In The Park By Gwen Harwood Essay

Life is full of inevitable change ad it is not always easy in order to understand our lives and ourselves, we much understand the sacrifices need to be made and this can mean having to face the unknown. Harwood’s collection of poetry explores the understanding that comes with change, despite the challenges it presents. Through her use of memories and the experience of losing what is valued in life, Harwood teaches readers that although the inevitable changes of life will not come easy, it is important to find ways to cope and move on with our lives.

This type of sonnet is used by Shakespeare and contains the rhyme scheme abab, cdcd, efef, gg. The comfort and rhythmic effect of the rhyme scheme allows for an easier understanding of the emotions the narrator is trying to convey. The rhyming pattern that occurs at the end of the poem captures the entire meaning of the sonnet in its final two lines, “Such permanence is terrifying. / So I touch them in the dark; but touch them, trying.” (Lines 13-14). This reveals the fear the writer has for her partner’s possible wavering love in contrast to his permanent tattoos that represent the idea of permanence. Additionally, the rhyme style and word use help to interpret the meaning of the poem’s formal verse. Furthermore, the poem uses an element called enjambment, to draw the attention of its readers to certain details. Enjambment is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as, “the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.” In my interpretation of this element, the use of enjambment illustrates the desire to have her partner’s love continue without end or pause, and speaks to the uncertainty of knowing when things

Julia Alvarez, in her poem “’Poetry Makes Nothing Happen’?”, writes that poems do play a role in people’s lives. She supports her idea by using relateable examples of how poems might change someone’s life. Her first example is simple, poetry can entertain someone on long drives. This does not only aply to long dirves however, Alvarez uses this to show that poetry does not have to have a big influence on someone’s life, instead it can affect a person in the smallest of ways, such as entertainment. The second example describes poetry comforting someone after the loss of a loved one. This is an important role of poetry because everyone loses something precious to them at some point in their life. Her next example talks of a person who can receive

As one begins to face life challenges, one’s maturity is put to the test. In the story, “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, the speaker allows his ego to rise above him which ultimately causes the death of his brother. On the other hand, the speaker in “Shaving” by Leslie Norris acknowledges that his father is dying maturely steps up and takes his father’s role in the family. The speaker in Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, “Annabel Lee,” has an immature response towards the death of his loved one and cannot cope with the reality of the situation. The speaker in each work has to rely on their maturity to lead them through the hardships life has to offer. All three authors make clear that maturity drives one’s ability to cope with life’s challenges.

I stretched thy joynts to make thee even feet,/ Yet still thou run’st more hobling then is meet;” give us a perfect child imagery as well as a broader view of her innermost thoughts. She isn’t merely expressing her vexation upon the careless errors that haven’t been “lessened” (8), but proceeds to personify her book of poems by naming the struggles of ‘raising and nurturing human life’. Moreover, readers who aren’t necessarily poets can sympathize with her displeasure and chagrin of having something that intimate be taken from her. We could interpret her fervent emotions as ‘maternal instincts’. Therefore, the poem justifies how being a mother gives you an ideal edge in

Our initial thought upon reading the title was that the poem would explore a child who suffers from a mental illness; hence they felt out of touch with reality and walking backwards portrayed their state of mind. An alternate theory was that the poem told a coming of age story that highlighted the child’s reluctance to grow up and embrace the harsh realities of life.

In today’s modern society, sex education is seen as one of the seven plagues of Egypt. Let’s face reality, kids as young as 10 years old are having sex. According to the public health data, the chlamydia rate among teenagers have sky rocked by 80 per cent in the past two decades. Is this the result of ignorance or the lack of knowledge? In the article “The Sex Ed Revolution: a portrait of the powerful political bloc that’s waging war on Queen’s Park” by Nicholas Hune-Brown, published in Toronto Life magazine on September, 3, 2015 parents are opposed to the new sex education curriculum for various reasons. Religious and cultural beliefs plays a major part, while others believe the information will lead their kids to experiment. Children are

In order to change history, people must learn from their mistakes. Segregation in North America has been a big issue in North America that unfortunately still happens in the world today, however, it is not as bad as it once was. In the poem “History Lesson” by Natasha Trethewey, the author uses mood, symbolism and imagery to describe the racial segregation coloured people faced in the past compared to more recent times, where equality is improved and celebrated.

Fantasy and fiction flood most of our childhood but, the older a child gets, the quicker fiction turns to fact as slowly but surely, the rug of fantastical imagination is pulled out beneath them. This is exactly the case in Li-Young Lee’s short poem A Story. A Story is about a father who struggles to tell stories to his son, but as the boy grows older, his coming of age begins to make their relationship complex. Even though the complexity of the relationship is never directly stated, Lee shows this idea through point of view and literary devices. found in the poem. For the entire duration of the poem, the reader is able to infer how the complexity of the relationship changes and how the father feels about his son through the techniques and methods stated above.

Right away Candace G. Wiley’s poem title, “Dear Black Barbie,” caught my eye. Looking through the poem, the author uses multiple literary techniques. However, after reading the poem various times, clearly symbols function as the predominant literary element of Wiley’s poem, and these symbols must be decoded to fully comprehend Wiley’s work.

It is a contrast in comparison to many of Plath's other poems, which are suffused with despair, it is full of tenderness and love. It is a new beginning for both Plath and her baby. This sets the tone as she answers her newbornrole as a new mother. The opening line of the poem – ‘love set you like 's cry, still unsure of her a fat gold watch’ – suggests that her baby is precious. Her baby is depicted as a “new statue in a drafty museum…” This emphasizes the child’s beauty, like a statue. It also represents the harshness of the world, and her vulnerability, as a "new" statue.It also sounds as if Plath felt disconnected from the baby. She feels uncertain and incapable, as she describes ‘staring blankly at walls’. She is confused and unsure by motherhood. This image seems at first cold, but it is a realistic judgment of her ideas of parenthood. The feeling of distance is also shown in: “I’m not more your mother than the cloud that distils as mirror to reflect its own slow effacement at the wind’s hoard.” The final lines of the poem present the reassuring vision of a loving mother attending to her baby's needs. Plath’s self-image – ‘cow-heavy and floral in my Victorian nightgown’ – is self-deprecating and realistic. The final image is an optimistic one. It ends in celebration of her hope for her baby's future ‘And now you try Your handful of notes The clear vowels rise like

In a final statement as to the universality of motherhood, Edna’s acceptance of death is also a rebirth. Nine months have passed since Edna’s enlightening summer in Grand Isle, and her fetus-self is ready to be delivered. “For the first time in her life she stood naked in the open air, at the mercy of the sun, the breeze that beat upon her, and the waves that invited her. She felt like some newborn creature, opening its eyes in a familiar world that it has never known”

In the poem “Just as the Calendar Began to Say Summer”, Mary Oliver provides two distinct, juxtaposing tones.

The essence of great poetry lies with the author’s ability to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. Most poets use universal themes to connect their audience through emotion and experience, making the written theme relatable. But it is only when combined with the use of carefully placed literary techniques that this connection is enhanced and the work transforms from simple words on paper to an art form. Gwen Harwood uses a number of her poems to connect us with the universal journey from childhood innocence to experience and adulthood. Harwood also weaves the idea of memory into her writing, as a way to trigger emotion through a connection to the past, a connection to feelings that transcend through time. Coupled with her ability to use

The first classmate who raised her hand commented that she really liked the how the narrator “withdr[ew] from the blood”. A few other students agreed. Another classmate said that he liked how the narrator having to kill a “demon” indicates that something is weighing this character down emotionally. The same classmate also liked how I repeated “pay is still less than the sum” because the line enforces that the main character’s suffering is not complete despite the poem ending. Another classmate said that she really liked how the line “with each wet step I grow lighter” utilized figurative imagery to show that the character is freeing herself from the burden of life’s troubles. One student made an interesting comment about how the phrase “sirens shriek” caused her to continuously hear ringing as the rest