Municipal gum (dp.lit) PDF

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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY LINGAYEN CAMPUS

In partial fulfillment of the requirements prescribe for the subject Global Currents and World Literature ( LIT 2 )

TOPIC : MUNICIPAL GUM BY OODGEROO NOONUCCAL BY KATH WALKER

OCTOBER 2020 Prepared by : CAROLINO MYRA C. CUARESMA JOSHUA S. II BSEd ENGLISH – A

Prepared for : DR. PRESLEY DE VERA INSTRUCTOR

OUTLINE I.

The poem •Poem analysis • Background of the Author •Author’s Inspiration

II.

Elements •Figures of speech •Other elements of poetry

III.

Conclusion

IV.

Definition of words

V.

References

CHAPTER 7 : AUSTRALIA AND THE PACIFIC

I.

The poem : MUNICIPAL GUM BY OODGEROO NOONUCCAL BY KATH WALKER

Gumtree in the city street, Hard bitumen around your feet, Rather you should be In the cool world of leafy forest halls And wild bird calls Here you seems to me Like that poor cart-horse Castrated, broken, a thing wronged, Strapped and buckled, it’s hell prolonged Whose hung head and listless mien express Its hopelessness. Municipal gum, it is dolorous To see you thus Set in your black grass of bitumen -O fellow citizen, What have they done to us?

I.

POEM ANALYSIS

Municipal Gum was Written by Oodjeroo Noonuccal, and the poem is all about the changes in society and the tendency of people to want to control everything. Oodgeroo uses various techniques to convey this idea. At the beginning of the poem Oodgeroo is addressing the tree, this immediately creates empathy for both the tree and her people. By the last line she has emphasized this with the pronoun “us” to show that they suffer a similar fate. This poem expresses how life in Australia has changes especially for Aboriginal people. In the first half of the poem Oodgeroo is talking about how life was for her and others. It explores the changes in society and the displacement of the Aboriginal people from their land. Whose head hung and listless mien express, Its hopelessness. The author uses this as further re-iteration of the immortality of the situation and by the use of analogy comparing the tree to her people to further emphasized the shame and lack of control or that the Europeans have inflected upon her and the environment. Oodgeroo uses extended metaphor technique in the very first line of the poem “Hard bitumen around your feet “. This means that the Gumtree has been place in the city scape where it is suppressed and not allowed to spread out and to be unique in its own way. This is clear and immanently direct link to the pain and have been made throughout the poem. Oodgeroo, is advocating for her people and all things wronged by the controlling behavior of the Europeans. Rhetorical questions are used to provoke thought and to stimulate a pre-determined response. “What have they done to us “. They have “castrated,

broken… strapped and buckled “ and ultimately changed things to point that they cannot be fixed.

•BACKGROUND OF THE AUTHOR

Oodgeroo ( meaning ‘paperbark tree’s ) of the Noonuccal people of Stradbroke Island was known as Kath Walker until she returned to her language, name in 1988 as a sign of protest against Australia’s Bicentenary celebrations and as a symbol of pride in an Aboriginal heritage. Brought up on North Stradbroke Island East of Brisbane, Oodgeroo Noonuccal was educated at Dunwich State School until the age of thirteen and then became a domestic servant. She joined the army during the war and in 1942 married her childhood friend Bruce Walker, a descendant from the Logan and Albert River peoples near Brisbane. They had two offspring, Denis Walker and Vivian Walker who both later took language names. From the 1960s Oodgeroo Noonuccal became increasingly involved in civil rights and the Aboriginal activist movements and held several public position. One of the founding members of the federal council for the advancement of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders, she serves as state secretary for ten years and in this capacity she was a leader in the campaign to grant Aboriginal people full citizenship rights in the 1967 referendum. From the 1970s Oodgeroo Noonuccal was chairperson of the National Tribal Council, the Aboriginal Arts Board, the Aboriginal Housing Committee and the Queensland Aboriginal Advancement League. As a writer , delegate and spokesperson for her people’s cause she travelled in China, Europe, the US and Africa , representing Aboriginal Australia. Oodgeroo Noonuccal was awarded honorary doctorates by several universities and received numerous awards. She was made MBE but returned the honour in 1988, as a protest against the government’s lack of support for Aboriginal rights. In addition to her reputation as a poet of national and international recognition, Oodgeroo Noonuccal is also known as a pioneer in Aboriginal education having open her home at

Moongalba for educational camps for both. She described herself as an educator, storyteller and poet. As well as writing poetry, Oodgeroo Noonuccal wrote and illustrated Children’s books performed in Films and actively supported Black Australia theatre. A film shadow sister, was made about her in 1977 by Frank Heimans. Oodgeroo Noonuccal was buried with great ceremony on Stradbroke Island. AUTHOR’S INSPIRATION Oodgeroo used her experience to create the poem as she too was an indigenous person that was mistreated by the British.

II.

ELEMENTS

FIGURES OF SPEECH Elements

Explanation

Example

Simile

Comparing two things

“Here you seem to me like

using ‘like ‘ or ‘as’.

that poor cart-horse “.

Comparing two thing using

Saying that tree is a

‘is ‘.

“citizen” is a metaphor that

Metaphor

highlights the continual forced labelling of first nations people in terms of their identity.

Personification

Are there any human-like

“Gumtree in the City Street

qualities given any animals

Hard Bitumen around your

or objects.

feet “ The objects become mirrors for the author’s or character sentiments.

Apostrophe

Is an arrangement of words

The exclamation “Oh” is

addressing someone who

often used at the beginning

does not exist or is not

of the phrase. The person,

present.

object, or creature is spoken to as though they can hear and understand the speaker’s words, even if they can’t .

Alliteration

Repetition of the same

“Hung” , “Head”

sound via the first letter of words. Hyperbole

Exaggerating an image or

The word “ hell “ is

idea.

hyperbole and metaphorical. It serves to emphasize the gravity of what the author is saying.

Onomatopoeia

Words that mimic a sound

“Bang “, “Biss” ,”Whisper”

OTHER ELEMENTS OF POETRY Elements

Explanation

Examples

Symbolism

Using symbol to represent

The Municipal

the essence of another

Gum symbolizes

thing.

Noonuccal and first nations people.

Allusion

Making reference to other

Noonuccal is alluding to

known works of literature,

the history of

events in history and or

dispossession,

people (fictional or not).

identification and colonization in Australia.

Assonance

Repetition of the same

“ Gumtree in the city street “. ee

sound via assonance. Consonance

Rhyme Scheme

Repetition of the same

“ listless mien express “ .

sound via consonants.

ss

Repetition of similar

AABCCBDEEFFFDGGD

sounds, rhyme often

There are a few moments

appears at the end of a line

where the poet uses half -

(end-rhyme, like in this

rhymes rather than full

Rhythm

example) but it can appear

rhymes. For example,

anywhere in the poem.

“Cart-horse and “Thus”.

The beat made by the flow

Read the poem and tap to

of each stanza

the beat. Which words are emphasized, prolonged or muted.

Rhetorical Question

A question asked in order

“ Oh fellow citizen what

to create a dramatic effect

have they done to us “ this

or to make a point rather

is rhetorical question as the

than to get an answer.

author does not expect an answer.

Theme

The idea or purpose of the

The themes are

whole poem.

dispossession, interrelatedness and Colonization.

Tone

The manner in which the

The tone is mournful and

author expresses the topic

begrudging.

and theme – their attitude.

“Castrated, broken, a thing wronged, strapped and buckled, its hell prolonged “.

Voice

Who is the narrator?

The voice is of Noonuccal

Is it the author?

herself observing the

Is it a fictional character,

tree.“ Here you seem to me

human or non-human?

“.

What are they saying and how are they saying it? Mood

The atmosphere created by

Sombre, mournful, bleak

the author (established hey

and dark.

theme, topic and tone ).

“ Oh fellow citizen, What have they done to us? “

Imagery

This can be visual,

Visual – “Gumtree in the

auditory, tactile, olfactory

city street “

and sensuous.

Auditory – “A wild bird calls”.

Enjambment

Juxtaposition

Occurs when a line is cut

There are example

off before its natural

throughout the poem,

stopping point. It forces

including the transition

reader down to the next

between line three and four

line, and the next quickly.

as well as six and seven.

The fact of two things

The poet upset our

being seen or place close

expectations by in the first

together with contrasting

line by putting “Gumtree

effect.

“ Alongside “City street “ an unusual place for a tree.

III.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Municipal Gum is a poem about the constriction and change that the European invaders forced upon the Aboriginal community and the environment , she believes that the Europeans have deemed themselves ever powerful and practice their power in a manner that is immoral.

IV.

DEFINITION OF WORDS

Bitumen – a solid surface much like concrete used mainly for roads and footpaths. Municipal – a community of some sort. Mien – a person’s appearance or manner, especially as an indication of their character or mood. Dolorous – a feeling of sorrow or distress.

V.

References

Scully L. (2017) Municipal Gum by Prezi. Prezi Inc. Retrieved from https://prezi.com/ak9tl8or937_/municipal-gum-prezi/

Red Room (2018) Index of poetic techniques. Retrieved from

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://redroomcompan y.org/media/uploads/index_of_poetic_techniques.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwivuYj7rrsAhVOPnAKHfEjDzoQFjATegQIDBAB&usg=AOvVaw1kh0uAv61b3kh8keiRyKH&cshid=1602914755030

Sheko T. (2015) Municipal Gum by Oodgeroo Noonuccal. Word press. com Retrieved from https://www.google.com/amp/s/mhsenglish10c.wordpress.com/2016/02/23/municipal -gum-by-oodgeroo-noonuccal/amp/

https://www.coursehero.com/file/38848459/Municipal-Gum-Analysispdf/

Nguyen T. (2013) Municipal Gum . Retrieved from https://hellopoetry.com/poem/459452/municipalgum/#:~:text=In%20conclusion%2C%20Municipal%20Gum%20is,a%20manner %20that%20is%20immoral....