Analysis of "The Past" by Oodgeroo Noonuccal

Analysis of “The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal

The lesson models how to annotate and interpret Oodgeroo Noonuccal’s poem The Past. The teacher argues that the poem presents the past as living and inseparable from the present, especially through connections to ancestors, land, nature, and cultural identity. Although it acknowledges the harms and losses caused by colonisation, it ultimately offers reassurance: the past remains a source of strength and belonging.

Main Ideas and Interpretation

• The past is not “dead.” The poem opens with “Let no one say the past is dead,” which the teacher reads as a defensive response to people who dismiss the past as irrelevant. Repeated references to “the past” establish this central theme.
• The past remains present. The speaker’s present is described as “accidental”—a condition that, in the teacher’s interpretation, reflects the disruption of Aboriginal life and culture by colonisation. Yet the past cannot be escaped or erased.
• Past and present can coexist. The speaker is comfortable in a modern setting, sitting near an electric heater, but can still connect with ancestral memory through dreaming. The poem does not portray modern comfort as wholly negative.
• Community, land, and nature create belonging. References to “my own people,” being “one” with nature, and being in places where the speaker belongs emphasise unity, cultural connection, and a sense of place.
• The past offers strength and comfort. The image of “a thousand thousand campfires” in the speaker’s blood suggests the depth and endurance of Aboriginal history. The teacher reads the ending as an affirmation that the present is only a small part of a much longer story.
• Identity is shaped by history and culture. The final reference to the races that have “molded” the speaker is interpreted as reflecting the pressures of living in a white-dominated society, alongside the enduring importance of Aboriginal cultural identity.

Techniques and Effects

• Repetition: Repeated use of “past” reinforces the poem’s central concern. Repeated phrases such as “so small” emphasise the relative insignificance of the present.
• First-person and collective pronouns: “I,” “me,” “us,” and “we” make the poem personal and communal, strengthening its sense of authenticity and shared belonging.
• Imagery and contrast: The electric heater, easy chair, and indoor setting contrast with campfires, the forest, stars, and trees. This contrast marks the difference between modern life and ancestral life while showing that both can provide comfort.
• Personification and sound imagery: Trees that “make their own music” and the “soft cries of the night” create a gentle, dreamlike atmosphere connected to nature and storytelling.
• Rhythm and sound: The teacher notes the balanced five-syllable lines “No walls about me / The stars over me,” as well as alliteration and other sound patterns that contribute to the rhythm and soothing tone.
• Metaphor: The campfires being “in my blood” convey an inherited, deeply embodied connection to ancestors and history. “Walls” may also suggest the limitations of modern life or society.
• Tone: The poem moves between a sombre awareness of loss and a firm, confident, ultimately positive affirmation of cultural continuity.

The teacher also connects “haunted” with intergenerational trauma—the way the effects of severe historical trauma can carry across generations. The lesson treats Dreamtime storytelling as a culturally specific tradition that also reflects a broadly human practice of passing knowledge and values through stories.

Annotation Method

• Number the poem’s lines so references to specific passages are easy to locate.
• Use different colours to distinguish techniques, themes, values, and other observations.
• Identify repeated words, pronouns, tone, imagery, contrasts, sound patterns, and figurative language.
• Link each technique to its effect and to the poem’s broader themes.
• Consider how themes in this poem connect with other poems in the course, rather than analysing each poem in isolation.

Speakers and Sources

• Kylie Bates — teacher and narrator presenting the analysis.
• Oodgeroo Noonuccal — poet and author of The Past.