Australian Literature helps me to expand the boundaries of my own experience. 

As a result of studying variations of Australian literature this semester, I believe I have a  have a deeper understanding of the world around me. This is due to the extensive analysis of poetry, novels and short stories that have enabled my participation and broadened my knowledge on Australian history. By thoroughly studying Australian literature, I have become fond of several writers and poets, which becomes evident within my blog writing. Notably, blog 3  and blog 1.

Blog 3 I created my own question,

“This creative blog is written in the same style of Henry Lawson where he describes in his short stories the brutality yet beauty of the Australian landscape,”

to reveal my desire to recreate a creative writing piece in the similar style of  Henry Lawson and his depiction of the adversities within the Australian landscape. The liberty of creating my own blog question consequently enabled me to expand my own writing ability and create a blog that was representative of another author. This can be seen in the simile I wrote,  “The air around me seemed to drop as the sun refused to show, like it was in fear to be seen. Further ahead I could see the dark shrubs which arched over the path, competing for the break of sunlight.”  In this part of my creative blog, I have encapsulated Henry Lawsons’ ability to write of the beauty yet danger of the Australian landscape. This blog is sentimental to me because it is based off a memory of when my cousin shot two birds on our farmland property in the Northern Tablelands of NSW. The ability to tell my memory in the form of a creative blog  and relate it to studying Australian Literature has ultimately been a positive  experience…otherwise I would never have been able to express my intimate connection with the Australian landscape.

This ability to express my experience with the Australian Landscape is also created through my first blog entry. Through careful annotation of this poem, I was able to briefly recognise and try to understand the difficulties that Aboriginal people face within Australia. Upon reading the poem in class I was instantly reminded of an interaction with a person of Aboriginal decent. By having the freedom to write a blog post, I was able to critically review and expose my own experience. This is exhibited in the last line of my blog,  “I should have felt that he belonged and was experiencing his connection to the land around him and not starkly contrasted by the clothes and shoes he wore. Would it have been a different feeling if he wore no shoes at all?”.

My favourite part of studying Australian Literature this semester has been peer reviewing others in my cohort. I have loved (and secretly felt intimidated) reading the exceptional works of other students. I was honestly amazed at all of the entries I read which ultimately allowed me to become involved in their experiences of Australian literature, enabling  me to further expand my own.