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Sample Lawson Essay

It is not until one is placed in anothers shoes, that they fully understand the hardshipsthat the other must face. In The Penguin Henry Lawsons Short Stories The drovers wifeand In a Dry Season and African Beggar Raymond Tong, distinctively visual languagethat creates images is employed so that the responder can establish perceptions of andrelationships with the personas and their worlds.

The esta blishment of images through the use of distinctively visual language in Lawsons In a dry season allows the responder to connect with both the personas and theirenvironment. The first word draw is indicative of what Lawson has anticipated for the rest of the pure sketch. a wire fence and a few ragged gumsThen youll have the bush. Thiseffective use of a direct imperative followed by bland but valuable concrete sensorydescription as well as the listing of a public house and a general store, with a square tankand a schoolhouse to describe the towns contents and the afterthought but the shuttersare up and the place empty pressure the responder to picture an idle and unfruitfulimage. The monotony of the environment is highlighted through these techniques and theresponder instantly dislikes the Australian bush due to its sameness, predictability anddesolation.

Distinctively Visual Language creates images that allow the responder to establishrelationships with the personas and their environment. Lawson wields a generous amountof sarcasm and humour into the sketch. Examples include the aside- death is about theonly cheerful thing in the bush, the exclamation they talk of settling people on the land!Better settle people in it and leaning in one of the eight possible directions These alludeto lifelessness and death, evoking images of an empty, boring and uneventful place inones mind which is further accentuated by by a way of variety, the artist might make awatercolour-sketch of a fett lers tent on the line to highlight the lack of activity at thebush. This results in an understanding and admiration of what those who dwell in theinhumane conditions of the bush must face and is consequential to a relationship ofcontempt with the environment.

Similar to In a dry season, in The drovers wife Lawson creates powerful images byemploying distinctively visual language that enables the responder to feel the hardshipsthat others face. Concrete sensory description is effectively used to create a beautifulimage when The Drovers wife sits to watch the snake all night. A green sapling club laidin readiness on the dresser by her side, together with her sewing basket and copy of theyoung ladies journal. The journal is symbolic of the ap proach she takes in not letting thebush take away her femininity. Juxtaposing to this, the club is symbolic of what she needsto do, it displays her innovative ways and her ability to be content with her lifestyle. The

sewing basket acts as a bridge bet ween the two as it represents both sides of thewoman. Images of a resourceful, cooperative and woman of sophistication are conjuredup in the responders mind. One is able establish a relationship of commendation with thedrovers wife whilst despising the Australian Bush for what it puts her through.

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Lawsons choices of verbs are very powerful when creating a distinctively visual image inthe responders mind in The Drovers Wife. When the drovers wife goes to hit the snake,

snatches is used to creat e images of immediacy, courage and a quick thinker within theresponders mind, whilst darts is employed to create generate a image of a menace, thewoman has no hesitation in hitting the snake and she darts because she is a protector andloves her children. The TECHNIQUE she seems contented with her lot and she has akeen, very keen, sense of the ridiculious further reflect the strong willed qualities that thedrovers wife posses. These images bring jealous admiration into the relationship that the responder shares with the drovers wife as regard her as a woman of all trades in the

Australian bush and they recognize that they wouldnt be able to be as resilient as she is ifthey were to face the gruelling conditions of the environment.

Similar to the work of Henry Lawson, distinctively visual language is utilised in Raymond

Tongs African Beggar that allows the responder to perceive and create a relationshipwith the persona and his world in a particular and therefore understand the adversity hefaces. The metaphor a heap of verminous rags and matted hair is used to establish animage of a thing rather than a human as verminous is often associated with flies and

matted hair creates images of filth, dust and neglect of physical hygiene. This is then juxtaposed to the next metaphor he watches with cunning eyes as it challenges theresponders pre-existing perceptions of the persona and instead conjures up images ofreptile like creature watching for pray in the responders mind. The prono un he anddescription smallpoxed face are used to remind the responder that this is a person andtheir negative perception of the beggar are further explored. The responder upholds arelationship of disgust with the beggar, as they are unable to comprehend how a humancan be in such a state.

The sudden change of tone in the third stanza of African Beggar enables the responder tore-establish the perception and relationship that they had previously created with thebeggar. lost in the trackless jungle of his pain is an example of symbolism used todemonstrate that there is pain in the whole of the beggars body and it suggests that theamount of pain is endless. The responder visualises someone struggling for life and theybegin to feel sympathetic t owards the beggar, the first line of the third stanza lying allalone additionally highlights this. The personification clutching the pitiless red earth invain helps to further pressure the responder to feel sympathetic towards the beggar asclutching indicates his desperation and the colour red personifies the blood of life,nourishment, energy and strength. The responder is able to conceptualise this beautifulimage and they uphold a relationship of sorrow and deep pity for the beggar, whilstdiscovering intolerance for the world he is stuck in due to the adversity it imposes uponhim.

Both Henry Lawsons short stories and African Beggar by Raymond Tong containdistinctively visual language that allow the responder to feel the hardships that thepersonas pursue by being encapsulated in their world through the images that are created

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in their mind. A writer should write with his eyes and a painter with his ears. -GertrudeStein.