Ways of Living in Contemporary Australian Society

There are many different ways of living in our Multicultural Australian Society, but is there a right one? You could be either rich or poor, Catholic or Christian, skinny or fat, popular or unpopular, all of which are different ways of living. The poems which Komninos composes, the article written by Laura Demasi and the television show Big Brother, all explore the aspects of living in an Australian society and the affects they have on people.

You may not realise that the media has a major impact on people’s perspective of themselves and others around them and also reflects and dictates cultural trends and ways of living. People who are attractive and popular tend to judge people who are overweight and ‘nerdy’ because they don’t fit in with this class of people. Vegetarian, Vegan, Fast food junkie or a meat eater! These are all to do with eating and ways of living. People who eat fast food are usually overweight and have medical conditions like type two diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. So does that mean that Vegetarians or vegans are healthier? Vegans are at risk of vitamin B12 deficiency which affects the blood and nervous system. So their choice of lifestyle may be healthier than that of a fast food junkie, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t face risks in their way of living.

People who live their lives the way their Religion expects them to, only know of that way to live, but there is more than one type of religion. So which one do you choose? Catholic, Christian, Buddhist or Jewish, these are just some of the religions that are commonly known in Australian communities and most people don’t get to choose because they are brought up with parents that follow that religion, therefore they are expected to do the same. In the poem ‘at christmas’, Komninos celebrates Christmas as a festival when people change from their everyday way of living. Komninos also changes his way of writing by using a rhyming and rhythmical style, in an almost ‘sing-song’ way. The voice of the poet in this poem is child like.

“it doesn’t matter where you’re from

australia welcomes everyone”

This kind of writing indicates that a different way of living exists for the short period of Christmas time. Christmas is celebrated by Christians and Catholics, but the Jewish celebrate a different kind of Christmas called Honica.

‘at christmas’ becomes a refrain for the poem, adding to its song-like quality. In the small stanzas following the first verse paragraph, emphasis is placed on the ways in which Christmas replaces the usual hostile relationships between people with warmth.

“i’m even nice to my little brother

although he’s an agonising brat”

However, once Christmas is over the usual relationship will return. The speaker may be nice to his brother, but he doesn’t forget that he is ‘an agonising brat’.

The last verse surveys Australia, in terms of its different religions and localities. Komninos notes that, at Christmas unites the nation, the rich and the poor, those in the country and the city and even different attitudes to clothing and hairdressing.

“if stubbies and thongs are what you like

or if you prefer a fine silk cravat

if you shave your head, or wear a wig

or wear your hair in a plat”

Different ways of living are all united in the one celebratory way of life at Christmas, but they are not abolished. The differences coexist with the unity.

The poems on the page can look like long columns of free verse, but are usually supported by some much more traditional rhythms. The use of rhyme is also extensive, though it is sometimes reduced to half rhymes or increased to a single act of repeating the rhyme for a whole poem.

Both Komninos’ poem ‘kuranda, october 1992’ and Big Brother, link self image, money and …. Komninos’ poem’s provide a range of types of speech, using his own voice and often presents himself as an observer and listens. He visualizes the poet as one who is involved in life’s