Analysis of Be Good, Little Migrants by Uyen Leowald

Be Good, Little Migrants tell us about the injustice that happened in 1980s to migrants all over the world which settled in Australia and this poem written in 1986s. The author, Uyen Loewald, use simple words to describe the situation at that time where migrants have to facing the racism because of the skin color. Large numbers of migrants from places like Asia, the Middle East, Europe, South America and Africa filtered into Australia. 

The nation's approach to new migrants since the 1970s had been one of 'multiculturalism'. This meant that Australia has various cultural groups, with their distinct languages, religions, and traditions which are lead to 'assimilation' policy which said that migrants had to abandon their culture and languages and blend in to the existing population.

The poem pictures the situation in 1980s where migrants facing the oppression and injustice by using the English language instead of their original language, forced to follow the culture, and served the superior 'mainstream' Australians. 

Be Good, Little Migrants  use blank verse poetic device, because the author don't use a rhyme in this poem , yet it make clear what is the poem about, the author also use repetition in every stanza such as word "Be Good, Little Migrants" to emphasize the immigrants as a lowly community and have no rights. 

These blank verse and repetition helps build the emotion to the readers. Every word in this poem are very clear to describe the situation, it has seen in stanza one where the author describe how 'mainstream' Australian think they are help the migrants and have right to get a feedback. 

Especially in stanza one second line and third line, the author writes "We've saved you from starvation" and "War, landlessness, oppression", from these lines we can know the 'mainstream' Australian think about themselves and think they are have some right to get feedback from migrants. 

It has seen in first stanza, fourth line and fifth line where author write "Just display your gratitude." And "But don't be heard, don't be seen." From these lines we can know that the 'mainstream' Australian don't want the migrants to be seen in society.

The second stanza tell the readers how migrants being oppressed give service to the 'mainstream' Australian, it has seen in second line and third line, "Give us your faithful service" and "Sweep factories, clean mansions". Especially in fourth line and fifth line where the oppressions are drawn very clear through the word that author put. 

"Prepare cheap exotic food" and "Pay taxes, food the mainstream" are describe the services that migrants have to do to 'mainstream' without getting their right as a human being. From the second stanza, we know that the migrants are treated wrong and forced to service the 'mainstream' and forced to pay taxes to support the 'mainstream' life.

In fifth stanza the fourth and fifth line the author write "Avoid unions, and teach children respect for institution" and in sixth stanza the second and third line the author also write "You may fight one another, but attend Sunday school, learn manners". The author is saying that for migrants to be accepted in Australian community, they must adapt to Australian way of life and it says they have to teach their children this way of life. 

The sixth stanza also says the migrants have to attend Sunday school, so the mainstream can share their religions, even if this means the migrants have to abandoning their own religion, as long as it means becoming an acceptance in the part of Australian community.