Personal Journey In Gwen Harwood's In The Park

As the result of change, an individual is able to be inspired to go through a personal journey which will assist them in finding themselves rather than influence society to change their perspective, however their experiences can bring a societal shift to the stereotypical beliefs of individuals. Throughout Shakespeare's comedic play As You Like It, love is an ongoing catalyst that allows an individual to inspire ones personal journey. In addition, Gwen Harwood's In the Park allows individuals to gain new experiences as a result of the, arguably, negative change into motherhood. This reflects upon how a personal journey can effectively change the stereotypical beliefs that society hold on parenthood. Evident in both these texts, change has played a crucial role in bringing new experiences to individuals which provide them with opportunities to change their attitudes as well as influence the society to.

By undergoing personal change, an individual
Contrasting this, society believes that children bring new love and happiness. the loss and sacrifice of the persona's previous relationship, foreshadowed through the introduction of the personas ex lover; 'Someone she loved once passes by", the audience is able to acknowledge how a mother, by undergoing a new personal journey, must leave her past behind. The persona's ex-lover is a visual symbol of her past and how it has been left behind in order to fulfil motherhood duties metaphorically illustrated by her "rehearsing the children's names and birthdays". The sacrifice of her freedom is exaggerated through the hyperbole "they have eaten me alive", suggesting that her children use her as a domestic machine; taking away her real identity. By illustrating the depressing reality of parenthood, individuals are able to recognise the deep sacrifice that mothers give in return to looking after their