Anzac Day

Decent Essays
My essay will be about nation-building in Australia. I have chosen the holiday Anzac Day and the infamous outlaw Ned Kelly. Both of these symbols seek to emphasize the Australian identity of toughness, and unity but have been catered to specific purposes. In this, essay I attempt to discover how these symbols became so central to Australia, and how historically accurate they are. Anzac Day has become essentially Australian Day. The day allows for Australians to come together and celebrate as a nation. Anzacs were men who fought for Australia (and New Zealand) during the disastrous Gallipoli campaign. However, I’ve seen that the celebration is more complicated than just a simple rally for Anzacs. This celebration has had many consequences for

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The ANZAC legend has been positively represented in the poem “Gallipoli” by Australian poet Bruce Dawe. It also inspires us to think whether the Anzac legend is central to the story of the Australian nation hood and national identity. He mainly writes poems about aspects of Australian life. The poem is about pilgrims who visit the WW1 battlefields in Gallipoli .It uses historical and Australian representations to imply that although Gallipoli was a defeat, it defined and shaped our nation and its citizens. This is the reason many Australians make a pilgrimage to Anzac Cove in Turkey to pay tribute to the past soldiers that sacrifice their lives for their country.…

    • 467 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In this essay I will why gallipoli is more significant than the somme. I believe that Australia's involvement in any war does not and will never receive comparable recognition. I believe this because Gallipoli is the most recognized war from Australia's history and most well know and many people would not know about the other battles that Australia participate in, in World War 1. Australia did not contribute as much to the Somme war.…

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Identification as white descendants of the British empire became the basis for unity in Australia. These ideals have continued into modern Australia society with racism and prejudice…

    • 861 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Australians played a large role in what was one of the longest wars of the twentieth century. They had a mass group of 60000 soldiers that only began from a small number. From 1962 -1966 they accumulated a battalion, a group of 30 military advisers and a task force. This provided more support but was largely assisted by the army. In the beginning it was not disputed but as the results came back, the Australian society was starting to gather a new perspective to what was going on.…

    • 751 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This is reflected in an article entitled ‘War and politics’ that appeared in the Worker during 1914, as it contends that ‘Australia is as much part of the British Empire as England is. ’5 This is further supported by Bongiorno & Mansfield as they state ‘it was phrases such as ‘aiding the motherland’ and ‘helping Great Britain’ that resonated more than any other’6 with the Australian people ‘during August and September 1914’7. Furthermore, Bridge argues that Australian men were eager in their support as ‘forty per cent of the males of military age enlisted. ’8 ‘A Fine Response’ which appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald in 1914, supports this view, stating that ‘the German mailed fist has roused our bushmen to indignant protest.…

    • 1390 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    For any student of modern history, regardless of their focus, this collection cannot be overlooked, if for no other reason than its highlighting of the dynamic nature of Australia’s…

    • 1252 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Having a national identity is a way for all countries to show a sense of cohesiveness, as represented by distinctive traditions, values, and forms of behaviour. It can be seen as a character which binds the members of the society as one and differentiates them with others. As Benedict Anderson suggests, a nation itself is not given but rather constructed, by the style and ties in which the communities imagined, making them believe they are connected to one another. Australia, with its Aboriginal heritage and the past of being a part of Britain and is now labelled as multicultural, may have suffered from an identity crisis. Hence, by examining the myth of Terra Nullius and the Indigenous’ continuing struggles for land right recognition, this…

    • 930 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Conceding this point, Roberts-Smith employs appeals to family values as he encapsulates sharing the day ‘with loved ones’, inclining the reader to trust his conclusions. To make use of a passionate tone as he anecdotes the days he ‘fought abroad’ for our country, Roberts-Smith leaves the reader as credible, contributing to the acknowledgement of our ‘freedom’ and ‘diversity’. Roberts-Smith’s portrayal of a multi-cultural ‘diverse’ Australia, through a collection of images, showing the importance of ‘freedom’, ‘diversity’ and ‘identity’. The use of the Australian Flag, echoes the arguments of our nations ability…

    • 847 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Essay On Mabo Movement

    • 1028 Words
    • 5 Pages

    To many European Australians, this date represented how far Australia has flourished and developed, resulting in a celebratory day that many people commemorated. Although it was a dedicatory event to some, many Aboriginal Australians believed it was a day of loss and mistreatment from the white settlers. It symbolised the beginning of the destruction of their culture and basic human rights. The Day of Mourning was the first national protest by Indigenous Australians against the intolerance and prejudice that was a daily part of their lives and identified as the beginning of modern Aboriginal protest movements. Their intentions were to bring awareness of the plight of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to the broader Australian community with a march through the streets of Sydney, attended by approximately a total of 100 Aboriginal people and non-Indigenous supporters. '…

    • 1028 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Government controls were also placed over the lives of the Australians, restricting them in many ways. Before the war, it was expected that a working man was the main source who supported its family. A woman who worked was thought to have been supporting her husband who couldn’t afford…

    • 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
  • Improved Essays

    Firstly why do we celebrate “Australia day”? The Australia day council explains why we celebrate Australia day, he says that on Australia day we come together as a nation to celebrate what’s great about Australia and being Australian. It’s the day to reflect on what we have achieved…

    • 851 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved 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

    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
  • Improved Essays

    In 1901, Australia became an independent nation. Though, it still had a close connection with its origin, the British. According to realism, state is the highest authority, power is crucial, war is endemic so wishing for peace is utopian (Bisley, 2013). The best way to maintain security is to maintain alliance between states. At that point of time, Australia believed that its security was heavily dependent on the stability of major powers in the Europe.…

    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays