Australian Film Red Dog Analusis Essay

Australian people and culture are often stereotyped in the media in different forms, one of them being film. The two films being examined, ‘Red dog’ (2011) and the ‘Sapphires’ (2012), are an example of the Australian identity but from different points of view. ‘Red dog’ shows the kind and positive side which exemplifies mateship and loyalty. The film ‘Sapphires’ ,which takes place in the 1950’s through to the 1960’s, shows a negative and racist view towards the indigenous people. Both the films show different aspects of the Australian identity, not all insights of the films accurately represent contemporary Australian identity as the Australian identity has changed by the evolution of people and their lifestyle.

Mackellar introduces the idea of Australia’s distinctiveness firstly in the opening two stanzas, by juxtoposising Australia’s

The notion of the contemporary indigenous identity and the impact of these notions are both explored in texts that have been studied. Ivan Sen’s 2002 film ‘Beneath Clouds’ focuses on the stereotypical behaviours of Indigenous Australians highlighting Lina and Vaughn’s journey. This also signifies the status and place of the Australian identity today. Through the use of visual techniques and stereotypes the ideas that the Indigenous are uneducated, involved in crime and the stereotypical portrayal of white people are all explored. Similarly the notion of urban and rural life is represented in Kennith Slessor’s ‘William Street’ and ‘Country Towns’.

This text response will be looking the comparison of the two poems, ‘Drifters’ by Bruce Dawe, And ‘In the park’ by Gwen Harwood under the name of Walter Lehmann. Drifters is about a seemingly constantly moving family, it describes the process the family will go through leaving their newest home. In the park is about a seemingly single mother raising her children, it describes the mother sitting in the park with her children when a previous lover comes by and talks about the children. With in each poem, the form and structure, language techniques and the tone and message will be analysed and compared with the other to gather a grater understanding of the Australian voice.

Identity is a very important part of being Australian; it is a feeling of being associated with a national group, defined by a common heritage, which may be based on many attributes, including race, territory, language and history. "The Men of the Open Spaces", written be Will H. Ogilvie addresses these issues of Australian identity, constructing a powerful representation of the Australian 'bush ' culture. The text uses past views of popular culture that are still ubiquitous today, to construct a sense of national ideology. The text focuses on a very traditional concept of nationhood and constructs a stereotypical representation of Australian culture. This essay will explore this in relation to the discourses

Identity. It’s a broad and difficult concept. As Australians, our identity is multi-faceted, having various different expressions. One aspect of my sense of Australian identity is masculinity and the idea of the “Aussie Battler.” An Aussie Battler is a man from the working class, a person who has pride in the country they live in. An Aussie battler is a patriarchal figure who works hard to support their family, often spending their spare time with the family or at the pub. The Piper’s Son, an Australian novel by Melina Marchetta, reflects my sense of Australian identity through it’s representation of Australian masculinity in the depiction of Dominic Finch-Mackee as the archetypal “Aussie Battler.”

Many Australian films explore the concept of ‘overcoming adversity’, common to films from many countries but they explore it in a manner unique to Australia and embrace the ‘Aussie Battler’ or ‘Aussie Hero’ icon. The films Gallipoli (Directed by Peter Weir - 1981) and Ned Kelly (Directed by Gregor Jordan - 2003) are two good examples of this. Both films show evidence of characters overcoming adversities throughout their stories. The following will analyse each film and explore the concept by looking at themes and film techniques.

Whether it be marching in an ANZAC day parade, seeing the green and gold boxing kangaroo flag at a sporting event or singing the national anthem, Australians are known for showing ‘true Aussie pride.’ In The Castle, Darryl’s pride is evident when his daughter becomes the first member of the family to receive diploma of Hairdressing. As Darryl stares at Tracey’s graduating certificate, Dale talks about how proud his dad is of his little girl. He states in his narration, “Dad reckons the day Tracey told him she was accepted into Sunshine Tafe for Hairdressing was about the proudest day of his life.” Rupert McCall’s poem Green and Gold Malaria is also another great example of the moments when Australians have shown true Aussie Pride. In his poem he talks about how he felt pride in his country when, “Banjo takes me down the Snowy River,” “It flattened me when Bertrand raised the boxing kangaroo” and “And when Perkins smashed the record, well, the rashes were true blue.” (McCall, R) McCall has shown in his poem the strong spirit of Australian’s and the proud moments in our history where Australians have shown true Aussie

As well as emphasise on the faults within the stereotype, the use of recognisable characters in a production of The Removalists allows for an effective comment on the faults within Australian society. Through the use of stereotyped characters, the play provides a deeper insight into the serious personal and societal issues within the Australian community, without the distraction of character complexity. These themes, which are explored through stereotypes, are violence, abuse of authority, and sexism and sexuality.

Due to the diversity of Australia, the definition of the true Australian identity has changed over time. However, there are several main attributes that have been embedded into the modern Australian identity, mate-ship, courage, resilience and acceptance. The theme in this anthology is war, this has been selected as Australia has been through several wars and, it is in these times where the true Australian identity stands out. It was during several wars where Australia’s national identity was developed and several significant, everlasting attributes were formed, such as, mate-ship, acceptance, courage, resilience and a never giving up attitude. In addition to that as a result of Australia’s diversity and increase in multiculturalism,

The article ‘Out anthem sucks and it’s time to get a new one,’ is written by an author called James McCann. In the article, James McCann argues how the Australian anthem should be replaced with another song, meanwhile appealing the anthem as an ancient and an unreasonable one. The article is produced on the 26th of January, 2017. It is an opinion piece. McCann’s tone is mostly comedic as well as insulting. The author uses attacks to persuade the audience to go on the side he was on, meanwhile asking rhetorical questions to get the audience more engaged and to feel more involved.

In 1800s the term larrikin was used to identity people showing, disrespect to authority, involvement in gangs and violently behaviour. The 20th century, ‘larrikin’ started to be used in a positive way; referring to a joker or a masculine man who were deemed Australian heroes. Thereby larrikinism made a leap to form significant aspect of the Australian National identity. ‘Historical constructs of the larrikin stereotype have produced a relaxed Australian national identity although problems that may arise from using the larrikin as a national character includes the suggestion that violence and disrespect for authority are excusable’. This essay I will show how larrikin stereotype has assisted in constructing an Australian national identity starting

Distinctively visual techniques are skilfully employed by Henry Lawson and Kriv Stenders to deepen our understanding of the world of the Australian outback and those who inhabit it, through their struggles and independence with some humour applied to the stories. These visual effects allow us to get a better understanding of the feelings of the characters and relate their life lessons to our everyday life. The Drover’s Wife creates a vivid picture of an independent and isolated mother’s hardship of taking care and protecting her family. Another story by Henry Lawson called The Loaded Dog shares a more humour filled side to the isolated

As a result of this hegemony, Australians, through cinematic exposure, have been raised with a U.S. belief system. However, with the re-emergence of the Australian film industry in the seventies, and the use of cinema by the Whitlam government to rid Australia of US and British influences, I believe national identity has slowly begun to be re-established for

Individualism is shared through the mirror imaging of the two protagonists, presenting “unabashedly the primacy of the male subject, in fact revealing his elevation to the status of universal subject. It glorifies the centrality of the superior bond between male and male that is forged in the crucible of hardship and opposition” (Lucas 148). Archie and Frank can be seen as representative of Australian nationalism through the fact that they embody opposing and yet complementary aspects of the male ideal, both being physical capable and displaying a casual attitude towards authority. In this way, the glorified concept of mateship embodies Australian nationalism, and emphasizes that “Mateship was a particular Australian virtue, a creed, almost a religion. Men lived by it. ... They died by it and it could become their finest epitaph” (Gammage 63).