Gwen Harwood Essay

Gwen Harwoods poetry is steeped in Romantic traditions and is underpinned by tenderist concerns. My private interpretation is that Harwoods poetry locks subscribers with its poetic treatment of difference and solace as well as its geographic expedition of universal nationals intimately human existence and the processes of life.Harwoods poetry validates the consoling influence of childishness experiences upon bad development evident in At Mornington which explores iodin sense datum of button and consolidation experienced in the cycle of life from conduct to death. Harwood explores angiotensin-converting enzyme transitory nature of life in her lyrical verse The Violets, revealing the management in which memory undersurface illustrate last(prenominal) experiences that will resonate in the present offering consolation.Further more Harwoods poetry is characterised by an over-arching existential quest for meaning and consolation as experienced by means of her explorati on of love in A Valediction. Whilst the flavour that Harwoods poetry engages ratifiers through its poetic treatment of overtaking and consolation resonates with my profess interpretation of her meters, readers ar also engaged through Harwoods exploration of universal truisms.A contemplation of human existence and unrivalled way in which wiz cycle of life is characterised by blemish and consolation as a pervading composing throughout Harwoods poetry. In At Mornington past, present and future experiences are united through the poems come apart structure and poetic treatment experiences of loss of naivety and consolation in order to encapsulate the cycle of life characteristic of one human experience. Furthermore, Harwood uses biblical allusions secure in my fathers arms to withdraw the universality of human existence, engaging the reader.The poem begins in the sections past with her childhood innocence and naivety, which is conveyed in her belief in her own invincibility. I remember believing as a child I could walk on water. Harwoods use of biblical digitry evokes the nous ofJesus walking on water and the consoling effect this had on the speakers childhood self, to represent her nave, childish outlook.This water imagery becomes a sustained motif. The speaker draws on the image of the pelter on which memories of early childhood are born through a contemplative tone of spiritual replenishment as she stands among avenues of the dead, engaging the reader through the poetic treatment of both loss and consolation. In conformism with the Romantic tradition, the speaker acknowledges the restorative capabilities of the natural elements conveyed in the image of a pitcher of water which becomes a metaphor for replenishment and revitalisation.As the poem shifts to the present tense, the reader is further engaged as the fibre finds herself in a graveyard and coming to terms with the death and loss of a loved one. The persona comes to a peaceful acceptance of lifes transience and her own mortality as she acknowledges the inevitable passage of period that brings us to that snip of our lives where our bones wear us offering her a sense of consolation.The poem concludes with a projection into the future, with the existential tone no hand will save me evoking the realisation that death and loss is one inevitable end of the cycle. Harwoods poem At Mornington engages readers through its poetic treatment of loss and consolation and the way in which these themes recur throughout the cycle of life.Harwoods poems elucidate themes of memory and recollection, highlighting the way these egest time, death and loss and eventually offer consolation. In one desirous poem The Violets the speaker revisits a seminal childhood experience that affirms bighearted perspectives and engages the reader by identifying the importance of memories of filial love in sustaining the adult self, providing consolation. The childs nave question Where has morning go ne? emphasises the proponent of dreams to distort time and evokes the speakers sense of loss. The childs loss is countered by the memory of her parents unconditional love.The use of enjambment creates a sense of continuity as the violets transport the speaker back to a time when she was lovingly comforted, thus continually engaging the reader. The maternal image of the mother who dried my tearful face and the visual image of stroking, halcyon brown hair conveys the tenderness of this memory. Through therecurring motif of the violets in our loamy bed Harwood shifts between past and present experiences of loss and consolation.literary critic Elizabeth Lawson suggests identifying its ability to control moment s in time by transforming consciousness of the present. The speaker realises that although memories are ambiguous and time can be stolen, ultimately, as is portrayed in the personification Years cannot be active the lamplit presences of her childhood. The poem concludes with a final natural image of the clean scent of violets drifts in the air conveying the personas sense that the memories of her parents love transcends the power of death. In The Violets Harwoods poetic treatment of loss and consolation through the motif of the violets engages the reader on an emotional level.The theme of love and its permanent, passionate nature resonates within Harwoods poetry, engaging readers through its poetic treatment of the experiences of loss and consolation associated with love. Similar to At Mornington which expresses one cycle of life and the acceptance of its inevitable processes, A Valediction expresses the go of maturation through reflection that leads the speaker from adolescent contrivedity to an wonder of the enduring nature of love.The intertextual reference to John Donne in the poems title foreshadows the exploration and poetic treatment of the experience parting from a loved one and the emotional repercussions of this loss. The personas adolescen t sentimentality is evoked through her ritual of seeking solace in her anthology of Donnes poetry.The memories of her youth are metaphorically inked in with aches from adolescence. Harwood explores the nature of love in her representation of dickens significant female figures and it is from their contrasting reactions to their experiences of love that informs the personas more mature perception of love and loss. One the one hand, Harwood gives representation Salome, whose sputum to the grand passion of love is conveyed in the flippant tone of her chit-chat whether I kissed Nietzche on Monte Sacro I find I do not now remember.On the other hand, Harwood depicts Saint Therese, a nun who dedicated her life to selfless love as conveyed in the sentimental tone of her comment when I love it is forever. Harwoods juxtaposition of these womens perspectives on love highlights the folly of both ideals and consolidates the personas intelligence that it isrationalism and moderation that offe r the most valued appreciation of love.The personas direct address dear ladies shall we meet half way between sanctity and liberation? conveys her awareness that there should be a balance between disinterest oversentimentality. The poem concludes with an idyllic scene that encapsulates the personas sense of contentment and maturity beyond her emotional angst. let me walk at sunset in the pasture feeding my geese engages the reader through the poetic treatment of loss and consolation as it is associated with the theme of love.Modernist poet Gwen Harwood adheres to the literary conventions of the Romantics in her anthology of poems, employing poetical devices and form to give expression to the themes of loss and consolation as well as other timeless themes. Harwood continues to engage readers through her exploration of universal themes of human existence evident in At Mornington, The Violets and A Valediction.