Poem Purpose of Identify the Does it have a Structural Language features What effect do you Can you identify Features poem theme, beginning, problem, features Show examples! think the language a pattern? If yes, message or solution, and ending? (e.g. What do features have on the what is it? topic. If yes, describe each of you see in the reader? (Remember parts. way that this there is a poem has been difference built?) Poem between the topic and the theme.) Beginning The poem There are 3 Personification: The visual imagery – – begins by introducing stanzas the bike really helps the To entertain Topic: “bolted” Mulga Bill, from (verses) away, or and to draw bicycles “whistled” reader to picture Eaglehawk and through the air. The poem is readers into the Mulga’s describes the new Similes: a ballad, background (unsuccessful) bicycle craze. which means -“Mulga Bill was as history of Pride in it can be Body The narrator white as chalk” bikeride, by bicycles. one’s – accompanied describes Mulga’s Irony Readers were riding describing PP-QQ-RR-SS – with music prideful approach to told that Mulga was skill can (The introduction events of the Each line has cause wanting to purchase, great at cycling, of safety cycles ride and how it has fourteen one to and ride a bicycle. however the gave rise to a syllables. impacted even the bicycling boom Problem the narrator opposite was quite – ride It has 38 lines with millions describes Mulga not true, i.e. Mulga wallaroos and and manufactured in Bicycle Every 2 lines being able to ride the actually couldn’t ride wombats! crash a the decade rhyme bike well at all. at all. bicycle. They were together Climax Mulga falls off Imagery the poem – – very popular in his bike and lands the uses a lot of visual Bill’s the Australian , bike in the creek. description to get a widely used by picture into the Conclusion Mulga – and itinerant reader’s mind about concludes that a bicycle workers at the Mulga what is happening to ride is the worst ride he time that Paterson Mulga and the bike, has ever had and will wrote this poem) i.e. dressed therefore return to “He himself in cycling using his horse as a form clothes, resplendent of transport. to be seen”…
Poem Features Poem Purpose of poem Identify the theme, message or topic. (Remember there is a difference between the topic and the theme.) Does it have a beginning, problem, solution, and ending? If yes, describe each of parts. Structural features (e.g. What do you see in the way that this poem has been built?) Language features Show examples! What effect do you think the language features have on the reader? Can you identify a pattern? If yes, what is it? Mulga Bill’s Bicycle To entertain and to draw readers into the background history of bicycles. (The introduction of safety cycles gave rise to a bicycling boom with millions manufactured in the decade They were very popular in the Australian , widely used by and itinerant workers at the time that Paterson wrote this poem) Topic: bicycles Pride in one’s riding skill can cause one to ride and crash a bicycle. Beginning – The poem begins by introducing Mulga Bill, from Eaglehawk and describes the new bicycle craze. Body – The narrator describes Mulga’s prideful approach to wanting to purchase, and ride a bicycle. Problem – the narrator describes Mulga not being able to ride the bike well at all. Climax – Mulga falls off his bike and lands the bike in the creek. Conclusion – Mulga concludes that a bicycle ride is the worst ride he has ever had and will therefore return to using his horse as a form of transport. There are 3 stanzas (verses) The poem is a ballad, which means it can be accompanied with music Each line has fourteen syllables. It has 38 lines Every 2 lines rhyme together Personification: – the bike “bolted” away, or “whistled” through the air. Similes: -“Mulga Bill was as white as chalk” Irony – Readers were told that Mulga was great at cycling, however the opposite was quite true, i.e. Mulga actually couldn’t ride at all. Imagery – the poem uses a lot of visual description to get a picture into the reader’s mind about what is happening to Mulga and the bike, i.e. “He dressed himself in cycling clothes, resplendent to be seen”… The visual imagery really helps the reader to picture Mulga’s (unsuccessful) bikeride, by describing events of the ride and how it has impacted even the wallaroos and wombats! PP-QQ-RR-SS
mulga_bill_organiser_cheat_sheet.docx