The poem contrasts the drama occurring in a family's living room with events unfolding for the Chinese people on television. While the family casually watches horrific scenes of the Chinese peasants' lives, they remain indifferent due to the distancing effect of the television medium. Through satire and juxtaposition, the poem criticizes how television allows viewers to ignore reality and the very real suffering of others.

1. The Not-so-good Earth<br />Focus Questions<br />What is the purpose of Dawe’s contrasting dramas in this poem – the one occurring in the family living room and that of the Chinese people?<br />How does the family’s attitude to what they are viewing reveal the characteristics of the consumer’s state of mind?<br />Why does Dawe focus on the television representation of the Chinese situation?<br />What is the significance of getting the television image right for the consumers – the viewing audience?<br />How is the juxtaposition of the grandmother’s death with the Craven A advertisement satirical?<br />Technique:<br />What is the tone of the poem? (Begin by looking at the title.)<br />Find 3-4 examples of colloquial phrases or idiomatic expressions in this poem. What effect does such language have on the tone of the poem as a whole?<br />Describe the “Voice” of this dramatic monologue. Who do you feel is telling this “story”? What aspects of their character can you surmise from the tone and language used in the poem? Provide examples to support your answer.<br />List in order of the events that occur to the Chinese peasants that the family witness on the television. What technique does Dawe use to reinforce the indifference felt by the viewers in seeing such horrific events? Include at least two examples to support your answer.<br />What humorous techniques has Dawe employed in this poem? Support your response with examples. Why do you think Dawe has used humour in dealing with such a serious issue?<br />Describe the tone in the lines, “if I remember … their marvelous patience”. What point is being made about television programming in these lines?<br />How is the television personified at the end of the poem? What is meant by the word, “inscrutable”?<br />How does Dawe emphasise the way in which television divorces its viewers from reality in the final lines of the poem?<br />