My Place- Sally Morgan , Summary
My Place
By -Sally
Morgan
Life
story of Aboriginal Australian during Colonization
First
Australian people are known as Aboriginal Australians and they have lived on
the continent for about 50,000 years.
Sally Morgan is an Australian Aboriginal author.
My Place is her first Book,which
is about her experiences of own life. This book has received Australian Human Right Award in
1987 and in 1990 it has received Australian Book
Prize.
She is born in Perth, Western Australia in 1951 and grows up in suburban
Manning.
Characters:
My Place has three main Character and story move around them only.
1- Sally
2- Glad (her mother)
3- Nan, Daisy (her grand mother)
Other character
Bill (her father)
Jill and
Helen (her sisters)
Billy and David (her brothers)
Paul - Sally's husband
Arthur - Uncle
Plot :
The story begin with a little girl , Sally, who had come to see her
father,Bill. But she hate hospital and she always used to be busy in
imagining things and in enjoying nature. She didn't like to go school
because she didn't like to follow others order or be in routine. She always
deceit everyone and stay home . she spent lots of time in backyard of her
house. Although she was very thoughtful. she knew something is wrong at
home but for a child it was not possible to understand everything until people
told you it clearly.
At home her father,Bill was the main problem. He had served in war
before his marriage with Glad and got torture by German Men,which made him ill
mentally, but physically he was fine. In deep down in his mind something was
hidden which he was not able to share with anyone,even with his wife. He told
her a very little about war and his pain.He was not able to control his hand
and also addicted to alcohol. Gradually he started loosing himself, his fear
come over him and sometime he started getting confuse , one day he chocked his
wife's neck, he thought she was a German men. He told them to hide because he
was afraid that he might kill them. whenever he started getting confuse and
anger, shouting, all family member had to run at neighbor, Grace'place. With
all this situation Glad was having five children and she was managing all
family financially. But due to Bill's addiction they were always in deficit.
Sally was eldest in children and close to father still she was scared of his
action. After all this there was love and affection between Glad and Bill. They
both love each other. sometime Nan felt that he don't like other relative
(Nan,Arthur)of Glad because they were Black. But she ignored because she know
this is his upbringing by white family.Bill Was facing hard time,unable to
support family, feeling unwanted,scared and deep hurt. So one he died, he did
suicide. Glad had a feeling that he is going to do something like that
but she was unable to tackle situation alone. Actually war had killed
Bill.
Bill had
gone, Glad was sad, she loved him true but she was happy for her children that
now no more fear,children could run, play and shout . Now they were getting all
their mother's love. Sally was also happy that now we would not have to hide in
Grace's place. New chapter had started in Sally's life. Children had started
poking her and asking, "Who are you,Where are you belong"? In this
way the search of "My Place " had started. Then gradually she had
realized that yeah Nan is black, we are black so she asked to her
mother,"Where we belong". Glad Told that we are Indian. She had
agreed with that and quit happy because she had read many of Indian story. But
one day during discussion with her sister Jill, Jill told her we are Aboriginal.
She thought then why Glad said Indian. Also Jill said that mom would never tell
you any thing about this. Now she know they are Aboriginal but why they were
hiding, this is triggering in her mind . She had finished her school and
decided to study Psychology.
She had started her study at college, soon had changed the place to focus
on her study. But deep down, still the question "who were we?," was
triggering her. At college she met with her future husband, Paul , through one of her
friend. Soon they fell in love and got married. Her husband was a nice guy and
always supported her in her work, study and search of her originality.
On one evening she came to her mother and said that she had applied for
Aboriginal scholarship. After that her mother and Nan both got tense and worried,
what will government will do with them and told her not to do this. She didn't understand why always they
got worried when we talk about government. She also told her mother she got her
birth certificate, with mother's name only. It seem like one one owe her , her father never accepted her. Glad always wanted to know that who
was her father and now she find that her mother was never married but still she
was hoping to know about her father. Sally had decided she will write book
about her family.
Curious Sally was trying to find all detail but no one was
supporting her. One day her Grand uncle Arthur came so Sally and Glad both
tried to get some answer, he was ready to tell every thing but her Nan
stopped him. But he shared few thing like we both belong same father , our
father was aboriginal and we lived at same place. He told that he couldn't tell
about Glad 's father because this was Nan's life so She would tell you.
One day Arthur called Sally and asked that he heard that she was going
to write a book so could she write Arthur's story. Sally became surprised and
said yes so she started recording Arthur's story. One day she dreamed that
Arthur was going to die soon. She could't tell to anyone but she felt
that. They both finished the recording. She was hurt very deep that how much
aboriginal people were suffered. they all treated like animal, also she
understood why Nan and mother always scared of the government.
After listing Arthur story she went to heard Alice (Her grand father's
second wife) she was very old in her 90's. She got information about her mother
that she lived in boarding , separated from her mother.when she came she
heard Arthur is dead now.
Sally recite the Arthur's story to her mother and also wanted to know Glad's life. One day her mother also shared her life story, she was living Ivanhoe
with her mother and Alice and there children but when she was about 3 year old then few
people came and took her to Parkerville Children's Home. Where she was
alone, with mother and family,while she was with other children. Old girls had doing all work for younger ones. There
was no love and support by home staff but Glad was happy that she was black because old girls used to an extra kiss to black girls,because they were also black. She had grown up at Parkerville children's home.Glad shared , how much she had suffered there and her mother was not able to visit her due to lack of money and some time she hadn't got permit to visit. At that time, Black had to take permit to go anywhere. She also shared that how bad
was Alice, her mother worked their for whole life but they could't help her. Never support her financially and she was her family but still treat like animal, Her mother was all alone in Ivanhoe.
She had shared that at
house there was bushes and a big tree and she used to spend her all time there and if you found doing wrong then you would be beaten with belt.
After this story Sally and her mother came more close , now she was able
to understand them and their fear and their pain deep in heart which were they
hiding.
After all this, they had decided to visit Corunna Downs but Nan denied so Sally's family her
husband, Paul , her three children and Glad went there. They were very amazed
that there are many aboriginal and still they remember her grand mother and her
mother. they had met with many people who were happy that they have returned to
Corunna, they learned about her Aunt Lily and other relative. They become
overwhelmed.
After
returning from Corunna, they were that they have a family ,such a big
family, now they know there place origin , they were proud that they are
Blackfella, Aboriginal.
One day
Glad called sally that Nan wasn't well so they had taken her to hospital,
although Nan didn't want to go hospital, doctor didn't like blackfella and they
didn't care you die or live. They will not treat you properly. Somehow they
reached hospital and they found that she was very ill with lung damage and
cancer. Sally was telling her Arthur's story in hospital to encourage so that
she will tell her part. One day Nan decided to come home and so they came home
and Sally was waiting at home. But they came late , Nan told Sally , Doctors had
taken her to examine and told her remove her all cloth and start pressing on
her chest, and said they are doing for her good. Sally became angry and wanted
to complain but everyone stopped her because her sister Helen was working there
, they could cause trouble for her.
One day Nan
said she will live at Sally's place and where she asked Sally that she would
tell something about her life but she would not tell her secret. Sally got
agreed and recorded her story and in end She died happily with her secret.
Nan told
all about the Corunna and her hard life, alone life. Balckfella can't have their
family. They had to work as servant whole life. they treat them like a animal.
Her mother got separated with their children and she also. Her mother died
alone and She thought she would also, but happily somehow Nan and Glad started
living together. She told about Aboriginal power, aboriginal have spirit power
, their ancestor always support them and they had power of hard working
and strong heart.
Lines from book-
"we was listenin' to music. It was the blackfellas playin' their didgeridoos and singin' and laughin' down in the swamp. Your mother could hear it I said to her one night, 'I'm goin' down there and tell those natives off. Who do they think they are, wakin' all the white people up.' That's when Gladdie told me. She said, 'Don't go down there, Mum, there's no one there, only bush.' You see, we was hearin' the people from long ago. Our people who used to live here before the white man came. Funny, they stopped playin' after your father died. I think now they was protectin' us. Fancy, eh? Those dear, old people. You see, the blackfella knows all 'bout spirits."
But she was not sure about her father and she didn't tell
about her first child and their father. She indirectly said that she was
pregnant , white didn't like that blackfella to had family so they will take
your child any way. So in my next pregnancy i never told anyone that i was
pregnant.
Lines from book-
"Before
I had Gladdie, I was carryin' another child, but I wasn't allowed to keep it.
That was the way of it, then. They took our children one way or another. I
never told anyone that I was carryin' Gladdie."
She also
said that didn't trust men they treat you like animal. They made you to lie and
never give a chance to get up.
Lines from book-
"Some
man can not be trusted. They just mongrels. They get you down on the floor and
they won't let you get up. I know a lot of native servants had kids to white
men because they was forced."
This is an
autobiography,People write autobiography to share their life other or to tell
them how much we suffered or because they are very proud of them self.
In this
autobiography Sally wanted to share her family story and also it
about a group or community , how they suffered from colonization, it was to
kill the community completely , to finish their thought , value, custom,
culture. Rally tangible story.
Comments
Post a Comment