ABOUT THE POEM (HAIKU,FREE VERSE,NONSENSE VERSE)
1.what have you learnt about Australian colonial history
Through the poem, I have come to learn that mateship is a very important aspect in colonial Australia. This was the case because Australia was yet established at the time and the sense of community was strong. I have also learned of how the people in the outback had lived. People in the outback relied a lot on horses during these times as it was their main way of transportation. The poem shows how much people rely on horses as the horses play a very important role to represent many ideas in the poem.
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2.what themes and ideas from the poem are still relevant to us now
The main theme from this poem is the status of an underdog. In the poem, the Man from Snowy River is an underdog. Initially, everyone laughs at him and gives him little chance. However, during the climax of the poem, it is only the Man from Snowy River who is able to go down the valley and save the horse. In the end, the Man from Snowy River succeeds and becomes a household name. This shows how everyone in life needs a chance. If we do not give everyone a chance, there might be things which can never be done. Even in our society, we must give underdogs a chance because they may be able to accomplish things that others cannot.
Another idea which is strongly represented in this poem is how we should never give up. In the poem, there are many dangers that the Man from Snowy River must face. If he was scared and gave up, he would not have been able to succeed. However, the Man from Snowy River never gives up and is able to rescue the horse which shows that he did not give up. In our society too, we should never give up because if we do, we do not know what chance we miss out on.
Nonsense poem - In this poem, I used the main idea of how the Man from Snowy River was an underdog but how him and his horse succeed later. I expressed this idea through a limerick to create a nonsense poem. The poem has five lines with the rhythm of 8,8,5,5 and 5 syllables per line like limerick. I also used the rhyming of A,A,B,B,A to create the rhythm. As my poem shows, I tried to end with comedy as I say that the Man from Snowy River’s horse later turns into a tram.
Haiku Poem - In this poem, I use the setting of the original poem to create my haiku. As the haiku is about nature, I thought it would be good to talk about the setting. I use Mount Kosciuszko as the subject of the poem and describe how it is using the haiku structure of three lines and having 5, 7 then 5 syllables in each line. In the final line I use an oxymoron ‘Beautiful danger’ to show how this Mountain is very beautiful but can also be very dangerous.
Free Verse - In this poem I tried to use the voice of the Man from Snowy River because in the original poem we do not know what he is thinking and I think it was good to show readers what he was thinking. I used first person language of the Man from Snowy River to show what his thoughts to the situation was. I think using free verse was good because it shows what he is thinking effectively. The final line shows his real attitude as he is very confident and wants to show everyone that he can catch the horse.
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3.What forms and features of poetry from the man from snowy river did you use in your poems?
In all of my poems, I tried to use many features of the main poem. For example, I use the haiku in order to create the setting of the poem, I use the limerick to create the main message of the poem and I also use the free verse poem to show what I think the Man from Snowy River is thinking about.
The original poem uses figurative language such as the mountain which shows danger, the Man from Snowy River who represents the underdog; and I tried to use the same features in all of my poems. I think this was good because when you read my poems, you can understand right away what they are about because I tried to use the same figurative language.
Finally, I tried to use a different voice and language from the original poem so it is easier to understand for today’s readers. I tried to use simple vocabulary and easy sentences because I think this makes the ideas and themes of the poem to become easier for people reading the poem today.
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