The Secret River

Improved Essays
January 26th 1788 was the year that the first fleet first arrived and anchored their boats in Australian water, Port Jackson. This was the commencement of the contrvisity of Aboriginal Australians and the European Settlers. Good Morning and Welcome, it is my intention to advise and notify you of the changing attitude of the white population towards Indigenous Australians throughout history from Australian literature. This will be justifiable though the novel “The Secret River” written by Kate Grenville along with some information from poems, artwork and short stories that have context as the novel “The Secret River”. Considering the arrival of the of European Settlers curiosity was a main concept of the conflict between the two colony’s. As

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    I lived in an inland rural area of New South Wales, and after finishing school I moved to Kununurra, a northern remote area in Western Australia. This was a place where my knowledge and understanding of the Aboriginal people their culture, history and identity was largely developed. I was exposed to so many dimensions of the different ways they lived, whether it was traditionally in remote communities or within the township. This exposure tested and challenged my thoughts, it lead me to further question some of the reasons why the Aboriginal people had vastly different ways of living. During the 3 years I lived in Kununurra I gained much repect for their culture and…

    • 1485 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    On the eighteenth of January 1788, the first fleet arrived in Botany Bay, marking the beginning of a multicultural nation founded on migrants. Throughout Australia’s history migration has continued, with one of Australia’s largest migratory era’s occurring post World War two. This period saw some six million migrants arrive in Australia. These migrations however, were affected greatly by race biased policies. These policies included the white Australia policy and government assisted schemes aiming at create a white Australia.…

    • 861 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Assimilating the Natives in the U.S. and Australia The reading Assimilating the Natives in the U.S. and Australia written by Gary Foley in June 2000 interrogates, from an indigenous perspective, the suggestion that Assimilation means different things to Australian and United States governments. In Order to do so Foley examines colonial origins, notions of race and white supremacist mythology. Foley looks at how each of these perceptions resulted in the treatment of indigenous people and draws conclusions on whether there is a difference in the intent of assimilation as well as exploits some possible long term implications in today’s society. ‘Origins of American and Australian colonies have a common European heritage of imperialism and racial…

    • 792 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Reynolds draws on his political motivation to uncover the truth of Australia’s colonial past in an effort to represent the disparities between the glorified Australian identity and the harsh reality of institutionalised discrimination towards Aborigines. Reynolds thus bestows the reader with a greater awareness, therein encouraging them to revaluate their perception of Australian history and to question the idealistic portrayal of Australian identity. Accordingly, Reynolds writes of his visit to Norfolk Island, where two young Aboriginal girls were imprisoned for the trivial offence of swearing, allowing the audiences to question their previous perception that Australia is ‘fair’ to all. The dichotomy between the accumulated images of suppression in “the locks, reinforced door, bars and thick concrete walls”, to “the little thin girls”, triggers both sympathy and shock within responders and forces them to recognise the harsh reality of aboriginal treatment ingrained within Australia’s identity, where even children were exposed to discriminatory conduct. Furthermore, in the chapter “Lest We Forget”, Reynolds draws on his criticism of the inconsistencies in Australia’s political history in the emphasis of the symbol in the fallen soldier and the Anzac spirit, highlighting the dignified but exclusionary nature of the Australian identity.…

    • 968 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The theme of the “A Secret Lost In The Water” by Roch Carrier is that times have changed and fathers can’t pass down knowledge like they did before; even if the fathers are able to teach their children something, if they don’t practice or apply their knowledge, they will lose it this is shown in the following two quotes . These themes are explained in the following three quotes. “I’ve just taught you how to find a spring. It’s something my own father taught me.” (105), “The alder stayed motionless in my hands and the water beneath the earth refused to sing” (106) and “nowadays fathers can’t pass on anything to the next generation.”…

    • 303 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Australia is a country that has been described as diverse, multicultural and unique. Our geography, flora and fauna and cultural history is different from anywhere else, which has definitely captured the attention of the rest of the world. Australian society has evolved in a very short space of time from the earliest convict settlements established in the mid nineteenth century, to the cosmopolitan states that currently exist and draw immigrants from all continents across the globe. Australia’s history has reflected conflict, human rights violations and the hardship associated with establishing a refined society in a harsh and primitive landscape. Throughout the various stages of Australian history, Australians have attempted to grab onto an…

    • 1383 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Australias history has become a hot topic due to the rising acknowledgement of the graphic history of the nation. The Rabbits a picture book written by John Marsden depicts the colonisation of a nation and the wrong doings of the settler towards the natives. But is this truly the only side to the colonisation of the nation we call home now? The allegory depicts such events as the stolen generation and the several massacres carried out by the settlers in the early years of the nation. Without these events though would we be the great nation we are now.…

    • 748 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Australia day commemorates the anniversary of the arrival of the first fleet on the 26th of January 1788. To some, it means the beginning of the dispossession of aborigines and the lost of their culture, but to others that was the birth of a great nation. This time of the year sparks many debates on whether Australia day should be celebrated or not. Chris Berg contends that the emergence of Australia as a great and powerful nation cannot be pinpointed to a certain date, nor is the 26th of January necessarily a date to rightfully celebrate on in his article ‘there is much to celebrate on Australia day’, in which he adopts an evaluative tone. Alternatively, in her article ‘changing the date won’t fix Australia day’, Celeste Liddle argues rationally…

    • 864 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Lecture 1: Respect, Dignity and Culture This lecture, on Aboriginal cultural safety, was an informative emersion into the Aboriginal way of life. It helped me, personally, begin to develop, an understanding of Aboriginal’s culture and traditions. However, in my limited life experience, interactions with Aboriginals, have been through negative observations. From news bulletins on television, write ups in the community newspaper, to crossing the street and avoiding a swearing, intoxicated Indigenous male. It is a real contrast, to the respectful Aboriginal introduction Gningla Taylor presented, when Aboriginals encounter another person.…

    • 329 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    On The Rainy River

    • 1400 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Courage can be defined in a variety of ways; it all depends on what an individual perceives as courageous, and the different aspects of courage they find most important. In the short story “On the Rainy River” Tim O’Brien focuses on the action side of courage. Action meaning the big and small tasks in a person’s life that determine their courageousness. The actions an individual takes when caught in a difficult situation is what defines them as brave. For example, when presenting the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Ty Carter, President Obama concentrates on the physical aspect of courage.…

    • 1400 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The exclusion of Indigenous people from the nations constitution took place in the early nineteenth century. Henry Parkes the premier of the colony of New South Wales called for all six Australian colonies to unite and create a great national government for ALL of Australia. Parkes initiated a constitution based on common racial and British custom on which this nation was supposedly founded. Throughout her speech “Indigenous Exceptionalism and the Constitutional ‘Race Power’ Marcia Langton argues that any idea of race and the ability of the parliament to use race in law making should be removed from the Australian constitution. The detailed history of legislation applied to Indigenous peoples demonstrates this is many ways; Indigenous people…

    • 1170 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Archaeologist and anthropologist have debated about the nature of gender role in Aboriginal societies (Williams and Jolly, 1992:10). Because by the time they have tried to understand the role of gender in the Aboriginals. The Aboriginal way of living has changed, the European way of living has impacted on aboriginal culture. The European colonisers have brought with them a set of European gender concepts to Australia (Rose, 1996:28). These concepts have changed the living standards and gender roles of the Aboriginal community.…

    • 486 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Racism In The Secret River

    • 1044 Words
    • 5 Pages

    “History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be reworked, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” The acknowledgement of history is vital in an individual’s progression to remedy past mistakes. “The Secret River” illustrates a narrative about 19th Century Australia, whilst simultaneously making comment on the treatment of Indigenous Australian’s at the time. The racist attitudes of the white settlers in the story can also be seen as the foundation of contemporary-day Australia’s casual racism. “The Secret River” articulates a vivid image of the unjust atrocities that the Aboriginal people encountered.…

    • 1044 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Henry Reynolds’s non-fiction novel ‘Why weren't we told’ is a social justice essay and personal journal communicating his personal response to the injustice towards Indigenous Australians. Reynolds’ choice of language, medium and textual form influence how his perspective is received and shape the meaning of the text. Reynolds’ presents his political perspective and purpose in his monograph as he argues for the reconciliation of Indigenous and white Australians to advocate the progress of native title. He challenges responders to reevaluate their own perspective of Australia's past through the use of two competing political views. The memoir structure enables Reynolds to create an intimate appeal to the audience by drawing upon personal anecdotes.…

    • 811 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Kath Walker describes the challenges that European civilisation has brought and how they affected the Aboriginal people’s lives and…

    • 1034 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays