power

The word ‘power’ can be linked with many different ideas. As a general statement power has a significant effect on different aspects of people’s lives, sometimes for better and others for worse. I have chosen to convey power both ways through the poems ‘Homecoming’ and ‘Enter without so much as knocking’ by Bruce Dawe and Meryl Streep’s speech on ‘Women’s Rights’.

The poem ‘Homecoming’ by Bruce Dawe conveys the concept of power through the use of various techniques. The title is used ironically because the connotation associated with a homecoming is generally linked with happiness, celebration and relief however the content of the poem is describing the dead, lifeless soldiers. The power of the title ‘Homecoming’ for a poem like this makes you think one thing but after reading though the poem the reader learns about another. The use of repetition at the beginning of the poem establishes the impersonal tone, the machine like and inhuman processing of the past soldiers. “They’re picking…bringing…zipping…tagging” this enforces that the soldiers are being categorised, it also describes the actions of the body processors. The poet again has used irony to contrast the body processors’ actions with the limp and lifeless soldiers. “Curly-heads, kinky-hairs, crew-cuts, balding non-coms”. Again reinforces that the soldiers are losing their identity and being categorised depending on their appearance, also highlights the detached and anonymous image. The soldiers who have died and are ‘returning’ home are powerless, they were sent to their death by the government and they had no say. The categorisation of these soldiers is conveying that they are powerless because they are dead. “They’re bringing them home now, too late, too early.” Throug...

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...ech again it encourages the audience to think. She questions global leaders, “where is the global reaction?”. She is questioning why the global leaders of the world have done nothing to help this cause. She is questioning whether it’s because they are women that this issue has been overlooked. The global leaders have not done anything within their power to help their cause. She is questioning why the global leaders are abusing their power when it can save the lives of many. “We must speak, and we must act on their behalf because they can’t, and by God almighty we can” Streep’s very serious tone reflects her true emotions for the subject. Streep is conveying the power we have that could possibly change the lives of 11.5 million.

In conclusion it can be seen how the concept of power can be perceived in many different ways and how it has an impact on people’s lives.