1a// The author compares the cows to rocks in the first 2 sentences because when wet they look quite similar. Rocks are normally large and a dark colour which resembles cows who are also big and black. When both of these get wet they shine and stand out against the elements around them.

b// This comparison is a simile because it uses the words as and like for example “wet and shiny as rocks in an ebbing tide’.

2// “The shed is an island of light and warmth”. This sentence is a metaphor used by the author to portray the image of a bright welcoming building that radiates light. The light makes the shed feel giant compared to the vast landscape and it makes you feel like the shed could be a homely happy place contrasting against the dark surrounding paddocks.

3// The simile used “its history wiped away like the tears of a child” is used to show how in a blink of an eye something that is a big deal is quickly vanishes. It’s a very relevant comparison because a mother will wipe her childs tears away in a heartbeat and the author feels like the history just disappears in a flash. This sentence shows how something can be right before your eyes but also be taken away before you know it and to preserve the history it needs to be written down to be remembered and preserved.

4// I think that living on a farm with the lit up shed that she adores and the beautiful landscape that surrounds that living on the farm makes her feel happy and safe. “but now the hills in the eat return are soft and grey with mist” It makes you feel like you belong in the environment even if you have to work harder than the city guy who has it easy but can’t enjoy the amazing views. I think the author shows that she doesn’t envy the way of life from the city man as he might not have nice unnecessary things like a big lovely house that he would have but she has a feeling of belonging in the safe haven of the shed against the mysterious elements.

5// The poem is written in third person by Ruth Dallas observing the life that occurs on a rural farm. She uses many similes, metaphors and comparisons to try paint the exact picture of the scenery of the farm and the way the she feels about her home. An example of a simile used ” is wet and shiny like rocks in an ebbing tide” and descriptive sentences like smell of soil damp and steaming” give us a feel of the scenery. She does this by using our scences to smell, see and hear different aspects of the land. Her strong connection to the land and the shed shows how she knows how lucky she is to live in such a special place. ” of the man in the city asleep, he does not feel” is a sentence used in the poem and in my opinion I think it is used to show that even though the city man has an easy life he doesn’t feel a bond with the amazing land. She mentions the monotonous beat where she uses the language feature repetition to make us feel the constant pound of machinery that we can almost hear in the back of our minds.