A concept I have struggled with for a while is Australian identity. To me, our identity is comparable to a false advertisement. While most of it consists of harmless stereotypes, our claim of being a “multicultural” society really gets on my nerves. That is, a country that voted Pauline Hanson and members of the ‘Xenophobe’ party into parliament, should not be marketed as multicultural. Don’t you feel like this is a lie to the world? In search for insight into this issue, I decided to delve into the world of Australian poetry, and found two poems that truly resonated with me. The poems, AUSTRALIA by Ania Walwicz and Nobody calls me a wog anymore by Komninos Zervos, both deliver confronting messages regarding the difficulties of fitting into our society as immigrants. Rather than promoting our existing “values”, these poems contribute to shaping the Australian identity by suggesting how we can improve as individuals and hence as a society. I believe these poems have something for everyone, regardless of nationality. Before continuing, if you haven’t read either of the poems, I invite you to click on hyperlinked titles in the above paragraph to read a copy now. Starting with AUSTRALIA, how did you feel when you first read the poem? Personally, I was frustrated by the poets’ complaints about Australia, my home country which I love very much. I felt as if the poem were directed at me, what with the word ‘you’ being used on seventy-six occasions. I found this insulting, considering the negative views on Australia that Walwicz offloads. The opening line of the poem is enough evidence by itself, with the words ‘You big ugly. You too empty.’ (Line 1). However, I realised that I had to look past the insulting aspects of this poem, because Walwicz must have had terrible experiences as an immigrant. I’ve never even been overseas, let alone emigrated to another country, yet I feel a deep connection with Walwicz. I believe most people have had a situation where they have been rejected from a group or community, so I’m sure you understand too. For me, I can relate to Walwicz on a much smaller scale – when I was seven, I moved to a school where I never quite felt accepted – people excluded me and teased me about my glasses. It was horrible to be laughed at and left out, especially when even the teachers couldn’t help me feel more accepted. Hence, the following lines had a major impact on me. "You always ask me where I’m from. You always ask me. You tell me I look strange. Different. You don’t adopt me. You laugh at the way I speak. You think you’re better than me. You don’t like me." (Lines 22-26). It was a melancholic experience to read this, as it reminds me of what it was like to be rejected from a community – melancholic and lonely. Similar to how attending that school was not perfect for me, Australia is not amazing for everyone. People of ‘alternative’ backgrounds faced discrimination in 1989, when AUSTRALIA was written, and it deeply saddens me that this discrimination still occurs today. We claim to be a multicultural country, but just because people from different cultures live in our country, doesn’t mean these said people feel accepted or happy here. AUSTRALIA delivers this harsh truth to us, and I don’t know about you, but it left me motivated to be more careful about my actions. In this way, AUSTRALIA emphasises how we have room for improvement in our collective Australian identity, by pointing out the flaws in our individual personas. I found that the poem Nobody calls me a wog anymore has a similar affect to AUSTRALIA, but is delivered in a different way. In Nobody calls me a wog anymore, the poet, Komninos, sugarcoats the truth. The Greek immigrant explains his story of how he had to assert himself to be referred to as an Australian rather than a ‘wog’. “it didn’t just happen i had to assert myself as an australian as an artist stand up and scream it point the finger accusingly thump my fist demandingly assert my identity." (lines 6-14). Being told that Komninos had to fight for acceptance irritates me, as this shouldn’t be necessary in a truly multicultural society. I was being rejected from a school community when I was just seven. I could barely do basic math, yet if I wanted to fit in, I would have to fight for it? Just as children shouldn’t have to fight for acceptance into a community, neither should adults such as Komninos. I find it easy to imagine myself in Komninos’ shoes. Picture it – you have just moved to a new country in search of exciting opportunities, but no one wants you to be there. People insult you, reject you and shun you until you ‘earn’ their respect. I find the idea simply infuriating, don’t you agree? I admire how friendly and polite Komninos is as he delivers his message. It stood out to me that he is being so kind, even though he has obviously been through a lot. “hey australia I like you lots since you stopped calling me ‘ 'me wog mate kevin’ and started calling me ‘the australian poet, komninos!'" (lines 62-67). The point Komninos makes is particularly valid, and I believe it can apply to everyone. I hated being called mean nicknames at the school I previously mentioned, but not too often do I think twice before I make comments myself. You may not intend for a comment to be insulting, it could just seem like a joke to you, but there is always a chance for misinterpretation. This happens to the best of us – but today I challenge you to take notice of what you are saying. In return, I too will do the same. I would like to thank these two poets for their valuable insight into how to improve ourselves and the Australian identity. We have so many issues that need to be solved in our society, rather than glossed over. I believe poetry is the perfect method to achieve this, as not only do they offer the potential to change individuals, they can create movements.
Let me know what you think in the comments below, I’ll see you soon!
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AuthorHi! I'm Chelsea, an Australian student and literature enthusiast.
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