Kevin Rudd's apology speech

I denne study guide kan du få hjælp til at analysere den tale, som den tidligere australske premierminister holdt for at sige undskyld til den oprindelige australske befolkning for de grusomheder, som de historisk havde været udsat for. Udover analysehjælpen kan du finde et summary af talen, samt idéer til diskussion og perspektivering.

Præsentation af teksten

Titel: Apology to Australia's Indigenous peoples (2008)
Afsender: Kevin Michael Rudd
Genre: Tale

Kevin Michael Rudd (b. 1957) er en tidligere politiker fra Australien. Han var premierminister i Australien fra 2007-2010, samt en kort periode i 2013, begge gange som repræsentant for Labor-partiet.

Kevin Rudd holdt sin berømte undskyldningstale den 13. februar 2008 i parlamentsbygningen i Canberra, Australien. Talen fik stor international opmærksomhed og skabte meget debat om, hvorvidt andre politiske burde følge Rudds eksempel i forhold til at give officielle undskyldninger til oprindelige befolkninger, som historisk var blevet behandlet dårligt.

Du kan se talen her.

Uddrag

Nedenfor kan du se et kort uddrag fra vores study guide til talen:

Direct address

Kevin Rudd uses direct address to apologise specifically to the members of the Stolen Generations: “I offer you this apology without qualification. We apologise for the hurt, the pain and suffering that we, the Parliament, have caused you by the laws that previous parliaments have enacted” (ll. 182-184). The direct address also helps Rudd acknowledge the fact that the suffering brought onto the indigenous people of Australia is a direct result of the laws implemented by successive parliaments and, implicitly, suggests that Rudd and the Parliament accept the responsibility of causing such pain.

Rudd also directly addresses the politicians present and asks them to imagine themselves living the hardship faced by indigenous communities: “I say to honourable members here present: imagine if this had happened to us. Imagine the crippling effect. Imagine how hard it would be to forgive.” (ll. 199-200). In this way, he tries to make them empathise with the Stolen Generations and, consequently, to persuade them that an apology is needed.