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Summary Of Australia's Silenced History By Nola Gregory

775 Words4 Pages

The poem “Australia’s Silenced History” was written by Nola Gregory from Western Australia in November 2016 as a response to a powerful and provoking video called “Stan Grant talking about racism and the Great Australian Dream.” The poem was written so that our nation would not forget that Australia has a dark past. The subject of the poem is Australia’s dark history and how it impacted many people. The theme is the importance of respecting and acknowledging our history so it can be dealt with. The subject matter of the poem Australia’s Silenced History is about the shameful history of Australia. As shown in lines 12 and 13 “Don’t tell us to forget. That’s something we cannot do” Gregory expounds that Aboriginals cannot forget and move on without proper actions being taken as it affected them immensely. The poet conveys that we need to deal with it and accept it so that whole nation can be united. In general, Gregory asserts Australia should not try and hide the truth of its past instead open the books and make the future brighter. The message is conveyed through the themes of rage, …show more content…

These include metaphors, rhetorical questions, similes and descriptive language. For instance, the metaphor on line 37 “It was a living breathing hell” describes the conditions of the Aboriginals and how they were treated. It also portrays their emotions towards the environment they lived in. Additionally, on line 2 the simile “It’s like an unstoppable river” describes history unravelling itself. This symbolises the truth about Australia’s history revealing itself. The poet also uses rhyme in a pattern which is ABCB. This makes the poem more interesting and enjoyable to read. The devices assist express the thoughts and emotions of the Aboriginal people during this period of time. These poetic devices are also used to depict the theme of the poem in a more engaging

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