Oodgeroo Noonuccal Time Is Running Out

Over the course of history, poetry has been used to amuse, express feelings and provoke thought. Poetry has also been used as a powerful tool of protest to influence and change attitudes. One poet who did all these things is Oodgeroo Noonuccal. Noonuccal is an indigenous Australian woman who wrote in the 60s into 90s. She portrayed indigenous people suffering under the oppression of the European settlers in Australia. One of Noonuccal’s poems, ‘Time is Running Out’, expressed a very powerful message against mining. In this poem, she urges the indigenous people to act, defend and fight back against the oppressive and greedy European miners before the earth is destroyed. Noonuccal fulfills this purpose in several ways. Firstly, her powerful

theme focuses on the miner’s violent destruction of the land and nature. Secondly, the subject matter and structure of this poem robustly tie it all together. Thirdly, she uses two poetic techniques of metaphor and personification enlivens the theme and provokes images of raw emotion.

‘Time is Running Out’, was published in 1970 as part of ‘My People: a Kath Walker Collection’. The poem describes the miners having a ‘greedy trade’ (stanza 1) and a 'greedy lust of power' (stanza 2) to “rape”, and violently “destroy” the land and nature (lines 1, 3, 11 a, 15 & 16) to mine for 'black blood' (line 4 and stanza 1) which is the oil. The miners do this for the 'filthy dollar' (line 12). She portrays the miners as evil domineering villains using the all-powerful 'giant tools and iron drills' (line 9) to emphasize that the miners have power. The theme that travels around in this poem would be that of violence, where it has been used in line 3, 16, 25, 26 this is the theme because it carries on and retains it ever though it hasn’t been said. For example, where it says the words destruction and stealing it has a sense of violence in it. This is used to get to the point that they are violently attacking the land and nature for a materialistic gain - the filthy dollar or greedy trade. Each section escalates the rate of destruction and culminates in the urgency of her call for indigenous people to fight. This leads us to the purpose.

The purpose of the poem is in the title itself - 'Time is Running Out'. Noonuccal calls on the original owners of the land to act now because the time is running out. This is achieved by highlighting the big issues. The purpose of this poem was to protest that these miners just took it away from the original owner and she wanted to express her feelings. This was an important poem at the time because this is when the indigenous were treated badly and weren’t even allowed to be called Australian citizens nor were they allowed to drink out of the same taps as the whites. This is how the structure of the poem came about.

The structure of Noonuccal's poem 'Time is Running Out' makes it quite easy to read.

It has 3 stanzas with 9 lines per stanza. There is no strong rhyming scheme, but this allowed Noonuccal to express her feelings in a stronger way because she doesn’t have to worry about rhyming things and can just express her feelings. There is some rhythm coupled with rhyme which connects the stanzas, for example, in the lines 3, 14, 16, 25 and 26 there is an echo of the word ‘violent’. This put some structure into it and also brings out the theme of the miners being so violent and using their greedy power against the

indigenous.

Noonuccal employs different poetic techniques to develop the message in the poem. The most significant is her use of personification which is seen in lines 2, 3, 5 and 11. The terms - "heart of the earth" (line 2) and "violent spade" (line 3) are very effective personifications because it gives these innate things human characteristics. Noonuccal has spoken about them harming the heart of the earth which is personified by calling it there heart and that they are hurting them.

Another poetic technique used in the Noonuccal's poem is a metaphor by attributing a word or phrase to an object or action, which is not literally applicable.

For example, she describes the "greedy trade" (line 5) and "filthy trade” (line 11) in the 'black blood', which is a metaphor for the oil trade. The use of ‘rapes’, ‘destroy’ and ‘violence’ of the land to mine the oil, are also very effective metaphors. In line 9, the words "giant tool and iron drill" are more metaphors describing the equipment. Another impact that the metaphors have on the poem is that they describe the miners as villainies for example when she calls them ‘greedy’ and filthy. The uses of these poetics techniques give heart and soul to the Noonuccal's

cause.

Thus, Noonuccal's verse, 'Time Is Running Out' carries a very strong and powerful message. In this poem, she argues that the miners of the lands are greedy and they strike at the heart of the earth, which in turn hurt her people. She brings out her point and makes the audience sympathize with the oppressed first people. Noonuccal's poem is important because it gives a perspective of the oppressed and displaced indigenous peoples in the face of contempt for their oneness with their land. During the times of the 60s, 70s, and 80s, indigenous land and cultural rights were coming to the forefront of their fight against social inequity and injustice. The poetic devices draw the reader to appreciate the indigenous position as a consequence of European settlement. This is achieved by her very strong use of language, and poetic techniques. If a picture can speak a thousand words, this poem ought to be revered for painting a very powerful picture. Protest poetry had an enduring influence on the world and through poems such as 'Time is Running Out', Oodgeroo Noonuccal has certainly expressed everything into this poem and has made her point on why the ‘Time Is Running Out’.