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The Park analysis
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Is ‘In The Park’ a condemnation of motherhood?
In the poem, ‘In The Park’, Harwood explores the joys and demands of childhood. Throughout this poem, we learn about a presumably single mother with her three children. The scene is set without much description, as if it is empty of life and devoid of colour. Each of the members of this family are identified only by the actions or lack of. Her children are playing mindlessly in the dirt. The mother is being pestered constantly. Although she loves her children dearly, she is getting drained by them. In the course of this poem the mother is shown in many lights. But is ‘In The Park’ a condemnation of motherhood?
The joys of motherhood is shown all the way through this poem. The mother has gone to the effort of organising this and she lets the children play. “It’s so sweet to hear their chatter…” Here Harwood is showing how the mother appreciates looking after the children and hearing them learn and talk. She loves
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As if she has lost her sense of individuality: the children have taken it away from her unknowingly. In the first line in the first stanza, Harwood states how the Mother’s clothes are out of date. This indicates that the she has no time for herself, because she has to look after her three children. The scene surrounding this line is quite cold and quiet. There is no colour or energy. Soon after, a past lover walks by, alas, too late. They exchange pleasantries and a casual nod. “Time holds great surprises.” Says the man, indicating that he did not expect her to end up like this. This could have been the perfect opportunity to leave her past self behind and start anew. But she cannot because of her responsibilities towards her children. She regrets leaving him and choosing this life of motherhood. The mother has lost herself in her children. Her love for life is gone. She loves her children but to what
Stanza three again shows doubtfulness about the mother’s love. We see how the mother locks her child in because she fears the modern world. She sees the world as dangers and especially fears men. Her fear of men is emphasized by the italics used. In the final line of the stanza, the mother puts her son on a plastic pot. This is somewhat symbolic of the consumeristic society i.e. manufactured and cheap.
The fact that they feel they can sit about the knee of their mother, in this stereotypical image of a happy family doesn’t suggest that the children in this poem are oppressed... ... middle of paper ... ... y has a negative view of the childish desire for play which clearly has an effect on the children. The fact that they the are whispering shows that they are afraid of the nurse, and that they cannot express their true thoughts and desires freely, which is why they whisper, and therefore shows that Blake feels that children are oppressed. I feel that the two poems from innocence which are ‘The Echoing Green,’ and ‘The Nurses Song,’ display Blake’s ideological view of country life which I referred to in my introduction, and show his desire for childhood to be enjoyed.
The narrator tells of a woman, Emma Lee, who has suffered physical abuse from her husband because of financial frustrations and alcoholism (Harjo 1-5). Additionally, the narrator speaks of Anna. This character is tasked with independently caring for her ill child having been abandoned by an unfaithful husband (Harjo 6-10). The speaker in the poem shares a conversation that has been had with these two mistreated and worn-down women to express the viability of
After reading Anne Bradstreet’s poems I liked “Before the Birth of One of Her Children” the most. In this poem Bradstreet is writing about the possibility of death after she gives birth to her children. During this time period 1 out of every 3 women die during childbirth. This poem was addressed to her husband as she goes on to say that if she does die that he remember everything positive about her. She even says that he must protect their children from a “step mother injury” and constantly remind them of their mother. Anne goes on to describe the possibility of this tragedy could happen to her. If this does happen to her she wants her husband to kiss the poem to symbolize kissing her after she is gone.
Similarly to the way people hold expectations for the daystar, or sun, to rise every day, mothers are expected to perform their duties like cleaning the house or taking care of the children. Both are taken advantage of and are not fully appreciated until they stop performing their duties. Throughout the poem, the woman’s daughter and husband are given names, “Liza” (line 12) and “Thomas” (line 17) respectively, but not her. The woman is only referred to as “she” or “her” which further highlights the lack of acknowledgement she receives. The mother is taken for granted by her family and is not regarded as important. Her efforts are ignored and she is never thanked for completing her tasks around the house because that is the role she is “supposed” to fulfill.
Thus, the poets conceptual ideals contribute to a incredibly different treatment of motherhood. More specifically, the orator in In the park views motherhood as a agent of the disperal of the her identity not only as a woman but also a poet. Evidently, Andrew Taylor confirms the poet’s loss of idenity when he states that the children in the poem In the park “…were the agents for the woman’s dispersal of identity , they were scattered constituents of her identiy as disperal, as non identiy” (148). In this case, the poet’s treatment of maternity is seen through her perspective in the of loss of her individual self. Moreover, Taylor also mentions that the poem In the park “…is a comparatively simply poem, and there is little temptation to equate the woman in the poem with the poet herself, despite the frequent references thoughout Harwood’s poetry to her children and the role of mother which delayed one can only assume, her emergence as a poet” ( 146). The identity that has been taken away, by the speaker’s offpsring’s, according to Taylor, was Harwood’s rise in the poetic world. As for the perspective of the poet, on motherhood, in the poem Daystar, there is a singifinalt dissimliarity. The orator , in Daystar views motherhood as over taking other womanly roles. The maternal roles that overtakes the life of a mother are evident when the poet states that “she wanted a little room for thinking” (line1 ). Simply put, according to Elizabeth Beaulieu, the orator, in In the park “articulates a strategy for coping with children……she recognizes the need for a place of her own” ( 146). The poet’s objections on motherhood are clear; maternal resposniblities are percevied as a trap which encapsulates a woman indefinately without the freedom to do what she as
Jimmy Dean once advised, “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to reach my destination.” The novel A Long Walk to Water authored by Linda Sue Park, is a work of realistic historical fiction and a dual narrative focused on adjusting to change. One storyline is about a young eleven year old girl named Nya who is apart of the Nuer tribe and lives in Sudan. Nya lives the life of a young Sudanese girls because they collect water for their family every day. The other storyline is about an eleven year old boy named Salva who is in the Dinka tribe and lives in Sudan, but travels throughout many countries and states in his life. Salva’s story line shows how getting attacked by rebels and escaping from civil war changed his and many others’ lives. Both characters face many changes throughout the story. Linda Sue Park wants readers to know to accept change for good or bad.
A dog park should be built in Muscatine Iowa and here's why. Firstly it would allow dogs to get way more excise than they already do. Secondly it would improve a dogs social life. Thirdly it would make it a dog friendly community.
Harwood wrote the poem with relatively simple composition techniques but it provides a rather big impact which helps to give an insight into the life of a mother or nurturer which bares the burdens of children.
Fulfilling the roles of both mother and breadwinner creates an assortment of reactions for the narrator. In the poem’s opening lines, she commences her day in the harried role as a mother, and with “too much to do,” (2) expresses her struggle with balancing priorities. After saying goodbye to her children she rushes out the door, transitioning from both, one role to the next, as well as, one emotion to another. As the day continues, when reflecting on
Would you want to have a dog park around your city? Dogs are one of the most loyal pets and animals that people can own. I think we should have a dog park in are city because many of them dont get a lot of exercise when you live in the city , and it makes more money for the city if they would build one and most dogs become less loyal because they are lonely or not exercised enough.
They speak of the importance of motherhood and its effect of a child on a woman 's life. “Mother Love,” is a description of the in betweenness of motherhood and daughterhood. Dove toys with ideas of the meaning of the “self” and describes her journey searching for herself. Dove uses motherhood and daughterhood yo describe her difficulties with the art of letting go. the shifting of persona and overlap of narratives provides for a confusion similar to what Dove is feeling in her transition to motherhood from daughterhood. Lorde’s poem is one of the realization of the importance of motherhood. She discusses the birth of her daughter and similarly to Dove she described her transition from daughter to child. By the end of the poem Lorde writes, “You, / flowing through selves /toward You.” She is stating her desire for her daughter to find herself like she
They say that I am mad / But nay, my heart is far too glad" (11-12) as she sings and rocks her baby. As long as she has her child, this woman seems content and fulfilled. It is clear in the poem that it is motherhood that brings enchantment and good spirits to the woman, and that she is dependent on her child for happiness.
can be read as a tragic double entendre. Although the death of the child is the catalyst of the couple’s problems, the larger conflict that destroys the marriage is the couple’s inability to communicate with one another. Both characters feel grief at the loss of the child, but neither is able to understand the way that their partner chooses to express their sorrow (Robert Frost: Poems Summary and
It was a typical day in late spring when a man and his wife went for a walk in the park. The weather was crisp with bright sunshine and the air smelled of beautiful blooming flowers.Children were laughing as they ran on the playground. Many people were walking dogs and a few people were jogging.The man and his wife were enjoying their walk, relishing the warm weather after a long, seemingly endless winter. The couple held hands and talked jovially to one another, ignoring the stares and dirty looks from fellow parkgoers. Unfortunately, both the man and his wife were incredibly used to the hatred and prejudgment from other people. Luckily for them, they were used to it, so they paid no mind to the stares, whispers, giggles, and comments they encountered on their stroll, just like they did every day of their lives.