Narrative Voice in Homecoming
Narrative voice plays an important role in conveying the idea of ‘journey’ in ‘Homecoming’ by poet Bruce Dawe. In this free-verse war poem, the idea of ‘journey’ extends itself to cover both the physical and emotional aspects of the subject matter of the poem. Repetition and word choice are of key importance in developing the idea of the physical journey, while techniques such as metaphorical language, historical references and the use of imagery reinforce the idea of the emotional baggage that returns along with the bodies. The purpose of this poem is to illustrate the futility and pointlessness of war. The first technique that becomes apparent to the responder is repetition. The repetition of the word ‘day’, in the context of, ‘All day, day after day…’ has connotations of the drudgery and the long duration of this physical journey, as well as alluding to the sheer volumes of corpses that are transported home. The next five lines are begun with the word, ‘they’re’ which gives the poem a slow and repetitious rhythm, which is related to the constancy and monotony of this physical journey. To suit the eff
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Homecoming Homecoming, Bruce Dawe, Homecoming Narrative, narrative voice, metaphorical language, idea journey, physical journey, word choice, idea emotional, emotional journey, beginning poem, repetition word, transported home, idea emotional journey,
Approximate Word count = 764
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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