Use Of Imagery In John Schumann's Australian Poetry

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.

Through the use of poetic devices, the author has successfully encouraged the audience to explore their thoughts on Australian identity and to reflect on our nation’s history.

Through distinctive images composers develop interest, drawing the responder in and thus providing insight into the experiences of others. This is demonstrated in Amanda Lohrey’s novella ‘Vertigo’ as Luke and Anna find themselves in a new and disorientating environment as they attempt to build a new life and in the ‘The Red Tree’ composed by Shaun Tan, through the nameless girl’s journey as she attempts to find herself and her place in the world. Meaning created by distinctive images creates interest thus permitting the responder to gain a greater understanding on how the experiences help shape one’s self.

The theme of land is evident in the poems, This Land is Mine by Kev Carmody, Paul Kelly and Gail Kay wrote My Sitting Down Place. The poems I chose represent the relationship between Aboriginals and their land. This connection had an effect on how I presented my collage. Both poems advised that the importance of the land to the Aboriginal people is because of what the land provides and does for the Aboriginals. In my poster I have used the earthy colours Red, yellow, black and green to show the significant connection between Aboriginals and their land. I have used the Aboriginal Flag for This Land is Mine because the flag represents how passionate the person saying the poem. For My Sitting Down Place I have used real leaves to represent the

‘We’re all Australians now’ draws the reader to see the war from a positive Australia home front perspective. Texts from

The distinctively visual is a prominent characteristic in which the composer shapes a unique visual perspective for the responder to interpret. Using a variety of techniques and languages, the composer is distinctively able to create vibrant and lively visualisations within their work. The poetry of Douglas Stewart, in particular ‘Lady feeding the cats’ and ‘Nesting time’ and the image of ‘’Firefighters at twin towers attack’’ photographed by Todd Maisel are particularly effective. Douglas’ poems uniquely portray ordinary people and outsiders at touching and meaningful moments, experiences and connection with nature that creates an image to the reader the relationship of man and nature and how nature can challenge

Over the years, I have flirted with visual art. It started with pencil drawing, continued as an affair with marker illustration, then a dalliance with lettering, and I now have a relationship with photography. However, my favorite art will never be displayed in museums or galleries. It is not static and immutable. Rather, my chosen medium is fluid, living, volatile. No matter how well rehearsed, it will never be the same again. That’s the beauty of performance art.

Australia is a young, modern country made up of a diverse and multicultural population, therefore, it’s difficult to say that it has a single national identity. This essay will examine what Australia’s identity may look like, specifically, through art.

Hello ladies and gentlemen, I am here to bring forth some poems that represent our beautiful country for the Australian day anthology. Australians identity is a wonderful thing with our mate ship and way of life respected throughout the world. Our acknowledgement of our past makes us the country we are and creates the country we have, with the pride shared between all who happily call Australia there home. These poems explore our country’s pride through times of hardship, this being the Vietnam war. And how our strong mate ship and pride helped us prevail through this time. These are very clear throughout the poems becoming clear staple pieces for this era.

A composer can create images dependant on the form of the language of texts to shape a responders understanding of the ideas and themes prompted by people and their experiences. The German film, ‘Run Lola Run’ written and directed by Tom Tykwer, focuses on the experiences of the protagonist Lola to explore the themes of the inevitable force of time, and the issue of freewill verses determinism. Similarly, Dorothea Mackellar, in her poem ‘My Country’, relies on her experiences of the Australian landscape to convey her love and passion for the country using the language of the distinctive visual.

Bruce Dawe is considered to be one of Australia’s most influential poets of the 20th century. Dawe’s poems capture Australian life in numerous ways, whether it is our passion for AFL in Life-Cycle or our reckless nature towards war as in Homecoming. Dawe creates very complicated poems reflecting the author’s context relevant to the time period, your context is based upon your reading of the poem, where you may gather different meanings, to that of the original intent, hidden within the text.

Australian Film allows the rest of the world to have an insight into our way of life, our communities and our land. Australian film usually provides a hard-working and hardy stereotype who lives in the outback and takes pride in his mates, and for a lot of the country, this is mostly true. The typical Australian is a laid back, hard-working community member who prides the relationship they have with their mates, who may not even be a person. The saying ‘a man’s best friend is his dog’ is incredibly true for many, especially Australians, where dogs can be found in all walks of life. At least, this is Kriv Stender’s perspective of Australian identity, seen in his 2011 film Red Dog.

Australian’s have a unique proud culture. This culture differentiates them from the British motherland. Through many decades Australia has formed a unique, which at its foundation is made from mateship. Mateship or friendship is the core of Australian identity as this was instilled into them through events such as war. WWII in particular demonstrates the level of mateship shown by Australians as many made the ultimate sacrifice in order to save a mate. The stories of ‘The Magic Pudding’ by Gary Crew & Shaun Tan and ‘Memorial’ by Norman Lindsay will demonstrate how mateship is a significant part of how Australians see

An Australian Icon is defined as “an image or symbolic representation, which often holds great significance and importance to the Australian culture.” Every country has icons that represent their culture and values; Nelson Mandela is an example of a South African icon but also an icon of the world, who represented statesmanship, courage, freedom and equality against apartheid. Australia also has many significant icons such as the Sydney Opera House, Uluru, vegemite, Ned Kelly, and the Koala to name a few. These have all played significant parts in Australia’s background, culture and values.

This mixed media portrait is a focus on my brother, Gavin, and what he means to me and to those around him. Gavin is a jubilant, energetic, and spirited little boy who always finds a way make people laugh. He lights up a room when he walks in and never fails to brighten one’s spirit. In this representative piece, I used printed and cut out images along with acrylic paint, colored pencils, and various markers to create a symbol of who Gavin is. The main focal point in this multimedia piece is Gavin himself with his fair, blond hair and piercing blue eyes, but there are many images surrounding him that show his culture and identity. Some of the images in this portrait include bean stalks to symbolize his growth, a soaring bird to show his free