Gwen Harwood

A detailed Summary of Gwen Harwood


Gwen Hardwood to a large extent takes marginalised groups such as women and privileges their experiences by giving them a voice through poetry. Both Suburban Sonnet and In the Park, express the frustrations of women who feel trapped by motherhood and by being placed in the traditional role of women (wife, nurturer etc). Gwen Harwood's poetry is written in a 1950s context, when a woman's concerns would not have been expressed. It was a woman's responsibility and place to make a home for her husband, upkeep it and raise a family, all the while making the duty seem effortless and enjoyable. It is a characteristic of a patriarchal society for men to have the vast majority of power and for the women to be marginalised due to their supposedly inferior qualities, such as emotional and physical weakness. Suburban Sonnet and In the Park give the speaker, who is interpreted as a woman, the chance to express her concerns about the way women are placed into stereotypical roles, forget the other aspects of their lives and simply be content with the joys and burdens of motherhood. Issues such as motherhood and domestic life, lost love and loss of individuality are addressed in the poetry. Poetic techniques including the sonnet form, phrase leng


"Their role is to make a home a haven and to always be on hand, to be admiring, available, attractive."19

This woman feels very enclosed by her children. When the woman is talking to her past love she dishonestly says, "Its so sweet to hear them chatter, watch them grow and thrive..."7 The woman feels she has to act out pretend love towards her children, as this is the traditional role of women - carer, nurturer. The techniques used in the two poems give insight to the way in which motherhood and domestic life are being presented.



Some common words found in the essay are:
Suburban Sonnet, Sonnet Park, Gwen Harwood, Dale Spender, Ancient History, Gwen Harwood's, suburban sonnet, Beethoven Chopin, God10 Park, Gwen Hardwood, Park Concerns, gwen harwood, domestic life, sonnet park, suburban sonnet park, motherhood domestic, motherhood domestic life, love music, lost love, issues motherhood domestic, poetic techniques, patriarchal society, loss individuality, express concerns women, domestic life lost,

Approximate Word count = 1908
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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