Focus Question: Using a few of his poems as examples, how effective are Kenneth Slessor's poems in revealing his identity as a man and a poet? It was once said that poems, though brief and whatever quality, serve as a look into the eyes of the poet. They are expressions of the poet’s emotions and thoughts through purpose, subject matter, themes, tone, messages and style. The poems of Australian Kenneth Slessor are powerful in …showed first 75 words of 1760 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1760 total…Gulf of Arabs. In ‘Beach Burial’, this harrowing experience causes Slessor to finally harness his emotions to produce his most passionate piece. To conclude, Slessor’s poems definitely are a good look into his eyes. There we see many things including a clever poet and a sophisticated intellectual in a cultured setting. Without the mask of tradition, we see his true self and realise why he is celebrated as the ‘father’ of modern Australian poetry.