Reading: the conflict between the focaliser’s cultural values with the societal values of Australia’s Western identity
Differences between immigrant and westernised Australian cultures
Portrayal of childhood innocence as playful and mischievous
Representing Western experience as mistreating and demeaning animals
Through the dialogue between Leena and Cookie, I interpret Abdu to be conveying how Western culture in Australia is oblivious to the different perspectives and values of its immigrant community. The text’s extract starts off with the narrator describing how Cookie’s brothers “came out hauling… swill… dumping scraps. On and on the reddish coagulates came glugging out, even frothing”. An anatomic vernacular is utilised to disgust the reader, through an overload of gory visual imagery. Abdu is able to represent the food given to the pigs as revolting and unpalatable, and so the manner in which Cookie’s family force-feed the pigs such low quality food indicates their negligence to the pigs’ well-being. In contrast, Leena quietly speaks out, scowling that “They eat guts…”. Leena’s soft-spoken, meek tone suggests she feels confronted and confused by the sight of the pigs feeding, yet Leena is able to sympathise and call out the injustice imposed on the pigs. I interpret Leena as pointing this out due to her own cultural beliefs being in conflict with this kind of treatment, as her Muslim heritage reveres animal life. Leena’s shock at the situation, in comparison to Cookie’s apathy, suggest a severe cultural divide between Leena and Cookie, where Leena, as a member of an immigrant community, is confronted with Western society’s disregard for animals. Leena is in shock when she realises she has eaten “Ham and cheese”, and “screeched unholy… and scuttled all the way home”, exclaiming to her mother that she “ate a pig!” Visual imagery further sets a frantic and panicked scene of Leena dashing back home in a bout of both personal disgust and childish fever. The anxious and regretful tone in which Leena confesses to her mother suggests how her childhood innocence leads her to be scared for the repercussions of eating a pig, which is considered taboo in Muslim cultures. Yet, in contrast, Cookie “took to their loot like a street orphan”. Through simile, Abdu portrays Cookie, who I interpret to be a white Australia, as without restraint or looking out for Leena’s cultural beliefs, chooses to indulge in the bun. Abdu represents Australia’s Western population to be ignorant to the conflicting beliefs of immigrants who are opposed to the wanton greed and mistreatment of animals.
With reference to at least one drama text, explain how its resolution serves an ideological function.
The public, manic suicide of Hedda Gabler in close proximity to her friends and husband serves to promote the second wave feminist ideology prominent at the time of publication through its martyring of Hedda Gabler, portraying her as unable to live in a world where she has no agency because of her gender, in contrast to her merits and intellect.
Piano playing => her release of her built up frustration over her lack of control over her life
Jorgen, Brack => dehumanised Hedda and removed her agency
Vine leaves=> Desire for beauty and self control, unable to due to lack of agency
Actual death => losing her place as a wife, person etc. (Brack) (broad)
