Australia Day Poem: Exploring Themes of Racism and Colonialism

This essay provides an in-depth analysis of an Australia Day poem, focusing on the themes of racism, colonialism, and the historical context surrounding the holiday. The essay examines Steven Oliver's poem, highlighting how it challenges the traditional celebration of Australia Day by exploring the injustices and suffering endured by indigenous Australians due to colonization and discrimination. The analysis delves into the poem's key lines, exploring the poet's critique of historical narratives and the ongoing impact of past events on contemporary society. The essay emphasizes the poet's call for remembrance of the sacrifices made by indigenous people and a critical reflection on the nation's past, urging readers to acknowledge the complexities of Australian history and the need for reconciliation. The essay references the poem's impact and its role in sparking conversations about cultural identity and social justice.

Running head: AUSTRALIA DAY POEM
Australia Day Poem
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1AUSTRALIA DAY POEM
The nation of Australia at the present times enjoys a stable political climate and is
known as one of the paradigms of democracy. However, there was a time when the nation
just the United States of America was torn apart by the various conflicts between the
indigenous and the white skinned people of the nation. The nation of Australia just like the
other nations of the world had to bear the brutal effects of the system of colonialism. The
“Australian Day” is celebrated every year on the 26th of January to “marks the anniversary of
the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British ships at Port Jackson, New South Wales and the
raising of the Flag of Great Britain at Sydney Cove by Governor Arthur Phillip”
(Australia.gov.au. 2018). However, it is significant to note that in the present times the day
has attained a much wider meaning and is generally used to “reflect the diverse society and
landscape of the nation and are marked by community and family events, reflections on
Australian history, official community awards and citizenship ceremonies welcoming new
members of the Australian community” (Australia.gov.au. 2018). Moreover, even though the
concept of the “Australian Day” has undergone much transformation in the present times yet
the evokes the memories of the horrors as well as the tortures which the various entities had
to face not only on the score of colonial but also due to discrimination.
Steven Oliver’s poem, ‘Hate He Said” is a poem which has gathered much attention
in the recent times and it is a reflection if this particular fact that the video of the poem by
Oliver is one of the very few ones in the present times which holds the record for having a
viewership of more than two millions. The inherent theme of the poem is about the element
of racism which the diverse entities of the nation had to face in the traditional times and also
in the present times inspite of the various initiatives taken by the government (HuffPost
Australia. 2018). The poem in the opinion of many people seems to repudiate the very
concept of the “Australian Day” and tries to highlight the injustices as well as the inhumane
tortures which the various people in the nation of Australia had to face not only in the

2AUSTRALIA DAY POEM
traditional times but also in the present times as well (Austlit.edu.au. 2018). Therefore, the
opening lines of the poem focus on the element of hatred and dissatisfaction which the people
belonging to the nation had in their heart with the words,
“Hate, he said to let it go
Hate, he said but he did not know
That what I had inside of me
Was a sadness born of empathy”
The poet also tries to highlight the condition of the people who had to bear the brunt
of the cruel system of discrimination and the way that particular system impacted their lives
of the individuals of the nation in an adverse manner. Therefore, the poet says that,
“Through my eyes the tragedy
Of dispossession, of pain, of hurt
Of the red of blood that stained this earth
I mourn for all the lives that were lost
I mourn for what this country cost
I mourn for how we came to be
For the end does not justify the means”
It is significant to note that for the poet the philosophy that the “end justifies the
means taken to achieve that end” is not an adequate one for him and thus he seems to raising
the question in the poem that it is justified for the nation to celebrate the national day inspite
of all the harsh things which it did to its indigenous people in the past. Furthermore, even in

3AUSTRALIA DAY POEM
the present times it is seen that the people of the nation are subjected to various kinds of
discrimination inspite of the concept of multiculturalism which the government of the nation
claims to follow even in the present times (Austlit.edu.au. 2018). Therefore, the poet seems to
be questioning the people of the nation about their passivity towards the inhumanities which
were being inflicted on them by the various British colonizers and act as if the coming of the
colonizers to the island nation of Australia was the best thing that could have happened to
them. Thus, he tells the people of the nation,
“People died while fighting for their land
Defending it from a foreign hand
Make no mistake there was a war
………………………………………..
Where the elderly or infants could meet the same fate
As those who fought to protect them so
And that’s why we should never let go”
In a way it can be said that the poet is urging the people not to forget about the
injustices as well as the cruelties which have been committed against as that forms an
important part of the culture of the nation of Australia. He further urges the people of the
nation to remember the sacrifices which the natives of the land undergone in a bid to make
the present multicultural nation of Australia. Therefore, he says to the people of the nation,
“…forget what price was paid
For us to live as we do today

4AUSTRALIA DAY POEM
He looked at me quite seriously
Said he celebrates because we’re free
He celebrates our democracy
And everything great in this country”
It is significant to note that in the opinion of the author the sacrifices of the people
should be remembered and thanked for as that has enabled the nation to become the liberal as
well as the democratic one which it is at the present moment. He also urges the people of the
nation never to forget the sacrifices of the people who had laid down their lives in a bid to
make the nation what it is at the present moment. In a way it can be said that the poet is
completely against the concept of the national day of the nation which instead of taking into
consideration the sacrifices made by the native people of the nation seeks to highlight the
glory of the Queen and the coming of the British colonizers to the nation which was the root
cause of most of the problems which the nation had to face in the last century and is still
reeling from its effects in the present times (Austlit.edu.au. 2018). Therefore, with this
particular objective in the concluding lines of the poem he urges the citizens of the nation of
Australia never to forget the past of the nation and the ill-effects which the various colonizers
brought to it,
“To remind us, don’t ignore the past
He processed my words and looked at the ground
We both sat in silence, then there was a sound
A sound that seemed like heaven to me
A sound of two words that said, I agree!”

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To conclude, the coming of the British colonizers and others to the nation of
Australia in the 18th century was a historic event no doubt which significantly changed the
nation of Australia. However, the coming of these colonizers to the nation of Australia has at
the same time adversely affected the nation of Australia. Therefore, the national day of
Australia when viewed in this particular light which celebrates the glory of the Queen and the
coming of the colonizers to the nation becomes totally a façade. Thus, the poet is of the
opinion that the people should never forget the hardships as well as the cruelties which they
had to face on the score of these colonizers.

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References
Austlit.edu.au. 2018. Steven Oliver: (author/organisation) | AustLit: Discover Australian
Stories. [online] Available at: https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/OLD?
id=A7pu&idtype=oldid [Accessed 6 May 2018].
Australia.gov.au. 2018. australia.gov.au. [online] Available at: https://www.australia.gov.au/
[Accessed 6 May 2018].
HuffPost Australia. 2018. Steven Oliver Perfectly Explains Why Aboriginality Isn't Colour
Coded. [online] Available at: https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/11/30/steven-oliver-
perfectly-explains-why-aboriginality-isnt-colour_a_21617833/ [Accessed 6 May 2018].