Bruce Dawe's Homecoming and Drifters

502 Words3 Pages
* Statement-Poetry offers...world * through study bruce dawe's "homecoming" &"Drifters", dawe creates 2 completely different perspectives linked to life and the world. * poem homecoming-produces strong themes about harsh realities Vietnam war * title ironic-homecomings usually happy occasions, in the case of this poem homecoming is actually dead soldiers being brought home * drifters-strong themes linked depersonalisation * title alone explains to reader what's going to happen. also works as a part of plot of poem. * B. Dawe's "homecoming"and "drifters" strongly revolve around idea depersonalisation &making people seem extremely insignificant * poem "homecoming" about dead Vietnam soldiers being brought home green plastic body bags * throughout poem dead soldiers are depersonalised eg "curly heads...non coms" * this implies that instead of recognition as heros & individuals , dead soldiers were placed into categories based on their hairstyle * sounds like soldiers didn't get proper recognition that they deserved. * poem "drifters" about a family who continuously pack belongings and move, to mothers disapproval * mother dreams of settling down, building a house she can call home. but each time that they move, part of this dream dies. "she won't even ask....wish". * tone used in quote regret. mother regrets leaving house because she wants to settle down but she is also getting sick moving around and has given up hope starting new life. * at start blackberries represent new hope but at end reflect mothers mood and life, as if it was wasted * depersonalisation major theme drifters. it mainly affects mother. she lacks identity in poem and continuously referred to as "she". tom, father, only person who has identity in poem. tom seems to be authority and decides when they move. mother doesn't
Open Document