Within “Weapons Training”, the choice of language also projects a certain kind of sound, which in turn adds and creates meaning to the context of the poem. The language used is crude and brash, and includes terms of racist jargon. Such expressions as “pack of Charlies coming at you” (where Charlies are a slang term for the Viet Cong) and “mob of the little yellows” (with the little yellows being a derogatory term for Asians), are used as their boldness and the sound of the slang is a useful way for the Sargent to dehumanise the enemy. He’s trying to make the soldiers think of the enemy not as people, so therefore it is easier for them to kill. As well as the language in the poem being bold and brash, along with it come the sounds of ‘manliness’, which are associated with the words. For instance, “rotten, stupid, tit, nit, tripes (slang for gut), copped, dead” are all harsh words mainly sounding of consonants. These sounds create that feeling of masculinity, and contribute to the ‘manliness’ wished portrayed in the poem. The poem is after all about a bunch of men soldiers being prepared for war, the poem therefore must have that constant sounding of masculine words otherwise it would not be as effective. The same principle is used with the colloquial term “copped the bloody lot” which is used by the Sargent. It contributes in illustrating the fact that these are masculine, Australian blokes, by using this brash Australian term. This use of ‘voice’ within the poem is almost acting as a parody of the Drill Sargent, but still hints at his fear they will most probably die.
Sounds are also consistently used within Bruce Dawe’s “Homecoming” to contribute to the significance of the poem. Poetic techniques are used once again to illustrate these sounds, and therefore allow the reader more insight into the poem. “Homecoming” is about the stages of bringing home the dead bodies of the Australia soldiers, from the Vietnam War. One of the main elements of sound in this poem, is that of the use of rhythm in the first verse, which is achieved by the use of short phrases and the constant pauses, for example All day (pause) Day after Day (pause) They’re bringing them home (pause). The effect of this pausing creates the strong rhythm, and makes the start of the poem seem almost chant-like. It sounds methodical, mechanical, like the process, which it is describing – the handling of the dead bodies. This rhythmical starting section, also repeats the word ‘they’re’: “they’re picking them up / they’re bringing them in / they’re zipping them up / they’re tagging them now / they’re giving them names” and the repetition of that sound points out the impersonal relationship between the handlers and the dead bodies, because they can’t afford to get emotionally involved. As well as using poetic techniques, which create sound to contribute to the meaning of the poem, this is also done by means of the language used.
The chosen language in “Homecoming” creates sounds, which evoke certain feelings in the reader, and hence adds to the suggestion of the poem. Dawe has chosen words such as “noble, whine, sorrowful, mortuary, coolness, emptiness, howl, fading, tremble, wintering, grief, bitter” and the term “too late” which when read have a sounding of sorrow and sadness, which is the main feeling of the poem. It arouses sympathy and remorse for the men, and hence leads us to believe that they were not supposed to die. He has also used such expressions as “tremble like leaves from a wintery tree” and the paradox “frozen sunset” which have a chilling sound to them, and hence also create a sorrowful feeling about the death of the soldiers, they it should not have happened. Within the second verse of the poem, gone is the impersonal chant-like rhythm, demonstrated by the effective use of commas for pausing and the repetition of “they’re”, which therefore gives it a more personal sound, as it’s describing the return of the soldier’s bodies to their families. The whole tone of the poem, with the reoccurring words of “home” and the numerous stages described in bringing these men home, illustrates, as the poem is titles a “Homecoming” which is supposed to be a joyous celebration. This poem however, reminds us of what could have been, celebrating their heroic survival, rather than bringing them home dead.
Bruce Dawe effectively uses the sounds of the words and language, to give more depth to the meaning of his poetry within Sometimes Gladness. This is evident within “Weapons Training” as Dawe creates the sounds of a Drill Sargent’s voice through the chosen language with such things as colloquialism, and by creating a sense of manliness, with the harsh, consonant sounds of the masculine words. The sounds of the pausing within the lines of the poem, also add to the understanding of it sounding like actual speech, rather than a poem. He uses the sounds of onomatopoeia, which adds to the boldness of the words and context of the poem – like the message the Drill Sargent is trying to make. Dawe also makes use of the sounds of repetition, leaving the repeated words ‘dead dead dead’ echoing in your mind and without any emotion attached to them, which is what the Sargent is trying to say throughout the poem, that their emotions must not get in the way. Another poem, which effectively displays Dawe’s use of sound to contribute towards the meaning of the poem, is “Homecoming”. A strong sense of rhythm is used within the first verse by the sounds of the short phrases and constant pauses, which make the poem seem chant-like and methodical, like the process of the handlers dealing with the dead bodies of the soldiers. “Homecoming” also demonstrates a use of the repetition of sound, where it repeats the words ‘they’re’ which identifies the impersonal relationship between these handlers and the bodies. Dawe’s chosen language within the poem helps to suggest the sorrowful, mournful feeling and meaning of the poem, for example ‘emptiness, howl, fading, tremble’. These poems by Bruce Dawe are able to effectively demonstrate how he is able to reveal more about the meaning of a poem to us, through simply the sounds he is able to create through his chosen words and language.
