- Grief
“My father was stuck in grief like a man caught in a muddy swamp”
- Grief
“The muscly tanned guy … had been replaced by a pale shell of a man”
- Grief
“when Mum had died, it had been looking after me that kept him going. Now what was keeping him going was me looking after him.”
- Grief - analysis
The use of emotive language and a simile in “…” portrays how Michael has externalised his trapped emotions into the physical world, leaving him physically confined and unable to escape the effects of his sorrow. This expands the viewpoint of the reader to sympathise with Michael, understanding the ‘swamp’ of trauma and ultimately emphasising the consuming nature of despair.
- Grief - analysis
Beth’s father displays the extensive impact of bereavement in the juxtaposing metaphor “ … ” exemplifying the dramatic change in physical appearance when experiencing emotional trauma, representing anguish as a transformative force.
- Grief - analysis
The contrasting repetition in “…” emphasises the shift in roles of caregiving between Beth and her father. It compares who provides and receives support after two key deaths: Beth’s and her mother’s. This highlights how mourning changes relationships and emotional dynamics in families.
- stolen gen + trauma
“She’s not likely to be very reliable,”
- stolen gen + trauma
“Your grandmother knew how to endure,”
- stolen gen + trauma
“They came for your Grandma … just as they’d come for her mum before her.”
- stolen gen + trauma
“They put her in a bad place. One of the worst places,”
- stolen gen + trauma
“They had a law back then that let them take Aboriginal kids just because they were Aboriginal.”
- stolen gen + trauma - analysis
He says “…” using low modality to show how her intoxication results in doubt for her story and display that intergenerational trauma is characterised by drug use, as well as being a First Nations’ stereotype.
- stolen gen + trauma - analysis
Catching’s first-hand experience of intergenerational trauma is seen in “…” Repetition of ‘They came’ emphasises the continuation of this trauma and the use of the personal pronoun displays the ubiquity and unknown of ‘they’.
- stolen gen + trauma - analysis
Later, during a flashback, Catching’s mother says, “…” reminding her of the resilience of her grandmother during the Stolen Generations. Ending the sentence with the verb ‘endure’ conveys the inherited cultural weight and significance of First Nations’ survival.
- stolen gen + trauma - analysis
In “…” the uncertainty of ‘they’ and the lack of specification of ‘bad places’ illustrate fear from the unknown, while the superlative ‘worst’ shows that nothing matches the horror of those places.
- stolen gen + trauma - analysis
The injustice of the Stolen Generations is displayed in “…” Repetition of ‘Aboriginal’ is used to emphasise that the sole reason children were taken, highlighting the irrational basis of the law and exposing its discriminatory nature.
intro
Through character and story, authors immerse readers in imagined worlds that invite them to consider diverse perspectives and deepen their understanding of key ideas. Catching Teller Crow (2018) by Ezekiel and Ambelin Kwaymullina engages readers with confronting experiences from a First Nations perspective. Told through alternating prose and verse, the dual narration of Beth Teller and Isobel Catching explores grief and the lasting impacts of the Stolen Generations, revealing the intergenerational trauma affecting their families.
conclusion
In Catching Teller Crow, the Kwaymullinas use dual narration and shifting perspectives to explore grief and intergenerational trauma, deepening readers’ empathy and understanding of First Nations experiences. Through Beth and Catching’s stories, the novel reveals how loss shapes identity and how colonial injustice continues across generations. This narrative invites the audience to reflect on resilience, healing and the importance of acknowledging diversity.
