102 Poetry for Students

sentences topped 160,000, and it was mostly their

descendants who make up the modern population.

Some parts of the island, such as Dawe’s native

Victoria, were settled by Europeans who were not

involved in the penal system, and these areas car-

ried a sense of pride over the western colonies,

which developed an identity of half-civilized

toughness. In Australian literature of the late-1800s

and early-1900s, the struggle against nature became

a dominant theme, just as it had been for Ameri-

can writers when the country was being settled.

Among the stereotypes that became popular in Aus-

tralian literature were the drovers (whose job it was

to drive herds of sheep across great distances) and

swagmen, who were transient workers who went

from job to job with their belongings in blanket

rolls (“swags”) on their backs.

Unlike the United States, Australia did not

fight to get out from under the rule of Britain, but

instead was generally content with being a British

colony. Australian culture reflected English cul-

ture, so that the emerging national identity was

overshadowed for many years whenever it con-

trasted with the European way of seeing things. It

was not until 1901 that Australia became an inde-

pendent federation, and even after that the country

still maintained close ties with London, technically

but not spiritually separated. A wedge was driven

between the two during World War I, when Aus-

tralian interests became more clearly defined as

something distinct from European interests. One fa-

mous turning point in the growth of Australia’s

self-identity was the famous battle of Gallipoli, in

Turkey, during which British strategists sent Aus-

tralian troops into a senseless attack to their certain

death; this incident highlighted the courage of Aus-

tralian soldiers and the foolishness of following

British rule. In World War II, England concentrated

its defenses against Germany, which was just

across the English Channel in France. Australia, on

the other hand, was much more concerned with

possible attacks from Japan, which was not far

Drifters

Compare

&

Contrast

• 1962:The United States sealed the island nation
  of Cuba after its spy satellites revealed that
  Cuban dictator Fidel Castro was being supplied
  with Soviet nucelar weapons. After tense nego-
  tiations, the Soviets removed their weapons
  from Cuba. Historians recognize the Cuban Mis-
  sile Crisis as being the closest that the world has
  come to nuclear war.

Today:The Soviet Union, which was the only

superpower that could match the United States

in the 1960s, collapsed in 1990. Cuba is still a

Communist state and still ruled by Fidel Castro.

• 1962:The first K-Mart stores and the first Wal-
  Mart stores were opened that year. K-Mart grew
  rapidly throughout the 1960s and 1970s, but
  Wal-Mart caught up in the 1980s and eventu-
  ally became the highest grossing department
  store.
  Today:Increasing numbers of people are stay-
  ing away from large stores and shopping online.
  
  
  • 1962:Philip Morris Company started a new ad-
    vertising campaign aimed at making people as-
    sociate its top-selling brand with the rugged,
    outdoor masculinity of cowboys. The “Marlboro
    Man” campaign eventually was to make Marl-
    boro cigarettes the top-selling brand in the
    world.
    Today:In an effort to reduce teenagers’ infat-
    uation with cigarettes, the government has re-
    stricted the use of advertising images such as the
    Marlboro Man.
  
  
  • 1962:The United States was still largely segre-
    gated, particularly in the south. James Meredith,
    an Air Force veteran, was faced by thousands of
    angry protestors when he tried to attend class at
    the University of Mississippi. Federal guards
    stayed at Meredith’s side for ten months, and his
    life was in danger every moment.
    Today:Laws against discrimination due to race,
    disability, or gender give victims of discrimina-
    tion a chance to sue for their rights.