Year 12 Essay term 2 Flashcards
What are the two short stories I speak about and who made them
The Union Buries its dead and the Drovers wife. Henry Lawson
What is my whole premise of the essay
Through the Union Buries its dead and the Drovers Wife, Henry lawson expresses the need for Australians to create their own identity, separated from European culture as it is incompatible with the Australian environment and people. This is done through themes, imagery and symbolism
What are my quotes and explanations in the Union Buries its dead?
“the drops quickly evaporated” and how the funeral attendees “shoved their hats on and off uneasily” explores that even funerals, a common European event, are incompatible with Australia due to the environment and the hot weather. This use of symbolic imagery of the holy water evaporating truly expresses this incompatibility. This sets the nihilistic nature for the rest of the story. “Perhaps not one of the fourteen possessed a soul any more than the corpse did…. But that doesn’t matter” furthermore expresses again the symbolic imagery that Religion culture is meaningless in Australia as it is not relatable and does not help you survive in the Harsh Australian environment. Furthermore, when the Narrator is asked if he knew the dead man, the narrator responds, “No, but I knew he was a union man.” This strips the dead man of all identity and it ties him to the collective identity of the Union. The union is the replacement for religion in Australia as it is relatable to the common Australian. Unionism was made by Australians for Australians.
What are my quotes and explanations in the Drovers Wife?
“She is used to being left alone. She once lived like this for eighteen months.” and during this time, she would be in dangerous situations “She made bullets and fired at him through cracks in the slabs with an old shot-gun.” but pulled through despite the common European ideology of the woman’s role in the family. The use of imagery is extensive as we understand through “the cracks in the slabs with an old shotgun” that the Drovers Wife lives in a rundown house that is not safe and is not complementary to the common European culture and ideologies set for Australia. This is also expressed with the extensive themes of sexism and nature vs humans. This expresses and highlights the incompatibility between European standards/culture and the dangerous Australian environment. the Drovers Wife as she did not receive a name as well as the two daughters. Not having a name, strips these characters of personal identity and are summarised into the ideal woman according to European culture, an obedient housewife who is weak and helpless who needs men in order to feel safe.
