Kevin Gilbert's The New True Anthem: Confronting Australians
In the critical response poem “The New True Anthem”, 1988, Kevin Gilbert challenges the Australian public about our patriotism or lack thereof. With this poem Kevin Gilbert acknowledges the fact that there is not just one single opinion of what has happened to the beautiful land that was once home to many native Aboriginal tribes all over the country. Australia’s sense of pride and admiration that is declared by Dorothea Mackellar in “My Country” is challenged and questioned by Kevin Gilbert. The issues explored in the bitter poem are a lack of patriotism for Australia and shame.
A sense of apathy and lack of patriotism is illuminated for the audience by Gilbert in this poem as he criticises the Australian Public and Mackellar. The title itself, “The New True Anthem”, begins the poem with a bitter and hostile tone. Using the word ‘true’ Gilbert states his opinion from the very beginning with no feeling of remorse. Gilbert uses this poem to patronise the Australian public and highlights how they have ruined a once great country. Mackellar’s poem paints Australia and Australians in an extremely positive light, Gilbert on the other hand writes what he believes to be the ‘true’ meaning of what people have done to the country. The use of the diction ‘love’ subverts Mackellar’s intentions in ‘My Country” and throws it back in our faces. As the poem goes on Gilbert persuades readers away from Mackellar’s point of view and towards his own understanding and opinion of a sense of pride and patriotism.
Shame and embarrassment is a feeling that is plastered all over this poem by Gilbert to emphasise his feelings and emotions when it comes to Australia. Throughout the poem Gilbert struggles to fathom how Australians have been able to ‘pollute all the rivers’, and ‘graffiti’ our home, Australia. The accumulative listing of crimes and appalling behaviour throughout the anthem highlights just how terrible things have gotten. ‘Racial murder’ refers to the stolen generation and
A sense of apathy and lack of patriotism is illuminated for the audience by Gilbert in this poem as he criticises the Australian Public and Mackellar. The title itself, “The New True Anthem”, begins the poem with a bitter and hostile tone. Using the word ‘true’ Gilbert states his opinion from the very beginning with no feeling of remorse. Gilbert uses this poem to patronise the Australian public and highlights how they have ruined a once great country. Mackellar’s poem paints Australia and Australians in an extremely positive light, Gilbert on the other hand writes what he believes to be the ‘true’ meaning of what people have done to the country. The use of the diction ‘love’ subverts Mackellar’s intentions in ‘My Country” and throws it back in our faces. As the poem goes on Gilbert persuades readers away from Mackellar’s point of view and towards his own understanding and opinion of a sense of pride and patriotism.
Shame and embarrassment is a feeling that is plastered all over this poem by Gilbert to emphasise his feelings and emotions when it comes to Australia. Throughout the poem Gilbert struggles to fathom how Australians have been able to ‘pollute all the rivers’, and ‘graffiti’ our home, Australia. The accumulative listing of crimes and appalling behaviour throughout the anthem highlights just how terrible things have gotten. ‘Racial murder’ refers to the stolen generation and