Kate Grenville is one of Australia’s best known authors, she was born in 1950 in Sidney, Australia. She has won many national and international awards for her writing about Australia’s past and the interactions that may have been taking place between the first settlers and the aborigines. The Secret River was one of these popular novels, which is exploring the past, although it is only historical fiction. The inspiration for writing these historical fictions, came from the fact that she did not knew much about her ancestors which settled on a river named Hawkesbury River in New South Wales.
William Thornhill is a convict, who has been transported by the ship Alexander to his new home in His Majesty’s penal colony with his family in 1806, which is located in New South Wales. William is not able to sleep the first night; he is plagued by fear and worry about their future at their new home, he thinks about this new prison he is in, guarded not by humans, but by ten thousand miles of sea, he has no chance to return home, and the idea of that he will die under these alien stars scares him.
The same night William encounters an aborigine outside his hut, the aborigine carries a spear and Williams has no arms at all, he tries to force the Aborigine to leave by saying “Be off” and raising his hand, but he aborigine just repeats what William said to him.
William will not let the aborigine hurt the unarmed settlers, but at the same moment the aborigine disappears, leaving William with the horrific though that the darkness could hide hundreds or even thousands of aborigines with spears. He went quickly back into the hut, although it did not offer any protection against what the darkness might hide.
William Thornhill is a 1st person narrator...
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The poem “Who are We” on the other hand describes Australia from the Aborigine point of view, and the dare consequences it had for their life and lifestyle. The poem also describes the special relation that the Aborigines have with the nature, and how the white men destroyed it all, how they took their land and home from them, and made them prisoners in their own land, “Where in the world do we feel free, when born into life as an Aborigine”. The poem describes all of those things such as the lost generation and how the majority has ignored them, which became a historical amnesia in the Australian society. “Nature is screaming and crying in pain, at the loss of her children”
These two pieces of text, describes the events from their own point of view, although “Strangers” is about the very first contact and “Who are We” are about the consequences of the white men.
These lines exemplify Keating’s constant reference to the non-indigenous group as ‘we’ and ‘us’, this coupled with the accusatory tone present throughout this section of the text ensures that the blame is being put on the white Australian’s of the population. The word choice and tone in ...
house and hold he at gun point with he the cur dog at monks side. He tells john
English literature have been used to express the experiences and history of Australia. In Dorothy Mackellar’s “My Australia” poem, signifies the beauties and the terrors of the luck country. However, Migrants experience a different terror, as conveyed by Ania Walwicz as the “big, ugly” side of Australians - facing the cruel racism of the White Australian Policy. In Australia’s history, Migrants have been treated with alienation and physical discrimination which distant them from Australia’s community. Migrants not only faces the terrors of the land but also the racism enforced by Australia’s laws.
When William wakes at 5:05 A.M., the reader is formally introduced to his mind. All the random bits of information he free associates are there simply becausedf he wants them to be. Information comes at such a cheap cost he’s able to know The Declaration of Independence by heart and not have to choose between his favorite bands, instead, he only has to decide which to listen to first. While this wealth of information may seem like a benefit to some, it uses up space that could be utilized for things more important. And because it’s not being properly used, William is full of fear and conflicts. This is sprinkled throughout the story. The word fear is mentioned five times, afraid and terrorist are both mentioned six times, and terror is mentioned three. William doesn’t want to leave his wife, “but he love[s] his work” (pg 428). He’s not sure if he’s a good father. While he’s gone his daughter draws p...
Thus, this creates connotations to patriotism and pride towards the country the reader lives in. Coupled with the large image of Australia filled with smaller images of people of all ages, and race, sporting the Australian flag, influences the reader to enter the article with a positive attitude towards Australia Day, as it seems to put this day in high esteem, which consequently convinces the audience, before even commencing to read, that the day is about ‘unity’ and not division. The smaller images of a non-traditional and traditional stereotypical Australian prove that race play no part in this celebratory day, creating the sense of Australia being an accepting
Reynolds, H. (1990). With The White People: The crucial role of Aborigines in the exploration and development of Australia. Australia: Penguin Books
Samuel Wagan Watson is a contemporary Indigenous Australian poet whose poems often examine colonialism and its effects. His poem “a verse for the cheated” does just that, as it comments on how many people are ignorant when it comes to Indigenous Australians. In this poem Watson represents Australians as a people that can often be ignorant in regard to Aboriginals. By using strong language features and symbolism, Watson is able to communicate the everyday effects of colonialism on the Indigenous people in Australia.
Bruce Dawe is considered to be one of Australia’s most influential poets of the 20th century. Dawe’s poems capture Australian life in numerous ways, whether it is our passion for AFL in Life-Cycle or our reckless nature towards war as in Homecoming. Dawe creates very complicated poems reflecting the author’s context relevant to the time period, your context is based upon your reading of the poem, where you may gather different meanings, to that of the original intent, hidden within the text.
Pearson conveys the need to take responsibility for the consequences of past discriminations, encouraging open, harmonious and hopeful beliefs of reconciliation as opposed to assigning guilt. He calls for the metaphoric “opening of hearts” as Australians strive to overcome inequities of the past and build a future based on the beliefs of justice and equality. Pearson expresses his hope for reconciliation through negative diction and alliteration, “Legacy of unutterable shame” and “derogation and diminution”, representing the historic suffering of Indigenous Australians. Thus, it is clearly evident that he does not manipulate the audience into having to act against the misfortune of the past, but rather have an emotional connection with them through powerful rhetoric to indirectly assist the audience to gain an insight of the emotional and physical damage of Aborigines. Furthermore, Pearson also incorporate inclusive language through the repetition of “our nation” and the action that “we” must take to correct our past injustices. This is effective in reconciling the divide between European Australians, whilst reinforcing national values. Pearson’s approach depicts society’s challenge to “accept responsibility and accept shame”, reflecting his belief that this was the ideal solution to address reconciliation.
The voices of individuals in shaping the perspective on Australian issues are presented in Bruce Dawe’s poetry. Dawe's ability to express the drama and beauty of everyday life has made his work readily accessible to the general public. Bruce Dawe’s primary purpose in his poetry was to depict the unspoken social issues, concerning the typical Australian suburban residents. His concern for these matters is evident through his mocking approach to the issues he presents in his poems. The poem “___” and the related text help shape our perspective on Australian issues through Dawe's use of techniques and context.
The poem “We’re not trucking around” by Samuel Wagan Watson presents an Aboriginal perspective on Australian National identity, showing the audience that Australians still mistreat Indigenous people, expressing his perspective through the ideas that white men still mistreat Aboriginals and the marginalization of Aboriginal culture. Watson reinforces his idea through poetic and language
Gail Godwin's short story "A Sorrowful Woman" revolves around a wife and mother who becomes overwhelmed with her husband and child and withdraws from them, gradually shutting them completely out of her life. Unsatisfied with her role as dutiful mother and wife, she tries on other roles, but finds that none of them satisfy her either. She is accustomed to a specific role, and has a difficult time coping when a more extensive array of choices is presented to her. This is made clear in this section of the story.
The True History of the Kelly Gang is a fictional novel written by the Australian writer Peter Carey. The novel is presented as an autobiography written by the Australian bushranger, Ned Kelly, to his daughter. It portrays Ned’s life as a child and as an adult. The audience also reveals the struggles of discrimination he overcomes as an Irish in the Australian world. This novel is packed with many themes but the most obvious and eye-catching would be racism. We are also able to identify many quotes and passages used within the text to demonstrate this theme. Carey’s persuasive language and point of view plays a crucial part in promoting the theme of racism.
This quote from the poem found in stanza three describes how after many years of the invasion, white people started to feel sorry and remorseful for the impact which white settlement had on Aborigines. This relates to Judith Wright’s concern for the Aboriginal people and the land which human settl...
Her achievement in translating the Australian experience into poetry led in her best work to a rich inheritance of lyricism and directness. Through stories told by older workers on the property she learnt of the pioneers' part in both the destruction of the land and the dispossession and murder of the aboriginal people. The sense of fear she felt at invasion enabled her to understand, at some level, how the Aborigines would have felt.