Summative Entry

Image retrieved from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:David_Malouf_Sydney_Writer%27s_Walk_plaque.jpg

Governor General David Hurley made the comment, “Australia is not a finished product” in response to a quote by Australian author David Malouf written on a plaque. It reads, “Australia is still revealing itself to us. We oughtn’t to close off possibilities by declaring too early what we have already become”. This demonstrates that he perceives the ongoing nature of Australia in all its aspects. I agree with this because as long as time does not stand still, history in all its forms never ceases to be created. Australia as a product is underpinned by its inhabitants experiences and as long as we are diverse human beings contributing different ideas to Australia, is it ever really finished?

My blog posts demonstrates the diversity of human experiences. In my first blog post, (https://hollysliteratureblog.art.blog/2019/08/17/blog-1/) I wrote about travelling through Egypt, visiting different sites and embracing their diverse nature despite some believing they all appeared similar. Even though it was not in reference to Australia, it shows how relevant the past is today in creating different experiences and how I was able to bring this experience back to Australia and write about it in my blog. This can be done with every experience and thus, it is limitless. Therefore, Australia is not a finished product because of the opportunity individuals have to experience things internationally and still be able to bring it back home and reflect on it, contributing their work to the nation over and over. 

My second blog post, https://hollysliteratureblog.art.blog/2019/08/26/blog-2/ touches on the idea of endless possibilities through Sidney Nolan’s painting depicting Ned Kelly. Although he painted it based on one perspective, another individual could paint a different image of Ned Kelly or perhaps compose it in a different form of art; a sculpture, a drawing, a song and more. It is because of the endless possibilities that composers, authors, artists and so on can contribute to Australia in different ways and Australia is not labelled as complete or finished. 

My third blog post, https://hollysliteratureblog.art.blog/2019/09/02/blog-3/, demonstrates how imagination is the foundation for works of art and literature. Australia is not finished because the inhabitants of Australia have the power to imagine and create what they wish and contribute to society. Imagination is also limitless and thus if we continue to contribute in different ways, Australia will never be finished. A quote I implemented by Walter Lippmann within this blog post  reads; “Almost no two experiences are exactly alike”. I believe this reflects clearly how Australia is not a finished product because as long as individuals experiences are diverse, it will keep on being added to what makes up Australia. 

Similarly, texts themselves reiterate how Australia is not a finished product. In my fourth blog post, https://hollysliteratureblog.art.blog/2019/09/16/blog-4/, I wrote a letter to Patrick White showing my appreciation for his text, ‘Down at the Dump’ and in my fifth blog post, https://hollysliteratureblog.art.blog/2019/10/07/blog-5/, I wrote a letter to Kim Scott showing my appreciation for his novel, “That Deadman Dance”. Both are different authors, both have created worlds of fiction based on either historical events or their views regarding society. White created a fictional town within Australia and showed the diversity of human experiences through the contrasting lives of two families and Scott wrote about Australia during settlement in a unique way. They focus on different events and ideas. This is why Australia is not a finished product. Australia is all about diversity and if authors are able to compose literary works based on different ideas, the possibilities are endless. 

The future is still unwritten. Just think about how the nation was 100 years ago, 200 years ago. It is vastly different now and I can only imagine what the future has in store for this country.