North Coast Town Essay

Robert white-haireds North Coast Town is a poem that constitutes how Australia is adequate more influenced by America and how the world is filled with artificiality. He presents us with a detailed description of the town which reflects his views on the changing nature of Australia. The poem takes on the persona of a hitchhiker without every money. The first stanza duologue about how the persona gets up in the morning after dormancy on the beach.The map of descriptive language creates a visual word picture for the reader, a Shell station (with their Mens locked), The symbol of that gasoline station is of a shell yet its devoid of any authenticity towards a natural shell signifying an artificial world. The craze of quaver n roll in America made its room to Australia and having the same greasy Fifties pompadour hairstyle like Elvis Presleys was considered popular. The use of get a linery in the fourth stanza creates a visual image of the typical 50s hairstyle for the reade r. This represents the superficiality and Americas steadfast influence on Australias identity.The use of alliteration in the fifth stanza, stucco sea shells evokes a stronger sense of the towns wish of depth through its exaggerated decorations. Gray suggests that the town has lost its individuality, everything is borrowed from alien cultures. The use of metaphor, Theyre making California, highlights the fact that Australia idolizes America and argon therefore strongly influenced by them. As the persona hitches a ride, he comes to see various superficial sides of the place. The idea of Americanisation is incorporated through the visual image of the pink Tropicana motel.It reveals the towns pathetic attempt at imitating America. This represents the town peoples desperation to make money send off of tourists. The image flaps in shop fronts also symbolizes the hopeless replicas everywhere. The towns imitation of America is further enforced through use of verbs. We pass bulldozed ac res. This signifies the increase of urbanization within the settlement as their way of making California. In this poem, Gray utilizes various poetic techniques to show perspective on the artificiality and the influences of America corrupting the town.