Textural Integrity in Gwen Harwood
EXTENDED RESPONSE: Gwen Harwood
“In your view, how has textural integrity been achieved in Harwood’s works. Support your view with detailed reference to at least two of the poems set for study, evaluating the structure and poetic techniques”
Through the mastery of the unique structure, style, and coherent textural integrity of her work, Gwen Harwood is widely acknowledged as a ______ poet. Harwood engages the audience personally though the highly personal, yet detached tone and language, thus enabling alternate reading and responses by an individual possible. The personal experiences depicted within some of her works humanises her verse, thus giving it a tangible context, relatable to the responder. A number of aspects prevalent in Harwood’s poetry contribute to the complete textural integrity of her works, such as; existential and perennial themes, her ability as a composer to effectively use form, structure and language techniques, the poetry’s distinctive qualities and style and the rich nature of the values and thematic concerns presented within her works.
Together with the coherent use of form and language, Harwood uses a variety of different poetic techniques to create unity within her works, producing an integrated work in its meaning and value. Harwood’s skill as a composer to explore different and unique structures, style and poetic techniques achieves textural integrity and adds significance to her work.
This can be seen in “At Mornington”, a lyrical meditation which represents the maturation from the innocence and unthinking impulses of childhood, to the realities and reflective appreciation of adulthood, followed by the introspective transience of an individual’s physical existence on earth. Through the use of a multi-tense narration and text indentation, the poem represents the importance of unity within a person- a key theme in Harwood’s poetry, both spiritually and physically, and also of the union between their past, present and future,
“In your view, how has textural integrity been achieved in Harwood’s works. Support your view with detailed reference to at least two of the poems set for study, evaluating the structure and poetic techniques”
Through the mastery of the unique structure, style, and coherent textural integrity of her work, Gwen Harwood is widely acknowledged as a ______ poet. Harwood engages the audience personally though the highly personal, yet detached tone and language, thus enabling alternate reading and responses by an individual possible. The personal experiences depicted within some of her works humanises her verse, thus giving it a tangible context, relatable to the responder. A number of aspects prevalent in Harwood’s poetry contribute to the complete textural integrity of her works, such as; existential and perennial themes, her ability as a composer to effectively use form, structure and language techniques, the poetry’s distinctive qualities and style and the rich nature of the values and thematic concerns presented within her works.
Together with the coherent use of form and language, Harwood uses a variety of different poetic techniques to create unity within her works, producing an integrated work in its meaning and value. Harwood’s skill as a composer to explore different and unique structures, style and poetic techniques achieves textural integrity and adds significance to her work.
This can be seen in “At Mornington”, a lyrical meditation which represents the maturation from the innocence and unthinking impulses of childhood, to the realities and reflective appreciation of adulthood, followed by the introspective transience of an individual’s physical existence on earth. Through the use of a multi-tense narration and text indentation, the poem represents the importance of unity within a person- a key theme in Harwood’s poetry, both spiritually and physically, and also of the union between their past, present and future,