A Massive Role in Understanding the Essence of Considering a Group of Individuals - Assignment Example

BOOK REVIEW-MAYBE TOMORROW Student’s Name: Code + Course name Professor’s name University City, State Date Introduction At the beginning of the book, Pryor reveals a shocker. By 14 years, he lost his brother, sister, and nephew. To the Aboriginals, many families have encountered such a turnout of events. The authors Pryor and McDonald have employed a conversation approach in writing the book. Pryor uses the ancient story-telling approach to write the book. The fact that the author originate from an indigenous family could provide an explanation for the use of traditional story telling. The book covers a number of facts associated with the encounters of the Aboriginals such as the deaths in custody, rights, significant land decisions, stolen generations, and missions. The publication provides a basic explanation of the culture of the Aboriginals without venturing into fine details. The paper provides a personalized review of the book based on the different themes that are evident. One of the areas that are evident from the text is the decision of the author to provide a generalized outlook into the culture of the Aboriginals during the recent past. I would say that the author made a significant effort to unveil the perception of white settlers on the Aboriginals to the reader. For instance, the author states that the whites did not view the Aboriginals as Australians in the recent past. The author provides another glimpse of the situation by stating that the Aboriginals struggled to attain the classification as human beings as the settlers did not regard them as people. They also did not have the right to vote. The sequence of events that led to the National Referendum in 1967 resulted in many deaths but helped in elevating the status of the Aboriginals by enabling them to participate in voting exercises. From the brief history of the Aboriginals following the arrival of settlers. I think the book provides substantial research information for a reader that intends to understand the history of the Aboriginals in the recent past following the arrival of the settlers. One of the areas clearly depicted in the text is the perception of the white man towards the Aboriginals. However, the text does not provide an adequate coverage of the history of the Aboriginals in the recent past. Therefore, the use of the text alone does not provide enough information on the history of the Aboriginals and their subsequent treatment by the white man. As an Aborigine, the author considers the issue of family with utmost significance. The Aboriginal community regards family to be a crucial component of its existence. The author regards family as a potential source of strength and comfort when in need. However, it is clear that the author’s understanding is different from the understanding of the white people regarding the role of a family. In the book, Pryor revels that he forms part of a strong extended family and reiterates the importance of being part of the family by citing the support that he receives from his parents. In one statement, the author refers to himself as the vehicle and his family as the spirits that drive the vehicle. A careful consideration of the position held by the author towards a family reveals slightly different opinions in comparison to the opinions held by other individuals. One of the interesting aspects is Pryor’s teaching that the elderly are also one’s relatives as well as the teachers because they act as role models. Therefore, they are necessary for the young since they require wisdom, strength, and advice to deal with the tempting world. On the issue of family, I also learn one important thing from the author: the need to prioritize family over mere statistics or numbers. The key message that is evident is that individuals in a community should regard themselves as members of a family instead of statistics or numbers. On the issue of education, it is clear that Pryor emerges as an idealist by imagining the kind of education that all young people should receive. Even though the author’s wishes of a ‘special room’ appear exaggerated in the context of education, it is clear that the author is an individual that pursues noble or high principles. However, it is proper to regard Pryor as an impractical and visionary individual that views things from the perspective that they should be in an ideal scenario rather than looking at things in their exact form and state. From the perspective of the author towards the education system, the question that rings my mind is whether the modern society has any place for idealists like him. In one of the examples that the author gives, Pryor identifies a Year 12 student in America that had little understanding about the indigenous people of country of origin, Australia. What she was aware of were bad images about the whole issue. The student made an effort of learning the history of the indigenous Australians when she returned home. As mentioned before, the text also covers the cultural context of the Aboriginals even though the coverage is not extensive to provide fine details for a reader that intends to understand the culture of the indigenous Australians. On the aspect, Pryor and McDonald provide a good distinction between being on time and in good time. Pryor and McDonald reveal the effect that the culture of the Aboriginals has had on her life. From her interaction with the Pryor family, MacDonald developed a different understanding towards the Aboriginals and other indigenous groups. From MacDonald’s expression of feelings, she burst in tears when she visited Pryor’s family and realized the impressive culture that her people had missed. MacDonald understood that the Aboriginals exhibited a sense of belonging to their ancestral land and the unique way in which the indigenous Australians understood their land that was not visible and comprehensible to the White people.The reason why MacDonald cried was that she felt sorry for her people for not understanding culture of the Aboriginals and their specific obsession to their land. The point that is evident from MacDonald’s reaction is the need for respect as a prerequisite for understanding and acknowledging the culture of different groups of individuals. In the absence of respect, immigrants into a country or community cannot acknowledge and appreciate the culture of the local communities. In order to ascertain that Pryor considers respect as the most important thing in interacting with others, the author emphasises on the need to respect the elderly, one another, and all other things that surround you. From Pryor’s description of the culture of the Aboriginals, it is clear that the Aboriginals present a rich and diverse culture than what other people such as the whites perceived them to be. Even though there are different, indigenous groups that present different cultures among the Aboriginals, ‘respect for land and living things’ is the common understanding. As a result, Maybe Tomorrow challenges my understanding of the culture of the Aboriginals. Personally, I did not know the importance of the culture as evidenced by its common understanding of respect that guarantees the peace and security of all individuals that live in the communities. Pryor identifies the coercion emanating from the white settlers that compelled the Aboriginals to abandon their cultures. In fact, the white settlers subjected the Aboriginals to some sort of punishment when they failed to abandon their cultures. From the text, I have been able to understand that a sustainable culture is one that does not fade away over time. Therefore, the text has enabled me to have a different understanding of the culture of the Aboriginals in Australia. Rather than considering the culture of the indigenous group of Australians as non-significant, it is proper to state that the Aboriginals boast of an impressive and complex culture that values the common understanding of respect for their ancestral land and other living things. The text also reveals the need for relationships. According to Pryor and MacDonald, the objective of working together is to reach a common goal. What impresses me is the fact that the authors expect readers to work together with the objective of attaining a common ground, sharing humanity, and using the cultural lens to see into the worlds of one another. Therefore, it was not proper for the Aboriginals and white Australians to exist in the same environment without getting to see each other. Therefore, the objective of the book was to instil the sense of mutual respect into the Aboriginals and white Australians. It is clear that the book presents an opportunity for the reader to listen to the different conversations entangled into a single conversation. Therefore, learning is an essential tool in surviving in any environment since it teaches one the cultures of the local communities. Conclusion The text, Maybe Tomorrow has played a massive role in understanding the essence of considering a group of individuals within a community as a family rather than mere statistics. The text also teaches on the role that the family plays in offering support to its members and the need for establishing positive relationships by identifying the role that relationships play in creating mutual understanding, harmony, and enabling the relating parties to achieve a common goal or shared humanity. I have also learnt the need for understanding the culture of the local communities when interacting with individuals from the community. Reference Pryor, Boori and McDonald, Meme. Maybe Tomorrow. Melbourne: Penguin Books. Allen & Unwin, 2010. Print. Read More