seemingly humourless textbook. Various references to clothing throughout the books hints that one should not assume that Germans are like the photos in books but are instead more like the colourful cartoon characters who slowly become our friends throughout the journey of knowledge on which young Feuerwerk-ers embark. We see an example of this when Waldorf hunts for his jeans, in the second textbook. Jeans are a staple in every young man's wardrobe as opposed to the rough, skinhead-style clothes sported by many of the people from the photos in the books. The Feuerwerk books have sparked off a cult following from a fashion point of view... where else would the big jumpers and skinny jeans, so popular with the youth of today, have originated?
[edit] The Enigmas of Feuerwerk
Beneath the sparse yet poignant phrases and lively water-coloured pictures lie many mysteries:
[edit] Waldorf's grandfather Opa
Who is he? What is he? Will he be able to put a stop to Oma's affection for a younger man? Opa is silent, and utterly unsignificant. He seems perfectly happy to have the rest of the Feuerwerk characters rush by without ever stopping to notice him. The horse is worthy of a speech bubble every once in a while, but Opa it seems, is not. Even at his own wife's birthday, he utters not a word worthy of print. Opa is man with a story, and hopefully we shall one day hear it.
Or, of course, he could be dead.
Or an elective mute.
[edit] Steffi's tragic home life
Steffi, a seemingly happy buck-toothed German teenager, spends her life in the company of her animals. However, one might question whether she seeks solace in these dumb companions due to her tragic home life. Her absent mother, probably dead (like the absent Opa?) has left her with a great deal of animals and an angry father, but not a great deal of love. Steffi's angry father seems unable to cope with his paternal responsibilities, fleeing to the dog house whenever things get tough, and takes out his anger on all those around him, namely Steffi and the animals. It is clear to a casual onlooker that Steffi is not as 'tight' as the other members of the group and her social skills seem somewhat stunted as a result of this...as Waldorf and Karin flirt over the phone, and Monika, Karl and Osman negotiate their love triangle, where, pray, is Steffi? Could it be that she's afraid to get close to people, as the person who is supposed to love her so frequently flies off the handle at her? Steffi's life is a tragic one that is possibly not explored in as much depth as it could be by Michael Sedunary and Marlene Schulenburg Dingle.
[edit] Are our favourite characters criminals?
Although they may seem like ordinary teenagers, our favourite Feuerwerk characters may in fact be criminals. In Feuerwerk 2, when travelling to Berlin the gang come across some unfortunate acrobats who have run out of money. They decide to lend a helping hand to the two Australians, and rightly so. However, the method of raising the money is far from noble. Ordinary rocks are spray-painted and sold as pieces of the Berlin Wall. They commit fraud.
[edit] Feuerwerk Year 7/8 (Coursebook 1)
[edit] Summary
The Feuerwerk coursebook for years 7/8 follows the lives of a group of school students in Germany. The book teaches basic grammar to school students learning the basics of German. The book begins at the first day back at school.
[edit] Chapter One
Chapter One: Hey, that is my Hamburger!
Kapitel Eins: Heh, das ist mein Hamburger!
Chapter Summary: First day back at school, old friends meet, new friends are made.
[edit] Chapter Two
Chapter Two: Welcome into the classroom
Kapitel Zwei: Willkommen im Klassenzimmer
Chapter Summary: The first class. Waldorf is new but receives a mixed welcome. Osman sleeps in.
[edit] Chapter Three
Chapter Three: We are playing basketball today
Kapitel Drei: Wir spielen heute Basketball
Chapter Summary: Monika can't make it to the basketball game - she says she's sick.
[edit] Chapter Four
Chapter Four: Grandma has a birthday
Kapitel Vier: Oma hat Geburtstag
Chapter Summary: Karl meets Waldorf's family at Oma's birthday party. Oma dances him off his feet.
[edit] Chapter Five
Chapter Five: Dad lives in the dog house
Kapitel Fünf: Vati wohnt im Hundehaus
Chapter Summary: The horse is in the garage, the cat has drunk the milk and the dog has his paper and his slippers. Dad has only one place left to go.
[edit] Chapter Six
Chapter Six: Mecki knows everything
Kapitel Sechs: Mecki weiß alles
Chapter Summary: Mecki lives to regret coming up with the answers to questions that are asked. A colourful story!
[edit] Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven: The youth concert
Kapitel Sieben: Das Jugendkonzert
Chapter Summary: Everyone changes plans for the weekend when Monika hands out tickets to the 'Einfach Elektrisch' concert.
[edit] Chapter Eight
Chapter Eight: The school trip
Kapitel Acht: Der Schulausflug
Chapter Summary: There are various suggestions for an end of year class activity. Frau Schlau suggests a picnic in the country. The class sets the picnic table then heads off for a hike. Not a very clever thing to do!
