The Importance of Story in "The Biggest LIttle Farm" by Amanda L, Joy L, Kenny N, Jackie Z

How do our experiences shape who we are and who we become?

Personal Connections

What techniques are used to make storytelling effective?

Why are stories so important?

The documentary starts with several "hooks" to draw in the viewer.

Begins with a woman packing her things in a panic, as a fire burns near her property

The narrator expresses how he "never thought [they]'d have this much to lose"

The narrator explains how the reason why they're in this predicament in the first place is all thanks to "a promise to a dog"

Ethos is used with the couple's mentor Alan, who is apparently a leading expert in the area of traditional farming.

This documentary makes heavy use of pathos in order to ellicit emotions from its viewer

Music is a large factor of the pathos - carefree music plays during happy scenes, sad music plays when an animal dies, and suspenseful music plays when something upsetting happens on the farm

Visual imagery also aids pathos - for example, wide, sweeping shots of the farm emphasize the beauty of nature. Imagery enhances the initial feelings of hopelessness and being overwhelmed when John and Molly first start their farm. Some parts of the documentary look more like home videos than a professional production, making it more personal and emotional to watch. The animated scenes are also engaging to the audience. When Alan dies, the colour scheme becomes gray to symbolize the sadness that John and Molly feel.

Logos is used when solutions to the farmer's problems are depicted. For example, the logical solution when faced with a snail infestation is to, of course, introduce ducks to murder the snail population.

Starting the farm

In this documentary, part of the reason why the couple started a farm is because the wife was already interested in traditional farming and healthy cooking

The couple's experiences with the dog Todd forced them to make the initial move to the countryside, and eventually inspired them to face the challenges they were presented with

As John puts it, "we saved a life that would change ours".

The impact of "traditional farming"

John and Molly were already interested in starting a "traditional" farm, but probably didn't do it because the task seemed too daunting. However, the Todd incident acted as a catalyst that encouraged them to make what was, at the time, a seemingly bad decision.

John and Molly let young people help around their farm. They want to pass down their idea of traditional farming to the younger generation by allowing them to actively participate in their ongoing journey of traditional farming.

This story makes some points to the viewer about sustainable farming and appreciation for nature, which may subtly increase their appreciation for more natural and sustainable farming methods. This documentary probably aims to raise some awareness in styles of farming in the modern world- farms don't have to be ruthlessly efficient machines with overuse of pesticides or 300 chickens per square meter. Molly and John will now be able to use their accumulated experience to educate others about traditional farming. They are also doing this through giving outsiders tours of their farm.

John and Molly's experiences and difficulties turn them into more proficient farmers, with an enhanced understanding of the ways in which the ecosystem operates. In the documentary, John expresses how at first, they didn't feel like "real farmers" yet; instead, this feeling would come with experience.

The influence of others on John and Molly

The advice they received from Alan heavily influenced their approach to farming. It broadened their way of thinking whenever a problem arose in the farm.

Through Alan's principles of farming, they learned that whenever an animal is causing problems, just introduce another animal that kills the first animal.

Watching one of the goats they raised being orphaned due to the parent being bloated causes the farmers to feel upset

This could cause them to become more empathetic, and have deeper emotional connections for the animals being killed or slaughtered by an outside force, such as the coyotes

The experience of people who had previously worked on the farm helped John and Molly better acquaint themselves with the land.

This might also lead John and Molly to realize that death is a part of nature, and that one can only accept it.

Although a lot of people think they are crazy at the start of the story, word of their farming dream allows them to find investors and workers to help them make it a reality; therefore, in this way, story helped the couple in a literal sense.

The way that John and Molly ran the farm was based on the ideals of Alan, an older farmer and mentor to the couple

Alan's farming philosophy shaped the way that John and Molly solved problems on their farm: use what is available to you through the ecosystem. For example, coyotes would hunt the gophers, eliminating the threat of both pests, and the farmer's ducks would eat the snails, another detrimental pest to the farm.

Kenny

Jackie

The 2 farmers fabio and rahul with their experience with this farm working through 5 owners and previous other farms were able to help the efficieny of the farm and perhaps help teach and show the way around the farm to those hired later to help out

used to raise hens and chickens and they all also happened to have been killed by wild coyotes that lived in my neighboorhood

Alan and his expertise were instrumental in helping John and Molly grow into the farmers they are today. However, his passing, and subsequent absence, forces them to learn how to deal with their problems in an innovative way, unaided.

Amanda

As a kid, I easily got emotionally attached to animals. One day, I was in the backyard when I found a baby rabbit in the window well adjacent to the patio. My family tried to save it, but it had died by the next morning. For me, it was sad, but it also served as a reminder that nature is not simply a home for cute and fluffy animals: death is quite common in nature, as brutal as it may seem. In this way, I can relate to the farmers who see dead animals frequently, especially those they may feel fondness for.

A few years ago, we actually had a snail problem where hordes of snails would come out at night and eat our crops. My dad solved this by going out at 11 p.m. every night with a flashlight and kill every snail he could find. I haven't heard anything about snails recently so it must've worked.

I have some friends who play the video game "Farming Simulator 2019, in which the player can create and develop their own farm. I haven't played it myself but it seems like the game spends an awful lot of time shilling for companies like John Deere.

Many Asian families like to plant some crops in their backyards because they're too cheap to buy them from the supermarket (Many will claim that they're actually doing it because organic food is better). My family has a bunch of vegetables in the backyard but I don't know what they're called in English.

"Life always finds a way" - some guy from Jurassic Park

I do volunteering at a retirement home. When I started, I frankly had no idea what to do in the new environment. However, after some time, I could think of myself as a "true volunteer" who knew what to do, and how to make the residents happy. In this way, I can relate to the journey for proficiency that Molly and John take when farming.

Joy

Used to own hens and chickens as pets which got killed by wild coyotes when they were in the yard so I understand the frustrations the farmers may have had

Ethos is used to show the qualifications of rahul and fabio showing their experience with that specific farm and previous farming experience

similarly to how the story of Biggest little farm I had also shared my dreams of becoming an engineer with people and I have recieved support with partnership programs and advice on how to continue on in the future to set a brighter path

talks about a secret that Alen had which was cancer adding suspense when revealed

John's and Molly's struggle of growing crops reminds me of when I tried to grow a watermelon in my backyard. Like the couple, I completely underestimated how difficult gardening was. In a way, I understand their frustration when they struggled with their "good soil preparation" and maintaining the crops in good condition.

Molly's huge garden reminds me of my grandmother. Whenever she comes to visit my family for a few months, she and my grandfather would plant a variety of fruits and vegetables in the backyard. However, unlike Molly, my grandmother is more experienced and educated in farming because my grandmother grew up in a farm.

When I was younger, I lived in a house that was near a very small farm. The farmer from that farm had a very naughty run-away cow. One morning, my mother and I found that cow standing in our backyard (it kind of demolished our backyard fence) and saw the farmer chasing after it.