Identities shift and change as individuals gain new experiences. These new experiences are determined by an individual’s physical surrounding and their relationships with people and places. As such, this notion of evolving identity is illustrated in the film, ‘The Sapphires’ directed by Wayne Blair, where four Aboriginal girls go on a tour around Vietnam, experiencing different events and develop relationships that reshape their identity. Similarly, in Peter Skrzynecki's poem ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’ Feliks and Peter adapt to different environments which affects their relationship and subsequently, their identity. These Australian texts both experience conflicts in identity and convey how an individual’s identities are shaped by an individual’s
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These events are at times influenced by the social and cultural context in which the individual lives in. In ‘The Sapphires,’ Kay is a victim of the stolen generation and her identity is strongly influenced by Western culture. This is evident in the scene where Kay is with other white girls in her apartment in Melbourne. The use of medium shot permits the audience to see Kay’s bright coloured attire which is in uniform to her white Australian friends, symbolically representing her assimilation into the white culture. However, her surroundings such as her family relationships and the opportunity to perform with her cousins as a group called ‘The sapphires’ in Vietnam reconnects her with her cousins which ultimately rekindles her connection with her Aboriginal identity. The transformation in Kay’s identity is exhibited in the use of close up shot where Kay says with conviction ‘I’m black, alright. Just pale black’, allows the audience to focus on Kay’s serious facial expressions. Kay confirms her regained aboriginal identity in the scene where Kay and Gail are sitting side by side with her grandmother performing a cultural ceremony. The diegetic sound such as leaves rustling and birds chirping emphasises the yorta yorta people’s connection to the nature, signifying Kay being welcomed back to the Aboriginal community. In the film, Kay experiences various events in her life which in …show more content…
Likewise in the poem ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’, Peter experiences cultural crisis as he grows up in a Polish family in Australia reflecting that identities can be formed through environmental and cultural
These events are at times influenced by the social and cultural context in which the individual lives in. In ‘The Sapphires,’ Kay is a victim of the stolen generation and her identity is strongly influenced by Western culture. This is evident in the scene where Kay is with other white girls in her apartment in Melbourne. The use of medium shot permits the audience to see Kay’s bright coloured attire which is in uniform to her white Australian friends, symbolically representing her assimilation into the white culture. However, her surroundings such as her family relationships and the opportunity to perform with her cousins as a group called ‘The sapphires’ in Vietnam reconnects her with her cousins which ultimately rekindles her connection with her Aboriginal identity. The transformation in Kay’s identity is exhibited in the use of close up shot where Kay says with conviction ‘I’m black, alright. Just pale black’, allows the audience to focus on Kay’s serious facial expressions. Kay confirms her regained aboriginal identity in the scene where Kay and Gail are sitting side by side with her grandmother performing a cultural ceremony. The diegetic sound such as leaves rustling and birds chirping emphasises the yorta yorta people’s connection to the nature, signifying Kay being welcomed back to the Aboriginal community. In the film, Kay experiences various events in her life which in …show more content…
Likewise in the poem ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’, Peter experiences cultural crisis as he grows up in a Polish family in Australia reflecting that identities can be formed through environmental and cultural