As my last blog entry, I’ve decided to write on the importance of literature in representing individual cultures/beliefs. Over the last few weeks, we have looked at a variety of authors who came from different cultural, social and economic backgrounds.

A poem titled “Faces in the Street” by Henry Lawson communicates the emotion held from a bystander when seeing the effects of poverty in their society. It also encapsulates the empowerment of the poor and their ability to drive change. Understanding Lawson’s work as a means of portraying his financial struggles through life provides the reader with an understanding of the author and is a representative of his situation.

Recently, we looked at Adam Aitken’s “Changi”, a poem about Aitken’s relationship with travelling and his maturing of views. A child-like innocence is provided in the first few stanzas; “Real orchid forest”, compared to the last stanza. As describing trash, Aitken says “as odourless as these orchids”, building the idea that he has become tired of travelling. What was a fantasy-type experience has become dull and inconvenient. Similarly, knowing his cultural background as being a Thai-Australian, the reader is able to create links between the writing and the author and therefore understand it better.

While each piece of literature is not the same, they all tell the story of the author. It is important to factor in the authors background while reading their work. It also helps the reader link their experiences in with the writing.

Many writings of fiction focus on a plot or storyline but after reading texts from Patrick White I have realised that good writing heavily depends on the relationships between characters. The character development is fundamental to the story’s progress. In short, well written characters ensure the writing flows and draws the reader’s attention to the nature of the relationships being formed, as opposed to solely reading the story. They add dimension and allow the reader to establish a personal view of each character.

Based on my reading of White’s texts, I have developed an understanding of how to ‘build-up’ a character through their conversations and actions with other characters. For example, in “Voss” chapter 16, the reader is able to understand that Miss Trevelyan is respected but also despised in secret by many. I was able to gain this understanding of her character within the first few paragraphs of the chapter, before she spoke herself. Based on this reading, I have made an assumption about the character and as the piece is biased against her, I will hold this judgement unless it is otherwise proved false. The description of a character is important to the progress of the plot and the reader’s view of the character.

Patrick White, “Voss”, Chapter 16 found in Macquarie Pen Anthology of Australian Literature, pages 546-557

Picture from: https://www.depop.com/products/nightcourt-vintage-90s-reeboks-in-perfect/

The saying that one picture is worth a thousand words is an understatement. I would base the value of a picture on the emotion and experience that it brings out for each person. The value of a picture is an individual decision and naturally cannot be influenced by another person’s perception of its value. Equally as important, literature provides an invaluable experience to both the author and reader. Australian art and literature complement each other because they carry similar themes.

To fully understand an artwork or piece of literature, it is expected that the reader is aware of its context. For example, “Urbanised Reebocks” by Lisa Bellear expresses her regret for the industrialisation of Australia and her guilt for being part of it. Wearing her “reebocks” symbolises her acceptance of what Australia has become, but knowing that Bellear was a political figure for Aboriginal women provides the reader with context on the author. The reader is able to sympathise with the author, or even compare it to their own situation. This also creates a connection between the experience of reading the work and real life. The emotional response that a reader has when looking at an artwork or writing is what shapes the memorability of it.

Information sourced from “Urbanised Reebocks”, “Macquarie Pen Anthology of Australian Literature”, page 1344 and 1347.

Painting: “First-class marksman”. Sourced from https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/62.2010/

This famous painting of Ned Kelly completed by Sidney Nolan in 1946 is titled “First-class marksman”. Ned Kelly was famously known for his status as a bushranger and outlaw.

It depicts Kelly behind his armour and holding a rifle in an outback-bushland type of environment. In the distance, blue mountains can be seen. More closely, the painting shows Kelly hiding behind his armour which is shown as more of a silhouette compared to his detailed arms, rifle and background. In addition to the eyes shown through the slit in his helmet, the depiction of Kelly seems to be more comical than factual. It could be alluding to the idea that a man in a metal suit was able to evade the police for many years with limited resources.

The simplicity of Kelly’s armour and his detailed arms behind it encompass the idea of Kelly as two persons – ‘man in the armour’ and ‘man’. Regardless, his armour sheltered him from the police and his complexity from the world. While his status as a criminal is what he is famous for, this painting delves into the idea that the armour hid more than just himself. It acted as a ‘black screen’ over him. His humanity is depicted through his more detailed arms. His surroundings make reference to the solitude that he (and his gang) were subject to. The lack of people or even animals shown could be making a comment on the loneliness of being an outlaw.

Information sourced from https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/search-discover/explore-collections-theme/australian-history/ned-kelly/ned-kelly-fact-sheet