What are the main ideas in dustbins by Witi Ihimaera and how can I back them up in an essay?

Answer 1

One of the main ideas within Dustbins is class discrimination and our current society's desire to ignore the cruelty within it.

This is easy to back up with the pieces of dialogue "Us dusties are at the *rse end of society" This brings about the topic of class discrimination and shows it from the perspective of someone at the bottom- relate this then to his analogy about the *rsehole being the most important part of the body. If jobs like this HAVE to be done while are those who do them considered 'lower' than others.

The other piece of dialogue is the one pertaining to the difference between how our society looks and how it really is: "Nobody gives a stuff about the back" this is a metaphor which can be compared to Mary's father. He was a respectable businessman, someone we would consider 'high' class however he is also a cruel man who rapes and beats his daughter- this comparison between the appearance and the reality is designed to make people question their assumptions of people.

Answer 2

One of the key themes of the text is that the social face that an individual presents may mask an evil personality.

Answer 3

The main idea of "Dustbins" is man's inhumanity to man.

Answer 4

letting go ?