Beneath Clouds Analysis

Firstly, perceptions can endanger relationship ties. This is prevalent when the priest says that ‘I knew your aboriginal kind would be worth nothing’. If this statement is said publicly or to someone who is of aboriginal decent then it would definitely engender an uproar or a physical conflict with the individual or the Aboriginal community. Although the film satirises this stereotype through dance, in

Each and every person on this Earth today has an identity. Over the years, each individual creates their identity through past experiences, family, race, and many other factors. Race, which continues to cause problems in today’s world, places individuals into certain categories. Based on their race, people are designated to be part of a larger, or group identity instead of being viewed as a person with a unique identity. Throughout Richard Wright’s Black Boy, Richard is on a search for his true identity. Throughout Black Boy, one can see that Richard’s racial background assigns him with a certain identity or a certain way in which some

In the short story “Brownies,” author ZZ Packer uses the narrator, Laurel, to explore the tensions that exist between belonging to a community and maintaining individuality. While away at camp with her brownie troop, she finds herself torn between achieving group inclusion and sustaining her own individualism. Although the events of the short story occur at Camp Crescendo, Packer is able to expand (and parallel) this struggle for identity beyond the camp’s walls and into the racially segregated society that both the girls and their families come from. Packer is exploring how an individual’s inherent need for group inclusion consequently fuels segregation and prejudice against those outside the group across various social and societal

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’.

There was a time when America was segregated; Caucasians and African Americans were forced to attend different restrooms, restaurants, and water fountains. However, the era of segregation has been terminated; now America embraces and appreciates the various cultures and ethnicities that create this melting pot several people call home. Likewise, it is this melting pot, or mosaic, of races that multitudes of individuals have identified themselves with. Thus, race and ethnicity does matter for it portrays vital and crucial roles in the contemporary American society. Furthermore, ethnicity and race brings communities together in unity, determines which traditions and ideals individuals may choose to value, and imposes an impediment for it categorizes humans unjustly.

The film frequently demonstrates racism and prejudice within the small-town as gossip and rumours are spread based upon race or appearance. Jasper Jones is a young aboriginal boy who is accused of

My pre-adolescent years were spent in a community thick with diversity. My friendships were as diverse as the environment in which I lived. It never struck me that racial and ethnic ideals separated people in society. However, upon moving to a predominately white upper-class community I began to question such racial and ethnic ideas. From my adolescent years through today I began noticing that certain people are viewed differently for reasons relating to race and ethnicity. As a result, the most recent community I grew up in has kept me sheltered from aspects of society. As a product of a community where majorities existed, I found myself unexposed to the full understanding of race and ethnicity. Prior to the class I had never fully dealt with issues of race or ethnicity, as a result I wondered why they would be of any importance in my life.

They face a lot of challenge in local schools. They are the targets of physical and verbal bullying. For the author, he experienced bullying and special treatment on the first day of school. He got into a fight with a white boy because he was making fun of the way they dressed. However when the principal came, he did not question the white boy about the fight but rather asked if he needed to call the police. It was because his father was a wealthy businessman. He would not care to ask how the author was feeling because he was native and poor (Louttit, 2013, p.29). The setting in the school was arranged based on the race rather than ability. All the aboriginals were in one classroom like a melting pot. The school explained that they should support each other to graduate therefore it is good to be in the same room. Ironically, their drop out rate was very high (Louttit, 2013, p.29). Some of the reason include: they do not feel belong to the mainstream culture; unequal treatment by teachers and peers; need a job to “assist their low income families financially”( Lamb, 2012, p.256). In French class, the teacher told the author that he did not like aboriginal people; he could only graduate if he would not go to class (Louttit, 2013, p.30). Thus, aboriginals bond more with other marginalized group, which they feel more belong. From there, they learn

In modern day, it is time to recognize the misjudgments and shed light to Indigenes representation. A poem written by Jack Davis named “Integration” illustrates how Australia needs to improve from their black history and start to allow for “two worlds to combine” (Davis). Australia has created a distinction between these two worlds. They claim to show acceptance and therefore must carry their promises into reality and allow for two cultures to unite. The poet includes phrases in the form of reality. “There is no need for mocking” (Davis), this must be taken into strong consideration, especially by the Caucasian people. They have spent centuries mocking, judging and insulting the vulnerable. If they want to express their acceptance and acknowledgment, they must start to educate young minds, impact how they view Indigenes and represent them in positive ways even if there were some wrong actions. They seem to extract the smaller percentage of negatives and exaggerate them in a form to allow for white people to create a preconceived and racist view on Indigenes. Australia needs to represent themselves with a positive outlook and start to develop their actions that they have undertaken, such as saying an acknowledgment to Indigenes during school, work and in relevant times. It is vital to view and study the past to be able to learn from the recognized mistakes. “The past is done” (Davis), although the past won’t come back for them to act differently, they must choose to change their ways now. Choose to take away their bias minds. Take away their brutal words and actions, to develop a lasting combination of both cultures in which they represent in a positive and influential way. Indigenes have shown to be positively influential role models and figures that young and mature minds should aspire to be

We talk a lot about our social location, or identifying who we are. Before I get further into this paper I wish to identify myself. I am a white male born to two white, heterosexual Anglican parents. I grew up having mostly white friends, until graduating high school. I also have been diagnosed with clinical depression, which is a significant attribute of my identity. As a result of these intersectional attributes they create an identity that is both privileged and oppressed and these elements change depending on the situation (Curry-Steven, 2007, p.37). It is important to understand who you are, as it will shape who I am in the work I do as a social worker.

Belonging comes from an understanding, or the knowledge that an external sense of being comes from an internal sense of connection and safety. This critical analysis will portray how the text “Stolen” by Jane Harrison relates to the concept of belonging. Stolen is a play that tells the stories of 5 Aboriginal children that were stolen away from their families and were forced to grow up in institutions, following the European way of life. The children were segregated from their communities and treated as inferiorly. Their worth was seen as minimal and only useful to Europeans as slaves. “Stolen” is an example of not belonging to the environment that one is living in. The children are stolen from their parents, their culture and traditions,

Vulnerability impacts any individual throughout each new and interactive experience. To become vulnerable is to open up to the consequences of frantic outcomes. Individuals will lead to vulnerability to cope with a trauma that has created a solemn change to a lifestyle. Jon Krakauer explains how the trauma of Mt. Everest changed his outlooks on reality, through different coping mechanisms. Krakauer uses his writing in his book, Into Thin Air, to cope with the guilt of surviving the terror that occurred upon Mt. Everest, as well as to understand what actions caused each outcome. Within an excerpt from Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer is reflective towards his audience of how vulnerability shaped the experiences upon Mt. Everest to cope with the

Another topic of importance to the book is collective identity. Matsumoto and Juang (2013) describe identity as “the way individuals understand themselves and are recognized,” while collective identity is more specifically about people’s association with “social categories” (p. 357). Identity is considered fluid as it can change depending on the situation, its players, and each individual’s point of view (Matsumoto & Juang, 2013, pp.357-358). This explains how Arnold’s identity appears to morph throughout the book . For instance, Arnold’s early identification as a poor Indian kid juxtaposes Arnold’s later feelings of

The role of Critical Race Theory provides us with the idea of “racial realism”, the idea that racism, the normalcy of white supremacy is part of the everyday life of an ‘other’, in other words, racial or indigenous minorities in Canada. Consequently, the Critical Race Theory gives an understanding of the power that can be given to a definition such as ‘race’, and how heavily influence the way society functions and sparked in a cultural divide in Canada due to the simple idea that biological and aesthetic difference. The Critical Race Theory gives us the understanding of how common it is for an individual, but most dominantly, a person who is Caucasian or who has light complexion can easily identifies with their ‘race’, and view a person of another colored complexion as an ‘other’ because this normalized.

Identity was prevalent throughout the movie. A part that comes to mind immediately was through racial identity. This identity has arisen by social construction to categorize people into different groups, largely to make people superior to others ((Samovar, L. A., Porter, R. E., McDaniels, E. R., & Roy, C. S., 2017). To