Describe the Qualities and Actions of a Character Who Interests You in the Text You Have Studied. Explain How the Text Reveals These Features.
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World’s Fastest Indian Essay
Q1 – Describe the qualities and actions of a character who interests you in the text you have studied. Explain how the text reveals these features.
“If you don’t follow your dreams, you might as well be a vegetable,” – Burt Munro, a slightly cantankerous old man from Invercargill with an obsession with speed and a 1920s-era Indian motorcycle which he’s been tinkering with for years. Not an ordinary mix of features, but an interesting one nevertheless.
Witty, irritable, optimistic, persistent, and determined, Burt Munro’s combination of characteristics made him stand out as the main character in The World’s Fastest Indian. With a personality that seemed to rub off on everyone he met, Munro at first appeared to be a simple old man with a dream – to break the current world land speed record.
At the beginning of the film, Munro seemed like any other person, living life day by day, with nothing special going on. As the film progressed, we began to see more to the outwardly trouble-free life of Burt Munro. We learn that he has a dream. We learn that he will stop at nothing to get to Bonneville, Utah, to race his ancient motorcycle in Speedweek.
With the help of friends and the bank, Munro finally made it to the USA, and this is where we see his personality most clearly. No doubt he was appreciative of the help he received throughout his journey and succession, but he never really expressed that gratitude in an outspoken way. Essentially, Munro was easy to get along with, and people liked him, but throughout the film we could feel his urge, his hunger, for that opportunity to race his motorcycle. It was almost like nothing could stand in his way, and he didn’t care who got hurt in the process.
During the film, Burt didn’t make any close friends, any meaningful relationships. Sure, there were the odd lady-friends, neighbors back in Invercargill, Tina the transvestite and the odd “friend” he met along the way to