Anzac Legend Analysis

2.Traditional values

2.1. The Anzac Legend

The creation of Australian identity in the nation’s culture appears to be considerably formed by its continual engagement with the Anzac legend. Australians as a community recognize themselves with the legend of the Anzac ‘digger’ who are known to have unique traits such as mate ship, egalitarianism and dominant conceptions of the bush and war. The Anzac legend connects with traditional manhood signifiers of Australian identity such as the iconic bushman. According to Brant these legends have traits of “mateship, bravery and humour”. (N.Bryant, 2009) These men are symbolised in the more recent images of Crocodile Dundee and Steve Irwin, an image that Australians still to this day call upon when

According to La’Brooy, Australians are known to be “blonde, blue-eyed and fair-skinned coloured” (M.La'Brooye, 2009). This stereotype does exist unquestionably, however this image is far from what many Australian individuals can be categorized as today. In ‘Stretching the prototype’, Duncan explores the image of the stereotypical Australian, and claims that in more recent times, Australians have adopted a more “urban image”. (Duncan, 2004). Duncan furthers his ideas explaining that most Australians take a surprising approach to Australian Identity, often appreciating and embracing the stereotypical perception of Australian person’s characteristics. Demographic Changes in Australian culture have impacted the conventional image of a proportion of the Australian population, as an increase in non-European immigration, mostly from Asia and the Middle East has changed the balance from a formerly British dominated population. The depiction of an average Australian could be a vibrant mix of different cultures. Therefore, the aspect of appearance cannot be considered when exploring what it means to be Australian. It may not be the stereotypical suntanned blonde, nonetheless the physical appearance of an Australian individual cannot define true Australian

Most of our understanding of the Australian identity has been shaped by the worlds misleading perception of the Australian character and the impact of significant history events, with limited documentation on how everyday Australians understand their national identity. This report found that the Australian identity encompasses a broad set of shared understandings including equality of opportunity and the values of mateship and egalitarianism brought on by iconic Australian concepts such as the Anzac legend. As well, this study found that, with evidence, because of all the changes in Australian culture, because of the contradictions involved in the Australian image, individuals cannot recognize themselves in terms of a unifying essence. Duncan approves with this statement, claiming that because of the diversity of Australia’s population “It does not make sense” (Duncan, 2004) to describe what it means to be Australian, explaining that regardless of birthplace or characteristics, Australian people appear to share and approve a sense of national