Anzac Legend Research Paper

Improved Essays
Good morning ladies and gentlemen. I am Ada Mo, a historian from the University of Sydney.
The Anzac spirit, or is it a legend, is something that is unique to Australians. We by far spend the most effort in keeping the spirit alive, but for what reason?
The legend of the Anzacs was born in the heart of Gallipoli, were many Australian soldiers show great feats of strength, bravery and comradeship during the campaign. The Anzac legend envisions the ideal Australian soldier. Specific stereotypes are set that include bravery, mateship, and recklessness for a good cause. Arthur Bourke OAM describes the Anzac legend as ‘a powerful driving sensation that can only be felt. It is a feeling that burns in the heart of every Australian and New Zealand countryman; A warm, tender, fiery, even melancholy ideal that nurtures intense patriotism in the innermost soul of everybody.’
…show more content…
First we must know what it is that makes us as a nation. The stereotype of the Anzac legend only encompasses a small population of enlisted soldier in world war one. The Australian New-Zealand Army Corps consists of soldiers that were in the front line trenches. Not only that, there were also Australian indigenous soldiers and the nurses and doctors that worked behind the scenes. The ideal soldier is seen as a country larrikin, when in fact a large majority of the soldiers were from urban areas. This greatly limits the uniqueness shown within the Anzac. This is one of areas where the Anzac legend is

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The Kokoda Campaign

    • 1471 Words
    • 6 Pages

    It is currently seeking a World Heritage site listing for its significance. This was fought by Australians with heart and compassion, as they came out victorious for the New Guinea people. Both sides, the Japanese and Australian experienced the hardships and challenges that the trail offered, fighting and conditions included. This campaign was an important turning point for the Pacific War and symbolises exactly what Australians are about, persistence and…

    • 1471 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Fly Away Peter Analysis

    • 1361 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Australian and New Zealand Army Corp. (ANZAC) soldier was born in this war and exemplified the masculine Australian described in the discourse. Malouf uses the war as a context because it is unique among global discourses due to the view that it holds that WW1 was a foundational event in the Australia’s national history. Otto (2009, P.36) states that WW1 is viewed as a moment which exemplifies the masculinity of Australians as described in the national discourse. However, Malouf uses the war to contrast the reality of the war with the imprecise descriptions the discourse provides. Firstly, he uses the event of the protagonist Jim Saddler going to the Western Front to represent the innocence of Australia as it went into the war.…

    • 1361 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The advancements in the development of technology, entertainment and culture is very significant within the history and future of the Australian society because of American and British influence. As a result of Australia’s already strong relationship with the United States of America (USA) and Britain before and after World War Two the impact on everyday Australians was immense. Prior to 1945 many Australians would class themselves as part of a British colony and under British authority. This resulted in many themes of Australian culture to be influenced by Britain including: sports; foods; fashion; entertainment and music; behaviour and individual attitude about society. Post- WWII the Australian society developed unique characteristics…

    • 373 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Gallipoli campaign began with a failed naval attack by British and French ships, on the naval attacks upon the Dardanelles Straits in, February-March 1915. The British and French attempted to collision the Divan Empire of Turkey since World War One had begun. Australia’s involvement in WWI was because, Britain was the “Mother country” and Australia was part of the commonwealth and the British Empire, therefore Australia felt compelled to help. In the training period, Australian Soldiers had an opportunity to meet the world, and they equally allowed the world to meet Australians. Australians made a cultural impact on the rest of the world.…

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    America was represented with fame for young people in Australia. Some American soldiers impressed the Australian women by showing off their polite manners. Thier uniform were very sophisticated and neat. The American soldiers were more wealthier than the Australian soldiers, who did not much spend money like the Americans. Media and other technology depicted on the great relationship with America and Australia, but this was not true.…

    • 384 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Introduction: Australia Day (on the 26th January) is a day that a considerable amount of Indigenous Australians remembers as the 75th anniversary of the fight for Aboriginal rights and recognition in their own country, the place that they were born and raised. (2013) Consequently, in the year of 1938, the Day of Mourning protest attracted a large group of Aboriginal Australians in Sydney, marking the monumental 150 years since the Europeans settled in Australia. Furthermore, they demanded that they the same citizen rights and equality as the rest of the Australian population, the Day of Mourning protest was the birth of the well-structured Aboriginal civil rights movement.…

    • 338 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Great Essays

    The reasons for Australians enlisting to fight in World War One varied and were complex. These reasons may be categorised into two main sections: Intrinsic and extrinsic. Some of the many intrinsic factors included the sense of adventure, sense of duty to support fellow Australians and a sense of duty to defend Australia from a perceived enemy and finally a sense of duty to defend the “Mother Country”. These contrast with the extrinsic influences which include enlisting to escape poverty, unemployment, pressure from Australian society and the effects of propaganda. The study of a number of sources will reveal the extent to which Australians enlisted in 1914 to defend the “Mother Country” and that it was not the only reason to why thousands of men flocked to war.…

    • 1495 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There was never a time people didn’t fear in this war. Women feared for their husbands, sons and other family members who were serving. But most of all the Australians feared the Japanese invasion. It was the first time Australian soil had been attacked on. The Australians were not prepared for the attacks, bringing shivers down their spines whenever an attack occurred.…

    • 1100 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Askew Perspective After many years of improvement of Australia’s global stereotypes, it seems like we still remain a drunken mob in the mind of the media’s representations of Australian people. By Zac Eliasaf A s we’ve been told so often in television and movies, we Australians are all about drinking. That includes you too.…

    • 739 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Annotated Bibliography

    • 1740 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The Black Diggers: Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders in the Second World War. Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press for the Autralian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, 1997. Annotation Robert Anthony Hall was born in 1947 and is an Australian writer who wrote this book through his travelling around the country while he interviews Aboriginal, Islander and white Australians to explore the war effort of Aboriginal and Islander Australians during the second world war and the reasons their contribution has gone unrecognized for so long.…

    • 1740 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This demonstrates that World War 2 opened up Australia to a more diverse way of life, and shaped the country’s…

    • 1135 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Prime Minister at the time: John Curtin urged Australians to work harder for the war. He encouraged “Every Australian, man and woman, to go about their allotted task with full vigor and courage.” * The Prime Minister also aided in raising the hopes of Aussie citizens by saying ‘Let it be remembered that Darwin Had been bombed, but it has not been conquered.’ * this inspired Australians to work harder because hope was not lost. An example of Australia showing they wanted to be a bigger part of the war effort was in August 1942 when the 18th Australian Brigade was able to meet the Japanese amphibious forces head on and hold the Japanese beachhead at Milne Bay.…

    • 801 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Good Moring Mrs Davies and class, Celebrating our national day on the date of British settlement in 1788 has never been a date that brings all Australians together, no matter how many flags we wave or happy barbecues we may enjoy. For many Indigenous Australians, the date is no holiday but a reminder of their country being taken over by others. It completely disrupted a way of life that had been undisturbed for 50,000 years. The date of Australia Day is a disrespectful celebration towards aboriginal Australians.…

    • 591 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Folklore is used in all different types of culture in many different ways. Australian folklore is mostly about the way of the aborigine’s. Folklore are stories passed down from older to newer generations it’s based on Myths, Legends, and Fairy Tales. Legends are based on historical facts, characters or events that have been embellished. Myths have supernatural beings or mythical creatures and are based on religion.…

    • 2341 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Throughout everyday activities, Winston and other citizens in Oceania are regularly reminded of the brave soldiers…

    • 1151 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays