Jess+Luke+Annalise

= = Drifters - Bruce Dawe

=1) Drifters is about a family of four who are constantly moving around from home to home. Drifters is from the perspective of a mother life figure. Through the text it shows her emotions and actions towards the constant traveling. Her views are negative yet passive giving the impression she does not agree with the relentless moving. = = = =2) The tone of the poem is repetitive and slow. You can easily tell the woman is exhausted and tired of moving. e.g. "She wont even ask why they're leaving this time, or where they're heading for." From this example the woman expects to move (expects change) and through the juxtaposition of the line she sees how it affects her children. e.g. "Notice how the oldest girl is close to tears because she was happy here, and how the youngest is beaming because she wasn't." Drifters is a poem that feeds off emotion. The emotion of the woman or narrator and the emotion of the children. It is interesting to note that the emotions of the male is never depicted in this poem. Creating the idea that because he moves without discussion or consideration for his family, leaving the mother to pick up the peices the poem becomes somewhat of an outlet for the woman to express her emotions. = = = =3) Drifters explores the theme of change through visual imagery and the perspective of the woman. Change is represented by the change of location, season ( different fruits and vegetables) and attitude of the narrator and her children. Bruce Dawe demonstrates time and change as being a constant through out this poem. "Time to start packing" is the first depiction of change by using imagery. Direct speech is also used to demonstrate the constant change when the children exclaim "truly" sarcastically emphasising how it inevitably happen to them. =