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
Topic sentence
addresses the
question in a
general way
before
introducing the
text
Evaluate the
speaker’s
adherence to
principles such
as ‘kairos’
Evaluate the
construction or
‘arrangement’
of the speech
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.
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.
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
Refer to how
the context of
the speech and
the speaker has
influenced
meaning
Frequent links
back to the
concept of
national
identity, directly
and indirectly,
throughout the
analysis
Personal
engagement
expressed as
per the
question
Connective
statement to
mark the next
part of the
essay
Evidence of an
informed
personal
understanding
Reference to
textual integrity:
‘unifying
characteristic’
Critical analysis
of the content
and
construction
Detailed textual
references used
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.
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.
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.
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 develop
argument re
national identity
and enduring
value
Constructive
use of
rhetorical
metalanguage
‘arrangement’,
‘deliberative’,
‘pathos’, ‘logos’,
‘exordium’,
‘anaphora’,
‘peroration’
Link back to
question
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 selfknowledge 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.