Cloudstreet

1095 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Consequences of urbanisation in australia

Winton challenges culturally informed beliefs and values by exposing inequities within an emerging Australian identity. In the cyclical novel Cloudstreet published in 1991, acclaimed Perth-born author Tim Winton narrates a capturing and heartfelt story. Two rural families are inadvertently brought together through two separate catastrophes to inhabit equally, a large house in the suburb of Perth known as ‘Cloudstreet’. Winton draws on a number of real historical events and situations in communicating the social and cultural dangers faced in 1950’s Australia. The shift towards Urbanisation is crucial in illustrating the change of values in Perth and how identities in society were threatened by this modification. Dialogue and point of view are used effectively to establish this threatening of identity. The case of the Nedlands Monster was very much a defining moment for Perth. The city lowered its safety as a big country town, and raised its profile to new heights. “down the swept side path into the heartland where it smells of...vegetables and the hard labour of people...with his heart a-dance he comes wheezing”(pg367) .Through the effective use of dialogue cultural ideas are threatened. Winton uses connotative language such as “his heart a-dance” to reinforce the violent and dysfunctional nature of Edgar who was able to threaten Perth’s identity so strikingly without feeling any sense of apathy in doing so. How Edgar was able to manipulate a very vulnerable society was by challenging the resilience of not only working class people, but an entire society from the loss of security, optimism and innocence that the murders brought to Perth. “The town is in frenzy this is what it means to be a city...no one at night moves” (pg365). T... ... middle of paper ... ...derer himself, he compares the guilt of his son’s death to that of fishes incident and how terrible he treated himself because of it. In Reading Tim Wintons hopeful saga, Cloudstreet, you are immersed in Australia; it is an important story in showing the change in values that urbanisation brought to Perth in the late 1950’s such as confidence and pride. But it was also a very anxious and fearful time period in terms of the Nedlands Monster and his impact in changing the current comfortable, breezy system Perth lived in. The role of women changed significantly with more women adopting more ambitious ideologies and engaging in the workforce something never seen before. But most of all it was important because it changed Australia’s priorities as a nation, it shaped the identity of individuals that we now see today, and it created a very unique Australian identity.

Show More
Related

  • The Importance Of Minor Characters In Nanberry By Jackie French

    501 Words  | 2 Pages

    The novel “Nanberry” written by Jackie French, tells the story of early European settlement in Australia. Nanberry, Surgeon White and Rachel Turner are all main characters in the novel but three minor characters who could have been examined in more detail were Maria, Colbee and Mr. Trench. Each of these characters either performs something or states something that is vital to the story line and plot. This essay will also suggest ways that these three characters could have been developed to make “Nanberry” a little bit more thought – provoking.

    Read More

  • Drifters Poem Analysis

    422 Words  | 1 Pages

    Without the use of stereotypical behaviours or even language is known universally, the naming of certain places in, but not really known to, Australia in ‘Drifters’ and ‘Reverie of a Swimmer’ convoluted with the overall message of the poems. The story of ‘Drifters’ looks at a family that moves around so much, that they feel as though they don’t belong. By utilising metaphors of planting in a ‘“vegetable-patch”, Dawe is referring to the family making roots, or settling down somewhere, which the audience assumes doesn’t occur, as the “green tomatoes are picked by off the vine”. The idea of feeling secure and settling down can be applied to any country and isn’t a stereotypical Australian behaviour - unless it is, in fact, referring to the continental

    Read More

  • Hotel Sorrento By Hannie Rayson

    530 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hannie Rayson’s play ‘Hotel Sorrento’ explores the changing nature of Australian cultural identity. Rayson successfully perpetuates and challenges common Australian stereotypes in order to establish how the Australian National Identity has changed over time. She presents these stereotypes through the characters expectations of gender roles, attitudes towards Australian culture and the theme of ownership.

    Read More

  • Henry Lawson Visual Techniques

    555 Words  | 2 Pages

    Both ‘The Drover’s Wife’ and ‘The Loaded Dog’ depict life as an Australian during the Colonial period. ‘The Drover’s Wife’ depicts the everyday life of a bush woman and her

    Read More

  • Cloudstreet

    2127 Words  | 5 Pages

    work hard for his money, to come home to a wife who supports him and

    Read More

  • A Novel about Two Juvenile Boys, The Inner Circle by Gary Crew

    738 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The Inner Circle”, written by Gary Crew is a novel based on two juvenile boys, Joe Carney and Tony Landon. Tony is a white teenager, ignored by his divorced parents and given money instead of love, whereas Joe Carney is a black Aboriginal teenager, who wants to overcome racism and social exclusion. Joe and Tony do not have anything in common except their age and emotional confusion, but they become friends after meeting in the old abandoned power station regardless of their racial difference. Gary Crew wrote the novel in Joe and Tony point of view, which a chapter for Joe and a chapter for Tony is given to provide the readers an understanding of how the European settlement has a big impacts of how Indigenous Aboriginal are treated in today’s society. The white settlers changed Indigenous lives forever, where now Aboriginal people are experiencing racism, poor living condition and unemployment because of their skin colour. Gary Crew showed this through Joe’s Carney point of view. This essay will analyse the issue of racism, social exclusion, racial discrimination, family and child relationship and the friendship that is conveyed between Tony and Joe throughout the novel.

    Read More

  • Maestro: an important influence on Australian society

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    Maestro by Peter Goldsworthy provides an insight into 1960s/70s Australia and helps reinforce common conceptions about Australian culture. One common conception Goldsworthy reinforces in this text is Australia’s increasing acceptance of multiculturalism. Maestro, set in the 1960s to 1970s, shows Australians growing more accepting and tolerant of other cultures. This shift in perspective was occurring near the end of the White Australia/Assimilation Policy, which was phased out in the late 1970s/early 1980s. An example of this shifted perspective in Maestro is Paul’s father’s opinion about living in Darwin:

    Read More

  • Stereotypes In Tim Winton's 'Neighbours' By Tim Winton

    914 Words  | 2 Pages

    Tim Wintons short story, “Neighbours” questions Australia's social discourse by exploring the transition of individuals into a new phase of life. Winton challenges society’s ignorance and cultural stereotypes by displaying a provocative new experience which has the ability to manipulate and change individuals perspectives. Society’s ignorance can be seen through the conflicting hyperbole, “good neighbours were seldom seen and never heard”, exploring the couples incomprehension of different cultures and lifestyles. The negative connotations surrounding the adverb “seldom seen” and “never heard” distort society's underlying values of love, respect and trust, consequently positioning the reader to consider the impact of new experiences in developing one's personal perspective. Moreover, Winton explores society's challenging and spurring transition into a new phase of life via the use of the emotive noun “murdering” in “their neighbours were not murdering each other, merely talking”. The noun, “murdering” juxtaposed with the positive imagery of “talking” posits the audience to society's dignity in the stereotypical context of Australia. Winton challenges the audience to question their moral truths and how a new experience can enlighten individuals to consider different cultures and perspectives. Composers manipulate the reader's perspectives through showing the transition into a new phase of life and how this has the ability to develop and individuals knowledge and

    Read More

  • Jasper Jones Racism Quotes

    609 Words  | 2 Pages

    Craig Silvey’s Jasper Jones is a powerful text, conveying ideas that protest against the social norm of the 1960’s. Protagonist Charlie Bucktin is a teenager living in the small Australian town of Corrigan in 1965. His daily routine is somewhat interrupted by the intrusion of Jasper Jones – the town’s scapegoat – knocking at his window. Together, they attempt to solve the murder of Laura Wishart, a young teenager found hanging in Jasper’s secret hideout. Is this a sinister end for Laura or is Jasper being set up? Jasper Jones, by Craig Silvey, demonstrates that fictional stories not only have the power to move the reader emotionally and physically, but also to change the way the reader sees humanity by delving into issues such as racism, condemnation and the unknown.

    Read More

  • Jasper Jones

    1581 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Jasper Jones, racial power has been reflected through the representation of certain groups and individuals of the 1960s and the conflicts that occurred. At the time in which the text was set being the 1960s, racial prejudice was evident in Australia, especially in rural areas that maintained a parochial and xenophobic society. Aboriginal people were not recognised as citizens of Australia and in some cases, not even as people. They were mistreated and typically seen as uneducated drunkards and criminals. Offspring of white colonists and Aboriginal people were regarded as ‘half-caste’ and were also not acknowledged as Australians. In the same context, there was a growing hatred and resentment towards Vietnamese immigrants due to the impac...

    Read More

  • Essay

    844 Words  | 2 Pages

    Negative experiences of belonging within the individual’s place of residence results in low self-esteem and develops the desire to escape and seek belonging elsewhere. We witness this in Herrick’s The Simple Gift in Longlands Road, when Billy says, ‘this place has never looked so rundown and beat’, which conveys his lack of connection to the place through pejorative colloquial personification of place. The “rundown and beat” nature of “place” parallels Billy’s perception of both himself and his home by using the pathetic fallacy of rain. Moreover, his hatred towards “Nowhereville” is expressed using coarse language and the symbolic action of vandalising the houses of his neighbours with pejorative colloquialism in ‘I throw one rock on the road of each deadbeat no hoper shithole lonely downtrodden house.’ This shows the place of residence is an important influence on creating a sens...

    Read More

  • Analytical Essay on Tim Burton's Style in Film Directing- Edward Scissorhands

    933 Words  | 2 Pages

    Not a single individual is able to watch a Burton film without noticing the lighting effects and how it significantly contributes to the tone and mood of the entire film. In the movie Edward Scissorhands, one might be overwhelmed with the burst of extravagant colors in the scenery. Indeed this cinematic technique, high key, wholly influences the viewers perception and impression of the town. One can conclude that even though flamboyancy pervades the town, iniquity lurks in all directions and hypocrisy governs the minds of its inhabitants. Irony is harnessed in this film. How can an effulgent town harbor wickedness and Edward with a chilling and gothic complexion radiate innocence and righteousness? Burton uses these opposing conceptions brought about by the contrast of lighting to convey the message that materialism has been ingrained in the mentality of society (at least in the neighborhood in which Burton lived in the past), thus yearning for th...

    Read More

  • The Castle

    796 Words  | 2 Pages

    The suburban house, as the film’s setting and sphere of action, is extraordinary partly because it is ‘next-door’ to an airport. The odd layout of this backyard is underlined because their suburb meets the kind of architectural cast-offs often found at the margins of big cities. This mix of the humble backyard with the international vectors of travel, tourism and international trade plays out in the film’s narrative which connects the domestic and the distant. The Castle displays many locations and landscapes easily identified as being unique of Australia- The ‘Aussy’ barbeque and patio setup, greyhound racetrack and poolroom, just to name a few. The neighbours of the Kerrigan’s are a symbol representing the multicultural diversi...

    Read More

  • Free Essays on Taronga by Victor Kelleher

    1598 Words  | 4 Pages

    Taronga is a novel written by Victor Kelleher, which is set in Australia in 1987, two years after Last Days, a tragedy caused by Chernobyl.  Australia had been pushed into anarchy, and it had become a fight for survival.  The weak were killed, and the strong became stronger.  In the novel Taronga, by Victor Kelleher, there are many groups which are represented, and these representations either reinforce or challenge my attitudes on these groups.  The groups represented that will be discussed are heroes, males, females, leaders and survivors.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Neighbours By Tim Winton

    1189 Words  | 3 Pages

    The accumulation implies the severity of the noise and juxtaposed against the silence of their old neighbours, Winton demonstrates his purpose: that the landscape shapes us and irrational emotions of fear and worry interfere with our receptivity to the landscape. The negative connotations of “uncomfortable”, “nervous”, “disapproval”, “resented” and “disgust” used to describe their neighbours highlight their lack of receptivity to their new landscape. The strained relationship with the neighbours continued into autumn and although displeased, the couple “took careful note of what was said”. The gradual acceptance emphasises the time required to fully accept the new people and their landscape, as well as the shift in perspective that is only possible with time.

    Read More

More about Cloudstreet

Open Document