Literary Analysis Of The Lion's Bride By Gwen Harwood Words | 6 Pages. Gwen Harwood’s poem The Lion’s Bride, written revolves around the time period when women were objectified as housewives whose only job was to breed and nurture children, as well as care for their husbands · Gwen Harwood was a famous Australian poet, known for many thought-provoking literary pieces. She wrote on a great variety of subjects and published over works. The language used in many of her poems lacks a clear rhyme and at times is borderline prose, and yet still it manages to pluck at the strings located in a reader’s heart, painting vivid and poignant pictures in their mind to · Gwen Harwood Essay her initial confrontation with death as a child and the second conveying her acceptance of mortality when she is forced to part ways with her dying father. Life is a fleeting and impermanent state that must be treated with
Gwen Harwood Essay - Words | Bartleby
This idea of childhood innocence is a Romantic ideal, and the process of growth that one experiences from this state of innocence to adulthood takes place when the persona learns about the inevitability of time.
This is what makes a child innocent and, Romantically invested; this is what Harwood is shown to value through her poetry. Throughout the poem, there is an extended connection between nature and humanity, a connection which once manifested as a Romantic ideal, gwen harwood essays.
In this stanza, the persona is also older, and so, the imagery of the violets reflects the growth and change of the persona. You may have noticed that throughout the poem, there is a motif of the violets. These flowers are an element of nature, an entity of high value to Romantics, and they are symbolic of remembrance and memory. This idea that all life, including both nature and humanity, inevitably faces degradation is highlighted when this present-tense description of the violets, a Romantically valued aspect of nature, is contrasted with the past-tense description in the idealised memories of the persona.
Just as nature experiences a gwen harwood essays, as does humanity, and, through a Romantic perspective, gwen harwood essays, this exemplifies the idea that is the force of nature cannot overcome the trials of time, then neither can other forms of life. This realisation is represented through a contrast in the past and present states of life, demonstrated through the power of memory, and leads to an acceptance of the inevitable life cycle which is propelled by time.
In the childhood memory of the persona, her mother-like figure likens to Christian images of the Virgin Mary who often held purple violets, and which were symbolic of her humility in confronting the ending of life.
This is because the violets, gwen harwood essays, in terms of this religious iconography, symbolise mourning, foreshadowing the death of Christ, and therefore the inevitable suffering and death of humanity. This connection between religious faith and past memories emphasises the importance of memory from a religious perspective, gwen harwood essays, reminding the reader that even Biblical figures experienced the grief associated with death.
Harwood explores the notion of dying and how crucial it is to accept this. Harwood presents her audience with funerary imagery. By connecting religion and death, Harwood uses her faith to console herself about age and decline.
Harwood gwen harwood essays the need to understand and accept the process of aging as it is essential for well-being. Through religious references to death and aging, Harwood comments on the inevitability of facing decline and degradation. Throughout the poem, filial bonds are surrounded with connotations of warmth, comfort and consolation.
The embedded section of the final stanza presents a Romanticised, idealised memory of family and connection, gwen harwood essays. Through these connections between relationships and cosiness, gwen harwood essays, Harwood demonstrates the impact of relationships upon accepting the inevitability gwen harwood essays death.
Just as Mary consoled Christ, this poem alludes to the Fall of Man, with the mother figure gwen harwood essays comfort for her child, similarly to Mary. This is also a Biblical reference, as it connects to the brook of Kedron in Jerusalem. Christ had to cross this brook, and it marks the location where he made peace with his Father, God. The persona metaphorically crosses her brook of Kedron, and in doing so, makes peace with her parents, who have consoled gwen harwood essays, and gwen harwood essays makes her peace with dying.
These universal symbols of religion, in association with family and childhood connections, ease the acceptance of mortality. The persona of the poem experiences a loss of innocence with the discovery of the tragedy of death. In this part of the poem, the persona accepts the inevitability of death and therefore completes the process of maturation. Romantic references to nature connect the natural world with humanity and demonstrate that growth and the life cycle are inevitable for all forms of life.
Throughout the first three stanzas of the poem, there is a tone of mischief and playfulness, however, this turns to a tone of lamentation for the remainder of the poem, conveying the power of this memory to bring the shock of the realisation and knowledge about the trauma of death. This memory is so significant because of what it begins; maturation, and because of what it gwen harwood essays the persona.
This causes a loss of innocence as knowledge about death is gained, a significant realisation of growing up, and therefore a significant childhood memory. Harwood turns to her Romantic ideals to soothe the gravity of knowledge acquired and understand what was learnt in the memory of killing the owl.
This idea is highlighted by religious allusions. Harwood combines a value of nature with the theme of significant relationships to exemplify their ability in easing the trials and tribulations of life.
The juxtaposition of the spiritual and transcendent coital experience represented in this poem is connected with the resurrection of Christ. From a religious interpretation, the audience is reminded of the power of God over the mundane existence of humans, gwen harwood essays. Harwood uses her religious values to demonstrate the timeless and universal value of divine and transcendent experiences. However, she also concedes that transcendent moments do not last forever, which is perhaps what makes them so significant.
During the coital experience, the persona experienced a transcendent spiritual awakening, another Romantic value. However, Harwood demonstrates that relationships can provide solace after this realisation of mortality and of the transience of human life and experience.
The Romantics valued the personal experience, and the use of first person within this poem represents the idea of personal and emotional memories. The personal disposition of the poem allows the persona to emulate her spiritual connection to the divinity of nature. The motif of light, reflected in memories, and in the present, represents the everlasting need of the human condition to return to a time of purity before death, referencing the religious belief of heaven, and providing a semblance of hope and security, facilitating the acceptance of death with the promise of an afterlife.
Harwood gwen harwood essays the gwen harwood essays that memory provides a religious education which raises emotions of hope and solace regarding the gravity of death. There is a motif of water throughout the poem, an element of nature, and of value, and therefore an indicative component of Romantic idealism.
This allusion refers to preparing one for death, by cleansing their soul. Harwood comments on the spiritual and emotional acceptance that occurs with age and an understanding of gwen harwood essays. Harwood comments that religious can assist with the reconciliation of death and degradation.
Romanticism also held a value of the human condition. Through Romantic influence, Harwood demonstrates the mutual comfort that comes from friendship and acts as an antidote to the anxieties surrounding death. This highlights the religious notion that friendship and other relationships are strengthened by religious faith, and bring about a spiritual peace that prepares one for life after death.
Gwen Harwood Analysis. Accessed May 19, Gwen Harwood Analysis Categories: Art Child Death God Life Owl Poetry Religion Romanticism Spirituality, gwen harwood essays. Download paper. Analysis, Pages 25 words. Get a verified writer to help you with Gwen Harwood Analysis. Top Writers. Verified expert. Cite this page Gwen Harwood Analysis. Related Essays, gwen harwood essays. Stay Safe, Stay Original. Not Finding What You Need?
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We have updated our Resource Package on Gwen Harwood’s poems. The page Resource Package comprises commentaries, essays, a detailed thematic overview and analytical sentence models for poetic terminology. For more information, please click here. It contains: Commentary-style analysis of six poems. Heatwave, North Hobart: a commentary planEstimated Reading Time: 8 mins · Gwen Harwood Essay her initial confrontation with death as a child and the second conveying her acceptance of mortality when she is forced to part ways with her dying father. Life is a fleeting and impermanent state that must be treated with · Gwen Harwood was a famous Australian poet, known for many thought-provoking literary pieces. She wrote on a great variety of subjects and published over works. The language used in many of her poems lacks a clear rhyme and at times is borderline prose, and yet still it manages to pluck at the strings located in a reader’s heart, painting vivid and poignant pictures in their mind to
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