The best writers break all the rules. This is exactly what Australian composers Melina Marchetta and Gwen Harwood have successfully done by incorporating what was familiar and closest to them into their texts “Looking for Alibrandi”, “The Violets” and Mother Who Gave Me Life”. Many parallels can be drawn between Marchetta and Harwood’s personal contexts and the perspectives that are evident within each of the texts. Good morning/afternoon teachers and students, today I have chosen to focus on the power of memory and parent and child relationships, both intergenerational and interpersonal. Melina Marchetta’s personal context significantly influences the setting and characters in “Looking for Alibrandi”, as she bases it around what she was accustomed to at the time. The passionate character of Nona Katia is derived straight from Marchetta’s Grandmother, who, just like the character in the book, came out to Australia from Italy during the 1930’s and loved to tell stories of her past experiences. Marchetta’s Italian heritage is reflected in the text, particularly through Nona’s memories, which enable her to remember her brilliant experiences, as well as hardships, including the loneliness she faced when she first came to Australia. “The Australian’s new nuting about us” “Jozzie, you wonder why some people my age cannot speak English”. Marchetta’s use of syntax allows her too accurately represent the Italian dialect, showing how the context of the author has the potential to affect their language choice. Nona’s cultural context has a significant impact on the generations that follow, helping Josie to uncover the truth about her family. The Power and importance of memory is also significant in ‘The Violets’ by Gwen Harwood, a sensory poem in which the persona recounts a past childhood memory. Extrapolated from Harwood’s own experiences, the memory is triggered by the stimulus of the olfactory se