Advanced English - Mod B Harwood

Gwen Harwoods poetry encapsulates human experiences as both timeless and integral to the
formation of our present perceptions. From a modern perspective, I can appreciate that her
exploration of universal themes has enabled her poetry to appeal through time and
consequently, achieves textual integrity by resonating with contemporary responders. he
!iolets examines the significance of memory as a means to fuse the past and the present
whereas "t #ornington exemplifies themes of childhood innocence as a formative influence
on an individual. Father and $hild touches upon the transience of life to illustrate the
continuum of memory.
%xtrapolated from Harwoods own memories, he !iolets recognises childhood memories as
an intrinsic component if our personal reconciliation. In correspondence with Elizabeth
Lawsons assertion, &Harwood interweaves past and present, the reoccurring flower motif of
&spring violets arises in both memory and reality, epitomising the personas acceptance of the
presents &dusk and cold contrasted with the childhood memories of a &hot afternoon. his is
underscored by time shifts that are established through structural indentation while
en'ambment mirrors the dis'ointed process of memory recollection. Furthermore, the
melancholy imagery of &frail melancholy flowers mimics the personas nostalgia for
childhood innocence whereas the personified flowers depict the frailty of human life to
convey its transience. However, memory is portrayed as fragmental through the alliterated
light motif of &light the lamp and the wood stove signifying that memories are not whole by
conveying the notion that light from flames flic(er inconsistently) whereby the inability of
&deaths disorientating scale to &distort those lamplit presences connotes the power of
memories to transcend the barriers of mortality. he 'uxtaposition of &ambiguous light with
&blurring darkness paradoxically highlights the ha*y nature of memories while defining its
ability to illuminate our identities, thereby, Harwood conveys memories as crucial in
detaining our life experiences.
hus, while he !iolets reinforce the notion of time lapse, "t #ornington extends this
abstraction, to examine childhood innocence as an underlying element of human experience
when coupled with the ability of memories in shaping our present perception. Robert
Fitzgerald critiques that &Harwood does use innovative use of form, reinforced by
Harwoods poetic treatment of infancy through the structural device of an irregular rhyme
(2012) All Rights Reserved 1 of 3 For more info, go to www .hscintheholidays .com .a
scheme, mirroring the stream of consciousness that manifests as we apprehend the ignorance
stemming from 'uvenile innocence. Indeed, the personas childhood is satirised inasmuch as
her biblical attempt of wal(ing &on water symboli*es childhood naivety and the blind faith
associated with infancy. +i(e the !iolets, fragmented memories are communicated in, I seem
to remember my father) the omnibenevolent God alluded to through the father being &half
comforting towards her safety while &half angry at her immature desertion. Harwood
metaphorically exemplifies memories of childhood being &iridescent, fugitive to suggest the
endless opportunities associated with childhood innocence, whereby reflecting its fleeting
nature of evanescence. Furthermore, the recurring water motifs within the dialogue &water left
over stimulate images of lingering memories and innocence from childhood. hus, Harwood
elucidates that memory and childhood innocence facilitates the forging of our present identity.
hat said, Father and $hild builds upon "t #ornington and he !iolets insofar as not only
clarifying the importance of infancy, but also signifying growth and development as a critical
part of defining our individuality. he prominent discrepancy between the diptychs Barn
Owl and &Nightfall characterises a shift in time that accentuates childhood as the period
which catalyses internal maturation. "lluding to +ucifer, &horny fiend is contrasted with
&angelmind to indicate the loss of innocence through the formation of new instinctual drives
that come with maturation. However, the acquisition of human experience is foreboded
through the synecdoche &beak and claw which disempowers the symbolically wise owl to
emphasise its animalism. his is closely followed by the alliterated laconic &!y first shot
struck which bequeaths urgency to the personas realisation of mortality and pain, an insight
into reality that ultimately erodes our childhood innocence. hus, Harwood exemplifies the
loss of innocence as an internal change, causing new insights to be gained as our
understanding of life is deepened.
,y extension, the contemplative second segment of Father and $hild, &Nightfall, facilitates
the investigation of human experience through typifying the disparity between lifes
transience and the longevity of memory. he allegorical title signifies approaching death,
insinuating mortality as a paramount hindrance to the gaining of maturity-personal fulfilment.
$onversely, the ac(nowledgement of deaths imminence is conveyed through a conscious
recognition of &symbols of transience which is 'uxtaposed with the oxymoron &ancient
innocence denoting the continuity of memory despite the transience of physicality. #oreover,
the simile &let us walk for this hour as if death had no power reflects the personas
acceptance of death as a natural human experience and hence life is celebrated instead.
.ltimately, the fine line between life and death is mimic(ed to evo(e pathos within the
metaphor &a string near breaking point, Harwood thus compelling our acceptance of the
transience of life while exalting memory as inherent to our individual fulfilment.
herefore, through the exploration of human experiences, ///////////////// promote a
sense of mutual appreciation and evidently, Harwoods poetry achieves textual integrity
(2012) All Rights Reserved 2 of 3 For more info, go to www .hscintheholidays .com .a
through her employment of universal themes, such as childhood innocence, and the
inexorability of mortality.
0esonating the 0omantic appreciation for the need of binary opposition, he 1harpness of
2eath is a poem divided into three sections that amalgamate the notions of life and death to
explore mortalitys omnipresence. +i(e David Moodys belief that Harwoods &concerns of
love, morality and immortality are timeless, we are introduced to &1harpness of death by the
capitalisation of &"eath, thus underlining deaths imminence and omnipotence as it &takes
one day wished to die. he dichotomy of life however, is exemplified through the nasturtium
motif from &black everlasting flowers to &purest of colours# Here, the employment of floral
imagery indicates the persona subtly shifting her relationship with death into compromise
alongside life. his is further typified as the persona directly addresses death, &$uppose we
come to terms% to suggests in'ustice mortality has previously served, the colon stressing the
personas struggle in reaching a compromise with death. " sharpness analogy is employed to
further scrutinise the paradox that &knives are sharp, where the notion of death remains
undefined as the reality of bleeding when 'uxtaposed against the &comple& logic proposed by
philosophers proves &there is no such thing as sharpness# 0egardless, the poem concludes
through the sexual innuendo of &my tongue sang with his 'uices to position us to accept both
life and love as ultimately permeated with death.
$ontrastingly, the profound altruism in a maternal relationship is a universal aspect of human
experience explored in the elegiac poem #other 3ho Gave #e +ife. Harwood addresses her
mother directly in second person within the rebellious &it is for you rather than &for my
children to extend the biblical imagery of %ve by comparing the personas mother to 4esus,
where the polysyndeton &backward in time to those other bodies, your mother and hers and
beyond ac(nowledges universal motherly wisdom that has perpetuated through time. he
selflessness of females are recogni*ed through the sibilance &somehow, smooth to a smile to
exemplify the fastidiousness of motherhood and the maternal ability of comfort and nurture.
,y extension, a fabric motif is employed &folding a little towel to illustrate the shrin(ing of
folding cloth that parallels the shrivelling nature of matrilineal bonds that comes with old age,
thus conveying the fragility of life- inexorability of mortality. his motif is reiterated in
&embroidered linen coupled with &my supper which is symbolic of 4esus washing his
disciples with a cloth before he +ast 1upper. hereby, Harwood induces us to appreciate of
the profound love and altruism of all mothers as highlighted by her sense of holiness.
(2012) All Rights Reserved 3 of 3 For more info, go to www .hscintheholidays .com .a