How accurate a representation do you consider the images to be of Australia in the 21st century as presented in our literature and

media? Edon Lindell Yr 9 LEAP, Ms Hayes, Semester 2 2012

Edon Lindell 20th September 2012

One of the most common and powerful ways that countries are represented to the rest of the world is through their literature and media. However, these representations are not always accurate. In the case of Australia, the representation is far from accurate as it still to this day, heavily reflects the image that was most common of Australia during early white settlement. This image portrays the land as predominantly bush and farming land, the people as laid back, hardworking and tough white people, and the typical voice and accent of Australians as very ocker, full of slang and with many idioms only understood by Australians. This is not true of 21st Century Australia. During white settlement, Australia was predominantly bush and farming land. This is a side of Australia that is very commonly shown throughout our literature, but does not in truth represent most of populated Australia in the 21st Century. The bush, is a theme featured heavily in A. B. Banjo Patersons poem, The Man from Snowy River. The wild hop scrub grew thickly, and the hidden ground was full Of wombat holes, and any slip was death Through the stringy barks and saplings, on the rough and broken ground, The Man from Snowy River is a very famous poem, not just through Australia but throughout the world. It was written in 1890 and therefore is reflective of that period of time in Australias history. Despite this, it is still seen as a truthful illustration of Australia in the 21st Century. Most of the literature and media that does not show Australia as bush country shows it as farming land. A classic example of this is in a poem by Thomas Spencer called How McDougall Topped the Score. They keep themselves by keeping sheep and turning up the ground We plough, and sow, and harrowthen sit down and pray for rain Many poems, stories and films have similar themes to this, yet according to the Bureau of Statistics (2010-11), only 2.4% of Australias industry is involved in agriculture, forestry and fishing. As can be seen purely by this example the image of Australia that is portrayed in literature and media is completely incorrect. Another of the misconceptions presented to people overseas, is the people, and their personalities, of Australia. In the song popularised by Redgum, I was only nineteen, Australians are shown as having a strong sense of mateship. Edon Lindell 20th September 2012 2

But you wouldn't let your mates down 'til they had you dusted off, so you closed your eyes and thought about something else. Whilst this may be true for many Australians it is not true for all. The diversity of peoples personalities is a common reason why literature and media are not an accurate representation of the kinds of people that occupy a country. Even personality traits that are reasonably accurate do not always portray the correct images to people overseas. One such trait that is given to most Australians in literature is that of being laid-back and behaving like a larrikin. When this is used in literature, Australians often just come across as being slow or even stupid. And then as Mulga Bill let out one last despairing shriek It made a leap of twenty feet into the Dean Man's Creek. 'Twas Mulga Bill, from Eaglehawk, that slowly swam ashore: He said, "I've had some narrer shaves and lively rides before; To most Australians this would just seem like a typical laidback Australian, however to foreigners Mulga Bill appears rather stupid. This illustrates how even reasonably accurate representations of Australians can be misinterpreted or changed to give the wrong idea to outsiders. Indigenous Australians or Aborigines are one of the most poorly represented populations in Australias literature. This is largely because of the shameful and horrible treatment that they were met with when white men first landed in Australia. Many Aborigines write of their struggles with non-Indigenous peoples.
Nature is screaming and crying in pain At the loss of her children, the tears fall like rain. We would like you to listen and pay heed to our words. But as a minority our voices aren't heard. This poem entitled Who are we?, written by Richard G. Kennedy, is just one of the many poems written both by Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians, illustrating the struggles faced by Aborigines. These poems are not known throughout the rest of the world, and as such the Aboriginal community is not one that is very well-known throughout the world.

Edon Lindell 20th September 2012

Probably the most accurately represented aspect of Australian life, is the typical voice, accent and slang used by Australians. Throughout our

literature and media, the representation of the Australian voice is pretty much the same. The typical Australian vocabulary shown through literature is one full of slang, idioms and with a very ocker/bogan accent. Many people from overseas are not able to understand the Australian language or accent, and some are even offended by it. One particularly well-known example was an Australian tourism television campaign launched in 2006 by Tourism Australia. The campaign, had one particularly controversial scene in which Lara Bingle asked the question So where the bloody hell are you?. To most Australians this would seem a fairly harmless thing to say, however prospective tourist from overseas saw the phrase, and in particular the word bloody, as extremely offensive. While many Australians may talk like this, not the whole population does, and this ad presented a negative and untruthful account of Australians. Idioms and sayings are one of the most confusing parts of Australias language and often when used in literature confuse many foreigners. One example is The Queer Ways of Australia, by Charles Thatcher. When he gave em a touch of Australia. He could talk bullock and no flies, And when he blessed poor Strawberrys eyes, She looked at him with great surprise As out of her he took a rise. Fie, fie, his mother said one day, What naughty, wicked words you say. Bless you, mother, thats the way We wake em up in Australia. This is a very accurate representation of the confusion that most foreigners have with Australian language. However, many of the current generation of Australians are also confused by the language, and many do not use slang or idioms at all. As such, literature and media no longer present an accurate portrayal of Australia and its people in the 21st Century. Although Australia and its people have changed a lot since the first white settlement, the image that is portrayed through literature and media is still fixed firmly in this time period. From poetry, to picture Edon Lindell 20th September 2012 4

books, and even to songs, the image is very much the same and just as inaccurate. A typical Australian in the 21st Century is not the same as one in the 18th and 19th centuries and as such presents a false picture of us as Australians.

Edon Lindell 20th September 2012