Australia 1970�by Judith Wright
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I am Jayden Smith
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This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND
About Judith Wright
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Mark the Rhyme
Die, wild country, like the eaglehawk,�dangerous till the last breath's gone,�clawing and striking. Die�cursing your captor through a raging eye.��Die like the tigersnake�that hisses such pure hatred from its pain�as fills the killer's dreams�with fear like suicide's invading stain.��Suffer, wild country, like the ironwood�that gaps the dozer-blade.�I see your living soil ebb with the tree�to naked poverty.�
�Die like the soldier-ant�mindless and faithful to your million years.�Though we corrupt you with our torturing mind.�stay obstinate; stay blind.��For we are conquerors and self-poisoners�more than scorpion or snake�and dying of the venoms that we make�even while you die of us.��I praise the scoring drought, the flying dust,�the drying creek, the furious animal,�that they oppose us still;�that we are ruined by the thing we kill.
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Mark the Rhyme and Meter…
Die, wild country, like the eaglehawk,�dangerous till the last breath's gone,�clawing and striking. Die�cursing your captor through a raging eye.��Die like the tigersnake�that hisses such pure hatred from its pain�as fills the killer's dreams�with fear like suicide's invading stain.��Suffer, wild country, like the ironwood�that gaps the dozer-blade.�I see your living soil ebb with the tree�to naked poverty.�
�Die like the soldier-ant�mindless and faithful to your million years.�Though we corrupt you with our torturing mind.�stay obstinate; stay blind.��For we are conquerors and self-poisoners�more than scorpion or snake�and dying of the venoms that we make�even while you die of us.��I praise the scoring drought, the flying dust,�the drying creek, the furious animal,�that they oppose us still;�that we are ruined by the thing we kill.
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A
B
C
C
D
E
F
E
G
H
I
I
J
K
L
L
M
D
D
N
O
P
Q
Q
FORM
24 LINES
SIX QUATRAINS
IRREGULAR AND UNPREDICTABLE METER
DIDACTIC POEM aims to instruct the reader in a particular subject-matter, be it science, philosophy, hunting, farming, love, or some other art or craft.
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Theme
Nature and Humanity
Symbolism
TIGERSNAKE, EAGLEHAWK, IRONWOOD, SOLDIER-ANT
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FIND THE FOLLOWING:
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Die, wild country, like the eaglehawk,�dangerous till the last breath's gone,�clawing and striking. Die�cursing your captor through a raging eye.�
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Apostrophe
The speaker addresses the “wild country” of Australia directly turning it into a living, breathing character in the poem.
Simile The eaglehawk is an aggressive native Australian bird of prey so she is telling the wild country to fight aggressively against those who would destroy it. Don’t go down easily, fight to the bitter end.
Anaphora�The repetition of the command “Die” has a passionate tone. It’s really a reverse command of “don’t die.” Alliteration “die” “dangerous” “die” creates a drumbeat
Alliteration/consonance The cacophonous and hard “C” and “K” sounds mimic the action of the hawk creating both auditory and visual imagery.
Die like the tigersnake�that hisses such pure hatred from its pain�as fills the killer's dreams�with fear like suicide's invading stain.�
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Apostrophe
The speaker addresses the “wild country” again with the command “Die.”
Simile The tigersnake is an extremely venomous native Australian snake. To die like the tigersnake, she tells the wild country fight back making its aggressors suffer, like a murderer to a victim.
Anaphora�Continues from stanza one with the word “Die”
Sibilance/consonance The tiger”snake” “hisses” “such” “suicide’s” “stain” creates the hideous auditory “hisssssss” of the snake.
Pairs of alliterative words
hisses/hatred
pure/pain
fills/fear
suicide’s/stain
Add to the rhythm and malice of the tigersnake’s attack. The snake will make its victim wish it were dead.
Foreshadowing
“suicide’s invading stain” points to the end of the poem. When you kill the land, you in essence, kill yourself.
Suffer, wild country, like the ironwood�that gaps the dozer-blade.�I see your living soil ebb with the tree�to naked poverty.�
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Apostrophe
The speaker addresses the “wild country” again with the command “Suffer.” She “sees” what happens
Simile The ironwood is an extremely hardy tree or shrub that jams the bulldozer’s blade, and likewise, the wild country should not go peacefully, but cause suffering as much as possible
“Ebb…poverty.” meaning to recede, draw back
The soil has been stripped away, leaving the land “naked” because its minerals and lifeforce have been stolen, leaving it in poverty.
Parallelism
“Suffer, wild country, like the ironwood” is grammatically identical to the first line of the poem, giving it dynamic energy. The war against those destroying the land must be continuous, brutal.
jams
Die like the soldier-ant�mindless and faithful to your million years.�Though we corrupt you with our torturing mind.�stay obstinate; stay blind.�
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Apostrophe
The speaker addresses the “wild country” again with the command “Die.”
Simile The soldier-ant is aggressive hunter. They are known to attack other colonies to steal their larvae.
Anaphora�Continues from stanza one with the word “Die”
polyptoton/alliteration
The alliteration creates a humming sound while the polyptoton suggests that the soldier-ant should attack with a “mindless mind,” without care just as the wild country has been attacked.
Anaphora The speaker encourages the land remain stubborn, unyielding, refuse to even recognize the torture humanity has caused.
we�The speaker includes herself in the corruption of the wild country.
For we are conquerors and self-poisoners�more than scorpion or snake�and dying of the venoms that we make�even while you die of us.�
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Apostrophe
The speaker shifts focus to humanity, but still addresses the “wild country” at the end
sibilance
The final “hiss” of death is ironically those who destroy the land will be destroyed by it. We create our own poisons (like pollution), which serve to usher in our deaths.
we�The speaker includes herself in the corruption of the wild country.
I praise the scoring drought, the flying dust,�the drying creek, the furious animal,�that they oppose us still;�that we are ruined by the thing we kill.
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Anaphora�creates a sense of finality and satisfaction that the land is still obstinate, and that it will cause humanity’s doom.
alliteration
The “D” alliteration combined with the parallel structure creates a drumbeat and intensity.
We…we�The speaker is pleased that humanity will suffer at the hands of nature.
sibilance
The final sibilance hisses at us, showing us that nature will stand its ground.
Fricative alliteration
Nature is still delivering its harsh reality to humanity with dust storms and killer animals.
Parallel Structure�The scoring drought
The flying dust
They dying creek
The furious animal
How does the author present nature in the poem?
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