Hotel Sorrento: Australian Identity

Making an accurate representation of Australian identity will forever be a difficult task with the vast range of lifestyles its people live. However, this concept is challenged and has developed into an obsession. (ConvictCreations, 2000) This is because of the many age groups, class divisions, differences in location and cultural diversity. Since the introduction of television, producers have made humorous and witty shows, interpreting and critiquing the Australian Identity. This critique is referred to as ‘satire’ and is made apparent mostly in television shows such as Chris Lilley’s 2005, hit mockumentary series, We Can be Heroes. The internationally acclaimed show satirises the ‘faults’ in Australian identity while also providing humorous entertainment. In the short, six episode series, a variety of satirised elements are unmistakable. Characters have been developed to represent the many levels of class division in our society. Enhancing the definition of such classes is the differences in use of language and knowledge between the characters – an effective tool to categorise the differences in our society.

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.

Australian Film allows the rest of the world to have an insight into our way of life, our communities and our land. Australian film usually provides a hard-working and hardy stereotype who lives in the outback and takes pride in his mates, and for a lot of the country, this is mostly true. The typical Australian is a laid back, hard-working community member who prides the relationship they have with their mates, who may not even be a person. The saying ‘a man’s best friend is his dog’ is incredibly true for many, especially Australians, where dogs can be found in all walks of life. At least, this is Kriv Stender’s perspective of Australian identity, seen in his 2011 film Red Dog.

Culture can shape a person’s identity because it is something that directly affects all people. People who grow up in a culture that is quite different from that experienced in the home or local community may feel isolated and may struggle to forge an identity. At times it is necessary to make some concessions in order to belong. Very often new arrivals to Australia find themselves struggling with the demands that their original culture places upon them as well as the pressures of Australian culture.

Good morning Mrs Fisher, fellow classmates and scholars. Today I present to you sports in the 90’s. Popular culture refers to the entirety of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, images, and other phenomena that are within the mainstream of a given culture. Sports fits into this genre as it was a great part of society in the 90’s that shaped us as a community and how we as Australians were labelled and seen by the rest of the world. The influence of overseas developments on Australian culture greatly shaped our society in the 90’s. The way that sports in other countries around the world changed and developed had an impact on how Australians went about watching and participating in many different sports. The

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.”

Australian Dance is highly diverse in form and geographical distribution but it uncovers a continuous captivation with the body, the place, popular culture and the multicultural society.

Waleed Aly suggests that Australia takes sport more seriously than anyone else because it's an expression of humanity. Aly states that the impression of sport will always remain and that these impressions turn into stories told for generations. Through these stories, as Aly states, we have narratives and characters. Aly makes the point that narratives and characters are the very things culture is built on, it is what we as a country celebrate as our national story. Aly also suggests that we learn from the sportsmen and women of our country, that their values and morals are what truly influences our society.

Upon analysing equity and access in sport, it is important that I am aware of what levels of the framework have influenced my sport participation. In Queensland especially, the sport of AFL comes with primarily negative connotations. These preconceived notions about the sport and the cultural have had a negative effect on my participation and approach towards the sport. Gender stereotypes have also been a deterrent in my participation. Sports, such as AFL, require participants to be competitive, courageous, powerful and strong. These qualities are largely associated with male gender stereotypes. Sport reinforces hegemonic masculinity by celebrating stereotypically masculine and activities and attributes, and restricting the behaviour of women.

The Australian of the Year Award is still a relevant representation of the 21st century Australian. Each year our nation celebrates the achievement and contribution of eminent Australians through the Australian of the Year Awards by profiling leading citizens who are role models for us all. They inspire us through their achievements and challenge us to make our own contribution to creating a better Australia. In this essay, I argue that the Australian of the Year Award is bound up with our sense of nationhood and presents the best of Australian qualities, there is no such thing as a ‘real’ Australian and the Australian image is still relevant, nobody is marginalised through the Australian of the Year Award, it is so much more than just a pat on the back, and most

Popular culture is defined as types of entertainment that most people in society enjoy such as, book, TV, movies, and music. Australians finally had a national identity, and were viewed as a rough and hardworking people who valued mate ship and earning their place in society above all else. The Ideal Australian man also was portrayed as highly masculine and tough, if not a bit ignorant (Garton, Stephen). This aspect of Australian culture was represented in Australian film and TV which is an important part of Australian popular culture. Many well-known Australian movies such as Gallipoli (1981), The Water Diviner (2014), and Australia (2008) all embody the ideal Australian characteristics of bravery, resourcefulness, and mate ship. Even a comedy such as Crocodile Dundee (1986) which became a worldwide sensation displayed some of these characteristics. As well as film, Australian sports men and women strive to represent these Australian characteristics. The ideal Australian sportsman/women would always try their hardest and never back down, there is also the idea that Australian athletes should be good sports and not show overconfidence. If an Athlete strays away from these ideals they get persecuted and ridiculed. A recent example of this is the drama that surrounds Australian tennis at the moment. Most Australians believe that

Many argue that Australians are becoming too attached to the American culture, and therefore, are becoming ‘too Americanised’. People may associate this idea with Australian’s participating in some American recreation activities and celebrating different occasions. Society should be looking deeper into Australia’s past and what major events have made Australian’s who we are today. I believe Australia has a strong individual identity and is not becoming too Americanised.

When you hear the words Australian identity, what images instantly pop up in your head? Is it the diversity, the landscape, the mate-ship, the beaches or perhaps it’s the stereotypical aussis’? Personally, I believe the Australian identity is what each individual interprets and envisions Australia to be. The Australian identity is really what you love about Australia! One way we can express ourselves and the love we have for our country, is of course by, you guessed it, poetry! Poetry is not just any literature, in fact, poetry is a whole other world, a world that connects people in whole new level. Poetry’s art, it’s passion, it’s power. Australian poetry seeks to tell stories and truths, marked with diversity, emotion, and interest in landscape, with the effect of visual power. These elements that make up such patriotic poems can be seen through the dichotomy of the two poems, “Australia” by A.D Hope and “My Country” by Dorthea Mackellar.

Since colonial times, sporting successes especially in cricket have assisted the emerging nation of Australia to establish its identity. The prevalence of cricket in Australia constitutes what Markovits and Hellerman (2001) coin a, “hegemonic sports culture”, and subsequently represents an influential part of Australian culture. However, the modernity discourse undermines the degree to which Australian identity is taking into account British Legacy.Today the Australian culture is comprised of a differing scope of encounters, nationalities and cultures, subsequently confounding the idea that Australian identity is based on British heritage. The verbose accentuation set on Australia’s

Through our exploration within class, Andrew Bovell’s adaption of The Secret River has shown us its righteous place as a remarkable Australian play. The various themes throughout the novel highlight issues revolving around ownership and dispossession as well as reiterating how important reconciliation amongst white and indigenous Australians is. Bovell’s adaption is captivating, poignant and opens the door for a conversation of our nation’s history that has been silenced on many occasions.