Journey, The North Coast
Where is this poem set?
On a train.
Where is this poem set?
Sydney Harbour at Dusk
What is the mood at the start of the poem and how is it different by the end?
The mood seems sad at the start and more vibrant by the end.
What poetic form do these 24 poems loosely imitate?
Haiku
Where is the majority of this poem set?
Landfill/Tip
What artwork is alluded to in this poem and what does it help to decribe?
Duchamp’s “Nude descends a staircase” describing eucalyptus
Name 3 colours mentioned in this poem?
Aubergine, Mauve, Mulberry, Orange, Mauve-grey
“My heart flapped like a lizard’s” uses this poetic technique.
Simile
What everyday object is the sea compared to?
A glass brimming under a tap
What are the 'wires dangling' from at the end of the poem?
Transistor radio
What is a quote from this poem that describes something within the train?
Possible answers: “a swaying bunk”; “the bunk below me”; “close his bed”; “rattle up the sash”; “the drab carpet”; “the water sways / solidly in its silver bowl”; “the compartment whirl”; “Shuttering shadows”; “the mirror”; “stow the book and wash-bag”; “press the latches / into the straining case”
What is the poem 'Habour Dusk' about?
“Harbour Dusk” by Robert Gray is about a couple walking through Sydney Harbour at dusk as their relationship appears to be ending.
The cicadas’ combined humming is compared to this powerful source of electricity.
Electricity Substation
What two opposing ideas are juxtaposed in the description of the hospital room?
Illness and vitality, or suffering and hope.
List 2 allusions used in this poem?
“a turtle moves on the Galapagos shore” — alludes to the Galápagos Islands and Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.
“As in hell the devils / might poke about through our souls” — alludes to the Christian concept of Hell and eternal punishment.
“The Raft of the Medusa” — alludes to Théodore Géricault’s painting depicting shipwreck survivors surrounded by death and suffering.
“that demon with the long barge pole” — alludes to Charon, the boatman who transports the dead across the River Styx in Greek mythology.
“the Chopin” — alludes to the Romantic composer Frédéric Chopin and the beauty of classical music.
Give a quote of visual imagery from the poem:
“there’s sunlight rotating / off the drab carpet”; “the water sways / solidly in its silver bowl”; “one of those bright crockery days”; “The train’s shadow, like a bird’s”; “the blue and silver paddocks”; “fences that look split from stone”; “banks of fern”; “a red bank, full of roots”; “dark creeks, where logs are fallen”; “blackened tree trunks”; “slender white eucalypts”; “as a nude descends a staircase”; “the country bursts open on the sea”; “a calico beach unfurled”; “strewn with flakes of light”; “Shuttering shadows”; “I rise into the mirror”; “my hair / ruffled a bit”; “the straining case”; “above the wardrobe / in a furnished room.”
What simile/comparison is used to describe one of the yachts
One, at times, was gently rested like a quill.
The sandstone is described using these two warm colours.
Rusty Red and Burnt Orange
What does the quotation “Light has paused on its endless journey” symbolise?
The fleeting yet significant nature of life’s moments and the passage of time.
Give an example of olfactory imagery used in this poem.
“the smoke of different fires”; “the always-burning dump”; “a fog over the hot sun”; “A sour smoke” “the dampened fires”; “The smell is huge”; “blasting the mouth dry”; “tons of rotten newspaper”; “great cuds of cloth”; “an unidentifiable mulch”
What is the main message of this poem?
Main message: Escaping the restrictions of city life and reconnecting with nature brings a sense of freedom, renewal and happiness.
Best quote: “and now the country bursts open on the sea—”
Give an example of texture or tactile imagery in this poem.
Some possible responses: “stone parapet” — hard, solid and rough; “oily” harbour — slick, greasy and smooth; “crumbling bush” — dry, brittle and rough; “moist hush” — damp and humid; “orange chiffon” — soft, light and sheer; “cloven sail” — split or divided fabric.
Through dense sensory imagery and unusual comparisons, the poem communicates this central attitude towards the Australian landscape.
A sense of wonder at the landscape’s intense beauty, complexity and energy?
What is the main message in the collection of images presented in this poem?
Careful observation of ordinary moments can reveal profound truths about life and help people appreciate the beauty of everyday experiences.
What is the main message of this poem and what is a quote from the poem that sums it up best?
The main message of “Flames and Dangling Wire” is that humanity’s wastefulness and consumerism are destroying the natural environment and creating a bleak future.
The quote that best summarises this message is:
“I realise I am in the future.
This is how it shall be after men have gone.
It will be made of things that worked.”