Discovering Race
Articles
Popova, Maria (2015) in Brain Pickings [https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/11/03/only-whats-necessary-peanuts-chip-kidd/]. Charlie Brown was the first comic Strip to include a black character and comment on Black Civil Rights. This blog uses letters between the creator, Charles M. Schultz, and his audience to discuss the genesis and impact of the character, Franklin, a Black child. Focus on the persuasive language used by his fans to convince him to tackle the issue as well as the C21st evaluation of his work. This text would work especially well with Go back to where you came from.
Websites
Goldie Dahdal New Media. Long Journey. http://www.abc.net.au/longjourney/index_flash.html.This website collates the experiences of refugee children through short videos organised in four stages: homeland conflict, the journey, detention, and on reflection. Discuss the graphics, structure and layout (including symbolism of colours and barbed wire) as well as the language used by the children.The composers had a very specific audience in mind – who is it and how do the techniques represent belonging to this audience. This text is specially relevant to the study of Go back to where you come from.
Poems
Angelou, Maya "Africa" online at Afropoets [http://www.afropoets.net/mayaangelou21.html] depicts the continent of Africa as a beautiful abused woman who is now fighting back against the colonists. Simple language and imagery conveys a powerful image of the damage European clonisation has done to Africa - first by exoticising her beauty then by plundering her resources. Only now is she discovering her power. Make sure you talk about the reader's disdovery (of Africa's past; of the fact that Africa is a Eurocentric concept because it consists of 54 different countries...) as well as Africa's power to fight back against the invaders. Schmoop [http://www.shmoop.com/after-great-pain-a-formal-feeling-comes/poem-text.html] has a good analysis of this poem.
Bhatt, Sujati. "Search for a Tongue" describes the process of losing and gaining a language. As an Indian poet who has lived and travelled all over the Western world, Bhatt understands the way that language both fragments and builds identity. Focus on the literal and symbolic use of the tongue and the effect of the two languages (Gujarati, if you're interested in translating it) in one poem. It could be used with Life of Pi or Go back to Where you came from or even as part of a postcolonial anaysis of the Prospero/Caliban/Ariel relationships in The Tempest. This poem is avaiiable online at Las Cumbres College [http://pchujman.cumbresblogs.com/2013/09/16/postcolonial-poetry/]. You can read more of her poems at the poetry archive [http://www.poetryarchive.org/explore/browse-poems?f%5B0%5D=field_poet:192406] or a review of her work at Mascara Review [http://mascarareview.com/the-memory-of-the-tongue-sujata-bhatts-diasporic-verse-by-paul-sharrad/]
Denise Frohman (2013) "The Hour Dylan Roof Sat in the Church" [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtOXiNx4jgQ] uses vivid metaphors, humour and the occasional Spanish words to present her mother's defiant bilingualism. "My mother holds her accent like a shotgun... Spanish and English pushing up against each other in rapid fire... Even when her lips can barely stretch themselves around English, her accent is a stubborn compass pointing her toward home."
Litany of rhetorical questions, references,
Oliver, Stephen (2013) "I'm a blackfella" (2013 Australian Slam Poetry finals) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDvUurzFJII] uses colloquial language and direct address to persuade the audience that being a "black fella" is not the same as being a "slackfella": "Noble? Maybe. Savage? No - unless you're talking about my words and the way that they flow." Ask yourself how he highlights and deconstructs stereotypes? Pay careful attention to rhythm and rhyme and tone of voice.Look at words that are wound together by rhyme such as violence/silence and what that might mean to the author and to the audience.
Artworks
Gadsby, Hannah. (2013). Hannah Gadsby’s Oz - Episode 1 Comedian Hannah Gadsby unpacks the historical record of Australia's past through early Wuriopean and contemporary Australian artists. this diocumentary is brilliant from an Art and and English point of view because she focuses on "how" messages are created or critiqued. You could discuss the episode as a documentary or focus on a single painting. Read the review at No Award [http://no-award.net/2014/04/17/hannah-gadsby-oz-1/] and watch the copy on the TV4 Education drive.
Speeches
Denise Frohman (2013) "Accents" [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtOXiNx4jgQ] uses vivid metaphors, humour and the occasional Spanish words to present her mother's defiant bilingualism. "My mother holds her accent like a shotgun... Spanish and English pushing up against each other in rapid fire... Even when her lips can barely stretch themselves around English, her accent is a stubborn compass pointing her toward home."
Denise Frohman (2013) "800 White Man Pridgiledge" [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtOXiNx4jgQ] This 'advertisement' highlights all the ways that people of colour are discriminated against by ironic listing of the ways the hotline can supply a White Man to help: "Hello, Are you a person of colour looking to get a loan, a job, or avoid police harassment... Our rostered White Man will come to your rescue in almost any situation... " Don't forget to discuss the stinging double entendre at the end: "Note, we only accept Mastercard."
King, Martin Luther. (19). “I have a Dream”. The speech demonstrated the need for black American solidarity to discover a path to equality in the United States where King made the speech. It was so significant to the civil rights movement! King is calling black Americans to unite to achieve equal rights/belonging in their own country.
Scroll through this page to get general notes on King: http://www.e-rudite.net/speeches.htm
And this to get a deconstruction of the speech for techniques: http://www.e-rudite.net/speeches_deconstruction.htm
Oliver, Stephen (2013) "Real" (2015 NAIDOC Awards) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW3dks0Eu5Q] uses tells the story of a situation many Australian Aboriginals find themselves in - having to defend their identity to a person a White privilege. While I think there are less "techniques" to talk about in this poem than his 2013 "I'm a blackfella", it is a more polished performance and I'm sure that (unfortunately) many students will identify with the sentiment. "It's so annoying when fools come along, ... trying to prove that you're wrong. I don't understand what gives them this right to believe that they have a god-given right to tell me what I am, yet don't know my life - the arrogance just unbelievably rife". Talk about his use of storytelling techniques - tone of voice, pauses, rhythm and language choices. Mention the way he turns Smith's racism back on him and the speed with which the overt racism comes pouring out, revealing the more subtle identity-based racism he began with. Don't forget to locate the performance in the context of the NAIDOC Awards, a time to be proud of all kinds of Aboriginal identities. How might that audience respond compared to a white one at a mixed race poetry slam? Or someone on the street? Or the 'characters' in Go back to where you came from?
Truth, Sojourner. (19). “Ain’t I a woman”. One of the first feminist speeches by a American Black woman to a mostly white audience. Many of her points would have been very shocking to a White middle class audience, enabling them to discover new perspectives on their society.
Bush, George . (2001). Axis of Evil. This speech is the original response to September 11 disaster. It presents a coherent argument for going to war against terrorists, but contains all the imagery used today to create racism and fear of “foreigners”, including the implication that people in Islamic countries need Americans to bring the values of freedom, education and prosperity. Very useful if your text has an "us and them" mentality. It would work very well with Go back to where you came from but would also stand up to more complex analysis of the speech as political propaganda from a postcolonial perspective.
Songs
Sondheim, Steven. (). The advantages of floating in the middle of the Sea from Pacific Overtures. This satirical song (lyrics available here [http://www.sondheimguide.com/pacific.html] describes the Western view of Japanese culture as engaged in quiet peaceful tasks while the rest of the world carries on moving into the future. It could be read wither from a metaphorical [perspective (lie Life of Pi) or analysed in detail to discover the ways that the writer is satirizing the Western “us” and “them” attitude. This song (both lyrics and music) lends itself particularly well to a postcolonial analysis.
Sting. (). “Moon over Bourbon Street” from A Dream of Blue Turtles. [Listen to it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd-F2rpXXZc ] If you’re a fan of novels like Twilight, Fallen or Hush, you’ll enjoy this ballad about a New Orleans werewolf. While the lyrics are simple, they are very moving and carry a tone of intense regret. Discuss juxtapositions such as “sinner” and “priest”, and the paradox of “I must love what I destroy and destroy the thing I love.” Link the instrumentation (jazz trumpet) to the setting Don’t use the fans’ clips which show vampires (not a werewolf who’s monster only on nights with a full moon)! If you are using this song to discuss race, you need to compare the separation of paranormals to the separation of other people who are different - esp. racial segregation of African Americans in Louisiana’s history.
Novels
Bookriot [http://bookriot.com/2017/01/10/read-harder-2017-read-a-classic-by-an-author-of-color/] has a wonderful list of classics by Writers of Colour going back over 100 years. Many of these texts have a historical dimension, as well as depicting life from a non-White perspective.
Abdel-Fattah. Randa. Does My Head Look Big in This? Traces the experiences of a year 12 Muslim student, Amal, after she decides to wear the hijab to her local (and very Anglo) high school. There’s lots to discuss here - Amal, Simone and Layla have very different experiences Islam. Focus on cultural symbols, the colloquial and very perceptive first person narration, the way the dialogue characterises different experiences of belonging, and the use of humour to include the reader. The review at http://www.theblurb.com.au/Issue57/DMHLBIT.htm shows and Anglo reader’s response. http://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/ojs/index.php/TfC/article/view/598/559 has an interesting academic essay which analyses the novel from feminist and postcolonial perspectives. This could be useful for advanced students who want to develop a more complex argument about spiritual discovery. (see Ms Carmyn or your English teacher if you want to know more about these theories).
Ayoub, Sarah. (2013). Hate is such as strong word is a coming of age novel about a Lebanese girl living in Sydney aropund the time of the Cronulla riots. Sophie comes from a traditional Lebanese family and attends a Maronite school. When half-White-Australian Sherhadie enrolls at her school, the entire community to bound to discover their own stereeotypes and biases as racial conflict escalates. Read Sarah's comments here [http://www.theguardian.com/books/australia-books-blog/2014/nov/27/migrant-teens-deserve-their-own-young-adult-fiction?CMP=share_btn_tw]
Cornish, L. M. The Monster Blood Tattoo: Foundling. Rossamund Bookchild leaves the orphanage (where he grew up alienated by his girl’s name and small build) to become a lamplighter whose duty is to light the lamps along the Emperor's highways, and protect all travellers from monsters that live in the wild. Focus on the lavish sensory descriptions and his growing relationship with Miss Europe and slow discovery that not all monsters wear a monstrous face. Winner of young adult and fantasy awards, this text is recommended for students who want to write about the complexities of social relationships.
Higgins, Simon. Thunderfish. After her father dies, heiress Kira hides from the media on a world cruise. Along the way she encounters a brutal attack on a refugee ship, and decides to do something about it. She buys a submarine and attacks the boats that prey on vulnerable craft, and discover a renewed purpose in her new ‘job’. Focus on the structural device of celebrity newspaper clippings about Kira and her real life as a vigilante as well as the many literary allusions to “40, 000 leagues under the sea”.
Maloney, James. Gracey. After winning a scholarship to an Anglo-Australian boarding school, Grace is crushed between Aboriginal and ‘White” communities. However, when Aboriginal bones are found by her brother, Dougy, in Gracey’s hometown, she is forced to re-examine her Aboriginal identity. Think about why Grace felt the need to change her name, discuss the interweaving of Grace and Dougy’s stories, and the way the two setting frame the character’s sense of belonging. A useful summary (spoiler alert!) at http://edmundrice.wordpress.com/students/mrs-thatchers-novel-summaries/gracey/. And list of characters and themes at http://www.uqp.uq.edu.au/skins/uqp/_uploads/TeachersNotes/Gracey.pdf
Pierce, Tamora. Trickster’s Choice. Aly is taken by pirates and sold as a slave where she makes a bet with the god Kyprioth, to protect the children of the Balitang family from unknown dangers. Her adventures teach Aly enable aly to discover a whole new way of life in a country far from her family. Focus on the way the weather and settings represent Aly’s emotions and on the symbolic way her relationship with Nawat develops. Recommended for standard students (but don’t get sidetracked into telling the plot – focus on two-three important scenes).
The Spare Room by Kathryn Lomer. University of Queensland Press, 2004. ISBN-13: 9780702234774. 165 pp. This is quite short and it’s an easy read. It’s about culture shock – a young Japanese student sent to learn English in Tasmania. There is lots of humour about Australian idioms. The discovery of a new language is represented as an important part of the migrant experience:‘We talked about how natural and thoughtless a native language is, something you think about as little as the fact that your skin holds all the parts of the body together. It is like a second skin, a skin of words and phrases and meaning.’ This is a great choice for ESL students, as well as for Standard students.
Spud by John van de ruit. Penguin Books, 2008 (2005). ISBN-13: 9780141323565. 389 pp. Young adult novel. This is a novel about boys behaving badly in a posh private boarding school – set in South Africa at the time Mandela was released from gaol. This is a coming of age novel in which the main character finds himself, for the first time in his life, treating a black person with respect. This is at times very funny. This will appeal mainly to boys.
Provost, Anne. Falling. A fascinating look at how and innocent person can become a violent racist and the shocking results of not taking action against others’ evil. Pay particular attention to the way the slow discovery of “hate” is as strong as love (eg when Caitlin reveals her background, p 202 and at the protest, p214, 216). How does the first person narration and the mundane realism of the description position you to accept racism? What symbols and dialogue differentiate Caitlin, Bennoit and Lucas? How is the past gradually revealed?
• Tan, Amy. The Bonesetter’s Daughter This novel depicts the intense relationship between LuLing Young and her daughter Ruth, re-examining her mother’s past in superstition-ridden rural China and the tensions of Chinese immigrant life in America.. Focus on the way layers of secrets and ambiguity create different sorts of discoveries through the juxtaposition of rural Chinese and contemporary American life, and look for repeated symbols and metaphors. Recommended for advanced students (only because it’s long and you don’t want to get sidetracked telling the plot!)
Marchetta, Melina, Looking for Alibrandi
Plays
Beynon, Richard. (1960) The Shifting Heart (A822.3 BEY) This play develops the conflict between Anglo-Australian Pratt family and Italian Bianchi family in 1950’s Australia (ie. the era of assimilation). Focus on the symbolism of the setting and the emotive dialogue. Think about which characters the audience identifies with and why.
Cornelius, Patricia. Boy Overboard (A822 COR) This children’s play tells the story of a refugee boy whose ambition is to play soccer in a peaceful country. Pay special attention to the way the language and characterisation make a complex topic simple enough for a young audience. Recommended for New ESL students only.
French, Jackie. Hitler’s Daughter (A822 FRE) this play begins with a group of school children discussing the fate of Heidi, Hitler’s hypotheitical daughter, and takes us into WWII Berlin.It examines the impact of social fears and prejudices on an individual’s experience of belonging. Although this play is aimed at young people, the structure and staging give you lots of techniques to talk about in your essays. Further information about the Monkey Baa production can be found at http://www.monkeybaa.com.au/hitlers-daughter.html .
Guare, John Six Degrees of Separation (822 GUA) When Paul turns up to New York art dealer’s flat with a stab wound, they accept him as their son’s friend. However, as the play continues, they discover friends with the same story. This play explores the idea that all people on earth are connected by six degrees of separation – someone knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows the original person. As an ex-HSC text, it is useful for advanced students, but be aware that your markers are likely to know the play well (so don’t just watch the film). The Study guide at http://npproseminar.pbworks.com/f/Guare+Resource+Guide.pdf has useful references you could follow up through Auburn library. The theory is tested at Indya.com at http://www.slideshare.net/bharathi26/six-degrees-of-separation .
Parsons, Nick. Dead Heart (A822.3 PAR) When a man is killed on a remote Aboriginal community, Senior Constable Ray Lorkin struggles to discover the realationship between Aboriginal tradition and Australian law. Focus on the use of Aboriginal and standard English and the symbolism setting and props. You may be able to find the film version at your local video store (It is rated MA15+ due to violence – it opens with a man speared in the leg! - a sex scene).
The Secret River by Kate Grenville. The Text Publishing Company 2006 (2005). ISBN-13: 9781921145254. 336 pp. This is superb – a wonderfully readable account of William Thornhill, transported to the colony in 1806, with his wife Sal and his children. William has grown up on the meanest of London streets and has known hunger and fear, but never anything as alien as the foreign world of Sydney Cove: ‘How could air, water, dirt and rocks fashion themselves to be so outlandish?’ This is the ultimate emancipist story and a redisocvery of into the settlers’ inability to maintain the indigenous sense of belonging to the land.
Films
Caro, Niki. Whale Rider. A young Maori girl invokes the spirit of her ancestors, despite the sexism of her community to discover her true destiny as a cultural leader. Think about how she uses her cultural traditions to challenge her community and compare the ways different techniques like the soundtrack, the voice-over wide panoramic shots of the seascape and intimate point of view shots position the hero in her community. Listen to the extras to find out more about what the director intended. The review at http://filmforthesoul.blogspot.com/2009/06/year-2002-whale-rider-niki-caro.html is quite negative but shows you how to discuss techniques.Chadha, Gurinder. Bride and Prejudice. This Bollywood-style adaptation of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice uses lavish cinematography and to address the issues of interracial (Indian and Anglo) marriages. If you write about this film, you’ll need to discuss it’s transformation of the novel (a good choice if you’re doing the novel in Advanced English): see http://www.filmintuition.com/Pride_Prejudice.html and http://frame.the-frame.com/2007/08/17/from-austen-to-bollywood-adapting-tradition-in-gurinder-chadas-bride-and-prejudice/ ) as well as the actual film techniques (esp the Bollywood musical elements). A study guide can be found in the belonging folder.
Chadha, Gurinder. Bend It Like Beckham. [Ms Carmyn has a copy]. Jess belongs to an Indian family and Anglo soccer team and the clash between these groups is a catalyst for many discoveries including her true feelings for her coach (Joe), her friendship with Jules and the outing of her gay friend Tony. Everything about this film contributes to these discoveries, the costumes, settings, cinematography, dialogue and sound track. See Ms Carmyn for a study guide if you didn’t study it in class.
Clavell, James. To Sir with Love. This 1960s classic tell the story of Mark Thackeray trained as an engineer but his race means the only job he can find is an inner city high school where he inspires a disengaged class to discover their full potential. Camera angles and music are important in establishing his authority and their mutual respect. Don’t forget to find some good quotes about racism in both the teacher’s and the students’ lives. An analysis from the point of view of real-life teaching can be found at http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=94218.
Di Leo, Mario. Babylon 5. Episode 37 “And Now For a Word”.This sci-fi series approaches belonging in many different ways a various speicies of aliens try to live together on a space station. You could use almost any episode, especially those examining the relationship between Narn and Centuri cultures. Episode 37 “And Now For a Word” examines the political role of the media in creating relationships between the main characters. Look particularly at the cinematography and the way the scenes are cut together, as well as the patterns of dialogue that reveal different aspects of belong for the human and alien populations.
Little Mosque on the Prairie (coming soon). View (or order from) website here: http://www.cbc.ca/littlemosque/cast.php . This is a sitcom about Christians and Muslims living together in a Canadian country town. Check out the character and storylines on the website or check an interview with the writer (which could also be a related text) here: http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/comedy_has_to_come_from_a_good_place/ .
Piznarski, Mark. (2004). Veronica Mars 1.02 “Credit Where Credit's Due". [Ms Carmyn has a copy]. Virtually any episode of this teen detective series deals with discovery. This episode deals with racial stereotyping and class distinctions, as well as the beginning of the bond between Veronica and the school ‘bad boy’. Focus on the way mise en scene is used to differentiate the “haves” from the “have nots” and the witty dialogue that links Veronica with the heroes of the episode. For the purposes of HSC English, ignore the season arc about Veronica’s dead best friend.
Alvidsen, John G. The Power of One. A powerful portrayal of racism in apartheid South Africa, this film depicts a young boy’s attempt to change the world. Pay close attention to the way you are constructed to view the Africaans and Zulu groups, including the use of camera angles, symbolism and A useful review can be found at http://www.cinema.com/articles/799/power-of-one-the-movie-review.phtml.
Satellite Boy
Redfern now
(). Follow the Rabbitproof Fence. [].
Non fiction
– Bird, Carmel The Stolen Children: Their Stories
Coming of Age: Growing up Muslim in Australia
Pilkington, doris. (). Follow the Rabbitproof Fence. [].
Critical essays
Blue, T. (1997). “an (un)real Australian” in Collage 1997. (Belonging folder at 820.9 ) This article discusses the concept of a “true blue” Aussie and how this fits into our multicultural policies, with a fabulous twist at the end. Talk about the way the author constructs him/herself through description and first person (how does the reader’s perception of the writer’s race change? Do they discover about the author and themselves by the end of the article?) and her/his use of formal language mixed with colloquialisms as well as the structure of the text and the symbolism of the author’s name.
Ang, Ien. (1995). “I’m a feminist but…: Other women and post national feminism” in Transitions: New Australian Feminisms. [Women folder at 301] Chinese-Indonesian by birth, educated in the Netherlands, and working in Australia, Ian Ang is perfectly placed to critique the idea that feminism represents a process of self-discovery for all women. She argues that feminism represents the world of Western middle class women, leaving people of colour alienated from this discourse because “the experience of racism changes the experience of gender”(p.64). This essay is very theoretical, but they key points are underlined, so that you can appreciate the main ideas. It would be an excellent text for advanced students who are discussing feminist viewpoints or the role of “the Other” in their set text. These points are very relevant to Go back to where you came from and Motorcycle Diaries, but might also be used by students focusing on a feminist analysis of The Tempest.
Ervine, Janathon. (2008). Citizenship and Belonging in Suburban France: The music of Zebda” in ACME and international e journal for critical studies 7 (2). [View online at http://www.acme-journal.org/vol7/JEr.pdf or look in the Belonging folder in the O-drive]. This is a cultural studies essay about the way music sets and contests boundaries of identity in a racist society, enabling marginalised young people to discover themse. It’s worth getting through the academic language that lays out the political background because the song analysis on p.205-8 is fabulous. Standard students (especially those studying Motorcycle Diaries) may wish to focus on these pages while advanced students thrash out the politics (which would help explain the relationship between Prospero and his family in The Tempest).Luxner, Larry. (2005). “The Arabs of Brazil”, Saudi Aramco World, Sept/Oct 2005. Also online at http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200505/the.arabs.of.brazil.htm . this article describes the way Arabs have assimilated into the multicultural society of Brazilian cities and outlines how this can lead to improved educational and business relationships. Focus on the way the structure supports the argument and the way each example is unpacked – the choice of interviewees, juxtaposition of negative and positive stories, the comparison with Japanese migrants – as a well as vocabulary choice and register. Precisely what makes this persuasive? Is assimilation always a good thing? It would work well contrasted with the discoveries made (by participants and viewers) in Go back to where you came from.
Documentaries
Gadsby, Hannah. (2013). Hannah Gadsby’s Oz - Episode 1 Comedian Hannah Gadsby unpacks the historical record of Australia's past through early Wuriopean and contemporary Australian artists. this diocumentary is brilliant from an Art and and English point of view because she focuses on "how" messages are created or critiqued. You could discuss the episode as a documentary or focus on a single painting. Read the review at No Award [http://no-award.net/2014/04/17/hannah-gadsby-oz-1/] and watch the copy on the TV4 Education drive.