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[Type the abstract of the document here. The abstract is typically a short summary of the contents of the The true representation of a person, place, event or thing is a concept that must include all elements of the said person, place, events or things' culture (e.g. A true representation of a person, place, event or thing from Australia must contain a balanced paradigm of Australia's values, beliefs and ethnics). The poem, "The old Australian Ways" by Banjo Paterson, features a comparison of the Australian lifestyle to that of England. Through this comparison, Paterson has failed to present a true representation of Australia through his blind romanticism with a 'spring paradise' Australia, and as such, has failed to also present other representations of people, places, events and things. This romantiscism is repeated today, to a lesser extent, in Nick Earls "48 Shades of Brown". In the novel, Earls fashions Australia into somewhat of an imperfect paradise, but in the process exempting key details of what composes the Australian nation. Thus, through the representation of people, places, events and things', both the novel and the poem create an incomplete Australia.
Through the representations of people in both the novel and the poem, an incomplete version of Australia is presented. This is shown in "The Old Australian Ways' through focus on the stockman stereotype. Paterson states "The vagabonding love of changeâ€¦And we have followed field and flock/since e'er we learnt to rideâ€¦We followed where our fortunes ledâ€¦And always further out" (Patterson, 1901). With reference to field, flock and riding, Patterson insinuates that he is aligning the Australian people with the stockman stereotype, which in turn he comments on as being free (with the ability to travel on a whim). However, such romanticism with the Australian stockman has left problems with the Australia that Paterson has communicated. Paterson, through romanticism with the stockman stereotype, has completely marginalized other Australian discourses. In an attempt to distance the newly independent Australia (1901) from its commercialized mother country England, Paterson has marginalized the 'commercialized Australian' stereotype. "The Old Ways of Australia" states the following "The narrow ways of English folkâ€¦so throw the weary pen aside/and let the papers restâ€¦" (Patterson, 1901). Through reference to pen and paper, Paterson is commenting on the businessmen, which he then disassociated with Australia by labelling it as foreign (English). As such, through romanticizing with the stockman stereotype and marginalizing the commercialized Australian stereotype, Paterson has given an incomplete representation of Australia. This incomplete representation of Australia is followed suit by 48 Shades of Brown through it's own representation of people. In his novel, Earls has described the nature of an Australian as being focused on "Beer, Sex, Attitude, and Calculus" (Earls, 1998). This however, at most can only cover such discourses as the 'student', but fails to account for modern Australia's mass cultural diversity. Such diversity can be seen in Appendix A as approximately 1/5th of Australians were born overseas in 2006. Thus, through the presence of only one specific representation of Australian people and the exclusion/marginalization of the rest, both the poem and the novel give a incomplete view of Australia.
This concept of an incomplete Australia is further continued in both the novel and the poem's representation of places. Paterson achieves this through his presentation of an Outback Australia. The poem describes Australia as the following "The wind is in the barely grass,/The wattles are in bloom;/'the breezes greet us as the pass/With honey sweet perfume/The parakeets go screaming by/With flash of golden wingâ€¦Rejoicing at the Springâ€¦" (Patterson, 1901). Through Paterson's lush reference to grass, flowers and birds flying past, he has created a representation of Australia, not as an Outback country or a metropolis, but rather as a spring paradise. While not an entirely false representation, it gives rise to the question of the presence of other representations of Australian places. To this however, Paterson has ignored, and instead marginalizes the other representations of places in Australia. One such example of this, is the depiction of the metropolis stereotype in Paterson's poem in the following "The London lights are far abeam/Behind a bank of cloudâ€¦The city folk go to and fro/Behind a prison's bars,/They never feel the breezes blow/And never see the startsâ€¦" (Patterson, 1901). Paterson has commented on the metropolis stereotype in his poem by referring to it as similar to some desolate place, void of any natural beauty, much akin to a prison. In addition to this, Paterson disassociates the metropolis stereotype by relating it to London (naming it as foreign). As such, through his slander and alienation of the metropolis stereotype, Paterson has marginalized this representation. Therefore, by placing focus on only one representation of places in Australia, and marginalizing the rest, the poem "The Old Australian Ways" gives an incomplete view of Australia. The same trend is followed suit yet again by the novel "48 Shades Of Brown. Earls describes Brisbane as "We drive under the gateway Arterial, past Toombul Shoppingtown and left on Sandgate Road" (Earls, 1998) and houses in Brisbane as "The wrap-around verandas, the big mango tree in the backyard, the overgrown gardenâ€¦the blue table with uneven legs" (Earls, 1998). Due to that fact that Earls notes that Brisbane includes average city instalments (eg. Highway, normal roads and shopping centres), and average houses (suitable to living but with a few problems), Earls foregrounds Brisbane, and thus places in Australia, as the average Cities/Metropolis. However, this is yet again a one sided representation, as Earls silenced any motion of rural communities and farms, which also take up a large portion of Australian 'places'. This is evidently seen as according to National Farmers Federation the number of farms located in Australia number 140,704 and account for 12% of the Australian GDP (2010). As such, it can be concluded that both the novel and the poem, through representation of places, give us a incomplete representation of Australia.
Lastly, the events shown in both the novel and the poem yet again foreground an incomplete Australian representation. The poem "The Old Australian Ways" fashions this through its depiction of the actions of Australian people. Paterson writes on the actions of Australian people as the following "â€¦Then you must saddle up and go/Beyond the Queensland side/Beyond the reach of rule or law,/to ride the long day throughâ€¦" (Patterson, 1901). As such, Paterson writes that the actions of Australian people include riding horses freely throughout the land, and as such, promotes a representation of Australians as being akin to stockmen and itinerant workers, being free. However, the actions fore-grounded here yet again give an incomplete view of Australia, firstly through the fact that Paterson has silenced any sense of the commercialized Australia, and secondly through the fact that stockmen and itinerant workers were not free, but instead had to continuously work for their living, whether as leader on their own farm, or subordinate in another person's institution. The novel yet again follows suit, with its representation of events occurring giving a incomplete image of Australia. This is seen in the following excerpt from 48 Shades "â€¦now has champagne in one hand, wine in the other and several conversations going at once. Naomi is working on a spur-of-the-moment punch in the kitchen. Burns is gripping a beer as though it's a mother's handâ€¦" (Earls, 1998). This quote presents a chaotic side of Australia, with several out of the ordinary events occurring at once, but at the same time presents a free Australia, as the tone is generally relaxed with people doing things as they wish. However, yet again, his is incomplete, as it is a complacent view on events that occur in Australia, as with other such incidents as the world financial crisis taking place, it resulted in hardship for many Australians. This can be seen as even their nation of Australia had a debt in respect of 50% of their total gross domestic product by 2007 (Stubborn Mule, 2008). As such, through events presented in both the novel and the poem, Australia has been given an incomplete representation.
Thus, through Paterson's romanticism with the free stockman stereotype of people, the spring paradise Australia representation of places, and the silence of any idea o a commercialized Australia, he has given an incomplete representation of Australia. This is repeated in 48 Shades through Earls' ideology of an 'Sex, Beer, Attitude and Calculus' orientated Australia, the idea of Australia being a imperfect paradise, and his ignorance of real life troubles, as he yet again fails to attain a true representation of Australia. Thus, through the representation of people places events and things, both the novel and the poem present an incomplete Australia.
Top 10 countries of birth, 1901 and 2006 censuses
Country of birth
Country of birth
1 038 150
Sweden and Norway
Top 10 total
Top 10 total
2 581 470
1 834 560
Total overseas born
Total overseas born
4 416 030
Total Australian population
3 773 801
Total Australian population
19 855 290
Departmen Of Foreign Affairs and Trade (2008)