Judith Wright Poetry Essay

This text response will be looking the comparison of the two poems, ‘Drifters’ by Bruce Dawe, And ‘In the park’ by Gwen Harwood under the name of Walter Lehmann. Drifters is about a seemingly constantly moving family, it describes the process the family will go through leaving their newest home. In the park is about a seemingly single mother raising her children, it describes the mother sitting in the park with her children when a previous lover comes by and talks about the children. With in each poem, the form and structure, language techniques and the tone and message will be analysed and compared with the other to gather a grater understanding of the Australian voice.

As evident by the title of this poem, imagery is a strong technique used in this poem as the author describes with great detail his journey through a sawmill town. This technique is used most in the following phrases: “...down a tilting road, into a distant valley.” And “The sawmill towns, bare hamlets built of boards with perhaps a store”. This has the effect of creating an image in the reader’s mind and making the poem even more real.

values, assumptions and voice of the poem and of Australia at that time, one that shows courage and

Imagery is a rhetorical strategy that is prevalently used in O’brien’s novel to create a close bond between reader and O’brien. The imagery

Writers have their own “special touch” as to how they will sway peoples’ emotions and thoughts with every work they release. In the poem “Those Winter Sundays,” poet Robert Hayden takes advantage of different types of imagery to display deeper levels of emotion. The imagery changes from being cool in nature to warm in nature as the poem’s growth changes. The reader will find, with the use of visual and auditory imagery, that Hayden may understand the force behind his father’s actions, but the father has not and will not be forgiven in the end. With the use of specifically visual and auditory imagery, Hayden is able to effectively display his emotions from

Childhood is portrayed as a time of safety that is often looked back upon with nostalgia from an adult perspective. Monosyllabic words are used to show the simplicity of childhood life, for example in the line “the thing I could not grasp or name”. The ‘spring violets’ are ‘in their loamy bed’ and are no longer frail and melancholy, and the memory takes place on a ‘hot afternoon’ in contrast to the ‘cold dusk’ that represents the present. Childhood is represented as a joyful, vivacious time in one’s life, and the value of a stable family life is conveyed. The unexpected integration of Australian vernacular in the line ‘it will soon be night, you goose’, adds a sense of freedom and relaxation to the otherwise formal discourse and more rigid structure of the poem, once again reflects the simplicity and innocence that is associated with childhood. The use of

Gilbert’s poem portrays many Aboriginals plight’s within Australia and conveys notions of despair, anguish and anger for his fellow Aboriginal comrades. Again, Gilbert uses strong visual imagery in “the anguished death you spread” which helps convey the persona’s feeling of horror and anger at the Europeans. This is further emphasised through the poet’s vehement and repetitive use of second person pronouns in “you” which conveys a sense of blame and accumulates into an accusatory tone and generates a strong sense of detachment between the author and the European settlers. Furthermore enjambment enhances the accusatory tone in “you pollute all the rivers and litter every road” because the lack of punctuation and pauses makes the lines sharp and quick, creating a sense of anger in the author. In addition the author’s use of metaphors in “humanity locked in chains” creates a sense of struggle and inability to escape the oppression the Aboriginals are in, whereby the word “chain” is symbolic for trapped and lack of freedom. Kevin Gilbert’s emotional poem brings light to the pain and suffering Aboriginals are going through, which is a stark contrast to the image of Australia, being a free and accepting

Whether you realise it or not, the act of representation is a constant and significant aspect of our lives. It defines and influences our perceptions of things in either a positive or negative way. One poem that I particularly admire from Harwood’s collection is ‘The violets’ , as it recognises the inevitable act of evolving without our childhood memories. The art of growing up and moving forward is only fully accomplished when we recognise and accept the experiences and explorations of our childhood. Harwood’s poetic style reflects her conservative, traditional and religious upbringing, as well as her interests in literature, philosophy and music. As one of Australia’s finest poets, and it is an honour to introduce Harwood’s latest poem anthology.

She was born in New England in Regional New South Wales and came to Brisbane as a young woman. She lived in New Farm as a statistician at the University of Queensland while she wrote the first of her poems that were to make her famous, among them “Bullocky” and “The Moving image.” In Brisbane, she met and fell in love with Philosopher Jack McKinney, after years of a scandalous affair (Since Jack was married with 4 children at the time, and was unable to obtain a divorce) in 1945 they brought a tiny cottage on Mount Tamborine. They shared 20 happy years together and gave birth to a baby girl called Meredith, until Jack’s death in 1966. Wright is from Queensland, so her interpretation of the Australian Stereotype plays to the Gold Coast stereotype of the tanned, muscular surfers. Most significantly it reflects the careless nature that Australia possesses in response to consequences. We are carefree, happy and sometimes drunk. We aren’t a risk-calculating society. She utilizes this stereotype without making it offensive or mocking. By doing this she is critiquing our insouciant attitude and that this may be dangerous. Due to our laidback attitude, it may mean we are unable to deal with significant issues. Another reason Wright may have used this stereotype is that it connects the poem using a familiar image to make it more relatable to Australians and a warning is one both familiar and relevant to our

Wilbur makes frequent use of imagery in “The Writer.”  He uses metaphors extensively – for instance, calling “the stuff / Of her life is … great cargo, … some of it heavy”.

Another good example of imagery is Scannell's use of metaphors. The use of metaphors in this poem helps intensify the imagination of the reader by linking objects and actions in a familiar manner. For example, the metaphor "roundabouts galloping nowhere” is used to describe the continuous motion of the carousel ride. This metaphor is very effective as it not only describes the ride in detail but also refers to the endless struggle, disappointment and dismay those who work at travelling fairs face, their lives and careers "galloping nowhere".

The imagery used in this verse appeals to the sense sight. This helps the reader visualise what the writer is taking about. It also allows the reader to relate and connect more to the poem.

Each of the poems relies heavily on imagery to convey their respective messages. Often throughout each of the poems, the imagery is that of people. However, each uses similar imagery to very different, yet effective ways to explore the same

Finney does not approve of the critics’ viewpoint that her poetry shows rage. Rather she sees “the passion. I see the really powerful feelings I have about certain subjects… Poetry is about communicating. Standing up on a soapbox is not communicating: it’s something else” (Finney, “Interview with: Nikky Finney”). However, she does not depend on her feelings only when she writes a poem, a thorough research, including reading the autobiography of the figure-such as Condoleezza Rice, goes on. Finney even states that she has always been autobiographical in her poetry (Finney, “Interview with: Nikky Finney”).

Kath makes the poem very personal by the use of words like I and we for example, she begins the poem by saying, “Look up, my people”. This makes it feel more tailored for whomever the poem is directed to. The poem also has a rhyming pattern of ‘not rhyme line’, B, B, C. Also, there is intertextual referencing to the ‘Dream Time’.