'Australian Identity: I Was Only Nineteen Analysis Essay\r'

'The text I down elect to analyse in this written criticism is called ‘I Was solitary(prenominal) Nineteen’, except to a fault goes by the names ‘Only Nineteen’ and ‘A Walk in the Light Green’. It was composed by John Schumann, the lead singer/ songwriter of the folk group Redgum. This examination pull up s pass ons focus on topics such as the poetic techniques apply, how Australian identity is portrayed, the aftermath the text has on the proofreader and my opinions.\r\nI Was Only Nineteen tells the story of an Australian digger’s experiences preparing for, fighting in, and speculateing upon the Vietnam state of warfare as an old man, psychologically and physically damaged from the chemical defoliant instrument Orange. Although it whitethorn seem like a long time ago †the war finish in mid 1975 †the scars it left behind(predicate) will never fade. John Schumann uses numerous poetic devices through come on his hit so ng. The roughly frequently apply techniques include hoar (as is the same for most(prenominal) lyrical songs), repetition, rhetorical questions and multitudes of colloquialisms.\r\n many an(prenominal) of the mentivirtuosod techniques †as salutary as others in the song †provided the reader/ he arr with an opportunity to think about the study of Australian identity. The colloquialisms applied to this ballad entrust the reader to associate and relate to their admit lifestyles in Australia. â€Å"Drinking tinnies” ¬â€ an Australian expression term meaning ‘drinking cans of beer’ †connects with the stereotypically day-after-day attitudes of pub attendees Down Under. Schumann’s giving Australian accent for the entirety of this flake as well expresses a sensation of Australia.\r\nSchumann makes a habit of mentioning genuine Australian and Vietnamese locations. â€Å"Puckapunyal”, â€Å"Canungra”, â€Å"Shoalwaterà ¢â‚¬Â, â€Å"Townsville”, â€Å"Nui Dat” and â€Å"Vung Tau” be some of the some(prenominal) places noned in this song. By citing literal towns/cities, Schumann creates yet another bond with the audience, as most members would have heard of at least one of these before. The rhetorical questions used in this have Australian aspects to them. Schumann quotes â€Å"the manoeuvre septet chopper chills me to my feet”, Channel S fifty-fifty beingness a very well know Australian television channel.\r\nBy bringing up well know Australian icons and brands, the write involves himself with the audience. Although subtle, Australians can also relate to the line â€Å"Frankie kicked a tap the day that mankind kicked the moon”. This busy sentence describes the historical event in which humankind first square up hoof it on the moon: â€Å"kicked the moon”. This is an allusion that many an(prenominal) Aussies †especially those who watched t he 1969 moonwalk on their TVs †would understand and could name to.\r\nThrough the use of poetic devices, the beginning has successfully encouraged the audience to look their vox populis on Australian identity and to shine on our nation’s history. flake paragraph: The language and tone of ‘I Was Only Nineteen’ is solemn and ruminative of the past. John Schumann has used various types of vocabulary to show this. Schumann’s wording of this text is well planned and thoroughly thought out. Sentences in this piece frequently bring overthrow with ‘And’, implying that the root is not yet through telling his story.\r\nIn a expressive style it symbolises that the pain of the war never ended, it is smooth go along on. The chorus line line â€Å" divinity help me, I was only 19” is a fundamental part of this song. It expresses the honor and childhood that was lost by thousands of goaded Australian soldiers during the war. This exact line is tell four times throughout the song. On one occasion it is slightly changed to â€Å" paragon help me, he was going base of operations in June”. This change, although only minor, adds more worked up significance to the statement whilst noneffervescent continuing on the idea of lost innocence.\r\nrepeat of the same word (also know as anaphora) generates a sense of emotion and draws the reader/listener in †waiting for the adjoining addition to the story. The phrase â€Å"an Asian orangeness sunset through the scrub” has triple meaning, the obvious one being the glossary of the sky at that point in time. that when more research is conducted, it leads evident that it could also be hinting at ‘Agent Orange’, one of the herbicides/defoliants used by the US military machine during the war. It killed the foliage of the Vietnamese forests so as to prevent the Viet Cong from fetching cover in the trees.\r\nApproximately 1 million peop le †including Australians †are change or have health issues receivable to Agent Orange. The theme of mateship and strong dedication is also evident. Schumann shows that he can relieve â€Å"see” and â€Å"hear Frankie”, implying that although Frankie lost his life, he will never be forgotten. â€Å"But you wouldn’t let your mates down ‘til they had you dusted off” also speaks of the fondness the author had for his fellow soldiers, dusted off being the military term for medical evacuation of wounded via helicopter.\r\nAgain, Australian identity comes into play: the mark of utter loyalty hat Australians are renowned for. On the whole, the vocabulary used in this song carries with it a huge range of emotional value and deeper meanings (these aspects become especially evident when the text is explored and broken down). The structure of this song is constantly that of a quatrain. The rhyming scheme follows no particular proposition patt ern, but commonly exists in the rebound of ABAB and AAAA. A notably identifiable sign of this piece is the way the story is set out. The majority of the paragraphs feature a several(a) location and emotion of the crowd.\r\nThe opening stanza states that â€Å" still and Dad and Denny saw the passing out parade at Puckapunyal”. The setting of this poetise is Puckapunyal and addresses the family members of the protagonist. The tempo is moderately slow and the feeling in the atmosphere is one of assumption for the unknown future to come, but also apprehension †â€Å"It was a long knock against from cadets” and a slight amount of self-doubt. In the second verse, the cadence speeds up and a sense of excitement begins to build. The thought of being amidst the action of the Vietnam War becomes very real and very near.\r\nThis verse is the debut of the chorus line â€Å"God help me, I was only social clubteen” †an appropriate time, ascribable to the ni gh possibility of death. â€Å"Townsville lined the footpaths as we marched down to the quay” mentions the Queensland city and its inhabitants. There are many other examples of this throughout the song, including Vung Tau and the due date with which it is spoken of (in the third verse), the Vietnamese hobo camp and the living with the fear that â€Å"each beat could mean your last one on two legs” (stanzas five and sise) and back planetary house in Australia, reflecting on the war and its events (eight and nightclub).\r\nThe author has purposely made the shortest lines (6-7 words and 8-9 syllables) the most powerful. â€Å"It was a war within yourself” †one of the shortest lines †metaphorically describes how the overwhelming sensations of the war be at every moment to take over your soul. There are nine stanzas, each consisting of four lines. Although it may not seem like it, this layout is actually for a reason. The song Stairway to Heaven by Le d Zeppelin contains long verses, sometimes as long as nine lines, which creates a flowing story and lots doesn’t give the audience a chance to consider the impact of the lyrics.\r\nHowever, I Was Only Nineteen, with its four line verses, permits the readers and listeners to reflect and contemplate the meaning and poignancy of the stanza in the pause that follows. The flatness and monotony of Schumann in the song mirrors the futility and fatalistic attitudes of the Vietnam soldiers. They were well known for their ‘live every day as if it were your last’ approach on life. Many combatants, as young as 14 (this was an illegal age and they used glum documents) had no plans for the future, apart from having fun whilst they were still living.\r\nTo many Australian citizens back whence †and still now, the Vietnam War was pointless. Some introduce it wasn’t worth more than six million lives (civilian and military) just to stop brotherhood Vietnam’ s communisation from taking over, others say otherwise. Although we will never truly known what it was like, Schumann’s writing allows us as readers/listeners to experience a smidgen of what it would have been like. Schumann has evidently spent time piece the superlatively set-out structure, as this greatly impacted on his audience, including myself.\r\nAfter studying this text, I have developed a lots greater and more profound approve for the Vietnam veterans. It isn’t spoken of much †not compared to the World Wars. These men and women were following instructions and it is not individuals who are to be beatified for the millions of casualties. Schumann has brilliantly yet terrifyingly depicted the horrors of war and the suffering endured by veterans for years †even decades after the fall of Saigon. His use of interact poetic devices, intelligent and well-planned vocabulary and important structure pave the way for a sure masterpiece.\r\n'