Childhood
We were then Children with nothing but Childhood. We played kiss Tag and suicide which Was merely a game with Throwing, and running, and Touching the side of the School house before the thud Of the ball. You became The rumor of a girl Who missed high school English And dated the boys who Would have, should have, will have Been in jail. They said You fought with your parents And even ran away At Christmastime. I became The sweetheart of the high School staff with "Excellents," Ivy League potential, A chance to do great deeds And late nights alone in My room, worrying if A ninety was an "A" Or a "B." What we became Was friends for life who ran And then walked naked on The dunes of Moody Beach And talked of God and life As we shot our shots of Kamikaze and I Carried you out of the Bar with love. What they saw Was the saver in me And the savee in you The lost girl who was back On track after all of That trash and even has A shot at college now Which means all the tea in China you know. What I see now Is the girl who saved me From torching my path through The sky. At breakneck speeds Towards oldness and deadness And all the monsters we Fought in youth, who wore ties, Breathed fire, and who worked more Than played. What you are now Is dropped out and free As you scheme to tag whales Off the coast of Wales or Study the Earth in New Zealand. But you still crashed Your car twice last week On the ice of Tatnic Road and I worry. What I am now Is learning, achieving, Interning. Taking notes, Gaining knowledge, looking At the future and all I could be, and grad school, Careers and how much I could Make and B.A.'s and b.s. And you worry. Rightly so.
Celebration Of The Lizard
Celebration Of The Lizard
| "Celebration of the lizard" by James Douglas Morrison is a helpless labyrinth of insanity. The poem is a murder that results in insanity. The speaker is the murderously insane madman. In this outrageous maze, the poet is running from his chaotic problems. In the first three stanzas, it starts out as a bad dream that eventually causes the speaker to drive himself to a temporary insanity. During his state of temporary insanity, he murders a man out of jealousy that he cannot control. After the murder, he runs to a hideout on a hill far away. He describes the hideout as a mansion to give you the picture in your mind of how appreciative he is to have a place to hide. The journey is a long and monotonous one but ends in the disappointment of having to turn back. In the last stanza he announces, "Tomorrow we enter the town of my birth, I want to be ready". In this poem, James Morrison is taking you with him on a frantic, frightening roller coaster. The poet's tone is dark and eerie. The dream in the beginning becomes a reality, which is an example of foreshadowing. When he describes the mansion on the hill, it puts a picture in your mind, which is an excellent example of alliteration. This poem is interesting and frustrating at first because it makes you think about every phrase. To read it requires keeping an open mind because there are a lot of metaphors. I had to read it over 20 times just to get a vague understanding. Please do not let the length and metaphorical contents of this poem discourage you from reading this intriguing poem. This is definitely a poem that you will not find in a schoolbook. If you like this poem, I recommend that you read the work of other dark poets such as Edgar Allen Poe. |
Carol Anne Duggys Adultery
Carol Anne Duggys Adultery
Carol Anne Duffy’s poem “Adultery” is structured in a traditional and straightforward way. It is comprised of eleven verses - each with the common four lines, which consist of between four and nine words. This makes the poem not particularly striking at the first look, before it is read. The typography does not attract the readers attention, this is probably because Duffy wants the reader to concentrate on the language, and is not concerned with the shape that the lines form, or how they relate to the themes of the poem. RHYME AND RHYTHM Duffy does not seem particularly interested in rhyme in this poem, and probably decided before writing it that she did not want any. Therefore rhyme has been avoided, as has a regular, repetitive rhythm. I think that Duffy wants to allow the language to speak for itself, without getting tangled up in rhyme and rhythm schemes, and having to change what she wants to say in order to make it fit these limitations. She also wants to avoid losing the impact of the poem. This has much to do with the language used, poetic devices, and very often, the lack of rhythm, seen clearly in the first verse when she writes: “Guilt. A sick, green tint” The caesura breaks up the line, splitting it into two. If she were writing within the barriers of a specific rhythm, she would probably be tempted, and perhaps compelled to, split this line exactly in half, in order to balance it and keep the structure. This would not have the same effect. The caesura is used as dramatic device, implying that the poem is intended to be read out loud. The break makes the reader pause, giving the first word a larger impact as it is isolated from the rest of the text. It also does the same for the following sentence, and as it is on the end of the verse, there is a natural pause here as well, giving this line impact and power. Seeing as it also highlights a key theme in the poem, guilt, it is also an important line as it tells the reader a little about what to expect, and also raises their interest and expectations, Guilt? Why? Who? LANGUAGE Duffy uses language very effectively in this poem. She wants to create a specific atmosphere and then build on it, creating characters, situations and emotions as she does so. She wants an atmosphere of sleaziness and seediness, but wants it to sound exciting, dangerous and seductive. She also examines the harm that the situations cause. The first verse (or stanza) is packed with intrigue, mystery, excitement and questions. “Wear dark glasses in the rain”, demands the first line, and the reader gets ideas of disguise. It goes on to mention “unhurt” and “bruise” - dark glasses to hide a black eye? Maybe not, another glance at the title, “Adultery”, suggests something else - sado-masochism? Then comes the “guilt”, as mentioned above, and reader knows she is talking about a sexual affair - but who? What? Where? We want to know more. The second verse builds on the sexual intrigue with mentions of “hands can do many things”, and “money tucked in the palms” suggests prostitution, as well as “wash themselves” maybe implying that they feel dirty? Duffy is building an atmosphere which is sexually charged and filled with riddles and ambiguous comments, daring the reader to assume a sexually link. The next verse features the line: “You are naked under your clothes all day...”, another sexual connotation, perhaps implying that the clothes are a disguise, and all day the character does something which is not really them, and underneath they are different, “naked” suggests vulnerability. There is also “...brings you alone to your knees...” and “...more, more...”, which could suggest oral sex, while the repetition shows that Duffy considers this the most important word of the line, demanding it stands out, and it could suggest an unsatisfied sexual appetite, or description of the frequency of the couple’s meetings. Dishonesty is mentioned with “deceit” and “Suck a lie with a hole in it”. This could be a more explicit reference to oral sex, or more obscurely, Polo mints, the mint you suck with a hole in it. Duffy could be saying that the lies are sweet, addictive and refreshing compared with a mundane life, like Polo mints; she could mean that the lies come as easily as sweets from a packet, although probably not. Or perhaps the key is in the next line: “On the way home from a lethal thrilling night.” Maybe the character is mulling over what the excuse will be to the spouse, how he/she will lie their way out of where they have been, but the lie will always be flawed as it is not true - hence the hole. The “lethal” also brings a touch of danger to the atmosphere. Duffy does not want the reader to be comfortable with this deceit or the situation as a whole. We know it is sordid, and now we know it could be a bit hazardous. Duffy continues with “up against a wall, faster”, an obvious reference to the e night they’ve just had, with fast exciting sex - quick gratification. The last line of this verse: “unpeels to a lost cry. You’re a bastard.” The caesura breaks up the line, balancing it, and giving greater impact and significance to the second half. The colloquialism “bastard” is used for several reasons. It has a big impact, surprising the reader, and shocking a minority, who aren’t used to taboo words in poetry. This gives it more power - it is swear word, and is offensive. Duffy could have said “You’re a bad person”, but this is dead, lame, and ineffective. It is also more emotional, as “bastard” is more dramatic than “bad person” and so has more feeling in it. It is likely that Duffy is revealing what the spouse’s reaction would be to the news that his/her wife/husband is having an affair. If not then the adulterer is imagining what their spouse would say, and is calling him/herself a bastard. It is unlikely that Duffy herself is calling the adulterer a bastard. Firstly Duffy does not appear to pass judgment on the characters in the rest of the poem, she lets their actions and feelings speak for themselves. Secondly, Duffy would probably realise that it is more interesting to hear another character’s opinion, than her own, especially when she has focused on what the characters are thinking in the rest of the poem. Altogether, Duffy is revealing some of the emotions involved with adultery. There is also the matter of whether the adulterer is male or female. “Bastard” is traditionally an insult towards men, and it is unlikely that Duffy would purposely confuse the reader in regard to the gender of the main character, especially when their actions and thoughts are so vital to the poem. This does not necessarily mean that the adulterer is male. The references earlier to oral sex implied that the adulterer was female, but I could be wrong about those, or maybe Duffy is saying that person the adulterer is having an affair with is a bastard - hence a female adulterer. With the oral sex references in mind, presuming they are correct, it suggests that the affair is homosexual, but if this were the case then Duffy would almost certainly say it in more explicit terms, as on first read this is not apparent, and Duffy cannot want her poem to be that misunderstood. The next verse begins: “Do it do it do it. Sweet darkness” Duffy is using poetic devices to convey the mood and atmosphere she wants to create. The caesura again breaks the line in two giving a big impact and significance to both halves as the readers pauses for effect. The repetition shows that the phrase “do it” is important and needs to be emphasized again and again, or perhaps it is describing how they “do it” again and again - a possible sexual reference. The lack of punctuation conveys the speed and urgency. “Sweet darkness” is almost an oxymoron; we are used to thinking of darkness as spooky, scary and hiding dangers, and to think of it as sweet seems to be a contradiction in terms, it isn’t really, but Duffy knows that this impression will be given. She could be talking about the lovers meeting in the darkness, or darkness hiding their sins, but either way, the fact that it appears to be an oxymoron draws the readers attention to it, as does the caesura. Duffy then returns to sexually ambiguous phrases like “how you are wanted, which way, now”, and “pay for it in cash” this must be referring to desire in the former quotation and probably prostitution in the latter. However, Duffy never explicitly writes about prostitution, just hints at it in order to increase the sexual tension and condense the atmosphere of seediness. Duffy goes on to describe how the affair is taking it’s toll on the marriage and conscience of the adulterer. “...The life which crumbles like a wedding cake.” - Duffy uses a simile to describe how the life is being eroded, by comparing it to a crumbling wedding cake, reminding that the adulterer is married, and that the marriage must also be splintering. The seventh verse is interesting: “Paranoia for lunch; too much to drink, as a hand on your thigh tilts the restaurant. You know all about love, don’t you. Turn on your beautiful eyes” The annotations show all the poetic devices that Duffy uses, mostly in order to increase the mood of the poem and convey the theme. In the next verse Duffy uses an interesting image: “the slicing of innocent onions scalds you to tears”. I do not know what Duffy is trying to say to the reader here, but there are several possibilities. The adulterer has returned to the household chores for the family, and is crying because he/she feels bad about how he/she has betrayed the family, and is reminded of this by the return to the old routine; or possibly the “innocent onions” represent the innocent members of the family that the adulterer has hurt - this would be the “slicing” - and the realisation of this has made the adulterer cry, just like cutting onions would. Duffy is telling the reader that the adulterer feels remorse that the family has suffered for her affair, and this changes the atmosphere. It appears that in these verses the poet is describing what happens when the adulterer returns to the family home, he/she sleeps in a “marital bed”, Duffy is pointing this out so deliberately to highlight the fact that he/she has recently been sharing another bed, an extra-marital one. “The tarnished spoon of your body stirring betrayal” - Duffy uses a metaphor to explain that the adulterer feels dirty due to his/her actions, and is acutely aware of how he/she has let down the family and betrayed the spouse. The reader feels that the adulterer regrets their actions, and is now dealing with the consequences, which could be severe as he/she has to send “dumb and explicit flowers on nobody’s birthday” to try to win over the partner again and apologise. If the partner hasn’t found out then the adulterer is probably sending the flowers just out of guilt. However, the last verse implies that the partner does know what’s been going on, as they appear to have an argument about it: “...You did it. What. Didn’t you. Fuck. Fuck. No...” Duffy does not explicitly show that it is dialogue by using inverted commas, but the language suggests it is. The partner has just discovered what is going on and is confronting the adulterer. The colloquialism is again used to give the line power, impact, and the ability to shock, as “*censored*” is generally considered to be the most taboo word in the English language. It is shows that the this is very emotional. The characters are using “strong language” because they have very strong feelings and are very upset. They both want to get across the power of what they are feeling, and the lack of question marks-?- show that they are not calmly asking each other questions, but are speaking in statements - “You did it, didn’t you.”, rather than “You did it, didn’t you?”. This also implies that they are shouting at each other. This is usually shown in either capital letters, italics, or bold type, but Duffy again does not want to be so explicit. She wants the reader to have to read the verse a few time through to understand it, as this will make them concentrate more and focus on what is being said. Throughout this poem Duffy is building up atmosphere. She uses language and poetic devices to create a mood, and then changes the mood, thereby moving the story on.
Carol Anne Duffy’s poem “Adultery” is structured in a traditional and straightforward way. It is comprised of eleven verses - each with the common four lines, which consist of between four and nine words. This makes the poem not particularly striking at the first look, before it is read. The typography does not attract the readers attention, this is probably because Duffy wants the reader to concentrate on the language, and is not concerned with the shape that the lines form, or how they relate to the themes of the poem. RHYME AND RHYTHM Duffy does not seem particularly interested in rhyme in this poem, and probably decided before writing it that she did not want any. Therefore rhyme has been avoided, as has a regular, repetitive rhythm. I think that Duffy wants to allow the language to speak for itself, without getting tangled up in rhyme and rhythm schemes, and having to change what she wants to say in order to make it fit these limitations. She also wants to avoid losing the impact of the poem. This has much to do with the language used, poetic devices, and very often, the lack of rhythm, seen clearly in the first verse when she writes: “Guilt. A sick, green tint” The caesura breaks up the line, splitting it into two. If she were writing within the barriers of a specific rhythm, she would probably be tempted, and perhaps compelled to, split this line exactly in half, in order to balance it and keep the structure. This would not have the same effect. The caesura is used as dramatic device, implying that the poem is intended to be read out loud. The break makes the reader pause, giving the first word a larger impact as it is isolated from the rest of the text. It also does the same for the following sentence, and as it is on the end of the verse, there is a natural pause here as well, giving this line impact and power. Seeing as it also highlights a key theme in the poem, guilt, it is also an important line as it tells the reader a little about what to expect, and also raises their interest and expectations, Guilt? Why? Who? LANGUAGE Duffy uses language very effectively in this poem. She wants to create a specific atmosphere and then build on it, creating characters, situations and emotions as she does so. She wants an atmosphere of sleaziness and seediness, but wants it to sound exciting, dangerous and seductive. She also examines the harm that the situations cause. The first verse (or stanza) is packed with intrigue, mystery, excitement and questions. “Wear dark glasses in the rain”, demands the first line, and the reader gets ideas of disguise. It goes on to mention “unhurt” and “bruise” - dark glasses to hide a black eye? Maybe not, another glance at the title, “Adultery”, suggests something else - sado-masochism? Then comes the “guilt”, as mentioned above, and reader knows she is talking about a sexual affair - but who? What? Where? We want to know more. The second verse builds on the sexual intrigue with mentions of “hands can do many things”, and “money tucked in the palms” suggests prostitution, as well as “wash themselves” maybe implying that they feel dirty? Duffy is building an atmosphere which is sexually charged and filled with riddles and ambiguous comments, daring the reader to assume a sexually link. The next verse features the line: “You are naked under your clothes all day...”, another sexual connotation, perhaps implying that the clothes are a disguise, and all day the character does something which is not really them, and underneath they are different, “naked” suggests vulnerability. There is also “...brings you alone to your knees...” and “...more, more...”, which could suggest oral sex, while the repetition shows that Duffy considers this the most important word of the line, demanding it stands out, and it could suggest an unsatisfied sexual appetite, or description of the frequency of the couple’s meetings. Dishonesty is mentioned with “deceit” and “Suck a lie with a hole in it”. This could be a more explicit reference to oral sex, or more obscurely, Polo mints, the mint you suck with a hole in it. Duffy could be saying that the lies are sweet, addictive and refreshing compared with a mundane life, like Polo mints; she could mean that the lies come as easily as sweets from a packet, although probably not. Or perhaps the key is in the next line: “On the way home from a lethal thrilling night.” Maybe the character is mulling over what the excuse will be to the spouse, how he/she will lie their way out of where they have been, but the lie will always be flawed as it is not true - hence the hole. The “lethal” also brings a touch of danger to the atmosphere. Duffy does not want the reader to be comfortable with this deceit or the situation as a whole. We know it is sordid, and now we know it could be a bit hazardous. Duffy continues with “up against a wall, faster”, an obvious reference to the e night they’ve just had, with fast exciting sex - quick gratification. The last line of this verse: “unpeels to a lost cry. You’re a bastard.” The caesura breaks up the line, balancing it, and giving greater impact and significance to the second half. The colloquialism “bastard” is used for several reasons. It has a big impact, surprising the reader, and shocking a minority, who aren’t used to taboo words in poetry. This gives it more power - it is swear word, and is offensive. Duffy could have said “You’re a bad person”, but this is dead, lame, and ineffective. It is also more emotional, as “bastard” is more dramatic than “bad person” and so has more feeling in it. It is likely that Duffy is revealing what the spouse’s reaction would be to the news that his/her wife/husband is having an affair. If not then the adulterer is imagining what their spouse would say, and is calling him/herself a bastard. It is unlikely that Duffy herself is calling the adulterer a bastard. Firstly Duffy does not appear to pass judgment on the characters in the rest of the poem, she lets their actions and feelings speak for themselves. Secondly, Duffy would probably realise that it is more interesting to hear another character’s opinion, than her own, especially when she has focused on what the characters are thinking in the rest of the poem. Altogether, Duffy is revealing some of the emotions involved with adultery. There is also the matter of whether the adulterer is male or female. “Bastard” is traditionally an insult towards men, and it is unlikely that Duffy would purposely confuse the reader in regard to the gender of the main character, especially when their actions and thoughts are so vital to the poem. This does not necessarily mean that the adulterer is male. The references earlier to oral sex implied that the adulterer was female, but I could be wrong about those, or maybe Duffy is saying that person the adulterer is having an affair with is a bastard - hence a female adulterer. With the oral sex references in mind, presuming they are correct, it suggests that the affair is homosexual, but if this were the case then Duffy would almost certainly say it in more explicit terms, as on first read this is not apparent, and Duffy cannot want her poem to be that misunderstood. The next verse begins: “Do it do it do it. Sweet darkness” Duffy is using poetic devices to convey the mood and atmosphere she wants to create. The caesura again breaks the line in two giving a big impact and significance to both halves as the readers pauses for effect. The repetition shows that the phrase “do it” is important and needs to be emphasized again and again, or perhaps it is describing how they “do it” again and again - a possible sexual reference. The lack of punctuation conveys the speed and urgency. “Sweet darkness” is almost an oxymoron; we are used to thinking of darkness as spooky, scary and hiding dangers, and to think of it as sweet seems to be a contradiction in terms, it isn’t really, but Duffy knows that this impression will be given. She could be talking about the lovers meeting in the darkness, or darkness hiding their sins, but either way, the fact that it appears to be an oxymoron draws the readers attention to it, as does the caesura. Duffy then returns to sexually ambiguous phrases like “how you are wanted, which way, now”, and “pay for it in cash” this must be referring to desire in the former quotation and probably prostitution in the latter. However, Duffy never explicitly writes about prostitution, just hints at it in order to increase the sexual tension and condense the atmosphere of seediness. Duffy goes on to describe how the affair is taking it’s toll on the marriage and conscience of the adulterer. “...The life which crumbles like a wedding cake.” - Duffy uses a simile to describe how the life is being eroded, by comparing it to a crumbling wedding cake, reminding that the adulterer is married, and that the marriage must also be splintering. The seventh verse is interesting: “Paranoia for lunch; too much to drink, as a hand on your thigh tilts the restaurant. You know all about love, don’t you. Turn on your beautiful eyes” The annotations show all the poetic devices that Duffy uses, mostly in order to increase the mood of the poem and convey the theme. In the next verse Duffy uses an interesting image: “the slicing of innocent onions scalds you to tears”. I do not know what Duffy is trying to say to the reader here, but there are several possibilities. The adulterer has returned to the household chores for the family, and is crying because he/she feels bad about how he/she has betrayed the family, and is reminded of this by the return to the old routine; or possibly the “innocent onions” represent the innocent members of the family that the adulterer has hurt - this would be the “slicing” - and the realisation of this has made the adulterer cry, just like cutting onions would. Duffy is telling the reader that the adulterer feels remorse that the family has suffered for her affair, and this changes the atmosphere. It appears that in these verses the poet is describing what happens when the adulterer returns to the family home, he/she sleeps in a “marital bed”, Duffy is pointing this out so deliberately to highlight the fact that he/she has recently been sharing another bed, an extra-marital one. “The tarnished spoon of your body stirring betrayal” - Duffy uses a metaphor to explain that the adulterer feels dirty due to his/her actions, and is acutely aware of how he/she has let down the family and betrayed the spouse. The reader feels that the adulterer regrets their actions, and is now dealing with the consequences, which could be severe as he/she has to send “dumb and explicit flowers on nobody’s birthday” to try to win over the partner again and apologise. If the partner hasn’t found out then the adulterer is probably sending the flowers just out of guilt. However, the last verse implies that the partner does know what’s been going on, as they appear to have an argument about it: “...You did it. What. Didn’t you. Fuck. Fuck. No...” Duffy does not explicitly show that it is dialogue by using inverted commas, but the language suggests it is. The partner has just discovered what is going on and is confronting the adulterer. The colloquialism is again used to give the line power, impact, and the ability to shock, as “*censored*” is generally considered to be the most taboo word in the English language. It is shows that the this is very emotional. The characters are using “strong language” because they have very strong feelings and are very upset. They both want to get across the power of what they are feeling, and the lack of question marks-?- show that they are not calmly asking each other questions, but are speaking in statements - “You did it, didn’t you.”, rather than “You did it, didn’t you?”. This also implies that they are shouting at each other. This is usually shown in either capital letters, italics, or bold type, but Duffy again does not want to be so explicit. She wants the reader to have to read the verse a few time through to understand it, as this will make them concentrate more and focus on what is being said. Throughout this poem Duffy is building up atmosphere. She uses language and poetic devices to create a mood, and then changes the mood, thereby moving the story on.
Carl Sandburg
Carl Sandburg
Carl Sandburg was unique compare to many other poets. All of the poems that he wrote were short and straight to the point. You would not find any poems that he had written that are over a page, yet still; his poems are very easy to understand. Sandburg lived through a lot of historic events, so all of his poems were about those historic events. As you know, history isn’t always exciting or easy to learn. Yet, Sandburg was able to write about those times in a way that an average high school student can understand, unlike other poets like Emily Dickinson or Edgar Allen Poe. Carl Sandburg should be included in an anthology of American poetry because of his writing technique and experience. Sandburg used a lot of the generalization methods to make his poems simpler to understand. Even though we know that sometimes-generalizing things are not good, Sandburg did a great job of it and was still able to write out everything he wanted to. Like I said, Carl Sandburg lived through some of the most famous historic events in the United States of all time. He had seen events like World War I, the roaring 1920s, the Depression, World War II, the New Deal, and the Cold War. The anthology of American poetry needs more poets with his kind of experience. I’ll bet you that he never had trouble trying to figure out what to write about. The poem I chose by Carl Sandburg was a poem called JAWS. It’s a poem about World War I, and it talks about how the countries that were involved in the war had a chance to prevent war, but they ignored it. This poem should be included as an example of the poets’ work because it’s saying what we think and feel. When we learn about how World War I was started, we would be thinking don’t these countries realize what they’re getting themselves into and don’t they have consciences. The poem JAWS talks about all these things so we can relate to it. Another reason why I think this poem should be included as an example of the poets’ work is because it’s short and straight to the point. If you were to give a high school student a choice of either reading a page long poem or a paragraph long poem, most chances are that student will pick the paragraph long one. And just because the poem JAWS is short doesn’t mean it’s not well written or incomplete with information. It has enough information for that certain type of poem and probably even an elementary student can understand it. This poem can be included in the canon because it’s about history and history is being taught on for all generations. It also should be included in the canon because not many poems in the canon are as short yet still contains so much information.
Carl Sandburg was unique compare to many other poets. All of the poems that he wrote were short and straight to the point. You would not find any poems that he had written that are over a page, yet still; his poems are very easy to understand. Sandburg lived through a lot of historic events, so all of his poems were about those historic events. As you know, history isn’t always exciting or easy to learn. Yet, Sandburg was able to write about those times in a way that an average high school student can understand, unlike other poets like Emily Dickinson or Edgar Allen Poe. Carl Sandburg should be included in an anthology of American poetry because of his writing technique and experience. Sandburg used a lot of the generalization methods to make his poems simpler to understand. Even though we know that sometimes-generalizing things are not good, Sandburg did a great job of it and was still able to write out everything he wanted to. Like I said, Carl Sandburg lived through some of the most famous historic events in the United States of all time. He had seen events like World War I, the roaring 1920s, the Depression, World War II, the New Deal, and the Cold War. The anthology of American poetry needs more poets with his kind of experience. I’ll bet you that he never had trouble trying to figure out what to write about. The poem I chose by Carl Sandburg was a poem called JAWS. It’s a poem about World War I, and it talks about how the countries that were involved in the war had a chance to prevent war, but they ignored it. This poem should be included as an example of the poets’ work because it’s saying what we think and feel. When we learn about how World War I was started, we would be thinking don’t these countries realize what they’re getting themselves into and don’t they have consciences. The poem JAWS talks about all these things so we can relate to it. Another reason why I think this poem should be included as an example of the poets’ work is because it’s short and straight to the point. If you were to give a high school student a choice of either reading a page long poem or a paragraph long poem, most chances are that student will pick the paragraph long one. And just because the poem JAWS is short doesn’t mean it’s not well written or incomplete with information. It has enough information for that certain type of poem and probably even an elementary student can understand it. This poem can be included in the canon because it’s about history and history is being taught on for all generations. It also should be included in the canon because not many poems in the canon are as short yet still contains so much information.
Captivity By Erdrich
Captivity By Erdrich
Louise Erdrich, the author of the famous poem titled Captivity, tells a story about a married mother who has been held captive by a tribe of Indians. The poem uses a wide variety of literary elements such as sympathy, guilt, submissiveness, and tentativeness. The two main themes of this first person, six-stanza poem, are love and fear. Erdrich also uses tricksters, which are supernatural characters found in the folklores of various primitive peoples. They often function as culture heroes who are given acts of sly deception. In this poem, the narrator’s captor takes on the role of a trickster. In most of Erdrich’s writings, she uses multiple characters as tricksters and this reflects on her Native American Heritage (Smith 23). One of Erdrich’s main writing tactics is the use of “historical ‘captivity narratives’” (Wilson and Jason 2716). One of the interesting facts about this poem is that it is based upon a true story. Erdrich gives us that feeling of truth and captivity before the poem begins. “He (my captor) gave me a bisquit, which I had put in my pocket, and not daring to eat it, buried it under a log, fearing he had put something in it to make me love him,” (Erdrich, 26). This quote came “from the narrative of the captivity of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson,” (Erdrich 26). Mrs. Mary was held captive by the Wampanoag Indian Tribe in 1676, when Lancaster, Massachusetts was demolished (Erdrich 26). The first stanza brings a strong feeling of some sort of imprisonment or captivity. “But he dragged me by the ends of my hair,” (Erdrich 26). The narrator at this point is experiencing fear from her captor, however she also feels passion and love when she looks into his face. “I could distinguish it from the others… I feared I understood his language, which was not human,” (Erdrich 26). Also, there is irony in this stanza when her captor saves her from the cold waters of the stream (Wilson and Jason 2715). In the second stanza, the tribe is pursued by white men who have “guns loaded with swan shot,” (Erdrich 26). However, the tribe is put in danger because of her child’s cries, which are from starvation. In my interpretation of the poem, she cannot “suckle” her own child because she is so nervous and confused (Erdrich 26). Luckily for the tribe and captives, there is a woman who feeds the child “milk of acorns,” (Erdrich 26). In the third stanza, the narrator is to the point of starvation as she tells herself not to take food from his hands. “I told myself that I would starve/ Before I took food from his hands,” (Erdrich 26). I believe that Louise is trying to reflect the quote used before the poem taken from Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, trying to give the reader a sense of hidden desire. However, going against her will to not give in to her captor, she eats the fetus of a deer that her captor gave to her. “He had killed a deer with a young one in her/ And gave it to me to eat of the fawn,” (Erdrich 26). The way that the narrator describes her meal is delicate, however Erdrich tells us that it is a fetus; that paints a distasteful picture for the mind of the reader. At the end of the stanza, Erdrich is very vague about what happens and leaves it up to the reader to decide the outcome. I felt that the narrator was tentative when she said, “That I followed where he took me./ … He cut the cord that bound me to the tree,” (Erdrich 27). In my interpretation, this is where Erdrich uses the literary element of submissiveness. I personally think that she slept with her captor because the next and last stanzas of the poem she feels guilty. In the fourth stanza, the narrator is frightened and hides herself in fear from God because she knows in her heart that she has sinned. “After that the birds mocked./ Shadows gaped and roared/… He did not notice God’s wrath./ God blasted fire from half buried stumps./ I hid my face… fearing that he would burn us all,” (Erdrich 27). Perhaps she is in a bad lighting or thunderstorm in this stanza. She also notices “her captor neither notices or fears God’s wrath,” (Wilson and Jason 2715). The last two stanzas take place at her house later in her life after being held captive. This indicates that the climax of the poem is in the fourth stanza. Although she is home and doing well, the element of guilt is present when she longs for her captive experience and her husband. She also does not feel at home when she says that she sees, “no truth in things,” even though she has food for her child (Wilson and Jason 2715). The narrator says, “‘I lay myself to sleep’ and ‘I lay to sleep’, two lines that echo the prayer taught to children,” (Wilson and Jason 2715). In the last stanza, she is perhaps in a dream taking her back to her captivity with the Indian tribe. She feels that she is “outside their circle,” however she then finds herself as a part of their chants and lives (Erdrich 27). “And he led his company into the noise/… I could no longer bear the thought of how I was./ I stripped a branch and struck the earth/ To admit to me/ And feed me honey from the rock,” (Erdrich 27). Louise Erdrich uses her native history and background to describe some of the elements in the narrative poem. I agree with Claudia Egerer, author of Fiction (In)betweenness, when she describes the way that Erdrich writes fiction. “First person voices are construed as subjective, implicated as they are in the telling of their own story… their double function as narrators and narratees,” (59). Captivity reflects this exact statement. Without a doubt, Louise Erdrich creates life and history through Captivity and it’s complexity.
Louise Erdrich, the author of the famous poem titled Captivity, tells a story about a married mother who has been held captive by a tribe of Indians. The poem uses a wide variety of literary elements such as sympathy, guilt, submissiveness, and tentativeness. The two main themes of this first person, six-stanza poem, are love and fear. Erdrich also uses tricksters, which are supernatural characters found in the folklores of various primitive peoples. They often function as culture heroes who are given acts of sly deception. In this poem, the narrator’s captor takes on the role of a trickster. In most of Erdrich’s writings, she uses multiple characters as tricksters and this reflects on her Native American Heritage (Smith 23). One of Erdrich’s main writing tactics is the use of “historical ‘captivity narratives’” (Wilson and Jason 2716). One of the interesting facts about this poem is that it is based upon a true story. Erdrich gives us that feeling of truth and captivity before the poem begins. “He (my captor) gave me a bisquit, which I had put in my pocket, and not daring to eat it, buried it under a log, fearing he had put something in it to make me love him,” (Erdrich, 26). This quote came “from the narrative of the captivity of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson,” (Erdrich 26). Mrs. Mary was held captive by the Wampanoag Indian Tribe in 1676, when Lancaster, Massachusetts was demolished (Erdrich 26). The first stanza brings a strong feeling of some sort of imprisonment or captivity. “But he dragged me by the ends of my hair,” (Erdrich 26). The narrator at this point is experiencing fear from her captor, however she also feels passion and love when she looks into his face. “I could distinguish it from the others… I feared I understood his language, which was not human,” (Erdrich 26). Also, there is irony in this stanza when her captor saves her from the cold waters of the stream (Wilson and Jason 2715). In the second stanza, the tribe is pursued by white men who have “guns loaded with swan shot,” (Erdrich 26). However, the tribe is put in danger because of her child’s cries, which are from starvation. In my interpretation of the poem, she cannot “suckle” her own child because she is so nervous and confused (Erdrich 26). Luckily for the tribe and captives, there is a woman who feeds the child “milk of acorns,” (Erdrich 26). In the third stanza, the narrator is to the point of starvation as she tells herself not to take food from his hands. “I told myself that I would starve/ Before I took food from his hands,” (Erdrich 26). I believe that Louise is trying to reflect the quote used before the poem taken from Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, trying to give the reader a sense of hidden desire. However, going against her will to not give in to her captor, she eats the fetus of a deer that her captor gave to her. “He had killed a deer with a young one in her/ And gave it to me to eat of the fawn,” (Erdrich 26). The way that the narrator describes her meal is delicate, however Erdrich tells us that it is a fetus; that paints a distasteful picture for the mind of the reader. At the end of the stanza, Erdrich is very vague about what happens and leaves it up to the reader to decide the outcome. I felt that the narrator was tentative when she said, “That I followed where he took me./ … He cut the cord that bound me to the tree,” (Erdrich 27). In my interpretation, this is where Erdrich uses the literary element of submissiveness. I personally think that she slept with her captor because the next and last stanzas of the poem she feels guilty. In the fourth stanza, the narrator is frightened and hides herself in fear from God because she knows in her heart that she has sinned. “After that the birds mocked./ Shadows gaped and roared/… He did not notice God’s wrath./ God blasted fire from half buried stumps./ I hid my face… fearing that he would burn us all,” (Erdrich 27). Perhaps she is in a bad lighting or thunderstorm in this stanza. She also notices “her captor neither notices or fears God’s wrath,” (Wilson and Jason 2715). The last two stanzas take place at her house later in her life after being held captive. This indicates that the climax of the poem is in the fourth stanza. Although she is home and doing well, the element of guilt is present when she longs for her captive experience and her husband. She also does not feel at home when she says that she sees, “no truth in things,” even though she has food for her child (Wilson and Jason 2715). The narrator says, “‘I lay myself to sleep’ and ‘I lay to sleep’, two lines that echo the prayer taught to children,” (Wilson and Jason 2715). In the last stanza, she is perhaps in a dream taking her back to her captivity with the Indian tribe. She feels that she is “outside their circle,” however she then finds herself as a part of their chants and lives (Erdrich 27). “And he led his company into the noise/… I could no longer bear the thought of how I was./ I stripped a branch and struck the earth/ To admit to me/ And feed me honey from the rock,” (Erdrich 27). Louise Erdrich uses her native history and background to describe some of the elements in the narrative poem. I agree with Claudia Egerer, author of Fiction (In)betweenness, when she describes the way that Erdrich writes fiction. “First person voices are construed as subjective, implicated as they are in the telling of their own story… their double function as narrators and narratees,” (59). Captivity reflects this exact statement. Without a doubt, Louise Erdrich creates life and history through Captivity and it’s complexity.
Bruce Dawe
Bruce Dawe
Bruce Dawe, a well renowned Australian poet was born in 1930 in Geelong. Who was once portrayed as “an ordinary bloke with a difference”. Bruce Dawe writes about ordinary Australian people in the suburbs confronting their everyday problems. He observes and records the sorrow and hardships of average people struggling to survive back in the 1940’s. Mr Dawe emphasises his views by composing three of his great simple poems Home Suburbiensis, Drifters and my favourite Life-Cycle. Poem “Homo suburbiensis”-Latin term for humans that live in the suburbs. The poem shows a classical suburban household set on a quarter-acre block with a flower garden and lawn in front and a vegetable garden (lawn) at the back. Dawe maintains that there is one constant value in a unstable world where politics play a major role. The man is a suburban householder standing alone in his backyard on a quiet evening among his vegetables. Dawe's captures humorous terms like it’s "not much but it's all we've got." The imagery suggests that Dawe is both celebrating suburbia, while in some ways puts down the suburban householders dreams: The rich smell of “compost” and “rubbish”. The space taken vastly by overcrowds dry land with drying plants represent the overcrowding of suburbia. His thoughts are lost escaping the pressures that comes with life. The traffic unescapable to his mind. Dawe shows a sympathetic look towards this person “lost in a green confusion”, as even in the retreat of his backyard he still cannot escape the lifestyle of suburbs. This is a good example of an ordinary life, as this particular person needs to escape the pressures, which highlight “TIME, PAIN, LOVE, HATE, AGE, EMOTION, and LAUGHTER”. All which are present and Dawe makes that aware of an "ordinary life". Being achieved in his back yard. Dawe proposes that ordinary lifestyles are not just eat, work, sleep but the strains people have to face everyday. He goes into depths of people’s lives and makes their problems obvious to the readers. Dawe faces people’s problems that is not bought up everyday and are ignored Another poem in which Bruce Dawe tackles the issue of ordinary people was “Drifter’s” this poem represents family who move from place to place, as the father needs to move by the demand of his job. The young children are growing up to learn no other way of life, as they are all waiting for the day they shall move again. The children get very excited about moving from place to place “and the kids will yell truly”. The eldest, she is seeing what she is missing out on and is becoming aware that there roaming lives may never change “the oldest girl is close to tears because she was happy here”. She realises she can not lead a normal teenage life as she is not stationed long enough, to become friends with people her own age. She is becoming frustrated with her life. From the above Dawe shows compassion for the wife, as she has to go through this more than once “ she won’t even ask why they’re leaving this time”. In addition, the young children are going to grow up to realise they will too go through the same thing. Dawe also shows a serious side in the poem, as the mother just wants to settle down and have a peaceful future. Dawe has a sympathetic outlook towards the mother, by outlining her hopes and dreams, also asking her husband Tom to make a wish in the last line of the poem “Make a wish, Tom, make a wish.’ The ten-verse poem “life- cycle” was probably the best known poem that Dawe wrote it foresees the football fans in Victoria it describes the poem as “something like a religious believe and salvation” This poem is based on Australian invention of Aussie Rules Football. It confirm football is portrayed as a religion and food for many people in Victoria “hot pies and potato-crisps they will eat”. It also shows football sustains the young and replenishes the old. Its tradition is life sustaining with no other thing better to do than support football. The poet uses the language of football freely “ barracking…carn…streamers …scarfed… Demons… saints…ladder… final term …three- quarter-time”. The slang that he uses is very catchy and easy to understand what he went to say to the readers. Dawe’s manner is ever so slightly disrespectful but gently so. He respects the strength of football’ life and the life sustaining qualities it offers. The point he tries to state is the power and passion of Victorian football in its homeland is wonderful to watch. In conclusion Bruce Dawe’s skill in using appropriately simply word structure and rhythm, to re-create his earliest memory of ordinary lifestyles people sustained in the late 1940’s is brilliantly contracted. He’s work is to be admired by people it can be said his a poet of the people, because he writes about the problems of life in a language that everyone can understand. From all three of his varied poem’s it can be observed that Bruce Dawe was very concerned about ordinary people since his child hood. His poems are very emotional and sympathetic to Australian society past and present. The great simple poems Home Suburbiensis, Drifters and my favourite Life-Cycle is very ordinariness in deed. Overall, Dawe’s poems are very appealing his concerns to point out injustice and those aspect of society that need to be changed is well delivered.
Bruce Dawe, a well renowned Australian poet was born in 1930 in Geelong. Who was once portrayed as “an ordinary bloke with a difference”. Bruce Dawe writes about ordinary Australian people in the suburbs confronting their everyday problems. He observes and records the sorrow and hardships of average people struggling to survive back in the 1940’s. Mr Dawe emphasises his views by composing three of his great simple poems Home Suburbiensis, Drifters and my favourite Life-Cycle. Poem “Homo suburbiensis”-Latin term for humans that live in the suburbs. The poem shows a classical suburban household set on a quarter-acre block with a flower garden and lawn in front and a vegetable garden (lawn) at the back. Dawe maintains that there is one constant value in a unstable world where politics play a major role. The man is a suburban householder standing alone in his backyard on a quiet evening among his vegetables. Dawe's captures humorous terms like it’s "not much but it's all we've got." The imagery suggests that Dawe is both celebrating suburbia, while in some ways puts down the suburban householders dreams: The rich smell of “compost” and “rubbish”. The space taken vastly by overcrowds dry land with drying plants represent the overcrowding of suburbia. His thoughts are lost escaping the pressures that comes with life. The traffic unescapable to his mind. Dawe shows a sympathetic look towards this person “lost in a green confusion”, as even in the retreat of his backyard he still cannot escape the lifestyle of suburbs. This is a good example of an ordinary life, as this particular person needs to escape the pressures, which highlight “TIME, PAIN, LOVE, HATE, AGE, EMOTION, and LAUGHTER”. All which are present and Dawe makes that aware of an "ordinary life". Being achieved in his back yard. Dawe proposes that ordinary lifestyles are not just eat, work, sleep but the strains people have to face everyday. He goes into depths of people’s lives and makes their problems obvious to the readers. Dawe faces people’s problems that is not bought up everyday and are ignored Another poem in which Bruce Dawe tackles the issue of ordinary people was “Drifter’s” this poem represents family who move from place to place, as the father needs to move by the demand of his job. The young children are growing up to learn no other way of life, as they are all waiting for the day they shall move again. The children get very excited about moving from place to place “and the kids will yell truly”. The eldest, she is seeing what she is missing out on and is becoming aware that there roaming lives may never change “the oldest girl is close to tears because she was happy here”. She realises she can not lead a normal teenage life as she is not stationed long enough, to become friends with people her own age. She is becoming frustrated with her life. From the above Dawe shows compassion for the wife, as she has to go through this more than once “ she won’t even ask why they’re leaving this time”. In addition, the young children are going to grow up to realise they will too go through the same thing. Dawe also shows a serious side in the poem, as the mother just wants to settle down and have a peaceful future. Dawe has a sympathetic outlook towards the mother, by outlining her hopes and dreams, also asking her husband Tom to make a wish in the last line of the poem “Make a wish, Tom, make a wish.’ The ten-verse poem “life- cycle” was probably the best known poem that Dawe wrote it foresees the football fans in Victoria it describes the poem as “something like a religious believe and salvation” This poem is based on Australian invention of Aussie Rules Football. It confirm football is portrayed as a religion and food for many people in Victoria “hot pies and potato-crisps they will eat”. It also shows football sustains the young and replenishes the old. Its tradition is life sustaining with no other thing better to do than support football. The poet uses the language of football freely “ barracking…carn…streamers …scarfed… Demons… saints…ladder… final term …three- quarter-time”. The slang that he uses is very catchy and easy to understand what he went to say to the readers. Dawe’s manner is ever so slightly disrespectful but gently so. He respects the strength of football’ life and the life sustaining qualities it offers. The point he tries to state is the power and passion of Victorian football in its homeland is wonderful to watch. In conclusion Bruce Dawe’s skill in using appropriately simply word structure and rhythm, to re-create his earliest memory of ordinary lifestyles people sustained in the late 1940’s is brilliantly contracted. He’s work is to be admired by people it can be said his a poet of the people, because he writes about the problems of life in a language that everyone can understand. From all three of his varied poem’s it can be observed that Bruce Dawe was very concerned about ordinary people since his child hood. His poems are very emotional and sympathetic to Australian society past and present. The great simple poems Home Suburbiensis, Drifters and my favourite Life-Cycle is very ordinariness in deed. Overall, Dawe’s poems are very appealing his concerns to point out injustice and those aspect of society that need to be changed is well delivered.
Bruce Dawe
Bruce Dawe
Homo Suburbiensis, Drifter’s and Life-Cycle, Bruce Dawe, a well renowned Australian poet was born in 1930 in Geelong. Who was once portrayed as “an ordinary bloke with a difference”. Bruce Dawe writes about ordinary Australian people in the suburbs confronting their everyday problems. He observes and records the sorrow and hardships of average people struggling to survive back in the 1940’s. Mr Dawe emphasises his views by composing three of his great simple poems Home Suburbiensis, Drifters and my favourite Life-Cycle. Poem “Homo suburbiensis”-Latin term for humans that live in the suburbs. The poem shows a classical suburban household set on a quarter-acre block with a flower garden and lawn in front and a vegetable garden (lawn) at the back. Dawe maintains that there is one constant value in a unstable world where politics play a major role. The man is a suburban householder standing alone in his backyard on a quiet evening among his vegetables. Dawe's captures humorous terms like it’s "not much but it's all we've got." The imagery suggests that Dawe is both celebrating suburbia, while in some ways puts down the suburban householders dreams: The rich smell of “compost” and “rubbish”. The space taken vastly by overcrowds dry land with drying plants represent the overcrowding of suburbia. His thoughts are lost escaping the pressures that comes with life. The traffic unescapable to his mind. Dawe shows a sympathetic look towards this person “lost in a green confusion”, as even in the retreat of his backyard he still cannot escape the lifestyle of suburbs. This is a good example of an ordinary life, as this particular person needs to escape the pressures, which highlight “TIME, PAIN, LOVE, HATE, AGE, EMOTION, and LAUGHTER”. All which are present and Dawe makes that aware of an "ordinary life". Being achieved in his back yard. Dawe proposes that ordinary lifestyles are not just eat, work, sleep but the strains people have to face everyday. He goes into depths of people’s lives and makes their problems obvious to the readers. Dawe faces people’s problems that is not bought up everyday and are ignored Another poem in which Bruce Dawe tackles the issue of ordinary people was “Drifter’s” this poem represents family who move from place to place, as the father needs to move by the demand of his job. The young children are growing up to learn no other way of life, as they are all waiting for the day they shall move again. The children get very excited about moving from place to place “and the kids will yell truly”. The eldest, she is seeing what she is missing out on and is becoming aware that there roaming lives may never change “the oldest girl is close to tears because she was happy here”. She realises she can not lead a normal teenage life as she is not stationed long enough, to become friends with people her own age. She is becoming frustrated with her life. From the above Dawe shows compassion for the wife, as she has to go through this more than once “ she won’t even ask why they’re leaving this time”. In addition, the young children are going to grow up to realise they will too go through the same thing. Dawe also shows a serious side in the poem, as the mother just wants to settle down and have a peaceful future. Dawe has a sympathetic outlook towards the mother, by outlining her hopes and dreams, also asking her husband Tom to make a wish in the last line of the poem “Make a wish, Tom, make a wish.’ The ten-verse poem “life- cycle” was probably the best known poem that Dawe wrote it foresees the football fans in Victoria it describes the poem as “something like a religious believe and salvation” This poem is based on Australian invention of Aussie Rules Football. It confirm football is portrayed as a religion and food for many people in Victoria “hot pies and potato-crisps they will eat”. It also shows football sustains the young and replenishes the old. Its tradition is life sustaining with no other thing better to do than support football. The poet uses the language of football freely “ barracking…carn…streamers …scarfed… Demons… saints…ladder… final term …three- quarter-time”. The slang that he uses is very catchy and easy to understand what he went to say to the readers. Dawe’s manner is ever so slightly disrespectful but gently so. He respects the strength of football’ life and the life sustaining qualities it offers. The point he tries to state is the power and passion of Victorian football in its homeland is wonderful to watch. In conclusion Bruce Dawe’s skill in using appropriately simply word structure and rhythm, to re-create his earliest memory of ordinary lifestyles people sustained in the late 1940’s is brilliantly contracted. He’s work is to be admired by people it can be said his a poet of the people, because he writes about the problems of life in a language that everyone can understand. From all three of his varied poem’s it can be observed that Bruce Dawe was very concerned about ordinary people since his child hood. His poems are very emotional and sympathetic to Australian society past and present. The great simple poems Home Suburbiensis, Drifters and my favourite Life-Cycle is very ordinariness in deed. Overall, Dawe’s poems are very appealing his concerns to point out injustice and those aspect of society that need to be changed is well delivered.
Homo Suburbiensis, Drifter’s and Life-Cycle, Bruce Dawe, a well renowned Australian poet was born in 1930 in Geelong. Who was once portrayed as “an ordinary bloke with a difference”. Bruce Dawe writes about ordinary Australian people in the suburbs confronting their everyday problems. He observes and records the sorrow and hardships of average people struggling to survive back in the 1940’s. Mr Dawe emphasises his views by composing three of his great simple poems Home Suburbiensis, Drifters and my favourite Life-Cycle. Poem “Homo suburbiensis”-Latin term for humans that live in the suburbs. The poem shows a classical suburban household set on a quarter-acre block with a flower garden and lawn in front and a vegetable garden (lawn) at the back. Dawe maintains that there is one constant value in a unstable world where politics play a major role. The man is a suburban householder standing alone in his backyard on a quiet evening among his vegetables. Dawe's captures humorous terms like it’s "not much but it's all we've got." The imagery suggests that Dawe is both celebrating suburbia, while in some ways puts down the suburban householders dreams: The rich smell of “compost” and “rubbish”. The space taken vastly by overcrowds dry land with drying plants represent the overcrowding of suburbia. His thoughts are lost escaping the pressures that comes with life. The traffic unescapable to his mind. Dawe shows a sympathetic look towards this person “lost in a green confusion”, as even in the retreat of his backyard he still cannot escape the lifestyle of suburbs. This is a good example of an ordinary life, as this particular person needs to escape the pressures, which highlight “TIME, PAIN, LOVE, HATE, AGE, EMOTION, and LAUGHTER”. All which are present and Dawe makes that aware of an "ordinary life". Being achieved in his back yard. Dawe proposes that ordinary lifestyles are not just eat, work, sleep but the strains people have to face everyday. He goes into depths of people’s lives and makes their problems obvious to the readers. Dawe faces people’s problems that is not bought up everyday and are ignored Another poem in which Bruce Dawe tackles the issue of ordinary people was “Drifter’s” this poem represents family who move from place to place, as the father needs to move by the demand of his job. The young children are growing up to learn no other way of life, as they are all waiting for the day they shall move again. The children get very excited about moving from place to place “and the kids will yell truly”. The eldest, she is seeing what she is missing out on and is becoming aware that there roaming lives may never change “the oldest girl is close to tears because she was happy here”. She realises she can not lead a normal teenage life as she is not stationed long enough, to become friends with people her own age. She is becoming frustrated with her life. From the above Dawe shows compassion for the wife, as she has to go through this more than once “ she won’t even ask why they’re leaving this time”. In addition, the young children are going to grow up to realise they will too go through the same thing. Dawe also shows a serious side in the poem, as the mother just wants to settle down and have a peaceful future. Dawe has a sympathetic outlook towards the mother, by outlining her hopes and dreams, also asking her husband Tom to make a wish in the last line of the poem “Make a wish, Tom, make a wish.’ The ten-verse poem “life- cycle” was probably the best known poem that Dawe wrote it foresees the football fans in Victoria it describes the poem as “something like a religious believe and salvation” This poem is based on Australian invention of Aussie Rules Football. It confirm football is portrayed as a religion and food for many people in Victoria “hot pies and potato-crisps they will eat”. It also shows football sustains the young and replenishes the old. Its tradition is life sustaining with no other thing better to do than support football. The poet uses the language of football freely “ barracking…carn…streamers …scarfed… Demons… saints…ladder… final term …three- quarter-time”. The slang that he uses is very catchy and easy to understand what he went to say to the readers. Dawe’s manner is ever so slightly disrespectful but gently so. He respects the strength of football’ life and the life sustaining qualities it offers. The point he tries to state is the power and passion of Victorian football in its homeland is wonderful to watch. In conclusion Bruce Dawe’s skill in using appropriately simply word structure and rhythm, to re-create his earliest memory of ordinary lifestyles people sustained in the late 1940’s is brilliantly contracted. He’s work is to be admired by people it can be said his a poet of the people, because he writes about the problems of life in a language that everyone can understand. From all three of his varied poem’s it can be observed that Bruce Dawe was very concerned about ordinary people since his child hood. His poems are very emotional and sympathetic to Australian society past and present. The great simple poems Home Suburbiensis, Drifters and my favourite Life-Cycle is very ordinariness in deed. Overall, Dawe’s poems are very appealing his concerns to point out injustice and those aspect of society that need to be changed is well delivered.
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