In an Essay Explain What Insights Are Offered Through an Examination of the Concept of 'Identity'. Your Response Should Include a Detailed Analysis of Three Core Poems and at Least One Related Text.

Identity is about perception, the way someone sees themselves and their surroundings, the set of rules that they follow, their morals, the decisions they make, the way they look and the way they think. This is shaped by their location and experiences, as well as by other humans. Identity is represented in many ways through poetry, music, books, paintings and other mediums. Bruce Dawe represents the identity of two very different types of people in his poems "Homo Suburbiensis" and "Drifters" where he represents the identity of his subjects through more of a specific description of a certain set of people and not any person in particular in an informative tone , while Dorothea Mackellar focuses more on her own identity in her poem, "My country", aiming for a passionate tone. Unlike these poems, the song "This is Australia" by GANGgajang the identity of a country as well as its changes through time, rather than the static identity of a certain person or set of people. All these poems give us insight into the lives of the people they portray and no matter how little or insignificant this information might be, allows us to paint a picture of the person in our heads.

Dorothea Mackellar's "My Country" comes from the point of view of a British settler. In her poem, she focuses specifically on her love of natural beauty. "Strong love of grey-blue distance" speaks for the size and space of the country contrasting smaller, densely populated countries. She references "brown streams and soft dim skies" but she does not say they are a part of Australia. This, together with the line "My love is otherwise", suggests to us that she is comparing Australia to her country of origin, England. From this information we can gather Dorothea's country of origin as well as where she feels at home and also that she is a patriotic person. We can also gather that she appreciates natural beauty very greatly and is a tidy person who spends time outdoors, possibly caring for her garden, as we