Analysis Of Unwritten # 9 By Ah Kee

Shame is defined as a missed opportunity but the word itself holds a weight that differs in each individual’s story. Kevin Gilbert’s poem ‘Shame’ seeks to explore aspects of white Australian identity while capturing a powerful perspective that forces the disturbing question concerning the discrimination of Indigenous Australians.

People affected by Cronulla Riots in any manner were ‘out of the frying pan, and were into the fire’, when the documentary displayed Prime Minister John Howard declaring the riots as “un-Australian”. He made us believe that his view was optimistic and disagrees that there is underlying racism in Australia.

Australian people and culture are often stereotyped in the media in different forms, one of them being film. The two films being examined, ‘Red dog’ (2011) and the ‘Sapphires’ (2012), are an example of the Australian identity but from different points of view. ‘Red dog’ shows the kind and positive side which exemplifies mateship and loyalty. The film ‘Sapphires’ ,which takes place in the 1950’s through to the 1960’s, shows a negative and racist view towards the indigenous people. Both the films show different aspects of the Australian identity, not all insights of the films accurately represent contemporary Australian identity as the Australian identity has changed by the evolution of people and their lifestyle.

This work examines the past and also imagines the future by using references of past racial murders and the way they coincide with the present context and explore Australian Indigenous and non-Indigenous culture in the present-day. Ah Kee created this series of artworks in response to the apparent police cover up of the death of a young man in their custody, for protection of

Charlie articulates how he “never understood why you would ever feel the need to shoot the fish in the barrel… (if) they’re in a barrel, you’ve already caught them… they can’t escape... why bring guns into it?” Silvey’s use of characterisation and first person point of view portrays Charlie’s realisation of the community’s racial prejudice towards ‘the other’. The “fish” is symbolic of Charlie and how he is different to the people of Corrigan; who are like vultures – constantly seeking the chance to attack those that are considered the ‘minority’. Charlie’s close friend, Jeffrey Lu, is a gifted and committed cricket player who persistently tries to get himself in the local team, however, due to his Vietnamese background, “he’s ruthlessly bullied and belted about by the boys at school.” The emotive imagery and alliteration of “bullied” and “belted” further depict Charlie’s internal conflict in addition to his realisation of the community’s racial prejudice towards the peripheral of society. The use of emotive imagery positions readers to realise the extent to which powerful words can have; causing readers to recognise how crude and harrowing humankind can be towards the marginalised. Thus, Silvey effectively conveys to the reader how the indigenous race were isolated from ‘white Australian’ society; how intelligent individuals were ostracised; and, how groups of people with racially different backgrounds were isolated from mainstream Australian society.

Gilbert’s poem portrays many Aboriginals plight’s within Australia and conveys notions of despair, anguish and anger for his fellow Aboriginal comrades. Again, Gilbert uses strong visual imagery in “the anguished death you spread” which helps convey the persona’s feeling of horror and anger at the Europeans. This is further emphasised through the poet’s vehement and repetitive use of second person pronouns in “you” which conveys a sense of blame and accumulates into an accusatory tone and generates a strong sense of detachment between the author and the European settlers. Furthermore enjambment enhances the accusatory tone in “you pollute all the rivers and litter every road” because the lack of punctuation and pauses makes the lines sharp and quick, creating a sense of anger in the author. In addition the author’s use of metaphors in “humanity locked in chains” creates a sense of struggle and inability to escape the oppression the Aboriginals are in, whereby the word “chain” is symbolic for trapped and lack of freedom. Kevin Gilbert’s emotional poem brings light to the pain and suffering Aboriginals are going through, which is a stark contrast to the image of Australia, being a free and accepting

The notion of the contemporary indigenous identity and the impact of these notions are both explored in texts that have been studied. Ivan Sen’s 2002 film ‘Beneath Clouds’ focuses on the stereotypical behaviours of Indigenous Australians highlighting Lina and Vaughn’s journey. This also signifies the status and place of the Australian identity today. Through the use of visual techniques and stereotypes the ideas that the Indigenous are uneducated, involved in crime and the stereotypical portrayal of white people are all explored. Similarly the notion of urban and rural life is represented in Kennith Slessor’s ‘William Street’ and ‘Country Towns’.

The poet Oodgeroo Noonuccal, draws the realistic image of the confronting realities of alienation and displacement of Indigenous Australians. It is because of such experiences that has empowered Noonuccal to express and advocate learning from experiences by positioning the audience to view the horrors that occurred, creating a platform for her poetry. Through the emphasis of identity, it allows the audience to deeply connect with the past, determining and illustrating a profound link between the ancient past and contemporary present. Oodgeroo’s deep connectivity with art and poetry highlights the importance of learning from experiences, for not only the Aboriginal culture but, for all cultures, and that colonisation does not destroy self-identity. Through the poems The Past and China…Woman, it has allowed the individual to promote change, encouraging the survival of cultures through learning from past experiences

She has participated in over twenty exhibitions in Australia and internationally. One of her most famous pieces is called ‘I’m Black’ and was exhibited in ‘Our Land is Alive’. In this artwork, Rona Rubuntja recreated one of the most famous moments in Australian football when, in 1993, player Nicky Winmar lifted his shirt and proudly pointed to the colour of his skin. Football was traditionally a white’s sport which is very racist towards the Aboriginal as well as other nationalities. This moment when Nicky Winmar publicly stood up against racism communicates the victory of identity showed that even though he’s Aboriginal, he can still play football and he is proud of his identity. Rubuntja especially focused on this event because she wants to communicate to the audience to stand up against racism and discrimination and her ideas of her culture and identity.

The representation of Indigenous Australians in fiction and nonfiction texts are influenced by a range of factors. In the contemporary world of multicultural Australia, there has been a variety of ways groups of people are represented in texts. The Indigenous population is often portrayed in ways that strengthen harmful stereotypes. However, there are also a variety of positive outlooks and portrayals expressing their strength and achievements. In texts studied in year 8 English, the representation of Indigenous Australians in Crow country are characterized as outcasts and reflect cultural distinction. Newspaper articles regarding “Adam Goodes” demonstrates how preconceived thoughts from many Australians destroys sporting stars outlook upon

The ‘colonisation' of Australia by Europeans has caused a lot of problem for the local Aborigines. It drastically reduced their population, damaged ancient family ties, and removed thousands of Aboriginal people from the land they had lived on for centuries. In many cases, the loss of land can mean more than just physical displacement. Because land is so much connected to history and spirituality, the loss of it can lead to a loss of identity. This paper will examine the works of Tim Rowse and Jeremy Beckett as well as other symbols of identity that are available to modern Aborigines in post colonial Australia.

The term ‘aversive racism’ seeks to encompass the nuanced and profound experiences of prejudice faced by racialized peoples in societies whose values do not accommodate explicit discrimination based on race. This form of “subtle racism”, which in the words of Donald Glover in “Hold You Down”, you’d only understand through lived experience, is but one facet of a larger social problem: anti-black racism (Glover 2011). Personal understandings and experiences of aversive and explicit racism, detailed in music and poetry, and on a more structural level in news media, can help sociologists come to better understand the realities of black members of societies with historical ties to white supremacy, such as Canada. Racism’s effects are seen in

Firstly, as a code-breaker, the text requires a working knowledge of the English language, and especially the meanings of words such as union and racism. As there is an important visual element to the text, the audience must also understand what art is, and some of the features associated with it - i.e. understanding that the figures are symbolic rather than representative of real people. In terms of its semantic practice, it requires a cultural knowledge of the racism, prejudice and lack of opportunities that Aboriginal people faced at the time of the posters creation, and still face today. The text is used for a specific purpose, and that is to create awareness of the racism rife in workplaces and put the onus on workers to create an equal environment for people of other races, and specifically Aboriginal people, to work

The modern world faces many problems like climate change, economic uncertainty, many recent terrorist attacks all over the world and increasing the number of deaths. These factors along with the ongoing struggle by indigenous people for being recognised as the original custodians of the land, education and health makes us really think about how we should act as a nation. Since 1788, artists have been describing our country in art. They have acknowledged the landscape, the people and the way of life. Two artists who really stood out are Emily Kame Kngwarreye and Rover Thomas. They both have similar ways of painting by using a dotting technique. Their artwork is beautiful, traditional and meaningful. Every painting had a place in the artist’s heart. They both portrayed Australia as a peaceful and beautiful place to live, as they lived out in the bush and away from the cities and people. There is an inequality between indigenous and non-indigenous people in Australia. This inequality includes; shorter life expectancy for indigenous Australians, poorer health and lower levels of education and employment. Non-indigenous Australians are now making an effort to make an equal society between the indigenous and non-indigenous people. In 2008, the Australian government made a formal commitment to address indigenous disadvantages. They came up with a program called “Closing the Gap”. This program is to turn inequalities into equalities. Aboriginal artists paint pictures of the land

British art is respected across the world for it’s unique techniques and skills used for painting. A lot of artist from around the world visit Britain for it’s thick culture in the world of art and opportunities. Almost all ‘Minority art’ made in Britain falls into one of the two baskets, either it is created by an artist from an African- American/ Caribbean origin, or by the common people of the Indian-sub continental background. Despite of the attempts made to accumulate these two inconsequential groups together, in order to promote, what Britain still identifies as “Black art”, what they bring to the world of art is radically divergent, mostly because of their origin’s personal crisis as well as due to their history of struggle.