North Coast Town Essay

Robert Grays North Coast Town is a poem that shows how Australia is becoming more influenced by America and how the world is filled with artificiality. He presents us with a detailed description of the townsfolk which reflects his views on the changing nature of Australia. The poem takes on the persona of a hitchhiker without any money. The first stanza talks about how the persona gets up in the morning after sleeping on the beach.The hold of descriptive language creates a visual image for the reader, a Shell shoes (with their Mens locked), The symbol of that petrol station is of a shell yet its devoid of any authenticity towards a natural shell signifying an artificial world. The craze of rock n cheat on in America made its way to Australia and having the same greasy Fifties pompadour hairstyle like Elvis Presleys was considered popular. The use of imagery in the fourth stanza creates a visual image of the typical 50s hairstyle for the reader. This represents the superficialit y and Americas strong influence on Australias identity.The use of alliteration in the fifth stanza, stucco sea shells evokes a stronger sense of the towns lack of depth through its exaggerated decorations. Gray suggests that the town has lost its individuality, everything is borrowed from foreign cultures. The use of metaphor, Theyre making calcium, highlights the fact that Australia idolizes America and are therefore strongly influenced by them. As the persona hitches a ride, he comes to see various superficial sides of the place. The idea of Americanisation is incorporated through the visual image of the pink Tropicana motel.It reveals the towns pathetic attempt at imitating America. This represents the town peoples desperation to make money off of tourists. The image flaps in shop fronts also symbolizes the hopeless replicas everywhere. The towns imitation of America is further enforced through use of verbs. We pass bulldozed acres. This signifies the increase of urbanization wi thin the settlement as their way of making California. In this poem, Gray utilizes various poetic techniques to show perspective on the artificiality and the influences of America corrupting the town.