English 413: Contemporary Australian Literature

2006-11-29T12:23:00.000-08:00

English 413: Contemporary Australian Literature

The things I found most interesting in this collection are:

The idea of superiority in relationships, be they male to male or male to female.

Pain, physical or mental, and how it shapes a personality

Escape, is it inherent in humans to desire escape at some point in their lives.

Posting for Heather Herrick

2006-11-29T11:50:00.000-08:00

Page 53, "The past is in us, and not behind us. Things are never over."
How does Winton emphasize time and the past in his stories.
How does this idea play out in the story "Damaged Goods."
Page 87, "I have fantasies about a little house...something clear and clean, somewhere I can start again from scratch...But there's no where I can really do that. Everywhere you go there'll be some link."
How does the story "The Turning" fit with the two above quotes? Does its conclusion present a different point of view about the past?

Posting for Lindsey Welker

2006-11-29T11:49:00.000-08:00

A couple discussion topics I was thinking about were gender roles and the power struggle between them, Winton's portrayal of 'country life,' and his use of imagery and the underlying issues alluded to.

Discussion points for The Turning

2006-11-29T10:51:00.000-08:00

-Broken Homes: missing fathers, runaway children, etc...
-The need for escape: is this just the vacumn of people leaving small town Australia for the larger metropolitan areas, or is this a deeper rooted need?
-Water, baby: Winton's stories all occur in these small fishing communities, so obviously fishing is rooted in the culture. We also see, though, water coming into play as a means of solace, comfort, and escape.
-Loyalty: as seen in friendship and love, for better or worse.

Location in the Turning

2006-11-29T10:30:00.000-08:00

Tim Winton's constant use of the same narrow locations for his collection of short stories seems to be of importance, as there are only a few locations that are explored in depth; ie: Angelus, White Point etc. How does this effect character development, plot development and how does it tie the stories together? Also the placement of the stories in time seems to play as important a role as does physical location, does this effect character development and how we are to perceive them/ how we do perceive them?

The Turning Discussion

2006-11-29T09:45:00.000-08:00

so much to do so little time.

a few things about the Turning:

the fasination which the female body
male female relationships
the need or want to escape the past
dreams of a future not fulfilled

English 413: Contemporary Australian Literature

2006-11-29T08:58:00.000-08:00

Discussion Topics - The Turning

-Could the points of self- discovery and loss in the characters mark the stage of maturity or metamorphosis into manhood/adulthood?

-Mother/son relationship with the absence of a father

-Is the degree of egotism, or selfishness in the main characters rational or irrational, and to what extent does it affect the people around them?

-How is the idea of love portrayed in the first half of these short stories?

Discussion Topics- The Turning

2006-11-29T08:23:00.000-08:00

Winton's use of random, often times bizarre encounters, to establish relationships and connections in his characters.
The physical and emotional process of escaping from and returning to one's own past.
The idea that the past is never behind us but rather in us. (pg. 53)
Winton's use of music as a way of coping (Fox playing the one drone note, the church music heard in the Larwood house pg. 116).

Discussion topics & Interesting Themes

2006-11-29T07:18:00.000-08:00

Especially in Winton, Identity seems to come up often, and can prove very fruitful in discussion.
Addiction
'Progression' relative to expansion of suburban life, and the affect that has on all parts of Australian culuture.

Discussion Questions

2006-11-29T06:23:00.000-08:00

-How does the organization contribute to the book
-Why the title The Turning
-Relationships: male-female, small town, failed
-How does this compare to Dirt Music

Discussion Topics | Kim Stroud

2006-11-29T00:04:00.000-08:00

Discussion Topics for The Turning

-Vastness/Emptiness
-Search for Identity
-Small Town Relationships
-Relationships between men and women
-Power of Addiction
-Recovery
-Unsatisfied Life

Class Discussion Topics

2006-11-28T21:01:00.000-08:00

-The transition from child to adult
-Failed relationships
-Why is the book titled The Turning? Does the title story give enough insight to this?
-Returning to the past
-Addiction, both chemical and physical
-Escaping the past
-Looking to the future

Class Discussion Topics

2006-11-28T20:13:00.000-08:00

1. How does "Aquifer" relate with the other stories?
2. Are these characters typical middle class Australians?
3. Why do the characters seem to want/need to escape?
4. Do White Pointe and Angelus have something to escape from - these names are frequently used.
5. Are characters trying to escape the land itself?
6. At this point do we know why the book is called The Turning?

English 413: Contemporary Australian Literature

2006-11-28T20:09:00.000-08:00

1. How does "Aquifer" relate with the other stories?
2. Are these characters typical middle class Australians?
3. Why do the characters seem to want/need to escape?
4. Do White Pointe and Angelus have something to escape from - they are typically used in Winton's stories?
5. Are characters trying to escape the land itself?
6. Do we know why the book is called The Turning at this point?

Turning topics|Mercado

2006-11-28T20:06:00.000-08:00

1. "lighting out for the territory" as a form of self discovery
2. turning points in life
3. winesburg, australia
4. alcoholism
5. who's story is this?

Discussion for Class

2006-11-28T20:02:00.000-08:00

1. "Aquifer" doesn't seem like the other stories, how does it relate in this book?
2. At this point do we know why the book is entitled The Turning?
3. Do all the characters so far seem to be the typical middle class in Australia?
4. Why does Winton use White Pointe and Angelus so often for the names of the towns?
5. Why the sense of wanting/needing to escape?

English 413: Contemporary Australian Literature

2006-11-28T19:53:00.000-08:00

English 413: Contemporary Australian Literature _Chelsi Grant
Topics I think would be interesting:
- The fascination with the female body
-Young males in many of these stories, how they are similar/ different and what they add to the stories.
- Obsession, with people, places, ideas, material possessions
- Social class, power or lack there of

Monk's Wintonian Topics

2006-11-28T10:33:00.000-08:00

Ok...its 29 degrees outside...my home to campus bike ride has filled my hair (what's left of it) with static cling but I'm coffee-ed up and armed with a fussilade of topics:

1) Breast Worship: a compulsive young male hero adventure (24, 32, 33, 48, 76, 78, 85, 125, 128, 138)

2) What men want from women and what women want from men (88, 146, 152, 155)

3) The limitations of mateship (5, 6, 11)

4) The uni and the city as the evil "turn coat" empire (4-5)

5) "If it doesn't hurt, it's not important" (26)

6) Going on the bum or getting the f--- outta here as a path to self investigation and individuation (1-15, 71, 75, 127, 130)

7) Short memory is the Australian's best friend (68)

8) Significance of remembering what the weight, smell and touch of another adult body is or feels like (74)

9) "Return of the whales" as a metaphor of communal / social / familial health (78, 92, 115)

10) The rich are always on top and the poor can't fight back (101-12)

11) The ephemeral reigns of troubled, individuated, solitary matriarchs...Agnes, the fish spear goddess (101-12, 130, 131, 140, 157, 160)

Charmian Clift Interesting Links

2006-11-15T19:24:00.000-08:00

Literary Encyclopedia Biography

Susan Johnson Interview

Martin Johnston

Some photos of Clift

Amazon links to Suzanne Chick's memoir

Nadia Wheatley's The Life and Myth of Charmian Clift (mentioned by Johnson)

George Johnston's Autobiography, Clean Straw for Nothing

Prevalent Themes in Australian Literature

2006-11-08T16:58:00.000-08:00

Identity
Landscape
Urban and bucolic literature
Mateship
Feminism
Aboriginality and multiculturalism
Entrapment/Escape
Ineffective father figures
External and internal worlds (landscapes)
History
Small town as microcosm of world
Nature (weather, beach, sea)
Geographical Location/Isolation
Vastness/Emptiness

**For next week: Add to this list by bringing to class your own list. Be prepared to discuss/defend your choices. Also, I should be able to respond to your responses by Sunday--one thing to consider for next week's response: Where might you go that you haven't been before? (That's not a Cancun or Paris question, but an intellectual consideration.)

MLA: One more time!

2006-10-05T13:22:00.000-07:00

Always introduce the author/title along with a brief plot synopsis

Titles of longer works (novels) are italicized; Shorter works are in quotation marks

Incorporate signal phrases with appropriate signal verbs:

Parenthetical citation follows the sentence, regardless of where "the quote" appears in the text (91).

Please note that only page numbers are used and that the punctuation follows the parentheses.

If a long quote is used (4 lines or longer), please use long quotation format: indent 2 tabs, no quotation marks, period precedes par. citation. (91)

Double space everything

Times New Roman, Helvetica, Garamond, Courier fonts 12 pt.

Finally, spell check, please

Partners for Next Week

2006-10-05T12:33:00.000-07:00

Game Plan:

1. Tuesday evening by 10 pm: E-mail your partner your response
& CC me jilltalbot1@boisestate.edu

2. For class on Wednesday: Revise your response after reading partner's response

Ryan Smith: jedisansmi@aol.com
Clark VanVooren: carloray@hotmail.com

Shane Muir: muir.shane@gmail.com
Daniel Mercado: danielmercado@mail.boisestate.edu

Monk: monksricebowl@yahoo.com
Don Farr: farr.don@gmail.com

Heather Herrick: hkherrick@yahoo.com
Lindsey Welker: lwelker@albertson.edu

Shaun Whitney: euphoricwisdom@yahoo.com
Jamie Hillman-Leathers: jamiehillman@mail.boisestate.edu

Aimee Vogt: tigerlily_alv@yahoo.com
Heather Coberly: heathercoberly@mail.boisestate.edu

Angelie Hobson: angelie_1414@yahoo.com
Stephanie Young: vicious1251@hotmail.com

Amy Meiser: silversand1975@yahoo.com
Kim Stroud: kimstroud@mail.boisestate.edu

Malinda Cantrell: malindakcantrell@yahoo.com
Jesse Bynum: clearmidnight@gmail.com

Chelsi Grant: chelsigrant@msn.com
Crystal Young: bruja_cly@yahoo.com

Carey's Voice in "True History"--Smith

2006-10-04T13:16:00.000-07:00

The short article i found discusses the language used in the novel The True History of the Kelly Gang and whether or not the author's voice is predominantly heard throughout the novel as opposed to the novel being a "true" telling of history in Ned Kelly's own voice.

Taylor, D.J. "A Ventriloquists Tale." New Statesman 130 (2001): 42. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Tom Burns & Jeffery W. Hunter. Vol. 183. Detroit: Gale, 2002. 41-42.

The Morning News with Peter Carey

2006-10-03T22:21:00.000-07:00

This interview talks about Carey's writing, private schooling and boredom. I found this interview given by Birnbaum on The Morning News. Enjoy :)
http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/personalities/birnbaum_v_peter_carey.php

Jamie

Interviews with Carey

2006-10-03T18:44:00.000-07:00

I wanted to find something personal in the Kelly Gang. Something that related specifically to Carey's life. I found two interviews with Carey. One can be found at powells.com and the other was recorded in Good Morning News. It is interesting because Carey discusses exactly what we discussed in class last week; that Australia is not familiar with success. Its familiarity lies in failure.

Ned Kelly Died for our Sins

2006-10-03T18:40:00.001-07:00

Ned Kelly Died for our Sins
Deborah Bird Rose
Oceania
Vol. 65, No. 2, pp. 175-86, December 1994

Ned Kelly and Jesus, equal salvific identities in Aboriginal mythology. Ned Kelly as moral, creative, redemptive messiah, a champion of the dispossessed and land orphans. Ned is the moral European, healing the interstice or chasm between colonizer and colonized. Ned dies for our sins; and Ned is killed by Captain Cook the embodiment of immorality in Aboriginal mythology. This is archetype city!

Good Reading! Honor bright!

Steven the monk

English 413: Contemporary Australian Literature

2006-10-03T18:40:00.000-07:00

English 413: Contemporary Australian Literature

Robin Hood of the Outback

2006-10-03T18:14:00.000-07:00

Robin Hood of the Outback
By ANTHONY QUINN
TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG By Peter Carey. 352 pp. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. $25.
PETER CAREY, digging away at the past, is one of fiction's great treasure hunters. His best work combines Victorian grandeur and Australian earthiness, from the tall tales of a 139-year-old con man in ''Illywhacker'' through the tragicomedy of gamblers and glass churches in ''Oscar and Lucinda'' to the Dickensian sweep of London high and low life in ''Jack Maggs.'' These books are notable for a deft manipulation of mood, swaying between the fantastical and the realistic, the grotesque and the matter-of-fact, the serious and the playful, a medley that seems of a piece with Carey's satirical yet forgiving overview. They are also, despite their period settings, intellectually modern novels; reading them, one never loses the sense of a late-20th-century affability and insight beneath the 19th-century furnishings.
Carey's latest book is bolder and more challenging than anything he has attempted before. ''True History of the Kelly Gang'' isn't merely a historical novel; it's a fully imagined act of historical impersonation. It purports to be the confession of the outlaw Ned Kelly, whose name in his native Australia carries the sort of thrilling resonances that his contemporary Jesse James enjoys in the United States. (James and Kelly died within two years of each other.) Practically the only thing non-Australians know about Kelly is that he went about his business with his head encased in an iron helmet. (And perhaps a few others recall that Tony Richardson directed Mick Jagger in an unremarkable biopic of the outlaw in 1970.) Carey's novel is a thoroughly researched portrait, but it's also a corrective to the popular conception -- even among some Australians -- of Kelly as a thug, thief and murderer. The Ned Kelly of this account is nothing less than a folk hero and freedom fighter, a defiant exemplar of Irish-Australian cussedness in the face of colonial oppression.
The form and style of the novel could hardly be more striking. Couched as a rough-hewn apologia drawn from 13 parcels of dogeared papers Kelly has written while on the run, ''True History'' is dedicated to the infant daughter he has yet to see and, he promises, contains ''no single lie may I burn in Hell if I speak false.'' He hopes that he will live ''to see you read these words to witness your astonishment and see your dark eyes widen and your jaw drop when you finally comprehend the injustice we poor Irish suffered in this present age.''
One's own eyes widen a little as this strange narrative unfolds in a prose that seems initially to be as untidy and agrammatical as subway graffiti. As we adjust to the raggedly punctuated flow, however, Kelly's voice develops into an expansive and malleable instrument, bristling with shafts of wit and poetic grace notes. And because this story is intended for the innocent eyes of his daughter, its prose maintains an odd, disarming chasteness even in moments of stress, as when Ned's mother rails against her harsh treatment at the hands of the authorities: ''She used many rough expressions I will not write them here. . . . She would blow their adjectival brains out.'' (''Adjectival'' is Ned's delicate substitute for something more explicit, and thus perhaps the most frequently used word in the whole book.)
Carey presents the territory of northeast Victoria in the 1860's and 70's as scourged by outrageous poverty and harshness. Ned, born of immigrant Irish stock, grows up adoring his fiery-tempered mother, Ellen, whose life is a continual war of provocation with her feckless husband and the ''traps'' (police constables) who persecute her kinfolk. Ned's early years are haunted by dreadful suspicions about his convict father's shadowy past in Ireland, centering upon the discovery of a dress whose significance is only explained some 250 pages later. ''I lost my own father from a secret he might as well been snatched by a roiling river fallen from a ravine I lost him from my heart so long I cannot even now properly make the place for him that he deserves.'' There is something of Dickens in the pathos of Ned's school days. Mocked behind his back for being barefoot and rated by his own schoolmaster as ''a notch beneath the cattle,'' as were all ''micks,'' he is nevertheless desperate to be appointed the class ink monitor. Indeed, Dickens might have created Ned himself, such is the heroic force of his character: he is resourceful, sensitive, loyal and brave, never more so than when he rescues a schoolmate from drowning. The father of the boy presents him with a ''peacock green'' sash in gratitude: ''The Protestants of Avenel had seen the goodness in an Irish boy it were a mighty moment in my early life.''
Ned's courage and nobility of spirit become the rocks on which this story is founded, a circumstance that occasionally prompts the reader to wonder if Carey, in trying to redress received opinion, has to some degree idealized his subject. While Ned himself never protests as much, his life for the most part seems entirely blameless. Apprenticed under duress to the bush ranger Harry Power, he is virtually kidnapped into a life of crime: ''The boy never knew he were being taught the path of his life.'' Having escaped, he receives a less than heartfelt welcome from his mother, who, it turns out, has sold him into Power's service. He is then made a scapegoat among his own kin on the false charge of betraying Power.
In and out of prison for most of his teenage years, Ned turns to horse stealing and, later, bank robbing, but only because his family has been continually hounded and traduced by the authorities. Be it a perfidious constable or a vindictive magistrate, the whole force of colonial rule seems to have conspired against the Kelly clan. Carey wants us to feel that Ned becomes who he is on compulsion, that he is driven to live outside the law by the malign servants of a corrupt system. Our sympathy is put to its ultimate test when a police task force is dispatched to kill Ned, his brother Dan and their two friends -- to wit, the Kelly gang -- and instead finds itself caught in a bloody ambush at Stringybark Creek, a ''day of horror,'' as Ned describes it, by the end of which ''my skin were sour with death.''
Again, Carey weights Ned's words with such remorse that one feels a kind of saintliness is being bestowed upon him: we have seen him as devoted son, loyal friend, passionate husband, proud Irishman -- now, he's a tender killer. Once he turns Robin Hood and raises a rebel band of farmers (''The British Empire had supplied me with no shortage of candidates these was men who had had their leases denied for no other crime than being our friends . . . men with sons in gaol men who witnessed their hard won land taken up by squatters''), it becomes impossible for us not to saddle up and ride with him to his terminus as tragic martyr.
And we do so very willingly. Whatever one's (slight) misgivings about its status as a ''true history,'' the book's power as a narrative is nearly overwhelming. The twang of Ned's untutored but vibrant prose would be hypnotic in itself, yet Carey adapts it to a series of set pieces -- Ned's rescue of the drowning boy, a boxing match, his first meeting with the woman who will become his wife, the ambush, even the small drama of felling a tree -- that are as gripping as any you could wish to read. His control of dialogue is similarly impressive, whether it be droll or deadpan or just plain laconic. Nor is it simply that Carey has immersed himself in the texture and language of late-19th-century rural Australia. More than this, he has transformed sepia legend into brilliant, even violent, color, and turned a distant myth into warm flesh and blood. Packed with incident, alive with comedy and pathos, ''True History of the Kelly Gang'' contains pretty much everything you could ask of a novel. It is an adjectival wonder.
Anthony Quinn is film critic for The Independent in London.

Link:http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0DE1DF1F38F934A35752C0A9679C8B63&sec=&pagewanted=print

Attitudes towards Irish Immigration | Angelie Hobson

2006-10-03T15:01:00.000-07:00

This is an article that talks about the Irish Immagrant in Australian during the time. It is written by Kerry Edwards. The link is below. http://members.optushome.com.au/gke/Clan/Rally2002/Attitudes.html

Robin Hood of the Outback | Shane Muir

2006-10-03T14:46:00.000-07:00

Quinn, Anthony. "Robin Hood of the Outback." The New York Times on the Web. 7 Jan. 2001. 3 Oct. 2006. http://www.nytimes.com/books/01/01/07/reviews/010107.07quinnt.html?_r=2&oref=slogin

You will need to become a member to access the article

A Wild Criminal in a Wilder Australia | Kim Stroud

2006-10-02T23:09:00.000-07:00

Lee Brien, Donna. "Immediately Engaging: 'True History of the Kelly Gang' by Peter Carey."
The Online Journal for Creative Writing. 30 Oct. 2001. University of Queensland Press,
2000. 2 Oct. 2006. <http://www.dotlit.qut.edu.au/reviews/kelly.html>.

Maslin, Janet. "BOOKS OF THE TIMES; A Wild Criminal in a Wilder Australia." The New York Times. 4 Jan. 2001. 2 Oct. 2006. <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9401EED6103BF937A35752C0A9679C8B63&sec=&pagewanted=1>.

Taming or Blaming Ned Kelly | Amy M.

2006-10-02T20:18:00.000-07:00

http://www.hyperhistory.org/index.php?option=displaypage&Itemid=275&op=page

Postcolonial/Postmodern: Australian Literature and Peter Carey

2006-10-02T15:40:00.000-07:00

Kane, Paul. "Postcolonial/Postmodern: Australian Literature and Peter Carey" World Literature Today. Vol. 67, Issue 3, June 1, 1993. pg 519-521.

Carey Link|Kelly Gissel

2006-10-01T16:12:00.000-07:00

I found two links for Peter Carey, both are about his other works, specifically Oscar and Lucinda.

Re-Mythologizing an Australian Legend: Peter Carey's True History of the Kelly Gang

2006-09-27T13:36:00.000-07:00

Gaile, Andreas, "Re-Mythologizing an Australian Legend: Peter Carey's True History of the Kelly Gang"
Antipodes: A North American Journal of Australian Literature vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 37-39, June 2001

Cultural Memory in Postcolonial Fiction: The Uses and Abuses of Ned Kelly|Mercado

2006-09-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

Huggan, Graham. "Cultural Memory in Postcolonial Fiction: The Uses and Abuses of Ned Kelly." Australian Literary Studies, 2002, vol 20, issue 3, p142.

Robin Hood of the Outback

2006-09-22T18:03:00.000-07:00

By Anthony Quinn
New York Times
January 7, 2001

Interesting Article on An Imaginary LIfe

2006-09-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

If you're interested in the ideas of language in Malouf's novel, check out this article. Unfortunately, there is no author info, but it does come from what appears to be a course in "Creating Realities."

Lacan

2006-09-14T08:43:00.000-07:00

Hello, everyone. As I mentioned last night in class, I am posting a link here to an overview of Jacques Lacan and his theories on the stages of development. For those of you in Critical Theory, Dr. Mary Klages (the author of this summary) is from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where I studied, and she offers many other overviews of theories/theorists that might be useful to you during the course of the semester. For everyone, Lacanian theory is one of the central theories of postmodernism.

Sample Response

2006-09-08T09:40:00.000-07:00

Shaun Whitney
English 413
Chatwin The Songlines

Progress, Bruce Chatwin states, is a middle-English word which means journey. The Songlines depicts a journey of the Australian aboriginal plagued by western influence in the fight to reclaim their sacred land and culture. The influx of western thought has had it reverberations into the aboriginal society through new methods of hunting to the partial adoption of a monetary system based on currency. The rightful mediators of Australia have, from my understanding of The Songlines, been pushed past the brink of recovery from the western power and the struggle to keep a hold on ancient systems of identity and belief are slowly losing ground.
In the text there are a few aspects of the original culture of the aboriginals that is nearing extinction. That is to say that not everything will be lost, the members of different tribes that inhabit Australia hold the songlines very sacredly locked in there minds and amongst themselves taking extra precaution not the allow outsiders the knowledge of their creation and totemic ancestry. The aspects of their culture that are on the verge of becoming extinct are that of hunting and the inability to live without the reliance on the prevailing monetary system of current Australia.
The text quotes a description of how a native man of Australia hunts a Kangaroo with “graceful movements, cautious advance, the air of quietude and repose," but the contemporary hunt is much more savage and reckless (207). The younger men of the tribe armed with a rifle and a Land Cruiser, bear down on a Kangaroo with reckless abandon, “We watched the car slam into the Kangaroo a second time… Nero took a couple of swinging shots but missed… Donkey-donk then headed off and hit her a third time, with an awful thud, and this time she didn’t budge” (211). These tactics, varying drastically from there ancestors, shows the cruelty of the western influence and its wasteful practices, “Old one, he shrugged. Not good for eat. What are you going to do with her? Leave, he said. Cut off the tail, maybe” (212). The hunting practices employed by western machinery cuts the natives off from their ancient culture. The reliance upon an alien monetary system is another way the natives have been taken from their original culture.
Although the reliance on an economic system that is not their own is not the fault of the native Australian, but rather that of the settlers who wished to control every aspect of the continent. This rather shows the brute force in which the European people tried to eliminate the aboriginal population, which is no wonder why there is such hostility on either side of the proverbial coin. This reliance is shown in the scene of the two girls signing onto the welfare system because the hardships placed on them were too much to bear. It is not enough to have someone’s pride diminished by needing to ask for help from the people you abhor, but the defamation of their identity by swearing to a God that is not their own is heartbreaking. The other example in the text that shows how deep the knife of economy has cut into the native culture is the dispute between the Pintupi and the Amadeus Mob over land rights and its sale to mining companies. The backdoor dealings of the tribe against its neighbor for monetary gain tears at the social and cultural fabric of their society, “but what he found so shocking was the idea that, from now on, Aboriginals themselves were going to twist their own law in order to line their pockets”(158).

MLA and Responses | Dr. Talbot

2006-09-07T14:13:00.000-07:00

Now that you all have written two responses, I'd like to encourage you all to limit your responses to one idea/theme/motif/argument, which will allow you to clearly and critically analyze, rather than skim over significant ideas or claims that you might make about the text. Also, such focus will help you be more prepared for discussion in class if you have identified one element of the text and considered it fully.

As for MLA/literary anlayses, a few reminders (I've also placed a link below for a good site):

Always introduce the author/title along with a brief plot synopsis
Titles of longer works are italicized
Incorporate signal phrases with appropriate signal verbs:
According to Chatwin,
Grenville writes,
Shute warns,
"Quote here," explains Lilian (98).

[Effective writing offers a variety of signal phrase choice and verb choice.]

Parenthetical citation follows the sentence, regardless of where "the quote" appears in the text (91). Please note that only page numbers are used and that the punctuation follows the parentheses.
If a long quote is used (4 lines or longer), please use long quotation format: indent 2 tabs, no quotation marks, period precedes par. citation. (91)
Double space
Times New Roman, Helvetica, Garamond, Courier fonts 12 pt.

Australian Slang | Dr. Talbot

2006-08-29T14:27:00.000-07:00

I just found this site on Australian slang, which I thought might help you in reading.

Australian Education | Kelly Gissel

2006-08-26T18:09:00.000-07:00

Schooling in Australia starts with a preparatory year followed by 12 years of primary and secondary school. The exact length of secondary schooling varies from state to state, with high schools in New South Wales and Victoria serving years 7-12, and Western Ausralia, Queensland, Northern Territory and South Austrlia serving years 8-12. In 2007 Northern Territory is introducing a Middle School system for years 7-9 and high school will be years 10-12. It is compulsory to attend school until the age of fifteen in all states and territories except for South Australia and Tasmania, where attendance is compulsory until age 16.
In the final year of secondary school, Year 12, you can study for a government-endorsed certificate that is recognized for further study by all Australian universities and vocational and technical education institutions. This Senior Secondary Certificate of Education is also recognized for entry into many international universities.
Australia has a national curriculum framework to ensure high academic standards across the country. All schools provide subjects in the “eight Key Learning Areas: English, Mathematics, Studies of Society and the Environment, Science, Arts, Languages Other Than English, Technology and Personal Development, Health and Physical Education.” At secondary level, choice and diversity are increased as schools are able to offer a wide range of subjects.
Many students use senior secondary study to gain university entry qualifications. With an Australian school system delivering vocational training that is both practical and career-orientated, students can seek employment knowing that their skills are those demanded by employers.
The school year is divided into four terms and runs from late January/early February until December. There is a short holiday between terms and a long summer holiday in December and January.
Students attend school from Monday to Friday each week. School hours vary slightly across Australia but are generally from 9.00 am to 3.30 pm each school day.
Australia's school curriculum caters for a wide range of student skills and interests. Drama, music, art, debating and public speaking skills, along with team and individual sports activities, are all enhanced through interschool collaboration and competition. Schools also arrange for private tuition and provide elite programs designed for talented international students. Purpose-built learning centers and sports facilities offer the ideal environment for the academic and personal development of international students. This wide variety of artistic and sporting pursuits can help students develop organizational and leadership skills, also their independence and confidence.
Certification in Australia differs from state to state; however as a general rule all teachers must possess a tertiary certification - either a Bachelor of Education (BEd), Bachelor of Teaching (BTeach) or a graduate program after an appropriate Bachelor such as the Diploma of Education (DipEd) or Master of Teaching (MTeach) - awarded by an Australian certified University or an equivalent award from overseas plus experience in the classroom. Many states now have Teacher Registration Boards or are soon to institute them. These organizations are charged with certifying potential teacher's qualification and ensure constant Professional Development.

Phar Lap | Jesse Bynum

2006-08-26T11:40:00.000-07:00

Phar Lap was a gentle giant, record-breaking athlete and a hero to his country during the Great Depression. He placed in forty-two of his fifty-one races (thirty-seven of which were first place wins) across two continents and in two and a half short years; overcoming acclimatization issues, injuries and even an assassination attempt (SAWH). Phar Lap was also a horse-one of the greatest Australian race-horses of all time, considered second only to the legendary Carbine.
Born on October 4^th, 1926, sired by Night Raid and foaled out of Entreaty, Phar Lap’s pedigree was promising. The five generations of racing running through his veins caught the attention of Harry Telford, an avid student of pedigree charts and expert in thoroughbred bloodlines (SAWH). Although he himself was poor, he managed to convince an American businessman, David J. Davis, to buy the horse if he would train it. And so, for one-hundred sixty guineas, seven-hundred sixty-one dollars in America at that time, Phar Lap was sold and sent to begin his training with Telford.

When Phar Lap stepped off the trailer, he didn’t exactly look like “champion” material. He was gangly, awkward and had warts all over his face. Davis was furious, but Telford was determined and confident that he could make a winner out of even this over-large, ugly colt (SAWH). Although he started slow, coming in last for his first race and not placing in the following three, his career began to slowly but surely pick up.

The Maiden Juvenile Handicap was his first win, though by no means a great accomplishment. The term “maiden” is used in racing only when none of the horses entered have ever won a race.

Phar Lap may not have looked like much and his career may have started slowly, but once he got going he never stopped. After the Maiden Juvenile, he won or placed in his next three races, one of which was the AJC Derby-the most important race of the year for three year olds. He had a habit of starting in the very back and working his way up often literally moving from last place to first by the time he crossed the finish line (SAWH).

Most of the public adored him, giving him nicknames like “The Red Terror,” “Big Red,” “The Wonder Horse,” and “Big Fellow” (BHDU). However, Phar Lap was also making enemies. At a time when the Depression had affected the entire world, many gamblers were upset with his streak of unpredicted wins. There was even an attempt on his life the morning of the 1930 Melbourne Cup-someone shot at him from a passing car, but missed and he went on to win.
His most prominent claim to fame is his journey to North America. Telford and Davis decided after such success in Australia it was time to move on to higher stakes so they entered him in the Agua Caliente Handicap in Tijuana, Mexico, for a fifty thousand dollar purse (the highest stakes in racing at that time). In spite of carrying one-hundred twenty-nine pounds (more than any of the other horses entered), a hoof injury which forced him to wear heavy, protective shoes, racing on a dirt track for the first time and adjusting to the hot, Mexico weather, Phar Lap won by two lengths and set a new track record (SAWH).

The possibilities were limitless and everyone in Australia was watching his career and wondering just how far the ugly underdog would go, when his life was abruptly cut short. In a mysterious turn of events, while he was resting up in San Francisco from the Agua Caliente, he suddenly became ill and died within hours. To this day it is suspected, but unproven that he was poisoned by a disgruntled gambler. He was a big horse, with a big heart who helped a continent forget it’s troubles in the Great Depression and proved himself worthy of the biggest names in racing. Phar Lap was unforgettable, but the true tragedy is never knowing just how far he might have gone.

Works Cited

“Phar Lap—the Story of Australia’s Wonder Horse.” Museum Victoria. 25, Aug. 2006
Website: http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/pharlap/index.asp

“Phar Lap, the Big Horse from Down Under.” ERNI: Equine Rescue Network. 25, Aug.
2006 Website: http://www.equinenet.org/heroes/phar.html

Bali Bombings 2002-Crystal Young

2006-08-25T21:53:00.000-07:00

Just South of China and North of Australia sits a string of small islands known to the world as Indonesia. One of these islands, known to be the most popular tourist destination and considered the safest resort area in South East Asia is the island of Bali. Bali has had a well-regarded reputation for its sandy beaches, clear blue waters, and peaceful living. It had been a popular tourist resort for many years to thousands of people around the world. Folks would flock to the beaches and resorts for relaxation, fun, and to just get away from worry and woe. This serene image came crashing down around the community and resort area of Kuta Beach in Bali, Indonesia on October 12, 2002 when the Sari Club, a popular tourist area, was bombed.

A bomb, carried by a single individual, was hidden in a backpack then detonated in the heavily trodden area wounding several people. Fifteen seconds later, a second, more powerful car bomb was detonated killing dozens of people, mostly Australian tourists and Indonesian residents, in and around the Sari Club. The explosion was so vast and thunderous; it could be heard in the small town of Sanur, 25 minutes away. In all, the explosion killed 202 people and injured 209; citizens from 21 countries were killed in the bomb attacks. It is considered the deadliest act of terrorism in Indonesian history. The Bali bombings have also been called “Australia’s September 11,” due to the large number of its own citizens killed in the attack.

The car bomb was initially thought to be a C4 plastic explosive, however, further investigation proved the main portion of the bomb was made up of ammonium nitrate. Ammonium nitrate is a fertilizing agent readily found in Indonesia, making for an easy component to access for the attackers.

The immediate suspects held to be responsible for the bombings was Jemaah Islamiyah, an Islamic group led by Abu Bakar Bashir, who has been linked to the al-Queda network. Bashir was charged with treason for the Bali attacks, but in September of that same year, he was acquitted of those charges and convicted of lesser charges; he was sentenced to four years. However, in March of 2003, Bashir was found not guilty of the bomb attacks but only conspiracy and was then sentenced to two years. Both Australian and U.S. governments have expressed their disappointment in the outcome. Bashir was freed June 14, 2006, having served less than 26 months of his original sentence.

The Bali bomb attacks came as an enormous shock to the Australian public, especially since they are unaccustomed to these kinds of violent attacks. Public awareness has dramatically changed since the tragedy, exposing a vulnerability that will no longer be taken for granted. Today, Bali and Australia hold ceremonies to remember the bombing victims and the memorials of 202 people, 88 of them Australian, are held at the newly built site in Bali. Several more memorials are held in Australia, where there is no doubt, the pain and loss can still be felt by the families and friends of lost loved ones.

Oz. The Magazine

2006-08-25T21:33:00.000-07:00

Oz. Disruption in Curious Places
When I first set out to do this assignment, I thought that I might be able to find some pretty interesting stuff on tattoos and the history of them with in Australia. The group that I was supposed to do this research on was subculture/underground Australia. I “googled” tattooing and didn’t come up with much. Then I typed in underground movements and saw a link for something that looked interesting. Something about an underground press.
Looking closer at it, I discovered that the underground press originated in Australia. Sydney. It ran for 6 issues beginning on April Fools Day, 1963. The magazine “gave pioneering coverage to contentious issues such as censorship, homosexuality, abortion, police brutality, the Australian government's racist White Australia Policy and Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War, as well as regularly satirizing public figures, up to and including Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies”.
What I find most interesting is that Australia gained its independence only in 1901 yet it was up to pace with the rest of the world as far as political aspirations, and moral responsibility go. Richard Neville and the rest of the publishing group launched their first issue as more of a satire. In fact they printed it on the Sydney Morning Herald’s own press. The issue gave account of the Sydney Harbor Bridge collapsing, causing a real wave around the community. The crew of Oz were out to be heard, and heard they were. During the run of their first six issues, two issues (1 & 6) landed the Oz crew, Richard Neville, Richard Walsh, and Martin Sharp, in court on obscenity charges. “..by the time Issue No.3 arrived it was obviously becoming visually very psychedelic. Australian artist Martin Sharp had started experimenting with LSD and the stunning cover of Issue No.3 is testament to his new found influences featuring a joint smoking Mona Lisa and some very suggestive looking bananas!!” After the staff of Oz Magazine were acquitted, most of them moved to London and began another branch of Oz Magazine in which, with the end of the sixties and the beginning of the seventies, their focus became much more drug induced. Richard Walsh returned to Australia though, and continued his work on Sydney Oz. What I appreciate about the work of the Oz staff is that they were protesting the same issues that Americans were protesting. They were fighting the same battles, just not on the same land (with the exception of Vietnam). How can a country that is so new to independence, be so ready just sixty years after its gain of freedom, to take on such crucial subject. Dr. Talbot mentioned in class the other day that Australia’s history has been much like American history. To me, and maybe it’s where I’ve been educated or the way I’ve been educated, I don’t really no, but Australia has always been this quiet country, get away really, that I always wanted to have in Risk. I’ve not been introduced to much history or literature from Australia but I look forward to the opportunity to learn more and understand more about such an unheard country and society.

Work Cited
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oz_%28magazine%29
2. http://www.pooterland.com/index2/literature/oz/oz.html

Diggers and the Eureka Stockade

2006-08-25T21:22:00.000-07:00

There is a defining moment in the lives of most nations, an event that generations afterwards debate, define themselves by, see as the embodiment of their ideals. For France, it is the Bastille. For the United States, it is the American Revolution For Australia, it is the diggers' rebellion at the Eureka Stockade. The story of miners being oppressed by the imperial British government and their subsequent demand for more rights and greater democratic freedoms has gained mythical status in the psyche of Australians. It is an event distinctly Austrian, an important moment in a struggle for greater freedom down under

Like at the storming of the Bastille, little blood was actually shed at the Eureka Stockade, and compared to other battles and revolutions in history, the diggers' rebellion seems minor. However, the public's reaction to the uprising and the changes brought about in Australian politics make the event significant.

In 1851, gold was discovered in the Australian colony of Victoria. Thousands of miners flocked to the area, until by 1854, twenty-five thousand men were occupying the fields of Ballarat. The miners were called diggers, signifying their lowly status. The colonial government earned its money by charging the miners for licenses to dig a claim. Miners had to pay a steep monthly fee to maintain the license, whether or not they had found gold on their claim. Government officials conducted regular searches of miners to make sure they were maintaining their license, and those without a license were arrested. When the governor of Victoria ordered the search for licenses to increase to twice a week, the miners rebelled.

Thousands of diggers formed the Ballarat Reform League. Their demands included manhood suffrage, voting by secret ballot, abolition of digger licenses, abolition of property requirements for members of parliament, and payment of members of parliament.

When the league's demands were refused, many of the miners swore to resist the government by force.
The diggers created their own flag, swore allegiance to it, began military training exercises, and built a stockade of overturned carts. In the middle of the night on December 3, British forces attacked the stockade at Eureka. The untrained miners were thoroughly beaten; twenty-two diggers were left dead, twelve wounded.

Though the diggers were beaten in the battle at the stockade, they won the battle of public opinion. Most thought that the government had overreacted at the Eureka Stockade. Miners charged with sedition after the rebellion were acquitted, and most of the program of the Ballarat Reform League was eventually carried out.

Over the years, the rebellion of the diggers at the Eureka Stockade has come to signify much more than a battle over expensive miner's licenses. Current political movements see the stockade as symbolizing either a rallying point for rebellion and democracy, or a threat to the order of the constitutional monarchy. It is an event that gives Australians a national identity, as the Revolutionary War does for Americans. Australian poet Henry Lawson testifies to the enduring mythos of Eureka in his poem “Australia's Forgotten Flag”:

Oh! the prayer the diggers said,
With the Southern Cross o'verhead!
It is whispered by the dead -
In the graveyard by Eureka whispered still --
Whispered still,
Murmured still,
By the shades that haunt Eureka murmured still.

...

We're divided – we are curst,By the paltriest and worst,Parties striving to be first.But the shots from far Eureka echo yet,Echo yet, –Echo yet.And they rattle round my window in the wet.Flag and banner of my dreams!The time is not as it seems,And the tide of freedom streamsWith the spirit of the people over all.We shall raise the bright flag yet,Ne'er to falter or forget,And 'twill go through many battles ne'er to fall

Contemporary Aboriginal Culture| Shaun Whitney

2006-08-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

The Aboriginal population of Australia has, for thousands of years, enjoyed a rich thriving culture of music, art, and society. Prior to the colonization of the continent by English settlers there was a very diverse population of native people living on the land speaking nearly 250 distinct languages. The colonization of the land by foreign people has drastically changed the landscape of the continent, not only in the production of urban areas, but also in the economic and political landscapes for many years to come.

The native populations of Australia have, like many other native populations of other countries, been systematically marginalized due to the invasive powers of the occupying forces. Their culture was nearly destroyed and much of their languages wiped out, but one of the most crippling blows to the native culture was the seizure of their land by the English. The entire Aboriginal culture and religion was based on the land, a quote by Mick Dodson, the Aboriginal justice commissioner, shows the extent to which land played an integral role in their society. “Culture is the land, the land and spirituality of aboriginal people, our cultural beliefs or reason for existence is the land.” What is referred to as Dreaming in English is the religious belief held by the aboriginal culture. The images that are present in Dreaming are responsible for the creation of the land and its distinct features. The Dreaming also explains the natural order of the universe and the role of the culture within the framework. It is on the basis of tradition that the contemporary culture of the aboriginal population places much of its power and dedication.

The embracing of their traditional culture, in a climate of western post-colonization is what makes the contemporary Aboriginal society unique and innovative. The native population was not recognized legally as citizens in Australia until 1967. Since then parliament has began realizing the abuse they have caused the Aboriginal culture and tried to compensate them for their losses, but in any case of the loss culture and identity legislation cannot mend all wounds. This has meant that the remaining Aboriginal society has adopted their traditional culture and heritage to find an identity. This is seen most readily in the art and music of the culture.

Art in many ways acts as a window into the sentiments and feelings of a culture. This is also true for the Aboriginal population. Although the art reflects historical modes and mediums in its production the content provides a much more diverse way of thinking in terms of social commentary and political views. The use of art for political means developed in response to the urgency to become recognized as more then second-class citizens and the power to practice their own cultural beliefs. Like visual art contemporary music also tends to have a political tinge. Singer songwriter Jimmy Little has said, “the very fact that an Aboriginal performer gets on stage and sings is a political act,” this is, in part, due to the large already established music scene and the belief that aboriginal music was not marketable. Traditional music is still widely performed by artists, but much of the contemporary music scene is traditionally based, but with a modern juxtaposition of non-traditional instruments and western influence. The contemporary aboriginal culture of art and music enjoys roots in traditional culture while dynamically changing to once again find an identity that is unique.

Australian View of Iraq War | Ryan S.

2006-08-25T20:26:00.000-07:00

I think that first of all i should point out that I don't support the war in Iraq, I sympathize with many of teh countries who carry negative feelings for the war in Iraq as well as our political leaders. Having said that I was suprised to discover that many of the citizens of Australia are deeply upset by teh current war in Iraq and protest heavily Australia's involvment.
In 2002 one of the largest protests since the Vietnam war took place near a military intelligence facility near Adelaide. The protest was to show the citizens opposition to the United States impending war in Iraq, Defence Minister Robert Hall however pledged support to the United States.
During this peaceful march church leaders in Australia used this time to voice their own opposition to U.S. foreign policies adn accused Australian leaders of blindly following Washingtons lead. I was surprised to find that the reasons the protesters gave for opposing the war in Iraq were just the same as protesters in the United States, slogans such as "No war for oil" commonly were used as well as a belief that the only reason the United States opted to go to war was the desire for oil.
As recently as 2006 several polls have shown that 50% of Australians believe that their involvement with the war in Iraq makes them more of a terrorist target than they had been prior to the war in Iraq. In 2005 50% said they backed the war in Iraq, one year later that number has declined to 43%. In 2006 a large majority (66%) of the populace have said that the war in Iraq is not worthwhile.
From this information it's safe to say that the Australians look very unfavorably upon the war in Iraq, most especially their own involvement.

Phar Lap (Phar Lap and Tommy) | Steven WellsMonk

2006-08-25T20:14:00.000-07:00

Phar Lap and Tommy: a most untypical friendship

Born in 1927, Phar Lap, an unsightly, cheap, New-Zealand, Depression era horse with no pedigree or perceivable prospects, became a race horse legend in Australia by winning 37 of his 51 races and placing second or third in five others (Phar Lap, BHDU). Known affectionately as “The Red Terror,” “The Australian Wonder Horse,” and “Big Red,” Phar Lap is remembered not only as a heroic “dark horse,” a diversionary hero just in time for depression era Australia, but also for the mysterious manner in which he died (Phar Lap, BHDU). Purchased on a whim and relentlessly trained by a “nobody,” Australian trainer named Harry Telford, Phar Lap (the name means “lightning” in Thai) lost his first races (Phar Lap—SAWH). But Telford’s “sixth sense” about Phar Lap’s yet untapped abilities remained indomitable. Telford continued to rigorously train Phar Lap. Phar Lap, entered in several prestigious races as a “long shot,” began to win; these wins created heavy losses for elite Australian gambling officianatos, and seemingly sparked murderous hatred for Telford’s prodigy. Phar Lap, during his rise to Australian fame, was actually shot at by a mysterious gunman. After ascending to the equine pinnacle in Australia, Phar Lap, with the hearts of Australia vicariously traveling alongside him, was transported to America where he ran and won (and all Australia with him) the Agua Caliente Handicap (Phar Lap, BHDU). Following the race by radio, all Australia cheered their equine cult hero on and in their hearts and minds, won the race with him. At a time when Australia needed a reason to feel élan, self confidence and significance, Phar Lap delivered the win. Before he could run another race, he became mysterious ill, weakened and died in the arms of his groom (Phar Lap—SAWH).
As intriguing and evocative as Phar Lap’s big-hearted success was (is) to the Australian national psyche, the relationship the horse had with its groom is equally alluring. As Phar Lap began to win, Tommy Woodcock, a lover of horses, came to work with Phar Lap full-time. A prototypical “Horse-Whisperer” before the invention of this well-known, compound nomenclature, Tom bonded with Phar Lap. The groom would sleep outside Phar Lap’s stable (Phar Lap—SAWH). The two became inseparable. After Phar Lap’s 1930 wins in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide, it was Tom who was walking Phar Lap back to his stable when a car zoomed round the corner and a shot was fired at and missed the despised, champion horse (Phar Lap—SAWH).
Tommy Woodcock, known as a “strapper,” (a strapper performs equine duties such as stall cleaning and the “strapping on” of saddles) was originally apprenticed as a jockey at age twelve (Phar Lap—SAWH). As Tom grew, and grew and grew, it became apparent his stature would prevent him from becoming a jockey. Tom made a necessary career shift to caring for horses, coming to partner with Phar Lap. (Given the manner in which Tom expressed this rather ascetic, hermitic role with Phar Lap, it seems more like a spiritual calling than a vocation.)
When Phar Lap was shipped to America in pursuit of bigger wins, Tom Woodcock was at his side; he was known as Phar Lap’s “security blanket” (Phar Lap—SAWH). Despite the fact the ship’s deck was fitted with extravagant amenities that only a horse could appreciate, a sandpit was fitted on the ship’s deck for the horse to roll in, Phar Lap would become agitated with Woodcock left his side to eat below (Phar Lap—SAWH). Weeks before the Agua Caliente Handicap, when Phar Lap strode on a rock and injured his hoof, Woodcock had a special shoe made to protect the wound (Phar Lap—SAWH).
When Phar Lap won the Agua Caliente, his victory not only unified Australia in exuberant celebration, it also galvanized the identity of the country as internationally significant and a global contender. After the race, Phar Lap was transported to San Fransisco for rest and relaxation. On Tuesday, April 5th, 1932, Woodcock found Phar Lap in distress (Phar Lap—SAWH). Tom could not help Phar Lap to calm down. The five year old Phar Lap later died in Woodcock’s helpless arms (Phar Lap—SAWH). It is suspected, though not proven, Phar Lap was poisoned by a disgruntled gambler (Phar Lap—SAWH).
When one views pictures of Tom and Phar Lap side by side, it is easy to appreciate and empathize with the profound emotional travail Tom must have experienced when Phar Lap mysteriously died. It is reported Tom was heartbroken by the horse’s death. He later died in 1985.
Given his “rags to riches” ascent and untypical heroic fame during the Great Depression era, Phar Lap became engrained in the Australian national psyche as a symbol of how unwavering aplomb, perseverance and self reliance can lead to the realization of dreams. He is remembered to this day as a uniquely Australian champion and determined cult hero. He became a hero when Australian needed one the most.

Works Cited

“Phar Lap—the Story of Australia’s Wonder Horse.” Museum Victoria. 25, Aug. 2006
Website: http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/pharlap/index.asp

“Phar Lap, the Big Horse from Down Under.” ERNI: Equine Rescue Network. 25, Aug.
2006 Website: http://www.equinenet.org/heroes/phar.html

The Australia-United States Relationship

2006-08-25T19:57:00.000-07:00

My original topic was "How does/do Australians/Australia view Americans/United States?"
I however changed it to focus on the relationship between the United States and Australia, as I found it more interesting.

Australia and the United States have a strong relationship dating back to World War I, when Australians and Americans fought together, and was strengthened in 1951 with the creation of the ANZUS Treaty. The ANZUS treaty ensures that Australia and the United States will work together to address common threats to both countries. What many may be surprised to know is that Australia is one of the oldest and closest allies of the United States, which is interesting since many Americans I have spoke with in the past few days were clueless to this fact. This may cause some to question what the Australians gain from a relationship with the United States. This strong relationship with the United States also elevates Australia’s standing within the Asia-Pacific area, and provides them with U.S. Intelligence, weapons, and military support if necessary. It is easier for Australians to obtain work visas and live within the United States, and Australians are also encouraged to study in the United States through the Fulbright program. The Fulbright Program offers students the opportunity to study in the United States for approximately six to nine months. One of the great benefits is the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement, making the United States, Australia’s most important partner economically.

Perhaps one of the reasons the relationship between the United States and Australia has lasted through the decades is the fact that both countries are democracies, and are the only democracies whose existence has been continuous. These two countries even share the same language, of course with a few words changed here and there, and have approximately the same land mass. In fact, Australia even used the Constitution of the United States as a reference when writing its own constitution. Australia and the United States share several of the same values, for instance freedom of speech, religion, world trade, and world security. These common values help us to understand how much Americans have in common with the people of Australia.

As with all allies, there are always differences, and these relationships do not simply maintain themselves. If the United States were to force Australia to act in a way it felt was not in its best interest, this relationship could potentially sour. For instance, if the United States asked Australia to change its relationship with China, the potential for the relationship between Australia and the United States to deteriorate would greatly increase. Of course, both parties would work together to prevent this, but the strong ties could potentially break if the United States tried to force its power upon Australia.

Overall the relationship between these two countries seems to be positive and beneficial for both parties. Although these countries are similar, they still maintain their own identities, and differences. In general Australians seem to view the United States in a positive light, and consider us friends and allies. Perhaps in return, the United States should work to bring to light the relationship between these two countries, so the Americans are able to appreciate this friendship as well.

Helpful Websites:
www.foreignminister.gov.au.speeches/2002
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0QZY/is_216/ai_n15947846/pg_2
www.dfat.gov.au/geo/us/index.html
www.dfat.gov.au/geo/us_brief.html

Australian Universities|Angelie Hobson

2006-08-25T18:37:00.000-07:00

When I started looking at the university system in Australia, I quickly learned that there is a difference between Colleges and Universities.
Because the colleges in Australia are set up as more of a vocational school, most cannot award degrees. They are however publicly funded and usually have affiliations with the Universities that can offer degrees. The University system in Australia is more organized then that of the United States. Most of the main universities fall into four main groupings. They group the schools based upon their objectives so that they can all work together to better education.
The first group is consists of eight universities that are considered to be the leading universities of Australia. The group is cleverly named Group of 8 that consists of University of Adelaide, Australian National University, University of Melborn, Monash University, University of New South Wales, University of Queensland, University of Sydney, and University of Western Australia.
The next group is the Australian Technology Network that consists of five universities; Curtis University of Technology, University of South Australia, RMIT University, University of Technology Sydney, Queensland University of Technology. These schools use technology for practical application as their objective. These universities offer their classes online similar to the online degrees that we have through schools here in the states.
The Innovative Research University Australia main priority is research and scientific applications for the research. These schools include; Flinders University, Griffith University, La Trove University, Maquaru University, Murdoch University, University of Newcastle.
The last group of the main universities is the New Generation Universities. These are schools that have been accredited since 1970. These schools operate more around community, business, and government. Due to their focus most of these schools have ties to a Church. These schools include Australian Catholic University, Central Queen University, Edith Cowan University, Southern Cross University, Victoria University, University of Ballarat, University of Canberra, University of Southern Queensland, University of Sunshine Coast, and University of Western Sydney.
The system they have set up in Australia seems to work really well due to the fact that so many schools are working together for one major goal. They are able to share their resources and are not forces to miss out on research due to funding. I think that this system could create power movements in education just because two head are better than one. This idea is completely different from the Universities in the United States that are constantly competing for funding and awards for new idea. I think that if we could get some sort of sister-system like Australia’s set up here in the United State learning and development could be truly amazing.

Australian Film DIrectors|Stephanie Young

2006-08-25T15:11:00.000-07:00

A movie are judged by the general public in two ways: how well it does at the box office (which is a measure of the marketing system as well as the audience’s acceptance of it) and how well it does at awards shows (which tells us what the critics think). By American standards there are many Australian film directors that have done well by both measures of success. In researching this topic, though, I wanted to mention not only the names that we would recognize, but also the Australian film directors that have done well in their own country. There are a large number of Australian film directors, so the following is a list of the most notable:
· Ken G. Hall is considered one of the most influential directors in Australia. He is most notable for including depictions of Australian workers in his films which were intended for an Australian audience. He has also done T.V. and documentary work. In 1976 he was awarded a lifetime achievement award from the Australian Film Institute (AFI).
· George Miller is most known for writing and directing the Mad Max movies (starring Mel Gibson). He started his career as a doctor, and moved into filmmaking on his off time with experimental films. He is still working and has an animated film due to be released in November 2006.
· Ivan Sen draws on his background as the child of an aboriginal mother and an unknown father. He is relatively new to the filmmaking game, but has won numerous awards at the Sundance Film Festival and through the AFI,
· Russell Mulcahy is well known for his Highlander films. He also directed a number of music videos from the eighties that we know and love, as well as some mainstream American movies and television series.
· Peter Weir is the director of the Australian classic Gallipoli, which was based on actual events. He has done a number of short films and documentaries, as well as some blockbusters by US standards like The Truman Show and Dead Poets Society.
What is most notable about the directors from down under is their choice of subject matter. For the most part (although not all do this) the directors choose not to follow the traditional Hollywood route, and instead focus on subjects with a personal meaning or on something that is special to the hearts of Australians. There is a sense that the filmmakers want to discover what their national identity is and how it was gained, rather than churning out fodder for the masses.

Here are some websites I found helpful:
http://www.zeroland.co.nz/australian_film.html is a list of links related to Australian film.
http://www.afi.org.au/ is the Australian Film Institutes home page.
http://www.imdb.com is a general movie database.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Australian_film_directors was a starting point (although not a good end point) for me with a list of some Australian directors.

Diggers and the Eureka Stockade

2006-08-25T08:57:00.000-07:00

Australian Actors| Aimee

2006-08-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

Many well-known actors and actresses come from Australia, including Mel Gibson, Nicole Kidman and my favorite actor Hugh Jackman (gotta love wolverine) to name a few.
Mel Gibson, who has had a lot of media attention since he drunkenly insulted the Jewish people during a DUI arrest last month, is not only a well-known actor but also a director. He directed The Passion of Christ, which some critics view as anti-sematic and cruel which is actually how things were in the days in which Jesus would have lived.
Gibson was born in Peekskill, New York, but soon his family moved to New South Wales, Australia, which had been his mothers’ home. He attended the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA). His first movie roles were in 1979 in Mad Max and Tim. In 1981 he stared in Gallipoli. He made his American debut in 1984 with the Bounty. In 1995 Gibson directed Braveheart, in which he took the role of William Wallace (his most famous role for which he won two Oscars). Gibson Married Robyn Moore in 1980 and together they have seven children.

Nicole Kidman like Gibson was not born in Australia, but in Honolulu, Hawaii. From there her family moved first to Washington DC and after three years they finally moved to Sydney, Australia, her parents native land. Kidman began performing ballet at a young age and later took up the art of mime and acting, which became her passion. Kidman dropped out of high school so she could pursue acting exclusively. In 1983, at the age of 16, Kidman made her film debut in the Australian holiday film Bush Christmas. She made her American debut in 1989 with Dead Calm. In 1990 she stared with Tom Cruise (whom she married later that same year) in Days of Thunder. In 1991, She appeared in another Australian film called Flirting. In an effort to spice up her image Kidman stared in Batman Forever with Val kilmer in 1995. Kidman has also stared in The Portrait of a Lady (1996), Eyes Wide Shut (1999) and Bewitched (2005). Kidman and Tom Cruise divorced in 2001 and she married another well-known Australian, musician Keith Urban in June of this year.

Hugh Jackman was born in Sydney, Australia. Both his parents were English and he was the youngest of five children. He attended the University of Technology Sydney where he studied journalism. After his graduation he pursued acting, attending the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Immediately after he completed his study of the performing arts Jackman was offered a starring role in a TV Drama called "Correlli" in which he co-stared with his future wife Deborra-Lee Furness. On the Australian stage, Jackman stared as Gaston in the musical Beauty and the Beast, and as Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard. In 1998 he was cast as Curly in the Royal National Theatre's production of Trevor Nunn's Oklahoma. In 2000, he won the part of Logan/Wolverine in the movie X-Men. Jackman likes to play the piano and guitar in his spare time. Jackman recently appeared on the late show as a special guest host.

The Legend of Ben Hall | Chelsi

2006-08-24T20:45:00.000-07:00

Ben Hall was born at Wallis Plains, Maitland, New South Wales, in 1837. His parents were transported to Australia as convicts. This would explain his sympathetic attitudes towards outcasts. He grew up in Australia and worked an honest job for a man named John Walsh. He married Bridget Walsh, John Walsh's daughter, and started a ranch at Sandy Creek in the Wheogo Ranges near Forbes. Hall had been a hard working man all his life, but associated with thieves and criminals. What happened next in his life remains shrouded in mystery, but circumstances and chance caused Ben Hall to turn from a successful grazer to an infamous bushranger. He was arrested in April 1862 for highway robbery but was found not guilty and released due to lack of evidence. Associating with criminals can do harm for one’s reputation and can often times put one in the hot seat. When he returned home from the ordeal all his livestock had died of thirst and starvation and his wife had run off. He was soon involved with Frank Gardiner and his gang. Hall had left his honest life behind and had a new full time career as a thief and gang member. One instance in his period of bush ranging, Hall and his gang bailed up Robinson's Hotel in Canowindra and held all the people of the town captive for three days. The prisoners were not mistreated, and were provided with entertainment. The local policeman was subjected to some humiliation by being locked in his own cell. When the prisoners were set free the gang insisted on paying the hotelier and giving the townspeople “expenses”. The goal of this ordeal was to make their gang look honorable and humane and poke fun of the police. Hall’s famous antics came to an end when a party of police caught up with him alone one day in 1865. The police were armed and not gun shy. Hall tried to escape and did not return their fire. The police pumped some thirty bullets into his body. He was 28 years old. Though He was an outlaw and wanted by the police, hall is remembered as a skillful bushman, chivalrous to women, no robber of the poor, averse to killing, happily defiant of the police, the wealthy and all colonial authority.

The Art of Ned Kelly|Daniel Mercado

2006-08-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

Ned Kelly is perhaps the most popular folk-hero in Australia. And perhaps nobody else draws such extreme reactions from the modern public. Some view him simply as a thief and a killer. In 2000, journalist Frank Devine even compared Kelly to Pol Pot. Others view him as a national hero who defied English authority, Australia's son, and a symbol of national pride. Regardless of how one feels about the man, the legend of Ned Kelly has seeped into the collective conscience of the Australian people. He is now a larger than life figure who can be found on t-shirts, coffee mugs, postage stamps, and especially in art.

Ned Kelly was born in Beveridge, Victoria in either 1854 or 1855 to Irish immigrants in Australia. He spent his teenage years performing bushwork, which appears to be the equivalent of ranching or cattle herding. At the time, the wealthy Enlgish authority owned and controlled most of the land. Small parcels of poor soil land were sold at inflated prices to lower class immigrants. This practice guaranteed that immigrants and poor Australians would remain that way. It also probably led a young Ned Kelly into the practice of cattle and horse theft.

The legend of Ned Kelly was essentially born in 1878 during a shoot out in which Kelly killed three law officers. Later that same year, Kelly and his gang pulled off one of the largest bank heists in Australian history, making off with wealthy landowners' money. A manhunt ensued for Ned and the Kelly Gang. The colonial government granted law officers emergency powers which allowed them search and seizure rights without a warrant. As the law officers continued their hunt for Kelly, public sympathy for the outlaw and his gang grew. An outlaw for two years, Ned Kelly was finally captured and executed by hanging at the age of 25.

If art is a reflection of society, then Ned Kelly and his legend is a huge influence on the Australian people. The story of the Iron Outlaw can be found in paintings, literature, sculpture, music, film, and even comic books. There is something in Ned Kelly that the Australian people see in themselves. Perhaps it is the independent spirit embodied by Kelly. Professor Manning Clark writes in his A History of Australia, "Ned Kelly became a legend during his own life and a contributor to the mythology of the bush-- the bush as a cradle of mateship, equality, the emphasis on the masculine virtue of strength, and the belief that the bush life was the cradle of much that was different from other lands, the cradle of the Australian, the cradle of the yearning for the life of the fearless, the free, and the bold." As the majority of Australians have come to embrace Ned Kelly as a hero, artists have tried to reflect this in art, film, and fiction.

Approximately a dozen films have been made about Ned Kelly. In fact, The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906) is generally considered to be the world's first feature length film with a 70 minute running time. More recent films of Kelly's life have starred Mick Jagger (1970), Yahoo Serious (a 1993 parody of the outlaw), and Heath Ledger (2003). The 1970 version caused an outrage in Australia, not only because it starred an Englishman as Kelly, but also because it was filmed in New South Wales, where Kelly never lived. The 2003 version was hailed for its all-star cast of Australian actors (Ledger, Orlando Bloom, Naomi Watts), but was criticized for being too "Hollywood".

In another medium, the story of Ned Kelly was depicted in a series of paintings by the artist Sidney Nolan. Nolan is one of the most celebrated Australian artists. The paintings have a simplistic look, but Nolan's use of bold colors bring the landscapes to life.

Finally, Ned Kelly comes to life in Peter Carey's novel True History of the Kelly Gang. The novel was awarded the Booker Prize in 2001 and is described by Michael Fitzgerald of Time as, "...a forgiving portrait that plays down some of Kelly's uglier traits." But for a man who has become embraced by an entire nation as it's hero, could one expect anything less.

There are many websites that will prove helpful in one's research of Ned Kelly:
www.ironoutlaw.com is one-stop shopping for everything Ned Kelly.
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/worldview/story/0,,1096370,,00.html has an interesting article about the hero/criminal debate.
www.pictureaustralia.org/nolan is a link to Sidney Nolan's wonderful painting of Ned Kelly.

Don Bradman | Jody Braun

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Sir Donald George Bradman is a world renown professional Australian cricket player of the 1920's to 1940's. He was born august 21, 1908 and died February 5, 2001 at the age of 92.
He was Born in the state of New South Wales in the county of Cootumundra and moved to the county of Bowral at the age of two where he grew up and attended school.
No other Australian sports figure has risen to the fame and prestige of "the Don."He played professional or First Class cricket for 21 years (from 1928-1948) and accomplished everything possible a cricket player can. Five of those years he did not play at all due to a continual problem with severe muscle spasms. His remarkable statistics still hold several records and are still revered by today's standards. Bradman came home a legend after only his first season at the young age of 21. He was the Captain of his South Australian Sheffield Shield team, was a state selector, a test selector, and was the Australian Team captain for almost a full decade including the 1948 team known as the "Invincibles." They won every match on an eight month tour of England. On Bradmans last match more than 94,000 people showed up to watch and pay respect.
After Bradman retired in 1948 he was still a huge celebrity. In 1949 he was officially knighted and remains the only cricket player to ever do so. In 1988 the Australian Confederation of Sport voted him greatest male athlete of the past 200 years.
In 1960 Bradman became the first ever former Test player to be elected chairman of the Australian Board of Control. He continued to serve cricket as a selector and a member of the Board, including as chairman, for two terms. On June 16, 1979 he was selected as a Companion of the Order of Australia.
Other prestigious awards Bradman received are;
Sportsman of the Century;
Captain of the Greatest Team of the Century (1948 Australian cricket team);
Wisden Cricketer of the Century;
Captain of the Australian Cricket Team of the Century;
nominated in the top ten world sports figures of the century by the World Confederation of Sport; and
elected in the top 100 world figures of the twentieth century - one of only two Australians to be included.
On April 30, 1932 Bradman Married his childhood sweetheart Jessie Menzies which he described as the greatest partnership of his life. They had one child, and kept thier family extremely private.

Major Australian Cities

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Australia is the sixth largest country in the world with a total area of over 2,967,909 square miles. Yet, its population is 53rd overall with a total of 20,555,300 people inhabiting the country. The large majority of Australia's population resides along the eastern and southeastern coasts, leaving no major city within the interior of the country. In fact, looking at a map http://www.sweetmarias.com/map.australia.jpg shows the interior void of any urban developments except for a few small pockets.

The largest city in Australia is Sydney on the country's southeast coast. Established in 1788 and founded by Arthur Phillip, Sydney was the first European colony in the country. Originally established as a convict settlement by the British government, the colony grew rapidly during the early 1800's and the influx of British immigrants brought periods of rapid urban development. In 1851, the first of several gold rushes brought a new type of focus on the port town, bringing travelers from all over the world. By the beginning of the 20th century, industrialization brought with it rapid urban development and Sydney's population topped the one million mark. A town built by immigrants, Sydney is now home to immigrant groups from all over the world including Italians, Greeks, Jews, Lebanese, South Africans, South Asians, Sudanese, Turks, Croatians, Serbs, South Americans, Eastern Europeans, East Asians, and more.

Melbourne is Australia's second largest metropolis with a population of 3.7 million. Located on the southern tip of the continent, Melbourne was founded in 1835 by settlers coming from Tasmania. The settlement quickly became Australia's leading manufacturing center, home to the majority of the country's corporations. This continues into present day with Australia's three largest corporations (Telstra, BHP, and the National Australia Bank) locating their headquarters there. Melbourne was long considered to be Australia's most prized city, but it began to lose its supremacy to Sydney in the 1970's. In recent years, Melbourne has experienced an urban and cultural revival. Its population and employment levels continue to grow. It is seen as an international hub for education, sporting one of the highest numbers of international students in its universities after London, New York, and Paris. Melbourne is also considered to be the sports capital of Australia housing the majority of the teams in the Australian Football League, playing host to the Australian open tennis tournament, along with many other events.

Perth is the fourth largest city overall, located along the coast of Western Australia. Perth has a population of nearly 1.5 million and comprises almost 75% of Western Australia's entire population. The European settlement of Perth was founded in 1829 by Captain James Stirling. More than any other major European settlement in Australia, conflicts between the native Noongar tribes, who had inhabited the land for more than 40,000 years, and the new settlers were violent and continued to be hostile for much of Perth's early existence. Today, Perth boasts a diverse population with immigrants from all over Europe and Asia, yet it has the highest proportion of British born residents than any other Australian city. Perth is home to four public universities and one private one. Like Melbourne, Perth is also a town passionate about sports, but the focus is more on outdoor sports than in Melbourne. The music scene in Perth has blossomed over the last several decades, enticing some music critics to call Perth "the new Seattle" of music.

Canberra is the capital city of Australia and is located inland in the Australian Capital Territory. Canberra has a population of 323,645 and became the capital of the country in 1908 as a compromise between Melbourne and Sydney. Canberra is the site of Australia's Parliament House, the High Court of Australia, and numerous government departments and agencies.

Major Australian Universities | Amy Meiser

2006-08-24T10:44:00.000-07:00

The Australian Education Network (aen) is found at www.australian-universities.com. Australia offers a total of 41 major universities. Based on a 2005 survey by Melbourne Institute, the universities were ranked by international standing of staff, graduate programs, undergrad intake, undergrad programs, resources and the views of Deans and CEOs.

Australian National University was established and accredited in 1946 and University of Melbourne was established and accredited in 1853. Both ranked the highest of all the other universities with a score of 100. University of Sydney (1850) was second with 93 and University of Queensland (1909) was third at 87. All four of these universities are among the Group of Eight (www.go8.com). The Group of Eight (go8) markets itself as the group of 'Australia's Leading Universities'. They support this claim by referring to statistics relating to variables such as research outputs, industry links, graduate outcomes, and the competency of their academic staff. There are four major groups of universities in Australia.

When paying for college, the fees vary greatly depending on status. If one is seeking an English degree at Australian National University (ANU), the cost is as follows:

Commonwealth $490/class
Domestic Fee Paying Student $1650/class
International $2250/class

Each class is worth six progress units (credits) in Australia. It is also important to note that the dollar amounts listed above are in Australian dollars. One US dollar is worth $1.31 in Australia.

A commonwealth supported student is an Australian citizen, New Zealand citizen or a permanent resident. The commonwealth contributes to the cost of tuition and the student pays a contribution. The student can qualify for HECS which helps pay the student portion, too. If the student applies for help loans, he/she does not begin paying on the loans until after schooling is complete and the income level is just under $37000 Australian dollars.

ANU offers undergrad through doctoral degrees. Currently, the “National Priorities” in Australia are education and nursing. Students seeking degrees in these areas are given a discount on their tuition.

This university is known as the most research-intensive university in Australia and has a high rate of staff to students with 14000 students and 3600 staff members. ANU was ranked in the top 50 universities of the world. The main campus is known as a “green” campus with over 10,000 trees. The university website is www.anu.edu.au.

The ANU is especially proud of its Honours degrees. They involve a substantial research component, and often lead on to a research higher degree or specialized employment. An ANU Honours degree allows the student to engage with the intellectual resources and facilities of Australia's leading research university. Honours students normally undertake a personally designed research project, under the direction of a supervisor.

One option for living accommodations is UniLodge @ ANU. Ranging from single occupancy studios to five bedroom and mezzanine units, these units offer self-contained living within a secure community. All will have their own bathrooms and cooking facilities with TV, internet and phone facilities. The University also advertises house sitting. You can apply for a house sitter or as a house sitter.

Students from all over the world attend ANU. The new and the old works are included in the classes offered which includes not only Australian literature but also American and British literature.

Women in Australia | Kim Stroud

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Throughout the years, women in Australia have faced a number of issues including women's access to justice, women's legal rights in relationships and family life, women’s involvement in the legal profession, legal rights to social security, the position of women in employment and in the unpaid workforce, and media portrayals of women.
Women’s suffrage was the first wave of feminism in Australia and dates back to the late 19th century. There were a number of organizations aimed at helping women with their struggle to vote. In 1889 the Australian Women's Suffrage Society was formed. The Society aimed at helping women with the same rights to vote as men. Women wanted equal rights in marriage and divorce, custody in divorce, equal justice, and equal rights to property.

Many people believe in a prevailing myth about how Australian women were the first women to gain the right to vote. New Zealand was in fact the first to grant women the right to vote at a national level. Finland and even some states in America were granted the right to vote before women in Australia. Women gained the right to vote in 1902. However Aboriginal Women were not recognized as citizens and they did not gain the right to vote until 1967.

A second wave of feminism hit Australia in the 1960’s causing women to become the “second sex.” Women began to fight for equal pay in the work place, free expression of sexual freedom, and ending discrimination against the basis of their marital status. During the time of the second wave of feminism there were many other social movements struggling for their rights as well. During this time women were optimistic for the future.

The third wave of feminism hit Australia during the 1990’s. Women began to realize that obtaining equal voting rights did not mean that women were equal in the rest of the public sphere. Women became known as the ‘glass ceiling.’ Meaning they were an unseen barrier that prevented them from moving ahead of a certain point on the professional or political ladder. During 1995, women represented 54% of permanent employees; they were just not represented in senior level positions. Men still obtained the majority of positions of power in politics, education, and business.

Women in Australia and women in the United States are similar in the fact that all women want equal rights and equal freedoms. Women have found that they want to excel in the workforce, yet manage a family life as well. Women have struggled in Australia and in the United States while proving themselves as hard workers and still being able to run the households. Finding the balance at home and at work has separated many women from the traditions of the past. Women love to play or watch sports, enhance their education, cook, go shopping, enjoy the outdoors, raise children and spend time with their families. Although all women enjoy doing many different activities, Australian women can relate to American women in many ways.

Australian History | Dr. Talbot

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Like the American Indian, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples inhabited most of the Australian continent before the arrival of English settlers, the first recorded being in 1606 by Dutch settler William Janszoon, followed by Spanish explorer Luis Vaez de Torres the same year, as he sailed through the strait separating Australia from Papua New Guinea. However, it wasn’t until 1770 that an Englishman, Captain James Cook, arrived on the east coast of Australia to claim it for the British Crown. Subsequently, the Brits decided to use its new land as a penal colony with the First Fleet of 11 ships carrying about 1500 convicts. The fleet’s arrival in Sydney Harbour on January 26, 1788 marks the country’s annual celebration of Australia Day.

Totaling about 160,000 men and women on 806 ships, the convicts were brought to the Australia until penal transportation was ended in 1868, after the convicts were used as a cheap labor market, along with political exiles and ‘undesirables,’ including children, prostitutes, alcoholics, vagrants, and ethnic people. In addition, the wool industry and gold rushes of the 1850s inspired free settlers to migrate to Australia. During the late 1800s, enough people populated the colony to sustain themselves and continue to grow.

In 1901, the Commonwealth of Australia was formed with the majority of settlers being of English, Scottish, and Irish descent. One of the first acts of the new Commonwealth included the Immigration Restriction Act of 1901, which limited migration to European origin, a restriction that ended after WWII.

During World War I, the male population in Australia numbered less than 3 million, with almost half a million of them volunteering to fight in the war. The war had a devastating impact, as nearly 60,000 died and tens of thousands were wounded. It was on April 25, 1915 that the Anzac ethos (courage and spirit) was born from the devastating battle of Gallipoli. This day commemorates all Australian soldiers who have fought in wars since then, a day that resembles America’s Memorial Day.

Just as America suffered from instability during the two world wars, Australia’s social and economic divisions widened during the Depression years. After WWII, many women were able to maintain the jobs that they had assumed while the men were away at war. In 1956, Melbourne hosted the Olympic games, bringing notoriety and attention to Australia. The Olympics would return to Australia, this time in Sydney, in 2000.

During the 1960s, a period of change dominated Australia (they sent troops to Vietnam), as it did America, and in 1967, the people voted to give the federal government the power to pass legislation on behalf of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, in hopes to improve their living conditions. The referendum also gave the Aboriginies the right to vote. An echo here of the Civil Rights Act.

In 1999, the Australian people voted for Australia to become a republic, even though politicians were in favor of the president being appointed by two thirds majority of parliament.

Aboriginal Music | Clay Jacobson

2006-08-23T20:16:00.000-07:00

An integral part of Australian identity is the Aboriginal Culture; much as the Native American legacy is vital to understanding America. While it may not be able to match the clout wielded by the popular music industry, Aboriginal music has managed to carve out a niche in the Australian music scene. Widespread (international) exposure to this Aboriginal facet is limited, but some of its influence has extended beyond the Australian continent.

The didgeridoo is one element of indigenous Australian culture that many Americans are at least vaguely familiar with. Its low droning sound has made its way to America, but its roots and role in traditional culture are relatively unknown. This instrument exists in different forms amongst many of the Aboriginal peoples and has been adapted in various forms in mainstream culture. It is generally accompanied by percussion, singing, and dance during ceremonies and rituals. While many synthetic didgeridoos exist—made from different types of wood and plastics—authentic instruments are made from hardwood trees native to Australian forests. An Aborigine craftsman will spend a long time searching for the perfect tree to use; one which has been hollowed by termites to a suitable diameter. Once this hollow tree has been cut into a tube of the desired length, it is a finished didgeridoo. Artists may then decorate or paint the tube. Contemporary versions of the didgeridoo have been modified to allow for multiple tones, adding keys or a trombone-like slide.

Modern Aboriginal folk music draws inspiration from contemporary pop, country, rock, and folk music but also incorporates traditional instruments such as the didgeridoo. While many Aboriginal musicians have made the switch to mainstream pop music—Casey Donovan, the winner of the 2^nd season of Australian Idol, is of indigenous heritage—traditional Aboriginal music is still very much alive today in Australia. The Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA), founded in 1980, has had measured success broadcasting traditional music. According to the “clear mandate” expressed on the CAAMA official website, the group is determined to promote “Aboriginal culture, language, dance, and music while generating economic benefits in the form of training, employment and income generation. CAAMA produces media products that engender pride in Aboriginal culture, and informs and educates the wider community of the richness and diversity of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia” (http://www.caama.com.au/caama/pages/about).

Aboriginal fusion artists, combining traditional and contemporary music, have achieved more success in mainstream Australian culture. Popular artists exist in nearly all genres, combining traditional Aboriginal sounds with modern pop, country, hip-hop, and rock. The Deadlys, an Australian awards ceremony, recognizes these artists each year, giving top honors to selected popular Aboriginal musicians. According to their official site “The Deadlys celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in the areas of sport, music, entertainment and the community” (www.deadlys.vibe.com.au).

The existence of these organizations demonstrate the value attributed to protecting authentic Aboriginal music as well as the success traditional music has had adapting to popular culture.

Welcome

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to English 413. Please check this site regularly for announcements, reminders, updates, and reading response prompts. Once you join the blog, you may post questions about the class or comments about the readings.