Something of Value by Eric Boyle

1. What criticism does Bogle make about white Australia in the first 5 lines?

Bogel criticises that white Australian's are content with their lives and are not thinking about other people who are struggling.

2. In what manner was Australia 'taken' according to the poet?

Australia was 'taken' "by the gun and the sword," meaning that it was violently and forcibly taken from the Aboriginal people by the British white people.

3. How did the British justify their taking of Australia?

The British justified taking Australia by saying it was "the right of our race and in the name of God."

4. Why should those who came and took Australia have known better?

They should have known better because they were "exiles [them]selves, transported [and] condemned. None knew better than [them] the injustice of men" This shows that these people had been treated the same way they treated the Aborigines and should have known not to treat them this way.

5. What words were used by the white invaders to describe the Aboriginal inhabitants?

The Aborigines were reffered to as "drunkards, wastrels and whores."

6. According to Bogle what opportunities did the whites have?

The whites had the opportunity of " a new dream, a new life, a new hope [and] a new land." They had "one last chance to break the chains of the past, to build something of value, something to last."

7. What is implied by the poet in the rhetorical question at the end of the second verse?

The poet rhetorically asks "is paradise here, after 200 years?" This was asked so the reader would consider whether the white people did the right thing when they arrived. It is meant to show the reader, that 200 years on, there are still many problems that have never been fixed and that Australia is not a paradise, at least not for the Aboriginal people.

8. In the last verse what does the poet urge Australians to do now and in the future? List words and phrases which deliberately position the reader in promoting Bogles ideology about the future.

He urges Australian's to "tally up the cost" of all the damage done by the white settlers to the Aboriginal people. He urges Australian's to change the future so this place really becomes the paradise it always could have been.

• "who wander through life, most helpless and blind"
• "our hundred steps forward, ninety-nine back"
• "the wise and the fools"
• "the indifferent, the caring, the kind and the cruel"

These lines all make the reader choose what they want to be or who they are.

Extension Task:

How do the texts "Advance Australia Fair" and "Something of Value", position the reader to accept their invited reading? In your opinion, which of the texts is the most successful?

The texts "Advance Australia Fair" and "Something of Value" position the reader very differently. "AAF" makes the reader believe Britain is good where as "SoV" positions the reader to feel the opposite. In my opinion, "Something of Value" is much more successful in positioning the reader and making them feel something.