Westernised Form Of Education In No Sugar By Jack Davis

The deliberate use of such evocative language aims to support the intended audience in that “there is nothing to be ashamed about”. Like Moore, Cromb uses a vexed tone through strong emotive language. Although, Cromb uses this in opposition to Moore’s argument. Cromb addresses the “lack of empathy” felt towards the Indigenous people. It is through Cromb’s use of attacks that she gains attention and develops a sense of guilt in the audience.

Girlie says that “Allendale belongs to Lyle”. Who does Allendale belong to? Hannie Rayson’s “Inheritance”, set in Victoria’s Mallee, introduces many themes from family to prejudice to duty and freedom. However the main focus of the play is on the theme of inheritance. As Dibs and Girlie get ready to celebrate their 80th birthday, and Farley’s death nearing, the question of “who gets the farm” becomes frequently asked.

Reynolds exposes the persecution of Indigenous People, describing the entrenched belief in Aboriginal inferiority common in 70s North Queensland, recalling one school principal who said he ‘did not expect much from [Aboriginal children] because they had smaller brains’. The ‘confidence and complete certainty’ with which the comment was made conveys how deeply negative ideas about Aborigines had been ingrained. These attitudes resulted in an assumption of superiority by white citizens, who Reynolds writes expected ‘lowered eyes and a submissive downward tilt of the head’. Reynolds’ personal voice resonates with condemnation for the oppression faced by Aborigines, illustrating how his perspective has been shaped by his experience of race relations. By sharing this account, Reynolds raises questions about the historical origins of the racial tension he experienced.

For Pearson, allusions to the Redfern Speech alongside clever implementation of inclusive language facilitate the notion that Indigenous issues are a concern for the nation as a whole. This is evident through the usage of ‘our nation’ and the actions that ‘we’ have to take to correct the injustices of the past, which has the effect of reconciling the divide between Indigenous and European Australians; thus unifying the nation. Atwood, on the other hand, employs pathos through personal anecdotes and humour in order to establish a relationship with her audience. This provides her textual integrity, as it resonates with her audience on a personal level. The humorous personal anecdote of her daughter’s breakfast play allows Atwood to reinforce her argument that in order to ignite interest in literature “something else has to happen”, assisting her audience to emotionally identify with her perspective.

Racism and gender equality are still relevant issues in Australia today, however, are not as dominant now as they were in 1965. (Dexter B. Wakefield, 2009) The film, ‘Jindabyne’ by Ray Lawrence and the novel, ‘Jasper Jones’ by Craig Silvey are two effective texts that incorporate individuals and relationships in society. Both Ray Lawrence and author Craig Silvey challenge the audiences in relation to how society treats these individuals, emphasising the themes, racism and gender equality. These perspectives are shown through context, characters and themes.

Black Diggers is a play written by Tom Wright about the indigenous Australians who fought in World War II and their previously forgotten stories. The Ideas and themes involved in the text circle around two main points. The first is the inferiority of non-indigenous Australians in the play which can be seen by all the non-indigenous characters who aren’t called by their names. The second is the injustice shown towards non-indigenous soldiers due to discrimination and violence throughout the play. These arguments are evident in the old soldier’s monologue which was set in 1956.

In her book Nanberry, Jackie French portrays colonial life as a very confusing and perplexing time for both the Indigenous Australians and the White British Settlers, albeit in different ways. With the Indigenous Australians confused by the sudden invasion of the white settler (ghosts), and the British Settlers becoming confused by the new sights, smells and culture of ‘Sydney Cove’. Through the characters of Nanberry, Surgeon White and Bennelong, the viewer is shown just how confusing their life was at the time of the first settlement in Australia. Nanberry is one of the main characters in French’s book, and is a prime way through which she portrays colonial life as perplexing and confusing. Nanberry was born into, and partially raised by an Indigenous Australian family, however he was adopted by Surgeon White at the tender age of eight or nine.

While repeating the ‘Australian Dream’ to exhibit its irony and fallacy. Included was the demonisation of pop cultural figures, among them Charles Dickens, which alienates the audiences views, and asks them to question previously assumed realities. Talking from a voice of authority Grant distinguishes his aboriginal heritage and outlines his inherited past, one full of violence and injustice. Heavy use of hand gestures and passionate vocal tones, reinforced by strong eye contact and a lack of reliance on notes.

Oodgeroo Noonuccal challenges the dominant ideology of egalitarianism and Australian cultural identity by Russel Ward's description in her poem ‘Aboriginal Charter of Rights.' The themes of racism, genocide, injustice, dispossession, colonisation, and violence contained in Oodgeroo Noonuccal's poem are compiled together in this poetic declaration of demands. She becomes an advocate for all those who have suffered and for those who wish to proceed forward in a more positive way. The tone of this poem, despite its negative reflection of the past, is hopeful. This is shown in the line ‘banish bans and conquer caste, then we'll win our own at last' which tells that Oodgeroo sees a resolution in the future for aboriginal people.

The descriptive language, “cheap, exotic food” even tries to ridicule the cultural food which migrants were expected to prepare for the Australians. “Cheap, exotic food” is a connotation for unsatisfactory food. “Feed the mainstream”, hints that regardless of a migrant’s new identity, they were still considered as different from the majority. The quote, “We’ve given you opportunity for family reunion, equality, and status, though your colour could be wrong” uses racial imagery to create a picture in the audience’s mind of the “incorrect” coloured Australians. This statement maintains the concept of migrants never being able to be fully considered Australian.

Ray Lawrence’s socially provocative Australian film, Jindabyne(2006), presents a thought-provoking and contemporary outlook on racial prejudice, the dramatised moral dilemma of responsibility, and a confronting depiction of reconciliation. The film dramatises the struggle over Australia 's history, representing the past as deeply alienating, as it explores the complexity of the relationships between racially diverse characters in post-colonial Australia. Lawrence establishes the reconciliation of characters through sound, further examining the relationship between cultures and genders in conflict. Through symbols, Lawrence explores deceit, and the roles, perceptions and experiences of men and women within various relationships, demonstrating the unforgiving consequences of division and distrust. The film presents

Expectations often impose an inescapable reality. In the short story “Indian Education” by Sherman Alexie, Victor often struggles with Indian and American expectations during school. Alexie utilizes parallelism in the construction of each vignette, introducing a memoir of tension and concluding with a statement about Victor’s difficulties, to explore the conflict between cultures’ expectations and realities. Alexei initially uses parallelism to commence each vignette with cultural tension. In second grade, Victor undergoes a conflict with his missionary teacher, who coerced Victor into taking an advanced spelling test and cutting his braids.

“Wind-Wolf knows the names and migration patterns of more than 40 birds. He knows there are 13 feathers on a perfectly balanced eagle. What he needs is a teacher who knows his full measure” (Lake 75). There are variant forms of culture worldwide; individuals get a unique identity by incorporating other cultures based off experiences and personal opinion into their own. For some people, to incorporate means to deal with obstacles; it is challenging to adapt into new cultures.

Philip Noyce the Director of Rabbit Proof Fence uses complex character relationships to help us understand important ideas in the film Rabbit Proof Fence. One of the relationships is that of Mr Neville and Molly. This relationship helps us understand how power can affect cultural identity. Another issue we see in the film is courage. We see this represented in the relationship between Constable Riggs and Maud.

I particularly agreed with the authors’ argument about blending cultural and academic knowledge (McKinley & Brayboy, 2005, p. 435). I think it is institution’s responsibility to respect their cultural knowledge but also provide appropriate academic knowledge, relative to Indigenous students to be able to actively engage in reciprocal learning with their cultural knowledge, which, then, adds value to their survivance practice. I find that this piece opened up a new way of looking at the challenges which Indigenous students encounter and the ways to move forward with the situation through changing the perception of education not only from Indigenous students, but also from the perspectives of non-Aboriginal members in institutions by providing a way to