Oodgeroo Noonuccal's Poem 'We Are Going'

An Analysis of the poem “We are Going” as evidence of disproving the ‘One Aussie Experience’ Oodgeroo Noonuccal’s literary masterpiece serves as a stunning critique into Australia’s past, and a reason as to what the rest of the world views it today, by recounting how indigenous history and culture was subsequently destroyed with the arrival of the British and as such, the emerged stereotypical “one white Australian experience”.
In ‘We Are Going’, Noonuccal reveals the tyranny encountered by the Aboriginals, and through her criticism, she exposes the fallacy of Australian stereotypes, uncovering the main part of Australia’s history from its marginalised and hushed voices, and by doing so, she ultimately proves the truth of there not being one Aussie experience, but truly a complete assortment of experiences which have been ‘swept under the carpet’. …show more content…
This is shown via Noonuccal's use of simile, where she compares the white men to ants, showing the insignificance, but the vast amount of them, - “Where now the many white men hurry about like ants.”, she writes. Not only that, but all of the lines nine to fourteen create an association to the land through her use of metaphor. This paired with the seemingly excessive repetition of the words “we are”, it unifies and strengthens the idea of spiritual identity and an intrinsic connection to the land of Australia. Using this idea of the Aboriginals connection to the land, it can be analysed that her use of comparing white men to ants, shows how they destroy history - for ants burrow underneath the ground to create homes and in turn implant colonies. As a result, this practice causes the eradication of the land, which to the Aboriginals is their spiritual heritage and

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