Distinctive voices are the attitudes created by the narrator of the text. The text reveals the persona’s opinions and can persuade the reader to adopt their particular perspective. It is quite common for people to express and record their life experiences through written text. Poetry being one of the most used texts. The most successful types of poetry are ballads and songs. The list of famous poets that can support this is endless, though two poets and their poems are A B Paterson who is also known as Banjo Paterson and Henry Lawson, both poets writing about their personal views and opinions about the Australian life and both conflicting, through Paterson’s poems ‘Clancy of the overflow,’ and ‘In Defence of the Bush,’ and Lawson’s poem ‘Borderlands.’
Paterson’s ballad ‘Clancy of the Overflow’ is an extremely famous poem that expresses Paterson’s views and thoughts about the bush lifestyle. Through the distinctive voice of Banjo Paterson his optimistic view on the bush and the way in which the country people live is brought to life. In the fourth line of Paterson’s poem is an example of how people’s experiences are brought to life through the distinctive voice, the experience of Paterson’s past in the bush is reflected through his knowledge of the country people. ‘Addressed as follows, ‘Clancy of the Overflow’. Paterson is aware that the address is not detailed or specific, however he knows that this will be enough information for the country people to know exactly who it is for. Another way the distinctive voice has given life to Paterson’s experiences is by giving the reader and understanding of ‘Clancy’ and a characteristic of him. ‘As the stock slowly stringing, Clancy rides behind them singing’ this distinctive voice of Paterson’s presents ‘Clancy’ as a laid back country man. Influencing the reader to also feel jealousy towards him and allowing them to further their image of ‘Clancy’.
People and experiences are brought to life through the distinctive...