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Why Weren T We Told By Henry Reynold

1043 Words5 Pages

The composer’s representation of people and politics are products of their own political motivations and perspective, which advocate discussion and awareness amongst the audiences by exposing the hidden fallacies embedded within historical past. Inherent in Henry Reynold’s memoir Why Weren’t We Told (1999), the representation of society’s attitudes towards race relations in Australian history reflects historical flaws of the communal ‘white blindfold’ perception of Aboriginal past. The text captures personal experiences to represent historical manipulation, educating audiences about the misunderstood history fed by political agendas. Influenced by his motivation to expose the misinformation of our political past, Reynolds cultivates greater …show more content…

Reynolds opinion on the long-lasting implication of historical …show more content…

Reynolds exposes the persecution of Indigenous People, describing the entrenched belief in Aboriginal inferiority common in 70s North Queensland, recalling one school principal who said he ‘did not expect much from [Aboriginal children] because they had smaller brains’. The ‘confidence and complete certainty’ with which the comment was made conveys how deeply negative ideas about Aborigines had been ingrained. These attitudes resulted in an assumption of superiority by white citizens, who Reynolds writes expected ‘lowered eyes and a submissive downward tilt of the head’. Reynolds’ personal voice resonates with condemnation for the oppression faced by Aborigines, illustrating how his perspective has been shaped by his experience of race relations. By sharing this account, Reynolds raises questions about the historical origins of the racial tension he experienced. This foreshadows the dissatisfaction expressed later when he reveals that historians before 1960 had largely ignored interactions between settlers and indigenous peoples, therefore ‘providing no material…to understand the nature of contemporary relations between black and white Australians’. Thus, readers can appreciate how personal experiences allow Reynolds to create an evocative representation of racial politics, as his knowledge of ongoing

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