SUMMATIVE ENTRY
The statement made by David Hurley, the new Governor General (2019); “Australia is not a finished product” is a statement that provides the hope of a stable and thriving future for the Australian nation. This was a response to the Australian author David Malouf, where in Circular Quay, a plaque reads his words. “Australia is still revealing itself to us. We oughtn't to close off possibilities by declaring too early what we have already become” Malouf expresses the idea that the land and people of Australia have a great deal more to offer themselves and the world, and that if we are too quick to promote the things we already have and have become, then we will regrettably close off the opportunity to further advance as a country. This hopeful concept of national persistence and determination is reflective of many of the works I have studied within the Australian Literature unit.
Part of the semester focused on the study of nineteenth century works; This included the works of Banjo Patterson ‘Man from Snowy River’ (1890), Henry Lawson ‘the Drovers Wife’ (1892) and Barbara Baynton’s ‘The Chosen Vessel’ (1896). These works I enjoyed considerably more than others, and I feel relate to the statement “Australia is not a finished product” as the themes and events within the stories depict the hardships of Australian men and women in the 19thcentury. They are works that were produced during a time of Australia’s physical change and production, when Australia was still a relatively new nation, having established themselves as not being only a British colony.
Majority of the remaining semester unit revolved around the study of twentieth century works; this included the works of Michael Dransfield, Patrick White ‘Down at the Dump’ and ‘Miss Slattery and her Demon Lover’ (1964) and Miles Franklin ‘My Brilliant Career’ (1901). Similar to the works of the 19th century, these works were produced in a time of change. The social change occurring at the time of many of these works included the evolving role of women, multiculturalism within Australia and the use of drugs and other substances within many social circles. This evolution in social thought and behaviour has again demonstrated the accuracy of David Hurley’s statement in that Australia has and continues to change in many ways, only highlighting David Malouf’s idea of Australia’s unseen amount of progress that is still to come.
As a whole, David Malouf’s statement “Australia is still revealing itself to us. We oughtn't to close off possibilities by declaring too early what we have already become” has the potential to mean many things, as does David Hurley’s interpretation. I personally feel that Australia will continue to develop, change and grow in many ways, to achieve new opportunities and possibilities. But highly through the perseverance of its nation. The concept of the success of the underdog, determination of men and women alike, as well as the continuous evolution of Australian roles in society are all themes from honourable Australian works. They are all also a part of a greater idea that “Australia is not a finished product”.