Driving Through Sawmill Towns poem analysis

Driving Through Sawmill Towns by Les Murray
In the high cool country, having come from the clouds, down a tilting road Into a distant valley,
You drive without haste. Your windscreen parts the forest,
Swaying and glancing, and jammed midday brilliance
Crouches in clearings...
Then you come across them,
The sawmill towns, bare hamlets built of boards
With perhaps a store,
Perhaps a bridge beyond
And a little sidelong creek alive with pebbles.

This first stanza from the poem, explains the journey of a man driving through a sawmill town and his observations. Murray describes his journey through a small sawmill town in New South Wales whilst using strong, vivid imagery and emotive language.

As evident by the title of this poem, imagery is a strong technique used in this poem as the author describes with great detail his journey through a sawmill town. This technique is used most in the following phrases: “...down a tilting road, into a distant valley.” And “The sawmill towns, bare hamlets built of boards with perhaps a store”. This has the effect of creating an image in the reader’s mind and making the poem even more real.

There is also figurative language used in phrases such as “Having come from the clouds” and “tilting road”. This adds to the effect of imagery and emphasis on the journey to the sawmill town. It also helps to make the stanza more interesting to the reader.

Driving Through Sawmill Towns by Les Murray
In the high cool country, having come from the clouds,