“The Rabbit Proof Fence” is one of the short stories we have read. We have watched the whole story together in class. The film was very good, I think, and made it easier to understand the short story in the book. The story takes place for not so long ago, when the aborigine’s people lost their rights as natives, but should rather be segregated, and after a while, be a part of the white population. The people who made these decisions wanted the aborigines to be mixed in the white culture, and then be total extinguished, when the black colored skin would soon be replaced by the white.
The story brings up the aspects of Australian history and culture. We also get a detailed description about the dessert, the long distances and the climate in Australia, as well as the geographical terms.
“The Larder” is a very good short story, because is reflects on the aspects of life, and about man’s foolishness as well as the responsibility each and every one of us has. For the nature, and for each other. The story takes place in Australia, and I think it is important to see how the environment in Australia is today. It is the biggest island in the world; it has the biggest monolith and the biggest living reef, it is well worth to save this magnificent place. The author of “The Larder” has used humor in the text to get the message out much clearer. It is fun to read for people, therefore; it sticks to your brain, and you remember it.
The story is about tourism, and the guided trips to The Great Barrier Reef. The tourists take home shells as souvenirs to put on their shelves at home, and they kill the animals. The tourists just take one or two shells with them, and leaving the animals there to die. It is tragically, but it is true, and also one of the most destructive methods to tear down the environment, without thinking about the consequences.
Australia is a hot, sunburned country, as it says in the book. It got a history which is very sad, really. The prisoners from England who were shipped to Australia, and then kept the natives as prisoners are quite ironic, actually. The aborigines are called the lost generations, because they lost their identity, and were just set to be a servant for the white people. You may then see similarities with the African people, who also were slaves for the white population. Englishmen and Americans have not the best reputation when we discuss justice. And the new prime minister of Australia apologized to the indigenous tribes just a few years ago, maybe to ease the reputation and show respect for all the peoples. Or maybe just to win some aborigines votes?
The black majority have always been suppressed, just because they have been born in a poor country. The white people from England and America have been slave traders and treated them badly. I hope the new generations learn the black history, because it is as black as the dreams to the lost generations, who never get their lives back as they were. I hope we look at the history as a short story, and reflect on the themes. The themes are (as always) man’s foolishness, and stupidity. But also a lack of moral, maybe?
