Historical context
This poem was written and published in the late 1980s and early 1990s, where racial tensions rose with the Goondiwindi riot in 1986 between aboriginal and non-aboriginal residents of Goondiwindi on the NSW - Queensland border [1]. This would have influenced Oodgeroo Noonuccal’s poems.
Stanza 1
“All about the country, From earliest teens, Dark unmarried mothers, Fair game for lechers, bosses and station hands, and in town and city low-grade animals prowl for safe prey.” This sentence describes the plight of “Dark unmarried mothers”, which is alluded to be sexual violation by “lechers, bosses and station hands”. The inclusion of three different types of men tell us that all men at the time, regardless of profession or social …show more content…
Even with consent It is still seduction.” Although this sentence may seem out of place in the context of the poem at first glance, it seems to say that even though the women allow for it, they are still mothers who have a responsibility to their children, and should not give consent in the first place. The word “seduction” means “temptation or attraction” [4]. Temptation is usually used in conjunction with sin in biblical terms. As such, the usage of “seduction” in this sentence gives the impression that the men in the previous stanza was committing an act of …show more content…
Then court case and headline, stern talk of maintenance. Is it a dark girl? Then safe immunity; He takes what he wants” The writer gives a comparison between two cases of mistreatment of women, between a white (caucasian) and a dark (Australian aboriginal) woman. The case with the mistreatment of a white woman is shown to be taken very seriously by both the authorities as well as the media, followed by a “stern talk of maintenance”, which emphasizes how seriously the authorities take this case. The word maintenance here refers to “A husband’s or wife’s provision for their spouse after separation or divorce” [5], in the context of this sentence, referring to the offender paying a fine/maintenence fee. On the other hand, the case with the aboriginal woman is not taken as seriously, as shown by “He takes what he wants”. “Immunity” in this case refers to “protection or exemption from something, especially a penalty” [6]. As such, we can see that the difference between race matters greatly when it comes to the violation of women according to the
This poem was written and published in the late 1980s and early 1990s, where racial tensions rose with the Goondiwindi riot in 1986 between aboriginal and non-aboriginal residents of Goondiwindi on the NSW - Queensland border [1]. This would have influenced Oodgeroo Noonuccal’s poems.
Stanza 1
“All about the country, From earliest teens, Dark unmarried mothers, Fair game for lechers, bosses and station hands, and in town and city low-grade animals prowl for safe prey.” This sentence describes the plight of “Dark unmarried mothers”, which is alluded to be sexual violation by “lechers, bosses and station hands”. The inclusion of three different types of men tell us that all men at the time, regardless of profession or social …show more content…
Even with consent It is still seduction.” Although this sentence may seem out of place in the context of the poem at first glance, it seems to say that even though the women allow for it, they are still mothers who have a responsibility to their children, and should not give consent in the first place. The word “seduction” means “temptation or attraction” [4]. Temptation is usually used in conjunction with sin in biblical terms. As such, the usage of “seduction” in this sentence gives the impression that the men in the previous stanza was committing an act of …show more content…
Then court case and headline, stern talk of maintenance. Is it a dark girl? Then safe immunity; He takes what he wants” The writer gives a comparison between two cases of mistreatment of women, between a white (caucasian) and a dark (Australian aboriginal) woman. The case with the mistreatment of a white woman is shown to be taken very seriously by both the authorities as well as the media, followed by a “stern talk of maintenance”, which emphasizes how seriously the authorities take this case. The word maintenance here refers to “A husband’s or wife’s provision for their spouse after separation or divorce” [5], in the context of this sentence, referring to the offender paying a fine/maintenence fee. On the other hand, the case with the aboriginal woman is not taken as seriously, as shown by “He takes what he wants”. “Immunity” in this case refers to “protection or exemption from something, especially a penalty” [6]. As such, we can see that the difference between race matters greatly when it comes to the violation of women according to the