Mateship. Courageous. Faithful & freedom. These distinctive words are what Australians characterised themselves to be different from the rest of the world. But who is an Australian? Someone that was born in Australia? Arthur Calwell charted the waves of immigration and enriched the nation with a speech that greatly changed the face of Australia, thus why poem Australia and Migrant Hostel should be included in the anthology. He stated the sense of Australian identity that is based on values, not on birth. Australia poem by Ania Walwicz, and Migrant Hostel by Peter Skrzynecki, respectively evoke powerful emotions of indignant against Australians discriminatory behaviour in transit to their new place of residence. The use of poetic elements and …show more content…
This poem offers a perspective of Australia from a foreigner, foregrounding the elements that are not typically acknowledged. It enables audience to get a better comprehension to a different side of Australia, (which she personifies as ‘you’) and the people. When she migrated to her new country, she was repulsed by the Australian culture and expresses those feelings by utilising simple language, yet strong and negatives words such as ‘big ugly’ and ‘dumb dirty city’, which contradict what Australians believe are positive aspects of our identity. The text mentioned ‘You want everyone to be the same’, ‘You never accept me’ and ‘You don´t have any Interest in another country.’ suggests that the public are cut-off from any diversity or multiculturalism. But the face of Australia has changed dramatically. Today, Australia is often described as one of the ‘classical countries of immigration’. The concept of being a nation based on immigrants is at the centre of Australian …show more content…
Hopefully with time and initiative, the new social realities of this vast nation will be more accurately represented both abroad and in more cultural and professional spheres within Australia itself. Undoubtedly, Australia is one proud country. Proud of their nation, their achievements and their own independent way of life, but sometimes Aussies forget about the rest of the world and the others that makes them a who they are. Walwicz and Skrzynecki both lived a tough life, facing many adversities along the way, for during this period, they feel no belonging to any geographic place. Amidst massive national and global change, the Aussie spirit is still alive and growing in the 21st Century. What it means to be Australian has morphed to meet the challenges and diversity of our changing times. Australians hold strongly to an identity and “Aussie values” yet these are more sophisticated and mature and represent our place in a world of global
In his collection of poems Broken Teeth, author Tony Birch explores Melbourne’s past from British Settlement to the present day. Within his poems “‘My Words’, Beruk (Ngamajet) -1835”, “Beruk Watches Melbourne from the Sky -1945” and “Visiting”, Birch creates a connected image of the city’s past through exploring snapshots of different time periods within Melbourne’s rich, diverse history. Birch’s poems also identify the strong links between the city’s past and its present, reviving the strong historical and cultural factors that influenced Melbourne’s creation. Tony Birch’s Poem “‘My Words’, Breuk (Ngamajet)- 1835”, depicts the history of the colonisation of Melbourne, as told through the eyes of prominent Indigenous leader William Barak
To what extent has my understanding of ‘being Australian’ been influenced by the texts (and films) you’ve studied? (Deadly Unna?, Summer Heights High). My understanding of ‘being Australian’ has changed through the study of the book ‘Deadly Unna? (Phillip Gwynne 1988) and the comedic documentary Summer Heights High (Chris Lilley 2007).
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.
Even though they faced uncertainty about their belonging to this new environment “Stranger in a strange land. This is not my place. These are not my people.” Settling into their new found home proved to be a difficult challenge as they arrived without preparation “they will ask about us about why we came here to Australia and why we have no papers.” This proves to stall their progression to officially live in Australia.
Scott Sawyer’s opinion piece published in the Gladstone Observer on the 25th of January 2014, employs an informal tone to argue against the unnecessary racism often exhibited on Australia Day. The piece follows a train of thought as it transitions from an impartial positive tone to stern and disgusted. The article “Ditch the racism and enjoy Australia Day as it should be” states it’s contention in it’s title, clearly and concisely, continuing on to position the Australian population to agree to it’s contention using rhetorical questions, emotive and inclusive language and appeal to patriotism. The article displays a cartoon image of a cave man looking puzzled at a stone wheel, contemplating its existence and use. The image acts as a metaphor
He continues on passionately and fades into a proud tone as he explains that Australia Day is a day to celebrate the country’s unique diversity, and multicultural nation. Through his use of inclusive language such as ‘we’ and ‘our’, Roberts-Smith is able to create a sense of inclusion for the reader and makes them realise that they should be celebrating their country’s unique diversity. Coupling this with the reinforcement from facts and statistics such as ’65 percent of Aussies marked the day in some way last year’ and ‘16,000 new Aussies chose Australia Day of all days to become Australia Citizens’, shows the reader the amount of pride the people in Australia have for their country. It is clear that Roberts-Smith is passionate about his point of view and arguments similar to Russell who is equally passionate about his arguments and point of view. In which each writers passion assists them in making their individual pieces more succinct and
Racism is destroying the Australian Dream, is a speech that confronts the discrimination the Aboriginals received from citizens of Australia and aims to persuade these citizens to stop this once and for all. The native people of Australia were thrust forcibly by the first Europeans settlers into worthy-less beings in society and became seen as the degenerates of the world. Stan Grant tells to the audience the experience of his family’s in regards to their human rights. “ANECTODES.”
We are told that Australia is the “blessed country”. A country where our most appealing asset is our multicultural community and diverse society. In our anthem, we sing: “for those who come across the seas, we’ve boundless plains to share”. Ironically, this line is in the second verse, which most people barely ever sing. Perhaps this reveals the true attitude Australia has towards asylum seekers.
Being an Australian in the 21st century involves not only acknowledging and celebrating the rich cultural history of the nation but also embracing its multiculturalism. The Australian identity has evolved over the years to exemplify inclusivity and respect towards diverse ethnicities and backgrounds, creating a nation that thrives on difference. Along with this cultural mosaic, being an Australian in the 21st century also means recognizing the social and economic challenges faced by indigenous communities and actively promoting their rights and protections. It is a continuous journey towards progress, elevating the nation beyond its colonial past and paving the way towards a more harmonious and equitable society.
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.
Aussies - Who Are We Really, I Mean Really, Who Are We? The Australian stereotype is displayed as the same throughout the world, but is this an actual representation of who we are as individuals, James Bilbrough investigates. Whether you're reading this magazine in a silent doctor's waiting room, off the top of a pile of aged books you found under a strange desk in your living room or quite possibly procrastinating from re-entering your busy world of work, you probably think you're living a normal life, right? However, at this very point in time, people from all over the world see us very differently.
No matter what changes are made, as long as their skin colour isn’t pure white, they will never be regarded as “Australian”. This puts stress on the requirement for migrants to completely dispose of their own identity for an “Australian” identity. The fact that the protagonist claims that he or she has provided the migrants with equality is also ironic. “Learn English to Distinguish ESL from RSL”, the utilisation of assonance and internal rhyme
But what about every other Australian? What about the Indigenous population and the multicultural population? Both of these groups which make up and help define who we are as Australians, so I ask you all this morning to consider why is it that we find these groups constantly being marginalised, discriminated against and not being offered equal opportunity? Ladies, gentlemen and prestigious guests, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to speak here
Bruce Dawe was one of Australia’s most influential poet. He was born on 28th February 1930 to a family with agricultural background of Scottish and English descent. Bruce Dawe was the only one in his family to have gone to secondary school, however he stopped attending school when he was 16 years old. He obtained many odd jobs that ordinary Australians would have had before going to university. After less than a year he also stopped attending university.
The poem “Australia’s Silenced History” was written by Nola Gregory from Western Australia in November 2016 as a response to a powerful and provoking video called “Stan Grant talking about racism and the Great Australian Dream.” The poem was written so that our nation would not forget that Australia has a dark past. The subject of the poem is Australia’s dark history and how it impacted many people. The theme is the importance of respecting and acknowledging our history so it can be dealt with. The subject matter of the poem Australia’s Silenced History is about the shameful history of Australia.