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Away
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Texts are created in particular contexts but rely on their readers to make sense of them. In Michael Gow’s stage play Away we can learn about Australia’s history its social issues and its culture through the characters and their actions. Without the readers interpreting the texts the contexts would be lost and not be appreciated. Historically the play is set in a specific time period – the Christmas of 1967 and New Year of 1968. The late sixties is a period of Australian history where there was a great deal of political and social change. One significant event was that Australia was at war with North Vietnam. Australia also had a large migrant population. Economically it was a prosperous time for Australia especially in the areas of Agriculture and Mining. These historical events influence the behaviour and attitudes of the characters. The historical aspects of the play would have deeper meaning to people of that generation and time frame. People from this era would be able to relate to the events better than people from younger generations would. Australians views and values differed on the subject of Vietnam War. Opinion was divided about whether or not we should be there. While the characters do not debate this political involvement Roy and Carol have very different reactions about the loss of their son. Roy believes that they should just accept that he has gone and move on with their lives. Roy is proud that his son has made the ultimate sacrifice for his country and his actions and words reflect this. He tells Coral “We are not the first people in the history of the war to lose a son” and “We’re living in a country with one of the highest standards of living on earth and we have shown ourselves willing to defend that standard “. Coral finds the loss of her son hard to accept. She is devastated by his departure and just wants him back. The government policy of conscripting people into the armed forces, by a ballot system, is also referred to by the characters. Rick tells Coral how he escaped conscription while his friends “won two years in the army”.
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Paper Information
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Title: Away
Words: 1745
Rating: None
Pages: 7
submitted by: mainmanno
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