1. Explain why they are "silent and subdued".
2. How are white men represented? Why?
3. What is a bora ring and explain why it is so central to this
poem.
4. Explain their reaction in line 8.
5. Lines 9-17 begin a 'litany'. What is the effect produced?
6. Comment on the significance of metaphors used in the poem.
7. Comment on the structure and form of this poem.
8. Why does Thunder have a capital letter?
9. Comment on the mood and atmosphere created here.
10. Combine comments on its theme, title and conclusion.
1. The aborigines entering the town are "silent and subdued" probably because they are naturally quiet but more likely, are feeling rejected as foreigners entering white society.
2. "Many white men" emphasises the majority who overwhelm black and "like ants" conveys the horror of organised purposeful activity which is not supporting them; it is even exploiting them and their land.
3. The bora ring is a religious and cultural symbol in the black society; the ceremonial ground is now totally rejected as nothing. Neglect might have been a understandable but rejection seems more deliberate.
4. Such total rejection cannot be communicated either in English (the foreigner's tongue) nor in their own. Being so utterly confused and in emotional turmoil, they can do nothing. Oodgeroo does here seems to reply to white accusations that blacks are "lazy".
5. Repetition reinforces the point and focuses our attention on it.
6. The metaphors "thunder . . daybreak ...shadow ghosts" are from Nature, typically the natural element of these people. The lightning bolt is the most powerful act of nature and it is local "over Gaphembah Hill" so there may be an ultimate rescue to undo injustice.
7. The varying lengths of lines in the poem's form add to the substance of their meaning. The short electric lines contrast with the timeless long lines just like weather cycles. The punch of the last three lines drives home its central message. The title is ironic for to whites "going away" sounds pleasing (hide the irritant) but to the blacks it is a challenge to action and not to fade away in the face of such injustice and rejection.
8. Just as in the Dreamtime stories, the elements have personality. Thunder is "that loud fellow."
9. This mood is nostalgic and assertive too. Reading it, whites may feel guilt and blacks would feel anger.
10. The first verse of 14 lines is description and the second of 12 is reflection on it. In its form, it echoes the Petrarchan love sonnet of Western literature. But in its substance it dramatises hate.
Plan for Response: Compare and contrast selected poems by Paterson and Noonuccal. Due 17 August.
|
Poem |
"Clancy of the Overflow" p. 25 |
"Then and Now" p. 43 |
|
poet |
Banjo Paterson |
Oodgeroo Noonuccal |
|
era written |
1898 |
1960s |
|
point of view |
white male |
black female |
|
format |
8 verses, 32 lines |
3 verses, 26 lines |
|
agenda |
|
|
|
theme |
Rejection of present place as inadequate. |
Rejection of present time as unhappy. |
|
genre |
ballad but in first person |
free verse in characters' first person voice |
|
technical features |
|
|
|
hyperbole |
|
"better nothing but happiness" |
|
tone |
critical: "ceaseless tramp of feet", "fiendish rattle", "foetid air", "stunted forms and greedy" |
sarcastic: "Now I am civilised" |
|
paradox |
"gutter children" |
"our dark children' |
|
totemic items |
plains, sky, trams, trains |
lubras, didgeridoo, dillybag |
|
assessment |
|
effective, emotive, measured, assertive |