Language Identity and Culture in Asian Australian Poetry

Poets use language techniques to shape our perceptions of identity and culture, exposing contemporary Asian Australian experiences of connection and pressures of conformity. The poems “Translucent Jade”, “this is where it begins”, “Mother” and “New Accents”, all depict the complications arising from the nuances of dialects, which expose a fragmentation from identity and culture.

Ouyang Yu evokes empathy in the reader using language in his poem “New Accents”, as seen in “wonderful anguish”. Yu’s use of oxymoron between “wonderful” and “anguish” generates conflict between the subject’s two worlds, which magninifies the struggle and pain that adjusting to different society instigates, but that it is worth it at the same time. This oxymoron also doubles as a metaphor, expressing the pain and suffering of the subject, and their transition to English. The phonetic progression of motif represents the difficulty of the character in learning a new language through the disfluent nature of the text. The inclusion of these techniques by the author causes the reader to appreciate the struggles of learning a new language, and generates empathy within them. This contemporary Asian Australian experience dictates how society still only values you if you assimilate to their language. This is further highlighted by Merlinda Bobis in This is where it begins as witnessed in “Mother was studying for her Spanish exam: ‘Manos’ ‘Labios’ ‘Ojos’”. The use of listing by Bobis symbolises the unfamiliarity with these simple Spanish words. The inclusion of foreign dialect through “‘Manos’ ‘Labios’ ‘Ojos’”, which translate to hands, lips, and eyes, highlights that the character is in the early stages of learning a new language through the employment of these basic words. The author’s inclusion of these techniques repeatedly reinforces the difficulty of learning a new language in an attempt to integrate to a new society, as also seen in New Accents. The Mother’s efforts to learn a new dialect are witnessed by the subject, provoking empathy within the audience regarding the generational language displacement, as faced in the contemporary Asian experience.

The contemporary Asian Australian experience also is highly linked to their exploration of their identity as an Asian and how that shapes their experience. In Mareen Ten's “Translucent Jade” the reader observes how the contemporary Asian Australian experience defines her search for identity which is prevalent in “do I to it belong”. The inverted syntax disrupts the flow of the poem drawing the reader’s attention with the illiterate nature highlighting how it is her unfiltered internal thoughts. This is enhanced through the symbolism of the rediscovery of this unconscious connection to her original (Chinese) name. Ten’s employment of personal thought evokes empathy within the reader, with it demonstrating the pure connection with her identity as an Asian. That reconnection to the identity allows the reader to comprehend the pressure of conformity which a multitude of Asian Australians face and how that made her lose a part of their identity. This contemporary Asian Australian experience depicts how the pressure of assimilation forces people to give up aspects of their identity. Similarly, identity is uncovered in Mother by Vuong Pham observed with “Her neck tilts like a sunflower, too heavy to meet the sky”. Through this simile Pham links natures method of operating to the burdens that consumes the Asian migrant experience of displacement and migration. This is enhanced through the emotive language uncovering the hardships of migration. Pham employs visual imagery of the sunflower slowly getting laden down, unable to look at the sky. This alludes to the burdens the mother has faced. This multitude of techniques that Pham has employed demonstrates the shift in the mother’s identity becoming more focused on survival and happiness for her kids rather than her own aspirations evoking empathy to better understand the Vietnam immigrant experience. Both Pham and Ten exhibit the different aspects of the Asian Australian experience but similarly uncover the burdens making their identity shift for self-preservation.

In the contemporary Asian Australian experience, culture often characterises their identity which is displayed through poets' specific dialect choices. In Maureen Ten’s “Translucent Jade” their culture is exposed in “reflected hidden aspects”. Ten personifies this to encapsulate the suppression of culture through the visualisation of physically hiding. The employment of the verb “reflected” exhibited how the name involuntary reveals her culture, representing the cultural self-hatred with the concealment of their culture. This suppression of culture, generated empathy within the reader on account of the conformity that Australian society has curated and promoted. This discloses the hardships of the Cultural experience of the Asian Australian. The imperativeness of culture is furthered through Merilda Bobis in “this is where it begins” via “Ambilocal cord restored”. This metaphorical dialect Bobis employs promotes the reconnection with the origin that formed and nurtured them. This signifies the pivotalness of culture to find connection and belonging in the world. Bobis also exhibits visual imagery to create the visualisation of the physical connection between a person and their culture. The imagery furthers this through it creating a maternal atmosphere indicated with the culture creating life. Merilda Bobis depicts the co-dependency of culture bringing life, reinforcing to the audience the importance of culture for the Asian Australian experience. Due to societal pressures Bobis and Ten both depict how they did sever their connection to culture to better assimilate in Australian society, evoking empathy in the audience with this horrific reality.

Overall, aspects of the Contemporary Asian Australian experience can be witnessed through their language, culture and Identity. Yu, Ten, Bobis, and Pham all utilised the nuances of the different Asian experiences to uncover the overarching concepts of connection and intergenerational impact. The empathy generated in the audience through these poems enables them to be more receptive to the nuances of language, identity, culture in the Contemporary Asian Australian experience.