In what ways has the social, historical and/or political context of your class text helped to create the

ideas and values explored in it? Have you ever been bullied? I know I have been and I am most certain that you have been too. Today I am going to talk about the ideas and values conveyed in Cameron Nunns novel, Shadows in the Mirror, which was published in 2006. The novel portrays the ideas of protecting reputation and bullying. The social and cultural context of an elite private institution which favoured reputation over justice is reflected in the text. The importance of helping others in the face of hardship is valued by Nunn. Bullying was identified as one of the major issues facing young people in the 1990s and early 2000s. But what is bullying and what types of bullying are there? Anyone can be bullied - it isn't limited by age, sex, sexuality, cultural or religious background. The types of bullying included: verbal, physical, social, psychological and cyber bullying. Statistics show that 80% of children aged between 10-14 and 10% of children aged between 15-18 have experienced bullying of some form. Shadows in the Mirror uses a variety of language and visual techniques used demonstrate to the consequences of bullying and how the private institutions protect their reputation and do little in the name of justice. Private institutions undermine their moral obligations in the face of reputation and this is seen in Cameron Nunns novel when Nunn explores issues such as bullying and reputation. Today in our social context we value that achieving justice is necessary to stop bullying and stopping private institutions from protecting their reputation. This is evident in Pieters letter by the use of first person narration, emotive language, sombre tone and the repetition of I, me and please. This creates empathy for Pieter also the repetition of please introduces the concept of begging. Private institutions protect their reputation and it is evident in Pieters letter, Tommy still has it for me even though I told the teachers what he is doing. This line shows that little justice is achieved and that bullying and reputation is covered by the teachers who are protecting the institution. In Nunns novel the masters were encouraging the bullying and tell the seniors to give hidings to younger students. This is seen when a former student Dyson tells Simon and David what happened when he was in Fourth Form and this is seen through the use of euphemism, imperative, regretful tone, irony and the repetition of make men out of the boys and it was just what we did. The masters protect their reputation and do little in stopping the bullying and it is clear when Dyson says, Seniors also got treated differently by the staff...One of the masters would come in and say to the prefect, This boy has been giving so and so a bit of a lip. I want you to take care of it...No one said anything, it was just what we did. Through the use of euphemism and imperative, I want you to take care of it shows how much authority the staff and the seniors have over the younger students. Regretful tone of, No one said anything and the repetition of, it was just of we did informs us that even though Dyson was sad he still believed that he was doing the right thing. This line shows us that there is no justice but bullying and reputation is still covered up by the staff and seniors to protect the school reputation. In conclusion, Cameron Nunns novel portrays the