CLASS XI LESSON – 11 SUBJECT – MODERN ENGLISH TOPIC – BORA RING
(POEM)
TEACHER’S ACTIVITY:
• About the poet
• Historical background of the poem
• Structure
• Explanation and Analysis
• Themes and Title
• Literary Devices
Judith Wright. Bora Ceremony
Bora Ring
Judith Wright
Judith Arundell Wright (31 May 1915 – 25 June 2000) was an Australian poet, environmentalist and
campaigner for Aboriginal land rights. She was a critic as well but gained renown ace due to her
Poem. Her poems revolved around the themes of the Aboriginal identities and the relationship
With the settlers. She received the Christopher Brennan Award for her writing. Some of her
Major works are “Woman to Man” and “The Moving Image”. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in
Literature in 1964, 1965 and 1967.
Historical Background of the poem:-
Australian colonization, which began with the arrival of the British First Fleet in 1788, profoundly and
devastatingly impacted Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, whose ancient cultures had thrived on
the continent for over 60,000 years. The process involved the violent seizure of land under the false legal
premise of terra nullius (“nobody’s land”) and led to catastrophic outcomes for the Indigenous population.
The British colonisation of Australia, beginning in 1788, led to the violent displacement of Aboriginal
people and the disruption of their traditional ways of life. Sacred Aboriginal sites, like Bora Rings
(a sacred Aboriginal ceremonial site in Australia, usually consisting of two or more concentric circles of
foot-hardened earth or stone used for important initiation ceremonies, marking the transition from boyhood
to manhood, and for other traditional practices and sacred rites.) were often abandoned, destroyed, or
neglected due to the colonial takeover of land. The poem highlights the destruction of cultural traditions,
sacred songs, dances, and rituals.
Structure :-
The poem is written in free verse. It contains 4 quatrains (stanza made up of 4 lines).
The lack of a regular rhyme scheme or meter reflects the loss and disruption of the natural rhythm of
Aboriginal life and culture. The poem is a a postcolonial elegy (a sad poem or song, especially
remembering someone who has died or something in the past) lamenting and mourning the destruction of
Aboriginal Australian culture and identity under British colonization, using the empty bora ring as a symbol
of lost tradition and connection to the land.
EXPLANATION AND ANALYSIS
Stanza 1
The song is gone…an alien tale.
Explanation: The poet expresses sadness over the loss of Aboriginal culture. The traditional songs and
dances that once brought people together have disappeared. The people who performed these rituals are now
buried in the earth, and their traditions have died with them.
The ceremonies that were once meaningful have now become ‘useless’ because no one follows them
anymore. The Aboriginal tribal stories have been replaced by foreign (Western) stories, making their culture
seem like a forgotten part of history.
Stanza 2
Only the grass stands up…a broken chant.
Explanation: Here, the poet describes how nature remembers the lost traditions. The grass grows where
Aboriginal ceremonies once took place, silently marking the sacred site. The apple-gum trees ‘posture and
mime’, meaning they appear as if they are re-enacting the lost
Aboriginal dances. Their leaves ‘murmur a broken chant’, which means the sound of the wind through the
trees reminds the poet of the lost songs and rituals. This shows that although people have forgotten these
traditions, nature still holds their memory.
Stanza 3
The hunter is gone… nomad feet are still.
Explanation: The poet continues to highlight the loss of Aboriginal culture. The hunters, who once roamed
freely and provided for their families, are gone. Their traditional weapons, like the spear, are now broken
and buried underground, never to be used again. The Aboriginal people used to paint their bodies for
cultural
And spiritual ceremonies, but now this is only a distant memory, like a forgotten dream. The nomadic
lifestyle of the Aboriginal people, who once travelled freely across the land, has come to an end. Their feet,
which once moved with energy and purpose, are now still.
Stanza 4
Only the rider’s heart… the fear as old as Cain.
Explanation: In the final stanza, the poet introduces a rider, who could represent herself or anyone who
pauses to reflect on the loss of Aboriginal culture. “The rider’s heart halts’ evokes a sense of mourning and
a halt in the natural flow of life. “The ‘rider’ can be interpreted as a metaphor for the European settlers who
are responsible for the destruction. The rider’s heart stops for a moment when they see a ‘sightless shadow’
– something that cannot be seen but is still felt. This shadow represents
The lost culture of the Aboriginal people. There is an ‘unsaid word’, meaning the deep pain and injustice of
this loss is too heavy to be spoken. The phrase ‘ancient curse’ refers to the biblical story of Cain, who was
cursed after killing his brother. By mentioning Cain, the poet suggests that the destruction of Aboriginal
culture was not just a loss but a terrible act that carries guilt and consequences. The fear and pain of this loss
are as hold as human history itself.
THEMES
Loss of Indigenous Culture
The theme of Loss of Indigenous Culture is central to Bora Ring, as it highlights how Aboriginal
Australians’ traditions, songs, dances, and rituals have vanished over time. The speaker mourns this
disappearance, emphasising that the cultural practices once celebrated with great enthusiasm are now lost.
The poem describes how the sacred Bora ceremonies, which marked the initiation of young boys into
manhood, are no longer performed. The “song is gone,” and the dancers have become part of the earth,
symbolising the erasure of an entire way of life.
The speaker also reflects on how this cultural loss is irreversible. The stories and traditions of Aboriginal
people have been replaced by an “alien tale,” referring to the impact of colonisation.
The poem suggests that foreign influences have overshadowed indigenous history, leaving little trace of its
original richness. Even the tools and symbols of their past, such as the hunter’s spear, are now buried
underground, forgotten by the modern world.
Through personification, the poet shows that while humans may forget, nature remembers. The grass and
trees still mark the places where Aboriginal ceremonies once took place. This powerful imagery reinforces
the poem’s message-once a culture is lost, it can never truly be restored.
Colonisation and Its Impact
The poem subtly criticises the effects of colonisation on Aboriginal people. European settlers disrupted and
replaced indigenous traditions with their own
Beliefs, leading to the erasure of a once-thriving culture. The phrase ‘lost in an alien tale’ suggests that their
history has been overshadowed by foreign influences.
Nostalgia and Mourning
The speaker looks back at the past with sadness, longing for the days when the Aboriginal people freely
performed their rituals. She uses the imagery of nature — grass and trees- to reflect how even the
environment remembers what has been lost.
Nature as a Witness
The natural world in the poem plays an important role in preserving Aboriginal history. The apple- gum
trees seem to act out the lost dances, and the grass stands tall where the ceremonies once took place. This
shows that while human memory fades, nature silently bears witness to history.
The Burden of Guilt
The last stanza introduces a reference to Cain, the biblical figure who committed the first murder. This
suggests that the destruction of Aboriginal culture was not just a loss but a wrongdoing. The speaker feels a
deep, inherited guilt as if history itself carries a curse for the injustice done to the indigenous people.
Title
A bora ring is a physical place where traditions and stories were passed down through generations. The title
represents this heritage being “lost in an alien tale,” as the colonizers’ disregard for indigenous culture led to
the decay and overgrowth of these sacred sites. The title’s meaning changes as the poem progresses. What
was once a vibrant hub of ceremony is now an empty space, marked only by the grass that has grown over
it. The contrast between the ring’s historical purpose and its present state of disuse highlights the
devastation of forced cultural change.
As a lament for lost Aboriginal culture, the title sets a mournful and elegiac tone.
The destruction of bora rings by colonizers is a specific act of cultural genocide. The poem explicitly
connects this violence to “the fear as old as Cain,” suggesting a shared, deep-seated guilt among the settler
population for their role in the erasure of indigenous life and tradition.
By centering her poem on a sacred Aboriginal site, Wright—a European Australian—brings a silenced and
marginalized history into the forefront. The title itself is an act of reclamation, using an indigenous term to
challenge the dominant colonial narrative and demand acknowledgment of the land’s original inhabitants.
LITERARY DEVICES
[Link]: This means that a sentence or idea continues from one line to the next without a pause.
Wright uses this throughout the poem to create a smooth, flowing rhythm and to connect thoughts across
multiple lines. For example, in each stanza, the lines do not end with a full stop but carry on to the next,
making the poem feel continuous and reflective.
2. Irony: Irony occurs when something happens that is the opposite of what we expect. In this poem, the
apple-gum trees seem to ‘posture and mime’ the past dances of the Aboriginal people, but in reality, the
people themselves are gone. Similarly, the ‘painted bodies’ that once celebrated life and culture are now
just a forgotten dream. This contrast highlights the deep loss felt by the speaker.
3. Alliteration: This is the repetition of the same consonant sounds at the beginning of words placed
close together. Some examples in the poem include:
‘an alien’ (a sound)
‘spear is splintered’ (s sound) ‘heart halts’ (h sound)
‘sightless shadow’ (s sound)
This technique makes the poem more musical and memorable.
4. Personification: Personification means giving human qualities to non-living things. In the second
stanza, Wright personifies nature:
The ‘grass stands up’ – as if it is a witness to history.
The ‘apple-gums posture and mime’. As if they are actors re-enacting the lost dances.
This makes nature feel like a living memory of the lost culture.
5. Allusion: An allusion is a reference to
Something well-known. Wright alludes to: Aboriginal traditions such as ‘Bora Ring’ and ‘Corroboree’.
The biblical story of ‘Cain’, who was cursed after murdering his brother Abel. By linking the loss of
Aboriginal culture to Cain’s curse, Wright suggests that this loss is a deep historical tragedy. This
allusion draws a parallel between the senseless violence in the Bible and the violence inflicted upon.
Indigenous Australians by the Europeans.
6. Onomatopoeia: This is when a word imitates a sound. In this poem, ‘murmur’ is an example, as it
sounds like a soft, whispering noise. It reflects the broken chants of the Aboriginal people that can still be
faintly heard in nature.
7. Simile: A simile is a comparison using ‘like’ or ‘as’. In the line ‘the fear as old as Cain’, the poet
compares the feeling of fear to the ancient biblical curse of Cain. This suggests that the pain and guilt
associated with the loss of Aboriginal culture are as old and deep as human history itself.
8. Juxtaposition: Juxtaposition is placing contrasting elements side by side to highlight their differences
and create a specific impact. Here, the poet contrasts the vibrant, natural world with the destructive
impact of colonisation on the Aboriginals.
9. Synecdoche: It is a figure of speech where a part is used to represent the whole. Example includes:
‘The song is gone’: ‘Song’ represents the entire Aboriginal culture and its disappearance.
WORKSHEET
A. Choose the correct option :-
1. What does the phrase 'the song is gone; the dance is secret with the dancers in the earth' suggest about the
Aboriginal traditions?
(a) They are thriving and widely practiced.
(b) They have been forgotten or buried with those who practiced them.
(c) They are being passed down through generations.
(d) They are evolving into modern rituals.
2. What is implied by the line 'Only the rider's heart halts at a sightless shadow, an unsaid word'?
(a) The rider is indifferent to the past.
(b) The rider is haunted by the loss of indigenous culture.
(c) The rider is joyful about the changes in the land.
(d) The rider is searching for a new home.
3. What does the poem suggest about the fate of Aboriginal culture?
(a) It has adapted and survived.
(b) It has been completely erased.
(c) It lingers in memories and remnants of the past.
(d) It has been fully integrated into modern society.
4. How does the poet use imagery in the poem to convey the loss of Aboriginal traditions?
(a) By describing vibrant celebrations and rituals.
(b) By portraying nature as a silent witness to cultural erasure.
(c) By illustrating the resilience of indigenous traditions.
(d) By highlighting the joy of modernisation.
5. What is the significance of the phrase "the fear as old as Cain" in the last stanza?
(a) It refers to an eternal sense of guilt and violence linked to colonisation.
(b) It suggests the Aboriginal people were violent and dangerous.
(c) It implies that the past holds no relevance to the present.
(d) It highlights a biblical reference without any connection to history.
6. How does Judith Wright contrast the past and the present in the poem?
(a) By juxtaposing the vibrancy of Aboriginal culture with its present erasure.
(b) By showing how indigenous traditions have adapted to modern life.
(c) By presenting a historical account of Aboriginal rituals.
(d) By emphasising the superiority of modern culture.
B. Answer the following questions:-
1. What role does nature play in the poem in preserving the memory of the Aboriginal culture?
2. How does the poem serve as a commentary on historical injustice?
3. Comment on the significance of the title ‘Bora Ring’.
4. Discuss the poem Bora Ring as a postcolonial elegy.