Analysis of Widower in the Country by Les Murray
Essay - 'Widower in the Country'
Thursday, 14 June 2012
12:19 PM
Les Murray's poem 'Widower in the Country' highlights the painful effect of the death of a loved one. His tone in this poem is one of grief and loneliness, and through strong imagery and emotive language, the composer draws out empathy and interest from the reader. This poem describes how repetitive life becomes after someone very close to you passes away. The composer conveys a strong feeling of grief and pain in the poem. The composer creates an empathy towards the widower, by expressing just how lonely he feels after his wife had died, and he had to stay in the place that they had shared together. Through the use of multiple metaphors, "The Christmas paddocks aching in the heat/The windless trees, the nettles in the yard" , the composer builds a path into how the widower is 'aching' after the grief of losing his wife. 'windless trees' implies the feeling of death, as the trees have no leaves, whilst 'nettles' evokes the pain and burning he is feeling at this difficult time. The reader realises that this might be a difficult time for the widower, and empathises to attempt to feel what he feels. Les Murray creates an overall feeling of grief and loneliness throughout his poem. Murray clearly outlines just how much losing a loved one makes you suffer and hurt for a very long time. The poem is structured in a way that establishes the routine of morning, afternoon and evening that widows or widowers are forced through to change their everyday lives to suit after losing their partner. The composer uses enjambment and a metaphor to create this idea. "The roof reflects the sun and makes my eyes / Water and close on bright webbed visions smeared / On the dark of my thoughts to dance and fade away." Murray makes it easy for the readers to relate to the text by creating a clear empathy for the grief and loss the widower is feeling in the poem. Some people can not regain the strength to lead a
Thursday, 14 June 2012
12:19 PM
Les Murray's poem 'Widower in the Country' highlights the painful effect of the death of a loved one. His tone in this poem is one of grief and loneliness, and through strong imagery and emotive language, the composer draws out empathy and interest from the reader. This poem describes how repetitive life becomes after someone very close to you passes away. The composer conveys a strong feeling of grief and pain in the poem. The composer creates an empathy towards the widower, by expressing just how lonely he feels after his wife had died, and he had to stay in the place that they had shared together. Through the use of multiple metaphors, "The Christmas paddocks aching in the heat/The windless trees, the nettles in the yard" , the composer builds a path into how the widower is 'aching' after the grief of losing his wife. 'windless trees' implies the feeling of death, as the trees have no leaves, whilst 'nettles' evokes the pain and burning he is feeling at this difficult time. The reader realises that this might be a difficult time for the widower, and empathises to attempt to feel what he feels. Les Murray creates an overall feeling of grief and loneliness throughout his poem. Murray clearly outlines just how much losing a loved one makes you suffer and hurt for a very long time. The poem is structured in a way that establishes the routine of morning, afternoon and evening that widows or widowers are forced through to change their everyday lives to suit after losing their partner. The composer uses enjambment and a metaphor to create this idea. "The roof reflects the sun and makes my eyes / Water and close on bright webbed visions smeared / On the dark of my thoughts to dance and fade away." Murray makes it easy for the readers to relate to the text by creating a clear empathy for the grief and loss the widower is feeling in the poem. Some people can not regain the strength to lead a