The Black Rat Essay

Good morning members of the Mt Gravatt show society. Did you know that World War Two is known as the most destructive war in history? It killed over 60 million people and had a lot more far-reaching impacts than any other wars. Published in 1988 in Inside Black Australia, an anthology of Aboriginal poetry, “The Black Rat” by a famous author and researcher, Iris Clayton, was a poem inspired by her father, Cecil, who fought in the war. The poem describes the depressing life of an Aboriginal soldier who helped off the German army at Tobruk at the time. The message in the poem is that the Aboriginal soldiers did not receive the benefits that European soldiers received, like farming lands after the war ended. This tells how unjust the European society was in Australia’s history.
“The Black Rat” explores the days during and after World War Two. It also honours Iris’s father as a war hero. The poem has described how the soldier lived during the war and the effort he demonstrated when fighting for his land. The phrase, “He lived in a tin hut with a hard dirt floor. He had bags sewn together that was his door,” gives the reader an

understanding of the repugnant conditions at that time. As for the war, the lines, “The price of fighting for the freedom of man, Did not make any difference to this Blackman,” implies that even after his contribution was made, he was still treated racially and unfairly by the Europeans. This indicates how the Europeans have treated the Aborigines unequally at the time.

References to Aboriginal culture in this poem indicate how traditions, beliefs, values and their way of life were restricted by the Europeans.

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

war.

Iris Clayton’s choice of language positions the reader to sympathise with the Aboriginal soldier in the poem. She uses emotive language to create an image of a man who was once proud, but became confused and lost. As a result, he lived in poverty. The soldier is described as; ‘battered and scarred’, implying the psychological damage caused by his life in Australia and the poor treatment he received after the war and the physical damage he endured while fighting in Tobruk. It also makes the reader feel sympathy for other soldiers in this position. The phrase, ‘He fought for this land so he could be free. Yet he could not vote after his desert melee.’ conveyed how heroic ‘Rats of Tobruk’ were for fighting for their land in World War Two. This describes the true nature of the Europeans.

This poem is effective as a statement of injustice against one who should have received the highest honours, but died neglected. The poet has been very successful at conveying her message as she describes the gruesome Aboriginal history and restricted culture during the war. Language techniques were also used to make the reader feel sympathy for the Aboriginal soldiers who fought bravely for their land. Overall, this is a powerful and significant poem as it raises the issue of inequality that existed between Aboriginal and European soldiers in society.

Thank you.

Isabelle Liew