Speculative Fiction Essay Poems: In the new landscape- Bruce Dawe Your attention please- Peter Porter

Word count: 863

Both “In the new landscape” by Bruce Dawe and “Your Attention Please” by Peter Porter are fine examples of Speculative Fiction worthy of being in a Year Nine anthology for 2012. The poems are in-depth hypotheses of what society will eventuate too, allowing the reader to ponder the way of living in the future: a true example of speculating. The poetic structures display careful imagery and strong senses of warning, illustrating a world full of dystopia and dread.

In “In the new landscape”, the concept of a world
Individuals are simply a statistic in the eyes of the government, and emotional or sentimental value is disregarded as animals will just “consume/ fresh air”.

In “your Attention Please” Porter has used a variety of different techniques in portraying his message. The use of disjointed sentences and direct, simple instructions allows the reader to envisage a situation of emergency. Although the city has an impending “nuclear rocket strike of/At least one thousand megatons” the reader does not get the impression of a rush, or panic but quite the opposite—that of order and controlled defeat, as though the community has known a war was looming. The poem expresses it’s theme of a dystopia successfully, providing imagery through its poetic structure and themes.

The government has made its attempts at keeping its people safe with the “Requirements published in the Civil/Defence Code” and through the outlining of the safety precautions, the reader is exposed to a mood of despair and anxiety. In a situation where death is imminent, the provided “capsules marked 'Valley Forge'/(Red Pocket in No. 1 Survival Kit)/ For painless death” further proves how the government is aware that “Some of us may die” but the fact that “Death is the least we have to fear” causes questions as to what has caused a situation where living is worse than death.

In conclusion, both poems are presenting ideas of a distance future in unique forms whilst questioning