1. No Sugar challenges the prejudiced, negative stereotypes of Aborigines operating in a mainstream Australian society. Despite the Mullimurras' problems, they survive as a family with resourcefulness and dignity. Discuss this statement in relation to your reading of the play.
The 1920s and 30s was a time of deep prejudice against the Aboriginals. They were put through an experiment by the Chief Protector of Aboriginals at that time, Mr. Neville who was trying to "breed out the Aboriginals for their best purposes". Aboriginals were taken from their home land - they were displaced from their homes and taken to white settlements. In No Sugar, Jack Davis introduces the Millumurra family who reside in Northam and were then moved to the Moore River Native Settlement.
No Sugar is a play that is hard-hitting and realistic. As the sergeant says in Act One Scene Two, "I know exactly what they're like" - the mindset of people who tend to label others into stereotypes. Jack Davis has thus chosen not to construct realistically perfect characters, but characters which instead fit - and challenge - some white stereotypes of Aboriginality.
Gran represents the pre-colonial matriarch, the educator who ensures the continuation of the
However, the reader upon reflection realises that in almost every dialogue between the Mullimurras and the whites, humour is used to create meaning. In contrast to this bitter truth, it softens the tone by placing the audience in the shoes of an Aboriginal family and displays how this family does not emerge victor - but come to a quiet, dignified understanding and acceptance of their plight. This is accomplished in Act One Scene Three as the drunken Jimmy reveals the injustices he has suffered to his friend Frank. They were given the choice to either assimilate and die out, or live in a white society. Jack Davis, through juxtaposition of the artificial poumpous white nature in those times and the Aboriginal culture of living off the land and spiritual living has shown the audience that not all is as it seems - not everyone can be labelled under a certain stereotype and certainly, despite your conditions, no matter how hard it seems, there is always a way to live on. Language is the symbolism of their culture, and their split language symbolises how the Nyoongahs are divided between dependence on white necessities and a desire for black independence and resourcefulness.
The Mullimurras in that time were like the typical Aboriginal family - they had no claim to land, no ownership, and were continually exploited by the whites. You're scared at what he'll do when he gets out.
Resourcefulness is displayed by how they catch their own food, how in Act One Scene Seven Joe and Sam goes down to the dump to find "tin for the roof" and especially how in Act Three Joe and Mary work for their own keep in order to keep a low profile and to outwardly show that they do not need to depend on the Whites for a living. In this same scene, Gran scolds Jimmy for swearing, further challenging the stereotype of Aboriginals as crude. All these shows the Mullimurras to live in a time where they are being oppressed yet they still rise above their problems to survive as a family.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
2. The play explores the systemic racism that exists within Australian society and portrays the justice system as corrupt and discriminatory…
- 721 Words
- 3 Pages
Better Essays -
Clarry’s racists attitudes are evident in a number of scenes at the start of the play.For example ,on a number of occasions when Clarry is speaking with Poppa,his father in law and a man much older than him,he addresses him as “boy”.in the context of post-war Australian values that were quite intolerant towards the recent immigrants,like the biancis, this is a typical condescending attitude.…
- 254 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
It appears that the stage performance of No Sugar provides the Aboriginal people with the voice they have lived without for decades. The Milimurra family are used in the play to represent the voice of the Aboriginal people who stand up against white authority. Milly and Gran who refuse to give in without a fight, go to the Sergeant and confront him about the reasons why their rations have been cut, and push for him to provide them with blankets. Characters such as Topsy and Billy are representations of those Aborigines who did not fight for their rights. These characters bowed down to white authority, Billy who does not speak his own language, but broken English is happy to work for the white authorities tracking down members of his own race who escape their clutches. Milly's response to the Sergeant when he tells her that her problem is she has three grown men budging off her, who are too lazy to work, is by asking him "Where they gonna get work?" she asks the Sergeant "Do you want em to work for nothing?" and Gran backs her up by saying "Their not slaves you know Chargent!" The staging is also used as an added technique to provide the aboriginal people with a voice, the white colonies are positioned on the outskirts of the stage and the Aborigines are given center stage, as a means to respond to their mistreatment in Australian society so many years ago.…
- 941 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The aboriginal play “seven stages of grieving” written by Wesley Enoch and performed by Deborah Mailman portrays the life of an indigenous woman, through culture, grieving and loss. One way the play makes connections to people and places is through language features and forms. In the episode “Murri gets a dress”, The tone of the everywoman represents her attitude and understanding of the Australian society. “You get a lot of attention, special treatment when you’re black”, the quote illustrates her satire humour approach. The tone demonstrates irony and sarcasm which exposes the discrimination and institutional racism towards Aboriginals.…
- 283 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
The play, After the Ball by David Williamson, is primarily about the disappointments and realities that test a suburban Australian family in a time of mystifying social revolution. Much of the dramatic action within the play derives from misunderstandings between characters and their opposing beliefs about what it means to be Australian. These differing beliefs lead to tension of relationships between the characters Stephen, Judy and Ron. The conflicts and dilemmas within these relationships lead to Stephen's progression to enlightenment. This action can be analysed through the elements of drama. However for the purposes of this essay, the focus will be on the human context and tension, and how they worked together to create the whole experience…
- 838 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
In Australia there is much controversy surrounding racism between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians. Phillip Gwynne’s novel Deadly Unna is an example of the relationships between the two cultures. Deadly Unna is based on a 14-year-old character named Blacky who lives in ‘the Port’ where the Non-Indigenous Australians or the ‘goongas’ live. On the outskirts of the township there is ‘the Point’ and this is where the Indigenous Australians or ‘nungas’ live. Blacky is an archetypal teenager, he plays football, and experiences the same anxiety in relation to girls and growing up. The theme of racism is of great importance throughout the novel so to the necessity for reconciliation and the hope that this brings. Gwynne cleverly incorporates dialogue and imagery to reveal these themes.…
- 720 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Davis uses a range of different types of languages techniques in the play "No Sugar", which include the Nyoongah language, formal English, informal English, and tone to shape the readers response.…
- 484 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
When the British started settling in Australia they started controlling the lives of the Aboriginals with the thought of them dying out anyway. The police had monstrous power they were authorized to confiscate children from the Aboriginal families, from 1910 onwards an estimate of 50 000 children were forcibly removed from their families. With over 30 years of psychological trauma this practise was to…
- 437 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Today, in the 20th Century, it is a commonly known fact in Australia, and throughout the rest of the world, that Aborigines were mistreated from since western culture first settled, and for many years after that. It is the main purpose of stage dramas to bring issues, such as the one mentioned above, and ideas about these issues to life through dramatic performances and the use of a number of various techniques. No Sugar, a revisionist text written by Jack Davis in 1985, is one of these stage dramas. Jack Davis brings issues and even expresses his own ideas about issues such as the injustices of Aboriginal treatment during the 1930's, to life in No Sugar very well because No Sugar is a revisionist text, and therefore offers a new perspective…
- 1364 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
Abileen’s courage to love Mae as she would love her own child reinforces the strength and unconditional compassion possessed by People of Colour, even if they are the victims of abuse and oppression by other White Americans. No Sugar similarly convey the idea of unconditional love, present mostly in the Millimurra family and the love they share for each other despite the government's attempts to oppress…
- 1309 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays -
A contrast in the current mood takes an abrupt turn, when government vehicles suddenly arrive at the home in search of ‘half Indigenous, half White’ children. Accompanied with dramatic music, the events at this point now move at a fast pace, conveying to the audience a sense of panic as family members yell and scramble away from the government. The memory then progresses to its tragic point, where Kay is taken away during her stay at the hospital. The view is then focused on Kay’s devastated mother as she wails helplessly, begging in vain to the nurse for Kay back.…
- 310 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
Australian dramas, such as David Williamson’s “The Removalists”, inclination to depend on stereotypes is not a weakness, but instead an opportunity to explore personal and societal issues. The inclusion of stereotypes within the play does not hinder the exploration of these issues, but instead deepens the audiences understanding and awareness. Through familiar roles, such as the ‘Oker’ identity, Williamson heightens the play, and allows a production to focus on the themes being explored. By using stereotyped characters in contrast with realistic characters and style, Williamson effectively comment on the faults of society without the distraction of character complexity.…
- 1425 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
“It’s hard going back [to your home country] because you’re not really accepted by your mother’s traditional people.” many often felt disconnected or rejected from other aboriginals “I can remember when I was 16 and a big group of Aboriginals were walking towards me and I was terrified. I was green as grass. You had no knowledge of the outside world. All you was taught was housekeeping.”—Iris Clayton, Stolen Generations member. They also had a loss of language “Many of us eventually lost our language… When some of us finally met our parents, it was almost impossible to bridge the language and culture gap.”, says Uncle George Tongerie, who had been placed in Colebrook Home at Quorn SA. Lee Nangala, 46 and another member of the Stolen Generations recalls: “I remember saying over and over again to Mum, ‘...How come we don’t have a language, Mum?... Mum, where do I come from?” from the years lost from learn any aboriginal culture. They also suffered the Loss of land. Many of the aboriginals sometimes did not remember where their traditional land was, many of the land was either claimed by the white people or lost so many were never entitled to claim native title over their…
- 513 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Where they were sent to the Moore River Native Settlement where they were not aloud to speech in their own language, weren’t aloud to talk much, had to dress to fit the standards of the “British Upper Class”, slept on cots and were forced to pee in a bucket in the corner of the room. They were also being imposed to learn the ways of the “white people” and adapt to the Christian religion and beliefs. The children were not enjoying how they were being treated and were planning any possible ways to get out of there and not be caught. “If only they would understand what we are trying to do for them” (A.O. Neville) Mr.Neville thought that what he was doing was the best possible solution for these kids and had the right to remove any child from their family if he thought they were not being raised the correct…
- 977 Words
- 4 Pages
Better Essays -
As the play moves forward, the audience observes several scenes signifying gender roles and oppression on the reserve; for example the native men voicing their disapproval for the all women hockey team and wanting the women to stop playing, and the fact that throughout the play the men would get together to express their dislike about the women playing hockey as if they owned the women. Also, it was interesting to view the effects of colonization on the natives, with little things like Spooky Lacroix knitting blue socks for a baby boy. Furthermore, throughout the play there was a constant show of the men trying to oppress the women, and an example of this is when Big Joey admits to the other men that the reason he didn’t stop Patsy’s rape was because he hated the women for taking away his “power”.…
- 429 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays