Distinctively Visual †The Drover’s Wife & The African Beggar Essay

The poem The African Beggar by Raymond Tong explores the despondency of hu gentlemanitys reality and our complete helplessness when face with the adversity of ourselves and others by dint of the distinctively visual description of an African ref utilise and his experience as an outcast to society. In the first stanza of the poem, the heterodiegetic narrator (considered to be Tong), introduces the pauperize as a repulsive outcast. The description of the persona in the first line of the poem sprawled in the dust immediately provokes an image of the beggar as something rather than someone, which has been alienated by society. This is further supported when the narrator describes the beggar as a target for small children, flies,and dogs as it says that the character is an object of attack, something that occupies an existence that is considered lower than that of humans and other creatures. The metaphoric run-in use, a heap of verminous rags and matted hair, persuades the referenc e to conjure an image of filth and unforesightful physical hygiene, although this is followed by a juxtaposed metaphor, he watches with cunning reptile eyes, which challenges the previous image and suggests that the persona is subtle and scheming, like a snake. two of these images are also contrasted by the use of pronoun, reminding the reader that this character is human despite his description suggesting otherwise. In the Second stanza of the poem, although the authors image of the beggar as a filthy outcast is continued, the theme of humanitys neglect and inadequacy is introduced to the audience. The metaphor use in the first line he shows his yellow stumps of teeth puts forward an image of physical ugliness and extreme lack of hygiene while the use of pronoun to refer to the beggar again reminds the audience that he is a human. The allegory With hands like claws about his implore bowl compares the hands of humanity to that of a skeleton (death), clinging to his one source of s urvival, his begging bowl. The tone of the poem changes dramatically in the third stanza when contrasted with the first.The poet allows the reader to empathise with the beggar. This is done through different language techniques such as the tone used in the first line lying all alone which proposes that the persona is not aware of others anymore as Tong recognises the beggars suffering. In the pronounce shadow of a crumbling wall, the word shadow suggests that the persona is in darkness, suffering from loneliness, while crumbling wall represents the absence of a home for the man.The use of prosopopoeia in the line Clutching the pitiless red earth in vain displays the characters desperation. In the final line of the poem, the simile whimpering like a stricken animal exhibits the beggars total and complete defeat and nominates an image of a defenceless man at the mercy of others. The poem The African Beggar by Raymond Tong relates to the short story The Drovers Wife, created by Henr y Lawson, as both texts use distinctively visual language to surround the reader in a world of images that represent the story being told, and allow and encourage the audience to establish a sexual congressship with the master(prenominal) persons of the text resulting in sympathising and understanding the characters.SHORT FILMTEXT analytic thinkingMy ConstellationDirector Toby MorrisThe short film My Constellation, was directed by Toby Morris and won a place as a finalist in Tropfest 2014. The film follows a boy who is experiencing a deep loss and as a product embarks on an unusual adventure, leaving a trail of light bulbs wherever he goes. This text is distinctly visual solely through its cinematography due to the absence of dialogue, although sound contributes to the setting of atmosphere and direction in the short film. Morris vividly illustrates the image of the young boys lonely feel and his experience of longing for someone that play an important role in his life. He does this through purposefully chosen sound and the careful thought of to each one mise en scene to allow the responders to either empathise or identify with the boy. The film is opened with a wide open shot of a sparkling night sky, followed by a close up shot of the protagonist, a small boy, who is laying upside down staring at the sky, quite plain in deep thought.We unwrap his mother leave the house and disappear into an unknown car. The darkness in the boys room as swell up as his lack of company and absence of his mother, as we had just seen, conveys to the responders that he is all alone, maybe isolated and there is a melancholic sense created through the featuring music as well as the protagonists expression and languid body language. Morris has then directed the camera to a spiritualist shot, tardily panning to the left as the protagonist enters back into his bedroom shows an image of a close up shot of the light shining on a painting of a man who looks like a father figure , symbolizing the fact that this man is like a star, a bright part of his life, illuminating the darkness. This heart and soul points out to the viewer of the protagonists experience of longing someone very important. Morris also creates a vivid image of the fathers splendour for the protagonist, to build up the purpose of the film.He portrays the protagonist riding a bicycle with a string of shining light bulbs in the dead of night. The medium shot of him riding the bicycle panning upwardssymbolizes the journey that the protagonist goes through and the motif of light bulbs illuminating through the darkness symbolizes the stars in the night sky. This violence indicates to the viewer that the protagonist is alluding to his father being in space, going on a journey through the stars, emphasizing the idea that idolizes his father and wants to follow in his footsteps. In both The Drovers Wife and The Loaded Dog, Lawson has used a variety of techniques to clearly depict vivid images o f the experiences the characters have endured with each other and with the Australian outback.Similarly, in My Constellation, Morris has also vividly represented the journey and ambition the protagonist goes through, and specifically relates the expression of isolation and hardship that the fair sex faces in the absence of her husband. This text was chosen by me because I feel as though I can personally empathise and identify with the briny character of the short film. The concept of feeling a little lonely and isolated when a significant figure or person is absent is comprehensive and is definitely applicable to me personally as I have experienced this before.GREAT SOUTHERN LANDStanding at the limit of an endless nauticalStranded like a runaway, lost at seaCity on a rainy day down in the harbour honoring as the grey clouds shadow the bayLooking everywhere cause I had to find youThis is not the way that I remember it hereAnyone entrust tell you its a prisoner is estate of the re almHidden in the summer for a million yearsGreat Southern Land, burned you blackSo you look into the disembark and it will tell you a storyStory bout a journey ended long agoIf you listen to the drift of the wind in the mountainsMaybe you can hear them talking like I doTheyre gonna betray, theyre gonna forget youAre you gonna let them scud you over this wayGreat Southern Land, Great Southern LandYou walk alone like a primitive manAnd they make it pull in with sticks and bonesSee their hungry(p) eyes, its a hungry homeI hear the sound of the strangers voicesI see their hungry eyes, their hungry eyesGreat Southern Land, Great Southern LandThey burned you black, black against the groundGreat Southern Land, in the sleeping cheerYou walk alone with the ghost of timeThey burned you black, black against the groundAnd they make it work with rocks and sandI hear the sound of the strangers voicesI see their hungry eyes, their hungry eyesGreat Southern Land, Great Southern LandYou walk al one, like a primitive manYou walk alone with the ghost of timeAnd they burned you blackYeah, they burned you blackGreat Southern Land x 4TEXT ANALYSISGreat Southern LandSingers IcelandThe song Great Southern Land by Iceland was written at the beginning of significant decade in relation to autochthonous affairs and the injustices done by the white settlers. Although there is ambivalence towards the land and the position of the indigenous and non-indigenous people are not mentioned, there is massive use distinctively visual, sound, cinematography and metaphoric language in the text to convey the songs purpose. The song opens on a strange, almost spooky, remark which is held for a long duration this immediately creates a mood of suspense and is some sort of vocal representation of the Australian land. The use of metaphor and simile in thefirst two lines Standing at the limit of an endless ocean, Stranded like a runaway lost at sea create a vision of the first white inhabitants of Au stralia looking causelessly over the Australian land, and highlights the segregation of the continent from white civilisation.This idea of isolation and image of a neer ending desert land is supported by the lead vocalist Iva Davies literally base on balls alone on what looks like a neutralize rocky hill. The specific camera angles used throughout the music video convey different images and moods, for example the high angled shots of the singer while walking down the rocky hill suggests that the harsh environment he is surrounded by is somewhat overwhelming, and soundly conveys the feelings that the first white settlers would have experienced. However, the low angles of the singer while walking and singing create an image of dominance over the land. This conjures an image in the responders mind of the white settlers dominating the land in the form of deeply disturbing Aborigine culture/ land and oppressing the Indigenous people to extremes.The lyrics I hear the strangers voices a nd the personification in I see their hungry eyes really persuades the individuals mind to envision the confused and frightened Aborigine people as well the white inhabitants of the land lusting after a land that does not rightfully belong to them, and allows the audience to empathise with their situation. The lyrics million years and long ago combined with the fading images of solar day to sunset encourages the audience to reflect on past injustices that have eventually lead to the current (at the time) Aboriginal movements.Then, as the remaining daylight fades from the sky, and the colour shifts from orangeness to blue, and the final repetition of the lyrics Great Southern Land is sung by Davies, the responders of accompanied by a sense of loss and a vision of the Indigenous people of Australia the suffering caused by the white settlers actions. This text relates to Henry Lawsons The Drovers Wife through the use of several language techniques and the use of visual or verbal symb olism to express the isolation of its characters. This text was chosen by me for its nature. I like its metaphoric meaning and reference to the detrimental of the Aboriginal civilisation by the white settlers. Aboriginal spirituality and the hardships they faced is something Ive studied previously and have a thorough understanding of.