More handpicked essays just for you.
Essay analysis gallipoli battle for Australians
Battle of Gallipoli
Essay analysis gallipoli battle for Australians
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
One hundred years ago a young nation was born out of the bloody battlefields of World War 1. Immense national pride swooned throughout the country and those men who fought against insurmountable odds, in horrendous conditions, are attributed to our national identity from 1915 to modern times. These men were celebrated as heroes, referred to with reverence and honoured each year after their infamous “baptism of fire”. They were the ANZACs.
Good morning/afternoon, today I would like to address the issue of the Anzac legend, specifically how it has become a tool of propaganda rather than a factual account of Australians’ experiences during World War I. Despite being based in factual events, the Anzac legend fails to acknowledge the harsh realities
…show more content…
As Stephens, a journalist for The Age newspaper comments, there is something about Gallipoli that touches a sentimental chord in all of us, far more than federation, which is when Australian actually became a nation. Gallipoli has become a story that generations have been told as part of their cultural and national identity. Unfortunately, much of the original story has been exaggerated and changed over time to suit the needs of the country during times of …show more content…
Memoriam notices published in the Argus newspaper a year later revealed the beliefs, values and attitudes of the families who lost loved ones during the landing at Gallipoli. According to them, these men did a noble duty, were brave and loyal and faced fearful odds. It also highlights the importance of mateship when mothers mourn the loss of their son’s comrade and console themselves with the idea that at least their sons would be buried by their friends. Naturally family members grieving would not speak negatively of their loved ones, but this source helps us to understand how the Anzac legend was reinforced during the war, even after the men had evacuated Gallipoli conceding
The Anzac spirit is not defined by any simple term; it is defined by the acts of valour and heroism of a person or group of Australians. The first Australian to be recognised with the highest award of bravery was Sir Neville Howse after the Boer war in South Africa (1900). The Highest medal available to troops, The Victorian Cross is awarded to a person who “in the presence of the enemy, displays the most conspicuous gallantry; a daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice; or extreme devotion to duty.” Howse was once again sent to fight for his country in World War 1 where he demonstrated his Australian clout for the second time in war. Howse demonstrated the Anzac attitude throughout his whole life leading him to things like serving as the Commonwealth Minister of Health. Howse demonstrated the values of someone worthy of the Victorian Cross through everything he did, thus allowing a spark of the soon to be dubbed Anzac spirit to be kindled and kept alight throughout the rest of Australian
On September 3, 1939 Prime Minister, Robert Gordon Menzies, declared the commencement of Australia's involvement in the Second World War on every national and commercial radio station. From 1942 until early 1944, Australian forces, especially Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders played a key role in the Pacific War forming the majority of Allied strength throughout the South West Pacific. Aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders affected Australia’s World War Two efforts in their extended volunteering and willingness to fight and die in the war. Aboriginal people were a crucial part of defending the Australian home front, in which they had limited or no rights. Many experienced equal treatment to white Australians for the first time in their
The soldiers are remembered for maintaining courage and determination under hopeless conditions. The ANZAC legend owes much to wartime correspondents who used the Gallipoli landing to generate a specifically Australian hero. Among the many reports, which reached Australia, were those of Ashmead-Bartlett. His Gallipoli dispatches described Australians as a 'race of athletes ... practical above all', whose cheers, even in death, 'resounded throughout the night'. Ashmead-Bartlett helped in...
Aboriginal soldiers returned to their country where they had no citizenship rights, controlled by the government policies which prevented them from living in towns, socialising with other Australians and voting. This is evident in phrases such as, “He returned to the outback, no mates did he find. If he had a beer he was jailed and then fined,” and, “Confused and alone he wandered around, Looking for work though none could be found. The Anzac marches he badly neglected, Would show to his comrades how he was rejected.” This informs the reader about how the Aboriginal soldiers did not receive the same benefits as the European soldiers did, even though they made the same sacrifices during the
Mateship is a value and important part of attitude towards others that lasts forever and ever, like the Anzacs. The Anzacs are the originals of mateship because of their compassion to defend each other's backs. For these reasons, all Australians are still proud to say that the Anzacs fought for Australia and for their mates. They rest in Australians hearts today in harmony and peace. They fought hard, defended each other's backs and they appreciated that they could always turn to each other for a shoulder to lean on. A shoulder to cry on. A shoulder to bestow their fondness of memories with.
Hypothesis: The Australian public made a significant contribution to the war efforts from 1939 to 1945, through sacrifices on a personal and national level. The determination of the Australian people in bringing their loved ones home safely, created strong relationships between the community, which in many cases, are still prevalent in Australian society to this day.
Here is a question — how did the ANZAC legend develop? The legend of Anzac was born on 25 April 1915, and was reaffirmed in eight months' fighting on Gallipoli. Although there was no military victory, the Australians displayed great courage, endurance, initiative, discipline, and mate-ship. Such qualities came to be seen as the Anzac spirit. The ANZAC book written and illustrated in Gallipoli by the men of Anzac —- The Anzac book became the finest “trench publication” produced during the Great War, and was an instant bestseller when first released in 1916. Created by soldiers under enemy fire and in extreme hardship, the illustrations, stories, cartoons, and poems were intended as a Christmas and New Year diversion for soldiers facing a harsh winter in the trenches on Gallipoli.
anzacday.org.au. (2000). Being a historian: Investigating the Battle of Long Tan. Retrieved May 29th, 2014, from anzacday.org.au: http://www.anzacday.org.au/education/activities/longtan/longtan01.html
I will also discuss how the young, naive soldiers arrived at war, not knowing what warfare entailed. They were shocked by the conditions and the casualties. I will also discuss the bravery shown by the ANZACS in the most dangerous conditions. I will conclude with my reasons for why the Gallipoli campaign holds such value and importance in Australian history and ideology. Australian men were very keen to get involved in the war because they felt that it was their duty and if they didn’t go to war it would make them look cowardly.
Thesis: During World War 1, the amount of Australians enlisting decreased due to the realisation that war was not as it was portrayed to the public
Lewis, R. (n.d.). The Home Front - World War 2. Retrieved April 1, 2014, from www.anzacday.org.au: http://www.anzacday.org.au/history/ww2/homefront/overview.html
Peter Weir’s 1981 film Gallipoli can in every sense of the phrase be called an ‘Australian classic’. The impact and effect this film has had upon the psyche and perspective of several generations of Australians has been significant. Whilst it can be argued that every Australian is aware of the ANZAC legend, and the events that occurred on the Turkish beaches in 1915, Weir’s film encapsulates and embodies a cultural myth which is now propagated as fact and embraced as part of the contemporary Australian identity. The film projects a sense of Australian nationalism that grew out of the 1970’s, and focuses on what it ‘means’ to be an Australian in a post-colonial country. In this way Gallipoli embodies a sense of ‘Australian-ness’ through the depiction of mateship and through the stark contrast of Australia to Britain. A sense of the mythic Australia is further projected through the cinematic portrayal of the outback, and the way in which Australia is presented in isolation from the rest of the world. These features combined create not only a sense of nationalism, but also a mythology stemming from the ANZAC legend as depicted within the film.
In the nineteenth century, the “History wars” became the fight between the most prominent historians revolving around the deception of frontier conflict between the labor and coalition. The debate aroused from the different interpretations of the violence that took place during the European colonization and to what degree. It became a crisis in history, emerging from the dispossession of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (ATSI) that resulted in exclusion of their traditions and culture. The ATSI were the first people of Australia that brought along a different culture, language, kinship structures and a different way of life (Face the Facts, 2012). Post European colonization was a time where the ATSI people experienced disadvantage in the land they called home. With the paramount role as future educators, it demands proficient knowledge on the Australian history and one of the most influential moments in our history started from the first European settlers.
Although the Gallipoli Campaign was a disastrous few years, with many losses and the failure of victory, the ANZAC’S are still known as legends and heroes. The legend is that the Australian and New Zealand troops helped in establishing their country’s reputation in the world, through qualities of strength and bravery when faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges. The Gallipoli Campaign was a very significant event in history because Australia had only been a
Although Hollywood movies are able to encourage interest into topic areas, which previously would have been less accessed by the average person for example the Gallipoli campaign, it still has its limitations. The main limitations of Weir’s Gallipoli include primarily that it was made for entertainment purposes, and thus cannot be qualified as being an accurate source, due to a strong romanticized nature. Gallipoli does remain correct throughout most of the film, in recounting order of events from the first landing at Gallipoli, the follow up landings and the Battle at the Nek, even to the food eaten on the peninsula including Bully beef and the “Anzac wafer” . However, the film loses this concrete history through bias and perspective. As explored in the above example of the English “Drinking tea” whilst an attack was underway (which was untrue) it illustrates a strong Australian perspective which decreases authenticity. Another aspect of the film is that there are rarely any scenes from the perspective of Turkish army, who they were fighting against. Not only does this very clear “Us vs. Them” distinction enhance the lack of recognition of the Turkish army’s losses (almost 70,000) , but also fails to admit that through the Turkish perspective, Gallipoli was a success. The Turkish army were forced to defend their land under attack and suffered immense loses, yet they were able to defend their nation and thus, celebrate March 18th, 1915 as the victory in the Battle of Çanakkale. This neglected understanding of the Turkish army again diminishes the historic accuracy and usefulness as a source. This neglect of multiple historical views is the second limitation of the film, which are important to identify, as they