Compare how composers use specific language forms and features to create unique images in the readers head.
Composers allow us to explore new ideas and emotions through the use of theme and language, creating a distinct image in the minds of many readers. The use of descriptive language can be capable of capturing the attention of a nation over decades and Henry Lawson was one such composer who did just that, as he spoke a language that travelled everywhere. His short stories ‘The Drover’s Wife’ and ‘The Loaded Dog’ presents us with the negative image and tough conditions of the bush life and the gender inequities of the time. In contrast, Dorothea Mackellar writes about life in the outback portraying a positive image of living in the countryside whilst at the same time suggesting a negative view of living there. Both composers convey the connection to the land, the concept of Australian spirit and also the feeling of loneliness.
Henry Lawson effectively makes the story of the central character in ‘The Drover’s Wife’ symbolic to all Australian women in her position, through the use of a narrator and the avoidance of using the bush woman’s name. Lawson uses visual imagery to describe the bushland surrounding the house and his careful choices of words turns the attention of the audience towards his negativity about the bush, which begins immediately in this story. “Stunted, rotten native apple trees. Nothing to relieve the eye. Bush with no horizon, for the country is flat.” Throughout these sentences Lawson stresses many negative words which illustrates how hard it is to survive in the outback, describes how there are no distinctive features and portrays the bush as an unfriendly place to live. Lawson also creates a negative visual representation of the children through the use of descriptive adverbs such as “four ragged dried up looking children” and the use of the word “urchins” conveyed strong negative connotations to his 19th Century audience, although the word is out-dated these days.
The Essay on Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver
Both Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver are well recognized TV chefs, however both use spoken language in very different ways, while interacting with their audience. For example Nigella’s language is more sophisticated and formal whereas Jamie’s language is more casual and informal. While there are many language differences between each of these chefs, there are also many similarities. Jamie Oliver ...
Lawson makes evident the human experience of loneliness and the lack of human connection through the use of timeframes. Even though the time frames are small, “it must be near one or two o’clock” and “it must be near daylight” each one allows the audience to explore another part of the woman’s hardship and grasp an idea of how lonely she is. The narrator effectively evokes sympathy for the Drover’s wife reflecting on the times she had to endure through trying circumstances such as fighting against bushfires, floods and disease. The description of “bush all around” shows us furthermore how isolated she is from the world around her and the impact it has on human contact. Henry Lawson successfully portrays the Drover’s wife as a heroine and someone to be held with respect by including time frames and flashbacks and also creates strong images of the Australian bush, highlighting how enduring it is to live there through the use of visual imagery and descriptive writing and adjectives.
‘The Loaded Dog’, another short story, adds to the creation of Australian myths, by Henry Lawson’s ability to twist the audience into his stories, as to understand the true feelings and emotions of the characters. Lawson engages the readers with Australian values by incorporating black humour as to tell stories of mateship which is both entertaining and inspiring, as he effectively balances the larrikin nature of the characters with the life-threatening aspects of the harsh environment. Black humour is created when Tommy, who is seen as a symbol of mateship, gently places the cartridge down by the sapling “as carefully as if it was a kitten” when Jim decides to climb the small sapling. The immediacy of danger is weakened when our attention is focused on the slap-stick comedy unfolding, because Lawson uses cartoonish visual images of the three mates following each other while being chased by Tommy. The reader’s anxiety is increased as they want Tommy to survive after being described as a gentle, loyal and fun dog as opposed to the evil, yellow dog. Our perception of a beast or a man’s ability to cope with the hostile environment of the outback is shaped by the balance of the cumulative adjectives “red, idiotic, sobering grin” and the authorial comment “he seemed to take life…and his own instincts as a huge joke.” At the end of the adventure the colloquial language used “el-lo, Da-a-ve! How’s the fishin’ getting on, Da-a-ve?” displays to the audience the Australian values in reminding friends of past misadventures and that it has become bush legend in acknowledgement of Dave.
The Essay on Louisa Lawson Australian Women
Louisa Lawson was a newspaper owner, journalist, poet and feminist. She was a prominent figure in Sydney's suffragette movement as well as founding Australia's first magazine for women. Louisa Lawson was a great influence on the changes made in Australia at the turn on the 20 th century. Louisa Lawson was born near Mudgee in New South Wales. As the eldest daughter of nine surviving children, she ...
Unlike Lawson, Dorothea Mackellar informs readers on the Australian values of respecting the land and all things that live on it. Dorothea creates ambiguity in the reader’s mind from the use of juxtaposition between “droughts and flooding rains” and “her beauty and terror” when describing the not so beautiful countryside, due to the unexpected wrath of Mother Nature at times. Mackellar also uses emotive language such as “I love her jewel like sea” easily making the reader picture the image she creates in their head and “my country”, “my heart” symbolising her patriotism and love towards her homeland. The reader is then able to relate to the vivid and unpredictable country in their own personal way because of the detailed description throughout the poem such as the use of the descriptive colours “sapphire” and “opal” giving off a uniqueness that only her love for her country can provide.
The Essay on My Country – Dorothea Mackellar Analysis
My Country is an iconic nationalistic poem about Australia written by Dorothea Mackellar in 1908. Dorothea Mackellar was born in Sydney in 1885. Her education was comprised of private home tutoring until she attended University of Sydney. She travelled broadly with her parents and also become fluent in Spanish, French, German and Italian. She highly educated and lived an adventurous life. Though ...
Therefore, composers have the ability to convey ideas, tell stories, entertain and inform readers by creating powerful yet contrasting images through various language techniques, which encourage the reader to develop a sense of personal connection to a subject, while going through an intensely visual experience. This is generated effectively in the short stories “The Drover’s Wife” and “The Loaded Dog” and also the poem “My Country” written by two Australian icons Henry Lawson and Dorothea Mackellar.