Ss Father And Child example essay topic

Gwen Harwood (1920-1995) was born and educated in Brisbane; she was one of Australia's greatest lyric poets. She began writing poetry in 1950. In this time, men were still dominant, and only very few women entered the work force. Gwen's poems are based on her Christian beliefs and society's beliefs.

However, Gwen did not just follow the strict social rules, instead of challenging the beliefs towards motherhood and many other issues of the time. She also wrote some stories and critical essays. Now, it's my pleasure to present and analyse one of her well-known poem! yenFather and Child! |. The poem! yenFather and Child! | is actually made up by two poems in narrative style; it tells the story of a young child whose journey from total innocence to the brutal death is the major thematic concern.

Because it is made by two parts of poem, we can easily compare these two and also to understand how author portray the difference perspective in these two poems.! yen Barn Owl! | is the first part of this poem; it describes the understanding of a child's inner world. Harwood sets the poem in the point of view of the child as it allows the audience to into the child's thought and emotions. When the child says, ! SS Let him dream of a child obedient, angle-mild!" which in the poem represents the child is trying to against her father's order and acts as individual. As the child is aware that while its father is!

SS robbed of power by sleep!" , he is the one in control. The use of the metaphor! SS Master of life and death, a wisp haired judge!" describes the power that the child has hold in form of the gun. Harwood uses visual and smell image to make the hunt of the owl effective and really.!

SSI stood holding my breath, in urine-scented hay!" the use of smell image allows the audience to visualise the smell of the old barn, and feel as thought they are standing beside the child.! SS Beating his only wing, as I watched, afraid!" Harwood uses the strong image of the dying owl to emphasise the child's shock and disbelief of death. The child's frightened action illustrates to the audience that he had no prescience of his action and the result it would have, ! SSa lonely child who believed death clean and final!" .! SSI saw those eyes that did not see, mirror my cruelty!" this represents the child loses her innocence, the realisation of how bad of her action. The father speaks once in the poem; !

Send what you have begun!" this changes the child understands of the responsibilities associated with power and the consequences of the misuse of this power.! Scowl blind in the early sun!" . The symbolic description of the owl allows the audience to make a contrast between the owl and the child. The owl which is old and wise is compared to the young child who is youth and lacks of wise. The conclusion of the poem states! SS for what I have begun!" , suggesting to the audience the child has lost their innocence and father's trust, beginning something which cannot be reversed.

In contrast to innocence of the young, Gwen Harwood also attempts to understand death and how it changes the personality of the people experiencing its influence. In the second part of the poem! SSNightfall!" continuous the story of the child forty year from! SSBarn Owl!" and completely changes to a different person from! SS the child once quick to mischief!" attempting to cope with her father's imminent death. Moreover, unlike the child in!

SSBarn Owl!" , she understands the implications of death, ! SS what sorrows, in the end, no words, no tears can mend. !" The father, who in the first poem is depicted as an! SSold no-sayer!" , is now held in high esteem. He is admired and respected as an! SSold king!" .

Besides, ! SSNightfall!" is written in the form of an ode that taken through the feelings of the women who is narrating the story herself. In compare to the narrative of! SSBarn Owl!" , the language of reflection and memories constructs!

SSNightfall!" : who can be what you were? Link your dry hand in mine, my stick-thin comforter. Far distant suburbs shine with great simplicities. Birds crowd in flowering trees. The extended metaphor! SS Since there's no more to taste ripeness is plainly all.

Father, we pick out last fruits of the temporal. !" Appeals to our senses and is known an aural metaphor, it illustrates the father's life becoming satisfied. It has come near to its end and the father and child will now spend the last moments of the father's life together. Additionally, over time, her appreciation of her father has changed; this is shown through! SS who can be what you were? !" and! SSold king, your marvelous journey's done.

!" She has realized that the valuable life and great loss will be left after he is gone. The child, now a grown woman learns another lesson about death, it can be quiet and peaceful. For instance! SS you night and day are one!" suggests that death can be as simple as going to sleep and never waking up. As we can gather from the examples, Gwen Hardwood uses languages to create dynamic backgrounds and images to subtly delineate the changes experience by the character in the poems. In Harwood's poems entitled!

SS Father and Child!" . She explores the changing relationship between a father and child; the self growing up and growing old. This can include emotional and physical growth of self. Through the study of both poems, it is the presence of death that has caused the self to change. Thank you for listening!