An Hour With Abuelo And James Devaney's Song Of The Captured Woman

Discoveries allow some individuals to experience powerful transformations whilst others remain rigid and inflexible in their thinking. The process of discovery allows one to discover the unknown or reconsider the known whilst having a positive or negative effect on them. Transformations can bring change in one’s attitude and thinking. This is certainly applicable to Ivan O’ Mahoney’s documentary, Go Back to Where You Came From, Judith Cofer’s short story, An Hour with Abuelo and James Devaney’s poem, Song of the Captured Woman. Go Back to Where You Came From is a social experiment that consists of six Australian participants who have preconceived notions about the highly politicised debate on refugees and asylum seekers. O’Mahoney’s documentary, …show more content…
Song of the Captured Woman conveys that, the woman was confronted with the guilt of not realising the importance of her homeland in her life until she unexpectedly was forced to stay on this unfamiliar land. Devaney explores this through the line, “But their songs are strange to me.” The adjective, “strange” emphasises the woman’s unfamiliarity with the land she resides in. As a result, this allows the responder to discover that the captured woman is unwilling to transform to suit the culture of this unfamiliar land she resides in. However, this emotional discovery of the importance of her tribe in her life initiated by the separation from them is evident. This has allowed her to recognise that her land is integral in giving her a sense of identity. Therefore, Devaney explicitly portrays the fundamental link between an emotional desire and an expedition to discover the captured woman’s past which shapes her identity. As a result, the poem contrasts with the documentary in showing that the confrontations can transform individuals. This is because, despite the woman’s forced circumstance she was unwilling to adapt to this unfamiliar land but instead recognised the importance of her