What kind of poem is Waltzing Matilda?

Answer 1

Waltzing Matilda is an Australian poem because it is based on a real Australian event, and involves some unique Australian terms. Words such as billabong, swagman and coolibah are not used outside of Australia.

Waltzing Matilda drew attention to the difficult conditions surrounding the Great Shearer's Strike of the late 1800s. The lyrics were based on the story of a man named Samuel "Frenchy" Hoffmeister. In September 1894, on the Dagworth sheep station north of Winton, Queensland, some shearers were in a strike that turned violent. The strikers fired off their rifles and pistols in the air and then set fire to the woolshed at the Dagworth Homestead, killing over a hundred sheep. The owner of Dagworth Homestead and three policemen pursued Hoffmeister who, rather than be captured, shot and killed himself at a billabong.

Answer 2

"Waltzing Matilda" is a bush Ballad written by Banjo Paterson, which is a traditional form of Australian poetry that depicts the life and landscape of the Australian bush. The poem tells the story of a swagman's encounter with a jumbuck (sheep) and his subsequent escape from capture. It has become one of Australia's most famous and beloved poems, often considered a national song.

Answer 3

"Waltzing Matilda" could be said to be a narrative poem as it tells a story in ballad form. In Australia, it can also be described as a "bush ballad".