Distinctively Visual Essay

Visually distinctive texts can be appealing to not only a specific audience but also show a universal theme and this, with the use of figurative language is demonstrated in both The Drover’s Wife and The Loaded Dog by Henry Lawson. Both short stories show concepts and themes of resistance, mate-ship and persistence as shown through the landscape and the character’s experiences in this hostile, harsh environment. Visually distinctive language is also seen in the related text, My Country by Dorothea Mackellar, who in contrast portrays her perspective of a romanticised bushland.

In the Drover’s Wife, Lawson portrays a masculine and desolate bush landscape filled with hardship that challenges the female protagonist through the use of distinctive language to create images in the responder’s mind. The description of the Drover’s Wife is a strong mother who is protective of her children, who has become resilient from her battles against the almost inhabitable Australian bush and its unpredictable disasters. Lawson’s use of alliteration “no undergrowth, nothing to relieve the eye… nineteen miles to the nearest… civilisation.” Emphasises the Drover’s wife’s isolation and alienation from the rest of the world. Through juxtaposition, the hardships they face are depicted “Thunder rolls and rain comes in torrent/the drought of eighteen ruins him” which shows the instability of living in the bushland. Conclusively, the extended imagery “ragged, dried up looking children… gaunt sun brown woman” conveys the indomitable image of both the land and its people as worn and exhausted, but enduring. Another way Lawson uses distinctive language is using the recurring ‘travel’ theme in “that monotony that makes a man longing to break away, travel as far as a train go, sail as far as ships can sail” demonstrates the contrast of the endless amount of land and the few people within it, giving the reader a helpless feeling for the characters. “rotten native apple-trees. No undergrowth” shows pathetic fallacy that illustrations the parallel between the landscape’s condition in the hostile weather and the mental state of the Drover’s Wife. Through distinctive language, Lawson depicts a strong female protagonist surviving in the harsh land that brings challenges and risks to herself and her family, thus engaging the audience to see the traditional Australian way of life of persistence and endurance in the outback, particularly for women.

Similarly, The Loaded Dog which through distinctively visual techniques such as black humour, communicates the concept of mate-ship in the lifestyle of the outback. The strong bond that Andy, Jim and Dave have with each other and their dog Tommy demonstrates the lifestyle of the Australian Larrikin. The personification “Foolish four-footed mate… with an idiotic slobbering grin of appreciation of his own silliness” demonstrates how the dog is also a mate to the group of boys. The hyperbolic “dynamite fishing” shows the Larrikins unrefined way of finding solutions to problems, which is using both humour and the Outback appreciation for the absurd and ridiculous, but also foreshadows the disastrous outcome. “To give the fish some time to get over their scare and come hosing around again” is ironic as the audience understands that either way the cartridge is going to fail, but also conveys the creative and innocent nature of these bushmen. Additionally, the actions and activities of the characters creates a vision for the responder about the Outback lifestyle, a lifestyle of which a good natured and joyful. This can be seen through the sibilance “The mates should rise and begin to sniff suspiciously in the sickly smothering atmosphere of the summer sunrise”. This conveys the strong connection of both the personalities of the bushmen and the land, as being strong, determined and unpredictable. Repetition of the treat of a “friend” with the cartridge in his mouth, symbolic of the fatal aftermath is seen in the use of dramatic irony and humour “Dave looked over his shoulder and bolted- Jim looked behind Dave and bolted- Andy stood still”. The appreciation of irony shows the happy-go-lucky bushmen as being the representation of the Australian appreciation of life, symbolising the unique vision of the inhabitants of the Australian bushland. By using these effective techniques, Lawson uses the personalities of the bushmen and Tommy the dog to give a distinctive visual image to the audience to further engage them to understand Australian culture in the outback.

In comparison with the hostility that come from living in the bushland, there is the distinctive text My Country, a poem by Dorothea Mackellar which demonstrates a patriotic, romanticised depiction of what Mackellar thinks the Australian outback is. The poem’s intention is to evoke positive emotional response and a similar patriotic connection Mackellar has with the land, as seen in “I love her far horizons, I love her jewel-sea… core of my heart, my country!”. Mackellar uses various distinctive techniques such as juxtaposition, personification, sound patterns including alliteration and assonance and imagery to provoke images of Australia, in “For flood and fire and famine”. The use of first person narration through the poem also demonstrates her personal relationship and oath to her country. In the first two stanzas, Mackellar introduces the beauty and terror of the outback through the juxtaposition of Australia’s wild landscape to England’s tame and oftentimes bleak landscape. Throughout the introduction of Australia, the land is shown to be unforgiving: ‘a land of sweeping plains, of ragged mountain ranges, of droughts and flooding rains’. The embodiment of harsh weather and land gives the reader an understanding of the landscapes instability. From ‘I love a sunburnt country’, which introduces the following stanza on Australia, Mackellar depicts a patriotic vision of Australia. The personification of the land: ‘I love her far horizons, I love her jewel-sea, and’ - ‘for flood and fire and famine she pays us back threefold’ gives the land personality and life-like characteristics. By applying this technique Mackellar can communicate the depth of her love for Australia, engaging the responder and inviting them to explore this romanticised ideal of Australia.