They came in to the little town
A semi-naked band subdued and silent
All that remained of their tribe.
They came here to the place of their old bora ground
Where now the many white men hurry about like ants.
Notice of the estate agent reads: ‘Rubbish May Be Tipped Here’.
Now it half covers the traces of the old bora ring.
‘We are as strangers here now, but the white tribe are the strangers.
We belong here, we are of the old ways.
We are the corroboree and the bora ground,
We are the old ceremonies, the laws of the elders.
We are the wonder tales of Dream Time, the tribal legends told.
We are the past, the hunts and the laughing games, the wandering camp fires.
We are the lightening bolt over Gaphembah Hill
Quick and terrible,
And the Thunderer after him, that loud fellow.
We are the quiet daybreak paling the dark lagoon.
We are the shadow-ghosts creeping back as the camp fires burn low.
We are nature and the past, all the old ways
Gone now and scattered.
The scrubs are gone, the hunting and the laughter.
The eagle is gone, the emu and the kangaroo are gone from this place.
The bora ring is gone.
The corroboree is gone.
And we are going.’
Oodgeroo Noonuccal
Appreciating “We are Going” by Oodgerooo Noonuccal
Read Oodgeroo’s “We are going” (p. 32) and answer these questions on it:
1. Explain why they are “silent and subdued”. There tribe is silent because most of them are gone because they where taken over the white men
2. How are white men represented? Why?like ants cause of there quick movement like ants
3. What is a bora ring and explain why it is so central to this poem. It is dirt that is raised in the shape of a circle like sacred grounds and is special to aboriginals and it is central cause of what they do to the ring like chuck rubbish that now takes over half of the ring
4. Explain their reaction in line 8. they where called strangers cause of how they where treated by the white men and came took over not noticing them properly just going through and taking over with out consulting with the true owners of the land
5. Lines 9-17 begin a ‘litany’. What is the effect produced? In this “litany” it has changed the aboriginals because of what the white men turning the aboriginals way of life into there way of life and they are no identity they only have there stories(dreamtime)and traditions but soon also that will change
6. Comment on the significance of metaphors used in the poem.it shows how much has been taken away how there lives seem like rubbish to us it shows how much we have crushed there civilisation without even a care how there hopes and dreams have gone
7. Comment on the structure and form of this poem.it begins with how they where taken over by the white men then goes on how it huet them and effected them then how they where taken of there identities and then how life went on from there how they where forced to just leave
8. Why does Thunder have a capital letter? He is a special being maybe one of there gods
9. Comment on the mood and atmosphere created here.the mood is different and it is through the entire time it was sad and gloomy since cand shows and feels as if your town was beong taken overor even your country
-
Combine comments on its theme, title and conclusion. Simple sadness it is dark thoughts in the whole poem how you feel after just feels so sad you can’t change the past and what has happened now it is to late and since this poem is about”we are going” it seems now they have left us
another poem
You need not be sorry
In your heart
You were’nt there then
That’s your belief
Your
Whiteman quest
But
Saying sorry must
Surely
Not be that hard
You only need to shake my hand
Or
Give me your best smile
On both your good
And
Your bad days
And
Be my friend for free
Offer
Me your thoughts
Then
Welcome my black spirit into your life
And
I will welcome you
With all my black heart
To my tribe
You will lose nought
And
We will both gain much
For our children
And
They will never need to be sorry
Again
About the next two hundred years
the analysis
sorry is the key word in this poem it seems that sorry is what this poem is about they ask for an apology it says “You need not be sorry In your heart You were’nt there then That’s your belief” they know it the australians today but the whitemen the people who came here and took over and we could not stop it so they so you don’t have to mean it just say it its also says “ Saying sorry must
Surely Not be that hard” saying sorry can be hard sometimes but in this case it shouldn’t be. It says “ You only need to shake my hand Or Give me your best smile On both your good And Your bad days And Be my friend for free” they ask for an apology and all is forgiven be friends become one being able to talk and shake each others hand without having to make it into a big scene even if its a good or bad day they want to know that we are someone that aboriginals can trust, there friends then it goes “ Welcome my black spirit into your life And I will welcome you With all my black heart” they want you to welcome them with open arms do not treat them different and they will open there arms for you after it says “We will both gain much For our children” there children have been hurt bullied and pushed because they are different and people who stick up for the aboriginals are also being bullied and when the aboriginal kids grow up they will hate us they will do things out of the oridinary because of there experiences and finaly it says “They will never need to be sorry Again About the next two hundred years” meaning they know something like this may happen again but at least you said sorry now.
