for his brilliant exercise of sound techniques to produce vivid aural imagery and meaning, especially in 'Beach Burial' and 'Sleep'. In breaking free of typical nationalistic themes and style to establish his own, Slessor's poems are successful in illustrating his identity as individual poet and person. If he had tried to emulate Patterson and Lawson, his poems would have reflected their identities, and the stereotypical 'proud' Australian identity their poems promote. Moreover, as his poems were one of the first to be avant-garde, they justify the arguable claim that Slessor is a key poet in the foundation of contemporary Australian poetry.
Additionally, since Slessor's poems are of his own style and interests, many inferences on his personality and mentality can be made. The mere fact Slessor's poems do not conform to traditional Australian poetry also reflects his disdain of the Australian lifestyle and culture, or lack thereof as he seems to suggest. This is more explicitly exhibited in his poem 'Country Towns' through his sardonic tone. Seemingly it is a humourous description that is Slessor's generalization of the typical Australian country town and its people. Though it begins by directly addressing the subject respectably as if to praise– 'Country towns, with your willows and squares', as the poem progresses we realise the purpose is to ridicule them for their profound lack of culture. Use of capitalization and quotation marks to give a mocking, exaggerated effect patronises their only signs of it – the singular 'School of Arts', a visit from the "Grea
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