Purpose and Audience (VCE SSCE English): Revision Notes
Purpose and Audience
Understanding the context
Meyne Wyatt's powerful monologue from City of Gold was performed on ABC's Q+A television programme in June 2020, during a critical moment in global and Australian history. The timing was deliberate and significant: the performance occurred during worldwide Black Lives Matter protests following George Floyd's murder in the United States, whilst Australia faced its own crisis regarding Indigenous deaths in custody. Through his character Breythe's rooftop fury, Wyatt created a fierce protest piece that exposed the ongoing reality of racism in contemporary Australia.
The monologue serves as what Wyatt calls a challenge to post-Apology Australia's 'wilful amnesia'—the tendency to acknowledge past wrongs whilst ignoring present injustices. This concept is central to understanding the piece's confrontational approach.
The monologue powerfully contrasts celebrations of progress (like weddings) with the ongoing grief of Indigenous families burying their dead, forcing audiences to confront uncomfortable truths about modern Australian society.
Primary purpose: Expose racism's subtle brutality
The main intent of Wyatt's monologue is to provide what can be described as an evidential indictment of contemporary racism. Rather than focusing solely on historical atrocities or overt discrimination, Wyatt deliberately catalogues the everyday microaggressions that successful Indigenous Australians face in the 21st century.
Microaggressions are subtle, often unintentional discriminatory comments or actions directed at marginalised groups. These everyday experiences accumulate and cause significant psychological harm, yet are often dismissed or invisible to those not experiencing them.
Wyatt's monologue provides concrete examples of these experiences:
- Taxis slowing down, seeing his face, then driving off without stopping
- Being reduced to a 'box to tick' in diversity initiatives
- Being offered only stereotypical 'angry Blackfella' roles in acting
- Facing constant scrutiny that white Australians simply don't experience
The monologue uses the Adam Goodes saga as a national parable—a story that represents broader Australian attitudes. Adam Goodes, an Indigenous AFL footballer, called out racist behaviour from a young spectator during a match. Rather than being supported for educating about racism, he became vilified by many Australians, eventually being booed relentlessly at matches until he retired from the sport. Wyatt uses this example to demonstrate how Indigenous Australians who speak up against racism are punished rather than heard.
A crucial message in the monologue is the concept of differential standards, captured in the powerful line: 'You can be OK; I have to be exceptional.' This exposes how even when Indigenous Australians achieve success through exceptionalism—like Breythe's acting career—they face amplified scrutiny and pressure that white Australians escape. The piece protests tokenism (giving only symbolic representation without real inclusion or change), revealing how surface-level diversity initiatives fail to address systemic issues.
The semi-autobiographical nature of the monologue adds urgency and authenticity. Wyatt channels his personal experiences from the Kalgoorlie riots, the disconnection of fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) work, and his own depression following the Goodes controversy. By transforming this private grief into a public weapon, he demonstrates that racism may have evolved from overt slurs to 'subtle shit,' but its toll on Indigenous Australians remains devastating and potentially mortal.
Secondary purpose: Demand white reckoning and action
Beyond exposing racism, Wyatt's monologue actively demands that white Australians take responsibility and action. The piece doesn't simply educate—it confronts and implicates the audience directly.
The direct address technique (speaking directly to 'you') is crucial here. Phrases like 'That's your privilege' hold the white audience morally accountable, refusing to let them remain comfortable observers. This purpose deliberately flips the script on allyship, making it clear that awareness alone is insufficient. White Australians cannot simply 'move forward' whilst Indigenous families attend funerals.
Example: The Tricolon Device
The monologue features a powerful tricolon (a rhetorical device using three parallel statements):
Silence is violence. Complacency is complicity. I don't want to sit down.
This three-part statement rallies the audience beyond passive awareness to active mobilisation. Each phrase builds in intensity, creating a rhythmic power that demands action. It echoes the energy of the Black Lives Matter movement whilst grounding the message in Adam Goodes' local martyrdom—making the issue undeniably Australian, not just an imported American concern.
The piece explicitly rejects the expectation that Indigenous Australians should seek white approval for their success or activism. The message 'Never trade authenticity for approval' urges Indigenous people toward defiance whilst positioning white discomfort as a necessary marker of progress. This challenges the common expectation that marginalised groups should be 'quiet and humble' to be acceptable.
The broadcast timing on Q+A—closing a special episode on Indigenous deaths—maximised the monologue's reach. It went viral, reaching millions and forcing a national conversation. The stage production's family frame (a father's funeral occurring amid riots) further amplified the purpose by making the stakes deeply personal and immediate.
Primary audience: White Australia and its institutions
Main target: White progressives and deniers
The monologue primarily targets white Australians across the political spectrum, particularly those who are comfortably ignorant or in denial about ongoing racism. Through direct address, Wyatt indicts viewers who might consider themselves progressive yet remain passive observers of injustice.
The piece specifically discomforts liberal guilt—targeting those who celebrated the 2008 National Apology to Indigenous Australians yet continue to ignore over 500 Indigenous deaths in custody. This is a critical distinction: celebrating past acknowledgment whilst ignoring present violence represents the exact 'wilful amnesia' Wyatt challenges.
Lines like 'You get to ask that question... You want your blacks quiet' directly challenge white Australians who expect Indigenous people to express their pain in ways that don't make white people uncomfortable.
The monologue demands ownership of privilege: 'You do benefit from it.' This forces white audience members to acknowledge that they benefit from systemic racism even if they don't actively participate in overtly racist behaviour.
The casting industry receives particular excoriation, with directors being called out for demanding actors 'darken up' and offering only token stereotypical roles. This institutional critique extends beyond individual attitudes to expose how racism is embedded in Australian cultural industries.
Secondary: Indigenous youth and diaspora
The monologue also speaks powerfully to Indigenous Australians, particularly young people and those living in urban areas disconnected from traditional Country. Breythe validates the experiences of urban Indigenous people, sending the message that their hyphenated success (being both Indigenous and successful in mainstream society) represents legitimate resistance, not betrayal of their culture.
This validation is especially important for Indigenous youth who might feel caught between cultures or question their authenticity. The monologue galvanises those experiencing post-Voice referendum despair, offering permission to stand unapologetically in their identity and success.
Tertiary: Media and politics
The Q+A platform itself becomes part of the message, holding broadcasters accountable for sanitised representation of Indigenous issues. By contextualising the Kalgoorlie riots as grief rather than criminality, the monologue challenges media narratives that criminalise Indigenous responses to injustice.
Secondary audiences and effects
Global BLM solidarity
The timing during George Floyd's murder and subsequent protests created an international dimension to the monologue's reach. Wyatt deliberately bridges Australian and American experiences of racism, presenting Adam Goodes as Australia's Colin Kaepernick (the American football player who protested racial injustice) and Indigenous custody deaths as Australia's equivalent to police brutality against Black Americans.
The stark contrast between 'funerals versus weddings'—Indigenous grief versus white celebration—builds international solidarity by demonstrating how racism operates globally whilst maintaining local specificity. This export of local pain creates international leverage for domestic change.
Posterity and VCE students
The monologue's viral endurance has ensured its lasting educational impact. With millions of YouTube views and its status as a classroom staple, the piece educates future generations about 'everyday' oppression. This ensures that Adam Goodes' lesson about Australian racism endures beyond the immediate controversy.
For VCE English students specifically, the monologue provides a powerful contemporary Australian example of protest writing, offering clear models of rhetorical techniques and their effects.
Audience summary table
| Audience | Targeted message | Technique | Purpose effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| White liberals | Own your privilege | Direct 'you' address | Shatters complacency |
| Indigenous youth | Stand unapologetically | Goodes validation | Fuels resilience |
| Media gatekeepers | End tokenism | Industry exposé | Demands authentic casting |
| Global BLM | Local-global racism unity | Funerals versus weddings | Builds solidarity |
Reception and impact
The immediate reception demonstrated the monologue's effectiveness in achieving its purposes. The Q+A studio erupted with tears and ovations, whilst YouTube viewership exploded, sparking widespread #CityOfGold discourse across social media platforms.
Critics described the piece as a 'howl of rage', with the production's rooftop delivery creating a 'punch in the guts' effect. The purpose was clearly achieved: white Australians were forced into uncomfortable debate, whilst Indigenous Australians felt emboldened to stand taller and speak more openly about their experiences.
The monologue contrasts with other protest approaches—unlike Emmeline Pankhurst's fundraising tactics or Tom Harrison's warnings, Wyatt demands an immediate moral choice. There is no gradual path offered; the audience must choose between complicity and reckoning.
Relevance to protest writing
For VCE students studying protest writing, Wyatt's monologue provides a powerful model of the implication technique—turning the audience from passive observers into active participants who must acknowledge their role in the issue being protested.
The piece demonstrates how direct address can extract acknowledgment of complicity in ways that satire or indirect criticism cannot. Whilst satirical approaches imply criticism, Wyatt's direct 'you' statements force explicit confrontation with uncomfortable truths.
Exam tips for analysing purpose and audience
When writing about City of Gold in your VCE English exam, consider these approaches:
Key Analytical Strategies:
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State the dual purpose clearly: Wyatt aims both to expose subtle racism and to demand active anti-racism from white Australians.
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Connect purpose to audience: Explain how the direct address technique specifically targets white Australians' comfort and complacency.
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Use specific textual evidence: Quote key phrases like 'Silence is violence. Complacency is complicity' to demonstrate how purpose is achieved.
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Discuss timing and context: The June 2020 performance during BLM protests and on a Q+A Indigenous deaths special amplified the purpose and widened the audience.
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Compare to other protest texts: Consider how Wyatt's direct implication differs from other protest approaches you've studied.
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Analyse the layered audiences: Don't just identify white Australians—discuss how the piece simultaneously addresses Indigenous youth, media institutions, and international audiences.
For creative responses inspired by City of Gold, craft monologues that target privilege directly. Use 'you' to implicate your audience. State your purpose explicitly in your reflection: 'Like Wyatt who implicates via "you," I indict Voice referendum silence.' Aim for 800-1000 words with rising accusation and strategic pauses after direct address moments. Examiners reward purposeful discomfort that provokes transformative engagement.
Key Points to Remember:
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Dual purpose: Wyatt's monologue exposes the brutal reality of everyday racism whilst demanding active anti-racism from white Australians, not passive allyship.
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Direct implication: The 'you' address turns white audience members from comfortable observers into implicated beneficiaries who must choose between complicity and reckoning.
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Strategic timing: Performed in June 2020 during BLM protests and Indigenous deaths in custody crisis, maximising relevance and reach for both national and international audiences.
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Layered audiences: Whilst primarily targeting white Australians, the monologue simultaneously validates Indigenous youth, challenges media gatekeepers, and builds global solidarity.
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Adam Goodes as parable: The booing saga serves as a national example of how Indigenous Australians who speak up against racism are punished rather than supported—'educate a racist child, become villain.'