1.
Representations infuse the real, the remembered and the imagined
with personal perspective.
Discuss in relation to TWO of the texts that you have been set to study
2. Representation manipulates peoples perceptions of individual,
shared or competing political perspectives, ideas, events or
situations
Discuss this in relation to TWO of the texts that you have been set for
study
- The Caretaker
- Terra Nullius
- The poetry of Sam Wagan Watson
Representations of people and politics are often manipulated by the
composer in order to expose political issues evident in modern society and
to introduce a new perspective to the audience. Alanna Roses short film
The Caretaker in correlation with Sam Wagan Watsons poems White
Stucco Dreaming and Cheap White-goods at the Dreamtime Sale explore
the tension and adversity faced by Indigenous Australians and its
corruptive affect on Aboriginal culture, relationships and lifestyle. Rose
and Watson attempt to highlight the political injustice received by
Indigenous Australians by the White community, allowing the audience
to develop their understanding and alter their perspective.
The loss and disregard for Indigenous culture and lifestyle in modern
society is both evident through both Roses and Watsons representations
of the relationship between politics and Aboriginal people. Rose introduces
a clear loss of culture through the costumes of the characters Jack and
Willie in The Caretaker. Their white, ripped singlets symbolise poverty
inflicted upon them by the white people, and the fabric indicating
westernisation. The loss of culture in Watsons White Stucco Dreaming is
represented through the white tire swan. Watson retells that the old
black tires became attacked with a cane-knife and a bad white paint job,
expressing how the tire is symbolic of Aboriginal culture and the white
swam evoking colour imagery, a representation of how the British tried to
change Aboriginal culture and westernise it. The Caretaker reconveys a
loss of culture through the relationship between Indigenous brothers Jack
and Willie. A two shot of the young brothers receiving their first boxing
gloves symbolises their westernisation and loss of Indigenous culture
through the American sport. Approaching the end of the film, the close up
shot of Willie and Jack boxing one another is surrounded by the blurred
faces of the audience cheering them to fight, the use of diegetic sound of
their screams and the slow motion as Willie delivers the final hit
representing how Indigenous culture has been mocked and disrespected
for the enjoyment of the white community. Both Rose and Watson rely on
manipulating their texts through the exploration of the loss of Aboriginal
culture in order to alter and affect the audiences perspective of modern
day Indigenous political injustice.
Alanna Roses representation The Caretaker and Sam Wagan Watsons
White Stucco Dreaming and Cheap White-goods at the Dreamtime Sale
highlights and expose the past and modern day injustice experienced by
Indigenous Australians and provide an honest and realistic perceptive
that thoroughly explores the detrimental affect of their adversity on their
culture and individual and spiritual relationships. The analysis and
interpretation allows the audience to gain knowledge of the adversity
faced by Aboriginal Australians and permits them to create a more
supported view on modern day Aboriginal political issues
Both Alanna Roses and Sam Wagan Watsons representation highlight and
expose the adversity faced by Aboriginal Australians an its detrimental
influence on relationships between Indigenous individuals and their sacred
sites . In The Caretaker , Rose uses a two shot of Willie and Jack in the
first scene of the flashback, representing an affectionate connection
between them as they receive their first boxing gloves, a motif used
throughout the text to symbolize the reason for the tarnishing of their
relationship.
