Consumerism and Our Changing Society. 

Evaluate the way in which Bruce Dawe's poetry and your related materials reflect how consumerism continually changes within our society.

consumerism is continually changing and so are the generations among it. The expectations of the improvement of products are substantial as people see it as what they need to reach their goals in life. Bruce Dawe has written many pieces of poetry to do with these changes, through both the Australian society and the globe. Bruce Dawe’s poems ‘Americanized’, ‘Enter without So Much As Knocking’ and ‘Abandonment of Autos’ all represent the way people feel the need to flaunt their social status through consumer goods. This is also displayed on a global level through ‘the fear’ by Lily Allen and ‘Sex and the City 2’.

Every purchase and advertisement displayed influences everyone, even if they don’t want to admit it. The western world’s culture is taking over society immensely. An exceptional example of this is displayed in “Sex and The City 2” where a close shot of the Muslim women are shown in American clothing with a fantastical music arrangement playing in the background. The camera then turns back the the American women to show the cultural change within their clothing as this is happening Carrie throws her head back in happiness and gasps, Louis Viutton, yes!!!” This shows how strong consumerism is and how it has the power to influence other cultures into one another simply because of how it is advertised and displayed. In Bruce Dawe’s poem ‘Americanized’ he talks of the same concept. It also shows how things people have always seem better than our own ‘Mummy’s things! What could compare to that?’ he compares everything to American being the major problem. How the world looks more and more like America everyday with the way we act, what we eat and over protecting others ‘Along the street(it must be fun!) as well as trapping them in, this is very similar to the concept of consumerism.

Consumerism is a vicious cycle that continues to repeat itself no matter how much we try to stop it, you still find yourself going back to the ways of consumerism. Bruce Dawe’s poem “Enter Without so much as knocking” epigraph is: remember, man, that thou art dust thou shalt return. This relates to the fact consumerism repeats itself and with society today, it only gets worst. In the poem he uses capitalized words used as the concept of a sign ‘WALK. DON’T WALK.....  WATCH OUT FOR THAT.’ This brings you into the poem and places you in the situation. Even though the signs are over the top and exaggerated along with the whole poem, it simply relates to today’s changing society. This being because we always make things seem bigger than what they are and try to control the outcome of every situation in life. This is very similar to ‘The Fear’ as Lily Allen quotes ‘I’m being taken over by the fear.’ The fear of not being able to control what is going to happen and the fact that she makes it a big deal that consumerism is taking over her life and the world is telling her how to live her life. When really what will be will be.

Society always seems to be stuck in the moment and focuses on that set time and themselves.  Bruce Dawe’s poem “ Abandonment of autos” relates to how a car can mean so much to it owner and it is a very dramatic time but after it all, the car is just thrown out and new one is bought to place it. In today’s world many products relate to the same situation in the poem. This relates to the song by Lily Allen, as they both describe how much something can mean to and how much you want it the song quotes “I want loads of clothes and loads of diamonds..” these products may seem like the most important thing and still the most important things as you dramatise the time when the clothes go out of fashion or the diamonds aren’t the latest and greatest fashion statement but in reality they are replaced and that product put in place of them turn into the meaningful thing until it all happens again. In the poem Bruce shows meaning and feeling towards both and driver and the car but in the end comes across sarcastic and quotes “seemingly casual walking away from the parked car.” because he knows the driver will simply but a new car.

Consumerism is changing and so is society. The consumer market is much larger today and with the advance in technology brings consumerism up to a global scale. People see a great importance of their social status within their social group and even how they look towards complete strangers. Bruce Dawe presents this through his poems in a very negative approach, it also shows in what we hear or choose to listen to, the television we choose to watch and under some circumstances having no control over it as consumerism simply takes over our life in all ways.