Kenneth Slessor – William Street Poetic Devices

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As we all know, there are different types of love. In the past two posts, we’ve talked only about the “romantic” kind of love. This time, though, we are going to discuss the love of…the ugly and disgusting. The love of the strange and all things backwards. Quite different from the last time, isn’t it?

Sure, this may seem ironic to you. Even to me, it sounds strange. How can someone possibly love something that is repulsive? How could you for even a moment come to enjoy the worst? The answer comes through a poem called William Street written by Kenneth Slessor (1901 – 1971). He was an poet of Jewish and German origins. However, he later on became agnostic. He even lived in Australia for quite a few years! In fact, William Street is a street in Australia itself. He’s published works such as One Hundred Poems, 1919-1939 (in 1944). Time for a little confession. I actually read this poem in the tenth grade and used it for an assignment. And I absolutely loved it. Before I get all giddy, let’s look at the actual poem.