1
Q
What are themes in Flames and Dangling Wire?
A
- Compares urban rubbish dump to images of Hell/Underworld/Apocalypse
- Man-made world overpowering natural world
- Sense of transcience and dispensability
- Our indifference to the natural world
- Spiritual decay
- Free verse
2
Q
What is Flames and Dangling Wire about?
A
- Set in a city’s rubbish dump
- Compares urban rubbish dump to theological underworld/images of hell
- Everywhere in existence, even in the most ‘spiritual’ experience, there is transience, passing away, change, and wastage
- It shares the nature of garbage - loss - nothing is finite
3
Q
What are some images of hell in Flames and Dangling Wire?
A
- “Smoke of different fires in a row, like fingers spread and dragged to smudge” - Simile
- “The city driven like stakes into the earth” - Violent simile, images of fire and burning at the “stake”
- “All the air wobbles” - Visual imagery of heat
- “Fog over the hot sun” - tactile imagery
- “Shadowy figures who seem engaged in identifying the dead” - Allusion to fallen angels in hell attending to broken remains of our societal wasteland
- “A sour smoke” - Olfactory/gustatory imagery
- “The smell is huge blasting the mouth dry.” - Tactile/olfactory/gustatory imagery - vivid image of stench and rotting waste
- “That demon with the long barge pole” - Greek mythological allusion to Charon, god of underworld who ferried lost souls to the underworld
4
Q
How does Robert Gray represent the man-made world overpowering the natural world in Flames and Dangling Wire?
A
- “On a highway over the marshland.” - juxtaposes symbol of modernity vs symbol of nature, preposition - man-made world/modernity “over”powers nature
- “A waterbird lifts above this swamp as a turtle moved on the Galapagos shore” - Simile, natural world has been tainted/overpowered by modernity & rendered lethargic - contrasts birds in BBW & Galapagos is known for rare species, natural world is now rare
- “a landscape of tin cans” “Rolling in its sand dune shapes” - Forming its own landscape, completely dominating the natural environment
5
Q
How is transciense and dispensability reflected in Flames and Dangling Wire?
A
“Tons of rotten newspaper, and great cuds of cloth”
* Symbol of impermanent nature of products/media
* produced & discarded at a rapid pace
“Throws it in the flame: something flaps like the rag held up in ‘The Raft of the Medusa’”
* simile, intertextual allusion
* Rag is a dualistic symbol for hope & decay in painting
* loss of hope as the rag is thrown in the flame and burned
* Gray reappropriates it to represent only deterioration and disintegration
6
Q
How does Gray represent our indifference to the natural world in Flames and Dangling Wire?
A
- “Flames and Dangling Wire” - Titular analogy laments/criticises our indifference towards the natural world and material goods and the destruction we cause
- “I realise I am in the future. This is how it shall be after men have gone.” - Prophetic statement warning audience of the consequences of our apathy
- “Someone who worked here would have to weep” - High modality “would have,” We are confronted with the consequences of our apathy
- “Knowing all that he does about us, how can he avoid a hatred of men?” - Rhetorical question
7
Q
How does Gray reflect spiritual decay in Flames and Dangling wire?
A
- “Cars like skulls” - Bleak simile associates man’s accumulation of waste to a spiritual decay
- “Shadowy figures who seem engaged in identifying the dead” - Image of man desperately trying to find meaning in a spiritual wasteland
- “As in hell the devils might poke about through our souls, after scraps of appetite with which to stimulate themselves”
- “Wandering, in despondence… where they can find some peculiar sensation” - Man’s futile yet desperate search for purpose/meaning, a feeling that is foreign and vague, “peculiar sensation” euphemism for purpose/meaning
8
Q
How does Gray represent the infinite/permanence at the end of Flames and Dangling Wire?
A
- “somewhere the voices it received are still travelling” - “Voices” are a symbol of communication and meaning, permanence
- “Skidding away, riddled, around the arc of the universe” - Image of the sublime/the infinite that suggests “the voices” of humanity, the essence, will persevere and overcome our destructive tendencies
- “The horse-laughs, and the Chopin which was the sound of the curtains lifting, one time, to a coast of light.” - Cultural allusion, symbolism, human connection and essence that comes from ‘low’ culture, ‘high’ culture, and anything in between will begin the saving of our world and take us to the “light,” not the momentary pleasures we receive from it
9
Q
What are some themes in Harbour Dusk?
A
- Sense of the ephemeral/transience/impermanent/fragility
- The inexorable/continuous nature of time
- Isolation
- Dominance of natural world
- Peaceful atmosphere
- Regular stanzas, follows a rhyme scheme
10
Q
What is Harbour Dusk about?
A
Evocative portrayal of the underlying and inexorable transience and dissolution of the human experience.
11
Q
How does Gray represent the ephemeral/transient/impermanent/fragility in Harbour Dusk?
A
- Titular “Dusk” - Symbolism, Carries connotation of an ending, Beauty of a sunset is short-lived and ephemeral as life is ephemeral
- “Stone parapet’s fading life” - imagery
- “Dark, crumbling bush” - verb of crumbling, Vivid image of trees in the distance imbues the scene with a sense of fragility
- “Gently rested like a quill” - simile, fragile like a feather
- “Mulberry and orange chiffon” - metaphor invites us to see beauty in the fleeting experiences available to us in everyday life, fragile material
- “Like nursing sisters in a deep corridor” - Simile, images of “nursing sisters” providing comfort to the dying, Death is symbolised by “deep corridor”, finite nature of life
12
Q
How does Gray create a peaceful atmosphere in Harbour Dusk?
A
- “Summer day, a huge, moist hush” - Some sense of relief created with tactile imagery emphasisied with soft alliteration
- “They seemed to whisper, slipping amongst each other” - Sibilance creates peaceful atmosphere, personification of yachts appearing to seek comfort & solace
- “(Sails) Like nursing sisters in a deep corridor” - Simile evokes images of “nursing sisters” providing comfort to the dying
13
Q
How does Harbour Dusk reflect the dominance of the natural world?
A
- “Part of the city, to our left, was fruit shop bright”
- Modernity is relegated “to our left” on periphery despite urban setting
- Preposition
- Natural world dominates
- Superficial colours contrasts natural tones of sunset
14
Q
How does Harbour Dusk evoke feelings of isolation?
A
- “She and I” - separate pronouns
- “An empty park”
- “Empty fields of water”
15
Q
How does Gray reflect the inexorable/continuous nature of time in Harbour Dusk?
A
- “They seemed to whisper, slipping amongst each other” - sibilance creates peaceful atmosphere that asks us to accept/acquiesce to the inexorable march of time
- “As though resolve were ill” - Intertextual allusion to Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” monologue, refers to the futility of ‘resolve’ and attempting to stop the passage of time
16
Q
What are themes in Byron Bay: Winter?
A
- The vastness & limitless quality of nature
- Humanity is subordinate/insignificant compared to nature
- The sublime/beauty of nature
- Regular stanzas, follows a rhyme scheme
17
Q
How does Gray reflect the vastness & limitless quality of nature in Byron Bay: Winter?
A
- “Barely contained by the eyesight, the beach makes one great arc” - Visual imagery and verb of “barely contained”, majesty of the sublime beyond human comprehension
- “Blue ranges overlapped behind it; each of them a tide-mark.” - metaphor, sense of grandeur
- “The sea’s grey feathers flurry,” - Onomatopoeic alliteration quickens the pace & mimics birds flapping, provides a sense of energy & a symbol of freedom
18
Q
How does Gray reflect the dominance of the natural world in Byron Bay: Winter?
A
“Off into the heath, a guard’s carriage follows the vats of a train.”
* Preposition of “off” places the train - a symbol of modernity/civilisation/technology - in the periphery, marginalising its presence
* subordinate to the vastness of its surroundings
* doesn’t overpower the idyllic scene but is less significant, focusing on the natural world
“The sunlit town is strewn like shells. Its lighthouse, a tiny pawn.”
* Lighthouse is a symbol of humanity
* Visual imagery, simile, and metaphor
* nature as a transcendental force
* humanity as subordinate/smaller than surroundings - “tiny pawn” and “shells”
19
Q
How does Gray reflect the sublime/beauty of nature in Byron Bay: Winter?
A
- “Swamp-oaks’ foliage streams, hatching by Cézanne.” - Intertextual allusion to French post-impressionist who painted the nuanced, subtle, & beautiful complexities of the natural environment and pastoral themes, nature’s ability to make meaningful impressions on us
- “A creek spoils the hem of the sea; spread on the beach in flutes” - Striking visual imagery of sand patterns
- “The swamp’s sodden roots.” - Sibilance
- “I’m walking on the beach alone;” - Pause in punctuation - serenity/taking in the scene, persona is appreciating the sublime
20
Q
How does Gray explore Pantheism in Byron Bay: Winter?
A
“The sun on my shoulders… it’s perfect warmth,”
* Tactile imagery imbues persona with spiritual vitality & nourishment by “perfect warmth”
* “Perfect” suggests notion of Pantheism
* we can turn to nature for spiritual sustenance & transcendance
“I wear great wings while stepping along the earth.”
* Powerful/compelling allusion to an angel
* revitalising/reinvigorating impulses of the natural world have given him an emotional, cognitive, and spiritual ascent/transcendence
21
Q
What is some visual imagery of the natural world in Byron Bay: Winter?
A
- “Blue ranges”
- “Redness of black tea”
- “The colour of claret stain”
- “Like shells”
- “Grey feathers”
- “Showing emerald”
22
Q
What are similarities shared by Flames and Dangling Wire and Harbour Dusk?
A
- Our destruction of the natural world – apathy, indifference
- The slow decay of the natural world
↳ e.g. Harbour Dusk’s focus on fading life of natural world - Urban malaise, ennui – the detrimental effects of modernity on the human psyche
↳ HD’s mention of emptiness/superificality of modern world
23
Q
What are similarities shared by Byron Bay: Winter and Harbour Dusk?
A
- Transcendence, the natural world as a source for spiritual transcendence
- Pantheism
- The nuanced beauty of the natural world
- Ordinary, everyday journeys as a source of inspiration, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary
24
Q
What are some thematic ideas in Journey, the North Coast?
A
- The natural world as a source for spiritual transcendence and revitalisation
- The nuanced beauty of the natural world
- The potential for modernity and the natural world to exist in a state of coalescence
- Urban malaise, ennui – the detrimental effects of modernity on the human psyche
- Art as a source of catharsis or a way to help us understand the world around us
- Ordinary, everyday journeys as a source of inspiration, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary
- Free verse form
25
How does Gray reflect how connection to the natural world sparks revitalisation and reflection in Journey, the North Coast?
* “Water sways solidly in its silver bowl, so cold it joins through my hand” - **Sibilance** has a peaceful effect, **Imagery** represents persona’s deepening connection with the natural world, he and natural world begin to exist in a state of coalescence
* “As a nude descends a staircase, slender white eucalypts;” - **intertextual allusion** to Duchamp painting, encourages us to view natural world as we would art
* “As if on board a clipper/clambering at sea” - **Romantic imagery** & **alliteration** mimics train sound and quickens the **pace**, revitalised
26
How does Gray display movement/life/activity/vitality in natural world in JNC?
* “The country bursts open on the sea– across a calico beach unfurled,” - **personification**
* “Sunlight rotating off the drab carpet” - **juxtaposition/antithesis** of energetic sunlight (**symbolises** natural world) and drab carpet (**symbolises** modernity), **Evocative imagery** of natural world, imbuing persona with a sense of energy/rejuvenation/revitalisation
* “Flakes of light that make the compartment whirl.” - **Visual/tactile imagery** of “Whirl” is a dilation from “sunlight rotating,” imbued with a transcendent aura as sunlight crosses border between carriage & outside world
* “Banks of fern / a red bank, full of roots, / over dark creeks, where logs are fallen, / and blackened tree trunks.” - **Enjambment** and **accumulation**/collection of **evocative visual imagery** quickens the **pace**
27
How does JNC display the urban/modern world as a hostile, dull place?
* “It’s the train that booms and cracks” - Train is a **symbol** of modernity, **Onomatopoeia** is harsh
* “I'll leave my hair ruffled a bit, stow the book and wash-bag and city clothes.” - **Symbol** of his intent to sever his urban life & implicit stress and burdens of that world
* “Everything done, press the latches into the straining case” - **Symbolise** persona’s departure/separation from his urban past, which will free him to embrace the serene and transcendent, **Personification** of “straining” reflects anticipation
* “For twelve months, have been standing out …in a furnished room.” - Furnished room/studio apartment is not personalised & live in isolation, **symbolising** urban ennui & malaise
28
What are some thematic ideas in Description of a Walk?
* The natural world as a source for spiritual transcendence - pantheism
* Our destruction of the natural world – apathy, indifference
* The nuanced beauty of the natural world
* The potential for modernity and the natural world to exist in a state of coalescence
* Impermanence, the ephemeral nature of life, the finite nature of life
* Art as a source of catharsis or a way to help us understand the world around us
* Ordinary, everyday journeys as a source of inspiration, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary
* Follows a rhyme scheme
29
How does DOAW reflect the intricacies of the natural world?
* “Sandstone– great gouts of lava, petrified as iron; puffed like fungi, or with a broken iceberg’s edge; all of a rusty red or burnt orange tone.” - Describing sandstone pattern intricacies, **visual imagery accumulation, simile, metaphor**
* “Warped arcades of bush, racks on rack; reiterative as cuneiforms.” - **Simile** asks us to consider intricate patterns as messages from the natural world, Cuneiform is the oldest form of script
* “In the wet, tart as bush smoke, a sweet rot.” - **Olfactory imagery**
* “A vista of Pre-Raphaelite shine” - **Allusion** to mid-late 19thC artistic movement known for meticulous detail and intense colours
30
How does DOAW reflect the persona's immersion in nature?
* “The forest closed.” - **Caesura** emphasises “closed," persona is completely immersed
* “A wide-toothed, vibrating cane-rake’s clatter.” - **Alliteration, auditory imagery** and **onomatopoeia** describes sound of water, persona is overcome/invigorated as they are immersed in natural world
* “This merely the start - the warming of an engine... Their joined hum’s power, an electricity substation” - **Accumulation** of **auditory imagery** of cicada, **Metaphor** alludes to natural world as a source of power with the potential to revitalise, persona is immersed & overcome by natural world
* “White arms lifted, dangling cloth.” - **Allusion** to Christ the Redeemer, deep sense of transcendence experienced by the persona, Pantheism
* “I walked on and on, in such vibrance” - **High modality, repetition**, persona's overwhelming sense of vitality
31
How does DOAW reflect the modern world as hostile/insignificant?
* “Angry as a burned insect, a distant car” - **simile** describes **symbol** of modern world as hostile, **preposition** places modernity in periphery
* “The road, a fracture” - **metaphor** for modernity as insignificant
32
What are some thematic ideas in 24 Poems?
* the natural world as a source for spiritual transcendence, pantheism
* The nuanced beauty of the natural world
* The potential for modernity and the natural world to exist in a state of coalescence
* Impermanence, the ephemeral nature of life, the finite nature of life
* Ordinary, everyday journeys as a source of inspiration, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary
* Our destruction of the natural world – apathy, indifference
* Series of 24 three-line free verse poems
33
How does 24 Poems display a sense of serenity and peace?
* “Violin bows adagio.” - Adagio = slow music, slows **pace**
* “The way the rain is falling, its eyes closed.” - **Anthropomorphism**
* “Moon… on the bay of night, and stars make a distant shore.” - **metaphor** creates peaceful atmosphere
* “Thick sunset waters, golden as whisky. In this light…” - **simile**, warm, luminescent **imagery**, Whisky calms you down
34
How does 24 Poems display nature as a source of rejuventation/Pantheism?
* “A cathedral – long tapers of rain light candles on the twilit river.” - Cathedral (**symbol** of spirituality) and rain and river (**symbols** of natural world), **metaphor** displays possibility for spirituality through natural world (Pantheism)
* “Moon, a spinnaker” - **Symbolism**, spinnaker is a part of a boat that helps to steer, moon is a symbol of guidance (Pantheism)
* "A pious sunset at the boatshed" - **personification** of sunset, pious means deeply religious
35
How does 24 poems reflect a sense of discomfort/tension between man-made and natural world?
* “Hot night. In the yard, / tighten the tap. It keeps dripping. / The mosquitoes come.” - **Caesura** and **syncopated sentences** quicken the **pace** and evoke sense of discomfort for persona
* “Ploughed hillside, smoke, and cumulus.” - **Visual imagery** of billowing smoke evokes tension
* "The Milky Way blowing high above the forest. A truck changes down." - **juxtaposition** between **preposition** of powerful milky way and **auditory imagery** of truck
36
How does 24 poems reflect the inexorable march of time?
* “All day, back and forth, anxious… night with night.” - **Repetition** shows that time is inexorable and life is a series of endless experiences
* "Light has paused / on its endless journey" - **enjambent** emphasises inexorable nature of time
* "4 a.m." "dusk" "sunset" "night" "morning" "afternoon" - **accumulation** of temporal references and time passing
37
How does 24 poems emphasise the ephemeral/finite/fragile nature of life?
* “A hospital room; in the curtains, a slight breeze. Thoughts of living.” - Evokes **images** of death, peaceful atmosphere encourages us to acquiesce/accept
* **Form** - each stanza is self-contained and momentary, life is made up of passing experiences
* "4 a.m." "dusk" "sunset" "night" "morning" "afternoon" - **accumulation** of temporal references and time passing
38
How does 24 Poems reflect nature & mankind in a state of coalescence?
* “Flowers from deep in the heath, open their eyes.” - **Anthropomorphism** compares **symbol** of natural world to humans
* "Drying her eyes, outside on the hilltop street; hiding in the wind." - **personification** of human experience within nature
* "The limbs of water." - **metaphor**, **anthropomorphism**
* "A cathedral – long tapers of rain light candles on the twilit river." - **symbol** of modernity within natural world
