Poem Analysis: Blue Sky Mine

Throughout 'Blue Sky Mine' Midnight Oil employ a range of rhythmic and descriptive techniques to portray blue-collar workers as victims of the inhuman mining industry. Through symbolism, the band highlights the industry's callousness in regard to workers, whose lives are risked for the benefit of these multinational corporations. The song's sombre tone allows the audience to relate to the plight of miners whose health and livelihood is completely at the mercy of these dispassionate conglomerates. Repetition also emphasises the unbreakable cycle that miners find themselves trapped in.
Within 'Blue Sky Mine' symbolism depicts both the workers and the company involved in the infamous Wittenoom Mine disaster. The workers' "sweat keeps on feeding the engine" representing the tireless work of the miners and the way their lives are regarded as little more than fuel for the industry. The "engine" is a metaphor for the mining "Company", suggesting that it is a heartless machine, which believes that there is "nothing as precious as a hole in the ground", regardless of the cost to the workers. The miners are exploited while, "the company take what the company wants", leaving them feeling undervalued. This further symbolises the mining industry as a whole, which Midnight Oil intended to shame by calling global attention to how the mining of deadly asbestos led to a large-scale disaster, not just for industry and the …show more content…
The song's title "Blue Sky Mine" also features ironic symbolism, as a blue sky traditionally conveys positivity, however in this instance it refers to the deadly blue