An Analysis Of Ania Walwicz's Poem 'You Big Ugly'

Australia is a country that has been described as diverse, multicultural and unique. Our geography, flora and fauna and cultural history is different from anywhere else, which has definitely captured the attention of the rest of the world. Australian society has evolved in a very short space of time from the earliest convict settlements established in the mid nineteenth century, to the cosmopolitan states that currently exist and draw immigrants from all continents across the globe. Australia’s history has reflected conflict, human rights violations and the hardship associated with establishing a refined society in a harsh and primitive landscape. Throughout the various stages of Australian history, Australians have attempted to grab onto an …show more content…
The poem I will be analysing one of her poems called “You Big Ugly.” In this poem her writing tends to portray that she hates Australia because the people and country itself are not very welcoming. As Walwicz is an immigrant I think this poem relates to her experiences in Australia, therefore she’s confronting us Australians by saying “you big ugly” to Australia and may portray the fact that she is repulsed by our own culture. In this poem the poet’s diction consists of a lot of verbs and adjectives because the poet describes the things she has gone through in Australia. So you can see she tries to illustrate the “badness” of Australia and its society by using figure of speech, imagery and repetition. Although this poem has no stanzas, no rhyme or no rhythm you can tell Ania has a harsh viewpoint and perspective on Australia. The reason why could be because she may have been struggling to fit in and may have been feeling home sick to the point where she may have not wanted to embrace that she was going to live in a new country possibly because she’s already had a bad experience. like, being bullied, there is evidence in this poem that she experienced bullying, like “you tell me I look strange. Different. You don’t adopt me. You laugh at the way I speak. You think you’re better than me. You don’t like me.” This quote tells us that she thinks that Australians are …show more content…
Her poem insinuates and expresses her deep and true love for her country Australia. ‘My Country’ is a rhyming poem, six stanzas in length. The opening stanza describes the British landscape, but this is not the country Dorothea desires as it is the Australian bush that calls to her. (England) as tame because it is portrayed with "ordered woods" and "soft skies". However, Mackellar characterizes Australia as wild with a vivid description of the starkness and cruel beauty of the country she loved by using words like "ragged mountains" and "sweeping plains”. Mackellar is emphasizing the differences between England and Australia to highlight the unique identity of her adopted country. Mackellar uses language to characterize Australia, and by doing that she is able to strongly connect with it. For example, when she uses the phrases ‘opal hearted country’ and ‘sapphire misted mountains’ it gives the impression that Australia brings happiness, enjoyment and delight to her. She invites an Australian audience to share and identify with her feelings by saying that those who are not Australian would not understand the love she feels. By offering this invitation, she has constructed a poem that speaks to our national identity. The poet is trying to get across the fact that England is an easier country to live in, but Australia is an