"Midnight Lake," "An Absolutely Ordinary Rainbow," and Other Poems - An Analysis of Contemporary Australian Values Andre de Moeller-Samarin 12th Grade

Australian poet Les Murray’s poems often reflect his own belief and value system, as well as provide a new outlook on social issues, such as homelessness and drugs, as shown in ‘Midnight Lake’. He also highlights the importance of rural Australian culture, claiming that poetry can ‘model the fullness of life and bring our fullest being in to play’. Natural sacramentalism and the significance of ordinary lives, as shown in ‘An Absolutely Ordinary Rainbow’ and ‘Spring Hail’, are common themes throughout his works. Murray also frequently draws upon Aboriginal culture and how their traditions are gradually being degraded by the Americanisation of Australia, as shown by ’Sydney and the Bush’ and ‘Inside Ayer’s Rock’.

Les Murray uses everyday language in a skilled and sensitive way throughout his poems to reflect the values of Australian society and subsequently open people’s eyes to new ideas and perceptions. An Absolutely Ordinary Rainbow serves the aesthetic purpose of reflecting on the social construction of masculinity in Australia and the way in which ordinary human experiences can be something sacramental. Through the use of allusion, synecdoche and symbolism, Murray explores the human condition and how people yearn to have a...