Samuel+McEachern

= ENGLISH WIKI SAM MCEACHERN AUSTRALIAN SPORTING CULTURE=



This is the wiki space of Sam McEachern & Max Kadarusman,  In this unit Max and I are looking at and understanding the cultures in Australian texts.  We hope you enjoy what we post up on this Wiki and it can give you a better understanding into Australian Sporting Culture.  Our main focus for this unit if Sporting Australia.  The Visual Text that we choose above represents our Wiki because, firstly represents both our personalities as we both play rugby together.  "Australia Rugby" is a big part of Australian culture. The picture shows the very stereotypical and "trade mark" colors of Australia sporting. Green and Gold.  The photo also depicts a very well know Australian animal holding a rugby ball and this can be easily identified around the world. That is why we have chosen this  Visual Text to be the "flagship" photo for our Wiki.

 Australian Sport Olympic Game Poem =Poet a man of pentameters and pentathlons = We've ripped the sweat out of the Games. Look, it's done by computer  and the results arrive by mail. Hush! Can you hear?  ---All over the suburbs, the roar  of envelopes tearing? And Yes!, at Number 10  It's Gold! Gold! Gold! for the Protheros! <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> They've lit a fire. They're dancing on the lawn. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> ---Not so good at Number 15. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> The Grampolis are bit bronzed off. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> They thrill to the shrill of the soccer ref's whistle. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Hard luck! It's the Lady's Nude Luge for them! <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> And Rhea Yemenis at no. 1, well she really loves <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> those elegant gymnasts. She's got the Clean and Jerk. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Welcome back to the world, Australia. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">When was it ever all winners? <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> When was there ever splendiferous gold <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> without a pining bronze and a whole heap of losers <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> under the winner's chariot wheels? <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> But be grateful too, to have bumped the ground hard, <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">and be up and running. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">---Mark O'Connor

=<span style="color: #0011d1; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Commentary of Australian Sporting Poem: = <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The composer of this poem is a man called Mark O' Connor, and the title of the <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> poem is 'A Man of Pentameters and Pentathlons'. The genre of this poem would be sport, and it was released on April 20th, 2000. The purpose of this text is to show people how the world of sport has changed and modernized from when people went to see the games to get the score instead of waiting for the results on the internet or watching it on TV.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> The dominant reading in this text is that the world of sport is changing, and that all are winners. It is also trying to say that winning isn't as sweet as when you have a whole lot of losers under you. Though it says that, it then says to be greatful, as that if you are one of the losers, you can still get back up and be in the running. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">This text can be read resistantly as some readers may disagree with the points the composer is trying to get across. Such points include, "when was there ever splendorous gold without a pining bronze and a whole heap of losers under the winner's chariot wheels?". Though it says that, it then says to be grateful, as that if you are one of the losers, you can still get back up and be in the running.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The language in the text is designed to shape the readers' views. He uses very old language, that would of been very different to some readers language such as " <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">The Grampolis are bit bronzed off". O' Connor uses many devices in the poem to add it's effect. The text is very effective at meeting its purpose because it uses the right 'jargon' this keeps the readers attention. He makes that audience feel responsible in a way for what is happening to the games "guilt" "We've ripped the sweat out of the Games. Look, it's done by computer and the results arrive by mail. Hush! Can you hear?" This device works towards the dominant readers who will believe what the writer is telling them, although the resistant reader may read it is "the games are changing for the better as technologies are more advanced and in turn will make the games fairer and better".

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">The text does contribute to our own understanding of the Australian identity in both positive and negative ways. It represents the Australian sporting identity in a positive way because it highlights the best of Australia at the Olympics such as winning gold medals "It's Gold! Gold! Gold!" The negatives of the text on the Australian identity are that it talks about how the Olympic games are changing from their old graceful self into something that relies more on machines.The text is very effective at meeting it's purpose because it uses the right 'jargon' that is associated with the topic and keeps the readers interested. The text is very effective at meeting it's purpose because it uses the right 'jargon' this keeps the readers attention.

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">media type="youtube" key="heoO_5MvZ0w" height="399" width="487" This visual text supports the stereotype of sport in Australia being good and joyful. A visual element it uses to do this is the smiles on the players faces as they score a try. Also the language used such as "the greatest" in the title of the video (the greatest game of rugby ever played) suggests something good and "great" meaning it is a good thing.

= Subverting Text: Ben Cousins Opens Up About Drug Addiction =

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">As if a warning of what was to come for parents debating whether to allow their children to continue watching, a brief shot of Cousins smoking methamphetamine through a glass pipe appeared in the opening minutes.Later, his home videos became more graphic. Cousins snorts lines of white powder. He carefully fills and smokes another pipe. A particularly distressing scene shows the footballer involuntarily twitching while under the influence of an unknown substance as he stands hunched over a table of empty beer bottles.The fine details of his drug use is a topic Cousins has previously avoided. But early in the documentary, he freely admits to regularly consuming speed, ice, ecstasy and "drug of choice" cocaine - along with prescription medications including Valium and Xanax. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The retiring AFL star, who is hoping to play a farewell match this Sunday for Richmond, details how he regarded illicit drugs as his "ultimate reward" for hard work on the field."I wouldn't have butter on my toast let alone have a beer or take drugs," Cousins said."And I would train … and obsess and play good footy."And the thing that would get me through those tough moments … was that I knew at the end of that [period of time] I was going to absolutely annihilate and launch into as much drugs as I could."He says illegal substances were constantly on his mind - even during training and as he prepared for a game.And while he is able to reflect on his drug-addled experiences with humor and his trademark mischievous grin, it's the anecdotes of his devastated family members that prove the most heart-wrenching. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Sister Melanie explains how she broke down crying while driving her brother to one family Christmas."He asked me to pull over because he said he couldn't go into the Christmas thing without using," she said."I had my grandparents there, he looked terrible but he just looked so scared."I think that's when it really hit home to mum … she was brought to tears." <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">In another scene, his father Bryan admits he thought his son was close to death following a six-day bender in the wake of his suspension from the West Coast Eagles in March 2007."I was terrified … I thought he could kill himself," Bryan said."My objective at that stage … was trying to save his life."Cousins stressed he has never used performance-enhancing drugs or taken recreational substances on the day of a game or during the 24 hours prior.The Brownlow Medallist also insisted he did not use drugs on the night his friend and former West Coast player Chris Mainwaring died.Cousins, called "The Prince Of Perth" in the documentary, had run from a booze bus the year before."Cars and coppers came from everywhere," Cousins said of his arrest."Northbridge (the site of the arrest) was payback for what had happened in the past."The arrest came a few days after Mainwaring's death, with an autopsy finding drugs in his system."Out of nowhere, my great mate died, it was a crazy time, in my life, everything had stopped making sense," Cousins said.Cousins says in the documentary there was "a lot of innuendo" about him being with Mainwaring on the night of his death."That's a cross I have had to bear," he said."I left him in a good state, I had no immediate concerns, it was a tragic accident."

The contrast between these two texts is one of good fun and happiness then the other to do with drugs and a bad addiction. Also it gives a bad image as parents are debating whether or not to let their children continue watching. The text gives you an image of the athlete snorting cocaine and being drunk out of his mind hunched over some beer bottles. It also tells us he is running away from the police, which can give a bad impression to younger audiences. This text tells us about one of his friends dying, and when they did the autopsy they found drugs in his system. The language used in this text gives us a negative feeling towards athletes and how they act which gives sport a bad reputation in some areas.

Powerpoint Visual Text: Australian Sport Determination
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