Alliteration In Henry Lawson's The Ballad Of The Drover

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The Ballad of the Drover is an Australian bush ballad, which was written by Henry Lawson in 1889. It has a strong rhyme, rhythm and repetition in it, mixed with simple language, so that it can be read and understood easily. This ballad includes many themes throughout it and creates many powerful contrasts including storm and calm, drought and flood, life and death, love and loss and many others. The first theme that is portrayed in the poem is the loneliness of bush life in Old Australia. In the first two stanzas, Henry Lawson has used many techniques to give a sense of loneliness. Lawson uses words such as ‘vast, vanished’ to express how alone Harry (the drover) is. Also, he tells us that Harry has not been seen by loved ones for a long time, and that he hoped to get back to them soon. This brings us to the next theme, love. Harry is finding his way back home because he wants to see his ‘home-folk’, meaning the people from his home. He was also going back to find and marry his lover. This theme has been shown through the alliteration that Lawson uses in the second stanza, of soft sounds which create a pleasant mood. This is the mood that Harry is feeling, and this is probably the only reason that Harry keeps on going; because he is determined to see his loved-ones.…show more content…
In stanzas 1-3, Lawson describes the weather as calm and peaceful. He also adds personification to many words, which gives the reader an unhurried mood. Suddenly, in the fourth stanza, the weather changes from calm, to rough. Lawson uses more personification to give the lines a frightening mood. This stanza starts to create tension, as Harry keeps going, through the stormy weather, to get to his destination. In the fifth stanza, the weather worsens even more and then tension is further heightened. A flood starts and Lawson has used more personification to contrast with the nature of the
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