Oodergeroo Noonuccal
‘Time is Running Out’ by Oodergeroo Noonuccal is a poem with the theme of peace, justice, equality and most of all, respect. Oodergeroo is an Aboriginal rights activist who likes expressing what she feels in her poems. In the poem she is expressing what she thinks and fells about Aboriginals not getting their spiritual and sacred land, due to the mining of ‘black blood’ (what I think is coal). The tone in this poem seems to be calm but rising with anger about the ignorance towards the ends of the poem. This makes it sound like the poet is angry at the miners from taking the Aboriginal land.
There are many meanings and symbols in this poem, hidden in lines in the stanzas. For example ‘his greedy lust for power, he destroys old nature’s will for the sake of the filthy dollar’ in that line, the poet talks about the miners being greedy for the money, without caring about the nature, or the Aboriginals sacred and spiritual land. This poem has irony, because the miner cares about the land because it is his land, but he cares more about the money. This poem tells us that we should respect the land and the owners of the land, along with what people think about the land.
The main idea and theme about this poem ‘Time is running Out’ has similarities and differences. The theme has some similarities, one of the main themes in this poem is equality between the white people that are mining and for the Aboriginals. Also both of the poems use quite a bit of symbolism. Although the themes are a bit different too, like in this poem it is mainly about how the Aboriginals are not respected, and their beliefs of the land is not respected.
There are many meanings and symbols in this poem, hidden in lines in the stanzas. For example ‘his greedy lust for power, he destroys old nature’s will for the sake of the filthy dollar’ in that line, the poet talks about the miners being greedy for the money, without caring about the nature, or the Aboriginals sacred and spiritual land. This poem has irony, because the miner cares about the land because it is his land, but he cares more about the money. This poem tells us that we should respect the land and the owners of the land, along with what people think about the land.
The main idea and theme about this poem ‘Time is running Out’ has similarities and differences. The theme has some similarities, one of the main themes in this poem is equality between the white people that are mining and for the Aboriginals. Also both of the poems use quite a bit of symbolism. Although the themes are a bit different too, like in this poem it is mainly about how the Aboriginals are not respected, and their beliefs of the land is not respected.
Maya Angelou
‘Equality’ by Maya Angelou is a poem with the theme of justice, respect and most of all equality. Since Maya is an African American she likes to express about her standpoint of the world in her poems. In the poem she is expressing what she thinks and fells about the blacks people (African Americans) not even rights and the respect that they deserve. The tone of this poem seems similar to the tone in Oodergeroo’s ‘Time is Running Out’, except for this poem is has the anger aimed towards the ignorant people. This makes it sound like the poet is angry at the miners from taking the Aboriginal land.
Like in the other poem, there are many meanings and symbols used in this poem, hidden in lines in the stanzas. For example, one of the most repeated phrases in the poem, ‘Equality, and I will be free’ in that line, the poet talks about how they with that one day people will be accepted in a word filled with discrimination, also if people are treated fairly then they will feel free. Anaphora is a big part in this poem, this has the effect that Maya is getting because of using this technique is that she has a strong idea about this point that she is trying to make, that African Americans are not treated equally to the whites.
The main idea and theme about this poem ‘Equality’ has similarities and differences to ‘Time is Running Out’. The theme is similar, although it is two different races in both of the poems that are being talked about, but the same point is that the Aboriginals and African Americans are not treated equally and being respected. The poems are also a bit different, in the way the poetic techniques are used in both of the poems, ‘Equality’ uses a lot of repetition and anaphora, compared to the large amount of symbolism and use of Irony in the other poem.
Like in the other poem, there are many meanings and symbols used in this poem, hidden in lines in the stanzas. For example, one of the most repeated phrases in the poem, ‘Equality, and I will be free’ in that line, the poet talks about how they with that one day people will be accepted in a word filled with discrimination, also if people are treated fairly then they will feel free. Anaphora is a big part in this poem, this has the effect that Maya is getting because of using this technique is that she has a strong idea about this point that she is trying to make, that African Americans are not treated equally to the whites.
The main idea and theme about this poem ‘Equality’ has similarities and differences to ‘Time is Running Out’. The theme is similar, although it is two different races in both of the poems that are being talked about, but the same point is that the Aboriginals and African Americans are not treated equally and being respected. The poems are also a bit different, in the way the poetic techniques are used in both of the poems, ‘Equality’ uses a lot of repetition and anaphora, compared to the large amount of symbolism and use of Irony in the other poem.