Time Is Running Out "Oogenero Nonuccal"

Poem Assignment

Bab I   Introduction

            The poetry “Time Is Running Out” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal. In my opinion, this poem is one of the best poem in the world especially in Australia. Oodgeroo Noonuccal formerly called Kath Walker or Kathleen Jean Mary Ruska was born on November 3^th, 1920 on Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) Queensland, Australia. She was the second youngest of six children from Ted and Lucy Ruska. She was an Australian poet, political activist, artist, and educator. She was also a campaigner for Aboriginal rights. Oodgeroo left her school at age 13, 1933 because she wrote with her left hand. She was the first Australian Aborigine woman who published her book of verse. Her occupations as domestic servant, corporal, writer, and educator. She had ever worked as Australian Womens Army Service and Nonuccal-Nughi Education Cultural Centre. Oodgeroo Nonuccal died on September 16th, 1993 (aged 72). But, during lived day, she did a precious thing that can change the differences between black and white communities in the world especially in Australia Country.

            According to me, her poem “Time Is Running Out” talked about the destruction of the environment. In this poem, Oodgeroo expressed about what we had done for our environment, did we keep it or destroy it ? We need to do something positive for our environment. We might not be able to feel what a beautiful world with beauty of our environment such as beautiful landscape of beach. But, the world made us losing all of it. In fact, the humans use the environment to get money for their life without think of the risk of their behaviors. All of the thing in the world is used for materiality.

            In this essay, I want to talk about the important messages that Oodgeroo put in her poem, the figurative language that she used for her poem, and I want to tell you who the poem refers to. I think, this poem is interesting and it can become a lecture and advices for the humans being who apply the environment just for their life.

Bab II  The Fisrst Stanza

The first stanza talk about the people acts. They lived for money. They can conduct everything for money including the destruction of the earth. They destroyed the environment violently. They don’t think about the risk of their behaviors for another. (Stanza one line 1 and 2).

The miner rapes the hearth of earth                Stanza One

With his violent spade

“His” is refers to men. In this line, the miner is compared to the people in the real life. In this case, they use Metaphor as poetic device. This stanza is also talk about what they can get for their if they destroy the environment such as, they can get advantages like money. They take each elements of the environment such as they cut the trees in the forests illegally and bring them to their company, change the forests that become the lung of the world like the industrial land. They use this land for industrial company to cultivate the trees to be kind of the equipments that become the humans consume it for their daily activities just like this line “stealing, bottling her black blood for the sake of greedy trade” (stanza one line 3 and 4). “Her” in stanza one is refers to Earth. And then “Black blood” is refers to the oil.

Bab II   The Second Stanza

            The second stanza related with the first stanza which was talking about the risk of environment destruction. We can see that the world has been spoiling quietly. And who knows about it? People in the world only understand about how I can save my life from suffering. They do everything even damage the environment only for their importance. I quote the line that related with this act.

            In his greedy lust for power 

He destroys old nature’s will                          Stanza Two

For the sake of the filthy dollar

He dirties the nest he build

“He destroyed old nature’s will” (stanza two line 2) is compared with the nature that had been given by the God.  He destroyed it for money that can make them happy life and happy ending.  But we don’t thinking of the others.  As the line “for the sake of the filthy dollar” (stanza two line 3) means “money”. They consent their world to be change by the money, money, and money.  He destroyed their life and their world. The world which become their birth place. Oh my God. Pardon there. And then when they damaged their environment, they did not know that they damaged their place also. And unexpected thing for them is the crime they made for money will be written down by the God and just in the end of their life for the punishment.

Bab III   The Third Stanza

            But time is running out (stanza three line 1). This line use symbol as poetic devices. It interpreted as the time will be over. No one can run away from it. In this stanza, it talks about the punishment for people who had destroyed the earth violently for money. What an upset situation. We need to take over this situation. We must save our earth that had been given by our God. Don’t let someone or a group of people destroy our earth. We give them a lecture and punishment for their behaviors. Remember, all you guys will get the effect for your stand, but you will not know when it happen for you. And for people that take care of the earth just hope, someone will come to us and help us solve this problem just like this line :

            Come gentle black man

Show your strength

Time to take a stand                                        Stanza Three

Make the violent miner feel

Your violent

Those lines have strong meaning for evildoer and persuade the people to get back to the God’s way. “make the violent miner feel your violent” (stanza three line 8 and 9) shows that the earth know what you had done with it also. Thus, the earth will punish you guys for your behaviors if the time has arrived.

Bab IV   The summary of the poem “Time Is Running Out”

Well, we are in the end of my discussion about this poem. According to me, the poem “Time Is Running Out” by Oodgeroo Nonnuccal is very good poem and has great meaning for me after i read it. This poem was talking about the destruction of the environment dealing to our behaviors especially. It can improve our knowledge about our acts. Do we take over our earth or we destroy it ? We can’t understand about it, but we can realize and feel it. Can we feel the environment love us and hence from that, we have to love the environment to so that it will make a balancing between the earth and us. Well, we don’t need to think about the advantages and the positive effect, but we think about the negative effect that had caused by ourselves. For example, we cut the trees in the forests for company’s importance so that we can get much money for that, and then we burn the forests to be changed as a company to add our money. Everything we do is just for money. I’m afraid about this because not only people can hear this situation but the so does the earth. And the effect for this poem for me, I think, I felt what I had done for my environment is wrong. I often throw the rubbish everywhere. It means that I didn’t care with my environment. After I read this poem, something hit me and speak to me, you must take over your earth because it is your life all the time. I felt, I need to change my behaviors so that I can save my life and my earth.

LET’S GO

TAKE OVER OUR ENVIRONMENT (THE EARTH)

DESTROY THE PERSON WHO WANT TO DESTROY OUR EARTH

SAVE THE EARTH