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Have you ever walked into a room and had everyone stare or treated you different?

Been alienated or stereotyped based on your appearance or the way you speak? These are constant issues that migrants struggle through on a daily basis.

Through Refugee Blues we are able to empathise with the migrant portrayed in the poem and view their world from a different perspective. In the structure of a 12 bar blues song it portrays the idea of the annihilation of the Jewish people in the context of World War II.

When the audience is taken into the world of the migrant, they are able to empathise and view this world from a different perspective. Their experiences are revealed through the poems Refugee Blues by W.H Auden and Migratory Birds by Yota Krili-Kevans along with the documentary The Visit directed by Tony Wheeler. Being in this structure it refers to the suffering of African American people who were victims of isolation and discrimination. By alluding to this fact through the blues structure the audience is able to draw on their personal knowledge in order to further empathise with this poems context. This poem draws on isolation, alienation, and genocide of the Jewish migrants in Germany. Throughout this poem Auden effectively uses juxtaposition. The persona constantly juxtaposes between the present tense and the past with the German Nazis in comparison to the animals. For example in stanza 8, Saw a door opened and a cat let in, but they weren't German Jews, my dear

Auden employs the technique of repetition which is consistently used throughout this poem. Every third line in each stanza contains the repetition of a certain phrase which is a lament that they dont belong. For example in stanza one the line, Yet theres no place for us my dear, yet theres no place for us. The repetition of this line effectively reinforces and emphasises the lack of belonging for the Jewish couple and expresses the hardship experienced. This technique exposes the audience to the reality that the Jews were regarded as inferior and that animals were considered as higher. This is effective as it exaggerates the difference between both lifestyles. It allows us to look at the world differently and see it through the migrants perspective. One technique strongly used in this poem is personal pronouns. This poem is spoken through the voice of the teacher. The use of personal pronouns such as you, your and they draw the reader into the migrant world and to understand their experiences. For example, Youll forget the sound of your own voice. Through this inclusive language we are able to imagine it as if we were the migrant and view the world from their perspective.

Similarly through Migratory Birds discrimination and inferiority are also key themes presented. Migratory Birds is a free versed poem that follows the rhythm of natural speech. It expresses the effect of the Australian society on young migrants during the late 1950s.

Krili-Kevans use of imagery paints an image of birds and the migrants homeland with their new land. There was no time for you to build your nest on the Crystal Mountains near the mothersprings. This image formed in our mind juxtaposes between the how they initially thought of Australia contrast to the harsh, discriminative Australia. Through imagery it has created a vivid description of a setting that exposes the audience to the migrant world.

Metaphors are used through the imagery of birds as we learn that the birds symbolise the migrants and Australians. The migrants are portrayed as fledgelings which are dependent and low. The element of schadenfreude is used to portray the Australian students that ridicule migrant students and effectively portrays the migrants experiences of how they were treated. One main technique used is camera angles. Tony Weeler effectively uses extreme close up to show Lams agony then pans out to a wide shot of Australians mocking and giving Pham odd stares. These shots allow the audience to focus on the characters emotions while revealing their migrant voice.

Finally we are able empathise and view this world from a different perspective through the documentary The Visit. This documentary is about the Pham family who escaped the communist regime in 1981.

Weeler successfully employs the technique of archival footage. The technique is used to juxtapose between the Pham families life in Vietnam and their life in Australia. This effectively reviews events and provides perspective to empathize with their current struggles.
In conclusion the audience is definitely able to empathise and view this world from a different perspective when taken into the world of a migrant. This is evident through the poem and documentary I have talked about today. Thankyou

Lastly the background music has played an important role in revealing the migrant voice. For example during the ending scene, the zither, a traditional Vietnamese instrument is played. The use of this instrument refers to their Vietnamese culture and creates a mood of misery. We are exposed to their feelings and are forced to empathize with their sorrow.

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