Preview

Paul Keating Speeches Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
437 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Paul Keating Speeches Example
Paul Keating- Unknown Soldier
Paul Keating’s eulogy in the Funeral Service of the Unknown Soldier aimed to commemorate all those who died in war for Australia through the symbolic Unknown soldier and examines what Australia has lost and gained in war.
Keating utilises anaphora in the first paragraph “we do not know…” to establish a sombre tone. The Unknown Soldier becomes symbolic of the ANZAC spirit of mateship, courage and bravery as well as all Australians who serve in war, which is evident through the paradox of “he is all of them. And he is one of use”. He also uses binary opposites such as “city or the bush” and “married or single” to establish links between this soldier and all Australians, ensuring they feel connected to the soldier and remember the idea of his sacrifice for us. He is able to create a personal tone through the use of inclusive language “us” or “we” throughout the speech which often stir patriotism and shared remembrance. His use of asyndeton and emotive language in the successive adjectives “mad, brutal, awful struggle” describes the horrors of war while also stressing the futility of it. Repetition of “one of the “complimented by a statistic establishes the soldier as representing all those who have served in war.
Keating is able to successful in not glorifying war nor belittling it through the juxtaposition of images of “death”, “horror” and “incompetence” with the more patriotic images of “courage”, “resilience” and “mateship”. .” He then describes WWII, using inversion, saying, “It was a lesson about ordinary people- and the lesson was that they were not ordinary.” In this way Keating shifts the focus of the war effort away from the “generals” and the sweeping military victories” to the everyday people who played a part in the war, thus raising the idea that ordinary people can do extraordinary things. Through the paradoxical statement, “he is all of them. And he is one of us”, he reinforces that Australian people can benefit from

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    “I was Only 19” by Redgum conveys their ideas about the violent and disturbing nature of war, the long-lasting psychological effects of war on the soldiers and the misleading nature of the ANZAC legend through the use of language techniques such as repetition, hyperbole, visual comparisons, rhetorical questions, metaphor and code, etc.…

    • 593 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the critical response poem “The New True Anthem”, 1988, Kevin Gilbert challenges the Australian public about our patriotism or lack thereof. With this poem Kevin Gilbert acknowledges the fact that there is not just one single opinion of what has happened to the beautiful land that was once home to many native Aboriginal tribes all over the country. Australia’s sense of pride and admiration that is declared by Dorothea Mackellar in “My Country” is challenged and questioned by Kevin Gilbert. The issues explored in the bitter poem are a lack of patriotism for Australia and shame.…

    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    “All Quiet in the Western Front” is a social commentary on how soldiers are effected emotionally and socially throughout the war and are conflicted on how to readjust to their lives after the Great War. Soldiers are conflicted by their character and do not know whether to pick back life up as a youth or as adults who have endured hard circumstances. The book does not focus on battles and it does not focus on a specific time frame, it rather evaluates what goes through the minds of a soldier. These men are literally being bombarded in the war front by explosives and in the home front by misinformed public who want to know the extremity of the war. Bystanders set High expectations for soldiers to be tough and to know how to behave in order to survive, yet those who did not participate in the Great War could only speculate what was going on in the soldier’s minds. The Great War damaged these soldiers physically and mentally, however certain elements gave the survivors the ability to pull through the war. The youth shifted its mentality and lost its innocence in the Great War. Therefore, Remarque did not focus his book on the combat that took place during the Great War, rather he presents social issues, which does not belittle his experience rather it presents a different view of the…

    • 1709 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    How Did Australia Lose Ww1

    • 1178 Words
    • 5 Pages

    On one revolutionary night in 1914, Andrew Fisher the Prime Minister of Australia, declared that Australia would stand beside their mother country Britain should the worst happen and they go to war, and days later they did. Over the course of the four year(1914-1918) World War one was fought, there were one hundred and forty seven battles and although Australia didn’t fight with the allies in each battle, their involvement was regarded as imperative to winning the war. People in modern society when asked about the First World War will only be knowledgeable of the Anzacs involvement in the Battle of Gallipoli because it is the only battle discussed at Anzac Ceremonies. Battles like the Battle of the Somme deserve more recognition and this essay will give an overview of why. Australia’s transformation from the war, the soldiers experiences, the impact on the soldiers and their families, how the Anzac legend is carried on as well as how the army has changed are all things that this essay will…

    • 1178 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the beginning of war, young Australia wanted to prove their loyalty and worth to their “mother country” which they mostly still relied on. At the time, other nations had more men in their army then Britain, so Australia was keen to provide them with soldiers. When enlisting soldiers, the government hid their true thoughts and only provided the public with the exaggerated truth. As the war went on and more people died, Australians finally realized the truth of war. Even though their opinions changed, they still provided Britain with needed soldiers. Even when the armistice was signed and the war ended, the impacts was still felt in Australia for years…

    • 735 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I felt awful they had lost so many on our coast”. It is clearly highlighted that Australia sacrificed all that they could, despite the fact that the country was very small, as well as the army and navy. An approximate of one third of Australia’s RAN ships was committed, as well as over 16,000 men. It is simply pure luck that the Australian Navy did not lose a ship. Australia’s sacrifice was a vital contribution from the country and was significant for every citizen…

    • 1200 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Being a new, recently independent nation, the outbreak of war provided the opportunity not only to fulfill their obligations to Britain, but also for Australia to establish itself as a country that has the manpower and support behind them to exhibit the traits of an established nation. ‘There was also a belief in society that war was a testing ground for individual and national character’[2] Australia was a product of the successful British military quests and here was the chance to prove themselves worthy on a world stage.’ What the war represented was an opportunity to say, ‘here we are right, look at us fighting’10. If society believed that war was a testing ground for individual and national character, this was certainly achieved at Gallipoli in 1915. Despite being a failed battle with ‘7823 Australians being killed and 19441 wounded with a further 70 becoming prisoners of war’[3], the ANZACS represented the values and qualities of the whole society which is still reflected in our nationalism today. Welborn (2002), describes the historic event as ‘the proving of a nations soul’[4].In essence, the failed landing at Gallipoli evoked at least the sense of nationalism many young men were inspired to enlist as a result…

    • 2047 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Bruce Dawe has used a variety of literary devices to represent specific marginalised groups in ways that challenge their reader’s perceptions. Two of his poems; ‘Homecoming’ and ‘Weapons Training’ are key and transparent examples of literary devices being utilised to represent specific marginalised groups. Both of these poems were set during the 1950’s, with Vietnam being written to represent soldiers pre-war and homecoming to represent soldiers returning to Australia. During this time period, the Australian nation lived via a very patriarchal manner, and had the utmost respect and admiration of their soldiers that fought during the world wars. However, it has been noted in Australian history that there was very little to no compassion given towards the returning soldiers from Vietnam; Homecoming is an attack at society for their reverence and respect-or lack of. This represents the marginalised soldiers from the Vietnam War, for the War Veterans from WW1 and WW2 had always traditionally returned home to a hero’s welcome, greeted at the airway and society’s full support to the brave soldiers who had risked and possibly given their lives for the country. Weapons Training is another war poem, but this time targets young soldiers pre-war on what can be assumed as a final addressing before taking into the ranks, this poem however various from the previous, the soldiers would have gone into the War with the expectation of being given thanks and praise for their bravery, instead they were barked at, abused and insulted. Dawe has represented both of the marginalised soldiers in both of the respective poems through his use of literary devices which can all fall under the brackets of a) Imagery and b) language, integrating into some finer details.…

    • 2124 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many Australian films explore the concept of ‘overcoming adversity’, common to films from many countries but they explore it in a manner unique to Australia and embrace the ‘Aussie Battler’ or ‘Aussie Hero’ icon. The films Gallipoli (Directed by Peter Weir - 1981) and Ned Kelly (Directed by Gregor Jordan - 2003) are two good examples of this. Both films show evidence of characters overcoming adversities throughout their stories. The following will analyse each film and explore the concept by looking at themes and film techniques.…

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bruce Dawe homecoming

    • 392 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Bruce Dawe is a famous and iconic Australian poet; his poems feature his numerous personal experiences and opinions about the futility and brutality of war. Bruce Dawe oft questions the need and validity of war; he talks about the dehumanization and utter brutality the young Australian men face. The poem "Homecoming" raises the public issue of military dehumanization and the futility of the men who enlist. This poem provokes us as individuals, and as a society to question why.…

    • 392 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    To the perception of many Australians, the ANZAC spirit is a fundamental component to Australian identity but what is more it has been a moral example in which many Australians still commend on. The ANZAC spirit has presented itself in modern day Australia through its respected qualities such as pride and persistence and should manifest these values in the future to come, not necessarily through war but through the intentions of building a better nation.…

    • 1268 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Courage, Endurance, Sacrifice and Mateship are the four words that embody the spirt of the Anzac. A person who deserves to be regarded as “legendary” and shows all 4 of these words is William “Billy” Sing. Born, 1886 in a small town of Clermont he grew up to be a legendary sniper. He showed courage while signing up for WW1, Sacrifice in his family life, and Mateship in his snippers and endurance during every day. Through Billy started his training in the local “Proserpine Rifle Club”.…

    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Good evening Prime Minister, Governor General, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. I am honoured to be here to move beyond Charles Bean's conventional Anzac Legend by exposing the overlooked Australian army nurse experiences. They reveal that nurses endured chauvinistic constraints, traumatic conditions and perpetual anguishing impacts on their lives (Inglis, K. S, 2015).…

    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Great War Effects

    • 557 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The effect of The Great War on Australian society was one of the most challenging impacts on Australia. During the great war 60,000 men were killed and 156,000 men were wounded, the grief and sorrow felt from the loss of the men during the great war impacted for generations. Not only were our losses one of the greatest conflict in Australian history but The Great War also began the Anzac tradition, which gradually became a part of Australian identity. Given the appalling conditions of the trenches experienced by soldiers it is not surprising they suffered numerous diseases, illnesses and mental torment from the threat of being bodily harmed or wounded. The mental anguish suffered by returning soldiers would have impacted on the men who fought…

    • 557 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    ben quilty

    • 1069 Words
    • 5 Pages

    As a result, the portraits of these Australian servicemen and women are imbued with their experience of war. They express the dangers the soldiers encountered in Afghanistan, and the complex emotions they felt on…

    • 1069 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays