Gwen Harwood Essay free essay sample

Opportunities for an individual to develop understanding of themselves stem from the experiences attained on their journey through life. The elements which contribute to life are explored throughout Gwen Harwood’s poems, At Mornington and Mother Who Gave Me Life, where the recollection of various events are presented as influences on the individual’s perception of the continuity of life. Both poems examine the connections between people and death in relation to personal connections with the persona’s father or mother. By encompassing aspects of human nature and life’s journey, Harwood addresses memories and relationships which contribute to one’s awareness of life. Memories and meandering thoughts, related to personal experiences, are explored throughout At Mornington where the persona shifts between the past and present and dreams and reality. This is similar to Father and Child where Barn Owl is set in past test and Nightfall is set in the present, symbolic of appreciation and understanding of the complexities of life which the child learns. The post coital moment and ensuing spiritual freedom, metaphoric for artistic freedom, is equated with the resurrection; the sacrifice of the spirit by artists for earthly, and in Harwood’s case domestic considerations; reminiscent of Christ’s sacrifice for humanity. Irrespective of the author’s gender, equating lovemaking to religion would have compounded controversy; however I believe is a mechanism Harwood uses to emphasize the enormity of the sacrifice expected of women (QUESTION). Harwood continues imagery of entrapment; and through personification juxtaposes heart and spirit â€Å"As the heart from its prison cries to the spirit walking above†; this analogy of the irreconcilable human desires of creativity and domesticity reflective of her personal context. Harwood’s attempt to derive meaning from her experience is concluded by acceptance of the conflicting roles of women; alliteration, enjambment and the resigned tone â€Å"falls from its dream to the deep to harrow heart’s prison so the heart may waken† providing the necessary insight into the human experience. (QUESTION) Whilst â€Å"Triste Triste†, seeks to reconcile the dichotomy within oneself, â€Å"Father and Child† looks outward in Harwood’s examination of her dynamic patriarchal relationship. Father and Child† is a diptych, two thematically linked poems, which similar to â€Å"Triste Triste† captures a concrete moment in time and then discusses the abstract to demonstrate the (QUESTION continuity of human experiance) The meditative voice characteristic of â€Å"Triste Triste† is adopted; â€Å"Barn Owl† a retrospective recount of a seminal childhood experience involving the unwitting destruction of innocence, whilst â€Å"Nightfall† concludes with the poets acceptance of temporal boundaries. Harwood’s Romantic influences are exhibited through examination of childhood innocence and incorporation of the owl, simultaneously symbolizing death and wisdom. Biblical imagery and binary opposition of morning and evil, â€Å"I rose blessed by the sun a horny fiend† is unconventional, however I feel is feminist choice not to sentimentalize the cruelty of a young female child. My view is evidenced by the reference â€Å"my father’s gun†; the gun, a phallic symbol of power. The formulistic construction and simplistic language echo a child’s understanding of the world, enhanced by the synecdoche â€Å"beak and claw†. Harwood’s repeated references to literal and figurative blindness; â€Å"daylight riddled eyes†, â€Å"owl-blind† echo Shakespeare’s King Lear, and are metaphoric of the child’s ignorance. The child believing â€Å"death clean and final not this obscene† is left reeling, highlighted through alliteration and (QUESTION)grotesque imagery â€Å"stuff that dropped and dribbled through loose straw tangling in bowels†. Harwood’s use of imperative voice, father commanding â€Å"End what you have begun† is indicative of the child’s forced transition from innocence to experience. â€Å"Nightfall† effectively conveys the (QUESTION continuity of human experience) by elucidating the stages of life and evolving father-daughter dynamic. Alongside the father’s paradoxical state of innocence, denoted through irony â€Å"passionate face grown to ancient innocence†, the tone becomes increasingly subdued. Harwood’s adherence to conventional rhyme, metre and syntax are undoubted Romantic conventions, but I believe are connected with her musical background, music a catalyst to establish the (QUESTION continuity of human experience). This is furthered by the simile â€Å"as a string near breaking point†, highlighting the tension between capturing a moment and recognition of life’s transience. The juxtaposition of nature flourishing whilst the father withers, â€Å"Birds crowd in flowering trees†, illustrates human mortality, reinforced by the King Lear allusion â€Å"Be your tears wet.