“Distinctively visual texts use figurative language and other language devices to engage the responder and invite him/her to explore different places and experiences. ” Discuss the construction of images in relation to two of the short stories, which you have studied, and one related text. Distinctively visual texts are often used by composers to evoke a reality through the use of figurative language and other language devices, as it allows them to create an image in their mind and transport them to their imagined landscape.
This is especially shown through Henry Lawson’s both tragic and comic short stories, ‘The Drover’s Wife’ and ‘The Loaded Dog’, with his exceptional use of dramatic verbs and juxtaposition and other literary techniques. Distinctively Visual could also be expressed through a range of film techniques, such as having an absence of dialogue and creating an immersive soundscape. This is displayed outstandingly by director, Toby Morris, in his short film, ‘My Constellation’.
Through Morris short film, he lucidly illustrates the boy’s journey with the use of an amiable and melodic music that builds up to create an intimate moment, providing the distinctively visualised story of the character, allowing the responders to be hold captivated by the delicate moment. ‘My Constellation’ had a lack of script, allowing the sound and music to do much of the story telling, producing an atmospheric score that added real resonance to the whole feature.
The distinctive and poetic nature of the moving images was also flawlessly complimented by the rich and emotive orchestration. It added vivid yet cryptic details that allow the responder to imagine in different perspectives to what might have happened to the boy, as it is never quite clear because of its shortage of speech. Similarly, in ‘The Drover’s Wife’, Lawson used speech as a technique to enhanced his short story. However, while Morris had a deprivation of dialogue, Lawson used more of it to add authenticity to the whole story.
For example, vernacular language or idioms were used by Lawson to add more to the harsh reality of living in the bush, such as shown when the oldest son exclaimed, “Mother, I won’t never go drovin’; blarst me if I do! ” This phrase adds to the legitimacy of the story as the word, ‘blarst’, is not commonly use these days, it is more widely used back then in the tough Australian bush life. A significant amount of expletives were also used in the story, though it is not mentioned, for instance, “Shet up, you little -! nd “Mother! Listen to them (adjective) little ‘possums. I’d like to screw their blanky necks,” which also adds to the realism of the story as it displays the life the kids have grown up in. It shows the relentless environment Australian bush people had to live in as when the boy said the expletives, the mother was unemotional and uncaring towards it, she was unperturbed by the word as she knows there are more dangerous problems to worry about, such as the snake.
Language is also used in Lawson’s short story, ‘The Loaded Dog’, by a mix of short sentences and long paragraphs that builds up tension and by the manipulation of slapstick humour. It complements the hilarity of the story, as the story is not meant to be tragic or depressing, it is meant to evoke laughter out of the responders such as shown by the style of humour, “Jim yelling to Dave not to follow him, Dave shouting to Andy to go in another direction, to ‘spread out, and Andy roaring at the dog to go home.
It exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy, allowing chaos to be immersed into the paragraph, and the responders to be distinctively transported into the story to feel what is happening. Though in spite of the comic nature of the story, Lawson was still able to incorporate the unforgiving nature of making a living in the Australian Bush into the story. This was brilliantly done by introducing the story with a detailed and realistic description of what is happening around the characters.
For example, “There is always a rich reef supposed to exist in the vicinity… ten feet or hundreds beneath the surface,” clarifying how cruel the Australian bush life can be. Lawson once again introduced how relentless the bush can be in ‘The Drover’s wife” in the first paragraph, “Bush all around – bush with no horizon… No ranges in the distance… consist of stunted, rotten native apple-trees. No undergrowth. ” He also portrays the unmerciful realism of living in the Australian outback through the flashback of the drover’s wife, illustrating her hardships.
She has had to deal with, “One of her children died, (and) she was here alone,” and she, “fought a bush fire once while her husband was away. ” There was countless of trouble she had ran into as shown before, and in addition, “she fought a flood during her husband’s absence… she also fought the pleuro-pneumonia… she fought a mad bullock… ” thus, allowing her to be portrayed as a courageous and brave, yet isolated bush wife that has been left behind by the husband, and also representing the archetypal bush women of Australia.
Director Morris has also used the construction of archetypal character technique in his short film. Through the build up of the composition, the story of the boy is also slowly revealed and it is discovered that the boy embodies the loneliness and isolation theme of the film and his absent father represents the distance creating the boy’s solitude. His separation from the outside world is also further explored through the stark dark lighting of the film, indicating his feelings of despair and abandonment.
However through his seclusion he finds little distractions such as the girl he befriends and eventually leaves, but ultimately, he finds a bigger distraction that keeps him occupied. The light bulbs, which is his central pastime, symbolises the boy’s hope for his father’s return, and it is also guiding the boy’s journey. Furthermore, it’s a motif of stars as at the ending scene, it shows a man looking at planet earth and it lights up with the words, ‘Happy Birthday’, assuming the man is the boy’s father.
In Lawson’s story, “The Drover’s wife”, motif is also used to distinctively depict the imagery of death and decay in the story, in the manner when Lawson narrates in detail, “four ragged, dried-up-looking children. ” This notion leads to the awareness of the wife’s isolation and separation, similar to the boy in “My Constellation”, as like him, she has distractions as well, for instance, “on Sunday afternoon she dresses herself, tidies the children, smartens up baby, and goes for a lonely walk along the bush-track,” and, “She finds all the excitement and recreation she needs in the Young Ladies’ Journal…
Takes a pleasure in the fashion plates. ” Thus, these examples generate the story’s theme of how living in the Australian is severe and cruel and is secluded and isolated from others. In comparison to “The Loaded Dog”, its principal theme is the mateship that is present throughout the story. It is never directly mentioned in the story, but it could be distinctively visualised and felt by the responders through the specified descriptions of Dave, Jim and Andy actions, such as the way they have worked together to make the cartridge and, “(Andy) bore the blame for the failure and the chaffing of his mates.
Their bond shows the strong sense of mateship that is particularly in relation and experienced by Australian bush people. Thus, the use of the distinctive visual techniques allows the responder to be able to engage in the story. Therefore, in conclusion, it is evident as to how figurative language, such as idioms and the irony of having no dialogue, is used in distinctively visual texts to engage the responder and have the ability to transport them to different places and have different experiences in their head.
Other language devices, such as film techniques as well, with the use of lighting and the film’s soundscape also allows the responders to connect and relate with the characters of the story, allowing them to have the feeling of being in their shoes, and also having the power to perceive the story in any way they would like.
