Clancy of the Overflow

Bush poetry gives people a unique and interesting prospective into the people who made this country the way it is today and the history behind it. Clancy of the Overflow is a well known bush poem by poet AB “Banjo” Paterson. Clancy of the overflow is about a person from the city who met a drover/ shearer named Clancy. After meeting him he becomes jealous of Clancy’s lifestyle which is better than his city life. In this poem Banjo uses a variety of poetic devices to get his message across like the use of suggestive language, descriptive language and imagery.

Banjo uses suggestive language to make the reader realise that country life is much better than city life where it is crowded and dirty. This becomes evident where the speaker says “As the stock are slowly stringing, Clancy rides behind them singing, for the drover's life has pleasures that the townsfolk never know. ” And also “the foetid air and gritty of the dusty, dirty city through the open window floating, spreads its foulness over all. ” These quotes suggest that Banjo is trying to convey that city life isn’t as good as country life where you can be free instead of being stuck in an office all day being sweaty and sticky.

Banjo tries to convey that being in the country is a better quality of life. “In the murmur of the breezes and the river on its bars, and he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended”. This suggests that Banjo is tying to convince the readers that the ideal Australian person has bushman like qualities eg friendliness, adventurous and laid back opposed to the people living in the city who are condescending, unfriendly and arrogant. Banjo also uses descriptive language he uses this to silence all the negative aspects of the country life and any positive aspect of the city life.

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He uses the words “sunlit plains”, “wondrous glory” and “vision splendid” to describe the country lifestyle and the words “dingy little office”, “foetid air” and “dirty city” to describe the city lifestyle and a place you just don’t want to be. Banjo does this to persuade the reader in believing that the country lifestyle which is portrayed as free, clean and laid back is better than the city lifestyle which is portrayed as dirty, hot and boring.

Banjo also makes the reader believe that the attractiveness of living off the land and idealizing the country life as a drover making the quality of life in the country seems greater than in the city. Banjo uses imagery and the first person point of view to help the reader imagine what it would be like to be a drover. The person living in the city imagines what Clancy the drover is doing and feeling while he is stuck in a hot office all day. “As the stock are slowly stringing, Clancy rides behind them singing” and also “He sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended and at night the wondrous glory of the everlasting stars. The city living character is conveying what Clancy the drover is doing and how peaceful it would be if he could do the same. He also says “And I somehow fancy that I'd like to change with Clancy. ” This suggests that the city living character is somewhat jealous of Clancy, his job and his lifestyle. The city living character furthermore explains the city life as “Of the tramways and the buses making hurry down the street, and the language uninviting of the gutter children fighting”.

This suggests that the he doesn’t like his life in the city and considers it as busy and also noisy. Banjo in this poem tries to convey that the typical Australian should be adventurous, pioneering, free and friendly which are qualities of a bushman. He portrays the beauty and peacefulness of living in the country as opposed to the hectic and dingy life of the city. Banjo reveals that the city dweller is envious of the drover. Clancy personifies the vision which Banjo has on what the average Australian should be.

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