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A Brown Slouch Hat Poem Analysis

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The Voices of War Student Joshua Hosking has a knack for the study of war and poetry and has in the past had a one on one interview with a veteran from the Vietnam War (1954 - 1975). War: it’s a bloody, brutal and cruel experience for all sides. One minute you’re peering out of your trench; then the next, you have a bullet torn through your skull. However whilst it comes with a severe loss, war is also a time to be proud of your country, to hold your heritage with august and to admirably bear a nationalist spirit. War, as it seems, is and has been part of nature itself for as long as mankind have roamed the earth. As seen with countless examples within the animal kingdom, many living creatures tend to form groups to survive. Through time, humans …show more content…

Each of these poems both used their current events to build upon and ultimately enhance the message that they were trying to portray. “A Brown Slouch Hat” tells of how the slouch hat is a symbol of Australia, “the land of liberty”, and of how it means the world to the poet. It goes on to say that the soldiers all proudly bear it and queries on how you thrill as a young soldier passes by, all dressed up and proudly representing his country. This was a very relatable view to the public and any newly drafted, excited young soldiers due to the amount of propaganda spread throughout the streets. This was a very well established foundation for the poems message as it was directed at simply reinforcing feelings and emotions that were already present within the population. The national social and political dissent caused by the Vietnam War was also a very strong establishment for the poem “And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda” as it revisits the past pains of WW1 that can be easily akin to the present feelings of outrage and sorrow felt towards the Vietnam

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