Meaning of Poems

Question 1

New Accents

Answer 1

New Accents explores the challenges faced by migrants when they move to a new country, particularly due to their accents and prejudiced assumptions made about their intelligence.

Question 2

Translucent Jade

Answer 2

Translucent Jade reflects on the persona’s struggle to define herself as a result of her multicultural background. She is both Australian and Chinese and feels as though she does not belong to either culture.

Question 3

Mother

Answer 3

Mother reflect on the sacrifices made by her mother to give her young family the best opportunities for success after fleeing war-torn Vietnam.

Question 4

Home

Answer 4

Home explores the complexity of having a hybrid identity and the idea that ‘home’ is not necessarily just a physical place, but rather an abstract idea that means different things to different people.

Question 5

This Is Where It Begins

Answer 5

This Is Where It Begins celebration of the power of storytelling to connect Asian-Australians to their ancestral and cultural heritage, and thus provide them with a more complete sense of self.

Question 6

Circular Breating

Answer 6

Circular Breating explores the notion
of national and cultural identity by
placing familiar Australian motifs in a
faraway and foreign setting.