The concept of Distinctly Australian comes from the Australian culture and stereotypes surrounding our way of life. Australian culture has many faces and can present itself in many ways; two poems from Bruce Dawe that explore this idea are ‘Life Cycle’ and ‘Drifters’ which show varied aspects of Australian life, from the rigid structure and lifelong passion for sport in our nation to the constant upheaval and alienation that comes from drifting in and out of communities looking for work. Another view of distinctly Australian comes from the short story ‘Big World’ by Tim Winton which explores mateship and what that means within our society. These texts present the viewer with a powerful insight into Australian culture and also show them how their view of what is distinctly Australian varies depending on the …show more content…
experiences of the individual. The poem ‘Life Cycle’ shows the religious following of sport within Australia and how it is often a lifelong commitment to a club that gives individuals a community to belong to.
By repeating the line, “Carn… Carn’ at the beginning and end of the poem, the cyclic structure of the text mimicing the start and end of life giving the viewer the impression that this club has always been a part of the individual’s life. Additionally, the use of religious and mythological metaphors throughout the poem allows the composer to emphasise the loyalty and devotion shown towards sport in our nation. “They will behold their team going up the ladder into Heaven.” This helps to portray the number one spot on the ladder as something to be greatly craved and worshipped as there is not place higher or more desirable than this, the use of religious terms makes this relatable for people who aren’t a part of the AFL community and wouldn’t otherwise understand the reference. This text aims to display the almost religious devotion shown towards sport and club pride in Australia and how that can be a part of an individual’s identity and how they see themselves within Australian
culture. ‘Drifters’, by Bruce Dawe shows a completely opposing view on the Australian way of life than that of ‘Life Cycle’. This poem is about a family of ‘drifters’ who move so frequently in search of work that they are never able to set down roots and who live a life of inconsistency and constant change. This is an experience common within the working class of Australia, especially in the mining industry and can have considerable consequences on the whole family. When the children get “wildly excited for no reason”, the viewer is able to see that they are too young to truly grasp the ramifications of the constant drifting of their family while we see their mothers wariness and her sense of helplessness in her situation. The juxtaposition of the “blackberry-canes with their last shrivelled fruit” against the bright, berries which marked the start of the season and their move to the house mirrors the deterioration of the wife’s hope for somewhere to belong from when they moved in to when they moved out. In talking about “the bottling set she never unpacked…” we see an insight into how short the families stay in this place truly was and how the mother knew that they would move again soon and didn’t finish unpacking fully because of this. This text helps us understand the effect of being a drifter in Australian society as many Australians become in the search of work in a country where that can sometimes be sparse.
The 2014 Walkley Award winning documentary, "Cronulla Riots: the day that shocked the nation" reveals to us a whole new side of Aussie culture. No more she’ll be right, no more fair go and sadly no more fair dinkum. The doco proved to all of us (or is it just me?) that the Australian identity isn’t really what we believe it to be. After viewing this documentary
Without the use of stereotypical behaviours or even language is known universally, the naming of certain places in, but not really known to, Australia in ‘Drifters’ and ‘Reverie of a Swimmer’ convoluted with the overall message of the poems. The story of ‘Drifters’ looks at a family that moves around so much, that they feel as though they don’t belong. By utilising metaphors of planting in a ‘“vegetable-patch”, Dawe is referring to the family making roots, or settling down somewhere, which the audience assumes doesn’t occur, as the “green tomatoes are picked by off the vine”. The idea of feeling secure and settling down can be applied to any country and isn’t a stereotypical Australian behaviour - unless it is, in fact, referring to the continental
As a person, myself who’s from a Chinese background, I have struggled to define myself as an Australian. Traditional literatures placed those with different heritage, and those who don’t fit the guideline, to feel unaccepted and un-welcomed. However, nowadays contemporary literatures have opened up a new world and changed the ideology. This showed young Australians to see beyond the traditional Australian stereotype and feel part of the Aussie community. ‘Nobody calls me a wog, anymore’, is an example of many contemporary
In Reading Tim Wintons hopeful saga, Cloudstreet, you are immersed in Australia; it is an important story in showing the change in values that urbanisation brought to Perth in the late 1950’s such as confidence and pride. But it was also a very anxious and fearful time period in terms of the Nedlands Monster and his impact in changing the current comfortable, breezy system Perth lived in. The role of women changed significantly with more women adopting more ambitious ideologies and engaging in the workforce something never seen before. But most of all it was important because it changed Australia’s priorities as a nation, it shaped the identity of individuals that we now see today, and it created a very unique Australian identity.
Pung explains that “This was a deliberate and light-hearted attempt to shift away from the two decades of ‘migrant’ or ‘ethnic’ literature narratives that have been published in Australia” (Arcangelo,1). Yet the beginning of the story is scattered with examples of the Pung family mirroring this expectation, though how she describes the way her family marvels at new resources Australia has to offer “Wah, so many things about this new country that are so taken-for-granted!” (9). The amazement that there is no one needs to “walk like they have to hide” (9) and “no bomb is ever going to fall on top of them”(9) nor will they find any one “pissing in the street” (9)that was “so gleaming spick-and-span clean” with “beautiful food” and “pretty packages” (11) makes it difficult to disassociate the familiar stereotypes from Pung’s
The Australian Aborigines society is relatively well known in Western society. They have been portrayed accurately and inaccurately in media and film. Dr. Langton has attempted to disprove common myths about the infamous Australian society, as has her predecessors, the Berndt’s, and National Geographic author, Michael Finkel; I will attempt to do the same.
Hannie Rayson’s play ‘Hotel Sorrento’ explores the changing nature of Australian cultural identity. Rayson successfully perpetuates and challenges common Australian stereotypes in order to establish how the Australian National Identity has changed over time. She presents these stereotypes through the characters expectations of gender roles, attitudes towards Australian culture and the theme of ownership.
The suburban house, as the film’s setting and sphere of action, is extraordinary partly because it is ‘next-door’ to an airport. The odd layout of this backyard is underlined because their suburb meets the kind of architectural cast-offs often found at the margins of big cities. This mix of the humble backyard with the international vectors of travel, tourism and international trade plays out in the film’s narrative which connects the domestic and the distant. The Castle displays many locations and landscapes easily identified as being unique of Australia- The ‘Aussy’ barbeque and patio setup, greyhound racetrack and poolroom, just to name a few. The neighbours of the Kerrigan’s are a symbol representing the multicultural diversi...
This poem expresses Mackellar’s deep passion and love for “her” country without touching on racial issues, rights or custodianship of the land. Australian born and resisting the identification of her British heritage, Mackellar patriotically declares Australia her own by rejecting the beauty of the British landscape through contrasting it with the romantic ideal of her "sunburnt" country. Mackellar presents to the readers the values and attitudes of a newly federated white Australia with her romanticisation of the Australian landscape.
The notions of the Australian voice as multifaceted and diverse, is insightfully expressed in Tim Winton's short story anthology The turning and the Drover's wife by Henry Lawson. Australian voice in literature often explores the quality inherent to the Australian identity of overcoming hardships. The stories Fog, On her knees, and The Drover's wife explore these hardships through the notions of mateship,and the importance of family in facing these challenges.
Reynolds, H. (2005). Nowhere People: How international race thinking shaped Australia’s identity. Australia: Penguin Group
Australia is a very unique place, along with our multiculturalism there is also a strong heritage surrounding us. At first thought of Australian heritage we think about such landmarks as Uluru, The Sydney harbour bridge and The Sydney opera house, The Great Barrier reef and other internationally recognised places. But our heritage goes much deeper than that; it is far more than outstanding icons. Along with these icons there are also unsung places like the old cattle stations, Aboriginal missions, migrant hostels, War memorials, our unique wetlands and the towns and cities we have built. Adding all of these things together, helps to tell the story of who we are and how we have shaped this land in the unique identity it has today.
Through numerous poetic techniques Paterson has shown that the Australian diversity is as diverse as the country itself. The Australian identity concerns the way Australia is viewed by other people. There are a variety of different aspects that contribute to this identity of Australia which include historical icons. Paterson recognizes how lucky we are to live on a land notorious for its diverse landscape. He is signaling that we are missing out and we need to cherish the great land we were given.
Compare and contrast the poems Anthem for Doomed Youth by Wilfred Owen and The Soldier by Rupert Brooke. What are the poets' attitudes towards war and how do they convey these attitudes? Wilfred Owen's "Anthem for Doomed Youth" and Rupert Brooke's "The Soldier" express opposing views towards war and matters related to it.
When humans and nature come together, they either coexist harmoniously because nature's inhabitants and humans share a mutual respect and understanding for each other, or they clash because humans attempt to control and force their ways of life on nature. The poems, "The Bull Moose" by Alden Nowlan, "The Panther" by Rainer Maria Rilke, "Walking the Dog" by Howard Nemerov, and "The Fish" by Elizabeth Bishop, describe what happens when humans and nature come together. I believe that when humans and nature come together they either clash and conflict because individuals destroy and attempt to control nature, which is a reflection of their powerful need to control themselves, or humans live peacefully with nature because not only do they admire and respect nature, but also they can see themselves in nature.