Blackrock Themes

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Recommended: Gender stereotypes and popular culture

Blackrock written by Australian playwright Nick Enright is a dramatic play created to challenge a dominant social belief of twentieth century Australian youth. Blackrock, being inspired by the real-life rape and murder of schoolgirl Leigh Leigh (in Stockton, near Newcastle, Australia on 3 November 1989), provides powerful criticism of a society of dominant Australian male youth culture, and highlights how outwardly harmless attitudes and ideologies can lead to the death of a young women. Many aspects of Australian cultural identity are seen in this drama play, including emphasis on physical achievement opposed to mental, the concept of mateship, and the role of violence, each encourage the reader to question the overall moral justice, logic and wisdom of Australian society. Enright uses Blackrock as a representation of Australian society, and through his creation of such realistic characters enables the teenage audience the ease to identify with the themes and ideas. Enright suggest the flawed value of marginalisation of women, which in my opinion is the biggest issue in the play.

In Blackrock the idea of marginalisation is clear. The young women in the play, in particular Tracey and Tiffany, are seen as nothing more than mere sexual objects for a male’s desire, for example the horrific rape of Tracey. How can it be that just because of a woman’s attire, provocative or not, can justify three males (Toby, Scott and Davo) to use and abuse her? I don’t understand! Furthermore I don’t understand how Ricko, can justify murdering a young girl, just because she won’t have sexual intercourse with him. Ricko is an interesting character in Blackrock; he is a dominant male, who can be charming when he needs something, and horrifically aggr...

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...ct, detrimental attitudes towards women is still seen in Australian society. They are portrayed as nothing more than mere sexual objects of the male’s desire. Enright wrote this play to reveal to the reader how Australian culture is unrefined, must evolve to keep up with change, and has flaws that are detrimental to the lives of youth and the wellbeing of society. How can be that it’s ok to horrifically rape, a fifteen-year-old young woman, and a community thinks nothing of it? How can it be that a male can murder, a fifteen year-old young women, just because she won’t have sexual intercourse with him? I don’t understand this disgusting mindset of this male youth culture. What I do know is this, if this idea of women as nothing more than mere sexual objects is continued in male culture, than acts such as the gang rape and murder of Tracey will be endorsed.

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