Postcolonial theorist and writer,
Kateryna Olinyk Arthur, suggests in “Between Literatures” that histories in the settler and invader colonies are often expressed as “allowing interplay between past and present.” (Arthur 11). This idea of “allowing interplay between past and present” (Arthur 11) looks at how the past and present (or history) of an area exerts influence on each other. The suggestion by Arthur of “interplay between past and present” (Arthur 11) in text can be seen in two Postcolonial short works: Jeannette C. Armstrong’s “History Lesson” and A.D. Hope’s “Australia.” Armstrong’s “History Lesson” and Hope’s “Australia” have parallel https://voyagebyjustine.com/ themes. From these parallel themes there is one theme that is central to “History Lesson” and “Australia:” the negative view that Armstrong – from Canada – and Hope – from Australia – have of colonization to their native lands. This parallel theme is developed from the historical Postcolonial background of Canada – by Armstrong – and Australia – by Hope. In “History Lesson” and “Australia” Armstrong and Hope explore their negative view of colonization through the use of parallel images of destruction. These parallel images of destruction are explored in terms of destruction to nature, to land, by industrialization, and to culture and tradition. Parallel images of Canada’s and Australia’s historical Postcolonial background in Armstrong’s “History Lesson” and Hope’s “Australia” are used to express the negative view – the parallel theme of both poems – that Armstrong and Hope have of colonization. These parallel images can be seen in Armstrong’s “History Lesson” and Hope’s “Australia” in terms of destruction to nature, to land, by industrialization, and to culture and tradition. Armstrong expresses this destruction towards nature in “History Lesson” as: “of smoke stacks / and multi-coloured rivers.” (Armstrong 22-23). Armstrong connects the “smoke stacks” (Armstrong 22) and “multi-coloured rivers” (Armstrong 23) to show destruction to nature by means of pollution due to the establishment of settler and invader colonies. Armstrong continues to express this destruction towards nature as: glimpsed in a garden / forever closed / forever lost. (Armstrong 45-47).Here, Armstrong connects the loss of lush, indigenous botany to a “garden” (Armstrong 45) that has been destroyed – as a result of harvesting and clear cutting by settler and invader colonies – beyond repair, or as she illustrates “forever closed / forever lost.” (Armstrong 46-47). Parallel to this, Hope expresses the destruction towards nature in “Australia” as: “Her rivers of water drown[ing] among inland sands.” (Hope 11). Hope connects the destruction to nature in Australia as the loss and depletion, or “drown[ing],” (Hope 11), of natural water sources: “[h]er rivers of water” (Hope 11) – a symbol of sustenance – due to the construction of manmade land or “inland sands” (Hope 11) by settler and invader colonies. The destruction towards land is another parallel image that is used in Armstrong’s “History Lesson” and Hope’s “Australia” to interlock the parallel theme both poems illustrate. In “Australia,” Hope expresses this destruction towards land as: “… her hills, those endless, outstretched paws / Of Sphinx demolished or stone lion worn away.” (Hope 3-4). Hope compares the landscape, or “hills” (Hope 3) as he illustrates, to surroundings as beautiful as the “… endless, outstretched paws / Of [the] Sphinx … or [a] stone lion;” (Hope 4); however, due to destruction of the land by settler and invader colonies, this majestic view has been “demolished” (Hope 4) or “worn away.” (Hope 4). Hope continues this expression of destruction towards the Australian land as: “Where second hand Europeans pullulate / Timidly on the edge of alien shores.” (Hope 19-20). Hope connects the “second hand Europeans pullulat[ing]” (Hope 19) and describing the land as “the edge of alien shores” (Hope 20) to express how the establishment and over-growth, or “pullulat[ion],” (Hope 19), of settler and invader colonies, “second hand Europeans,” (Hope 19), have destroyed the land to a point where it is no longer identifiable and “alien.” (Hope 20). Parallel to Hope, Armstrong expresses the destruction towards the land in Canada by settler and invader colonies as: The colossi / in which they trust / while burying / breathing forests and fields. (Armstrong 30-33).Here, Armstrong combines images of destruction to land with images of destruction to nature – an image that was explored previously. Armstrong connects the destruction to land with the raising of giant statues or “[t]he colossi” (Armstrong 30) by settler and invader colonies. This erection of giant statues or “colossi” (Armstrong 30) causes destruction to the land (and to nature) “[by] burying / breathing forests and fields;” (Armstrong 32-33); ironic, as these statues where intended to be symbols of peace towards the land. The parallel images in Armstrong’s “History Lesson” and Hope’s “Australia” that express destruction to land can be prolonged into destruction to land by industrialization; this further establishes the parallel theme of both poems. The last quotation from Armstrong’s “History Lesson” that was used to illustrate destruction to land: The colossi / in which they trust / while burying / breathing forests and fields, (Armstrong 30-33),can be developed and expanded into the following: The colossi / in which they trust / while burying / breathing forests and fields / beneath concrete and steel. (Armstrong 30-34).Armstrong illustrates “[t]he colossi” (Armstrong 30) to be a double entendre; this double meaning could be seen in two (or more) ways: as the (ironic) erection of giant statues, as it was discussed previously,
