Jasper Jones Poetic Techniques

English speech

The marginalised Australian experience traps groups and individuals based on one or many aspects of their life. Both the poem ‘capital letters’ by Omar Musa and Craig Silvey’s novel ‘Jasper Jones’ explore the Australian Experience of marginalisation. They share many aspects of marginalisation including racism, injustice, resilience, consequences and life on the margin. Marginalisation can have negative psychological and emotional responses, however in capital letters and jasper jones, the consequences of overcoming marginalisation and the build-up of resilience are emphasised. Omar Musa’s poem capital letters looks into his own life and experiences growing up on the margin in Queanbeyan, Australia. The poem displays both the harsh consequence, as well as the

In the 1960’swhen the novel is set, black people were shunned and despised, and since he is a half-caste, Jones is immediately rejected. Also, because of his aboriginal relations, he is blamed for all wrongdoings in Corrigan (the town in which the novel takes place). The fact that he is an outcast attracts Charlie Bucktin to him as he is seen as an outsider too, due to him being more intellectual than sporty in a town where athleticism is highly valued. Charlie idealizes Jasper and his way of life and he seems to find a lot that they have in common as rejects- even though he doesn’t have to experience any form of racial prejudice nor any financial difficulties, and he doesn’t have to live on the streets. This goes to show that even people that look as though they fit in on the outside, may feel marginalised within society. Throughout the novel Silvey makes it clear that racism towards Jasper and to other characters is prejudicial and simply a result of people’s ignorance and their lack of empathy and understanding. These