Issues in Annotated Readings - Essay Example

Annotated Bibliography 1. “‘A Workingman’s Paradise?’ Inventing Australia: Images and identity 1688-1980”, seeks to outline the nature of the Australian economy as a workman’s paradise in the context of the later part of the 19th century. 2. The article questions the validity o claims calling Australia a workman’s paradise especially in the context of the latter part of the 19th and the early 20th century. He begins by stating that it is not correct if one were to assume that Britain was a workman’s hell and Australia a paradise in lieu of the fact that such assumptions belie changes that occur in the economic set up defining a country (Pg 42 para3 and pg43 para 1). 3. Providing validity to the claims underlying assumptions naming Australia a workman’s paradise the authors quote relevant period literature which furthers the assumption of Australia providing workers with the correct atmosphere to work (Pg 41, SMH Mortimer quotes). 4. On Australian workers were working under harsh employers, who were exploiting the fact that there was a job shortage, and that there were a lot of people willing to take an employee's place. Australian's also began to think of federation, looking inward, rather than outward. 5. The article focuses on the bogus nature of the assumptions in Australia within the relevant period that mostly named sufferings of the working class as being personal failings, stating clearly that much of the worker paradise paradigm and its related advances were effective only to a small minority, (pg45, para3) focusing in details on the suffering that characterized the indigenous population and the majority of the unskilled laborers. 6. The article concludes with the many supposed manifestations that could supposedly define Australia as paradise-things such as an imaginative reaction to industrialization, or even manifestations of migrant hopes for a better future (Pg 46, para 2). The second article being studied here is entitled “What Happened to the Fair Go? Australia Day 2007”, published in The Age, written by Brennan Father Frank. The author has written the article keeping in the background the then approaching Australia Day, 2007. The article focuses on the issue of civil liberties, human rights and the concept of death penalties, trying to dig out the meaning and the ramifications of the term “fair go” at the micro level and adjudge the standing of Australia as a nation on the macro level in the context of Australia day.. The author starts his discussion based on the fact that he perceives that there is in existence a certain inertia in the people of Australia, in the manner in which they perceive their rights in terms of citizens under governance (Pg1, para 3). The article takes a succulently sarcastic tone of voice where it names Australia to be a nation of winners citing a victory in the T20 format in the game of cricket, stating that the country has witnessed innumerable political scandals and the mockery of the politicians lies bare to the public which despite the gory nature of the truth chooses to lie inert. The author blames much of the consumerist-material based nature of life and living as the factor determining this inertia and torpor, given the fact that education and health need to be bought and are not free as a right, people have but no option but to look after themselves and in this race of life, in keeping themselves and their families in good health find neither the time nor inclination to be politically active. Finally he states that the hullabaloo of the terms defining Australian Values need to be reworked in the context of the fact that the country is still defined by a life that is not fair, “by refugees who live a perfidious life, by families who do not have a home and by person waiting in the public hospital queue and for the student who will start her working life in debt”. 1. Prologue: Beyond the biological cringe? By Robin, L., in 2007, seeks to oiutline the veracities of Australia as a nation in the context of the biological factors that bind the country. 2. The innate idea in the text is that a country such as Australia would do well to identify with the wildlife and the natural habitat that defines the country more that arousing nationalist feelings for sports (Pg2 para2) 3. The author makes extensive use of creating an example out of the world inhabited by the Banded Stilt, stating that the banded silt is the only bird in the world to be completely dependant on the harshest part of the Australian arid zone for its breeding habitat. 4. The author brings out the self perception defining the bird to draw a parallel with the Australian nation stating that there is a connection in the manner in which the Australia views itself and the manner in which it is then viewed by the world. 5. The idea therefore would remain that Australia as a nation is defined by the very continent it is made up of, given the fact that it has been in every era been bound by environmental oddities (page 6, para 3), to the extent that much of the Australian identity such as the hard outback is bound by the environment that defines the nation. 1. “A History of feminism in Australia”, Lake. M., in 1988 outlines the growth of the feminism trend within Australia for the greater part of the 20th century. 2. The author focuses primarily on the difference in identity where Australian feminists, given the fact that unlike the American and the British counterparts saw themselves as participants in the nation building process (pg 133 para 1). Despite this they had to compete against the same set of prejudices given the predominantly white man nature of the Australian power holding. The idea remained that a woman with power would be a threat not a partner. 3. The Author outlines five overlapping phases of Australian feminism: Between 1880 and 1890-The woman’s movement, campaigned for political and social reforms aimed at protection 1890-1910-Femiunists attempted to reconcile with the maternalist mission with the concept of full citizenship 1940-1960-stress on equality of opportunity, new zeal in the idea of equality in personal and professional fronts Post 1960-Women’s liberation movement-claimed sexual freedom as a right Present phase-Post colonial. 4. Much of the essay focuses on the historical steps that defined the attainment of women’s suffrage in Australia, and comparing this progress with that of the other first world female suffragists. 5. It concludes with an idea on the nature of feminism that has turned to a lobby, which works towards the attainment of its goals within the democratic system governing the nation. 1. “Protest and Progress: Aboriginal activism in the 1930s” by Russell McGregor attempts to catalogue the aboriginal struggle to manifest their identity, protesting against hiding children and their determination to find and protest against stolen family members. 2. The First factor of protest was the need for citizenship and the attainment of citizen rights for the Aboriginal community, signaling their urge to work towards integration with their migrant countrymen. The article outlines the problems in terms of the fact that the terms of protest and demands which the Aborigines saw as being assimilationist were perceived as being separatist by the ones in power. 3. The article takes a long look at the historical factors that underlined the process of demand formulation and political mobilization of the Aborigines. The problem they argued was that they had in reality made the transition from stone age to modernity and others were capable of doing the same-the issue was in the perception of others who automatically associated aborigines with the stone age. 4. With the process of enlightenment came the breaking apart of the white man’s burden theory, especially with visible integration and progress made by aboriginal leaders in terms of western society and the adoption of everything civilized. 5. The article underlines the hypocrisy that transcended much of the colonial mindset for the greater part of the 20th century essentially focusing on the fact that progress is not impossible to attain in the presence of willpower and government effort. 1. Lake, Marilyn, “White Australia Rules,” The Age, 15 December 2005, attempts at understanding the deep rooted nature of racism that dominates Australia, in the background of the Cronulla mob incident, by starting off with the startling statement to the tune of the fact that racial violence in urban Sydney should be of no surprise to anyone. 2. The author goes on to state that the very foundation of the Australian nation is based on the subjugation of the Aborigine in lieu of the white man’s superiority. The violence on the beach and reclaiming of territory is just a replay of history she says, albeit comparing the behavior of the mob to the lynch mobs of Latin America. 3. The author outlines much of the history that has characterized the Australian racism and its evolution in terms of its apparent abandonment with th arrival of assimilationist trends. 4. The crux of the article is based on the juxtaposition of militant nationalism vis-à-vis the concept of modern racism in as much militant nationalism breeds racism. The cynicism is subtle and the criticisms are not upfront albeit the author stands in strong support of a strong leadership that would cynosure the trend like it needs to be thereby working towards the creation of a more democratic world. 1. McGregor C, (1995). The Beach, the coast, the signifier, the feral transcendence and pumpin at Byron Bay, focuses on the author’s reflection on the meaning and signif9icance of everyday life in Australia. The argument the author sets forth is novel: “Today it is the beach rather than the bush and the beach-goer rather than the bushman that identifies typification of Australia as a country (page 52, para 1). 2. the author identifies the new Australian icon as focuses on the fact that there is a tangible danger that the other reality of the bushman would become a myth. He also focuses on the migratory trend of the modern Australian from the town to the small beach villages signifying the importance of beach as an identity in the Australian mind (pg 54 para1). 3. He in fact goes as far as to compare the modern Australian with the typical hippie at best and the aborigines so abhorred at worst given the fact that there is a trend to look wild and non conformist (pg 57, para 3). 4. The article focuses on the brash nature of the modern Australian’s language, his style of talking, his beer guzzling image and overall brash tone of appearance, reflecting on the trend of studying pop-culture in modern academia and the fact that much of the modern academicians chose to study stereotypes rather than to look for exceptions within these stereotypes. 1. Howe. A., (1995). Anzac Mythology and the feminist Challenge, explores the unfairness of modern nation building perceptions that identify nationhood with the concept of manhood, in the light of Anzac myth. 2. The article starts with a literature review of sorts that attempts to outline the various positions that have been taken on the issue outlining in essence that the literature remains largely uncritical of the digger legend profoundly arguing that most of its reinforces a belief to the tune of the fact that nationalist stereotype. 3. The Anzac day rally, she states is to be correctly used in the organization and exhibition of issues related to rape and sexual politics. The idea therefore has been to direct feminism action toward the portrayal of the universal experience of the women in war. 4. the relevance of it is the fact that given the nature of Anzac day and its use as Australia national day, incorporates a reinforcement of the superiority of the white male over the women, the aborigines and the sidelined sect in general. Read More

 

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