Discussion questions
These discussion questions are designed for use in teaching from the Macquarie PEN Anthology of Aboriginal Literature.
General questions
- Discuss Indigenous poetry in terms of Aboriginal identity OR recording history OR talking about sense of place.
- Choose one Indigenous author in any genre and discuss the style of their voice as compared to a non-Aboriginal writer of your choice.
- What would you consider the roles of Aboriginal literature in Australia? Give examples to substantiate your claim.
- Discuss the claim that Aboriginal literature is ‘post-colonial’.
- Discuss the evolution of Aboriginal literature as seen in the anthology from Bennelong’s letters up until Alexis Wright’s Carpentaria.
- What do you see as the major themes of Aboriginal literature?
Specific questions
- Discuss the style of Kim Scott’s novel Benang? Is it conversational, 'postmodern', antithetical, revisionary, historical, political, reactionary? Something else?
- How would you describe Lionel Fogarty’s poetry? What other writers internationally could be classified in the same way as Fogarty?
- Discuss the most challenging aspects of the novel Rabbit Proof Fence for you as a reader. Also consider how ‘typical’ the experiences of Molly, Daisy and Gracie were for other Stolen Children.
- What did Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Kevin Gilbert and Jack Davis have in common as Aboriginal writers? Explain.