Poetry+Analysis

=**__At Cooloola__**=
 * By Judith Wright**

At Cooloola talks about how things have been the same in Australia for centuries, but now it is all changing. The poem is written from the perspective of Judith, who is young and new to Australia. The poem makes mention of Judith's grandfather who was an original white settler who came over as a convict.This is a poem of guilt, Judith feels guilty for what happened to Australia and it's natives. She feels this guilt because it was her race of people who inflicted the damage. The poem is also reflecting on some of the events through the eyes of the author and how the aboriginal people still believe that spiritually, Australia is still theirs.

This poem relates the European settlement because the poem is a reflection of white settlement through the eyes of Judith Wright. At Cooloola also relates to the topic of white settlement in Australia because it shows the feeling of guilt that a European has, it shows that not all of the settlers where as cruel as the aboriginals first portrayed them to be. The line that says 'conquering people' refers to the white settlers also.

__** Who Are We? **__
 * By Richard G Kennedy**

'Who Are We' is a poem about vengeance and change and impact, it expresses these topics through lines like 'Our lives changed forever when white man came, an idyllic lifestyle never to be the same' and 'Know that a vengeful spirit will surely awake'. The poem says the change is irreversible and that there are feelings of loss, hopelessness and sadness. The poet has also talked about how the changes so long ago have affected the aboriginal's quality of life, that they are of low status, have no respect for themselves and get no respect from others. The poet has got a very good moral to his poem which is that 'you shouldn't try to change someone or something'.

‘Who Are We’ is a poem that relates to white settlement because the change that is talked about is in fact white settlement in Australia. The poem also expresses the impact of white settlement upon modern aboriginals, that is crime, no identity etc. This poem also represents the emotions and beliefs of aboriginals, so it sees white settlement in Australia through the eyes of the native race, this is good because you get another view on European settlement.