At Mornington, A Poem by Gwen Harwood - 750 Words

Memorable ideas are evident in Harwood’s poetry. In her poem, â€Å"At Mornington†, she considers the philosophical idea that the passing of time leads to gaining of wisdom. Harwood shows that growth and development are a critical part of defining our individuality. She has effectively used poetic techniques such as construction; vivid imagery and the context of her own life to explore this idea and contributed to the textual integrity of the piece. External contextual readings and values of the poem have illuminated the significance of the piece in asserting the value of friendship and relationships, and presented various ideas such as the inevitability of death, the significance that past events and memories play in shaping present perception as well as the defining of individuality through growth and development. Together, this contributes to the memorability of the poem. At Mornington is variant in structure; it is linear, circular and episodic, containing recurring motifs. The lack of a rhyme scheme displays the ‘train-of-thought’ nature of the poem, presenting the poem as a reflective journey for the persona. Experiences with family and friends are tied with the poem, starting with a first witnessing of the sea and then introspectively reflecting on water, memory and death. The episodic recollection of the sea displays the personas reliance on memories to convey changes in perspective. Thoughts of mortality are developed during a meeting â€Å"among avenues of the dead† withShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Gwen Harwood s Poem, At Mornington979 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout Gwen Harwood’s Selected Poems, Harwood continually seeks to examine the many different faces of human nature, which have been heavily influenced by her experiences as a child, a woman and in the moments prior to her death. Her poems explore and reveal the power of reminiscence and memories, rebellion against authority, as well as the idea of mortality, which are illustrated by many of Harwood’s different personas. In some of Harwood’s poems, the persona demonstrates that memory canRead MoreGwen Harwood relationships throughout poems903 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Gwen Harwood’s poetry endures to engage readers through its poetic treatment of loss and consolation. Gwen Harwood’s seemingly ironic simultaneous examination of the personal and the universal is regarded as holding sufficient textual integrity that it has come to resonate with a broad audience and a number of critical perspectives. This is clearly evident within her poems ‘At Mornington’ and ‘A Valediction’, these specific texts have a main focus on motif that once innocence is lost it cannot beRead MoreTextural Integrity in Gwen Harwood1572 Words   |  7 PagesEXTENDED RESPONSE: Gwen Harwood â€Å"In your view, how has textural integrity been achieved in Harwood’s works. Support your view with detailed reference to at least two of the poems set for study, evaluating the structure and poetic techniques† Through the mastery of the unique structure, style, and coherent textural integrity of her work, Gwen Harwood is widely acknowledged as a ______ poet. Harwood engages the audience personally though the highly personal, yet detached tone and language, thusRead MoreGwen Harwood Essay1160 Words   |  5 PagesMODULE B: GWEN HARWOOD Opportunities for an individual to develop understanding of themselves stem from the experiences attained on their journey through life. The elements which contribute to life are explored throughout Gwen Harwood’s poems, At Mornington and Mother Who Gave Me Life, where the recollection of various events are presented as influences on the individual’s perception of the continuity of life. Both poems examine the connections between people and death in relation to personal connectionsRead MoreGwen Harwood - Power of Memory. Essay1110 Words   |  5 Pagesexperiences held in the subconscious illuminate an adult’s perception. Harwood uses tense shifts throughout her poetry to emphasise and indicate the interweaving and connection the past and the present hold. By allowing this examination of the childhood memories, Harwood identifies that their significance is that of an everlasting memory that will dominate over time’s continuity and the inevitability of deat h. Three poems written by Harwood that emphasise the idea of memory’s importance and its ability