A maternal life entails that a mother is to wholefully provide the necessary emotional, physical, and spirtual support for the proper development of her children. The combination of support systems provided to a child by the mother can lead to a strenous life style resulting in either a negative pyschological or physiolological state on the part of the maternal care giver that, overtime, will enable the child bearer to develop a sense of ambivalence towards the notion of motherhood. In the case of Rita Dove’s poem Daystar and Gwen Harwood’s poem In the park, the ideals of motherhood are blurred producing a negative view of a maternity. In spite of the fact that both poem’s look at the theme of motherhood as a painstaking responsibility …show more content…
they differ signficaintly in how both poet’s ( Rita and Gwen) develop the concept of motherhood by their tone and perspective. In principal, maternal responsiblities can be a singificant drain on the physiology and pyschology of a mother. The constant affection that a mother must show to her child can be over bearing which can lead to a mothers certain deteroiration at both facets of her physical and cognitive state . In the case of Gwen Harwood’s In the park, a mothers deterioation is implicitly ilustrated when the poet states “then, nursing/the youngest child, sits staring at her feet./To the Wind she says, /‘They have eaten me alive” ( lines 12-14). Here, the ultimatum of the speaker is to provide , for her children, every ounce of energy that is a necessity for the optimal growth of her progeny. Specifically speaking, according to an essay written by Andrew Taylor “Her life has been sacrificied for her offpsring:she has been brocken, eaten, made part of them, made less part of/less herself “ ( 145). Additionally, Andrew Taylor, in his essay, equates having childlren in Hardwood’s poem In the park to the singficant downfall of a mother when he states that “Children occur frequently in Harwood’s poetry. We have seen their destructtive aspect in In the park, a role they assume in several other poem’s, for example Suburban sonnet” (147). In essence, in the poetic works of Gwen Harwood, simply having children can entail that a mother has a painstaking reponsibility. However, on the opposite spectrum, Rita Dove’s poem Daystar also looks at the theme of motherhood as a scrupulous undertaking. The speaker in the poem Daystar equates motherhood to that of a diffuclt life circumstance contributing to the poet’s physiological corrosion. For instance , in stanza two, line 5, the speaker states “So she luged a chair behind that garage to sit out the children’s nap” ( lines 5-7). Given that the speaker has “lugged” the chair, the evidence is transculcent; the speaker is completely exhausted by her painstaking maternal role. Moreover, the speaker’s exhaustion is evident as Elizabet Beaulieu percevies that “Beaulah rests, observes nature, and sometimes simply gets in touch with her self: Star[ing] until she was assured/ when she closed her eyes/she’d see only her own vivid blood” (146). Here, the speaker (a mother named Beaulah) seeks freedom while being wholefully consumed with her maternal role. Thus, the two poets are placed within the confines of excessive maternal responsbilties leading to a painstaking cognitive and physiological life circumstance. The differing tones of the poem’s Daystar and In the park heavily contribute to a drastically diifferent theme of motherhood. In the case of the poem Daystar the tone is one of sorrow which heavily inlfuences the reader to believe that being a mother equates to having constant lamenting episodes. The lamenting episodes of a child’s forebearer are made evident when the poet explicitly provides an image of the speaker’s sex life when the poem’s orator states “later that night when Thomas rolled over and lurched into her…” ( lines 21-22). Specifically speaking, the mother in this poem , being exhusted, is unable to be sexually aroused by her husband’s wobbly attempt of having sexual intercourse with his wife. Moreover, as Elizabeth Bealiue remarks, “ the lines may suggest that lack of fulfillment Beaulah ( the mother in the poem Daystar) experiences in her sexual relationship with her husband; as Cook argues, ‘sexual domiantion … comprised a part of Beaulah’s gender role that she must accept, even if she never became completely resigned to it’ “ (326). Again, the tone of sorrow is evidently trasnparent as crystal clear water; readers develop a sense of sorrow for the speaker’s inability to enjoy sexual intercourse between herself and her husband. Such development of sorrow by the readers of Rita Dove’s Daystar is made possible by the significant remorseful tone. On the other hand, Gwen Harwood’s poem In the park conveys a depressed tone. The speaker in In the park paints a picture of an isolated woman when she states “She sits in the park. Her clothes are out of date /. Two children whine and bicker, tug her skirt. /A third draws aimless patterns in the dirt. /Someone she loved once passes by-to late ( lines 1-4).” Clearly, the parternal figure in this poem is tired and exhausted from her maternal duties to her children that, as a direct result, she has no sense of fashion beucase the speaker simply has no time to think about her endless maternal duties as a care taker for her children. Also, the depressive tone is made evident as Andrew Taylor, himself, confirms that the speaker’s use of imagery connotes a depressive state when Taylor observes that the orator in In the park pretends to care about her past relationships due to her realization that she has become a child-bearer. Specifically speaking, Taylor explains that the speaker “In this depressing scence enters a former lover/ beloved, surpirsing the woman…” ( 145). Furthermore, in an essay written by Jennifer Strauss, the tone of denial is also observed as Jennifer explains that ” Harwood, looking at her situation with the detatched and curious eye of the artist, found means to give dramatic release to the voice of negation, antiphonally singing its counterpoint to domestic celebration” ( 160). Strauss’s explanation signifies that the speaker is simply trying to pretend not to care about her previous relationship because the speaker has relazied her fate; a child-bearer with unlimited reponsiblities to her children which confine her individualism as a free woman. Here, the tones of the two poems’s are clearly evident; the lamenting tone in Daystar contributes to despondent treatment of motherhood where as the tone in In the park connotes a depressed treatment of motherhood. The poet’s perspective on motherhood in Daystar and In the park differ significantly.
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
wishes. To conclude, both Rita Dove and Gwen Harwood observe the theme of maternal duties as a painstaking responsitiblity but diverge drastically in their development of the concept of motherhood by their apparent tone and perspectives. Here, the tone in Daystar is that of sorrow where as the tone in In the park is that of depression. As for the poet’s perspective of motherhood, Harwood views motherhood as water to a flame in which her self is extingusihed whereas Dove feels as if her maternal roles are the main cause of her disenfranchised freedom.
Are all mothers fit for motherhood? The concept of motherhood is scrutinized in the stories “The Rocking Horse Winner” and “Tears Idle Tears”. In “The Rocking Horse Winner” by D.H Lawrence the mother, Hester, unpremeditatedly provokes her son into providing for her through gambling. In the story “Tears Idle Tears” by Elizabeth Bowen, Mrs. Dickinson disregards her son’s emotions and puts more emphasis in her appearance than her son’s wellbeing. Hester and Mrs. Dickinson both were inadequate mothers. Both the mothers were materialistic, pretended to love their offspring, and their dominance hindered their children’s progress in life.
The descriptions and words used create the most vivid images of a mother’s escape to freedom with her son. This poem takes you on both a physical and emotional journey as it unravels through the treacherous demands of freedom. A beautiful example of her ability to rhyme both internally as well as externally can be seen here,
The readers are apt to feel confused in the contrasting ways the woman in this poem has been depicted. The lady described in the poem leads to contrasting lives during the day and night. She is a normal girl in her Cadillac in the day while in her pink Mustang she is a prostitute driving on highways in the night. In the poem the imagery of body recurs frequently as “moving in the dust” and “every time she is touched”. The reference to woman’s body could possibly be the metaphor for the derogatory ways women’s labor, especially the physical labor is represented. The contrast between day and night possibly highlights the two contrasting ways the women are represented in society.
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
This darkly satirical poem is about cultural imperialism. Dawe uses an extended metaphor: the mother is America and the child represents a younger, developing nation, which is slowly being imbued with American value systems. The figure of a mother is synonymous with the United States. Even this most basic of human relationships has been perverted by the consumer culture. The poem begins with the seemingly positive statement of ‘She loves him’.
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.
When intensive mothers are busy with thier responsibilities in the public sphere, due to their belief that a mother is the central caregiver, their temporary replacement must exclusively be female (Hays 414). Even with a female nanny who “leaves the place in a mess, makes a petty point of not putting the dishwasher on […], never gives the correct change from the supermarket and “loses” all the receipts” (Pearson 84), Kate still makes every effort to keep the nanny in her family. From the perspective of intensive mothers, men are not capable of providing the same quality of care that a woman is able to provide (Hays 414). From a gender essentialist perspective, Kate argues that “Emily and Ben need me, and it’s me that they want. […] Daddy is the ocean; Mummy is the port, the safe haven they nestle in to gain the courage to venture farther and farther out each time” (Pearson 169). Therefore, intensive mothers find “alternate mothers,” that is, credentialed female child-care providers (Hays 412) such as Paula, Kate’s nanny, as well as Jo, Alice’s nanny who are able to promote the intellectual enrichment of their
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.
Poetry in the early 19th century was a form of therapy that allowed the writer and reader to get in touch with their emotions. In the poem “To a Little Invisible Being Who is Expected Soon to Become Visible”, Anna Barbauld discusses the feelings of what it is like for a mother awaiting her unborn child. The poem is written in a third-person narrative style and the author uses many exclamation points, which suggests the urgency and emotion through the punctuation. The rhyme scheme of the poem is ABAB. The language is positive and hopeful, which helps form an inclusive tone of romance. Likewise, the poem is broken into nine quatrains which aids in the depiction of the mother carrying a child for nine months in her womb.
The mother, however, refuses to acknowledge the child as anything but a child is a major conflict in this poem. Because she refers to her as a?child? and calls her?baby? it is clear that the mother does not take the child?s pleas seriously. The mother is certain that she knows what is best for her child and that the child?s feelings and ideas are unimportant.
Katherine Philips gained a lot of attention as a poet after writing “On the Death of My Dearest Child, Hector Philips”. This poem was written in a way to give readers an emotional account of a mother mourning the experience of losing her child. Philips expressed deep emotions from a maternal standpoint in the elegy. Unlike Jonson, Philips had the unspoken right of claiming a deep maternal connection with her son through pregnancy and childbirth. Philips’ approach to writing “On the Death of My Dearest Child” illustrates that the pain of losing her son, Hector, was enough for her to never write another verse again.
D.H Lawrence's “Bat” and Gwen Harwood’s “In the Park” are both satisfying poems and both explore the issues of light and dark. Lawrence’s “Bat” is about about a person who is terrified of bats and shows his clear disdain about them. Through his poem he makes us understand the connection between fear and prejudice and how a good moment can be brought down easily by them. Harwood's “In the Park” is about a despondent mother who no longer lives for herself and only for her children. It conveys the negative aspects of motherhood and family. Her poem makes us understand that motherhood can be life changing and dark.
“The Dead Baby,” gives a perfect example of Modern poetry, as it is direct and vivid in its portrait of an average family’s journey through grief. The details of the child death and the parent situation beyond this moment are undefined, but not matter the heroic or tragic story it could be, the reality and honesty of the poem is strong and beautiful.
This, of course, is of little interest to the Formalistic Critic; the new critic cares not for such trivial details. Biography is not important. History is not important. The poem - that is important, for locked away within its verse lies the true meaning of The Stolen Child. By carefully studying the individual words, by understanding the tension that lies between them and the various denotations that they may hold, the critic can discover how the poem works as a whole, and how it succeeds in generating emotional impact within the reader.
Keats begins this depiction of beauty in the first stanza by describing the woman, the “bride of quietness”. She is said to be the “foster-child of Silence and slow Time”; Keats uses the term foster-child to demonstrate the difference between the work of art and humanity. The woman is a foster-child of Time because she is “for ever young” and beautiful while the natural children of Time are forever changing and aging. Keats then goes on to say how the woman tells a “tale more sweetly than our own rhyme” (Wood, 1). The tale she tells is one of love, endearment, and the pursuit of love. Our rhyme could not possibly overpower the beauty of this tale of love when our words are forgotten as quickly as they are spoken. A piece of art, however, is eternal.