It is evident that “Tony Birch revives Melbourne’s past” through the creation of structure, that creates images in the readers’ minds; and it is these images, that ultimately forms a type of a narrative, which restores Australia and Melbourne’s past – to the readers. The structure of – ‘My Words’, Beruk (Ngamajet) – 1835 – is interesting, because it creates a narrative accounting, the arrival of the British and the racism that prevailed, after their arrival. The poem’s structure can be unpacked by analyzing the poem thoroughly. The begins by addressing the arrival of the British colonial, by making references to the William Barak’s first impression of Captain Cook, who had “landed [wearing a] white jacket and brass buttons”. The middle section …show more content…
This line from the poetry reveals that Beruk is still attempting to find his family and his tribe, in the present-day Melbourne. The last poem – Beruk Visits the Riverbed – 2005 – has been structured in a fashion, where the reader witnesses William Beruk, silently travelling across the Melbourne City and comparing it to the times, when he lived on it. This poem differentiates from, Beruk Watches Melbourne from the Sky – 1945, because this poem proposes perspectives from within the city and thus, only about the city – rather then drawing connections to the rest of the world. In summary, the structure of this poem enables the reader to relate to the poem, as the poem consists of information that the readers would agree to, partly because they may have experienced or witnessed the accuracy of the information, in real life. For instance, the poem suggests that “Women offer themselves” – this line can be viewed as being accurate as the reader would be aware about women offering themselves – to men, “for [whom], she is the keeper of mystery, with the power to charm and to poison” – through the prostitution – that takes place within Melbourne’s red-light district area of St