Module B: Critical Study of Texts
Sample 6: Speeches
Response by:Amy Alrawi
The question(adapted from 2014 HSC) / Fourteen of the victims of the tragedy came from Australia. Collectively, their deaths represent probably the greatest single peacetime loss of young Australians outside our own country. That loss affects not only their families and friends, dreadful though that is. It also deeply affects our nation as a whole and all of its people
‘It is Still Winter at Home’, William Deane, 1999
In your view, how does the speaker’s portrayal of the complex nature of national identity contribute to the enduring value of the speech?
In your response make detailed reference to ‘It is Still Winter at Home’ and at least ONE other speech set for study
Prescribed Text: Speeches (Nonfiction)
Thesis statement addresses key terms of the question ‘national identity’ and ‘enduring value’Introduces texts to be analysed and states their relevance to the question / The enduring value of any speech lies in its ability to rouse emotions, persuade with conviction and cut to the heart of complex and controversial issues. National identity is an issue that, if handled awkwardly or insensitively by a speaker, can exacerbate divisions and heighten tension amongst the speaker’s immediate and wider audience. Any rhetorical portrayal of national identity must be done with tact for the speech to have any lasting impact. Two prominent Australians who achieved this are Sir William Deane in his speech ‘It is Still Winter at Home’(1999) and Former Prime Minister Paul Keating in his ‘Redfern Speech’ (1992). Sir William Deane solemnly portrayed our national identity as closely bound to our European allies during ‘peacetime’ tragedy, while Paul Keating directed his attention inward to portray our national identity as deeply connected to Aboriginal Australia.
Topic sentence addresses the question in a general way before introducing the text
Evaluate the speaker’s adherence to principles such as ‘kairos’ / Australia’s national identity is enriched by our ability to solemnly and empathetically deal with those touched by profound grief. This was sensitively conveyed by former Governor-General Sir William Deane in his 1999 speech ‘It is Still Winter at Home’, an exemplary oration that maintains its enduring value as a benchmark for national solace and international diplomacy. Delivered in Switzerland in the aftermath of the 1999 canyoning tragedy that claimed 21 lives, 14 of which were Australian, this speech tactfully represents Australia as a valuable member of the international community despite its geographical isolation. The arrangement of the speech displays a deft sense of the right moment (kairos) as Sir William Deane seized the opportunity to enhance Australia’s international profile as a country which stands by its own while providing leadership and succour to its neighbours and political allies: New Zealand, Britain, South Africa and Switzerland.
Evaluate the construction or ‘arrangement’ of the speech
Refer to how the context of the speech and the speaker has influenced meaning / Sir William Deane’s acute sense of the situation enabled him to deliver a tightly structured oration with seamless thematic shifts from Australian-Swiss relations, to a heartfelt tribute to the deceased, returning again to consolidate his earlier groundwork on Australia’s links with Europe. His introduction captures the eulogistic purpose of the speech, ‘to mourn the deaths of 21 young people…[in a] canyoning accident.’ Staying true to his Roman Catholic roots, Sir William Deane tactfully added a spiritual dimension to his exordium with a quote from the Bible, ‘they will be truly comforted.’ In this way, the Governor-General represented our national identity as supportive of the Christian ethos. This paved the way for his poignant remarks on the ‘effect of the disaster’, which was to ‘bring our two countries closer together’ and give ‘rise to an increased awareness (in) Switzerland of my country and its people.’ His diplomatic tone effectively legitimised Australia as an important and relevant presence at that particular gathering and within the wider European political context.
Frequent links back to the concept of national identity, directly and indirectly, throughout the analysis
Personal engagement expressed as per the question / Sir William Deane’s moving tribute to the deceased portrayed Australia as a society that shares ‘collective loss’ by virtue of ‘our humanity.’ His inclusive language and intertextual reference to John Donne – ‘No man is an island’ – ensured that his audience would acquire the impression of Australia as a society bonded by human compassion. In his conclusion, Sir William Deane refocusses on Australia’s diplomatic ties with Switzerland with his metaphor ‘a little part of Switzerland has become…part of Australia’ and his symbolic references to the 14 wattle sprigs he cast into the Saxtenback River. These gestures of goodwill represent Australia as a nation poised to take its place as a major international political force eager to see its diplomatic relations ‘coming into bloom’, as his metaphor suggests. Therefore, in my view, the enduring value of this speech rests on Sir William Deane’s effective portrayal of Australia as a nation that rallies at a time of collective grief and a mature country that is ready to claim its position on the international stage.
Connective statement to mark the next part of the essay
Evidence of an informed personal understanding
Reference to textual integrity: ‘unifying characteristic’ / By stark contrast, the marginalisation of Aboriginal Australians is a shameful, self-inflicted blemish on our national identity. In his 1992 ‘Redfern Speech’, Paul Keating candidly portrayed Australia’s complex ‘contemporary identity’ as something that ‘cannot be separated from Aboriginal Australia.’ This speech captured the zeitgeist of the early 1990s, an era characterised by fierce debate over truth, history and Aboriginal rights in the wake of the Mabo trial. It also forever changed the grammar of discourse on reconciliation by developing an ‘us and them’ narrative: ‘Us’ being ‘we non-Aboriginal Australians’, ‘them’ being Aboriginal Australians. This unifying characteristic of Keating’s speech reinforced the onus on ‘us’ to recognise the legacy of Aboriginal dispossession left by European settlers, re-evaluate our national identity and embrace Aboriginal Australians as valued members of society.
Critical analysis of the content and construction
Detailed textual references used to develop argument re national identity and enduring value
Constructive use of rhetorical metalanguage ‘arrangement’, ‘deliberative’, ‘pathos’, ‘logos’, ‘exordium’, ‘anaphora’, ‘peroration’
Link back to question / The artful arrangement of his deliberative oration reveals Paul Keating’s intention to capitalise on pathos and logos: stir his audience’s emotions and persuade them to adopt a more inclusive view of Australia’s national identity. In his exordium, Keating seized the opportunity to exemplify Redfern as ‘a good place to contemplate’ our society’s failure to provide ‘opportunity and care, dignity and hope to the indigenous people of Australia.’ Keating acknowledged responsibility for the high incidence of violent crime, alcoholism and chronic drug use in Redfern when he referred alliteratively to the ‘devastation and demoralisation’ evident within communities like Redfern as a ‘plight’ that ‘affects us all’. The combination of emotive and inclusive language effectively conveys his argument that our humanity and national identity will remain tarnished as long as Aboriginal Australians live in the metaphorical ‘shadows’. His use of anaphora – ‘We took the traditional lands… We brought the diseases…We committed the murders… We took the children’ – conveys an accusatory tone which suggests that our national identity is burdened by past atrocities which ‘degraded all of us’. He reminds his audience that Aboriginal Australians have ‘shaped our identity’ by listing their significant contributions ‘pastoral and agricultural…frontier and exploration…the wars…sport… literature and art and music.’ His final words offer cautious optimism while maintaining that ‘we’ still ‘owe the indigenous Australians’ and have a lot to learn from them – ‘We are beginning to recognise…we are learning… we are beginning to see’. His use of the present continuous tense conveys the sense that our national identity and collective self-knowledge is still a work in progress.
Personal view expressed in light of others’ responses / In my view, Paul Keating’s ‘Redfern Speech’ retains its enduring value because of its frank condemnation of past and present injustices that besmirch our national identity. In 2011, this speech was voted third behind Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream Speech’ and Christ’s Sermon on the Mount in an ABC Radio National poll of ‘the most unforgettable speech of all time.’ I would argue that this is because his thematic concerns are just as relevant and contentious today as they were in 1992 due to the prevailing disparity between the standard of living of indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.
Conclusion returns to thesis and briefly states how the question has been answered / Therefore, Sir William Deane and Paul Keating’s expert rhetorical treatment of Australia’s complex national identity ensured that both speeches would continue to be valued by future audiences. While Sir William Deane represented Australia as a steadfast and compassionate ally to its European counterparts, Paul Keating delved into the complexities of our national identity to offer a vision of Australia as a united nation that celebrates the contributions of Aboriginal people.