Analysis

Now you can read a short presentation of our analysis of the poem “This Land” by Ian Mudie.

Regarding its outer composition, the poem is comprised of six stanzas written in free verse (the stanzas have no end rhyme), with the poet amplifying and expanding his message in the last two stanzas. In the inner composition of the poem, each of the first five stanzas conveys different images, which are summarised in the last one.

The narrator can be seen as a lyrical persona of the poet. Like the poet, the narrator is fascinated with words (symbolic of poetry) and lives in Australia with a deep appreciation of the country’s landscape.

The poem comes across as very lyrical and emphatic, due to the use of a solemn style, vivid descriptions, metaphorical language, repetitions, and enumerations. Much of this imagery is strengthen by the use of language devices like similes, metaphors, and personifications.

Read the entire analysis of the poem in the next pages!