There are multiple connotations of discovery that could be analyzed and explored in the poem north coast town by Robert Gary. Two main principles of discovery that could be allocated throughout the poem is the illustration of the small town becoming more commercialized, illustrated by the persona. From evaluating the poem, the audience is able to recognize and understand that this north coast town was once a traditional Australian town, however it has transform due to the influences of Americas California.
One poetical device that Robert Gary manipulates in his poem north coast town to elaborate the image of time going by slowly is alliteration and reputation. From the quote” car after car now…” located in the third stanza third line, the readers can see that the persona is standing and watching what is happing in the town. The persona can see that this north coast town is changing excessively through period of time due to the influence of America. ‘(With their men’s locked), a closed hamburger stand “ locked and closed are diction words composed by the composer suggesting that people are not made to fell welcome here, no trust. It could also suggest that the member of the town has changed so much from commercialism to “ tattoos and greasy fifties pompadours”
Another technique that the composer has operated throughout his poem to convey the concepts of discovery made by the persona is visual imagery. If you investigate the first line of the fourth stanza” a car slowed and I chased it.two hoods going shooting. Tattoos and greasy fifties pompadours. Rev in high streets, drop their first can” the composer generates build up words in hoods, shooting, tattoos, greasy, rev and drop to associate the members of the town with tough, destructive, drunk and uncaring males. They display a lack of concern for their environment, littering it.
The Essay on “Journey, North Coast” By Robert Gray
Question: “Discoveries can be new and refreshing or challenging and confronting” The self discovery of an unknown or veiled environment can be new and reinvigorate or denouncing and encountering. Self discovery involves the process of an individual, which inaugurate’s new features of an certain status. Robert Gray and Christo Erasmus, both explore the concept of self discovery but alter the ...
As a result the audience of the poem is contributed a image of the characteristics of the members of the town having lack in spiritual and modern values, there a bit behind time having the fifties pompadour hair cuts in the seventies. The tattoos on the members of the town represent the rebellious as only the rebels got tattoos in seventies. All these characteristics and features of the characterizes of the town is produced by employing a colloquial language technique in the forth stanza, especially ‘rev in high street, drop their first can demonstrating and leaving a negative impact of the members of the town on the audience.
Robert Gary has also used third person language in the last stanza” they’re making California’. Distancing the poet from the changes in Australia. There is a negative feeling towards trying to change the Australian landscape to California-an image that doesn’t meet our landscape. Robert gray has also used contrast in the last stanza comparing the abo to California, isolating the aboriginal person from the audience attentention to the ‘real’ and ‘original’ Australia has been violated and taken over comparing to the landscape to been violated and taken over by the influence of California.
In conclusion, it has come to my understanding that Robert Gary, Australia’s finest poet has written this poem about a north coast town which is/has been under the influence of the characteristics and features of Americas California. As a result, changing the structure and behaviors of the members of the town. From understanding this poem as a reader I have understand that the persona is going through a physical and mental discovery as he/she observes the towns and the changes that had occurred over time and how members of the town have been influenced by Americanism and commercialism.
