‘The Shifting Heart’ is an Australian drama script written by Richard Beynon and is set in the 1950s and is directed to Australian readers. It comprises the racial attitudes, difficulties and psychological effects of racism faced by a family of Italian migrants, as suggested by the slogan of the book. Beynon has used the play to convey his message of shifting the heart and to place readers in a position to question themselves and their attitudes towards foreign races. The script has added to our Australian history and literature through the plot which enhances the meaning of Beynon’s message through its stereotypical characters and the values that they withhold, these all come together to define and set the scene of our Australian culture.
…show more content…
‘The Shifting Heart’ is set in a period after World War 2, where the Australians fought against the Italians. The flood of Italian immigrants has defined our Australian culture by contributing to the workforce and multiculturalism. The script is set in a time where foreigners were not accepted into society nor were they given a fair go and were prevalent to racial attitudes and abuse. This is seen when Gino tries to enter the club but is not permitted to enter because he is not ‘Australian’ or when Mr Wilson teasingly calls Momma, Momma Macaroni, this shows the racial attitudes, unacceptance and stereotypical discrimination made to the Bianchi family. Gino’s unacceptance into an Australian society ultimately leads to the emotional and psychological breakdown of his family members. Also the scene is set at the Bianchi family’s house where there are two fences on either side, this represents the attitudes of Australian society, some are tolerant whereas others are racially abusive. The plot can be seen by the readers as realistic since it relates to us Australian readers and it portrays aspects that are actually experienced in real life situations. However, the play does portray most of the Australians negatively but they show an opposing side to that by incorporating Leila into the play. The plot of the story is unique and clearly defines our national Australian culture and
‘The Shifting Heart’ is set in a period after World War 2, where the Australians fought against the Italians. The flood of Italian immigrants has defined our Australian culture by contributing to the workforce and multiculturalism. The script is set in a time where foreigners were not accepted into society nor were they given a fair go and were prevalent to racial attitudes and abuse. This is seen when Gino tries to enter the club but is not permitted to enter because he is not ‘Australian’ or when Mr Wilson teasingly calls Momma, Momma Macaroni, this shows the racial attitudes, unacceptance and stereotypical discrimination made to the Bianchi family. Gino’s unacceptance into an Australian society ultimately leads to the emotional and psychological breakdown of his family members. Also the scene is set at the Bianchi family’s house where there are two fences on either side, this represents the attitudes of Australian society, some are tolerant whereas others are racially abusive. The plot can be seen by the readers as realistic since it relates to us Australian readers and it portrays aspects that are actually experienced in real life situations. However, the play does portray most of the Australians negatively but they show an opposing side to that by incorporating Leila into the play. The plot of the story is unique and clearly defines our national Australian culture and