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Home > English > Advanced > Module B: Critical Study of Texts > Personally responding to the poetry of Gwen Harwood

Personally responding to the poetry of Gwen Harwood

This material was written by Louise Moulton, Oak Flats High School

Overview

For some time, there has been debate over what is the ‘true spirit’ of this module, with particular emphasis on how a student should ultimately respond – personally or through ‘readings’. This study guide will dispel your uncertainty and support your classroom studies by guiding you towards a personal response which should be at the heart of anything you compose.

We will explore Gwen Harwood’s poetry through the syllabus rubric, an important framework to follow, as this is from where your examination question will be derived. We will start with the rubric and past HSC questions, because you need to have the ‘product’ you are expected to produce firmly in your mind so as you can select the right ‘parts’ along the way to build it!

This resource contains learning tools that will help you access the deeper layers of Harwood’s poetry and provide opportunities for you to build up your own personal response through regular extended responding.

This study guide does not replace the valuable lessons delivered by your teacher, it is an extra helping hand in ensuring you maximise your results by planning your learning journey well before you enter the examination hall.

Syllabus Rubric

The key words in the rubric have been highlighted. Knowing how these key elements in Gwen Harwood’s poetry are represented, will ensure you will be thoroughly prepared for the question you are given because it is this language that will be used to formulate the question. The marking rubric for each question is printed at the top of each page of the exam, it tells you quite specifically what you need to include in your response – use it as a checklist – it is the framework supporting your response.

Let’s test this theory by comparing the rubric to the past three years of questions. (Even though there are four different poems set for study this year, the rubric has not changed.)

2008 HSC

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In your answer you will be assessed on how well you:

• demonstrate understanding of the ideas expressed in the text
• evaluate the text’s reception in different contexts
• organise, develop and express ideas using language appropriate to audience, purpose and form

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Question 7 — Poetry (20 marks)

1. In your view, how have poetic techniques been used to reveal memorable ideas in Harwood’s poetry?
   
   Support your view with detailed reference to at least TWO of the poems set for study.

The words in bold link directly to the syllabus rubric – no need for explanation, it just reinforces what you will be assessed on.

Now, let’s match up the language of the question (remember to recognise a synonym for a word or phrase in the syllabus rubric) with the language of the syllabus rubric:

Question	Rubric
In your view…	“…own understanding and interpretations of the text.”
...how have poetic techniques...	“…analysing its construction, content and language…”
...been used to reveal…	“…particular features of the text contribute to textual integrity…”
…memorable… * this is your way into the marking criterion of “…evaluate the text’s reception in different contexts”	“…explore ways in which the set work has been read, received and valued in historical and other contexts...explore questions of textual integrity and significance.”
…ideas…	explore the ideas expressed in the text

I have demonstrated above that there is a clear link between question and rubric, now it’s your turn. Write the corresponding ‘rubric language’ in the space next to the ‘question’ language. The first one is done for you.

2007 HSC

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In your answer you will be assessed on how well you:

• demonstrate understanding of the ideas expressed in the text
• evaluate the text’s reception in different contexts
• organise, develop and express ideas using language appropriate to audience, purpose and form

---

Question 7 — Poetry (20 marks)

1. Ultimately, in this poetry, it is the representation of intense human emotions that captivates readers.
   
   Explore the representation of at least ONE intense human emotion, evaluating its significance in at least TWO of Harwood’s poems prescribed for study.

Question	Rubric
Ultimately…	“…evaluate a specific text...own understanding and interpretations of the text...”
…in this poetry…
…it is the representation of…
…intense human emotions… *Hint: “ideas”
...that captivate readers. *Hint: “textual integrity”
Explore the representation…
…evaluating its significance…

The next step is for you to deconstruct the 2006 HSC question. Underline, or separate out, the key words and phrases from the question then write them down the left side of the table. Next, select the corresponding ‘rubric’ language. (There are a few hints along the way...)

2006 HSC

---

In your answer you will be assessed on how well you:

• demonstrate understanding of the ideas expressed in the text
• evaluate the text’s reception in different contexts
• organise, develop and express ideas using language appropriate to audience, purpose and form

---

Question 7 — Poetry (20 marks)

1. To what extent has your personal response to the poetry been shaped by the enduring power of Harwood’s poetic treatment of age and youth?
   
   Support your evaluation with a close analysis of TWO poems by Harwood.

Question	Rubric
	“…evaluate a specific text and its reception in a range of contexts…”
…the enduring power…
…age and youth?
Support your evaluation…
…close analysis…

Harwood in context

Context is defined in the glossary of the Stage 6 Syllabus... as “The range of personal, social, historical, cultural and workplace conditions in which a text is responded to and composed.” Just as you know YOUR context better than anyone else (this shapes your personal response to Harwood’s poetry), it is essential you have a deep appreciation for Harwood’s context so you can appreciate the many layers of her work.

Before you explore Harwood’s context further, take some time to review your understanding of the following:

• Personal context – attitudes and values specific to the individual. External events out of the individual’s control can have an effect on their daily actions.
• Social context – attitudes and values of the wider society. For example, in Australia, it is socially acceptable for women to wear trousers; in Australia, sport is valued as a social institution (always be sensitive to generalising and stereotyping).
• Historical context – the historical period and prevailing political beliefs and institutions of that historical period. For example, the current historical context in Australia is 2009, the 21st century and it is a constitutional monarchy (democracy with a royal head of state).
• Cultural context – the values, beliefs and attitudes that are embedded into a society which are realised in observed traditions that are celebrated and passed on. For example, Australia recognises 25th December as Christmas Day and it is legislated that it as a public holiday.

Rather than me providing you with detailed summaries of Harwood’s key contextual elements, you can satisfy the HSC Advanced outcome, “9. A student evaluates the effectiveness of a range of processes and technologies for various learning purposes including the investigation and organisation of information and ideas” by adding to your existing classroom notes through the investigation of the websites below.

Activity
The list below identifies key contextual elements which can be argued as formative influences on Harwood’s poetic style. First, explore the websites, summarising content you think will suit the demands of your studies. Second, use the educational search engine www.edna.edu.au to find your own resources.

• Biographical and Geographical context – explore the importance of her musical background; how did being a mother and a wife impact her work?
  http://www.answers.com/topic/gwen-harwood
  
  
• Historical context – Post WWII Australia; unprecedented social change in the 1960s (civil and feminist rights).
  http://www.skwirk.com.au/p-c_s-56_u-490_t-1332_c-5121/TAS/10/Populate-or-perish!/After-World-War-II/Australia-after-1945/SOSE-History/
  
  
• Religious context – this needs to be explored along two pathways. Much of Harwood’s religious context can be determined through biographical information, for instance, it is universally recognised that she was a novice in an Anglican Franciscan convent. However, this only suggests a reason for Harwood’s biblical imagery, symbolism and intertextuality; it doesn’t provide explanations and interpretations of her allusions and images. You need to access biblical resources which can help you understand symbols, rituals, key figures and key events of the bible. Therefore, explore what some critics say about her religious background as well as find a resource which will help you understand the biblical references.
  http://biblos.com/
  
  
• Philosophical context – the power and beauty of language
  Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1959)
  http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~brianwc/ludwig
  
  
• Romanticism – “Gwen Harwood’s poetry...is firmly in the Romantic tradition. She repeatedly asserts the mystery of the human being and the importance of intuition, feeling and imagination, the aspects of experience that are best communicated through music and poetry.” (Hoddinott, 1991, p.144)
  http://www.answers.com/topic/romanticism
  http://www.literaryconnections.co.uk/resources/romanticism.html
  
  
• Who was Walter Lehmann?
  http://www.api-network.com/main/index.php?apply=scholars&webpage=default&flexedit=&flex_password=&menu_label=&menuID=homely&menubox=&scholar=142

Harwood’s Themes

Themes in a poet’s work can often be traced to a poet’s context. Look for the manifestation of each of the following themes in the poems prescribed for study. It is not a definitive list, but it certainly provides a basis for your own interpretations. The themes should not be thought as mutually exclusive, there will certainly be overlap. Individual poems may lend themselves more obviously to a particular theme which will assist you in comparing and contrasting the poems.

Themes will lead you to your own conclusions about Harwood’s poetic style and the nature of her work’s textual integrity – its unity and ability to transcend time.

• Romanticism
• Growth from child into adult; memories and experiences which reflect on and evaluate this significant experience.
• Beauty of music, art and poetry (this links back to Romanticism).
• A child’s relationship with their parents at any age.
• Existentialism – meaning of being; life’s purpose.
• Psychoanalysis – the self; sexual behaviour (Freud).
• Life and Death
• Philosophy
• Making the ordinary seem extraordinary

Poems set for study

For your HSC, you have been prescribed seven Harwood poems. You are expected to study each one extensively, especially when there is a chance that the exam question could mandate a particular poem you must refer to.

Before you even opened this study guide, I hope you had previously read the poems aloud to yourself then made detailed annotations around the text recording your initial personal response. Your annotations should include the following:

• Form and structure – stanza length, rhyme, enjambment, punctuation, juxtaposition, etc.
• Language features – listing to accumulate images, sentence structure, word choice, tense, narrative voice, repetition, direct speech,
• Figurative devices which build images: similes, metaphors, alliteration, hyperbole, allusion, symbolism, assonance, personification, onomatopoeia, etc.
• Tone/mood/atmosphere
• Irony
• Satire

It is not enough just to identify literary techniques, you must explain the meaning they make and the effect they have on the responder.

For each poem I have used a different learning tool to assist your interpretation of the poem – each tool can be used on any of the poems. After completion of the ‘learning tool activity’, there is a 300 word extended response task which will allow you to apply your analysis.

Poem: “Father and Child” (Parts I & II)
Learning Tool: Six questions moving through Bloom’s taxonomy
Extended Response: Narrative (short story)

Answer the following questions using evidence from the poem.

• Knowledge – Identify the rhyme scheme and comment on its purpose in the poem.
• Understanding – Using examples from the poem, explain the effect of Harwood’s use of enjambment.
• Application – At what point does Harwood shift the narrative voice from first person to second person? What is the effect of this?
• Analysis – Analyse two Romantic images in the poem. What role do they play in communicating the overall meaning of the poem?
• Create – What has this poem taught you about your own life’s journey?
• Evaluate – Evaluate which other Harwood poem set for study would be best to use as a comparison to “Father and Child” if you were asked about themes of childhood and the learning of life’s lessons in an exam.

Extended Response: In a minimum of 300 words, transform “Father and Child” into a narrative, selecting a gender for the child. The gender you select should be made evident through the interactions between Father and Child.

Poem: “The Violets”
Learning Tool: Rubric table
Extended Response: Journal entry

Using evidence from the poem, complete the following rubric table. Your analysis in the last column should explain how Harwood shapes meaning through techniques in reference to the rubric element you are analysing.

Rubric element	Textual evidence	Poetic techniques	Analysis
Reception of the poem in different contexts
Textual integrity of the poem.
Ideas expressed in the poem.
Construction of the poem.
Content
Language
Others’ perspectives of the meaning of the poem.
Own understanding of the poem.
Ways in which the poem has been read, received and valued in historical and other contexts.
Significance of the poem.

Extended Response: In 300 words, compose a journal entry from the perspective of the adult speaker reflecting on their childhood. Include elements of the historical context of the speaker in their childhood and as an adult – what is going on in the world around them?

Poem: “At Mornington”
Learning Tool: Y-Chart
Extended Response: Eulogy

A Y-Chart is useful in analysing the sensory imagery in a text by breaking the language into specific classifications: looks like, sounds like, feels like (interpret ‘feels like’ as both tactile imagery [touch] and the representation of human emotion [feelings]). “At Mornington” reveals Harwood’s Romantic style quite overtly created through sensory description; therefore, the Y-Chart will help you distinguish these images, providing you with a word and phrase bank which you can use in responding.

Use the examples provided in each segment to guide you in filling up the remaining space with your own analysis. You should have a mixture of: words and phrases showing what you think the images mean; words and phrases which are direct quotes from the text/

Extended resposne: Incorporating memories of the speaker's childhood compose a 300 word eulogy for one of her parent's funeral.

Poem: “A Valediction”
Learning Tool: Venn diagram
Extended Response: Interview

Use the Venn diagram to analyse the reception of the poem in two different historical contexts. Two are suggested for you. You could repeat this exercise by changing the two contexts to two different social contexts such as different gender.

Entended Response: Compose a 300 word script of a fictional XYZ radio interview.  Two HSC students have differing views as to the meaning of Harwood’s poem, “A Valediction”, as a result of their differing contexts.  Each student should site examples from the poem to support their point of view.

Poem: “Triste, Triste”
Learning Tool: Annotated text
Extended Response: Critical analysis

• Match the literary device with an example from the text (draw a line from the device to text shaded, some examples could be used more than once, not all possibilities are highlighted).
• Analyse the meaning depicted through the use of each technique.

Metaphors ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Personification ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Religious symbolism ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Similes ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________

Triste, Triste In the space between love and sleep when heart mourns in its prison eyes against shoulder keep their blood-black curtains tight. Body rolls back like a stone, and risen spirit walks to Easter light; away from its tomb of bone, awayfrom the guardian tents of eyesight, walking alone to unbearable light with angelic gestures. The fallen instruments of its passion lie in the relic darkness of sleep and love. And heart from its prison cries to the spirit walking above: “I was with you in agony. Remember your promise of paradise,” and hammers and hammers, “Remember me.” So the loved other is held for mortal comfort, and taken, and the spirit’s light dispelled as it falls from its dream to the deep to harrow heart’s prison so heart may waken to peace in the paradise of sleep. Walter Lehmann

Metonyms ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Repetition ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Enjambment ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Binary Opposition – Light/Dark; Life/Death; Heaven/Hell. ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ Alliteration, Assonance _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________

Extended Response: "The poem explores the reasons for...post-coital sadness against the background of the biblical story of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection and the apocryphal story of Christ's Harrowing of Hell to release the souls of those who died without hope of salvation by faith because they lived before his time" (Hoddinott, 1991, p.191). Analyse the ways in which Harwood achieves this meaning. (300 words)

Poem: “The Sharpness of Death”
Learning Tool: www.dictionary.com
Extended Response: Debate

Using the website noted above (or any other relevant online reference resource), find information and definitions relating to the people and ideas depicted in the poem.

Example from the poem	Explanation
Heidegger
Wittgenstein
Jesuit seminarian
God’s Dasein
“What is Being?”
philosophy
Rilke
ontology
Hölderlin
Grecian world
Logos
Nasturtiums
fenestration

Extended Response: Compose a debate for and against the topic: “No text can last forever.” Consider the poem’s ideas, language forms and features, and its reception in different contexts. (300 word minimum)

Poem: “Mother Who Gave me Life”
Learning Tool: Timeline visual representation in PowerPoint or Moviemaker
Extended Response: Letters – changed points of view

Create a visual timeline which represents the historical eras and generations represented in the poem. Use PowerPoint, Moviemaker or any other suitable electronic medium to produce your original work. The inclusion of multimedia functions such as sound and video would deepen your understanding of the poem.

Extended Response: Compose two 150 word letters:

• Letter One – Written by the speaker (the daughter) addressed to “Mother who gave (her) life”.
• Letter Two – Written by the subject (the mother) addressed to her daughter.

The content of your letters will be based on the attitudes and values depicted in the poem.

REFERENCES

Board of Studies NSW (1999) Stage 6 Syllabus English Preliminary and HSC Courses.

Hoddinott, A. (1991) Gwen Harwood: The Real and the Imagined World, A Critical Analysis, North Ryde: CollinsAngus & Robertson Publishers Pty. Ltd.