Australian Aboriginal Literature - Book Report/Review Example

Name: Tutor: Course: Date: Australian Aboriginal Literature Question 1 As a dark mirror of his soul, Hugh came to realize in a half conscious way that Coonardoo reflected his mood. This demonstrates that Hugh could evaluate his personal character and actions using Coonardoo as a point of reflection. Katharine Susannah Prichard portrays vividly the strained relationship that existed between the Aboriginal people and the White people. From this statement, it can be learnt that Hugh realizes that there certain aspects in life that he can learn from the Aboriginal people. Coonardoo is a love story between Coonardoo, a native girl, and a station owner, Hugh (Prichard 5). The local people refer to him as Youi. Hugh has some misgivings concerning his relationship with Coonardoo and cannot give himself fully to her. Hugh has overwhelming love for Coonardoo which causes his people and himself pain. Hugh put himself in a hard situation with his people and he goes on to marry a white wife. Katherine paints the picture between White people and Aboriginal people at a time when it was considered to be next to impossible. Hugh shows that White people have feelings for the Aboriginal people. Love could not been initiated between Hugh and Coonardoo if there was no feelings between them. Hugh concedes that Coonardoo love for him was hard to ignore. This is captures in the statement that Coonardoo was a black mirror to his soul (Prichard 165). Hugh could monitor the magnitude of his character and actions using Coonardoo as a yardstick. The book shows that native people are of significance in the Australian society. The White people cannot ignore the impact of indigenous people in their daily lives. It reaches a pint where a White man falls in love with a native Aboriginal. He falls madly in love that he can hardly control himself. Katharine portrays a native woman as an object of admiration. As an Aboriginal woman, Coonardoo is sexualized by the writer as someone who could be lusted after and loved forever. Many people interpreted the book as a demonstration of exploitation of the Aboriginal women by White men. This perspective caused outrage. The book is love story which is full of agony and love. The restrictions placed upon Coonardoo and Hugh by their respective cultures make it impossible for them to relate freely. Hugh has genuine love for Coonardoo but he fears the wrath of his people do to the perspective they hold against the Aboriginal people (Westphalen 14-9). When Hugh takes Coonardoo as a mirror of his souls, it shows the love and the respect he had towards this Aboriginal queen. When he realizes half consciously that Coonardoo was a mirror of his soul, Hugh demonstrates the value that he attaches to the Aboriginal people. Half-consciously Hugh realizes that Coonardoo reflected his mood. Despite it being vague, Coonardoo is used to demonstrate the reality that exists between the White folks and the Aboriginal people. It dawns on Hugh that his feelings that manifest themselves in moods were not different fro m that of Coonardoo. It is their opposing cultures between the Aboriginal people and White people that stand to destroy the strong love that existed between Hugh and Coonardoo. The love is supposed to transcend cultural boundaries but Hugh fails the test when he succumbs to his people pressure by marrying a White wife. Hugh is overwhelmed by the demands and pressures his people to the point of deserting Coonardoo. Through Katherine love story, the tension and the fear that exists between the White community and the Aboriginal people is realized. The culture boundaries make Hugh and Coonardoo to abandon each other. The differences were so deep and wide but not their feelings (Haag 51-64). That is why Hugh can identify himself with Coonardoo by acknowledging that she reflecting his moods. She was the mirror of his soul. Despite the cultural differences, Aboriginal people are human beings just like the White people. There is a lot in common that can be used as joining bridge contrary to emphasizing on differences. The White people abandon Aboriginal love not out of their self conscience but because of pressure from their respective communities. The pressure and the tension that exist between the two communities have been clearly demonstrated in the book. This the tragedy that happens n the love story between Hugh and the indigenous girl, Coonardoo. The lovers have to brace themselves for opposition from their respective communities. Despite the differences in their cultures, they share the same moods, feelings, and aspirations. Aboriginality in the novel has been represented as something of value that is worth being reflected upon. The Aboriginal people have a place in the society. The statement captured on page 165 on Hugh wild though shows even the White people can use the Aboriginal people for a good course. The cultural disparity has always placed the Aboriginal culture as being on the lower side or inferior. The White people torment Hugh concerning his love for an Aboriginal woman (Prichard 165). He eventually bows to the pressure of his people. The novel shows the strong identity of the Aboriginal people and uses Coonardoo to demonstrate the beauty and elegance that is possessed by Aboriginal people who are time and again abused by the White people. Aboriginality has been portrayed as a rich culture that deserves respect and appreciation (Venuti 319-21). Katherine through her novel demonstrates the deep respect she has for the Aboriginality. While the novel explores the fears and struggles of the Aboriginal people, it does not fail to highlight their strength and aspiration through Coonardoo. Coonardoo is love story that acknowledges the place of Aboriginality in society and the impediments that hinder the appreciation of the Aboriginal culture. Katharine highlights the poor behavior of the White people towards the Aboriginals. All in all she has painted Aboriginality in deep respect. Coonardoo dignity plays out throughout the novel. Question 7 European autobiography has been approached in one or more contradictory points of view. In the first instance, autobiography entails a romantic quest for permanent identity for order in a changing or disordered world. The second perspective the autobiography is viewed as a suspicion of permanence, considering it as an illusion, and intentionally comes up with contradictory perspectives and/or portrait of self that is fragmented. It is one of these perspectives that Ruby Langford decides to tell her story in the book ‘Don’t take your love to Town’. Ruby chooses the romantic quest for permanent identity in a changing and disordered world to tell her story in the book (Di Blasio 29-39). The book illustrates the epic struggle that Ruby embarks on trying to define the place of Aboriginal people in the society. The book gives an account of threats of violence that result into treacherous whoredom. The book shows the features of masculine self pity. When Ruby takes her love to the city, she is repeatedly deceived by her lovers. In the end, Ruby decides to go back home and she reverts to her home country name Ginibi meaning Black Swan as a rebellious move against the White people for taking away their land (Brewster 7). Many people from the Aboriginal societies used this means as a way of protesting the White people move to take away their land. There was a continuous attempt to devalue the importance of land in the indigenous societies in Australia. Ruby Langford uses writing as a means of reclaiming her identity in a world that is constantly changing (Zierott 45-7). Through her own experience and discovery, Ruby Langford came to learn that there was virtually nothing taught in school in Australian curriculum concern her tribe of Koori. There is a deliberate attempt by the authorities to do away with the history of the indigenous people. Ruby Langford took the bold and positive step of educating the White people on the issues affecting the Aboriginals in Australia. Her book uses place identity through use of names to identity the rich cultural heritage of the Aboriginal people and how they are neglected by the White people. Langford had a deep concern on the absence of education on the Aboriginal affairs (Brewster 37). Ruby Langford goes ahead to rewrite history from a personal perspective and she manages to reclaim historical space. Her main aim in the book ‘Don’t Take you Love to Town’ is reclaiming her own identity that hitherto seemed lost. The writer points out that from a tender age there was disruption in her identity development (Langford 37-9). Her mother and father separate when she barely has the knowledge to master many things in life. Ruby has an interest in getting to know where her mother was but she had to forget the whole issue if she wanted to cope with the issue at hand. From this book, it can be deduced that Aboriginal people who require network of kinship that are stable in order to survive experience separation of children from the mother owing to government policies of protection and assimilation. Many Aboriginal people have suffered silently through some of these policies. Her father was constantly shielding her from contacting her mother (Zierott 23-5). The tension could always be felt. The book portrays an epic struggle of competition, conflict, and love. Through her writing Ruby Langford demonstrates the place of the Aboriginal woman in Australian society and the issues that are surrounding his independence. It is difficult for an Aboriginal woman to survive against all odds to achieve or realize her dreams in life. Reclaiming the Aboriginal lost identity is the course that Ruby Langford sets on in her book ‘Don’t Take your love in Town’. Ruby Langford Ginibi is confident of her Koori identity from the beginning and her book only serves to emphasize and educate people who are not in the know (Venuti 208). Ruby experiences mixed reactions when she later meets her mother in the streets. She came to realize that she knew nothing about her mother. She had not seen her mother for nine years. Ruby realizes that she has lost part of her identity. She uses oral stories of her mother in order to reclaim the identity of her family. The book shows the turbulent life that Ruby has lived through (Ballyn 41-5). Her various relationships illustrate her restless lifestyle and the way she was deceived on numerous occasions. She started exploits of love at a tender age of fifteen and sixteen she realized that she was pregnant. Lack of social status undermined her confidence. She had problems establishing a life that was settled. ‘Don’t Take Your Love to Town’ is a story that demonstrates courage amidst tragedy and poverty. Losing her mother at a tender age weighed down heavily on Ruby Langford. In the mid of poverty, Ruby, single-handedly raised nine children. The writer uses her character to demonstrate the reclaiming of identity of the Aboriginal people. It is established that Aboriginal people are undervalued as compared to their land. Despite having genuine quest to reclaim land, the White people do not have to place much value on land as compared to the importance of the Aboriginal identity on the Australian history. Ruby uses her indigenous name Ginibi to try and emphasize on the identity of the Aboriginal people (Zierott 45-7). Ruby wants the Aboriginal people to be appreciated and identified as important in the Australian history. Despite the change in history, Ruby seems the importance of permanence of identity of the indigenous people. The indigenous people cannot afford to lose their identity despite the changing world. Ruby sets on a course of looking for permanent identity. The changing and disordered world does not have to be an excuse of forsaking the Aboriginal identity in the society (Rowse 38-45). Her quest for permanence in identity does not relent. She provides a good example of a determined woman who wants to preserve her relevance in the society. Her story is clouded with events that make the reader to appreciate the identity of the Aboriginal people and their struggles in everyday life. Despite of many happenings in her life Ruby remain steadfast towards achieving want her heart sets out to accomplish (Langford 123-8). Mistakes do not make her give up. Ruby uses geographical setting to aptly draw the picture of the Aboriginals settings. Work cited Ballyn, Susan. “Ethical Approaches to Teaching Aboriginal Culture and Literature in Spain”. Indigenous Biography and Autobiography. Eds. Peter Read, Frances Peters-Little, and Anna Haebich. Canberra, ANU EP, 2008. Di Blasio, Francesca. “A Path of Words. The reception of Autobiographical Australian Aboriginal Writing in Ital”. Indigenous Biography and Autobiography. Eds. Peter Read, Frances Peters-Little, and Anna Haebich. Canberra, ANU EP, 2008. Haag, Oliver. “Aboriginal Literature in Austria: A Discussion of Three Audio-books”. Australian Aboriginal Studies Journal, 1 (2011): 51-64. Prichard, Susannah, Katharine. “Coonardoo”. Sydney: Angus and Robertson 1929. Langford-Ginibi Ruby. “Don’t Take Your Love To Town”. Sydney, 1988. Zierott, Nadja. “Aboriginal Women's Narratives: Reclaiming Identities”. Melbourne: LIT Verlag Münster, 2005. Rowse, T. "Aboriginal Underworld", Overland 135 (Winter 1994) 38-45 Venuti, Lawrence. “Translation as Cultural Politics: Regimes of Domestication in English”, Textual Practice, 7.2 (1993): 208-23 Westphalen, Linda. “An Anthropological and Literary Study of Two Australian Aboriginal Women’s Life Histories”. Lewston: Edwin Mellen Press, 2012. Brewster, Anne. “Reading Aboriginal women's autobiography” Sydney: Sydney University Press, 1996. Read More