The Australian identity is a complex and ever changing image. It is impossible to define using one singular concept, event or symbol. The multicultural society Australia proudly hosts makes it difficult to develop and pin point an accurate and widely accepted national identity and idology. The three texts 'Then and Now' by Ooderoo of the tribe Noonuccal, 'Eucalyptus' by Murray Bail and 'Nobody Calls me a Wog anymore' by Kimninos, each reflect the different forces that have shaped and forged the Australian identity into the broad concept it is today.
The poem 'Then and Now' by Ooderoo of the tirbe Noonuccal provides an indigenous perspective of the Australian identity by highlighting the radical change in lifestyle since the early colonisation and English settlement. The contrast of the Aboriginal culture and their connectedness to the land is compared against the "traffic and trade of the busy town". The poem adds a contemporary Indigenous response and outlook towards the emposed new culture and society protocol.
Australian Coat of Arms (adopted 1912)
Playing the traditional aboriginal musical instrum...
English: From frontpiece of Legendary Tales of the...Through the use of tone the theme and feelings of grief and dislocation are explored as the poet tells of the change in lifestyle over her lifetime.
The poem opens with a joyous, nostalgic and reflective tone as the poet contemplates with her tribe, "I hear my tribe laughing as they hunt and swim". This emphasizes the vibrance and virtality of indigenous life while communicating the rich sense of community and friendship as the core of the Aboriginal culture.
The opening is contrasted against a dull, sorrowful and isolated tone as the negative change in lifestyle for indigenous people is conveyed, "I see no more tribe of old as i walk alone in this teeming town." The contrast in tone continues throughout the text as the poem moves between the past and present. It evokes empathy and...