Gwen Harwood (2 Viewers)

[Fire_Hydra]

heya,

To those doing Gwen Harwood,
anyone with info - insight - opinion - weird first impressions/interpretations on Gwen Harwood's poems?

what do ya think?

so far our class has done The Glass Jar, Alter Ego and Prize Giving....

 

[Thomas_wow]

in my opinion they are boring

but the good thing is that they are so obvious and in your face, its impossible to not miss the meaning of the poem... the only problem that this brings up is if you dont go beyone the obvious, your answer is going to look like everyones in the state...

like in glass jar, you might just think its about a kid trying to capture some light in a jar and scare away the boogie monsters. but look at the symbolism, particularly religious symbolism, maybe harwood was trying to say something about lost/regained faith.

remember that harwood grew up with music and almost became a nun, so most of her poems have heaps of religious or musical symbolism

 

[Gavvvvvin]

Her poems are shithouse, and seem to deal with the same subjects and use the same imagery techniques over and over. The way I see it, its a good thing she cant write any more poems . . .

 

[mic]

Originally posted by _DeathlessOne_
The way I see it, its a good thing she cant write any more poems . . .

oooohh, that's harsh

but yes, i did her last year, and i will never read her poems again. EVER

 

[Gavvvvvin]

I was only joking with that comment, so none of you Gwen Harwood fans (if there is any ) should take it seriously!

 

[Thomas_wow]

yeah, i heard she opened her own line of toshiba fans...

ba doom tschh

 

[glycerine]

I like gwen harwood. some of her stuff.

 

[glycerine]

no, but studying something for the HSC has the potential to ruin it in any context.

 

[Fire_Hydra]

hahahaha - yeah sorri ppl - i realised soon after that i'd put this thread in the wrong forum

*ahem* nice one Fire.....

But i agree doing any text for HSC or anyother school based type thing (texts for yr ten etc.....)

makes them suck..........no matter how good they are

for eg: i liked Emma b4 doin it for Transformations

now i hate it and can get through the second reading!!!

 

[babeishnes]

i can't stand her, my school did her in year 11 and 12, as if one year of her isn't enough, they have to put us through the pain of her all over again

 

[charmed_cuties]

Gwen Harwood is alrite as a person, but the poems seem to bored me to sleep in class, as the teacher explains i slow dose off, i simply cannot pay attention to Gwen harwood's poem as they seem to be repeating the same concepts over and over again

 

[CrashOveride]

Yeah i find they all have similar tones and atmosphere etc. but im crap at poetry and all so yeah

I was wondering if anyone has any other notes on her poetry?

Thanks for your input Without Wings!

 

[Fungrys]

yeah, i heard she opened her own line of toshiba fans...

ba doom tschh

Hayoooo!! :rofl:

 

[kimmeh]

Gwen harwood IS NOT critical study material...I beleive the psychoanalysis stuff is a load of it. I dont find any links whatsoever to the poems apart from the fact that theyre based on chilehood memories. I'm pretty sure Gwen wouldve rather us read her poems and enjoyed it, rather than critically analysing it with theories which phd students are dealing with

 

[imsooverskool]

i gotta defend poor old gwenie here... i thought her poems were lame when i studied them last year as well but you got to remember that our interpretations of the poems are probably a little different to what harwood intended. i mean im sure when she wrote these she wasnt thinking 'hmm i wonder how i can write this to demonstrate changing self or inner journeys, so that a bunch of hsc students can analyse them and use 2 or 3 of my poems in 3 paragraphs of an essay that means nothing?'

 

[Lexon Hawk]

Im either falling asleep over my 'first impressions' or being completely traumatised by my english teacher as she tries to make us understand how the child would feel seeing in parents having sex by appling it to our own lives.... as well as hers.

Very very disturbing, stay away from the Glass Jar.

 

[melsc]

Gwen harwood IS NOT critical study material...I beleive the psychoanalysis stuff is a load of it. I dont find any links whatsoever to the poems apart from the fact that theyre based on chilehood memories. I'm pretty sure Gwen wouldve rather us read her poems and enjoyed it, rather than critically analysing it with theories which phd students are dealing with

We read some bio thing about her saying she wanted her poems to be enjoyed not studied or something.

I like Prize Giving and Father and Child. The rest annoy me...especially Alter Ego and The Violets. The thing i hate most is MOD B full stop

 

[deciever]

I didn't think her poems were that bad, and i dont thnik that studying something in the hsc ruins it. I studied Hamlet/Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead and i enjoyed both of them quite a bit, now if i hadn't studied them in the hsc i would never have even looked at them.

With Gwen Harwood's poetry your meant to be looking at how people with different contexts will look at the poem, for example the traditional feminist look at prize giving would be the stuck-up professor got what he deserved.........and a fruedian look at glass jar would have a feild day.

 

[Brookie-iluvmat]

i don't mind studying her poems but im having trouble with our assessment about how reading them in different times affects peoples readings of them i dont know what to say and i havent found anything on the net regarding changing contexts!?? :S

 

[oreo_nimrodel]

I'm finding the whole different contex/different readings annoying too. I have a essay on the "Resonance of harwood's voice" and I can't come up with anything coz i get distracted. It's just not interesting