Compare 'Remittance Man' with 'South of My Days'. In doing so, consider the similarities & differences in content, tone & technique

Authors Avatar

Annabelle McManamey                27/2/03

JUDITH WRIGHT:

Compare ‘Remittance Man’ with ‘South of My Days’. In doing so, consider the similarities & differences in content, tone & technique

There are a number of similarities and differences evident when comparing two of Judith Wright’s poems, ‘Remittance Man’ and ‘South of My Days’. These likenesses and contrasts can be clearly identified through the content, tone and techniques that Wright has adopted in each of the two poems.

        Throughout her poetry, Judith Wright repeatedly revisits the common theme of Australia, its people and its past and what it means to be Australian. She commonly relates to the old traditional style of Australia’s history and it’s landscape that is widely recognised for its harsh, rugged traits. This theme of the ‘Australian aspect’ is clearly evident in both ‘Remittance Man’ and ‘South of My Days’.

Right from the opening lines, we can see that in ‘Remittance Man’ there is a subtle indication of that impression that Wright so strongly feels for Australia and its people. The Remittance Man, ‘the spendthrift, disinherited and graceless’, has no real class or presence of a respectable character, yet these three dishonourable words refer directly to that almost traditional image of the Australian man from the early colonial days. He is the disgraced son of a wealthy and important family, paid a “remittance” to stay away and not further embarrass and dishonour his family. He is an outcast, not willing to succumb to the restrictive conformity of English society. However, once his life in England is left behind, the Remittance Man is finally released from the formal ties he hated so much. The “blind drunk sprees” were in the past and the “track to escape to nowhere” was everything Australia had to offer. Although he is seen as the misfit, the Remittance Man still attains a certain dignity. He remains this figure of anonymity, having lost his graceless self and made this transition into the harshness and exuberance of the Australian landscape. It is clear to see how Wright has echoed this idea of Australia being a land of freedom and opportunities, and celebrating the experiences of the early white Australians throughout the poem.

Join now!

‘South of My Day’s’ too explores these same ideas that relate to Australia’s old traditional style of history. The poem seeks an historical perspective on the early white-Australian experience through the childhood memories of an old man, Dan, and his tales. Although this typically Australian theme is explored through a slightly different tangent, the idea is still all the same. It also takes this idea a step further, however, and suggests that we, as Australians, are ignorant of, and uninterested in our past and the pioneers that ultimately shaped our country. “No one is listening”. No one cares about the ...

This is a preview of the whole essay