The Firstborn by Jack Davis
Discuss how your investigation of the generic conventions of poetry has influenced your understanding of at least one poem that you have studied in this unit.
Our knowledge of the generic conventions used in poetry influences our understanding of the text. “The Firstborn”, a poem by Aboriginal author Jack Davis, enables the reader to determine the poem as a graphic protest about the extinction of and discrimination against the Australian Indigenous people, and the loss of their ethnicity, as their world collides with the Western culture. By focussing on my understanding of both generic conventions and author’s context, I am able to conclude that the poem concerns a tragedy within the Aboriginal community.
To understand a poem, it is important to recognize the writer’s context as it provides an insight into their life and their sources of inspiration. Jack Davis (1917-2000) was born in Perth, of Aboriginal heritage and is described as Australia’s “most influential black playwright.” He was an actor, activist and author, whose works voiced a protest against the social injustice Aboriginals faced both by the public and government. Some of his memorable works include: “The Firstborn”, “Black Life”, The Dreamers, and No Sugar. By delving into Davis’ background, the reader is able to gain an insight into his poetry, because he lived during the time of some tragic moments in Aboriginal history. For instance, The Stolen Generation, The segregation of Aboriginals and White people, and The Coniston Massacre. Having knowledge of his context gives his poetry an authenticity, as we are cogniscent of his personal experiences of racism and prejudice. Through research, the reader is able to gain a perspective into the life of a literary genius and a better understanding of his or her work.
By understanding Davis’ context, it enhances how the poem’s structure plays an important role in understanding the nature of the text. “The Firstborn” is a free verse poem, a name first
Our knowledge of the generic conventions used in poetry influences our understanding of the text. “The Firstborn”, a poem by Aboriginal author Jack Davis, enables the reader to determine the poem as a graphic protest about the extinction of and discrimination against the Australian Indigenous people, and the loss of their ethnicity, as their world collides with the Western culture. By focussing on my understanding of both generic conventions and author’s context, I am able to conclude that the poem concerns a tragedy within the Aboriginal community.
To understand a poem, it is important to recognize the writer’s context as it provides an insight into their life and their sources of inspiration. Jack Davis (1917-2000) was born in Perth, of Aboriginal heritage and is described as Australia’s “most influential black playwright.” He was an actor, activist and author, whose works voiced a protest against the social injustice Aboriginals faced both by the public and government. Some of his memorable works include: “The Firstborn”, “Black Life”, The Dreamers, and No Sugar. By delving into Davis’ background, the reader is able to gain an insight into his poetry, because he lived during the time of some tragic moments in Aboriginal history. For instance, The Stolen Generation, The segregation of Aboriginals and White people, and The Coniston Massacre. Having knowledge of his context gives his poetry an authenticity, as we are cogniscent of his personal experiences of racism and prejudice. Through research, the reader is able to gain a perspective into the life of a literary genius and a better understanding of his or her work.
By understanding Davis’ context, it enhances how the poem’s structure plays an important role in understanding the nature of the text. “The Firstborn” is a free verse poem, a name first