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In The Park Gwen Harwood Analysis

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In The Park Gwen Harwood Analysis
"Ideas and the way those ideas are presented are what makes a poets' work distinctive. Choose 2 poems from 1 poet and describe how they show the distinctive characteristics of this poets' work.
Gwen Harwood skilfully employs language techniques to explore a variety of distinctive themes and ideas in her poems. This is seen in 'In The Park' where Harwood explores the human condition through the simplistic and dull life of her female protagonist, while in 'Prize Giving' she explores multiple universal themes through her male protagonist Professor Eisenbart.
Harwood effectively establishes a simplistic image through her title 'In the Park' to imply the mundane simplicity of the place, the people and the idea. This is enhanced through the simplistic first line as the woman "sits in the park". Here we are introduced to the protagonist with her depressingly dull and monotonous life, clearly portrayed through Hardwood's image in describing how …show more content…
Synecdoche is employed when Eisenbart is "summoned by arrogant hands" to show the girls power. She is symbolised by the power of her music, characterized as "titian-haired" to imply her passionate nature and her "eyes" that see through Eisenbarts' superficial superiority and arrogance. Her power is further conveyed as "Eisenbart teased his gown", showing his sexual unease and realisation that his self image is weakened. His perspective changes as the young and fiery girl defeats him by deflating his self- image and superiority. Eisenbart now sees himself differently as he "peered into a trophy which suspended his image upside down: a sage fool trapped". His composure has left him and his self-image is reflected in her trophy as he is mirrored upside down, symbolically reversed and up-ended. The oxymoron in "sage fool" demonstrates that he is controlled by her
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