Gwen Harwood Changing self
Gwen Harwood: Changing of the Self In Gwen Harwood’s poetry, the changes in an individual’s perspective and attitudes towards situations, surroundings and, therefore transformations in themselves, are brought on by external influences, usually in the form of a person or an event. ... One of the significant aspects of "changing self" covered in Harwood’s poems is the process in which, a child’s innocent mind, like a blank page, is inked and tainted by some experience. ... With the many allusions to nature (for example the personification of the sun and references to animals and woods and so on) Gwen Harwood constructs a dynamic backdrop which allow the responder to dwell on the subtle shifts in the child’s personality. ... This shows that his subliminal self has learned, to some extent, the cause of his pain, even if he is still hasn’t managed to consciously comprehend the events. ... " Using such highly narrative fast paced (an illusion created by delivering it in pulses) and confident language to show the single mindedness of the young, Harwood describes the actions of the girl as she creeps out at daybreak to the barnyard. ... In contrast to innocence of the young, Gwen Harwood also attempts to understand death and how it changes the personality of the people experiencing its influence. ... More than death itself, Harwood’s poetry shows how many people fail to accept death.