Surprise: Today is 13th, the Friday..

“Only in the darkness can you see the stars, the hope they give to the blithe-bright times of one’s life.” Both Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (Text A) and A Song of Hope by Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Text B) explore the idea of “a new beginning,” but they present it in very different ways. Text A is a fictional 1985 American slasher horror film meant to entertain and scare audiences. Directed by Danny Steinmann, it stars Melanie Kinnaman, John Shepherd, and Shavar Ross, and was produced by Timothy Silver with music by Harry Manfredini. The executive producer is Frank Mancuso Jr., and the screenplay was written by Martin Kitrosser, David Cohen, and Danny Steinmann, all of which are credited in Text A. In contrast, Text B is a non-fiction poem written in the 1960s that aims to inspire hope within Aboriginal communities that have endured historical injustice and systemic discrimination.

Text A is fictional, while Text B is non-fictional. Both mention “a new beginning,” but in completely different ways. Text A promotes a horror film and entertains an audience that enjoys suspense and thrills. Text B speaks to Aboriginal Australians imagining a fairer future. Both texts use darkness and light symbolically, but for different purposes. The tone of Text A is eerie and unsettling. Text B’s tone is hopeful, commanding, and uplifting. Text A uses symbolism visually through dark shadows, bold color contrast, and ominous imagery to set the mood. The film title overshadows the rest, with the tagline “A New Beginning” just below it and credits in mouse print font. The tagline is ironic because “a new beginning” sounds like something fresh, bright, or peaceful, but horror fans know that in this context it means more violence and fear instead of peace and positivity. The hockey mask and the ominous glow in the background grab attention. Darkness and bold red text create feelings of suspense and danger. In contrast, Text B carries the emotional depth that Text A lacks, as it speaks to a lived history of pain and the hope for a better future.

Unlike the visual symbolism in Text A, Text B uses literary techniques to convey its message. “Now light shall guide us. No goal denied us” implies a path toward justice and progress. Light becomes a metaphor for overcoming institutional racism and suppression. “dark freedom-lover” reclaims darkness as pride and identity rather than something to be ashamed of. “Look up, my people” addresses her community using inclusive language like “my” and “our,” which creates a sense of unity. It also uses anaphora (“when…more”), personification (“the world is waking”), and rhyme to unify and uplift. Sound devices such as alliteration in “juster justice” and assonance in “plan the promise” create rhythm and make the message more memorable. Additionally, the poem uses juxtaposition and parallel structure in the line “to our fathers’ fathers the pain, the sorrow…to our children’s children the glad tomorrow,” which contrasts past suffering with future hope. The line “points the bone no longer at a darker race” references an Aboriginal curse and symbolically represents the end of blame, scapegoating, and systemic oppression.

All in all, both texts explore the idea of a “new beginning,” but they present it in very different ways. In Text A, the horror film poster uses dark imagery, bold colours, and the ironic tagline “A New Beginning” to create suspense and fear. In contrast, Text B uses metaphor, repetition, and inclusive language to express hope and unity for Aboriginal people after a history of suffering. Although both texts refer to change after darkness, the meaning of that change is very different. However, the idea of hope, even in different forms, still connects the two texts.