Gwen Harwood’s poetry encapsulates human experiences as both timeless and integral to the formation of our present perceptions. By examining the role of memory in her poems “The Violets” and “At Mornington”, Harwood identifies that their significance is that of an everlasting memory that will dominate over time’s continuity and the inevitability of death. Through the exploration of this universal concept and its overarching examination across her body of works, Harwood’s poetry possess textual integrity and simultaneously addresses the personal and universal audience thereby resonating with a broad audience and a number of critical perspectives. Engaging with her own personal experiences, Gwen Harwood conveys the echoing message of the dominant
The poetry of Gwen Harwood deals with themes which reflect universal problems such as human existence, loss of innocence, unavoidable death as well as time, youth and age. Her poetry evokes the modern reader to take the opportunity and explore the different interpretations for the relentless movement of time, where she reflects on her childhood memories. The poem ‘The Violets’ and ‘Father and Child’ allow Harwood to recollect positive and negative incidents in her childhood, where she celebrates the power of memory to give life to the past. ‘The Violets’ reflect aspects of childhood and memory, which are idealised. It encompasses the growth of the persona from innocence to experience, where the child’s loss and change are evident.
Dickinson views death as an enchanting carriage ride to ‘a House’, and not a scary experience as a lot would expect. The carriage holds not only ‘just Ourselves’ but also a friend, ‘Immortality’. It’s as if she is friendly with immortality and it is going in the same ride to death too. She acknowledges them as ‘we’ and both Death and Dickinson knows ‘no haste’. A process of passing away, they transcends time as she sees glimpse upon different stages of her life- ‘the school’ where ‘children strove’, the ‘Fields of Gazing Grain’ and the ‘Setting Sun/ or rater – He passed us’.
Readers, particularly women of all ages feel encouraged because Hall’s narratives are relatable. Hall’s self-exposed writing enables a reader to go beyond solely reading about her life, her writing can help a reader feel encouraged to tackle their own life obstacles. Due to Hall’s sincere and personal way of writing I felt encouraged and felt amazed at how much I not only liked her writing but learned from it as well. As I read Hall’s work I gained the impression that I was reading her personal journal. Her “journals,” in other words her autobiographical narratives such as Killing Chickens, “Shunned” and “Without a map” all reveal specific different bitter portions of her life that she has faced and overcame and reassures readers like me, that we can too.
She uses some really gorgeous metaphors and turns of phrase that almost make you feel as if you are floating through her journey. as if she could never chase away her demons. The writing is very stylized. Although I find the subject matter difficult to read, the world themselves were beautiful. It's easy to see the poet coming through.
Gives the poem an upbeat feel to help show that the narrator will not be downtrodden. It also highlights the questions – showing that she is standing up for herself. Slang used “bog”, “belly” Reflects the way the narrator speaks; she is proud of how she speaks Dialect used “A cleaner is me mother” “A docker is me brother” Again, this adds to the poet’s pride in her identity and Liverpool roots SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF CONFLICT. - FA:Quarrels are now as fussy women... nature of their conflict: Its constant, and agrivated yet not a “blaze” connotations of the word... connotes to fire and anger etc. - In the same way this one talks about conflict in -
In your view, how have poetic techniques been used to reveal memorable ideas in Harwood’s poetry? Harwood’s widespread encapsulations of human experiences are recognised through her distinctive poetry, “The Violets” and “father and child”. Harwood explores the intrinsic forces of memories and mortality as its essence immensely influences our shaping an individual’s perspective and understanding, highlighted by the structured format. Through the nostalgic and melancholic atmospheres of her poems, Harwood journeys unto the universal themes of childhood and the penetration of time through memories, accumulated in the course of human experiences. Harwood identifies memory as a key component of human experiences through the use of ‘The Violets’ as an extended metaphor to trigger the composer’s personal recollections.
She took minute pains, went through the park in a state bordering on pure happiness, as if in performing this task she came into a subtle, intimate connection with her mother.” The strongest aspect of your story struck me as being pride and happiness. Even though Mable and her family lost everything, she is still very proud as we see in this passage, “Now, for Mabel, the end had come. Still she would not cast about her. She would follow her own way just the same. She would always hold the keys of her own situation.” Mable and her
I READ my sentence steadily, Reviewed it with my eyes, To see that I made no mistake In its extremest clause,— The date, and manner of the shame; And then the pious form That “God have mercy” on the soul The jury voted him. I made my soul familiar With her extremity, That at the last it should not be A novel agony, But she and Death, acquainted, Meet tranquilly as friends, Salute and pass without a hint— And there the matter ends. Death and pain always have been the eternal topic in literature from past to now. It inspires Emily Dickinson to create the beautiful poems which live forever and touch heart of many different generation readers. This poem conveys light tranquility as the most meaningful
The poet conveys her poetry to having a spouse that is not physically present, the love she shares with her husband “upon public employment”, and the love of being a full time mother. In Anne Bradstreet’s poems, she portrays the undesirable feelings she held within towards the absence of her husband, but also expresses the love she has for him upon his nonappearance and her desirable love for her children. In the era Anne Bradstreet existed in, women were more respected as stay at home mothers and caretakers rather education investors and becoming people of high stature. Anne Bradstreet was the wife of a well-accomplished and known politician and was obligated to commit to any tribulations to further appear within her commitment to her husband. In “A Letter to Her Husband, Absent upon Public Employment” the poet refers to her husband as the sun “My sun is gone so far in’s zodiac”.