The Past

Question 1

Topic sentence The ‘Past’

Answer 1

Oodgeroo Noonuccal’s protest poem “The Past” expresses her frustration and challenges the political and social position of Aboriginal people within society. After protesting for the 1967 referendum, she explores her personal and cultural identity, which allows her to look both “back and forth” upon her life experiences.

Question 2

TVAVA 1 PARA 1

Answer 2

Thus, her poem serves as a reflection on the past ANS Q (on her Aboriginal values) OR LINK TO TVAVA 1 and empowers her ANS Q while proclaiming “Is not the all of me, whose long making, Is so much of the past”. Metaphorically, Noonuccal dictates the past as an inescapable reality that shapes both the legacy of our ancestors and our present experiences. It represents the symbiotic relationship between the ANS Q and present which forms Noonuccal’s Aboriginal identity and perspective.
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Question 3

The Past BP2

Answer 3

Furthermore, the thematic symbiotic relationship is repeated through “the past is all about us and within’‘. Noonuccal’s use of a didactic statement conveys how the Indigenous sense of time, space, and identity are intertwined and mutually influential. She emphasises how the present reflects the continuation and echo of the past, through portraying memory as a living, dynamic force. Underscoring ANS Q

Question 4

TVAVA 3 The past

Answer 4

Moreover, the pervasive turmoil encompassing Aboriginals cultural landscape is portrayed through “In scenes where we belong but have now forsaken”. Noonuccal’s solemn tone conveys the Aboriginal cultural dilemma of reconciling with their identity and heritage in accordance with the demands of modern Westernised life. Ultimatly, highlighting the irony of their diminishing connection to the ‘Dreaming’ANS Q.

Question 5

TVAVA 4 The Past

Answer 5

In addition, she demonstrates how Aboriginal identity is intertwined with the past, present and nature to , “Where we are one with all old Nature’s lives”. By using personification, she conveys the Aboriginal ancestral sense of longevity and continuity through her connection to the natural world. Whilst revealing the vitality of nature in the Aboriginal perspective, suggesting ANS Q.

Question 6

The Past PARA 5

Answer 6

Ultimately her ancestral search leaves her with “The tall surrounding trees that stir in the wind” where Noonuccal employs visual imagery to depict the intrinsic connection between her unnamed ancestors and the natural world. In addition to contrasting urban life and the nature to reinforces her cultural connection to land, ANS Q