Minberry Black Brother White Analysis

Jackie French’s descriptive historical extract ‘Nanberry Black Brother White’ uses a native animal (an o’possum) as an allegorical representation for what happens to the indigenous when the English come and take over their land as well as their culture. After the invasion of the English, readers are open to discover that the most important message Nanberry’s story highlights is his entrapment within the two cultures and the the o’possum is brought into the story to exemplify Nanberry’s situation, being forced to fit in to another culture. In addition, both nanberry and the o’possum try their best to acclimatize into the new way of life, still retaining some of the native traditions. Although it took months of laborious practice Nanberry and …show more content…
However, they continue to find it difficult to get used to the things that were uncustomary to the indigenous culture. Nanberry is “out in the garden…. pulling up carrots and eating them…” resembling previous actions with his fellow natives. Even though the o’possum is suppose to be inside, it “… forage[s] outside each night…”, like nanberry they both show the connection they have with the environment and their land in many ways possible. The o’possum “… likes to sleep under the bed sometimes…” rather than being trapped in a nanoscopic “basket” filled with “wilted greenery”. Nevertheless, Nanberry also finds it “… strange… sleeping on a bed off the floor” when he could be sleeping on the floor. This shows the entrapment of Nanberry and the o’possum stuck between two …show more content…
Although “you can’t tame an o’possum”, this o’possum does grow quiet fond of his family. It’s first impressions with Maria is not the most pleasant considering at first “the black eyes stare at her, wide and frightened” and then it continues to “run up her arm and over her face” and “scratch...” it. After a while it domesticated (not fully) and now “The o’possum s[its] on her lap…”, “he eats from [Maria’s] fingers…” much like a pet and sometimes “she [can’t] help a strange ache in her heart” watching the “tiny animal”. When surgeon white first spoke to nanberry, nanberry “stared at him”, “…trying to work out what [surgeon white’s] words meant.”. Over a period of time however “he knew so many words”. Even “the…women” (Rachel Turner) was surprised to hear nanberry “speak just like a proper person” because “he’s a native!”. Nanberry “do[es] not feast on whale blubber”, He “wear[s] clothes.” He also eats his “meals at tables”, and to him “… it [is] good - to be English “. The o’possum is simply being used to exemplify Nanberry’s situation, adapting into this new culture through all the good and