Year 8 English

Poetry Analysis Comparison

Part 1

Up the Country
by Henry Lawson

In 1892 The Bulletin magazine paid for Lawson to travel inland to Burke. It was here that he witnessed drought
affected country and was inspired to write work, like Up the Country, that was sceptical of the romantic portrayal
of the bush that was occurring in Australian literature at the time. After the publication of Up the Country, Banjo
Paterson countered Lawsons depiction of bush life with his poem In Defence of the Bush. This sparked the famous
literary dispute between Lawson and Paterson known as The Bulletin Debate.

1. What is Lawsons perspective of the Australian landscape? What examples from the poem demonstrate this?
2. What effect does the rhyming scheme have on the way this perspective is communicated?
3. In what ways is Lawsons perspective of the Australian landscape different to McKellars perspective in My
Country?

In Defence of the Bush

by Banjo Patterson

In Defence of the Bush was first published in 1892 in The Bulletin. It was a reply to Henry Lawsons poem Up the
Country. Patersons poetic response sparked The Bulletin Debate, which saw a series of poems about the nature of
life in the Australian bush published by both poets.

1. What is Patersons perspective of the Australian landscape?

2. How would you describe Patersons tone in this poem?
3. How does it impact on the way you read Henry Lawsons poem: Up the Country?
4. Although Paterson defends the Australian landscape, he does so in a style that is very different to that of
Dorothea McKellar.
a. In what ways does his style differ to McKellar?
b. What makes Patersons poetic style distinct?
Part 2

As you know from watching our show, the Australian bush holds a special place in our collective imagination. Poems
like The Man from Snowy River romanticise country life. The qualities of spiritedness, resilience, perseverance, and
mateship that emerge from these stories and celebrated and revered. And yet, in Noonday Axeman Les Murray
problematises this mythology and our investment in it. After reading this poem we can no longer accept this cultural
inheritance uncritically.

After the class has analysed and discussed the two poems The Man From Snowy River and Noonday Axeman, work
with a group of three and a sheet of butchers paper to discuss and answer the questions from each of the following
categories.

Australian bush landscape

Connection to the land
Pioneering spirit
Storytelling
Concepts
Cultural or national identity

Choose two of these concepts. How are these concepts represented in the two poems? Find
examples from the poems.

Think about these concepts in relation to The Man from Snowy River and Noonday Axeman.
Connections
How do these concepts connect the poems together?

How does Noonday Axeman challenge the perception of the Australian bush that is presented
in The Man From Snowy River?
Challenges
In what other ways does Noonday Axeman present a challenge to this poem?

In what ways has studying Noonday Axeman changed your perception of traditional Australian
Changes
bush ballads?

When you have finished, use your group discussion and the notes on the butchers paper to write four brief
paragraphs on each of the headings Concepts, Connections, Challenges, Changes. Use examples from the poem
(quotations) to support your answers.

Word count: 300-400 words.

 Australian Curriculum
AS 1 - Understand how the selection of text structures
is influenced by the selection of language mode and
how this varies for different purposes and audiences.
AS 2 - Explain how language features, images and
vocabulary are used to represent different ideas and
issues in texts.
AS 4 - Select evidence from the text to show how
events, situations and people can be represented from
different viewpoints.
AS 5 - Listen for and identify different emphases in
texts, using that understanding to elaborate on
discussions.
Assessment Task
Demonstrate an understanding of the bush ballad and
how it can be manipulated and changed for different
purposes.
Explain how poetic techniques and the genre of the
bush ballad work to explore the Australian bush and
the various concepts associated with it.
Identify the similarities and differences in the poets
perspectives of the Australian bush. Use quotations
from the poems to support responses.
Use readings of the poems and your own analysis to
contribute to discussions of the poem, developing
insightful answers in response to the discussion
questions.