Exploring issues of racism through poetry and short story fiction. (Learning Resources)

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Exploring issues through poetry and short story fiction.

Student task 1

Read 'The Flowers' by Alice Walker

What else has Alice Walker written?

Student task 2

Enquiry - apart from a young girl picking flowers, what is Walker bringing to our attention?

Student task 3

What are some examples of symbolism - for example what do the flowers represent?

What does the name Myop suggest? (look up myopia)

What is a lynching?

Does the tone of the poem change? How and where? Which words suggest happiness and innocence, which suggest a loss of innocence?

Student task 4

After you have written your answers look at the following prezi.

https://prezi.com/yv7mw4_0vlep/the-flowers-by-alice-walker/

Municipal Gum by Kath Walker

Why does Kath Walker have two names? Research this.

Discuss the poem.

With assistance from your teacher or independently write a commentary on Kath Walker's poem.

SYMBOLISM

What is the main complaint and what does this reveal about the indigenous experience in Australia?

What does the gum tree symbolise?

What does the bitumen symbolise?

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SHORT INDEPENDENT READING ASSIGNMENT – HOME LEARNING

“The Flowers” by Alice Walker

Look up the following words in bold and answer the questions that go with them.

Using context clues from the first three paragraphs of the story, explain what the setting of the story is and what words in the story give you that idea.
Look up sharecropper. Myop's family is a family of sharecroppers. What does this tell you about the time they are living in? What other things does this tell you about what Myop's family is like? Explain why.
Picture Myop in your head. Then describe Myop. What age is she and what does she look like? Use clues from the story to explain why you think she looks like she does. (Write 3 or more sentences.)
Describe the mood (the emotional atmosphere the story creates for you) of the first four paragraphs of the story. Explain why you think that is the mood of those paragraphs using clues from the story.
Describe the mood starting with the fifth paragraph of the story (to the end). Explain why you think that is the mood of those paragraphs using clues from the story.
Look up the word noose. What is it made of? What is it used for? List several things it's used for.
Considering the time period and what you know of Myop and her family, what do you think happened to the the man Myop finds disintegrating in the woods? Explain why you think that is what happened.
Look up myopia. What does it mean? What connection(s) does this word have with Myop in the story (other than the first four letters match!)? Explain these connections.
An epiphany is a sudden realisation or understanding about something. For instance, when you watch cartoons and you see the character have a light bulb go on over its head, usually that mean the character has suddenly thought of something. Epiphanies are kind of like that. Myop has an epiphany in this story which is why she lays down her flowers at the end of the story. What is it that Myop suddenly understands about her world? Explain your answer based on information from the story.
The last line of the story is figurative, not literal. What deeper meaning do you think that line has in this story? Explain why you think so based on information from the story.

The Flowers - short story by Alice Walker

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Kath Walker wrote many books, beginning with We Are Going (1964), the first book to be published by an Aboriginal woman. The title poem concludes:

The scrubs are gone, the hunting and the laughter.
The eagle is gone, the emu and the kangaroo are gone from this place.
The bora ring is gone.
The corroboree is gone.
And we are going.
You can see that Kath Walker writes about how the aboriginal or indigenous lifestyle and culture have been changed due to white settlement.
Indigenous people or aboriginals were not always regarded with respect, however such attitudes have since changed.
Kath Walker's poems show the way indigenous people were not included in white society and felt they could not belong.
Student TASK 1
Do you think it is amazing that Kath Walker was the first indigenous person to have a book published? When was her work first published? She has been described as an activist. What does this mean?
Student TASK 2
Read Municipal Gum - what is it about?
Here is one student's response :
'This poem is about what has been done to the aboriginals. The hard bitumen is the road created by the people showing the change made in the community. Wild birds may refer to relatives and their past life. The poor cart-horse is the way that the aboriginals have been treated and how they feel. They feel like they have no more use. The black grass is an image of the aboriginals. The last line shows us that the aboriginals are uncertain and dislike the changes made. They are trapped and lost'.
Do you have anything to add to this?
How does the poem make you feel towards indigenous people?
What ideas is Kath Walker trying to make you aware of?