Year 12 Literature: Poem Analysis: Oodgeroo Noonuccal
Oodgeroo Noonuccal is an Australian poet and political activist who is famously known for her strong views that translated from her roles in activism to her poetry. The poetry of Oodgeroo Noonuccal has been a huge significance in the recognition of the culture of the indigenous community as well as the suffering that they were subjected though. In her writing, Noonuccal uses striking descriptions of the land and the cultural understandings attached to them. This is used as a representation of the views and values that are intrinsical to both her and her heritage.
Noonuccal often writes about the importance of the land as an integral role in the history of her culture. Her poetry expresses …show more content…
This dream she paints is peaceful and calm, which only makes what she says next even worse. Noonuccal describes the tree as being ‘Like that poor cart-horse Castrated, broken, a thing wronged, Strapped and buckled, its hell prolonged’, how the tree is living in ‘hopelessness’ and set in a square of ‘black grass of bitumen’, rather than the ‘cool world of leafy forest halls and wild bird calls’ to which it belongs. This description serves as a severe juxtaposition of what should be to what is the unfortunate reality.
Her use of rhyme of ‘wronged’ and ‘prolonged’ build up the pace and tempo as if reaching the crescendo. Noonuccal also uses Alliteration and assonance with the strong ‘ca’ sound from ‘cart-horse’ and ‘castrated’. This harsh sound reinforces the harshness of the words meanings in this context. She also uses such heavily associated emotive language such as ‘castrated’ and ‘hell’ which rile up big reactions from people. They are ugly words with ugly meanings attached to them.
Her question at the end of the poem of ‘what have they done to us?’ sets the tone as ‘dolorous’ with the distress of helplessness and
Oodgeroo Noonuccal is an Australian poet and political activist who is famously known for her strong views that translated from her roles in activism to her poetry. The poetry of Oodgeroo Noonuccal has been a huge significance in the recognition of the culture of the indigenous community as well as the suffering that they were subjected though. In her writing, Noonuccal uses striking descriptions of the land and the cultural understandings attached to them. This is used as a representation of the views and values that are intrinsical to both her and her heritage.
Noonuccal often writes about the importance of the land as an integral role in the history of her culture. Her poetry expresses …show more content…
This dream she paints is peaceful and calm, which only makes what she says next even worse. Noonuccal describes the tree as being ‘Like that poor cart-horse Castrated, broken, a thing wronged, Strapped and buckled, its hell prolonged’, how the tree is living in ‘hopelessness’ and set in a square of ‘black grass of bitumen’, rather than the ‘cool world of leafy forest halls and wild bird calls’ to which it belongs. This description serves as a severe juxtaposition of what should be to what is the unfortunate reality.
Her use of rhyme of ‘wronged’ and ‘prolonged’ build up the pace and tempo as if reaching the crescendo. Noonuccal also uses Alliteration and assonance with the strong ‘ca’ sound from ‘cart-horse’ and ‘castrated’. This harsh sound reinforces the harshness of the words meanings in this context. She also uses such heavily associated emotive language such as ‘castrated’ and ‘hell’ which rile up big reactions from people. They are ugly words with ugly meanings attached to them.
Her question at the end of the poem of ‘what have they done to us?’ sets the tone as ‘dolorous’ with the distress of helplessness and