ipl-logo

Municipal Gum Essay

499 Words2 Pages

English Final Ethan Marais Thesis The poem Municipal Gum by Oodgeroo Noonuccal displays the idea of loss and urbanisation of their land, poetic devices such as personification and similes are used to engage the reader and make examples of the suffering her people faced. For Indigenous Australians, the pain of losing their country and culture is often expressed through poetry and songs. In Oodgeroo Noonuccal’s Municipal Gum, the idea of urbanisation is delivered through the use of Similes and Personification. Personification The tree in the poem has human-like qualities. The quote: “Hard bitumen around your feet”. The quote is trying to give the message that the land has been built over the land and it is not like it was before. The tree represents what is left of their land and tradition, the concrete represents modernisation that the English brought with them. Personification is a powerful tool used by writers to help the reader understand what is being said. Since the invasion of Europeans in 1788, Indigenous Australians have struggled with displacement and loss of identity. This sentiment is fully examined in Municipal Gum presenting the view that all their traditions and culture have just faded away. Simile …show more content…

The tree is meant to stand out from everything else and is disregarded by society. In the line “Oh fellow citizen, what have they done to us” it represents what the Indigenous people have had to go through and what pain the English brought with them. Similes are a powerful tool used by writers, they are used in communication as they help to create vivid and memorable descriptions by drawing comparisons between things that may not be inherently

Show More
Related
926 Words | 4 Pages

Smith continues his pattern of strong emotive language whilst depicting the poor and inhumane treatment of the Aboriginals and how in accordance to the newly aquatinted British laws and customs, they were “for the most part, invisible and discounted”. Statements such as these are used to position the reader to feel sympathy towards the Aboriginals as they come to terms with the full extend of the hardship and discord faced by them. Moreover, adding to the understanding of how tirelessly throughout history and continuing today, they have fought to obtain rights equal to those of a white Australian. Smith then continues by appealing to the readers sense of sustainability. By recounting how the Aboriginals “nurtured” and “preserved” Australia and how the life of modern Australian isn’t sustainable, and how we, should seek guidance and assistance from the Aboriginals.

Read More
666 Words | 3 Pages

This poem offers a perspective of Australia from a foreigner, foregrounding the elements that are not typically acknowledged. It enables audience to get a better comprehension to a different side of Australia, (which she personifies as ‘you’) and the people. When she migrated to her new country, she was repulsed by the Australian culture and expresses those feelings by utilising simple language, yet strong and negatives words such as ‘big ugly’ and ‘dumb dirty city’, which contradict what Australians believe are positive aspects of our identity. The text mentioned ‘You want everyone to be the same’, ‘You never accept me’ and ‘You don´t have any Interest in another country.’ suggests that the public are cut-off from any diversity or multiculturalism. But the face of Australia has changed dramatically.

Read More
1074 Words | 5 Pages

The story both affirms and challenges common stereotypes about Australian culture and identity. The story affirms stereotypes through highlighting the Australian landscape as a harsh and unforgiving environment, where individuals must rely on their wits and strength to survive. This reinforces the stereotype of Australians as tough and self-reliant individuals. This is evident through, "The stony, waterless ridges, with their stunted trees and patches of thin, coarse grass, stretched away to the horizon all around him, and the smoke of his fire went straight up into the still, dry air. "

Read More
2173 Words | 9 Pages

Tim Winton’s 2004 ‘The Turning’ is a collection of short stories that provide an insightful and thought-provoking exploration of Australian identity, place, and culture. Each of the stories can be read and analysed individually, however many of the characters and plots have been interwoven with one another, allowing Winton to explore complex ideas on a deeper and more intricate level. Through his vivid and evocative descriptions of the Australian landscape and its people, use point of view, and symbolism throughout, Winton in many ways challenges the habitual ways Australians think about themselves as a nation, whilst also reinforcing certain aspects of Australia’s national identity. ‘The Turning’ focuses heavily on the character of Vic Lang,

Read More
382 Words | 2 Pages

This is suggested by the colors of the “banner” that the trees are compared to: white, red, and gold. Conventionally, the color white symbolizes love and passion; red symbolizes love and passion; gold symbolizes abundance and

Read More
385 Words | 2 Pages

It is clear that the poet’s intention is to express that the abuse of Aborigines is a lot similar to a carthorse. It is obvious that Oodgeroo’s poem Municipal Gum shows the mistreatment of the Aboriginal people through the use of emotive language and poetic devices. Resent is developed throughout the content of the poem, with emotive language used to convey the mistreatment of

Read More
1445 Words | 6 Pages

Andrew McGahan’s historical fiction novel, ‘The White Earth’ published in 2004, depicts the interrogation of racial, proprietorial, and cultural politics of 20th century Australia, as it recounts the protagonist, William and his mother migrating to Kuran station; a land of rich, black soil, with a House filled with sinister overtones but the inheritance of the land proves to be the character’s downfall. Set in 1992, the novel demonstrates qualities of gothic elements to bring forward the attitudes and actions of post-colonial Australia and articulates the significance of the Mabo decision and its legacy for social and legal changes. This idea of land and place results in a spiritual relationship with its inhabitants; this is prevalent in ‘The

Read More
568 Words | 3 Pages

The tree reminds the human race that each one is a descendant of their ancestors that once traveled and passed them. The structure of her poem is written as a blank verse. A blank verse being a poem with no rhyme however does have iambic pentameter. There is no rhyme scheme throughout her poem. The author also uses personification; in which she gives nonliving objects human characteristics.

Read More
1418 Words | 6 Pages

In his collection of poems Broken Teeth, author Tony Birch explores Melbourne’s past from British Settlement to the present day. Within his poems “‘My Words’, Beruk (Ngamajet) -1835”, “Beruk Watches Melbourne from the Sky -1945” and “Visiting”, Birch creates a connected image of the city’s past through exploring snapshots of different time periods within Melbourne’s rich, diverse history. Birch’s poems also identify the strong links between the city’s past and its present, reviving the strong historical and cultural factors that influenced Melbourne’s creation. Tony Birch’s Poem “‘My Words’, Breuk (Ngamajet)- 1835”, depicts the history of the colonisation of Melbourne, as told through the eyes of prominent Indigenous leader William Barak

Read More
1412 Words | 6 Pages

It tells of the many different people that it has seen in its time. The different races, the different religions, and the different walks of life. The tree wants it known that race should not determine the worth of a human being. All humans do not come from the same country, but somehow many of them have ended up in America where it is known to be a “melting pot” of races. And just like race, religion should not define a person.

Read More
1591 Words | 7 Pages

Either it could be interpreted as a poem about a tree and the defamiliarization of the tree,

Read More
728 Words | 3 Pages

The poem My Mother The Land by Phill Moncrieff poetically describes the struggles the aboriginal people faced at the hands of the European people and colonisation throughout history. The fact that the author based the poem on accurate historical events adds to the authenticity of representations and engages the reader in an emotional journey with the struggles the aboriginal people faced with the somewhat loss of their country, culture, identity, people and place. The author uses a variety of language features and text structures to create this view point, for instance the author uses several language features and text structures throughout verse one to demonstrate the loss of culture and people. The poet uses effective language features throughout the poem to describe the loss that the narrator feels in their country, culture, identity, people

Read More
1313 Words | 6 Pages

However, throughout the poem, a cherry tree is told to been seen just outside the fence. The cherry tree is symbolic of hope for the Jews to persevere through the discrimination as nature continues to bloom even in the darkest hour. The Jews strive for survival to show the world of their struggles and mistreatment as “mass graves [cannot] bury hope” they have in equality for all

Read More
1230 Words | 5 Pages

The trees seem to symbolize a sort of echo or a keeper of the

Read More
169 Words | 1 Pages

Second example of figurative language is “sharp…quick as…trowel" , this shows the existence of emotions and feeling attached to the tree .They talked with each other about the walnut tree but they cant decide what they want to do with the walnut tree either cut it or not. “At that night she dreams of her fathers out of Bohemia filling the blue fields of fresh and generous Ohio with leaves and vines and orchards”. This shows the history of the family and why they are so much attached with this tree. This is the turning point of this poem after this they made a decision that they will not cut the tree. ”So the black walnut tree swings through another year of sun and leaping winds, of leaves and bounding fruit,” This figurative language represents

Read More

More about Municipal Gum Essay

Open Document