In the Park Analysis
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In the park written by Gwen Harwood, was originally written under a male pseudonym. The poem represents the idea of changing identity because of certain circumstances as well as challenging common ideas, paradigms and values & beliefs which is commonly held amongst mothers in today’s society.
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.
The title of the poem �In The Park’ immediately gives us an image of the geographical landscape in which the poem is set in and from further analysis, the poem is written in a sonnet structure where its 14 lines broken up into two parts of 8 lines and 6 lines with a break in between. Though we normally associate sonnets with romantic love poems, it is a different scenario with this poem as it is slightly ironic because challenges us by attempting to show the negative effects of love where the woman’s life has been destroyed basically due to the children and how love is no longer present in her life.
�The woman’ of the poem has no specific identity and this helps us even further see the situation in which the woman is experiencing, the lost of one’s identity. Questions start to be raised and we wonder if Harwood uses this character to portray her views of every woman which goes into the stage of motherhood, where much sacrifice is needed one being the identity that was present in society prior to children.
The first 4 lines it is indeed set the in park and Harwood has cleverly chosen the park as the setting of the poem as many people see the park as a mundane, boring place. Our assumptions of the park as a scene is normally peaceful, relaxed and fun place to be at but Harwood unravels these assumptions and challenges us with her writing.
“She sits in the park. Her clothes are out of date” this line gives us a negative connotation of a woman, who is alone and empty who still lives in the past with the clothes she wears. But as well this line also suggest the passing of time, she is no longer up to date with everything around her due to the children and how much time and effort they take and this is suggested in the very next lines where the children are being needy and monstrous. The words whine, bicker and tug are extremely harsh which is opposing to what we expect to hear when the children are in the park, where happiness and joy is normally created. The children are lost without directions or a goal and are aimless in what they do as the situation portrays the mother to bored and care no longer about what is happening around her.
A new character is introduced into the scene in the fourth line and we learn that he is a ex-lover and she feels a unease having to talk to him as her life is miserable and the fact she is wearing out of date clothes will bring forth a feeling of embarrassment to which an awkward situation will erupt. In comparison the man is summed up with a single economic word, �neat’ which gives an indication that he is in control of his life and everything is going the way it should for him.
The conversation they have is small talk and is comprised of a series of superficial clichД©s