Personification
The poet Benjamin Howe uses personification “the flag that set us free” and “turkeys” makes this a personal experience. Turkeys is used in the poem to make fun of the enemy, the poet is try to say that the soldiers where happy and confident that they where going to beat “Turks and the Hun” when they arrive at Gallipoli “ as we go marching on to victory”. Personification in the “flag that sets us free” is intended to mean that the soldiers will fight for their country and for the mother country while bearing that flag into war and proudly displaying it win they achieve victory. He does this to represent the certainty, happiness and confidence of the solders, when they were on the coo ee march.
Symbolism
Symbolism is use in the song “Gathering strength” represent that the solders where marching with every footstep through every town along the journey they would increase population. The poet is also intending that the solders are also getting physically stronger for when they go to war and also stronger emotionally from the citizens of towns that walked through cheering gave them a positive message that encouraging them to go bet the Turks and Hun and “march on to victory”. The poets solders bet them easily and quickly, and would be some sort of adventure including fun travel and swift defeat of the enemy.
Repetition
“As we go marching in to victory” is the repetition used to convey the thoughts of the solders as they where marching the coo ee march, that they where going to go and fight against the Turks and Hun and march to victory easily and would be back in a matter of months. This repetition helps create rhythm and helps create a happy mood and a tone of mateship, comradeship and a positive attitude. This assist the readers enjoy and involvement in the song, the words and meaning of the poem.