Summary Of The Poem 'Alter Ego' By Gwen Harwood

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Alter Ego by Gwen Harwood
“Who am I?” is the question raised by Gwen Harwood in her poem, ‘Alter Ego’. Gwen Harwood’s poems explore societal positions and expectations of women in the 1950s which are derived from her own experiences. Though most of her poems have an underlying theme of grief, loss, love and the passing of time, which is explored through her reflecting on her childhood, some are also about self-discovery. ‘Alter Ego’ and ‘The Glass Jar’ are two examples of poems about self-discovery. The 1950s wasn’t the greatest era for female creativity, might it be art or literature which is why most artists and writers sold their material under male pseudonyms as did Gwen Harwood.
I’ve done my visual representation inspired by the thematic concern of Harwood’s poem, ‘Alter Ego’. ‘Alter Ego’ is defined as, ‘a close friend who seems almost a part of yourself’. Harwood describes her alter ego as a part of her that she doesn’t quite know, yet it knows her. It stands …show more content…

If looked at from a religious perspective light is symbolised as good and darkness as evil. I have incorporated that in my visual rep by the fragmentation of light and dark in the background. The face on the left has her lips painted black and disappearing into the background to convey that it really wasn’t appropriate for women to break out of the repressive and constrictive role of being nurturing mothers and the perfect housewives. If she was to comment on those roles, to admit to the isolation and frustration of being a mother out loud, it was considered wrong and sinful. Hence, why a lot of women took to mediums such as poetry or writing to have their voice be heard. The figures in my VR are bald because during the Holocaust the prisoners’ heads were shaved off to identify them as an inmate. The bald head is to symbolise imprisonment in terms of limited opportunities for women in the 50s and they were basically prisoners in their

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