bruce dawe consumerism

Consumerism as we understand as individuals is the need to acquire objects and possessions often beyond our essential needs, just for the sake of acquiring them. This universal theme is made patent through two of Dawes poems, Americanized and Televistas 1977. Dawe is successful as he discusses and ultimately utilizes the theme of consumerism in a negative, derogatory way. Additionally, Dawes employment of techniques such as metaphors, rhetorical questions, repetition, figurative language and tone further enables the responder to understand themes which arise throughout both poems such as consumerism, capitalism, cultural imperialism and materialism. It is through this utilization that obsessive consumption of material goods can lead people to believe that their lives as well as their social status is determined by what they own and ultimately, consume.

Dawe’s poem Americanised is a dark satiric poem about cultural imperialism. This is made apparent as Dawe uses an extended metaphor. That is the mother being America and the child representing a younger developing nation. Furthermore, Dawe explores how this younger developing nation is becoming imbued by American value systems, as well as how a simple human relationship between mother and son can become perverted by consumerism.
Rhetorical questions are employed by Dawe for the duration of Americanised. “What child of simple origins could want more?” As stated, what we can articulate is that any modern consumer needs to sustain life is material wealth. The employment of rhetorical questions is further developed at the end of the first stanza. This representation allows the reader to understand that the child must accept the mother’s gift of love. Additionally, Dawe explores entrapment throughout this poem and makes the reader aware that entrapment is a powerful motif in consumerism. This is perceptible as the baby is contained in his ‘high chair’, which represents that communities around the world are imprisoned