The poem Debbie and co is set on a public pool on a Sunday afternoon and backyard is based on a family or two having a barbeque in the backyard. Two typical things Australians would do. Through these activities John Tranter tries to show the tranquil nature of Australian culture and Australians laid back attitude towards life.
This is shown in both poems in many ways. If we look through Debbie and co the first line says the council pool is chockablock. This gives the poem a specific setting. John tranter used collaqiual language here in order to emphasize the lack of space at the pool area. This is unlike backyard where the poem never mentions about amount of people. In backyard it says ¡°the god of smoke listens idly …show more content…
In backyard this concept is presented in the last stanza when it says ¡°but don¡¯t ask too much: some cold beer, a few old friends in the afternoon¡± beer, friends, afternoon. John Tranter puts this character in the perfect setting where he should relax. Drinking beer with his friends in the afternoon at a backyard barbeque. In the second stanza another rhetorical question can be seen. It says, ¡°who cares?¡¯ this again accentuates the laid back attitude Australians have to life. In this case not caring about what is happening around them but only trying to enjoy life at that specific