Speaker Purpose Context Themes Structure Quotes +

Techniques
Reception
Pearson
An
Australian
history for
us all
1996
- Australia
Aim to give an
account of the history
behind the
relationship between
the Europeans and
Aboriginal inhabitants
Illustrate the need to
recognise
discrimination and
tae responsibility of
the past! present and
future
Encourage an open!
harmonious and
hopeful vision of
reconciliation as
opposed to focusing
on assigning guilt
"races Australian
history and focuses on
the relations between
Europeans and
Aboriginal inhabitants
through reference to a
series of scholars-
who all acnowledged
the in#ustices faced by
the Aboriginals
Argued that if
reconciliation is to be
achieved there is a
need to recognise the
discrimination that did
e$ist and still e$ists
%aw & history
graduate & an
Abo activist
leader'
(ne of Aus)s
most influential
Abo in Aus)n
politics
*is speech was
inspired by the
*igh +ourt
decisions &
political
statements of the
time
,ewly
elected -. /ohn
*oward 0
proposed
amendments to
,ative "itle Act'
1ays prior
to his speech /ohn
*oward criticised
historians who
presented what he
called the new
2black armband
view of Australian
history which
emphasised the
European actions
of dispossession,
exploitation and
Racism
3ocuses
e$tensively on the
racist history of
Australia
4hed light on
Aboriginal
relations with
European settlers
who dispossessed
the indigenous
people on their
land and culture
(utlined the
doctrine of terra
nullius- land
belonging to no
one and didn)t
recognise
Aboriginal
inhabitants
1oesn)t dwell on
the in#ustices-
loos to the future
and the means to
overcome the
ongoing racism
within Australia-
praises the move
forward
+hallenges his
immediate
audience and the
nation to accept
Structure of a
discussion.
Chronological
structure.
*e deliberately
chooses to appeal
to the intellect of
his audience!
rather then their
emotions through
the language and
structure of
discussion' "his
is apparent
through his use of
many allusions to
authorities
including
-rofessor 5ill
4tanner)s 5oyer
lectures! 6obert
*ughes! *enry
6enolds and
significant
political figures
such as -aul
7eating and /ohn
*oward as well
as legal
references to the
.abo case! 8i
decision and
,ative "itle! to
e$tensively
9ses critical!
academic! formal
language 0 befits the
formal occasion -
historiography of
colonial relations
+ollo:uialism &
clich;s 0 hot
button issue, live
and let live to
lighten the mood &
mae the speech
more accessible to
the audience'
-earson refers to
prominent
politicians!
historians and other
social commentators
with direct :uotes 0
esp' /ohn *oward'
Inclusive language
is cleverly weaved
into the speech
when he repeatedly
refers to our
nation and the
action that 2we
have to tae to
correct the in#ustices
of the past - *as the
effect of reconciling
the divide between
Indigenous and
Original
In the original
interpretation! -earson
spoe at a time when
indigenous issues were
topical and controversial
in Australian politics
and in the community
<.abo! 8i & ,ative
"itle decisions
occurred=! and thus the
speech generated
coverage in the national
media & evoed a
mi$ed reception'
*is speech was also
highly political as it
criticised the -rime
.inister /ohn *oward
and other politicians'
-earson)s position
isolated him from many
member of the
Aboriginal community
and he also found a lot
of criticism in the wider
community'
.any Australian)s at the
time agreed with /ohn
*oward)s condemnation
of the black armband
view of history'
"here were and still are
some Australian)s who
today and to tae
responsibility for this
1oesn)t advocate the
25lac Armband)
view of Aus history-
prefers to deal with
facts at hand
"old his audience
there is no need for
them to feel guilt over
what occurred! but
they should
acnowledge that the
in#ustices did tae
place and bear some
responsibility for this-
calls for 2an opening
of our hearts as we
strive to overcome the
ine:uities of our past
and build a future on
the foundations of
#ustice and e:uality
Pearsons academic
speech aims to debate
and :uestion the
history of Australia!
supports the role of
reconciliation! and
represents a step
forward in the battle
to improve relations
between Indigenous
and non-Indigenous
Australians'
"he debate is not
about the facts of the
violence. -earson
was against this
view 0 that we
should
acnowledge it'
3ollowing this!
there was a
widespread debate
over the issue of
how Aust)ns
should respond to
their past
*e too a more
conservative
approach to Abo
politics! strongly
criticising his own
community for the
high rates of
substance abuse
and reliance on
welfare payouts
Advocate of
increased
responsibility for
the Aboriginal
community
+ontinuing wor
to find practical
solutions to the
problems faced by
Abo)s - placed
him at the centre
of many political
debates
>outh and
conservative
responsibility for
and express
shame in relation
to our past!
believing that this
could be the best
path toward
reconciliation
-uts great
emphasis on the
need for the
Aboriginal and
European
communities to
reconcile in order
to move forward'

ar and Peace
1enies the history
of peaceful
settlement and
speas out against
the doctrine of
terra nullius'
.aes reference
to the 2colonial
frontier) and the
war that too
place between
whites & Abo)s'
Audience is made
to relive the
atrocities and
in#ustices of the
war through the
accounts of
8illiam +ooper-
illustrate his
profound ideas &
add weight to the
argument of his
speech'
European
Australians?
unifying the nation
6hetorical :uestion
- has the socalled
black armband view
of history been
about apportioning
guilt!
+umulative list of
what has been taen
from the Aboriginal
people in the past -
"ou have taken
from us not #ust our
land and not #ust all
of the icons of
indigenous
Australia$
language creates a
divide between
indigenous and
European
Australians
throughout the
repetition of 2you)
.aes sarcastic
political allusions to
-rime .inister
7eating)s
recession we had
to have- the
turmoil and
confusion the
country had to
have - use of
political satire is
feel we do not need to
tae responsibility for
the mistaes of our
ancestors and e$press
our shame'
"herefore! -earson)s
views would not have
found wide support
within the broad
Australian community'
.ore conservative
Australian)s would have
viewed -earson)s speech
as being biased towards
his own people and
cultural bacground'
*owever! many
Australian)s would have
also appreciated
-earson)s attempt to
ob#ectively trace the
history of Australia and
present a wide range of
views'
*is ideas of #ustice!
peace and the struggle
against oppression
would have been
received as representing
core Australian values'
"here were two *igh
+ourt decisions 0 .abo
and 8i which were the
first time Australian
legislation and case law
recognised Aboriginals
as the original
past! but how we
should respond' %he
debate is about how
Australians should
respond to the past
.ain aim is to analyse
the issue of Aboriginal
reconciliation and its
progress in Australian
4ociety
*e strives to reconcile
the relationship
between Indigenous
and non-indigenous
Australians and to
acnowledge the past
in#ustices that the
Aboriginal population
faced'
!udience 0 educated
academics! people
interested in history!
formal occasion!
delivered at 8estern
4ydney 9ni'
approach has
gained him
respect within
Australian
community
Ased to address
an academic
gathering at the
9ni of 8estern
4ydney
+hose to spea on
Aus)n *istory -
focusing on the
relationships
between the
European settlers
and the Aboriginal
people
4peech considered
the political
conte$t
3ollowed the
.abo decision-
which overturned
the doctrine of
"erra ,ullius
<land belonging to
no-one=
,ative "itle and
.abo- provided a
momentous
changed in Aus)n
history and for the
1
st
time legislation
and case law
recognised
Aboriginals as the
learn a policeman
shot and illed @1
aboriginals in
revenge for illing
of a single white
man
5rings the
realities of the war
frontier to life! he
gives himself a
platform from
which he can
more openly
advocate the need
for peace and
reconciliation
"uilt and
Responsi#ilit$
.ost
controversial
theme
1ebate whether
Australians should
feel guilt for their
past
-romotes the idea
that 2guilt is not a
useful emotion
and that
Australians should
collectively tae
responsibility for
the 2present,
future and past
6eminds
Australians that
important in that it
alludes to former
-. 7eating who is
a great proponent of
reconciliation
6efers to 7eating)s
call to 2open our
hearts creating a
hope that
reconciliation can
be achieved
4eries of legal
references to cases
and native title
claims
Emotive language
and negative
diction- derogation
and a diminution
and a legacy of
unutterable shame
show historic
suffering of
Aboriginal -
+ontrasted with
positive words such
as celebration,
spirit of
compromise, open
and generous - "ries
to adopt a positive
sense of harmony
and reconciliation
for the future
inhabitants of Australia'
4ome Australians do
feel responsible and the
need to tae
responsibility for our
mistaes
5ut many Australians
disagreed with the
seeing guilt as an
inevitable emotion tied
to an apology
%odern
In the modern
interpretation! his youth
and conservative
approach has gained him
respect within the
Australian community
and his speech is a call
to all Australian)s to
open their hearts to
reconciliation! which
still resonates today'
*is ideas are attaced by
some Aboriginal leaders
and by politicians on
both sides of politics'
4ome people today thin
/ohn *oward is
notorious for not
apologising to the
Aboriginals for past
in#ustices and that it is
the collective
responsibility of all
original
inhabitants of Aus
they celebrate
and share in the
achievements of
the past thus
should feel
responsibility for
and express
shame in other
aspects of their
past
6e:uests that
Australians
acnowledge the
2truths of the
past and accept
responsibility
+ontroversial
position- not
many Aboriginals
held this view-
Isolated him from
members of
Aboriginal
community -
+riticised within
Australian
community
-Advocacy of
feeling
responsibility
rather than guilt is
symbolic of his
mature approach
to reconciliation
Australians to deal with
conte$tual issues'
Everyone)s views
depend on their own
political beliefs and our
Aboriginal rights
beliefs'
In ABBC! -rime .inister
7evin 6udd gave a
national apology to the
Aborigines on behalf of
Australia for the past
in#ustices they suffered
and this bought
tremendous relief to the
Aboriginal community
in moving a step closer
to achieving
reconciliation'
1ue to this notable event
and others in the 199B)s
people now loo at his
speech in a new conte$t
0 one that acnowledges
Aboriginal people
illustrating that
interpretations of a te$t
shift and change with
time and place'
&nternational Reception
If -earson)s speech had
been presented
internationally! it would
have generated great
interest'
"he international
community would
receive his speech as a
good representation of
the need to free the
oppressed and accept
responsibility for the
past in order to pursue
the future'
"he international
audience would be free
from conte$tualisation
& distanced from the
references to Australian
politics! the #udgements
of them and also the
Australian legal cases'
"hey would focus on
universal principles of
e:uality! reconciliation
and freedom from
oppression found within
the speech'