Background+of+Austalian+Poetry

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﻿Background of Australian Poetry Earlier Australia was for the most part isolated because of its location and separation from other countries. This became a focus for poets to write about Australia's future and dawning power. The relationship between Australia and its colonizer, Britain, has also been mentioned by many poets, because this federation by Britain was an important piece to Australian history that affected many people. So naturally, this became a topic that many poets favored. Another reoccurring topic for many poets is a focus on the landscape of Australia. This is a popular poetic topic because the land was new and different and wild to their eye. Many famous poems talk about the beauty and the uniqueness of the land of Australia. One example of this is Dorothea Mackellar’s famous poem, My Country, which is linked above. Another recurring theme Australian poetry is the idea of the youth of the country and the opportunities that the future holds. Australia has only been a country for the last 100 years and has many opportunities to develop and progress. Imagery such as Australia being compared to being a child, usually of Britain, is also common is poetry like this. During Australia's federation Australia was just shaping its identity and still experimenting. This shows in many famous poems from that time. This was also when Australia was just beginning to see itself as a country on its own, instead of just another part of Britain and British culture. Especially, the landscape of Australia was given much attention and described in detailed poems.