Analysis Of William Street By Kath Walker

The Australian experience cannot be simplified to only a few stereotypes. The country offers so much diversity and so many experiences from all different people. The Australian experience presents many journeys and so many different stories including ‘William Street’ by Kenneth Slessor where he describes the different landscapes and objects you can find in Australia, Kath Walkers poem ‘We are Going’ where the passion and pride for the country is shown by fighting for the Aboriginals right. Lastly the documentary ‘Life in Australia – Sydney and Wagga Wagga’ which shows that not the whole of Australia is the exact same and that there is a different range of things that could see when visiting.

‘William Street’ encourages responders to see that
the 1930s Australian experience in Kings Cross was becoming very industrial with technological. Using a description “Red Globe of light, the liquor green” which creates vibrant visual imagery of the neon lights and alcohol. Using this description portrays that Australia has many different places. Another point Slessor makes is how the Australian population in the 1930s struggled financially; a metaphor describing the prawn shops, “Ghosts trousers, like the dangle hangman/ in the pawn – shop windows, bumping knee to knee,” depicts the sadness of the poor Australians and encourages readers to have empathy for their situation, as they are so desperate that the only choice they have Is to sell their clothes. The connotations of referring to the former owners as “ghosts” and “hang men are that they are dead and have suffered. The poem also suggests that Australians during the depression were mentally unstable using colloquial language “dips and molls” also the word choice by defining the people as “pavements of the pasturage.” These describe the Australians as alcoholics and prostitutes roaming the streets like animals. Slessor illustrates the different ideas and feelings he has towards the different lifestyle in Kings Cross.

Alternatively Walker encourages readers to realise the negative impacts that the white settlers have on Aboriginal communities when they take over.
In her poem, she implies that the Aboriginals feel like outcasts in their ‘home’ where they should be feeling comfortable and like they belong, ‘we are going as strangers here now, but the white tribe are the strangers.’ This identifies the way they feel as you can tell the writer is uncomfortable in her own town surrounded by her family. Another way that shows the way the white settlers treated the indigenous ‘they came here to the place of their bora ground,’ and ‘notice of estate agent reads: ‘Rubbish May Be Tipped Here’ This contrast suggests that white settlers treat the Aborigines sacred place like a dump and therefore show now respect towards the Aboriginals cultures. Walker is not happy with the way they are going to b treating their land, especially their bora ground. A metaphor that portrayed the Australian Experience is “We are the shadow ghosts creeping back as the camp fire burn low” is explaining how the Aboriginals, the original landowners, are the ones slowly creeping back while the white settlers are by the fire. The indigenous people should not be treated as the ghosts and having to sneak around. Therefore the composer implies that she clearly does not like they way the whites have taken over the Aboriginal communities. And that the Whites made some negative impacts on the communities the aboriginals already
had.

The documentary ‘Life In Australia – Sydney and Wagga Wagga’ shows how different it was to live in Wagga Wagga and Sydney but also states a few of the similarities between the two of them which portrays that Australia is a diverse country and is different in so many ways. It documents how busy Sydney is by having aerial shots and panoramas of cars in traffic, people boarding trains and a voice over explain that, “25000 people care on trains” These show dense population who are all busily occupied and heading to work on a day to day basis, On the other hand, the documentary shows that Wagga Wagga is much more relaxed by the costuming being very casual and also their body language being very relaxed. Something that both places have in common is how happy and friendly the people are. In Sydney all their costuming is very bright whole the citizens are always smiling which makes a good environment and a happy mood. Whilst in Wagga Wagga, the soundtrack is peaceful and fast beat making a positive atmosphere as the voice over states “the people make Wagga Wagga.” This documentary conveys that the Australian Experience by showing the different places in Australia and how diverse it can be.

In conclusion. There is not one Australian experience, but many show the diversity of lifestyles in Australia. There is not only one single experience; there is only many all coming different people, all who have experienced a different aspect of Australia.