We Re Not Trucking Around By Samuel Wagan Watson

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Recommended: Australian identity essay

The poem “We’re not trucking around” (2003) by Samuel Wagan Watson presents the important idea about the marginalization of Aboriginal culture and the idea that Aboriginals do not try to mimic the ‘Invaders’. These ideas represent an aboriginal perspective on Australian national identity which explores the marginalization of aboriginal culture and the mistreatment of Aboriginals in Australia. Watson reinforces his arguments with poetic techniques including the creation of an atmosphere, use of dialect and empathy. The composer uses roads and, in particular, trucks as examples of his ideas. Samuel Wagan Watson presents an Aboriginal perspective on Australian identity, exploring the marginalization of Aboriginal culture. Watson associates …show more content…

Combined with his short sentences, this makes the poem more colloquial, while maintaining a bleak attitude, which shows that Australian identity is diverse, even in poems. Watson’s use of low modality language such as “weren’t really” indicates that the Aborigines was not willing to embrace the truck revolution, the composer also using high modality language (lusting); the contrast of his words to depict that the Aboriginals were being treated according to stereotypes. This challenges the stereotype that Australians treat Indigenous Aboriginals fairly. Samuel Wagan Watson uses poetic and language techniques to present the idea that Aboriginals do not wish to blindly follow white men, presenting an Indigenous perspective on Australian National identity. 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

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