The novel ‘The Longest Memory’ written by Fred D’Aguiar and Tom Wright’s play ‘Black Diggers’ explore the racist domination of our past societies. When faced with difficult circumstances, people can either make the easy choice: to ignore it and carry on, or to face the problem head on and put the safety and well-being of others first, despite jeopardizing their own. In the oppressive and unjust worlds displayed in the respective texts, it takes a lot of courage and bravery by a person to be able to stand up for their human and equal rights. Therefore, the people who are able to display these acts are classified as true heroes. In ‘The Longest Memory’, the heroes’ dreams and hopes for racial acceptance, liberty and equality are repeatedly tested through unfair decisions, and it is their perseverance towards these societal norms that display their heroism. Similarly, in ‘Black Diggers’, many of the oppressed Indigenous people fight for their communal rights to seek a sense of belonging and fairness. Both texts demonstrate that these brave individuals have to face many judgements from their own people and their oppressors. However, it is due to their heroic traits that results in a revolution.
A hero can be considered one who follows the dictates of their conscience, even in difficult conditions. Both D’Aguiar and Wright explore youth and naivety through the characters of Chapel and Bertie, and examine the way in which young people may not be as accepting to old traditions despite their parents and upbringing revolving around it. Whitechapel belies that his son is bringing a “horrible fate” on himself, while Chapel believes that he is creating himself a better future, similar to Bertie. Just like Chapel, Bertie desires freedom, and he decides to “fight for the country”. This dream of his, however, is restrained by both his Mum and Grandad, who in a similar manner to Whitechapel, represent the voice of reality and reason. D’Aguiar uses Chapel to represent the community of slaves who dreamt of freedom, contrasting with those who believed that freedom was unreachable, due to the constant punishment. Though both Bertie and Chapel put themselves at risk despite the pleas of their parents and family, Chapel is selfish in the way that he does not consider how his actions can cause negative consequences to the other slaves that he lived with. Conversely, Bertie risks his life to serve a country that has constantly belittled him and his ancestors, to gain respect and acknowledgement from the white community. While it may appear that Chapel and Bertie are not heroes, the way that they follow their dreams enables them to gain heroic qualities.
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Everyone is human, and therefore must be treated equally. Although we may all look different, we all have qualities and traits that will benefit each other if we live in peace and a fair and just world. Thus, Lydia, being white, is not being humble towards the black slaves, rather is fighting for human rights for all, and her actions are truly selfless, and she is no short of being called a hero. She does not let her position cloud her judgement. In addition, in ‘Black Diggers’, similar ideas are put forward by Wright about how heroism is not only for the strong and authoritative powers, but for the people who have the courage to stand up against their own people to help the vulnerable and weak due to societal norms. An example of this is the RSL Secretary in the play.
‘The Longest Memory’ and ‘Black Diggers’ both demonstrate numerous characters who display heroism in their own unique ways. Through Lydia, Chapel or Bertie, D’Aguiar and Wright are able to highlight that a hero is not always a stereotypical character. They may not possess any powers, but a hero is someone who has the ability to speak up and fight for fairness and fight for what they believe is right for the community, even if their actions may never be recognized or given credit to. To be a hero, what is it? To be a hero is to fight for change and equality when no one else will.
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