Author's Point example essay topic

Remembering Babylon A feeling that pervades Remembering Babylon is a great sense of guilt in colonial morality. Malouf represents the colonial process as one that rejects the natural order of the world and subsequently passes up great opportunity for enrichment and knowledge. Malouf interrogates white Australia as a people who have traditionally punished themselves through their unwillingness to adapt to their environment and embrace a culture that has successfully tapped into the "earthy sweetness... minerals and underground secrets... ". (p 119) that make Australia unique and beautiful. He accuses the European settlers, in the words of Frazer, as clinging to their "wheat and lamb and bottled cucumbers". (p 119) This of course does not simply refer to the European diet of the body, but also our diet of the mind. Gemmy represents an uncertain, but exciting cultural space that symbolizes the fusing of two worlds.

The author certainly concedes that, for a short time traditional values can provide comfort and security - but in the long term, one must embrace change. The great tragedy of the text is that, instead seeing Gem as "a true child of the place as it will one day be". the settlers see him as embodying their greatest fears. The settlers ask the question "had he remained white. ?" (p 36) clearly the colour Gem's skin was not the pressing issue. The Europeans are terrified as all the qualities that they feel make them superior to their dark skinned neighbours are seen as 'lost' in Gem, thus raising the question- are these 'superior' traits less fixed and unchangeable than they thought? In the eyes of the Europeans, Gem has not only somehow lost his language, but also "it". Does this mean that they too, so content in their white armour, could lose "it"?

Malouf's lament is the missed opportunity the intertwining of our cultures could have offered humanity. In the text Malouf conveys a sense that to become truly Australian, we need to embrace the rhythms of our country. This includes our flora, fauna, climate and indigenous people. He sees us all as connected through the land. While the settlers fail to embrace the earth, viewing it as "the abode of everything savage and fearsome". he begins to reveal that they do indeed have a great connection to it, even if they themselves are initially unaware. We see Abbott's blood beating in time with shrilling of insects in the bush, Janet's connection with the bees; Frazer is likened to a "mist or cloud".

The Aboriginal people are linked to the land even more so. They are an inextricable part of it, and this interconnection of man to earth to man is at the core of Malouf's writing. Gem is the physical representation of this connection, but reconciliation is beyond reach at this point and Gem is lost. Malouf's hopes are however kept alive in the McIvors - Jock, Janet, Lachlan and the minister Frazer gain a self-knowledge and connection to the country from Gem and this understanding is a reconciliation dream for the future. Perspective in Remembering Babylon is also instrumental in adding force to the theme. The author employs multiple viewpoints in telling the tale.

The effect of the differing viewpoints allows the author to explore the loss of potential embodied in this "black / white man". Malouf is able to access the hearts and minds of the protagonists exposing for the reader the positive impact Gemmy has had on their souls. At the conclusion of the text, the author gives access to Janet's prayer as she watches the incoming time that carries the metaphorical meaning of knowledge "Let none be left in the dark or out of mind, on this night, now, in the corner of the world or any other, at this hour, in the middle of this war". (p 182) Contrasting to the passionate perspectives the characters offer, is the voice of the narrator. The narrator's voice is distanced and stable. It adds to the text a tone of knowledge and authority contextualizes the plot.

The narrator guides the reader along the path of Australian history as he sees it, ensuring his moral lessons and disdain for the colonial project is not left unheard. Repetition is used throughout Remembering Babylon to mirror the author's view of our country's history. The author retells the story of Gemmy's fall from the fence, his meeting with the aborigines from a range of perspectives. The concept of change is repeated throughout. Jock Mciver ponders "Was he changed...

When had it begun?" (p 96) just as the other community members had laboured over Gem's transformation. Janet and Lachlan also experience changes in themselves. These themes, among others are multiplied throughout the tale giving rise cyclical points beginning enforced within a progressive tale. Points that enhance, and enhance again the author's point that, we can change and grow by embracing the people and cultures beyond our traditional safe havens.