Assimilation (de Paor translation)

Publication Instance Details #3059

Publication Overview

Translation	Is Multilingual	Explicit Irish Context?	Ekphrasis	Has Paratext?	Reference to News, Media or Technology
Yes	No	No	No	No	No

Details

Human Rights Issues	HR & Colonisation/Colonial Legacies Indigenous Rights (incl. culture & language) State Violence
War / Genocide Referenced	Genocide: Genocide of indigenous people in Australia (pre 20th century)
Languages	English
Original Language	Irish
Original Poem	An Dubh ina Gheal
Original Author	Louis de Paor
Genre	Short Lyric
Medium	Print Collection
Notes	Colonial violence against Aboriginal Australian children and families. While not specific, the poem is likely referring to the practice of taking Aboriginal children away from their parents, and 'educating' them in institutions, regardless of the wishes of their family. These stolen children are usually known as 'The Stolen Generations'. The father in this poem suffers physical violence at the hands of the police, who come to take his son. The suffering of his son is replicated on the face of the very earth itself.