Saturday, June 6, 2009
Voice and opposition
Read this extract from the book Australian Writers - Gwen Harwood. In part it suggests that Harwood uses '...a range of voices, to explore oppositions...'. In your blog entry discuss this observation and whether or not you think it accurate of Harwood's work. Give an example of where her poetry uses this technique. You can use more than one poem to support you answer.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I believe that the above statement on Harwood’s work is a fairly accurate one. As I have said in the last blog, I don’t really think of Harwood as writing always from her own perspective but that she instead settles within some other character to tell their story of life. This is, I think, a very valuable aspect of Harwood’s poetry, in that it is not narrow minded and limited by being always from the poets personal life, but instead gives us a much broader range of perspective. Most obviously, is Harwood’s often used character of Krote. Through this character, instead of being quite unrelated, Harwood herself is much reflected, and in some cases creates another meaning and statement within the character himself. This is something which I believe is also relevant to all the other characters she writes from, that she can obviously relate to the characters experience, but believes it is far more effective to be someone else with entirely different circumstances. A significant poem in terms of this would be the already studied poem “Prize giving” in which we know Harwood mocks the empty sophisticated high lives and can be seen in the character of the girl who mocks this also. Or in the poem “A kitchen poem” which is written from the perspective of an old farmer. In this Harwood makes a statement which is important to her, through the Farmer (again about the emptiness of sophistication). In this poem it is very clear that it is written from the perspective of someone most definitely not Harwood, however in others poems such as “The violets” which are written from the perspective of "I" suggests Harwood, but is never certain as it has a sense that it could be anyone’s experience even though specific details point to the personal life of the poet.
ReplyDeleteArianaS
I just realised that I didn't actually address the question properly, as I said nothing of oppositions. If i wasn't so tired I would have said that I don't believe that exploring oppostions is always the case as Harwood quite often writes from people's perspectives whom she does not always agree with but in whom she can see in herself qualities she may not always like. But it is important to note that oppositions alone are not all that Harwood seeks to explore but also views that are simply different, not always against what she herself believes.
ReplyDeleteArianaS
I don't entirely agree with the extract where it writes ‘she uses a range of voices, to explore oppositions.’ Rather I believe it is not so much the characters speaking, but more that Harwood puts her self in the role of the character and writes the poem from her own experiences. Harwood writes from an observational perspective and demonstrates a deep understanding of human nature; in most of her poems this is evident. It is like the reader hovers above the scene and has a full view of the surroundings and the characters in play. The common thread though, the voice that speaks to us through the words and is evident in all of hardwoods poems. Somehow her expressive nuances have a common sound to her voice, which the reader experiences. I believe the comment that she uses a range of voices is more of an attempt to make a pseudo intellectual point. In the poems ‘Night and dreams’ and ‘class of 1927’ we get a sense of the observational perspective she employs in her style. The voices we hear are an expression of the complexities of Harwood’s personality.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with the above statement that Harwood’s work is characteristic of using a ‘range of voices’ to explore certain oppositions. This is achieved through her use of dialogue from differing character perspectives, showing a greater sense of contrasting and conflicting ideals. Although she presents these oppositions (we can assume) she also embeds her own beliefs and aspects of her experience into certain characters, mainly those whom we are led to believe have moral superiority. This can be seen in the poem ‘Prize-Giving’ by which a stuffy professor full of pomp and vanity is contrasted with the untamed, ethereal school girl who laughs in the face of his arrogant sophistication. These are two voices that clearly oppose each other, and a distinction is made between what Harwood is trying to say and that of something contradictory. Another example of where differing dialogue is used to define oppositions is in Harwood’s poem ‘The Secret Life of Frogs’. In this poem we see oppositions of personality and maturity, by which the innocence of a little girl is compared with the harsh cruelty of adult concerns and also by destructive little boys. Here we see the difference between a girl who can be described as protective and motherly as she guards the life of a frog, and the naughty little boys who want to harm it. It also shows differences of maturity, as the little girl seems almost oblivious to the plight her parents once endured, and her present self (now looking back to her child-hood memories) understands the truth of the matter in its entirety. This can be seen in many of her poems, but I do believe that it is constant. She often uses only a single voice to describe a certain situation or belief from their perspective, disregarding any oppositions. Although the ulterior voices are opposed they are certainly not present in the text.
ReplyDeletep.s. I got this in as fast as I could, as I had to go to a friends house to upload this as my internet wasn't working. sorry
btw, at the end bit it's meant to say not constant.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Ari's post, I think that she misses the point that the author is the driver of intelligence and that characters are merely created by the author; they cannot take on an intelligence of their own. Again I believe the characters that Harwood creates are an extension of her own complex personality. Harwood is the puppeteer controlling the movement of her characters, both in a physical, metaphysical and intellectual way. There can be a tendency to try and intellectualise authors, purely for the means of trying to come to terms with their perspective on life. I believe we should enjoy hardwoods work for what it is, beautifully poetic, with wonderful imagery and its ability to transform us into her mind.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with what Tallulah has said in her post. It really isn't the dialogue that is the focal point of her poems. Instead it is the beautifully composed oppositions described through quaint yet illustriously detailed scenarios that are most important. What Harwood regularly does is show these oppositions from her own perspective. Although the pieces may not be completely autobiographical, they concern matters that are close to the authors heart, through her own perspective. If there are differing voices, one is always favoured by Harwood, and she never writes in an unbiased manner. I would also like to comment on Ari’s piece. I’m not too sure you answered the question properly (and I’m pretty sure you realized that yourself). However a point you did make that I thought was interesting was that the voices that she explores may not be completely contradictory of what Harwood believes, simply different. I think this may have some truth as many of her characters display different lifestyles, yet all have some similarities. One of which is the bond women harbor through the experience of motherhood, regardless of their living conditions and cultural circles. However I do believe that generally clear oppositions are made in her poems. What is to be questioned is whether or not they are explored through truly differing voices or simply common of Harwood herself.
ReplyDeleteBy the term ‘oppositions’ it is suggested that it refers to opposing ideas, styles or personalities of characters depicted in her work. Yet Harwood seems to strive to attain dense work, richly induced with differing expressions from the domestic domain to realms of philosophy and music. We see these so called ‘oppositions’ are Harwood’s attempt to create work that is rich in idea, not only relatable but also stimulating for thought. These so called ‘oppositions’ take for example in ‘The Kitchen Poem’ where the opposing transcendental qualities are introduced in a domestic environment. I find may seemingly appear ‘opposing’ yet through reading works such as ‘Prize giving’ and ‘The Violets’ it becomes clear that what Harwood strives to achieve is an integration of these elements, producing work that contains not conflicting subject matter, but densely worked pieces that unify elements that may be deemed ‘opposing’ outside the context of Harwood’s work. Yet through this integration of the everyday and the transcendental what is revealed to the reader is a small amount of Harwood herself. Her comment may be that these so-called ‘oppositions’ (which is described by many pervious critics as the main concern of most of her work) are far from the exploration of conflict but rather the harmonizing of differing elements. Introducing ideas that these ‘oppositions’ can be drawn together. As if to say, were they ever really opposing in the first place? This is where I believe Harwood’s true talent lies.
ReplyDeletei left my conclusion out.... So I agree that Harwood uses a range of voices in her narratives but I am not sure really if we should refer the Harwood’s work as a conflict of opposing ideas.
ReplyDeleteyour referral to Harwood embedding her own experiences in her work. Yet I am still unsure if we truly see her opposition to certain aspects of life. Yes, we may be able to draw on poems such as ‘Prize giving’ as a prominent example of Harwood’s opposition to such aspects, yet I feel when finishing this poem the concern is not with the so called ‘opposition’ or conflict between two aspects, but how these two are able to develop and harmonize with one another. Which brings the question up, where they ever conflicting in the first place? Yes, most of the time they seemingly are, but maybe Harwood’s comment is that ‘opposition’ may seem like conflict when in fact it is not. Julian, your piece was engaging to read I enjoyed especially your referral to ‘The Secret Life of Frogs’, as well as Harwood’s use of the single voice enabling certain amounts of perspective to her work. All together, a good piece of writing.
ReplyDeletei forgot to add this first sentence at the start of my response....
ReplyDeleteJulian, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog. I agree entirely with
I most certainly agree that the above statement is an accurate portrayal of one significant element of Harwoods style. Harwoods poetry is strongly characterized by her use of a ‘range of voices’ to explore particular oppositions and to create and share with her readers relatable, real life situations, experiences and conflicts from her own personal life as well as the fictional lives of her illusory characters. Although Harwood does incorporate opposing views from differing points of view, she consistently relates herself or draws upon certain personal characteristics entailed in the fictional characters of her poems. A poem in which distinctly narrates certain oppositions is ‘Prize giving’. ‘Prize giving’ accurately demonstrates a scenario in which a range of voices (in this case two), are strongly and evidently opposed. In this poem we are presented with two obviously contrasting protagonists- the vain, snobby Professor and the beautiful, young school girl with the magical presence; these conflicting appearances already set the scene for the obvious conflict that soon follows. Through the pompous, superior, conceited professor’s almost immediate attraction to the disinterested schoolgirl who makes an obvious mockery out of him, Harwood presents us with the common notion that ‘Opposites attract’ thus concentrating of the positive effect of antagonism rather than its negative factors. Through the voice of the school girl, Harwood channels her personal beliefs presenting us with her hidden take on sophistication and the notion of the ‘higher’ being. This is only one example of which Harwood uses various voices to create an opposing scenario. This particular element of her style is present in many of her poems, as stated above, her opposition often channeling her own opposing views.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do not entirely agree with Tallulah’s response, I believe that she does present us with some valid and interesting points. Tallulah and I both share the belief that Harwood’s characters are somewhat of a reflection of herself but our conflicting argument revolves around the idea of Harwood’s ‘range of voices’ to convey a sense of opposition. Tallulah states in her finishing paragraph that ‘the voices we hear are an expression of the complexities of Harwood’s personality’, this I believe to be a true point, but what Tallulah has missed out on is incorporating the fact that it is through conflicting characters- varying in ideals and persona, that Harwood expresses her personality in an often contradictive or opposing way to that of the conflicting character and the often integrated character reflective of herself. Overall Tallulah presents us with a strong argument and I positively acknowledge her for choosing to disagree with the statement and for her incorporation of interesting ideas outside what we have discussed in class of Harwood’s style.
ReplyDelete