zee-jaffary
Episode 4 of Season One, 'Stand up', proves 'the trick is that as long as you know who you are and what makes you happy it doesn't matter how others see you'. (Wendy Mass)
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Angela, a beautiful girl, along with other, students protests in order to save their indigenous friend from not being able to come to school. They stopped singing the national anthem because they think it doesn’t belong to them. Although their principal forces them to follow her rules, they overcome it with the support of each other. “When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion” (Ethiopian proverb)
The national anthem is a tradition. Joel’s parents are being called to the school. Joel is lost in the middle of nowhere; his father made him not sing the national anthem but he sees indigenous people behind him singing. Although, his friends were singing the national anthem he “Stand up for what you believe in. “Even if it means standing alone.” (Andy Biersack)
Joel’s father asks Joel not to sing the national anthem because he doesn’t believe in it; he had never stood up for the national anthem. He thinks it doesn’t belong to him and doesn’t have anything to do with him and his life. “He learnt to be himself and to drop what doesn’t belong to him elegantly” (Bear mu). And Joel believes in the words his father spoke.
Anthony Mundine (Chock) is champion boxer and his match often appears on TV. He said of himself “I am the man, I am the man of my world” and also believed the national Anthem doesn’t belong to him. Chock is Joel’s role model, his father considers if Joel doesn’t sing the National Anthem then he is the man too.
The Clifton grammar appears on TV and announces there is a chance of getting scholarship to get in to the Sydney’s best school. The principal of the school that Joel goes to thinks the national Anthem is a compulsory tradition. She thinks if you want to be a part of a school you have to sing the national anthem but Joel doesn’t believe in a single word she has spoken for him. A teacher asked Joel if he knows why do they sing the Anthem and asked him to memorise the words in the Anthem as homework. When Joel went home doing his homework he searched about the Australia and national anthem. He was disappointed, after seeing typical answer that he didn’t even expect to see. He saw a girl having the flag picture on her shirt, and saw some foods named Australian.
_Joel has to follow the rules and follow what others want him to do. And one of those rules is to sing the National Anthem. Although it doesn’t feel right for Joel he doesn’t sing the national anthem at the end. While the others are singing the national anthem he sits quiet without singing a word out. Also, an Aboriginal teacher who taught at the school for 3 years said: “ I have never sing the word mouth moving nothing coming out.” _
