The Secret River Lesson Plan

In this section, Sal sings a traditional rhyme to her children while the Aborigines are down by their fire chanting their own traditional songs. Why is this significant in the broader narrative context?

This juxtaposition of the two songs is one of the many ways Grenville highlights the theme of shared humanity between the two cultures. Though the ways of the English settlers and Aboriginal natives seem wildly different at first glance, they are ultimately both human, and they therefore share some values and practices. Sal sings her rhyme to her children in a desperate attempt to make their culture and heritage real to them. She does not want them to forget England,...