unit  3

Identity
The big question
How is identity constructed?
Key learnings
●● Personal and group identity exists within a cultural context.
●● Identity can be constructed and represented for a mass audience.
●● Audiences are positioned through written and spoken language to
respond to a constructed reality.

Knowledge, skills and understandings

Students will:
●● understand how the media constructs celebrity identity
●● understand how political and social factors affect personal or group
identity
●● analyse and identify how values, attitudes
and beliefs are conveyed in texts and
how readers are positioned
●● analyse visual texts
●● use spoken language for effect.

61
I am . . .

I’d get a shorter haircut

Trade in my holey jeans
And generally be more holy.
Wholly dumb
Wholly boring
And wholly
Someone else.
— From Wishing
by Cameron Robinson

A lot of people think us

blackfullas are all the same,
but we’re not. There are about
five hundred groups across
the country with about two
hundred and fifty different
languages  .  .  .  We don’t all
speak the same, do the same
dances, tell the same stories,
sing the same songs.
— From Njunjul the Sun
by Meme McDonald
and Boori Monty Pryor

62  English is … Year 9

Who am I?
We are all individuals, and that individuality is based on our own unique identity.
Identity allows us to answer the question ‘Who am I?’ and shows itself in the way we
dress and speak; the friends we choose; our hobbies; and the music, films and books
Language link
we like. The values and beliefs we live by are also part of our identity. By establishing Nicknames and
our personal identity, we are able to feel secure in who we are and how we relate to personas
others. Do you know Chick Rebel,
Identity can operate on a number of levels, such as personal, group and national. As Mysterious Viper, Chinchilla
Pink, Lone Genius, Emu
an individual we also belong to many social groups that contribute to our identity. A Pete and Sleepy Dude? You
person may be a daughter, niece, sister, high school student, gamer and netball player. might think you do, because
Each group has a set of characteristics and rules around its membership. they are fellow members
of an online roleplay group
We also have a community, state or national identity that defines our sense of
that you contribute to.
belonging as, say, a Sydneysider, a Victorian or an Australian. But perhaps Chick Rebel is
actually the online persona
Tuning in of a retired public servant
and Chinchilla Pink is your
1 Brainstorm and compare: In a small group, use a large sheet of paper to write
science teacher. (That’s the
as many words or phrases you can each think of that relate in some way to your same science teacher that
identity. Then compare your group’s offerings with that of other groups. You could you and your friends call
enter the whole class’s words or phrases into Wordle.net and see which words ‘Einstein’, by the way.) But
in your online group, these
appear the most. What does this tell you about how identity might be defined and personas are the norm,
explained? and the jargon you use
2 Find out: — acronyms such as OOC
(out of character) and IC (in
a What does the term multiculturalism mean? What level of identity does this term
character) — is common to
refer to? the group.
b What is identity theft and why is it a serious crime?
Many people now have an
c How do voice recognition and iris scanning work? online identity or persona
3 Discuss and decide: that may or may not be
a What does it mean if someone or something is described as ‘un-Australian’? the same as their offline
identity. The roles and
b How important is a personal handwriting style to someone’s identity? Is the
relationships that exist
art of writing by hand doomed because technology dominates our personal online can be quite different
communication? from those that exist in
4 Draw and write: Draw a graphic organiser like the one below. Put your name in face-to-face situations.
the centre and write any facts or characteristics that are special or unique to you in Why do you think people
the other boxes. Then write a short paragraph describing yourself, based on your enjoy creating a persona
or ‘nick’ for themselves
graphic organiser. to use in certain social
situations? Do you have
any that you use? If so,
how did they arise?

Kristen Need to know

persona  an assumed
identity. It is also the person
who we understand to be
writing, thinking or speaking
a literary text; not the same
as the author, but like a mask
that the author puts on.

  Unit 3   Identity  63
   Celebrity identity
3.1
Need to know
How does the media construct identity?
mass media  all means of The mass media has become an important part of modern life. It is now a major
communication that are able to source of information and has the power to influence the lives of ordinary people. The
reach a large audience.
twentieth century has become known as the century of communication, beginning
representation  the
with the emergence of motion pictures and moving through radio broadcasting,
presentation, in words or
images, of the identifying television, personal computers, the internet and social networking. In each phase,
characteristics of a communication has widened, so that in the twenty-first century we have at our
particular thing or person disposal more means than ever of interacting with others.
Media choice is closely tied up with individual identity. You might always read a
particular celebrity magazine or watch a certain type of television program or listen
to a type of music. Critics say that the media dominates our lives and distorts reality
through its representations of people and issues.

Images of celebrity
Mass media makes the celebrity culture possible: without magazines, newspapers
and the internet, people could not easily become famous. Celebrities in their private
and public lives are presented in the media as individuals with great glamour and
wealth. We avidly follow their love affairs, break-ups and other life events as if we
know them personally. We see images of them at award ceremonies, out shopping, on
holiday in exotic locations and at the latest nightclub. Each of these images appears
to be spontaneous yet is designed to create a particular effect. The media, especially
These celebrities are often magazines, create a persona for individual celebrities with words and images. Readers
described as icons of style, are positioned to accept that these personas are the true identity of the celebrity.
fashion or culture.

Language link
The meaning of words over time The additional definitions show how words and their
In 1981, the first edition of the Macquarie Dictionary included meanings can change and develop over time, often as a
three definitions for the word icon. It was defined as (1) a picture, result of popular culture and technology.
image or other representation; (2) a painting of a sacred person; Which of the Macquarie Dictionary definitions applies to
and (3) a sign or representation which stands for its object by the use of the word ‘icon’ in the following sentences?
virtue of a resemblance to it. ●● By clicking on the icon of the tree, you can go to the
The latest edition of the Macquarie Dictionary has six definitions section of the website about the company’s environmental
for icon: the three above but also (4) a person who is seen by a practices.
community as closest to an admired stereotype; (5) an artefact, ●● The band’s latest song evokes memories of James Dean, Bob
practice which is associated with a way of life so strongly that it Dylan and other icons of cool.
comes to be seen as a symbol of it; and (6) a picture on a video ●● The kangaroo and the koala are recognisable icons for
display unit screen representing an instruction or menu option. tourists to Australia.

64  English is … Year 9

Wordsmith . . .
Reading visual texts
When we look at a visual text such as a photograph, movie poster, diagram or painting,
we are engaged in a receptive process, just as we are when we read printed words
on a page. So we can say that we ‘read’ a visual text. Moreover, just like written texts,
visual texts have a grammar or systematic structure and features, which have an effect
on the ‘reader’. The visual grammar aspects of a photographic image include: the
subject/s of the photograph; the setting or background details; the body language of
the subject/s; angle, positioning and framing; the effects of lighting; and the dominant
colours. All these combine in the overall composition of the image that we see.
Consider the following photographic image of the global celebrity icon of popular
music, Lady Gaga. The annotations explain the visual grammar of the photograph.

Camera angle: This Position: Lady Gaga is Body language: Lady Gaga’s
is just above eye located near the centre of the smiling face is in contrast
level, allowing the photograph. The sea of out- to the serious faces of her
viewer to feel part of-focus faces strengthens bodyguards. Lady Gaga has
of the scene. her central location. a relaxed body language
whereas the bodyguards are
tense and serious.
Gaze: The
bodyguards are
looking away from
the camera and into
the crowd.

Composition: The
composition of Framing: The
the photograph medium shot
suggests the shows the
excitement of Lady subjects from
Gaga’s arrival and waist up and so
anticipation of the allows the viewer
entertainment to to get a sense
follow. of the crowded
scene.

Lady Gaga attends New Year’s Eve celebrations in Times Square New York.

1 What other annotations could you add about the choice of subject,
lighting, setting and colours?
2 If the photograph was reframed to show only the head and shoulders of
Lady Gaga, how might your reading of this image change?

Over to you …
Look at the photograph of Jennifer Lawrence arriving at the Los Angeles
premiere of The Hunger Games in 2012. Create annotations for the
photograph that explain the visual grammar.

  Unit 3   Identity  65
 Celebrity identities in photographs and articles
The promotion of celebrities is carefully constructed, and articles and photographs of
celebrities need to be composed according to the ‘image’ (as in impression) or identity
being put forward to the public. Lady Gaga has been described by the media as ‘the
perfect Wiki-Google YouTube-era pop star’. She herself describes her image as a mix of
fantasy and reality. The photographs below show the extremes of her public identity.

The following extract is from an article about Lady Gaga in a magazine that styles itself
as a leader in fashion trends and in presenting the lifestyles of the rich and famous.
Before you read the extract, your teacher may ask you to complete the following
Ready to Read activities.

READY TO READ …
●● What features do you expect to see when you read a magazine article?
●● Scan the text to identify any words that you are unfamiliar with and find out
their meanings.
●● Discuss these words with a neighbour — both their meanings and the
context in which they are used.
●● Notice the quotations that are used in the article.

66  English is … Year 9

 The title is eye-catching, with
the promise of a disclosure,
Will the real enticing the reader to discover

Lady Gaga the real Lady Gaga.

please step
forward?
by Lily Barratt

. . . My interview with Lady Gaga was scheduled for two. I sat in a
luxurious backstage room, waiting for the mandatory grand entrance
of a superstar. After all, she has already sold an estimated 23 million
5 albums and 64 million singles.
Nothing then prepared me for the petite, natural beauty that
entered the room, dressed in jeans, dark glasses and a simple black shirt,
her hair falling simply to her shoulders. Indeed it took me a heart-
stopping moment to realise it was the grande dame herself, and not a
10 member of her staff. What would her little monsters make of this?
Her reply to that question (after pleasantries had been exchanged cosplay: a kind of performance
along with tea and lemon) was that she was always the same person art in which the participants
whether she was dressed for performing or relaxing afterwards. When dress in costumes to represent
I politely enquired whether the layers of make-up, the fantastic a character or idea, especially
15 costuming and ‘performance art’ that characterised her performances from manga or anime (15)
could be seen as a natural extension of her or a cosplay construct, A rhetorical question is used
the equally polite reply was, ‘Am I not myself, no matter what my to encourage the readers to
appearance?’ agree with her. Accepting
her viewpoint is an invited
From a relatively humble origin in Manhattan’s west, Lady Gaga
reading. See the Literacy link on
20 insists that family values are important and that she is mostly at home page 69. (16–17)
cooking pasta for her family. The surreal vision of Lady Gaga with
frypan in hand is an interesting one to summon up, sitting as it does
beside the famous meat dress at the MTV Awards in 2010.
As we talked, it became clear that Lady Gaga holds strong values, not
25 only of family but also of work ethic and being true to oneself and one’s
fans. Her little monsters seem to form an important part of her life. She Repetition of the word ‘I’
says, ‘I am loyal to my fans and I work hard to give them excitement and emphasises her identity and
opinions. (26–27)
pleasure. They expect the unexpected and I strive for that.’
A three-day holiday is as long a break as she takes — her visit to This suggests that the journalist
30 Sydney reputedly saw her invite 20 friends to join her, all expenses paid. is still unsure of who is the ‘real’
‘I don’t like to be lonely’, she says, with an enigmatic smile. Lady Gaga. (31)

  Unit 3   Identity  67
 Activities . . . 
Understanding representations of celebrity
identity
Getting started
 1 With a partner, brainstorm words that you could use to describe how Lady Gaga
is portrayed in each of the photographs on page 66 and the photograph that
illustrates the article.
 2 Which photograph best represents your view of Lady Gaga? Explain your choice.
 3 Who wrote the article? Whose words are enclosed in quotation marks in the
article?
 4 What is the subject matter of the article? Write down any key words or phrases
from the article that helped you work out the subject matter.
Working through
  5 The photographs and article suggest that Lady Gaga has a dual identity: the
personal and the public. Create a table like the one below using a ruler or the
‘Insert table’ function in Word to record the apparent characteristics of each
identity.

Public identity Personal identity

  6 Describe the purpose of, and intended audience for, each of the photographs on
pages 66 and 67. What message is being conveyed to the viewer in each?
Going further
  7 What is the nature of the ‘surreal vision’ referred to by the journalist?

Analysing and evaluating representations of celebrity

identity
Getting started
 8 How important is the setting or background in the first two photographs (on
page 66) of Lady Gaga? Would you recognise her in each of the photographs
without the background? Why or why not?
 9 Would Lady Gaga agree with the description of her as being a ‘natural beauty’ in
the article? Explain, using evidence from the article to support your view.
10 How long do you think Lady Gaga will be famous? Justify your opinion.
11 Have you watched a video online that has gone viral and made someone
famous? Why do you think many ordinary people want to have their ‘15 minutes
of fame’?
Working through
12 How does the lack of a particular setting in the ‘personal’ photograph of Lady
Gaga affect your view of her celebrity image?
13 Lady Gaga has reputedly said, ‘Artifice is the new reality.’  What do you think she
means when she says this? Does this sum up what the mass media does in its
representations of celebrity identity?

68  English is … Year 9

14 Why are Lady Gaga’s fans referred to as ‘little monsters’?
15 What evidence is there in the article to suggest Lady Gaga works hard?
16 In small groups, discuss what other information about Lady Gaga you would
need in order to really know about her private identity (as opposed to her public
one).
17 Would Lady Gaga have become famous if the mass media did not exist? Explain.
Going further
18 What aspects of celebrity do the images position us to value as important?
19 What do you see as the invited reading of the article? What would be a resistant
reading? (See the Literary link below.)
20 Could you argue that Lady Gaga is a good role model for teenagers? Use the
information in the images and article to support a positive or negative response
to this proposition.

RESPONDING to representations of celebrity identity

Getting started
21 Write three questions you would ask either Lady Gaga or another celebrity to
find out about the ‘real’ person behind the celebrity.
Working through
22 ‘Celebrity is a construction of the media’. Debate this topic.
Going further
23 In small groups, discuss this statement: ‘The cult of celebrity creates
unrealistic expectations in impressionable people, particularly
teenagers’.

Literacy link
Positioning the reader
An underlying aim of media texts is to promote we read a text the way the writer intended
a certain set of beliefs and values. In newspapers it to be read, and accept its values, we are
and magazines, the headlines, photographs and adopting the invited reading. When we
articles all work together to persuade readers to don’t accept the underlying values of the
accept these beliefs and values. text, we are adopting a resistant reading. As
This may mean that they report for dramatic a reader, your social, cultural and historical
effect. Perhaps they select only certain facts to background will influence whether your
include; change the chronology of events; or reading of a text is invited or resistant.
provide a particular interpretation of events Experiment with rewriting a familiar
and actions. The writer’s purpose is to persuade fairytale such as Snow White. You could
the reader to agree with their viewpoint. This is tell the story from a feminist point of view,
known as positioning the reader. for example, and change some aspects of
The reader can either accept and endorse the Snow White’s character. What is its new
writer’s viewpoint or can challenge the ideas, invited reading?
values and beliefs offered by the text. When

My view . . .
Is identity a simple or a complex concept? Do you think you can truly understand
who someone really is from reading about and seeing them in the media?

  Unit 3   Identity  69
   Identities under threat
3.2
Need to know How might political and social factors affect personal or
Australia’s Indigenous
peoples  Australian Aborigines group identity?
and Torres Strait Islanders;
Throughout history, many people — minority ethnic groups, indigenous peoples,
the peoples who inhabited
what we now call Australia religious groups, social sub-cultures — have had to struggle to keep their identity in
and the Torres Strait Islands at the face of deliberate or unintended discrimination, outright persecution or even well-
the time of English discovery meaning political policy. Their historical and ongoing struggles show how important a
and settlement of Australia
sense of identity and belonging is to the human species. The desire to preserve unique
cultures and identities within a wider culture and national identity remains a burning
issue for many groups, such as the Jewish people, the Lapps in Finland, the Romany
people (often known as gypsies) and Australia’s Indigenous peoples.

The following song lyrics tell of the spiritual connection to the land (or Country),
which is fundamental to Indigenous identity and sense of self. ‘Galupa’, by Geoffrey
Gurrumul Yunupingu, highlights the plight of Australia’s Indigenous people and their
struggle to keep or reclaim their traditional lands in the face of white settlement for
Use the Gurrumul more than two centuries. The impact on their wellbeing and sense of identity when
weblink in your separated from their Country is severe.
eBookPLUS to read other
Before you read the lyrics, your teacher may ask you to complete the following
lyrics by Gurrumul.
Ready to Read activities.

READY TO READ …
●● Note that because this is a song lyric, it is written in verses,
with spaces between verses.
●● Because this is not prose, some of the ‘sentences’ may read
very differently. Often words, especially verbs, may be left
out; look for examples of this.
●● Note the absence of punctuation marks in the lyrics. Use
the line endings to help you work out the sense of the
verse.

70  English is … Year 9

 1 Galupa
by Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu
Wuyupthurrunana dhawal Galupangu The song was originally written
ngirrpunydja ngarraku ngathinana in the language of the Gumatj
clan. (1)
5 nhenydja ngarraku djirrmilyurruna
manhanhayurra bayma Bekulngura
nirrpungura dhuwalinydja, bapawala Banynydjiwala
The song is broken into
Go ngilimurru nhina yarrarrayun different stanzas, each of which
yolngu Bandirriya dharwulngurana explores a particular idea. (8)
10 wanga marrkapmirri wanga marrkapmirri
ngarrakungu bonal nherranhara gapany gopulu

The traditional names of the

Dhuwalana dhawal Nhalilangu Gunyangara. Gunyangarriyu
land are invoked to give the
Gawupu Butjumurru. Lepa-Bandirriya Guymalamurru reader/listener a sense of their
nhenydja ngarraku milng’milngthurruna Nambangura Bandirriya history and their importance
for those who know them well.
15 Y..a Djarrami. y..a Batumang (12–13)
nirrpungura dhuwalinydja wawawala

Wanhakana gunda Yunupuyngu. Birayngu Luku-mangamirri?

wangawuy Dhamungura, Garrabalangu Djingupangu
ya gunda Yunupuyngu, ya gunda Birayngu
20 ya gunda Marrulayngu, wangawuy Dhamungura luku-nherranmina
luku-nherranmina, luku-nherranmina

1 (English translation)
The country Galupa disappearing from sight The narrator introduces the by
making a very clear statement
My mind is crying
about what it is about: the loss
You stand there for me of traditional lands. (2)
5 Standing, stay there, at Bekulngura
In the mind of aunty Banunydji Emotive language conveys the
narrator’s feelings to the reader.
(3)
Come let’s all sit lined together
ancestors at Bandirriya under the dharwul shade tree
beloved country, beloved country Repetition of a phrase helps to
10 on Gumatj ground a site cleared by me reinforce its importance to the
narrator and his community. (9)

Here are the places Nhalilangu Gunyangara, Gunyangarri

Gawupu Butjumurru, Lepa-Bandirriya Guymalamurru
You my (country) are bright in my eyes The narrator sees his country as
a person. (13)

Oh Djarrami, oh Batumang
15 in the mind of my brother
The English translation retains
Where is the rock called Yunupuyngu, Birayngu Luku-mangamirri? place names in the Indigenous
of that place Dhamungura, Garrabalangu Djingupangu language. (16)
oh Rock Yunupuyngu, oh Rock Birayngu
Written & Composed by Gurrumul
oh Rock Marrulayngu, put down its feet at Dhamungura Yunupingu. Published by
20 put down its feet, put down its feet. Skinnyfish & Sony/ATV Music
Publishing Australia.

  Unit 3   Identity  71
 Activities . . .
Understanding song lyrics
Getting started
 1 What is the name of Gurrumul’s country?
 2 Choose (a) a line from the English version of the song you find easy to
understand and (b) one that you find difficult to understand. Explain why you
found this so.
  3 What did you notice about the version in Gurrumul’s own language?
Working through
  4 Explain what you think Gurrumul meant in the following lines of ‘Galupa’.
a ‘My mind is crying’
b ‘Come let’s all sit lined together’
c ‘You my (country) are bright in my eyes’
  5 Who do you think is the intended audience for the song ‘Galupa’? What makes
you say this?
  6 Find an example of personification in the English version of the song lyrics.
What is being personified?
Going further
  7 With a partner, try to find all the place names in the lyrics and list them. Why
wouldn’t you find them on an atlas map of Australia?

Responding to song lyrics

Getting started
 8 Choose a line from the song that you find most powerful. Why does this line
affect you more than other lines?
Working through
  9 What is the mood of these song lyrics? Consider sad, joyful, angry, despairing,
optimistic, excited, or any other word that you think sums up the mood. Use
some evidence from the song lyrics to justify the word or words you have
chosen.
10 Songs are not just meant to be read; they should be listened to as well. If you
can, listen to ‘Galupa’ as a class, and then at least once more on your own.
While listening, write down any impressions you get from the background
music or from Gurrumul’s voice. Then consider whether this adds to your
understanding of the words of the song. Share your thoughts as part of a class
discussion.
11 How do these song lyrics exemplify the issue of Indigenous identity? Discuss
this question in small groups and report the result of your discussion to the
rest of your class.
Going further
12 Use the My Country weblink in your eBookPLUS to read Dorothea Mackellar’s
poem ‘My Country’. What similarities and differences can you notice between it
and ‘Galupa’? How would you account for these?
13 Very few non-Indigenous Australians can speak or understand an Indigenous
language. Music is often described as a universal language. How might music
break down barriers between cultural groups?

72  English is … Year 9

Stolen children
On 13 February 2008, the then Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, delivered a historic speech
saying sorry to the Aboriginal people for all the injustices that had been inflicted
on them since the settlement of Australia by white people. As a result of various
government policies, traditional Aboriginal communities were broken up and limited
to certain areas under strict control. Administrators of the policies were given huge
powers over Aboriginal peoples and this eventually led to Aboriginal children of mixed
parentage being taken from their parents and families. This took place over a period of
a hundred years from the late 1860s onwards. They were called the Stolen Generations.
Historical texts and primary sources, such as letters, documents and photographs,
give first-hand accounts of events and help to create stories of past lives. The following
texts give some insight into the lives of Aboriginal people who were separated from
their families, communities and lands, and denied their culture by government policies
and actions.
Before you view and read the texts, your teacher may ask you to complete the
following Ready to Read activities.

READY TO READ …
●● Look at the historical photograph and jot down things that you can see.
●● Read the caption under the photograph and the background information in
the text box beside it. Look up any unfamiliar words in a dictionary.
●● In a three-column KWL
chart, record what you
Know (K) and Want to
Know (W) about the Stolen
Generations. Complete
what you have Learned (L)
at the end of this section.

Text 1
The advertisement at right
appeared in the Melbourne
Herald in 1934. The Minister of the
Interior planned to find homes in
Melbourne or Sydney for children
from the Kahlin and Bungalow
homes in the Northern Territory.
The homes were for children who
had been removed from their
parents. Under the photograph is
a reply from a woman wanting to
take one of the children.

  Unit 3   Identity  73
 Text 2
Peggy’s story
During the Depression, Peggy was relocated with
her family to Cherbourg, a state Aboriginal reserve in
central Queensland. Her oral history has been recorded
and transcribed as a part of the government’s Bringing
Them Home: The ‘Stolen Children’ report, written in 1997.

Peggy
1 My family went to Cherbourg. They volunteered to go there during the
Depression. So I would have been about 6 months old when grandfather, The opening sentence locates
who was, I mean, he was independent. He had eight kids, all birthed the extract and indicates a first-
out in the trees you know, under the stars. My mother spoke her own person narrative. The narrative
5 language. She had me with the promise to marry my father. And then is autobiographical in content
and is an oral history. (1)
when the Depression came they talked to the policeman. He said go
to Buramba. When things get better come back out again. He was the The text records the narrator’s
Protector so he sent them there. The thing is though; when we got there speech, so it is colloquial and
natural. (3)
you got caught up in the system. You weren’t allowed out anymore.
10 The decision that my grandfather made at the time, he didn’t know birthed: born (3)
that that would split his whole family up. Proper noun with capital letter
indicates his official status and
function. (8)

Children at Cherbourg c. 1959

74  English is … Year 9

 My Dad was away. He thought we had died. He didn’t know what had
happened. No-one else seemed to know where we had disappeared to.
The whole family went to Cherbourg. Mum said when they got there
15 they were immediately split up. Mum said the superintendent said, Peggy’s narrative contains a
‘Agnes, you can’t live in the camp with your small baby and you have to retelling of her mother’s story.
go into the dormitory.’ (15)
Mum thinks that’s just  .  .  .  She won’t talk about it. She’s in denial. She An ellipsis indicates an
said they did it for our good because there was no room in the camp. But unfinished sentence and
20 I said, ‘You lived in Ayumba with your old people when you was outside. reflects the spontaneity of
Why would it now be different that you didn’t want to live with them?’ Peggy’s narration. (18)
She said, ‘Well, they offered the dormitory to me, so I took you there.’ Non-standard use of grammar
I was 6 months old. Because the dormitory is such a big place and it’s (20)
made up, you know  .  .  .  it’s split that way [in half ] downstairs with your Any comments by the recorder
25 women that side, your girls that side. or editor of Peggy’s oral
narrative are shown in brackets.
I stayed with my Mum for 4 years on that side with the other mothers.
(24)
The boys went into the boys’ home — my grandfather’s sons. And he had
Mum’s younger sister and younger brother — they stayed with the old Repetition of time spent
with her mother indicates its
people. But the rest of them — the boys — were put in a home. Mum
importance to the narrator.
30 was put in the dormitory. I stayed with her until I was 4 years of age. You (26,30)
slept with your mother because there was basically no room for a cot or
anything and for the 4 years you’re there living with her.
But when I turned 4, and because I was such an intelligent child,
sneaking off to school because all the other kids are going  .  .  .  matron
35 made the decision that ‘Peggy has to go to school’. And so immediately
that decision was made, I was transferred over to this section. I was taken
away from her. Separating her from me was a grill. There was chicken
wire across there. That was the extent of how far you could go to this
[other] side.
40 Once you were separated from your Mum, you’re not to go back to Repetition stresses the nature
her again. Absolutely no interaction. You have a bed on your own. No of the separation involved
(40–42)
contact during the day. I’m out of her control. She is no longer actually
my mother type of thing. So you go under the care and control of the
Government. That’s what happened  .  .  .
45 I didn’t get to know her. To me she was just the woman who comes Use of pronouns when
and goes. When I was 5 she went again. They sent her out to work. I referring to Peggy’s mother
indicates the forced breakdown
remember the night the taxi pulled up to take her.
of their relationship. (45–47)
Again, there was nothing emotional because if you were a little girl
on this side you got into trouble for crying. You couldn’t show emotion.
50 Here at this wire grill I could just hear the director of the management
call out to me, ‘Is that you Peggy?’. They could just see my little form
there sitting at the wire grill.
‘You don’t get to bed, you’ll be punished!’ And so, go to bed. If I’m
crying at night, ‘Is that you Peggy, crying again?’ And so it just went on.
55 You’ve got about 60 or 70 other kids there, so why cry for your mother
because kids are going to look after you and think ‘she’s crying for her
mother’. You got to show your anger some place. Non-standard grammar (57)
I remember that night. We had to sing prayers at night, and I could
catch up, I mean, it didn’t take me long to know what the system is all A filler expression allows Peggy
60 about. You’re better off living within that system rather than out of it. to gather her thoughts. (59)
You go with it.

  Unit 3   Identity  75
 Activities . . . 
Understanding and analysing personal histories
Getting started
 1 Describe the group of young girls in the photograph (Text 1). Consider
their dress, their age, and the expression on their faces.
 2 The girls were described in the caption to Text 1 as half-caste and quadroon.
Look up these terms in a dictionary to help explain their meanings.
 3 In Text 2, what happened to Peggy’s family when they reached Cherbourg?
Working through
  4 Why did the photograph of the young girls (Text 1) appear in the Melbourne Herald?
  5 What does the policeman’s title of ‘Protector’ in Text 2 suggest about his role?
  6 Describe the dormitory and the conditions in which the mothers and children
lived, according to Text 2.
Literature link
Going further
World views and   7 In Text 1, the woman who wrote to the minister requested one child in particular,
points of view but said that if she was taken then ‘any of the others would do, as long as they are
Our world view is the strong’. What does the request suggest about her attitude to the girls?
perspective from which we
see and interpret the world.
  8 Explain what Peggy meant when she said, ‘.  .  .  then I became a victim’.
It helps us to explain the   9 When Peggy was separated from her mother, she was punished for sitting at
world and how it works. We the wire grill and not going to bed. Go to the Ruth Hegarty weblink in your
develop our world view from eBookPLUS and listen to the audio file of Ruth describing her life at Cherbourg.
our upbringing, experiences,
education, reading and Write an explanation of the rules and punishments for the young residents of
viewing. Cherbourg.
In order to develop our
personal understanding Responding to personal histories
and point of view on Getting started
controversial or sensitive
issues such as the Stolen
10 Out of texts 1 and 2, which creates the most emotion in you? What emotions do
Generation, we need to read you feel? Explain why you feel this way.
widely and critically. Picture 11 How might your identity be affected if you were one of the girls in the
books, novels and films such photograph who was given to a white Australian family?
as The Rabbits by Shaun Tan,
My Place by Sally Morgan Working through
and the film Rabbit-Proof 12 Do you feel empathy for Peggy and her experiences of separation from her
Fence would add further
mother? Write a short paragraph explaining aspects of the narration that might
representations.
create empathy in a reader.
Think of an issue that you
13 Peggy’s story is told very differently from how it might be retold in a history book.
feel strongly about and
prepare a wide reading What are the advantages and disadvantages of reporting history in this personal
list for this topic. See how way? How would you prefer to read about Peggy’s story?
many items on your list are 14 Whose story is silenced in Peggy’s narrative? What might this person’s story add
already in your school or
local library.
to the narrative?
Going further
15 Consider the ethical or moral aspects of what was, at the time, the legal removal
of Aboriginal children from their families. Children were either sent to a mission,
as Peggy was, or were adopted by a white family in Melbourne or Sydney, as the
Use the Beyond girls in the photograph would have been. In groups, discuss why we now view
Sorry weblink in your
these actions differently in contemporary Australia.
eBookPLUS to watch
the Beyond Sorry 16 Was your reading of Peggy’s story an invited reading or a resistant reading? (See
documentary. the Literacy link on page 69). Explain.

76  English is … Year 9

Wordsmith . . .
Text features of conversations
Spoken language, like written texts, has both structures and features. It is important
to be able to critically analyse spoken texts, and in order to do that knowledge of the
features is essential. The following are some of the essential structures and language
features of a conversation.
Structures:
●● Address or opener. This is a greeting, offer of hospitality (please sit down), or a comment

on a neutral topic such as the weather.

●● Fillers. Because speech is immediate, the speaker will often use fillers such as I mean, um,

you know, sort of and like to give them time to work out a response to a question or to
gather their thoughts. Interactivity:
●● Tag question. This maintains the pace of the conversation and ensures that the listener is
You be the writer:
Colloquialisms
actually paying attention. Examples are Do you know what I mean? and Do you see?
Searchlight ID: int-3051
●● Closing. A reason is given for ending the conversation; for example, Gotta go and Anyway,

better not hold you up.

Language features:
●● Vocative. These are the names and titles that establish a relationship between speaker
and listener; for example, Hi Sarah, G’day mate, and Dude, what’s up?
●● Voice hesitation. This allows the speaker to pause and then continue; for example, er or

mm.
●● Colloquialisms. These are popular, informal expressions, such as hi, yeah, veggies, whatevs,

drongo, ranga.
●● Unfinished sentences. The ends of sentences trail off and are left unsaid.

●● Contractions. These are shortened forms of a word or words, such as he’s, I’ll, don’t, can’t.

●● Non-standard grammar. Because speech is immediate and temporary, the formal rules

of grammar are not always required. For example, a speaker might say, We done our
homework or I didn’t see nothing.
●● Non-verbal signals. Much of a conversation is interpreted through body language such as

a wink, a smile or a nod.

Over to you …
1 Find a passage of dialogue in a novel you are reading and photocopy it. Annotate
and colour-code the passage to show examples of as many of the structures and
features listed above as possible.
2 In pairs, create an original dialogue between two people. Each of you should be
responsible for one speaker’s words. Print out copies for all the class. Perform your
dialogue to the class, who must work in pairs to annotate the structures and features
of the dialogue.

My view . . .
Think about the personal stories you have read, heard and viewed in this section.
Consider what impact the denial or removal of identity has on a person or
group. What does this suggest about the importance of identity and a sense of
belonging to people everywhere?

  Unit 3   Identity  77
   Culture and identity
3.3
How has our collective Australian identity changed
over time?
If we took a snapshot of a ‘typical’ Australian, who would it be? Look around your class
Need to know
stereotype  an oversimplified or your local community and see the diversity of ethnic groups that are probably
idea or image, used to represented. The Australian identity is constantly changing and evolving; in 2010,
label or define people 27 per cent of our population were born overseas — a figure that has increased every
year over the past 15 years. Our multicultural make-up and our collective identity
change shape constantly. As well, we are more aware of Indigenous culture and history
and how it forms part of our overall Australian identity. In the last census, over 520 000
people identified themselves as being of either Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
origin.
Vernon Ah Kee is a visual and text artist, and a member of the Kuku Yalandji,
Waanji, Yidindji and Gugu Yimithirr peoples. He has created an installation art work
featuring surfboards. The designs on the surfboards represent shields — objects
of war. Australia’s beach culture is an area of life from which Vernon has always felt
excluded because of his Aboriginality. Ah Kee perceives a stereotype that exists
around Australian surf culture — that surfing is a ‘white’ pursuit. He objects to the idea
that one culture claims ownership of the beach in this way, dominating the sport and
marginalising the first owners and users of the beach and oceans of Australia.

Features of the installation

include a scene showing
surfboards wrapped in
barbed wire and strung up in
the trees, and a film showing
a beautifully executed wave
riding sequence. Ah Kee’s
specific target audience
is people who think that
Aboriginal people shouldn’t
have a stake in Australian
culture.

Image courtesy of the artist and Milani Gallery

Language link
Experimenting with texts
Australia has over 120 000 kilometres of common among surfers. Vernon Ah Kee’s statement in another context.
coastline, so it’s no surprise that surfing appropriation of hang ten (a position on a Vernon Ah Kee also uses the
is part of Australian culture. Surfing surfboard with all ten toes directly on the words ‘first person’ in the same art
has spawned its own lexicon (words nose of the board) in his art installation installation. What lexicon do you
associated with a particular subject) with is an innovative and empowering use of think this term comes from and what
words like wipeout, gnarly, and grommet language from one context to make a meaning has Ah Kee given it here?

78  English is … Year 9

Multimodal stories of Australians from other lands
When migrants come to Australia, it may take them some time to settle into their new
land. The culture of their adopted country may initially seem very alien to the culture
they were born into. It is often the second generation of migrant families who engage
fully with many of the cultural aspects that are considered to be uniquely Australian.
Surf lifesavers are considered to be almost synonymous with Australia and all that it
has to offer: freedom, beaches, blue sky and sunshine. When we think of lifesavers,
we often picture tall, bronzed Aussie men in yellow and red gear who protect
swimmers from rips and sharks. But has the nature of the iconic surf lifesaver
changed in modern-day Australia?
Stereotypically, we may think of them as always male and Australian by birth and
heritage. Indeed, women were not allowed to be active lifesavers until 1980 even
though lifesaving had been a feature of Australian beach culture from the early 1900s.
Today the association’s home page on its website
shows both male and female lifesavers in active roles.
But has the nature of the iconic surf lifesaver
changed even more radically in modern day
Australia? The images below capture two views
of the change and continuity that characterises
this quintessentially Australian activity.

1950s style Bondi lifesavers standing on

the foreshore of Australia’s iconic Bondi
Beach in Sydney

Muslim lifesavers unveil the burqini, 2007

  Unit 3   Identity  79
 Literacy link
Stereotyping
A stereotype is a particular view that people unfair descriptors of people on the basis of
adopt about social or cultural groups, race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, financial or
which is based on bias, wrong information, professional status, age, gender, physical
simplification or generalisation. We speak appearance and level of physical ability. In
of stereotypes as negative because they all these examples, stereotyping reduces
tend to devalue individuals and discourage a person to a mere caricature — a cartoon
of a real human being — and is therefore a
independent thought. Stereotypes are often
negative practice.
used as convenient means of unfairly judging
the worth of people from a particular group Think of a stereotype you have observed
before we have had a chance to see them about Indigenous Australians. How
as individuals with unique characteristics, could this stereotype be challenged and
strengths and weaknesses. Stereotypes are countered?

Go to the Africa to Australia weblink in your eBookPLUS to view the story of two
young Australian sisters originally from Somalia, who are involved in lifesaving. Watch
the video clip of Ramla and Lucky Giire, who migrated to Australia in 1994, and are
now making their contribution to the Australian identity.
Before viewing the website, your teacher may ask you to complete the following
Ready to Read activities.

READY TO READ …
●● Form a group with three other students and use the following questions as
discussion starters before watching the video clip No Migrants, No me.
–  Where in the world is Somalia?
–  What is a civil war?
–  What is the aim of Surf Life Saving Australia?
●● Use a two-column table to help you record important ideas from the video
clip. After watching, add your responses to these ideas. Draw a table using the
‘Insert table‘ function in Word to summarise the ideas and your responses.

Key ideas Your response

●● Share your ideas and responses from the two-column table with a neighbour.
●● When you enter the Africa to Australia weblink, you can choose the
language you want to hear and whether or not to have captions for the words
that are spoken. Experiment to see what works best for you.

80  English is … Year 9

Activities . . .
Understanding and analysing a video story
Getting started
 1 The sisters Ramla and Lucky were originally from Somalia. Use an atlas
to find the location of Somalia. Approximately how far from Australia is it?
 2 How does the website visually show the coming together of Africa and
Australia? Is this an effective way to introduce the stories? Explain.
 3 Why did the sisters become involved in surf lifesaving?
Working through
  4 Why did the girls have to give up going to the beach when they became teenagers?
How would you feel if you had to give something up for cultural reasons?
  5 What did the sisters have to do in order to gain their Bronze Medallion?
  6 The girls wore a burqini on the beach. How was this word coined? Can you think
of any other words that have been recently invented as a result of Australia’s
multicultural composition?
  7 The statement, ‘There’s ignorance’ is short but loaded with meaning. Explain
what you believe is implied by this statement. In what way might the girls’
involvement in lifesaving challenge this ignorance?
  8 Can you notice any patterns and expressions in the girls’ speech that mark them
as Australian?
Going further
  9 Why might someone exclaim, ‘Wow, I just saw a Muslim girl on the beach’?
10 Why could the graffiti at the beach be seen as a symbol of ignorance?
11 Is the statement, ‘Nearly everyone has a migrant background if you dig deep
enough’ true in reference to Australia? In what ways is it true?
12 Why might it be important for all Australians to reassess what it means to be
an Australian? Consider aspects such as globalisation, migration and refugee
movements.
13 Ramla made the comment, ‘I feel really Australian.’ What makes you feel really
Australian? Are there different ways to feel ‘Australian’?

Responding to a video story

Getting started
14 Click on the fact sheet about Somalia on the website and list the headings you
find there. Under each heading, choose one fact of interest. Create a similar fact
sheet about the country of your birth. Then swap fact sheets with a partner who
has created a fact sheet on a different country to you. Discuss the differences.
Working through
15 Why is this story series called No Migrant, No Me? What does that title convey to
you? Write a short paragraph explaining your view.
16 What does the statement, ‘It just takes one person to change people’s minds’
mean? Do you agree? In pairs, discuss how true this statement is, or run a class
debate on the topic.
Going further
17 In his artwork, Vernon Ah Kee also questions what it is to be Australian. His
work shown on page 78 juxtaposed cultural images from Indigenous Australia
and white or European Australia. The word juxtapose means ‘to place side
by side’. How are you positioned by these images? Do you think that this
juxtaposition is a good metaphor for an inclusive Australian identity? Discuss
in pairs or groups.

  Unit 3   Identity  81
 Wordsmith . . .
‘Punctuation’ in spoken language
All communication, whether written or spoken, involves the transfer of information.
Speech, unlike a written text, is both immediate and temporary. While written text
guides the reader by means of punctuation, speech guides the listener by intonation,
pace and stress. These features help the listener to understand the content of the
speech and to avoid ambiguities. Intonation, stress and rhythm are together called
prosody.
●● Intonation is important in conveying sentence meaning; people’s voices reflect

mood and emotion. Intonation also indicates whether an utterance is a statement,

question, exclamation or command.
Say the following sentence aloud three times: first as a statement, then as a
question, and finally as an exclamation. Note the different intonations that you need to
use to convey these different meanings.
There’s no milk in the fridge.
●● The pace or speed at which a speech is delivered will affect audience response. A

speech intended to persuade is far more effective if delivered at a fast pace. A slower
pace can create anticipation or, if it continues too long, boredom. A change of pace
in a speech adds to the effectiveness of its delivery. Pausing gives the listener time
to think and also to form an opinion about the content of the speech.
In groups of three, read the passage at left aloud once
There is no substitute for common sense. each. One should read at a fast speed, one at a slower
What am I talking about? Well, you may be speed and one using a combination of slow pace, fast
as brilliant as Einstein but still have no idea pace and pause. Note how this can create different
how to poach an egg. You may be a member of effects.
●● Stress is used by speakers to indicate the main points
Mensa but still spend an hour trying to lever
off a screw bottle-top. Your Maths results in a spoken sentence, and it gives language its rhythm.
may be in the ninety-seventh percentile but Content words, or words that have a meaning, are often
you still don’t know that if you put prawn the words that are stressed. In the sentence, I am an
shells in the garbage five days before the bin Australian citizen, the words I, Australian and citizen hold
is collected, you’ll get a big stink and a lot of much of the meaning of the sentence. Yet each of these
flies. Brains aren’t everything! Lots of people words could be stressed or unstressed and affect the
with very average intelligence manage to lead meaning for a listener.
very successful lives because they learned I am an Australian citizen. Stressing the I suggests that
early on to use their common sense. It’s the speaker is implying that someone else is not an
called common sense because it’s meant to Australian citizen.
be ‘common’ to everyone, isn’t it? Well, how’s I am an Australian citizen. Stressing Australian
this? Whoever said that has never seen emphasises that the speaker is not a citizen of
my genius brother trying to open another country such as Germany or Afghanistan.
a jar of peanut butter with a I am an Australian citizen. Stressing the verb am
can-opener! suggests that someone is accusing the speaker of
not being an Australian citizen, and the speaker is
insisting that he or she is.

Over to you …
Listen online to a speech given by a famous speaker such as Barack Obama, Winston
Churchill or Martin Luther King. Make notes on their use of intonation, pace and stress.

82  English is … Year 9

The great Australian dream
Many migrants come to Australia to seek a new life, variously escaping from famine,
war, religious or political persecution or bad economic conditions. While they bring
their culture with them and a strong sense of their identity within that culture,
inevitably they must learn to live in a new culture. When they shape a new identity, it is
often a hybrid (mixture or blend) of their old life and their new. Need to know
For their children who are born here or who arrive when very young, the Australian killing fields  locations
culture is the only one they know first-hand. Some retain a strong interest in the culture in Cambodia where huge
of their parents’ homeland and some do not, because an identity conflict develops. numbers of people were killed
and buried during the Khmer
Alice Pung is an Australian lawyer and writer who was born in a migrant hostel
Rouge regime led by Pol Pot,
in Footscray, Melbourne, to parents who had fled the killing fields of Cambodia. from 1975 to 1979
The following extracts are from her book Unpolished Gem, which explores through anecdote  a short
anecdote how a child of migrant parents moves between two cultures. account of a funny or
Before you read the extracts, your teacher may ask you to complete the following interesting person or event
Ready to Read activities.

READY TO READ …
●● Skim (read quickly to form a general idea of the meaning) the
following extracts to identify any words that are new to you.
Use the blue annotations in the margin to help you understand
unfamiliar words.
●● Then use the green and purple annotations to help you
understand the text structure and language features.

from Unpolished Gem

by Alice Pung
Extract 1
1 For my valedictory dinner, my mother bought me a white dress, because The narration is in first
she thought it would make me happier. I wondered whether she could person, past tense. It could be
described as an anecdote. (1)
see that it would also be like dressing a body for a polished pine box. At
my house, my friend Nina took one look at the scalloped lace and told valedictory: farewell (1)
5 me she would lend me one of her frocks. She insisted that I come to The colour white in Asian
her house after school the next day, so I did. Volition had disappeared cultures symbolises mourning
altogether from me. If someone had told me to lie in the pine box in the but not in Australia. (1)
white gown with the neat lace shells tumbling down my arms and knees, cheongsam: a straight dress,
I would have obliged. If they had closed the lid, I would have gone to traditionally made from silk,
10 sleep. I was in that semi-asleep state when Nina told me to turn around with a stand-up collar and a slit
so she could see the fitted cheongsam she had put on me. It fitted like down one side of the skirt (11)
a black snake skin with a rash of orange and green blossoms ‘You look A simile aptly describes Alice’s
good in that,’ she said, adjusting the collar. appearance in the dress. (11–12)
When Nina and her mother came by in the afternoon of the dinner to
15 take me to the hairdresser, my mother was in bed staring at something
— her hands, the light, the wall. Something. Beneath my coat, I wore This sentence fragment
the borrowed black dress. I preferred its fermenting scent of perfumed suggests the gulf of
understanding between
second-hand sweat to the cold sterility of a forced innocence. ‘I am
mother and daughter. (16)
leaving now,’ I called out to my mother in her room.

  Unit 3   Identity  83
 20 ‘What are you wearing?’ she yelled downstairs, without getting up
from the bed.
Defeated, I could not lie.
As I finally got into my friend’s car, I was as clumsy as a doll dressed by A simile and metaphor are
a child four decades ago. I was a wind-up obedience toy, or a coat hanger used to create the picture more
vividly for the reader. (23–24)
25 for good intentions gone awry. I was almost eighteen.
‘Look at her shoes.’ Nina pointed them out to her mother as we waited This short sentence allows
at the hairdresser. the reader to understand why
what has gone before between
‘My goodness, look at your shoes.’ Nina’s mother shook her head with
mother and daughter is
a sad smile. On my feet were shiny plastic middle-aged-woman pumps, unusual. (25)
30 yellowy-silver off-white. ‘These white shoes match the dress,’ my mother
The dialogue here emphasises
had said.
the gulf between Alice’s views
‘Don’t worry, you can come back to my house and borrow a pair of and those of her mother.
mine,’ Nina reassures me. Again I was back at her house and this time (28,30–31)
I sat on the edge of the spa bath and looked down at a pair of stilettos,
This sentence uses visual and
35 with lots of thin white straps at the ankles. Nina had made my feet look tactile imagery. (36–37)
like party feet, like feet that danced to synthesised tunes and rubbed
Alliteration keeps the reader
against young men. I was grateful to Nina. She had taken me to her
engaged. (39)
parents’ ensuite bathroom and put her mother’s expensive perfume on
my wrists. She had prodded and poked me into perfection. She was even This section of the narration
finishes by indicating that Alice
40 diplomatic enough not to say anything in the car as I handed back the
ended up wearing the dress her
black dress in a plastic bag  .  .  . mother chose. (40–41)

In this extract, Alice brings her non-Chinese Australian boyfriend to

meet her parents for the first time.

Extract 2
1 ‘Does he like our food?’ she asked, meaning, did he at least eat the The question immediately
fluorescent lemon chicken in the touristy part of China-town? The highlights the differences
between the two cultures. (1)
trouble started on their first meeting, when I told her that he was
vegetarian. It was her birthday, and I had asked him to come to meet the
5 entire family for the first time at the Dragon Boat Restaurant.

84  English is … Year 9

 ‘No meat at all?’ she asked. ‘Buddhist/Taoist? Why doesn’t he eat Direct speech adds pace to the
meat?’ narrative. (6,8)
I paused. ‘Because he feels sorry for the animals.’ I was repeating
his exact words, but echoed to my mother, they no longer sounded
10 endearingly compassionate. They sounded stupid.
‘Never heard such nonsense in my life. Back in Cambodia people are
scrambling for food scraps on the floor!’ I knew what she was thinking.
How spoilt. How like one of those people who live inside their head. ‘Put
some proper food on his plate,’ she ordered me. ‘He’s skin and bones!’
15 I dutifully shovelled vegetables on top of his rice.
‘I can eat prawns too,’ he told me as a concession. ‘And chicken.’
‘Oh, I didn’t know that.’
‘Well, I do. Bring it on.’
I heaped the chicken slivers onto his plate.
20 ‘And crocodile.’
On went the croc. The brief sentences that form
the conversation add some
‘And venison, too.’
light humour to the tense
‘Poor Bambi, eh?’ I looked at him. situation. (16–28)
‘Oh, I love Bambi,’ he raved. ‘He tastes just like chicken.’
25 ‘That was chicken. I haven’t given you any deer yet.’
‘Oh.’
‘Would you like some?’
‘Yes please.’ I have never seen a more eager carnivore.
‘Michael, I am impressed by the way that you handle chopsticks,’
30 said my father. Why did they expect every non-Asian to be a bumbling Internal monologue of
jab-you-in-the-eye fool with chopsticks, and why was a twenty-year- rhetorical questions expresses
Alice’s anger. (30–35)
old Caucasian’s use of chopsticks something to clap about when little
Chinese three-year-olds were using them like finger extensions? Why Caucasian: a white person (32)
were white people so proud of their chopstick-wielding skills instead of
35 seeing the abysmally low standards we had set for them?
‘Wha, where did you learn that?’ asked my father. ‘Just like an expert.’
‘Thank you Mr Pung, he said modestly.
There was of course, no ‘Oh, just call me Bob/Joe/Jack, mate’ from
my father. My father’s idea of getting familiar with someone was to tell
40 them war stories. He didn’t do it to sober them up or edify them, he did
it to crack them up. Colloquialisms show Alice is at
‘This fish remind me of the Pol Pot years when the starved, dead ease with colloquial English.
(41)
bodies floated up the river during the flood. I got the job of dragging
them to higher, drier ground. We wrapped them up in a blanket and me
45 and my mate grabbed on to each end. Every time we tripped, the blanket
would get water soaked and even heavier. Hah hah, so funny! There we Mr Pung’s joke is not
were, both only weighing seventy kilos between us, trying to drag this appreciated because of cultural
differences. (46)
dead body three times our weight, and listen to this — my mate turns to
me and says, “Hope you’re not going to be this heavy when it’s time for
50 me to drag you,” and I say to him, “What do you mean when you drag
me? I’m going to be the poor soul who will be dragging you!’’ ’
Unfortunately, most of his guests had no idea whether’ to laugh or
cry   .  .  .
When it was time to present the gifts we had bought for my mother,
55 my brother gave her a handbag. My sisters gave her things they had
made — a little gold-sprayed macaroni frame and thing to hang on the

  Unit 3   Identity 
  Unit 85
 door. The thingo had Alison and Alina’s photograph glued to it. I gave Colloquialism (57)
her a new skirt. And Michael pulled out a bunch of flowers — little white
jasmines wrapped in tasteful brown paper and tied with a raffia ribbon. Phonetic spelling of her
60 ‘Tank you velly much,’ said my ma politely. I should have reminded him mother’s pronunciation (60)
the more garish the paper, the better, especially if it was red. My mother The colour red means good luck
didn’t understand that sometimes the more understated things cost the for Chinese people. (61)
most. All she knew was the bigger and brighter, the better. Of course she
would rather have had a durian. durian: an Asian fruit (64)

Activities . . . 
Understanding anecdotal texts
Getting started
 1 What facts in Extract 1 lead you to think that Nina was a good friend to Alice?
List these facts.
 2 What occasion is being celebrated in (a) Extract 1 and (b) Extract 2?
 3 Do you find the extracts humorous or sad? Explain your choice with an example
from each extract.
Working through
  4 Alice had the choice of two dresses to wear to the dinner. Use quotations to
describe the two dresses.
  5 Why do you think that Alice’s mother thought that buying Alice the white dress
would ‘make her happier’?
Language link   6 Explain why Alice felt compelled to wear the white dress her mother had chosen.
Using spelling creatively Would you have made the same choice if you were Alice? Why or why not?
Spelling is the way we   7 Under the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia, people often starved to death. The usual
form written words, using greeting there when you first met family or friends was, ‘Have you eaten today?’
letters in an accepted order. How does this explain Mrs Pung’s reaction in Extract 2 when she was told that
However, sometimes writers
use spelling creatively Michael was a vegetarian?
for particular effects; for   8 Alice became very frustrated by her father’s statement about Michael’s ability to
example, to create humour, use chopsticks. Explain that frustration, using quotations from the text.
show character, or capture
accents and styles of Going further
speech. In the extracts from   9 In Extract 1, Alice said that she preferred the cheongsam with ‘its fermenting
Unpolished Gem, Alice Pung scent of perfumed second-hand sweat to the cold sterility of innocence’. Explain
shows her mother’s migrant her preference, making reference to the text.
origins in the line of dialogue
‘Tank you velly much,’ with
misspellings of thank and
Analysing and evaluating anecdotal texts
very. Getting started
Similarly, a writer might 10 Most schools hold a traditional valedictory dinner at the end of secondary
describe a character as school. Describe the celebration at your school and what people wear. Why
a grisly bear of a man might the decision of what to wear have been difficult for Alice Pung?
deliberately misspelling
grizzly as grisly meaning Working through
‘horrible or frightening’ to 11 Alice experiences a conflict of identity between her Australian existence and her
create a vivid impression of duty to her parents and their traditional identity. Which extract best shows this
the character.
conflict? Explain your choice.
In pairs, think of a way 12 In Extract 2, the question, ‘Does he like our food?’ was a simple one, yet it implied
you could misspell a word
many more hidden issues. Discuss the implicit meanings and especially the
to create humour in a
narrative. power of the pronoun our as used by Alice’s mother.
13 Explain how Mrs Pung’s reaction to Michael’s gift was based on culture.

86  English is … Year 9

Going further
14 Comic relief is a term that means including a humorous scene, character or
dialogue to provide relief from tension. In Extract 2, why was the dialogue
between Michael and Alice an example of comic relief?

Responding to anecdotal texts

Getting started
15 Can you think of a situation in which you felt uncomfortable, or like an outsider,
because of your culture and customs? Describe it briefly. If not, create and
outline a scenario in which you might feel this way.
16 Is culture and identity about more than food and clothes? Think of two to three
other things that create a sense of culture and identity.
Working through
17 Alice Pung is a female. If she were a male, would her experiences be different in
similar situations? If possible, discuss this in three different groups: a group of
Use the Alice Pung
all female classmates, a group of all male classmates and a group of mixed male
interview weblink
and female classmates. Each group should try to come to a consensus view. How in your eBookPLUS
difficult is this and why? to watch a podcast
Going further of an interview with
Alice Pung.
18 Expand the following scene from Extract 1 with more dialogue between mother
and daughter, so that the reader knows just what is said. Try to capture the
different characters and their perspectives in your expanded scene.
  ‘I am leaving now,’ I called out to my mother in her room.
 ‘What are you wearing?’ she yelled downstairs, without getting
up from the bed.
  Defeated, I could not lie.

Language link
Loan words
Loan words are words that have been taken from one language When loan words are nouns and are imported from another
and incorporated into another language. A loan word can also be language, they often do so without changing. Some, however,
called a ‘borrowing’. The word doppelganger is a good example of a may change in meaning, spelling or pronunciation. A calque
loan word. It originated from the German language and means ‘the is a phrase or compound word that is borrowed from another
ghostly double of a living person’. Déjà vu is a French word meaning language and then translated literally into the new language.
‘to feel that you have already experienced a present situation’. Both The English word skyscraper, for instance, has been translated
words are now commonly used in the English language. into many languages literally, so in French it is gratte-ciel
Loan words are usually borrowed from another language at times (‘scrapes sky’) and in German Wolkenkratzer (‘cloud-scraper’).
when two different cultures come together, as in trade, war, Find out the country of origin and the meaning of each of
invasion, colonisation, marriage, travel and, more recently, the these words: zeitgeist and schadenfreude. If you cannot
internet. find them in your print dictionary, search online. Try to
The English language has a long history and has borrowed words use the words in a sentence to show you understand their
from many different cultures. With the growing movement of meanings.
people and information around the world, this will increase.

My view . . .
Can you say what it means to be an Australian? How important to you is your national
identity compared to your personal identity? Do you expect that to change as you
get older? What have you learned about your own values, attitudes and beliefs?

  Unit 3   Identity  87
 Compose and create
Productive focus: speaking, listening and creating
Either
Create an interview about personal identity
1 You have been selected to be a guest on a popular television talk show. The interview
will focus on what makes you an individual and how you perceive your personal
identity. You will need to collaborate with a partner in both the writing of the
script and in presenting the interview to your class. Begin by brainstorming with
Topics might your partner the topics to be covered in the interview. Then write the interview
include: collaboratively, with each taking on a role. Next rehearse the presentation of the
●● early life interview. You might set up a studio scene with comfortable chairs, coffee table and so
●● family on. Finally, present your interview to the class.
●● school Or
●● friends
Create an interview with a public identity or persona
●● hobbies
For this task, work in pairs and follow the steps below to present a fictional interview
●● sporting and
with a celebrity figure whom you admire. You may need to research that person’s life
leisure interests
and public ‘image’ in order to compose authentic questions and answers. You might
and activities.
also watch some celebrity interviews online to help you.

Some key points to remember

●● An interview is meant to both entertain and inform.
●● The interviewer sets the scene by inviting the guest into the conversation. The guest
is introduced together with the topic of the interview.
●● The interview progresses through the settling-in stage, where simple questions are
posed, through to questions of a more controversial nature.
●● The interview concludes with the interviewer thanking the guest and telling the
audience about the guest for the next show.
Use the assessment
●● Remember that body language and non-verbal signals such as nods and smiles will
criteria rubric to guide
make the presentation more entertaining.
you through your
chosen task. ●● Use intonation, pace and stress in your speaking. Refer to Wordsmiths on
pages 77 and 82.

88  English is … Year 9

 2 Create an oral history
Oral histories provide an opportunity to build an understanding of our community and
raise awareness of our past. Your task is to present an oral history of a member of your
local community. You need to discover how Australian identity has developed through
the lives and stories of ordinary Australians. Follow the steps below.
Step 1: Brainstorm the names of some individuals within your local community who
might share their stories and insights about our Australian identity. This person might
be a local politician, an older resident, a returned soldier such as a Vietnam veteran, a
local sportsperson or a writer, for example.
Step 2: Once your subject has been selected, contact him or her to organise a time for
the interview. It is useful to now gather personal details such as name, address, age
and information to guide your research.
Step 3: Prepare your questions so that the interview includes an introduction, middle
and end. You may need to conduct some research into the subject’s background
and experiences so that you ask informed questions. Your questions should provide
answers about:
●● background or biography

●● what the subject did

●● where and when these events took place.

Ensure that you ask open questions, that they are non-judgmental, and that you
pose them in a respectful manner.
Step 4: Use the Audacity software to record your interview and ensure that you use
active listening skills:
●● Face your subject.

●● Make good eye contact.

●● Minimise distractions.

●● Respond appropriately with positive body language such as nods, smiles and raising
Use the Edublogs, Oral
History Education your eyebrows. Provide verbal prompts, such as ‘What happened then?’ and ‘Really?’
and Audacity weblinks ●● Engage in the conversation by asking clarifying questions and paraphrasing.
in your eBookPLUS to Step 5: Edit your interview using the Audacity software. Once you are happy with
help you with the task. the content and quality of your audio file, upload the podcast to your class blog for
sharing and comment from your peers. If you need to start a class blog, talk to your
teacher about using Edublogs.

Some key points to remember

To create an oral history, follow these steps:
●● Discovering: conducting research and preparing for the interview
Use the assessment ●● Documenting: noting the interview techniques and recording the interview
criteria rubric to guide
●● Interpreting: providing a medium for sharing the stories; for example, a transcription,
you through your
chosen task.
journal entry, multimedia presentation or podcast. This provides you with an
opportunity to interpret and reflect on the story.

  Unit 3   Identity  89
 3 Create a photo documentary
Create a photo documentary of what you consider it means to be an Australian. Use
either the Photo Story or Movie Maker software to record your representation. It might
not be possible for you to take all the photographs for the documentary, so use free
images instead from Public domain websites. Follow the steps below.
Step 1: Create a mindmap to show your understanding of the concept of what it means
to be Australian. Use the software to record your ideas. Develop a plan or framework
for what you want to include.
Step 2: Gain inspiration and motivation by exploring other works on this topic. Under
teacher supervision, go to the Aussie weblink in your eBookPLUS and watch the ‘What
it means to be an Aussie’ YouTube clip.
Step 3: Think about the ‘angle’ or position that you want to present. Will your
documentary present a humorous view of Australia? Will your documentary present
the dominant view of Australian identity? Add details of how you are going to
represent Australia to your plan or framework.
Step 4: Create a storyboard to record your ideas. You could use the ‘Insert table’
Use the Public domain function in Word to lay this out.
weblinks in your Step 5: Before you begin creating your documentary, read through the rubric for this
eBookPLUS to access task in your eBookPLUS so that you can keep the assessment criteria in mind.
these sites.
Step 6: Write a content statement to accompany your photo documentary. This
personal reflection should record your current understanding of what it means to be
an Australian. It should include comments on:
● the purpose of your photo documentary

● your intended audience

● the types of images used and where these were chosen

● the mood you have tried to capture in your work.

Some key points to remember

Use the assessment ● Make sure you have the best possible content and sequencing of your content.
criteria rubric to guide ● Pay careful attention to layout.
you through your
● Consider using effects such as music, sound, transitions and narration.
chosen task.
● Check your spelling, punctuation and grammar in all your written text.

? Self-evaluation . . .
Complete a reflective journal of your learning during this unit. Consider the
following questions:
1 What have you found interesting and want to explore in more detail?
2 What have you found difficult in the unit? What can you do to gain a better
understanding?
3 What new vocabulary did you learn in this unit?

INDIVIDUAL PATHWAYS
Worksheet 3.1 Worksheet 3.2 Worksheet 3.3
doc-10493 doc-10494 doc-10495

90 English is … Year 9