i know i maay be a bit late but....
A righteous day:
In his poem, ‘A righteous Day’, the author, Mudrooroo Nyoongah, goes through many journeys, whether it is personal or inner, spiritual and imaginative, or physical and emotional. Nyoongah, an Australian Aboriginal, takes the readers on a journey from his initial struggle in the beginning, to his fight for success towards the end, where he SHALL bring a change.
The poem is structured such that it used enjambment, not only to create a tone, or rhythm, but furthermore, to provide the reader with a sense of sympathy and feeling. This leads on to the division of the poem. The poem is divided - not physically, into 3 sections.
The first of which is only 3 lines long. Short. And Sharp. It depicts the struggle which Nyoongah has faced till this point in his life. The last line of this section portrays his suicidal attempts, ‘Protecting my wrist from the slashes of insecurities’. This represents the extent of his misery in his life at this point in time. His way of life was tough, and his life was even tougher.
The second section, however, though negative, is a very strong and powerful part of the poem. The use of parallelism and repetition, in order to create emphasis and illustrate change is used to great depth. The poet writes, ‘Today, I Shall’… ‘Today, I shall’... ‘Today I shall’…and so on, in order to represent the fact that he WILL stand and make a change. Not only does it represent anger, it also shows a sense of aggression. There is also a frequent use of monosyllabic words, which show frustration, and imperfect literacy levels. Along with Monosyllabic words, the poet expresses his desperation and aggression and seriousness by the use of Staccato in very direct sentences: ‘Today, I shall be free of harassment…’ His use of juxtaposition in ‘Passive in Anger’ represents a sense of confusion, and frustration.
Finally, the third section of the poem is of great contrast to the rest of the poem. This is because this last section is written in a very positive, calm, and almost, ‘inspirational’ way. It has a sense of victory, although the Indigenous Australians are far from that. The poet changes the use of ‘I’ to ‘our’, to symbolize a sense of oneness and unity – A pride of nationalism. This is clearly demonstrated in ‘Lead ME away…’, ‘Today, I shall…’, then finally to, ‘For today, this day is OUR day’.
He challenges himself through the whole poem .Taking his own mind on an inner journey to realize not only his potential, but also to realize how it is hurting him, and his nation. Furthermore, it becomes an imaginative journey. He wants Indigenous Australians to be treated fairly, which was his aim, when writing this poem. He wanted to see a change. He imagined this change, and strives to fulfill it, which is where the journey turns physical. He takes steps in the right direction, both metaphorically, and physically. He is determined to make a difference and is determined to stand up for justice.
In conclusion, it is clear that by understanding the use of language techniques and comprehending the depicted emotions through his writing, one can clearly state that Mudrooroo Nyoongah, a Indigenous Australian poet, travels far within himself, yet further for his nation, and community, during which he makes a journey to success.
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