Time Is Running Out Poem Analysis

The evident social issues in the texts above have been about the effects of colonisation and exploitation of the land by 'white Australians '. Issues raised include; the mining of land seen by aboriginals as destruction of sacred land, the modernisation of the Australian landscape away from the natural beauty described by the composer and the tragic fading away of the aboriginal culture after attempts to display a sense of conciliation. In the poem, 'Time Is Running Out ', the composer - Oodgeroo of the tribe NOONCCAL - highlights the taking of land to mine minerals in a destructive manner just for a greedy cause; usually money. This can be seen when the composer writes, 'In his greedy lust for power, He destroys old natures will. For …show more content…
The most conspicuous social issue is the evolution of Australia into a busy, 'white ', rushed, polluted, noisy place from a fun-loving, natural and - from the composers perspective - a perfect home. The composer often contrasts memories of places with how you would find them now - hence the title 'Then and Now '. For example Oodgeroo writes, 'I have seen corroboree; Where that factory belches smoke; Here where they have memorial park: One time lubras dug for yams... '. The language used throughout the poem suggest modern Australia a negative place; Oodgeroo using words like shattered, rushed, hissing, teeming and belched frequently. She continues to describe the changes from the old ways by using repetition of the words 'no more ', 'now ' and 'better ' respectively. The composer ends the poem writing, 'better when I had only a dillybag; better when I had nothing but happiness '. It can be seen that the composer longs for then to be …show more content…
The composer changes the aboriginal figures in the image to images of white men and the centre figure of The Conciliation to an image of the last surviving Tasmanian Aboriginal; Truganini. The environment in this image is far more unnatural then the original image, in that there is a significant change in scenery. The hill and grass in The Conciliation have been changed to a fence and concrete ground respectively. There is use of surveying equipment instead of spears to represent; the change of the Australian landscape and the introduction of stern boundaries in Australia. Furthermore, it can be inferred that the composer used this western piece of equipment to contrast with the spears or other indigenous equipment seen in The Conciliation. The equipment and animal fur rugs can also be seen replacing where the animals should be. It can be concluded that this to symbolise the denaturalisation of Australia in both the environmental and identity aspects. Finally the shadows of aboriginal figures –also seen in The Conciliation¬– loom in the background representing the lost past of aboriginal culture, the fact that there will never be Tasmanian Aboriginal culture ever due to careless killings and introduction of