Comparison Of Up The Country And Dorothea Mackellar's Up The Country

From the 1970’s Australians have been viewed as bush people as they were seeming as heroic and brave. Never the less, internationally, Australians have been showcased as vulgar, racist that have strong pride for their country. Consequently, Australia has also been viewed as an alcoholic nation as companies continuously push the stereotype to market their products. In turn, Australian’s collective identity is made up of multiple other stereotypes that have been fed into. Despite being incorrectly portrayed; the Australian identity has a positive effect on Australian culture.

Good morning and welcome fellow active citizens. Today we will be examining the wide spectrum of cultural identities, values, and beliefs that Australian poetry and film are underpinned with. By the end of this presentation, you will walk away with knowledge of the Australian Identity through the works of two Australia poets Oodgeroo Noonuccal and Bruce Dawe and one of our beloved Aussie box office smash ‘The Castle’.

The provocative vivid image of the Australian outback emphasise the loneliness, solidarity and emotional and mental impact of the bushmen. In ‘the drover’s wife’, Lawson depicts the hardships and isolation of the drover’s wives living in the Australian Outback during the early 1900’s. The distinctively visuals explore the woman’s power and courage developed whilst raising her children in the isolated environment. In Maus, Spigelman exhibits the holocaust memoir by his father and a holocaust survivor, Vladak. The provoking images of the war and survival conveys the hardships and the suffering gained from the

Robert Drewe’s 1996 novel The Drowner is, among other things, a representation of Western Australian lifestyle, culture and identity in the late 19th century. At the time, Australia was still a young nation; an “underdog” among Western countries. However, numerous gold rushes brought wealth and prosperity to the nation, attracting millions of immigrants from mainly European countries. Australia’s national identity developed into one centred around the values of hard work, perseverance and mateship—values which are still central to our identity today.

An individual’s life, identity, and their relationship with other people can be impacted by the suffering and loss that war and its aftermath bring. Australian composers address these issues in their novel to convey the Australian identity. Australia composer Sue Lawson explores and creates images of the Australian identity through their actions, words and personality. Showing the effects of war not just of immediate generation but those who follow war. In exploring clear features and techniques of the Novel FINDING DARCY we find that the protagonist and antagonist eventually connect and interact with each other.

The Breakaway was painted by Thomas William Roberts, an Australian artist known for his national narratives. This is demonstrated through, The Breakaway, as it tells the story of a drover trying to prevent a mob of sheep from running away from the pack. During the 1890’s there was a drought which is depicted in the painting, with dust being kicked up and dry, arid landscape. In 1891 a shearers strike began leading to the formation of the Australian Labor Party which suggests the lack of assistance that the drover is in need of. Tom Roberts was born on the 8th of March 1856 in Dorchester, England before moving to Australia at the age of 13.

A variety of issues are examined in Dawe’s poetry, most of which, aren’t uniquely Australian. In ‘The Wholly Innocent’, the poet utilises the narrator being an unborn baby to express their opinion on abortion. The emotive language; “defenceless as a lamb” and comparisons of abortion to “genocide”, all turn this poem into a type of activism, for pro-life; a concept that is certainly not uniquely Australian; as abortion is only legal (on request) in 4 states and territories. These issues aren’t always directly referenced in Dawe’s poetry, much like in ‘The Family Man’, which chooses to explore suicide and it’s effect. The man who killed himself had no name - he was just a statistic, that had “all qualifications blown away with a trigger’s touch”.

‘Sometimes Gladness’, a collection of poems by Bruce Dawe mention a variety of references to Australian culture; although often looked over by the reader. Without the use of stereotypical behaviours or even language known universally, the naming of certain places known to Australia in ‘Drifters’ and ‘Revire of a swimmer’ gets muddled with the overall message of the poems. Moreover, even when Australian slang is incorporated into the poem, a larger audience can relate to what is being said; as Dawe relies on universally issues to form the backbone of his poetry, especially in ‘Homecoming’ and ‘Life-Cycle’. Lastly, a distinct Australian poem would only be expected to explore issues relating to the countries individual culture or issues, though

He says, “Rock-ribbed and ancient as the sun,—the vales Stretching in pensive quietness between;The venerable wood” (0000). Bryant’s descriptions of natural things are incredibly detailed,and packed full of sensory. Bryant’s poem contains strong sensory prevalently throughout the poem. Connection humans and nature, and writing with strong sensory allow Bryant’s poem to awaken the reader.

The poem My Mother The Land by Phill Moncrieff poetically describes the struggles the aboriginal people faced with loss of their country, culture, identity, people and place at the hands of the European people and colonisation throughout history. Overall the poem effectively positions the reader to feel sympathy and empathy toward the aboriginal people and strong antipathy towards the European people furthermore it helps the reader understand the importance of country, culture, identity, people and place to the aboriginal

Oodgeroo Noonuccal’s non-traditional view of Australia in ‘An Appeal’ shows how stereotypes of Australia are not always correct. The poem shows how camaraderie and mateship are not always expressed in Australian lifestyle. It is evident in the poem that not all Australians help each other to get through tough times and Australia is divided into different groups of people and is not equal. ‘An appeal’ shows how the nation stands up for themselves and fight for what is right against the power of the ‘not really’ authoritative people of Australia. The concept of inequality is a crucial part of Oodgeroo Noonuccal’s poem ‘An Appeal’.

What does it really mean to be Australian? Is Australia really just: bushland, hot sunny beaches, native animals and having to have a laid back attitude? These are just common stereotypes about the ‘land down under’. With Australia settled by the British colony many of its inhabitants were the leftover convicts from Europe. After world war 2 boat people and asylum seekers arrived in Australia hoping for a new life.

Furthermore, the superficial simplicity of Hughes’ poems is not meant to deceive, but to encourage readers to engage in poetry from different perspectives because there is more to the poem than meets the eye. Additional questions remain, however. Does Hughes’ experimentation with form threaten to mischaracterize or further objectify the subjects of his poetry? Does Hughes ascribe too much value to these ordinary objects and places? Are there limitations to Hughes’ experimentation?

Wordsworth and Muir express their fascination with nature using imagery and mood. In “Calypso Borealis”, John Muir states that he finds himself “glorying in the fresh cool beauty and charm of the bog and meadow heathworts, grasses, carices, ferns, mosses, liverworts displayed in boundless profusion” (Muir). The words “boundless profusion” appeals to the sense of sight and helps us imagine the scene and all the bountiful natural beauty of the place. The image shows Muir’s relationship with nature because it demonstrates his overwhelming, nearly spiritual, experience with nature. In the poem “I wandered lonely as a cloud”,

“Report to Wordsworth” by Boey Kim Cheng and “Lament” by Gillian Clarke are the two poems I am exploring in this essay, specifically on how the common theme of human destruction of nature is presented. In “Report to Wordsworth”, Cheng explores the damage of nature caused by humans and man’s reckless attitude towards this. In “Lament”, the idea of the damage of oceans from the Gulf War is explored. In “Report to Wordsworth”, Boey Kim Cheng explores the theme of human destruction of nature as a response to William Wordsworth, an romantic poet who celebrated nature’s beauty in his poetry.