ipl-logo

Examples Of Selflessness In Australian Society

987 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Critical analysis of war poem

Selfishness and selflessness in Australian Society
Humans are the most selfish creatures to ever walk the earth. We can however, also be considered as the most selfless beings. The theory of nationalism and sacrifices towards the ‘greater good’ are the two leading forces behind this sense of self-value that have been present in society for centuries. The destruction of the environment for personal gain as well as the destruction of human life for the benefit of the country are examples of these forces. I am passionate about this issue because I do not believe in the carless and unnecessary waste of life or the environment. Two poems that explore these factors are A Document by Judith Wright and Beach Burial by Kenneth Slessor. Both poems focus …show more content…

Much like Wrights poem, Slessor creates the message that in a time of need, such as WWII, Australians will give up their land and lives to fight for the greater good. Beach Burial emits a sombre and sad tone, rather than boasting heroism like many other war poems produced at the time. Slessor uses realistic and blunt wording to challenge the reader to create a sense of pity for those who lost their lives at the battle of El Alamein. He refers to the soldier’s nakedness in the second stanza where he writes, “to pluck them from the shallows and bury them in burrows and tread sand upon their nakedness.” This use of nakedness is not meant to be literal but rather a metaphor for human vulnerability and dignity. I find this to be the most powerful image throughout the poem and the message being conveyed is one that helps to create an image for the reader of the harsh realities of the war and how precious life is. Slessor also references to the meaning of a name in his poem. His meaning however differs from Wrights as it portrays that who you are and what your name is, is not relevant once we reach the end of the cycle of life. With regards to the war, it helps to state that “whether as enemies they fought, or fought with us, or neither; the sand joins them together”. The message I draw from this is that no matter which country one is fighting for, we are all united by the common enemy of death and that we are nameless in our sacrifices. This selfless act to join war efforts relates to the careless act of the destruction of the environment and the waste of

Show More
Related
878 Words | 4 Pages

‘Surrender? Don’t be bloody silly, we’re Australian’. This quote is the opposite view proposed within John Schumann’s article ‘Aussie image now a myth’. Schumann’s portrayal on Australian culture reflects the idea that Australian’s lack national pride and identity, based on the fact that we no longer possess the moral qualities of mateship. Australian mateship is defined as ‘companionship or friendship between men’, which is clearly not associated within Schumann’s article, which argues that we have lost our morals, motivation and mateship. This statement is clearly wrong.

Read More
1571 Words | 7 Pages

This metaphor displays his uncertainty as per his crucial part in that moment in time. The soldier pictures himself as the hand on a clock, subject to the inevitable force of a clockwork motor that cannot be slowed or quickend. He realises that he does not really know why he is running and feels “statuary in mid-stride”. However, towards the end of the poem, all moral justifications for the existence of war have become meaningless- “King, honour, human dignity, etcetera Dropped like luxuries in a yelling alarm”, which is extremely dismissive of all the motives people provide for joining the army, explicitly stating that those motives do not justify and do not withstand the war. Disorientation is also highlighted in the line “Stumbling across a field of clods towards a green hedge That dazzled with rifle fire” where the confusion between the natural world and man-made world is expressed.

Read More
559 Words | 3 Pages

In addition, the deaths of soldiers will forever be with the ones who remained alive. In “Hope, Despair and Memory” written by Elie Wiesel, the author describes how “for the first time in history, [soldiers] could not bury [the] dead, [they] bear their graves within [themselves]” (2). Throughout the time of a war, each and every soldier will experience a variety of different deaths, each playing a unique emotional role in their lives. War, as challenging as it already may be, is created to be made even more difficult with the immense loss of life every soldier must suffer through. There is absolutely no time to grieve or mourn toward a dear soldier that was lost.

Read More
869 Words | 4 Pages

The soldier himself is frightened on why he could not save him which haunts him in his dreams as he says “In all my dreams/ before my helpless sight” is how every time he dreams he sees the soldier and he cannot control it causing him to think of it every night frightening him everyday. Soon he will feel that the dead person wants revenge for his death as the soldier states “he plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning”, The dead soldier always comes into the narrator's dream wanting revenge as he chokes him as how he was being choked by the gas clouds and then drowning as how the dead soldier drowned in the green sea of chlorine gas. The horrors of war is what scares the soldier even after the war. At first soldiers imagine themselves as heroes creating them eager and excited they are until they finally get to the front and see no man's land. No man's land is usually bumpy with shell holes and dead trees that are either broken or burnt.

Read More
1287 Words | 6 Pages

January 26th represents the national public holiday, Australia Day. It is a day of celebration of the establishment of the country and at the same time marks the day a mass invasion begun on the Indigenous Australian population, resulting in deaths among their population. Ben Roberts-Smith’s opinion article, ‘We are one but we are many’ featured in the Herald Sun on January 26th, 2017; expresses optimistically that, Australian’s differences are what makes Australia great. He attempts to make the reader to reflect upon how lucky they are to live in ‘such a lucky country’. However, Kevin V. Russell’s letter to the editor entitled, ‘End Australia Day’ was also published in the Herald Sun on January 26th, 2017.

Read More
2221 Words | 9 Pages

The purpose of this report is to address ethnocentrism and Islamophobia in Australian society and how it can be reduced. This report will cover three key points. The history of ethnocentrism in Australia, how extreme versions of ethnocentrism such as Islamophobia is effecting Australian society, and how it can be resolved. This information has been drawn from peer reviewed academic journals and online newspaper articles. ISSUE History of Ethnocentrism

Read More
978 Words | 4 Pages

Celebrating Australia day is like holding a party without inviting the hosts. While many Australians celebrate this holiday, they have little knowledge behind the events that occurred and why it is celebrated. If I’m honest, I haven’t been brought up, like many of my generation, to understand and acknowledge the events which occurred on this day. Instead for as long as I can remember I have seen the day as a public holiday where mum drags us to a boring family gathering, to play backyard cricket and observe the adults consume excessive amounts of alcoholic beverages. According to a poll conducted by Review Partners, much of the Australian population are unable to accurately name the event

Read More
447 Words | 2 Pages

So the soldier went to the trench to lie down and die. There is also another shift when the author says “and soundlessly attending, dies…”. In the last stanza, the audience can infer that the author is at peace with the death. He says “misted and ebullient seas and cooling shores, towards Amphibia’s empiries.” The audience can feel the relaxation.

Read More
993 Words | 4 Pages

Both Dulce et Decorum Est and Mametz Wood present the incompetent results of war. Dulce et Decorum Est indicates the horrible facts and deaths in war. Moreover, Mametz Wood highlights how precious life is and how easily it can be lost as a result of battle. In this poem “Dulce et decorum Est”, Owen portrays the deadly effects of conflict through the use of metaphor: “as under a green sea, I saw him drowning”. Here, he describes the pain of the gas attack.

Read More
812 Words | 4 Pages

Richard Louv, a novelist, in Last Child in the Woods (2008) illustrates the separation between humans and nature. His purpose to the general audience involves exposing how the separation of man from nature is consequential. Louv adopts a sentimental tone throughout the rhetorical piece to elaborate on the growing separation in modern times. Louv utilizes pathos, ethos and logos to argue that the separation between man and nature is detrimental.

Read More
976 Words | 4 Pages

From the 1970’s Australians have been viewed as bush people as they were seeming as heroic and brave. Never the less, internationally, Australians have been showcased as vulgar, racist that have strong pride for their country. Consequently, Australia has also been viewed as an alcoholic nation as companies continuously push the stereotype to market their products. In turn, Australian’s collective identity is made up of multiple other stereotypes that have been fed into. Despite being incorrectly portrayed; the Australian identity has a positive effect on Australian culture.

Read More
1397 Words | 6 Pages

We live in a world where we have to hide to make love, while violence is practiced in broad daylight. John Lennon. Based on his own reading and reflection, Bruce Dawe constructs his attitudes towards war in his poems, Homecoming and Weapons Training, believing it to be lacking sense historically and ultimately futile. By specifically addressing an Australian cultural context, the poet exposes a universal appeal in that the insensitivity and anonymity are common attitudes towards soldiers during war. Dawe clearly expresses his ‘anti-war sentiment’ through his use of language and imagery as he examines the dehumanising aspects of war and its brutal reality.

Read More
1663 Words | 7 Pages

Social and cultural structures like religion, language, race, ethnicity, economics and education standing are the key impacts on people’s well-being and health. Australia is a country of diverse population, comprising different cultures from different nationalities that came to call the country home. This represents the country a broad range of racial diversity. The term racial means the social and cultural fundamental institutions or dimensions in the location that effect the improvement of personal beliefs, morals and behavior conducts. Australia’s cultural variety has amplified due to immigration.

Read More
880 Words | 4 Pages

Red dog examines one of Australia’s biggest values; mateship, and its importance it has on the Australian society, creating a more

Read More
1215 Words | 5 Pages

Contrasting images are used between the beginning and end of the poem. At first, the speaker is described as standing on a “wide strip of the Mississippi beach,” (Trethewey l. 2) while her grandmother is standing on a “narrow plot of sand.” It symbolizes the freedom the speaker now compared to the confinement and limited opportunities her grandmother experienced. Natasha Trethewey uses mood, symbolism, and

Read More

More about Examples Of Selflessness In Australian Society

Related Topics

Open Document