Cloud Busting

What does “Cloud Busting” by Tara June Winch suggest about the theme of “childhood”, and
how is it communicated?

“Cloud Busting” is a short story written by Tara June Winch. This story uses the perspective of a
child to illustrate the way family and family history influences their perspective of life throughout
childhood. Thus, exploring the theme of childhood throughout the story. Winch strikingly
conveys the theme of “childhood” through the use of imagery, metaphor and asyndeton.
Throughout the story “cloud busting”, the theme of childhood is strikingly portrayed through the
juxtaposition between May and Mum’s childhood experiences. Firstly, throughout May’s
childhood, “we would go cloud busting, Billy and me, down at the beach, belly up to the big sky”.
This quote depicts the gratification through May and Billy’s adventures and experiences at the
beach. Furthermore, the use of imagery of “belly up to the big sky” suggests their carefree,
worry-free childhood. Their childhood is simple, full of freedom and imaginary games like “cloud
busting”. Additionally, the connotations of “beach” implies serenity and peace, their childhood
alike. Moreover, the use of asyndeton depicts the fast paced, smooth sailing life May
experiences. Growing up May had a sense of freedom and there was nothing holding her back.
Secondly, while May and Billy were at the beach, they would “swim with the current, like
breeding turtles and hidden jellyfish as we drift onto the shore”. The diction and connotations of
“current’ implies the continuous smooth sailing nature of their childhood, allowing them to
progress further in life without having to worry. Additionally, the simile comparing themselves to
“breeding turtles and hidden jellyfish” suggests the carefree life they enjoy. Whereas, Mum’s
childhood was not as simple and carefree as May’s. For Mum, throughout her childhood, she
was with her mother, Alice, “probably cos my skin’s real dark”. The diction of “probably”
elucidates the uncertainty Mum faces and possibly trauma. This is due to the assimilation policy
carried out during the stolen generation where aboriginals who were fairer were assimilated.
Moreover, during Mum’s childhood, “I would go to work with her, used to sit outside and play and
wait for her to finish”. The use of polysyndeton suggests the repetitive nature of Mum’s
childhood. It seemed like a daily routine. Additionally the use of pronouns “I” as well as the tone
of the quote elucidates how lonely Mum’s childhood was. Mum had no companion. She had to
entertain herself. Comparing Mum’s childhood to May’s, it is certain that Mum’s childhood was
very lonely and traumatic whereas May's childhood was full of freedom, joy and excitement.
Thus, all four quotes depict the juxtaposition between Mum’s and May’s childhood experiences
through the use of imagery, metaphor, diction and asyndeton.
Class, race, inequity

What does “cloud busting” by Tara June Winch suggest about the theme “class, race and
inequity” and how is it communicated?

“Cloud Busting” written by Tara June Winch is a short story. This story uses the perspective of a
child to illustrate the way family and family history influences children’s perspective of the world.
In this extract, Winch touches on the history of the stolen generation as well as how the
characters, Mum and Alice, go through as an Aboriginal. Through the story “cloud busting”, the
theme of “class, race and inequity” is strikingly portrayed through the result of the assimilation
policy during the stolen generation. Firstly, the quote, “And me, I was with my mother, probably
cos my skin’s real dark.”, depicts Mum’s thoughts on why she was chosen to be with her mother,
Alice, while her siblings were assimilated. This diction of “probably” implies Mum’s uncertainty
and innocence as she was very young. Mum was not entirely certain of the situation, yet, she
was able to pinpoint that it was due to their race. Mum’s siblings were taken away due to the
assimilation policy during the stolen generation where fairer skin children were assimilated and
placed into white families. They were forced to integrate the culture of white families, forbidden
to speak their language. This policy was entirely due to race and skin color. As for Mum, her
skin color was too dark, hence, she was not chosen to be placed into another family.
Furthermore, during the assimilation, families were broken up. People like Mum and Alice lived
in “Tiny things, flatettes or something.”, whereas white families had bigger houses. The use of
vivid imagery emphasizes the social stratification due to race. There were many inequities in the
system. White privilege resulted in a very large income inequality. Thus, aboriginals of darker
skin had fewer job opportunities and rights in society. They were often looked down on. Hence,
Alice was only able to get a job cooking and cleaning for another family earning barely enough
to support her family. Lastly, when Mum bought the saucepans off Samuel, “Three months and
seven months it took her.” to pay off her loan despite having “worked extra hours”. This quote
elucidates that Alice and Mum were in extreme poverty. Saucepans would roughly cost around
$500. To an average person, it would take a maximum of a couple months to pay off the loan.
Whereas, Alice had to work extremely hard for a prolonged period of time. This implies that she
is getting paid very little and probably below minimum wage. This was because aboriginals were
regarded as slaves. For Alice to even get paid and allowed to work more for more money
suggested that she was lucky enough. Thus all three quotations depict the nature of society in
Golburn 1967 where there was extreme classism, racism and inequity towards aboriginals.
Connection

What does “cloud busting” by Tara June Winch suggest about the theme “connection” and how
is it communicated?

“Cloud Busting” is a short story written by Tara June winch. This story uses the perspective of a
child to illustrate the way family and family history influence children’s perspective.Throughout
the story “cloud busting”, Winch striking portrays the theme of “connection” through the
juxtaposition between characters from all generations. Firstly, May and Billy’s connection is
strikingly portrayed through the quote, “We snatch them up…We find shark eggs…We find
sherbet-coloured coral clumps…”. The use of anaphora and the use of pronouns, “we”
highlights the inclusiveness and intimate relationship between the pair of siblings. They are very
close and share all their experiences and adventures together. Their connection is much more
than being siblings, their bond is much like an unbreakable friendship. Their connection is full of
joy, adventure and excitement. Whereas, for Mum, “All my brothers and sisters had been put
into missions”. The diction of “all” elucidates how everyone was assimilated, only leaving Mum
behind. This was due to the assimilation policy during the stolen generation where aboriginals
who had fairer skin were assimilated and put into white families. Hence suggesting that unlike
May and Billy, Mum lacked the connection between her and her siblings. Moreover,