Rupert McCall Essay, Research Paper

Jason McCall, more communally known as Rupert McCall has been called the modern

day banjo Patterson and Henry Lawson. He has the ability to express his emotions

though his poetry with a warm and compelling simplicity. He has the ability to

combine passion with humor in his poetry which captures the hearts of all true

Australian?s, from school kids to sports fans and blue-collar workers to

businessmen. When reading Rupert?s poetry it?s easy to get caught up in the

emotion, patriotism and true aussie pride that he has of this beautiful country

that exists in his poetry. Rupert McCall is a 26-year-old solicitor who has put

his legal career on hold to peruse his number one passion – poetry and creative

writing. He went on a tour of the 163 world hotspots as part of his research and

mental preparation for his third book entitled ?Green and Gold Malaria?

which has already sold 60000 copies. Rupert has also produced a CD, which has

nearly reached gold status. The image that comes across in his poetry is one of

a ?True Blue Aussie?. He writes about things in a way that only a true

Aussie would understand. His poetry is on topics such as cricket, AFL and proud

Australian moments such as the Australian Rugby team winning the World Cup. If

an immigrant from Italy was to read Ruperts poetry, they would not appreciate

it. Because he writes about Australian issues that only true Australians would

understand. So they would think that he has a screw loose or something. The

three poems featured in this anthology are ?Green and Gold Malaria?, ?The

Tubby Little Trooper? and ?A Land of Backyard Cricket?. Green and Gold

Malaria tells a story of an Australian man who comes home from overseas and goes

to the doctor to get the verdict on an allergy he gets when he?s witnessing

Australians who have done heroic things in there field of expertise. Whether it

be the Anzacs in the Anzac day parade or Border making a gutsy ton. The doctor

then goes on to tell him that there is no cure for it because it?s just

?Good Old Aussie Pride?. If an immigrant from East Timor was to read this

poem they would not understand The message in this poem is that Australians are

proud of this beautiful country and the people who live in it and represent it.

Throughout this poem there have been three types of poetic devices used.

Alliterations have been used in the lines ?And Matilda sends me waltzing with

a billy-boiling shiver? Billy-boiling being the alliteration. Another one

appears in the line ?`From the beaches here in Queensland to the sweeping

shores of Broome? sweeping shores being the alliteration this time. The last

alliteration in this poem appears in the line ?The medical profession call it

?green and gold malaria? ?. Green and Gold being the alliteration. Another

poetic device used in this poem is a personification that appears in the line

?Well, the Doctor scratched his melon with a rather worried look?. The poet

using melon as a symbol for the doctors head. The rhyme scheme used in this poem

is AABB. ?The Tubby Little Trooper? tells a story of David Boon arguably

Australia?s bravest cricketer ever to take the field. The poem is written from

a teammates point of view who compares the battles he had on the field to war. I

think the purpose of this poem is to reflect to the readers the guts and the

determination of this great man has to win. There are several poetic devices

used in this poem they are a metaphor, in the line ? he is good old fashioned

guts. There are quite a few alliterations in this poem. The lines ? we are

standing sure and strong?, ?This tubby little trooper make his stand?,

?and I shiver Green and Gold? and ?without a word to say? all have at

least 2 words starting with the same letter in close proximity to each other.

There are two onomatopoeia?s used in this poem they are located in the lines

?missiles fly and bullets rattle? rattle being the noise bullets make when

shot out of a gun. And the other being in the line ?when his crashing bat

salutes the roaring crowd? There is two onomatopoeia?s in this line they are

crashing being the noise of bat hitting ball and roaring symbolizing the noise

the crowd makes. The rhyme scheme used in ?The Tubby Little Trooper? is

AABAAB. This rhyme scheme makes each verse six lines long. The poem ?A Land of

Backyard cricketers was written by Rupert McCall. For him to recite at the First

Annual Alan Border Medal Night. It tells a story that many true Australians

could relate to. A story of backyard cricket. It describes the emotions that

were present, the rules that excited and the dreams of one day, just maybe

wearing the baggy green. At the end of the poem he decides to tape up the old

ball mow a wicket and call his mates to play some good hard backyard cricket.

The message that this poem presents is that all true Aussie have played backyard

cricket at one time in there life and had the dream of playing for their country

and getting to wear the baggy green. The four poetic devices used in this poem

are personification in the line ?An until you knocked his melon off, you

hadn’t cleared your name?, melon being the personification. There where quite

a few similes used in this poem so here are only some of them. ?Then,

sometimes when you took the crease, you’d face like Allan Border? face like

Alan Border being the simile. ?As you ‘walked the walk’ like David Boon and

‘talked the talk’ like Richie? this line has two similes in it they are

?Walked the walk like David Boon? and ?Talked the a Talk like Richie?.

There is another five lines in this poem that contain at least one simile.

Alliterations were used a lot in this poem, actually there is eleven lines that

have alliterations in them. Here are some of them ?Through a window, where I

stare upon a yard that needs a mow?, ?window, where? being the

alliteration. ?To be bowled by one’s own brother was the ultimate in shame?,

?be bowled by? is the alliteration. ?And just ask Adam Gilchrist if that

dream was worth his while? has two alliterations in it. These are only a few

of the alliterations used in this poem. The rhyme scheme that the poet used in

this poem is AABB. It?s very rare to see poetry like Ruperts where it?s

readable where you don?t have to sit down for hours and think about what the

poem means. The image that Rupert sends across through his poetry is that he is

very proud of this country and the people who live in it. As Ruperts publicity

increases his poetry will become more and more popular. Rupert McCall will go

down in history just as banjo Patterson and Henry Lawson did.