Analysis of the Poem Mookari: Subject Matter, Mood, Imagery, Language

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of Daniel Davis's poem "Mookari," examining it through the SMILE technique (Subject matter, Mood, Imagery, Language, and Evaluation). The analysis explores the poem's depiction of a storm, referred to as 'mookari' in the Baradah clan, and its significance in the context of Australia's recognition of Indigenous culture. The essay delves into the poem's use of simple English to describe the storm's progression, from the initial somber tone to the awe-inspiring depiction of the storm's power and the eventual return to a serene atmosphere. The analysis highlights Davis's effective use of imagery, particularly personification, where the storm is personified as an 'old man,' and the utilization of poetic devices such as alliteration, anaphora, rhyme, and hyperbole. The essay concludes that the poem's simplicity and emotional impact make it relatable, especially to the Indigenous community, capturing the grandeur and power of nature.

Running head: ANALYSIS OF THE POEM MOOKARI
ANALYSIS OF THE POEM MOOKARI
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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ANALYSIS OF THE POEM MOOKARI
The paper aims to analyze the poem Mookari by Daniel Davis. The analysis will be
done using the SMILE (Subject matter, Mood, Imagery, Language and Evaluation) technique1.
Dan Davis composed the poem in 2000 where he details about a storm, known in the
Baradah clan as ‘mookari’2. The poem was written at a time when Australia as a nation was
starting to recognize the Indigenous population as an integral part of the country. In the field of
art and literature too, growing number works by the Indigenous people began to be
acknowledged. The non-Indigenous authors also began writing Indigenous culture and traditions.
Davis has produced majority of his works in this era that include other than Mookari, So Many,
Society, Long Ago Days and Tribal Lines amongst others. The poem in discussion here is
Mookari in which the poet makes use of simple English to describe the coming of a storm and
the things that happen when it hits.
The poem involves several instances where the reader could clearly visualize the things
that are happening prior to and during the storm. The poem begins with a sad tone with the sun
being dull and clouds beginning to cover the blue sky.
“The clouds are slowing covering the blue, closing it all from sight”.
As the poem progresses, it infuses a sense of fear amongst the readers as the “big fella”,
the Mookari begins to cause heavy rains, lightning and thundering. However, the sight of the
storm with all the lightning also gives a feeling of joy to the readers as they witness the grandeur
of nature. Towards the end of the poem, the tone changes into happiness as the “Old Man” leaves
for another town and the sky begin to turn blue again.
1 See Minter, Peter, and Kerry Kilner. ‘The BlackWords Symposium: The Past, Present, and Future of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander Literature’ (2014) 14 (3) Journal of the Association for the Study of Australian Literature
2 See Korff, Jens. ‘Creative spirits: A resource repository’ (2014) 22 (4) Ethos 44

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ANALYSIS OF THE POEM MOOKARI
The poet has great use of imagery in the poem and the most dominant imagery is
personification that is evident throughout the poem. Throughout the poem, the poet has referred
to the storm as an old but strong individual. The storm has been referred to as the ‘big fella’, ‘the
old man’, and ‘the old fella’.
“That old fella Mookari, he don’t wanna say goodbye”
With the use of imagery like personification as seen in the above lines, the writer
manages to create a vivid picture where the readers could visualize the Mookari as a real old
man. The use of repetition is also evident in the poem with “He Coming Now” being used at the
start of almost each line.
In terms of language, the poem has made use of poetic devices like alliteration, anaphora,
rhyme and hyperbole. The sun isn’t so bright, the rain is really falling down are some examples
of alliteration used in the poem where the consonant s and l have been used in repetition. The
repeated use of the phrase He Coming Now at the beginning of each line indicates the use of
anaphora. The use of the poetic device rhyme is evident throughout the poem with each line
rhyming for instance:
He Coming Now I think I heard some thunder, smell rain in the air.
Just saw a flash of lightning, stretching out over there.
Using hyperbole as a poetic device enhances the impact of the poem and Dan Davis has
made perfect use of it. It is evident from the lines Look how he makes the thunder, roar, so very
loud.

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ANALYSIS OF THE POEM MOOKARI
After analyzing the poem thoroughly, it can be said that the poet has managed to keep it
simple and yet invoke high emotions in the reader. This is probably due to the simplicity of the
poetry where he talks about the storm and his amazement at its grandeur and power. It is
understood from the tone of the poem that the poet intended it for the Indigenous people who
could associate with the Mookari.

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ANALYSIS OF THE POEM MOOKARI
References:
Korff, Jens. ‘Creative spirits: A resource repository’ (2014) 22 (4) Ethos 44
Minter, Peter, and Kerry Kilner. ‘The BlackWords Symposium: The Past, Present, and Future of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Literature’ (2014) 14 (3) Journal of the Association for the
Study of Australian Literature