This film ‘Rabbit-Proof Fence’ is a 2002 Australian drama film directed by Phillip Noyce. It is based on the book Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington Garimara and is loosely based on a true story. The film is about three aboriginal girls who ran away from the Moore River Native Settlement, north of Perth, Western Australia, to return to their Aboriginal families, after being placed there in 1931. They walked 2,400 km of the Australian rabbit-proof fence to return to their home at Jigalong, while being pursued by white law enforcement authorities and an Aboriginal tracker.
This film made me feel shocked and saddened because it showed me how the aboriginals were treated and what kind of life they lived in. They were treated as
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For example, when the three young girls escaped Moore River they came across a lady who works for European people as a servant. This lady is raped by the European man she works for and she can’t do anything about it because no one would care. She had no one to go to for help, no police, but thanks to the three girls the lady was saved from being raped that night, the man saw them and went away. I felt a huge sense of horror when the children at Moore River were taken into a box and beaten if they have done something wrong. This abuse needed to be addressed, there could have been other ways of punishment instead that avoid violence. Molly did not agree with the way of the Europeans either, “ They make me sick, these people, they make me sick.” If I were in this situation I would fight for justice, gather others that are on my side and head straight to the government, Mr. A. O. Neville, the Chief Protector of Aborigines. This makes you think about our world and our society. We are still facing the problem of equality between races. Its shouldnt matter about the colour of your skin, we are the same. It is wrong to downgrade someone for what they are born with, something they cannot change. I believe that laundry is the only thing that should be separated by
Of all the terrible events in history, the Holocaust may be the worst of them all. This tragedy was so terrible, I cannot think of the ones who instigated it as human beings. It was against many morals and standards that the world views today as common ethics. The most terrible part of this is, perhaps, how today’s new and younger generations are not sufficiently educated about this disaster. Although many younger generations do not know about the Holocaust, it’s importance should be emphasised in today’s society to learn from it, to realize that every human life is important, and to appreciate the blessings of the present day.
The Rabbits is a thought provoking picture book, written by John Marsden and illustrated by Shaun Tan. The book tells the story of Australia’s colonisation through colours, pictures and words. The book centres around two species, White Rabbits, who are invading a country, and Numbats, who are being invaded. The Rabbits book is based around the British invading Australia and the Indigenous' people's experiences and feelings about it. By replacing people with animals in the book, people are separated from what they think happened, and there is no cognitive bias.
It has opened my eyes and made me realize how privileged I am. Ishmael Beah did a great job telling his story. He got his point across and succeeded in
This documentary really shed light on major issues that are happening in the world today. One thing that stood out to me was the word ghetto. When that young woman broke down in tears because of the joking that surrounded the word, I realized how much I have said in my life that really could be taken offensively. Although in that context they did not intend to cause emotional distress for her, she still felt deeply about the misuse of the word. I realize now after
It was the belief of the nurses as they coerced the children to learn God’s language, English, and “saved” them from their cultural ties. This belief normalized the mistreatment in the residential schools allowing for it to exist. Furthermore, when the two children had escaped from residential school the aunt, where they stopped for a break, turned them in because going back to the school and getting an education was going to be good for their future. Through these events it is clear that the producer may be advocating both the lack of knowledge about residential schools and the devaluation of Aboriginal communities. If society knew about these events in the schools, then like the nurse that tried to help all the children, more people would have taken action against them and those that knew about what is going on in the schools did not value the lives of Aboriginals enough to protest against
This lack of diversity in media representation reinforces the notion that the media is complicit in perpetuating a narrow view of the Australian Dream, which fails to encompass the experiences and perspectives of Indigenous Australians and other minority groups. By constructing a limited range of voices in the media, the documentary prompts viewers to question the values of a society that may prioritize certain narratives over others, perpetuating an unequal distribution of power and representation. Through its powerful construction of voice and documentary conventions, "The Australian Dream" becomes a poignant call for change. The film does not merely present a narrative of victimhood but constructs voices that portray Indigenous Australians as resilient individuals fighting against the oppressive weight of history and societal prejudice. Adam Goodes, in his willingness to share his experiences, emerges as a symbol of strength, perseverance, and the unwavering pursuit of justice.
In the play Fences, by August Wilson, the symbol of the fence is used to characterize the internal conflicts of the central character, Troy Maxson, in his relationships and stature in society. More than just a backdrop into the setting, this unfinished fence holds greater symbolic significance into the lives of Troy and his family. After Troy and his wife, Rose, had just finished arguing about Troy’s brother Gabriel, and as he began to leave Rose questioned him, “You been running out of here every Saturday for weeks. I thought you was gonna work on this fence?” where Troy responds with “I’m gonna walk down to Taylor’s.
As the government overlooks the aboriginals and local residents, this documentary is created in order to shed light to the
Shedding light on a heinous chapter of Australian history, Phillip Noyce’s 2002 film adaption of the book by Doris Pilkington, Rabbit Proof Fence serves as a glaring reminder of the atrocities suffered by those of the “stolen generation”. Set in 1931, the film portrays a simplified version of the early life of three Aboriginal girls and their daring journey from an “integration program” to home again via the Rabbit Proof Fence. They are pursued by A.O. Neville (Branagh), the school director, whom, under government authority, is taking Aboriginal children from their homes and placing them in schools to be educated or more accurately, indoctrinated. Rabbit Proof Fence, through its compelling storyline and depiction of harsh reality, highlights to us that the real villain in colonial Australia was the government and it’s utterly racist policies. As a critic, this film struck me, as I’m sure it will many other viewers, in its veracity of the truth when displaying potentially painful situations.
In what ways is “The Rabbits” an allegorical text? The Rabbits is an allegorical text as it’s a representation for the British colonisation of Australia along with the segregation and devastation which took place, from the perspective of Indigenous people. Marsupial like creatures are dispossessed of their community, country and families by invading rabbits who took drastic actions to civilise them. The rabbits arrived associated with all the accessories of European culture, including their clothes, agriculture, industry and economy and proceeded to abuse the land to the extent of devastation, which references the negative impact European settlers had on Australia’s environment, and steal the marsupial’s children, which refers to the stolen
It baffles me to see how these men, women, and children were treated as animals. I ask the question, how could these owner treat the slaves like this and not have any regrets or fears as to what would happen to them when they die. It also made me think on the slaves who were not born slaves that came from Africa who did know the language, customs, and how they were up rooted from their lives. I always thought that slaves were separated from their families because one of the family members did wrong. This film taught me that that was not always the reason some slave owners sold members of the slave families just because they could.
As I watched the documentary “Road Beyond Abuse,” I experienced a whirlwind of emotions. From disgusted and disappointed to impressed and joyful, I felt it all. It truly disturbed me to hear about the experiences both Michael McCain and Johnnetta McSwain endured. I was disgusted that no one protected these innocent children from being verbally abused, beaten, raped, and left to fend for themselves. It was shocking to hear that these children withstood this amount of abuse from their family members until they were teenagers.
“Some people build fences to keep people out… and other people build them to keep people in.” This quote comes from the playwright called “Fences,” written by August Wilson. Throughout this drama the audience sees a great deal of symbolism and metaphors. One symbol that occurs throughout the whole play is the fence. This fence was so prominent that it is inspired the title.
It was captivating how the film has transformed lives and how it imparts a provoking thought to
I enjoyed the comical and lighthearted dancing and singing approach the characters had to the somber situations around them. Watching this few years later and after taking a Text and Meaning course, I was struck at the sheer amount of things that stood out. The Negroes were declared “other”. In post colonialist theory, declaring one race “other” marginalizes them and stresses on how