11 and the band played waltzing matilda

And the Band Played

Waltzing Matilda

Writing paragraphs about the poem

The poem• Is actually a song

• Was written in 1971

• Songwriter was Eric Bogle a Scottish immigrant

• Is about World War One, but was written as a protest

against the Vietnam War

• Alec Campbell, the last surviving Australian veteran of

Gallipoli, died in 2002; Peter Casserly, the last digger to see

action in WWI, died in 2005; and John Campbell Ross, the

last digger from WWI (who did not see combat), died in

2009

• Was made famous by other artists, especially overseas

The homework questions

Activity (Part A) p22

1. Who is telling the story in the ballad?

The story is being told by a young Australian man who used to be a rover. He was conscripted and sent away to fight.


2. How prepared were the soldiers for war?

The soldiers were completely unprepared. Most were ordinary men (such as the narrator) who were forced to go to war. They were given a tin hat and a gun, but the narrator doesn’t mention any training.


3. What does the narrator remember about the first day?

The narrator remembers very well the way the ‘blood stained the sand and the water’ and how the soldiers were ‘butchered like lambs to the slaughter.’ The Turkish army was well-prepared for the attack and ten minutes nearly destroyed the Australian forces.


4. What happened that made the man wish he were dead?

The narrator of the poem lost his legs after a Turkish shell exploded. He says that he ‘never knew there were worse things than dying’ and was thankful that no-one would pity him once he came home.


5. What comment does the song make about the people at home when troops returned from Gallipoli?

The song contrasts the cheering crowd who attended the soldiers’ departure with a crow who did not cheer, but ‘stood and stared, then turned their faces away.’

Activity (Part A) p226. The ballad is obviously Australian. Identify words and phrases that indicate this.

rover - a man who travelled around workingMurray Basin - the area around the Murray Riverwaltzing - to travel while workingmatilda - term used for a swag or packJohnny Turk - a Turkish soldierAustraliaarse over head - fall overwild bush - forestevery April - refers to ANZAC Dayporch - verandabillabong - lake, pond


7. What would you identify as the dominant discourse of this poem? How is it similar to the dominant discourse in Dulce Et Decorum Est?

The dominant discourse of this poem is one of anti-war due to the suffering faced by the soldiers. It is similar to Dulce Et Decorum Est in that it highlights how soldiers have to go through awful experiences and are often scarred, physically or emotionally for life.


8. How does this ballad position you to view war?

This ballad positions me to view war as a horrible waste of young men’s lives. It highlights the emotional and physical torment that soldiers face using powerful imagery. The ballad also emphasises the futility of war and the way that both sides suffer equally.

Activity (Part B) p221. Draw this table in your notebook:

Part Important literal information Abstract message

Stanza 1 I lived the free life of a roverCountry said “there’s work to be done”They sent me away to the war

Young man lives a free life roaming AustraliaGovernment calls for enlistment Man sent away to war.

Chorus 1

Stanza 2

Chorus 2

Stanza 3

Chorus 3

Stanza 4

Chorus 4

Stanza 5

Chorus 5

Refrain

Label the poem in your booklet as follows, you will be responsible for explaining one part:

Now when I was a young man, I carried me pack, and I lived the free life of a roverFrom the Murray's green basin to the dusty outback, Well, I waltzed my Matilda all over.Then in 1915, my country said son, It's time you stopped rambling, there's work to be done.So they gave me a tin hat, and they gave me a gun, and they marched me away to the war.And the band played Waltzing Matilda, as the ship pulled away from the quayAnd amidst all the tears, the flag-waving and cheers, we sailed off for GallipoliAnd how well I remember that terrible day, how our blood stained the sand and the waterAnd of how in that hell that they called Suvla Bay, we were butchered like lambs at the slaughter.Johnny Turk he was waiting, he'd primed himself well. He rained us with bullets, And he showered us with shell. And in five minutes flat, he'd blown us all to hellNearly blew us right back to Australia.

Stanza 1

Chorus1

Stanza 2

JackPeter

Will H.Ed.Slater

Chorus 2

Stanza 3

Chorus 3

But the band played Waltzing Matilda, when we stopped to bury our slain.We buried ours, and the Turks buried theirs, then we started all over again.

And those that were left, well we tried to survive, in that mad world of blood, death and fireAnd for ten weary weeks, I kept myself alive, though around me the corpses piled higherThen a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over head, and when I woke up in my hospital bed,And saw what it had done, well I wished I was dead. Never knew there was worse things than dyin‘.For I'll go no more waltzing Matilda, all around the green bush far and freeTo hump tent and pegs, a man needs both legs,no more waltzing Matilda for me.

Tom S.FraserSam

Joe H.Pat R.

BenWill R.

Stanza 4

Chorus 4

Stanza 5

So they gathered the crippled, the wounded, the maimed, and they shipped us back home to Australia. The legless, the armless, the blind, the insane, those proud wounded heroes of SuvlaAnd as our ship pulled into Circular Quay, I looked at the place where me legs used to be.And thanked Christ there was nobody waiting for me, to grieve, to mourn, and to pity.And the band played ‘Waltzing Matilda’, as they carried us down the gangway.But nobody cheered, they just stood and stared, then they turned all their faces away

So now every April, I sit on my porch, and I watch the parades pass before me.And I see my old comrades, how proudly they march, reviving old dreams of past gloryAnd the old men march slowly, old bones stiff and sore. They're tired old heroes from a forgotten warAnd the young people ask, what are they marching for? And I ask myself the same question.

Joe K.NickJames

CurtisPat O.George

JordanMatt L.

But the band plays Waltzing Matilda, and the old men still answer the call,But as year follows year, more old men disappear. Someday no one will march there at all.

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda, who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?And their ghosts may be heard as they march by the billabong, who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?

Chorus 5

Refrain

DarcyDavidGiles

Tom F.Matt O.

Now, as we listen to the song:

1. Fill in the two columns of the table which correspond with your part of the song.

2. The first is for literal information – what is said

3. The second is for the abstract meaning – what the poet is referring to on a larger scale - themes, ideas

4. Once the song has finished we will share with the class.

Part Important literal information Abstract message

Stanza 1 I lived the free life of a roverCountry said “there’s work to be done”They sent me away to the war

Young man lives a free life roaming AustraliaGovernment calls for enlistment Man sent away to war.

Chorus 1

Stanza 2

Chorus 2

Stanza 3

Chorus 3

Stanza 4

Chorus 4

Stanza 5

Chorus 5

Refrain

Paragraph Structure

• Topic sentence: this answers the question in one basic sentence and outlines your reasons.

• Body:o State your first argument/point/reasono Give evidence from the poemo Elaborate on this evidence

o State your second argument/point/reasono Give evidence from the poemo Elaborate on this evidence

• Concluding sentence: summarises the paragraph, links back to topic sentence.

WRITE THIS DOWN IN YOUR NOTEBOOK

ACTIVITY:

Q. How does And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda utilise poetic devices and ballad (song) structure to create an anti-war discourse? Write a paragraph to explain your response.

Below is an example paragraph answer to the question. However, it is jumbled.

Can you put the parts of the paragraph back in to the right order?

Cut out the sections, put them in order, and then label each part. There are eight parts to the paragraph:

1. Topic Sentence 2. First argument 3. First argument evidence 4. First argument elaboration

5. Second argument 6. Second argument evidence7. Second argument elaboration 8. Concluding sentence

The poem And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda utilises powerful imagery and a repeated chorus to emphasise its anti-war message.

1. TOPIC SENTENCE

The imagery used in the poem evokes powerful emotions in the reader by describing graphic and horrible events. 2. FIRST ARGUMENT

The second stanza offers an example of such imagery when it states “our blood stained the sand and the water,” and then uses a simile to show how the soldiers had no chance to win the battle – “we were butchered like lambs to the slaughter.” 3. FIRST ARGUMENT EVIDENCE

Emotive imagery such as this is used throughout the poem and it clearly establishes to the reader that war is horrific and damaging to those involved. 4. FIRST ARGUMENT ELABORATION

A second way that the poem sends an anti-war message is through the repetition of a chorus which is a key part of the ballad structure. 5. SECOND ARGUMENT The chorus in this poem is repeated with slight variations but always utilises the same idea that a band is playing the popular Australian folk song ‘Waltzing Matilda’. The anti-war discourse can be seen in the way the chorus changes. In the first, the song is played amidst “flag waving and cheers” however in the second, as the song played the soldiers “stopped to bury the slain.” The chorus remains negative throughout, and in the final refrain the actual lyrics of ‘Waltzing Matilda’ are included to reinforce that the soldiers are dead and their ghosts remain. 6. SECOND ARGUMENT EVIDENCE

By changing the chorus slightly, the reader understands that the poet is illustrating the way attitudes to war change as people realise its negative aspects. 7. SECOND ARGUMENT ELABORATION

And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda utilises powerful emotive imagery and a varying repeated chorus to emphasise its anti-war message that war is an emotionally and physically horrific experience for those involved. 8. CONCLUDING SENTENCE

Topic sentences for practice paragraphs in class:

By using a soldier narrator and emotive imagery, And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda can be understood as an anti-war poem.

And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda is a useful poem to study in a war unit because it contains effective poetic devices and illustrates a dominant discourse of war.

Question for practice paragraph for homework:

How does And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda demonstrate its Australian character? Consider language choices and themes in your answer.

DUE TOMORROW

11 and the band played waltzing matilda

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