Linguistics National Attachment and Generational Identity

Question: Discuss about theLinguistics for National Attachment and Generational Identity. Answer: Introduction The type of the myth that is created by the society itself reveals the approaching into the aspiration and the values of the society. The myth about the society defines the behaviour so that with the passage of time the myth tends to act like a prophecy that is self-fulfilling in nature. Thus, the individuals of the society start to apply the myth in their own daily lives. In the opinion of the author, every country develops certain national myths and national identity that may either have resemblance with the reality or may not[1]. The social identities can be considered both liberating and oppressive for the individuals in the society. The identity of Australia has often been negatively depicted as racist, hostile to art and homophobic. This increases the demand for accepting alternate offers by Australians. Discussion Unlike the myths of America, the myths of Australia have little relation with the realising of the ambition of an individual. Nevertheless, the myths of Australia regarding the Anzacs, mateship, egalitarianism and a belief in a fair go has been useful in obtaining a peaceful society where none of the individuals feels inferior or superior. As opined by the author, the myths do not have any support in Australia from all over the globe[2]. One of the myths of Australia is about the Anzac myth that refers to the exploitation of the brave soldiers of Australia who were determined to prove themselves as effective representatives of the fledging nation. However, the majority of the individuals were able to identify only a few of the Anzacs. Charles Bean sorted out the stories of heroism actively that took place in the battlefield and claimed that the nation of Australia was born at Gallipoli. In order to understand the importance of the myth in understanding the nation identity of Australia, studies have been conducted to determine the attitude of the Australians towards the Anzacs. From the survey data result, it can be stated that the Anzacs are an integral part for the Australians. The result further indicates that the mid aged and the young Australians associate the Australian identity with the Anzacs to a large extent. Opponent argued that among the tertiary educated, city dwellers and individuals having identity with left leaning political parties are less likely to give the Anzacs priority[3]. A famed character trait of the Australian is the mateship. It has been mentioned that Australia is the only nation that celebrates friendship within their national identities[4]. Therefore, celebrating friendship as national identity is considered as a unique trait of Australia. The concept of mateship became stronger after the World War 1. The soldiers of Australia realised that they were fighting a battle in Europe that was no such importance and had little to do with the Australians. It became a kind of justification for fighting for the mates. As per the history of Australia, it can be inferred that there is two influences of the celebration of mateship. The first influence that was identified was the suffering of extreme hardship during convict transport, war in Australia and economic downfall. The second reason was that a number of migrants to Australia did not have families and hence turned towards their mates or friends at times of need. On the contradictory, the author menti oned that not all the individuals in Australia had faced hardship or lacked family bonding[5]. Therefore, mateship has not been that important to certain Australians. Apart from this, as mateship has played a crucial role in shaping the social development of Australia, it is essential in understanding the present situation of Australia. In Australia, not every individual is equal and there is a clear difference among the individuals based on wealth and culture. Moreover, there exists difference among them even in the workplace as they have different level of responsibility, abilities and ranks. There have been circumstances where the critics have been trying to indicate the presence of the inequalities. Although the nation of Australia is not a society of equals, there is a myth that indicates that the society needs to be equal. The myth shapes how the Australians engage with each other in the society. Australians never had a national identity that has been prescribed by the politicians or institutions that helped the nation to wield the power. As stated by the author, the Australians had no existence until 1948 and were considered as British citizens[6]. On losing the identity of the British citizen, there were a number of Australians who had felt aimless and lost. In addition to this, the Australians have unsancti oned national identities for the maximum number of times. However, the identities have never been capable enough to build adequate status to enhance the minority status. As opined by the author, a belief in a fair go is characterised as wanting to help the loser over the tormenter[7]. The myth seemed to be find importance as the authorities treated the migrant in a similar way as they used to treat the convicts. The myth was more famous among the soldiers of the Australia. Moreover, there are many evidences that is effective in proving the importance of fair go shaping the behaviour of the soldiers of Australia. The belief in the fair go supports living and letting others live or ensure that the individuals do not hurt others. Therefore, such an identity cannot be considered as one of the liberating national identities on earth. In support of the fair go, the author mentioned that the Battle of Brisbane signified that the fair go myth can be applicable to attack the racism[8]. Majority of the cultures all over the globe are designed in such a manner that the culture is created around the ruling class and subservient class under it. The national ident ity of Australia is considered as a work in progress, where the individuals of the nation consider the future more important than the past. The national interest and the national identities need to be distinguished properly that helps to build a strong relation with the neighbours and have a proper alliance with USA. The Australians are confused about the identity as they are not aborigines, neither British, Europeans, Asian nor Americans. They need to understand the effective myth that they can use in order to unify themselves and create a sense of being Australian. The best way to define an Australian is to let the way they want to be. The Australians are citizens of the nation and they have to accept few core values and characteristics prevailing in the society of Australia. Conclusion Among the various myths of the nation, the myth regarding the Anzacs, mateship, egalitarianism and a belief in a fair go are effective in understanding the national identity of Australia. It can be inferred that Australia being a small country, often has to suffer from the difficulties regarding the national identities. Although there are many Australians whose ancestors were transported, there still exists a convict stain as the indigenous people are considered under the Australian identity myth. From the complete detailed study, it can be inferred that there is a lack of national identity and the presence of the identity can be effectively studied with the help of the various myth about the nation of Australia. Along with Australia, there are other nations too that suffer from national identity crisis. In terms of the national identity, Australians fall back on these myths to claim everything they authentically deserve. References West and H. Aarons, 'War Memory, National Attachment And Generational Identity In Australia' (2016) 52 Journal of Sociology. Anthony Moran, 'Multiculturalism As Nation-Building In Australia: Inclusive National Identity And The Embrace Of Diversity' (2011) 34 Ethnic and Racial Studies. Gillian Shenfield, 'Metformin: Myths, Misunderstandings And Lessons From History' (2013) 36 Aust Prescr. Steve Wood, 'Nations, National Identity And Prestige' (2014) 16 National Identities.