Picnic at Hanging Rock and Strange Objects
In what ways has civilisation been imposed on the natural world in your prescribed texts?
In Gary Crew’s Strange Objects and Peter Weir’s film ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’, the effect of civilisation on the natural world is explored. Both texts display this by using the context of Australia, over time, to expose how nature will prevail over humanity. In the novel, the conflicting European culture and spiritual essence of the ancient land is portrayed in two life frames: 1623 and 1988. Dutch settlement, of Jan Pelgrom and Wouter Loos, on Aboriginal land exhibits the theme of the nature domination by portraying them as foreign influence to the Aboriginal people and their spiritual connections to the land. The action of Steven Messenger stealing an Aboriginal historical artefact, the ring, which, results in developing psychosis mirror the power of nature seen in the historical context of 1623. Based on the same context of Aboriginal Australian land, but in a different time period of 1975, ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’, the disappearance of the girls who climb the rock are suggested to be closely linked to the spiritual powers of the land and nature. This is shown by Peter Weir using various film techniques to create a mystical and unknown aura relating to the indigenous land. These examples from the novel and film share the same idea of how nature seems to be challenged when humanity strikes.
Strange Objects explores the relations of Europeans with Aboriginals in both modern Australia and before colonisation. The novel draws similarities between the past and the present using themes and symbols. The theme of history repeating itself is portrayed in the lives of Steven Messenger and Jan Pelgrom. They both are isolated young men, find a ring, become psychotic and murder an Aborigine. It suggests a battle between settlers and the land, where the spirituality of the land must prevail over humanity. This is a result of the different morals, values and ethics of European culture
In Gary Crew’s Strange Objects and Peter Weir’s film ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’, the effect of civilisation on the natural world is explored. Both texts display this by using the context of Australia, over time, to expose how nature will prevail over humanity. In the novel, the conflicting European culture and spiritual essence of the ancient land is portrayed in two life frames: 1623 and 1988. Dutch settlement, of Jan Pelgrom and Wouter Loos, on Aboriginal land exhibits the theme of the nature domination by portraying them as foreign influence to the Aboriginal people and their spiritual connections to the land. The action of Steven Messenger stealing an Aboriginal historical artefact, the ring, which, results in developing psychosis mirror the power of nature seen in the historical context of 1623. Based on the same context of Aboriginal Australian land, but in a different time period of 1975, ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’, the disappearance of the girls who climb the rock are suggested to be closely linked to the spiritual powers of the land and nature. This is shown by Peter Weir using various film techniques to create a mystical and unknown aura relating to the indigenous land. These examples from the novel and film share the same idea of how nature seems to be challenged when humanity strikes.
Strange Objects explores the relations of Europeans with Aboriginals in both modern Australia and before colonisation. The novel draws similarities between the past and the present using themes and symbols. The theme of history repeating itself is portrayed in the lives of Steven Messenger and Jan Pelgrom. They both are isolated young men, find a ring, become psychotic and murder an Aborigine. It suggests a battle between settlers and the land, where the spirituality of the land must prevail over humanity. This is a result of the different morals, values and ethics of European culture