Hey everyone! Back again with another essay. This one is on Mabo (Text Response). Enjoy!
"Mabo shows that pride can be both a positive attribute and a character flaw"
Through the use of poignant flashbacks, montages and sombre music, director Rachel Perkins depicts the complex character of Eddie ‘Koiki’ Mabo and his unbreakable roots to his past. He is the man responsible for making the Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people recognised as ‘people’, and also abolishing the legal doctrine of ‘terra nullius’ in the process. This brought much needed power and recognition back to his people. Rachel Perkins and writer Sue Smith portray Koiki as a man who is passionate for fighting for the rights of his people, and how he would put his pride, and more importantly, the pride of his people before anything. Koiki’s pride was his driving force for pursuing the case, and allowing it to consume the majority of his life. However, in order to protect the pride of his people, and his personal pride, Koiki’s obsession for the case proves to be a character flaw as he allows it creates internal conflict within his own family.
Attacks on Koiki’s personal pride were what he thrived on. He saw them as a challenge, and did everything in his power to overcome them. No matter who questioned him, or whatever it regarded, Koiki saw threats as an opportunity to fight for himself and prove that he is worthy of his foe. Early on in the film, we are positioned in Koiki’s point of view as PJ Killoran, the “protector” questions his idea of going to the mainland to earn money. Shortly after, Killoran rhetorically asks him, “but will you?”. We are shown Koiki saying his goodbyes in the next scene as he embarks on his journey to the mainland, 1970s white Australia. From this we can see the lengths that he will go to to defy those that doubt him, and more importantly, the lengths Koiki would go to protect his pride. This is further demonstrated through Koiki’s violent reaction when Netta questions him and his cause, “Koiki, have you every thought about, what if we don’t win?”. Koiki snarls, “I’ll do it to the whole lot of you if it’ll get me a little respect”, as he towers over Netta and his daughter with a closed fist. In this shot, Koiki is drowned in the darkness of the room, which signifies his growing cynicism, and his decreasing sense of humility, while Netta and her daughter are illuminated by the candlelight which manifests that they are his only source of light and solace. Another significant point in the film is when Koiki tells the head of the union some of his ideas, he belittlingly answers, “Oh yeah, well if you wanna raise stuff mate, do it yourself. You got a voice, haven’t you?”, this is one of the ‘turning points’ for Koiki and his cause, he is literally told that he has a voice, and that he should use it for his benefit, and it is at this point of the film where he starts his quest. As important as Koiki’s personal pride is, the most important thing for him was the pride of his people, the fact that he commited his life to their cause, even though at times they neither appreciated nor supported him demonstrated his dedication.
The open inequality of 1970s white Australia was an inspiration for all of Koiki’s work. No matter where he went, there was always some sort of discrimination, it was nothing personal against him, it was the fact that he was an Aboriginal. The rasicm of Australia back then is demonstrated though the many little conflicts of race spread throughout the film, these were the reasons that Koiki fought as much as he did to protect the pride of his people. One of the more prominent examples would be the denial of a motel room for the night when their son accidently swallowed Kerosine. As they leave, Koiki shouts, “What? They think we’re gonna leave our black skin on the bloody sheets”, this demonstrates the triviality of peoples actions, and how everybody just follows the status quo, and don’t think for themselves. Another ‘turning point’ for Koiki would be the bartender’s response to refusing to serve him, “It’s not me, it’s the law”. The idea of ‘the law’ being the reason people treat the Indigenous differently inspired him not to try and change the people, but to change the law, that they so obediently follow. Koiki’s pride gave the Indigenous people much needed recognition, however, it proved to be a character flaw as it affected his ability to provide for his family, and to be there for them, more than just physically.
Koiki’s pride, as much as it helped him achieved, was also a character flaw as it drew him away from his family, as he spent the majority of his time working on the case, or talking about it. Netta, after years of supporting Koiki, finally breaks one night when he stops her going to the bathroom, “Mornin’, noon and lunchtime, that’s all you talk about. I’ve been listening to you for nine years”. This is the first time Netta has questioned Koiki’s dedication to this case, and as discussed earlier, he reacted with violence. This goes to show that, no matter who speaks against him, he will protect his pride. Preceding this event, Netta also questioned Koiki’s ability to provide for his family, “These kids have been living on frozen fish and flour for nine years”. In the next scene, we are shown Koiki fishing, this symbolises his connection to his home, where his father was a fisherman and who taught him the art. In this case, Koiki attempts to protect his pride within his family. Later we are shown Koiki digging up some Yams, which is a native plant from his home. Similarly to him fishing for his family’s dinner, the yams signify his connection to his home and his people, and reminds us the root of his pride.
“Mabo” demonstrates that pride can have its positive and negative effects on people, and the people that surround them. In the case of the Indigenous people, Koiki’s pride was what their case relied on, more than anything else. His determination, and ability to always keep the case as his number one priority, on top of everything else, allowed them to succeed. Conversely, Koiki allowed his pride, and the pride of his people get in the way of his ability to care for his family, thus being a severe character flaw. Like everything, someone’s importance of pride should be moderate, otherwise, it will affect them in more bad ways than good. In Koiki’s case, his importance of pride changed the lives of all the Australian indigenous, however, it largely affected his families welfare.
by Orson
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