Lm and SS essay prac 3 PDF

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To what extent do The 7 Stages of Grieving and The Longest Memory suggest that racism and intolerance can be overcome?

Set after the American civil war, in a society where the barbaric trade of slaves was normalised, Fred D’Aguiar’s novella “The Longest Memory” weaves a complex tale of life on a southern plantation, through the eyes of African-American slaves and white owners. Conversely, Wesley Enoch and Debrah Mailman’s collaborative Indigenous play, “Seven Stages of Grieving” gives a sense of disconnection yet acceptance and continuity through a recount monologue and vignettes where despite the differing situations and roles of individuals they all share the same story of grief that was a consequence of years of genocide and violence. Both texts showcase the concept of minority groups attempting to overcome the racism and intolerance that haunt them through traumatic memories and racial discrimination that arose post colonisation. In both texts, evocative characters from minority groups face extreme prejudice and racism, preventing them from experiencing true freedom and self worth. The authors potray the systemic racial discrimination and its detrimental effect on a characters’ sense of identity and belonging to a nation led by oppressive leaders. D'Auguar objectifies African American slaves to a monetary asset through the plantation owners, to help further illustrate the ideology of that were “inferior” and that “subservience, obedience and compliance (being) different” for the slaves as they were “quite literally, not like'' their white owners. The experiences of African American slaves in the novel is full of strife and suffering as they are called “mule, niggar, slaves” and the “answer to dog”, creating a lifetime of memories of dehumanisation and humiliation at the hands of their white owners.Furthermore, the brutality that chapel is subjected to upon capture, with the “whip...gorging” itself “upon his back”, highlights the physical suffering of slaves that is inherent part of slave experience, and is eternally remember by those “whose memor(ies) are as long as time”.While, Enoch and Mailman subjectify the Indigenous Australians to derogatory stares and “special treatment” in everyday situations as a consequence of institutionalised racism that exists in an effort by the white man to assimilate the indigenous community. Their children “stolen away to a safe place” stripping them of their culture as they were “told not to do'' what they have “always done”, in an attempt to prevent them from preserving their ”traditions”, “heritage” and “stories” as the only way to be accepted in a White Australia. Both literature works demonstrate how discrimination can have detrimental effects on the minority groups as they are prevented from making their own choices and living comfortably.

The recurring motif of inescapable and unbearable memories prevalent in both texts depicts the power of memories as it is the only thing characters can rely on to become stronger and move past pain. Both pieces centre around the nonlinear nature of painful memories, as fragments of Whitechapel “longest memory” of him sentencing his own son “ rises to the skin” and resurface throughout the novella, while the Indigenous woman representing her entire community shuffles between different experiences both personal and collective as she learns more about the

oppression of her ancestors, creating a vicious cycle of endless pain. Whitechapel who despite “witness(ing) without registering memory or sensation”, was unable to forget and his “memory ( had become) as long as time”. However, as the novella progresses, Whitechapel learns to free himself from the burdens of his past as he begins to elucidate the importance and significance of remembering painful memories as he comes to the realisation that the past “can’t be undone, only understood” allowing him to become more resilient and overcome his life long burden. Likewise, through the woman and her closest family members and other extended family and fellow indigenous people’s individual experiences, Enoch and Mailman suggest that memories of family and heritage can be joyful as they allow the women to proudly remember that she is “still black” and “beautiful” in a society that constantly puts her down. She learns to use her memories of grief to remember her heritage and cultural identity but as painful memories becomes too difficult to carry in the same way the suitcase become so physically heavy with the photograph of the dead, she moves towards her last stage of grief, an utter numbness to the point she “feel(s) nothing”. Both texts illustrate the influence of memories on learning to move past pain in order to become more free and move past trauma.

‘The Longest Memory’ and the ‘Seven Stages of Grieving’ similarly provide a sense of hope of acceptance, despite severe attempts made to degrade minority groups. Chapel rebels against the social norms and even drops the ‘white’ when inheriting his owner Mr. Whitechapel’s name, as he refuses to believe that this is “how the world was and would always be”. His progressive views lead to the beginning of a “Story of two star-crossed lovers”, a forbidden relationship with Lydia. Chapel and Lydia had “secret meetings” to help Chapel develop his literacy skills even though “The literacy of slaves is generally frowned upon”. Unexceptional of the social norms at the time Capel decides to run away in an attempt to start a new life as a free person but despite his determination for change and freedom, it is all short lived, as he is ultimately punished for his rebellion, as he was “whipped” to death. In a similar fashion, Enoch and Mailman present a short-lived hope for change, as the play grapples with the idea of a reconciliation after demonstrating how omnipresent and devastating colonial violence had on Aboriginal lives past, present and future. Though the idea of a (“wreck,” “con,” “silly,” “nation”) is mocked by the indigenous community as Enoch and Mailman portray through a dance of a woman who is left with the “letter z” and “topless” that symbolically represents her and her fellow indigenous people life as the assimilation had taken everything and left them vulnerable. Both texts depict the need for change in order for society to become more accepting of minority groups, but some changes are made drastically in an unwilling society and while others are not enough to relieve past pain.

In ‘The Longest Memory’ and ‘The Seven Stages of Grieving,’ characters from minority groups, struggle to overcome the racism and intolerance that is inflicted upon them by society. Piper portrays moments of hope for freedom from mistreatment and change but it is ultimately overshadowed by the ideas that the injustice African Americans and Indigenous Australians face can never be truly overcome however their suffering can be decreased and their sense of

belonging and identity can be strengthened....