My dearest Amy,
It is with fond memories in my heart that I pen this letter. These past days have sapped my strength to the point where I think that the only thing keeping me going is watching you working on the stitches of the pyjamas every day. I don't know how much longer I will live after you have completed them. I am truly sorry if I do not get the chance to say goodbye because of this. The final stitch you make will be the final stitch in the tapestry of my life. My time is done, and I'm only cheating my own fate by trying to fight against it. Like quicksand, the more you struggle, the farther down you go. But do know that I love you. With all my heart I do. Do you remember the night we met? Of course you do, what am I saying. It was back in '42. At the governer's do, don't you recall? I knew from the moment I saw you that we would be together for the rest of our lives. Ahh, such agreeable memories... In any case, my dear, I have noticed you looking at me with a hint of jealousy on your face, probably because of my connection with the silk. I must tell you something. When I saw that silk for the first time, it reminded me of you. All the way home it felt like you were with me. And when I wear those pyjamas into the grave with me, it will feel like you are with me. I must sound like a babbling old fool but that is the truth. But it does pain me to see the silk in this sorry, half-finished state, somewhere in between the original material and the completed design. If I pass away now, it would be an agonising way to go, never seeing or wearing the clothes that let me take you with me when I die. That is why I'm holding on for all I can to see you finish them, Amy. That's why I might not have the strength to tell you a proper goodbye. So if I can't - goodbye, my dearest. Don't dwell on my end. Think instead of all our fond memories , our good times, and the strength of our undying love. I love you, forever.
Your dearest Herb.
Sunday, 20 March 2011
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
Analyse how language techniques are used in at least two poems to show the poet's attitude or point of view.
The famous New Zealand poet James K. Baxter was renowned for his attitude towards middle class society in the country at the time he was writing. He held what he perceived as the average New Zealand family in low regard, as shown in his poem 'The Ballad Of Calvary Street'. In this poem he has used the language techniques of religious symbolism and figurative language, and also uses a nameless married couple to present his attitude towards those living in the deadening sterility of the suburbs. Contrastingly, he shows an admiring viewpoint towards the eponymous feline in his poem 'Tomcat', which represents the poet's view, or perhaps idealised view, of himself. The rough-and-ready attitude of the cat disregards the conventions of modern society, instead lending itself to a freer and more down-to-Earth life. The poet shows us this admiration through the language techniques of metaphor and exclamatory statements.
Baxter ironically uses religious symbolism in 'The Ballad Of Calvary Street' to show his critical attitude towards the religiously hypocritical society he saw. He was raised in an Anglican family and so spent the first part of his life believing in organised religion, however he looked at the Catholic Church and saw a group of people following the faith out of duty rather than belief, in his eyes removing the spiritual meaning from organised religion. The poem is set in "Calvary Street", which shares a name with the hill on which Jesus Christ was crucified. This is an ironic comparison between the tribulations of Christ, which symbolise his love and devotion to his followers, and the meaningless lives devoid of love or devotion he sees around him. He makes another allusion to to the crucifixion of Christ, saying there are "trellises where bright as blood the roses bloom." The criss-crossing trellises represent Jesus' cross while the roses represent his blood. He then addresses the unconvincing devotion of the couple, and remarks that every Saturday,
"Mum takes down the family files and cover to cover she thumbs them through," making it sound like a chore. This also refers to the Bible, suggesting that the family looks through their holy text in a similar, dutiful manner rather than gleaming any actual knowledge from the pages. Later on the poet ironically quips that "women bear the cross of woe," meaning that they create problems for themselves by bottling up their emotions and resorting to passive-aggressive actions such as making sure the husband "will get no sugar in his tea." Baxter finds this lifestyle to be petty and tired, summing up the poem with "Why hammer nails?" referring again to Christ's crucifixion. He wonders whether the society he saw was what Jesus had envisioned, begging the question, was his death really worth the lifestyle he saw?
Additionally, Baxter uses figurative language to further the critical attitude he shows in the poem. He uses personification, metaphor and simile to show aspects of his couple's lifestyle which he dislikes. He uses simile, saying that "gnomes like pagan fetishes hang their hats on an empty tomb", referring to garden gnomes, the ultimate in kitsch suburban decor, comparing them to "pagan fetishes" in the way that they are so common in suburban back gardens that it seems as if all of suburbia has a fetish for them. The poet then personifies the gnomes, saying that they "hang their hats on an empty tomb." The empty tomb is a symbol of hope for Catholics and the fact that gnomes are using the tomb as a hatstand debases it to the point of mockery, showing again the faithless worship of the couple. Later on the husband finds a large parsnip in the garden which has a "flange"-like protrusion and shows it to his wife. She sees no humour and Baxter says "when both were young she would have laughed, a goddess in her tartan skirt," showing a common pattern he sees in which previously happy and joyous relationships are strained over the course of marriage by the deadening sterility of suburbia, causing lovelessness in the household. Part of the strain is the aforementioned passive-aggressive behaviour of the women, which is further explored through personification as the wife's "polished oven spits with rage," showing that she imbues this object with all of her anger instead of actually confronting her husband about any disagreements they may have. The poem finishes with a metaphor, Baxter saying that "Yin and Yang won't ever meet," referring to a Chinese symbol of unity as a metaphor for the couple. He suggests that their relationship is lost and they will never love each other as their lives have become too devoid of meaning.
Contrastingly, Baxter shows an admiring viewpoint towards the eponymous feline in his poem "Tomcat", using metaphor to show this. He sees the cat as a representation of himself, or at least his idealised self-image, in that it rejects the rules and conventions of modern society, cutting "across zones of the respectable" and living by its own rules rather than somebody else's. In this way Baxter perceives the cat's life as having meaning as everything it does has a purpose, in contrast to the lives of the couple in 'The Ballad Of Calvary Street.' He notes that the cat's coat has "flowers like round stars, badges of bouts and fights." The wound marks are seen by the poet as admirable in that the cat is sticking up for its own and defending its territory. This is a very masculine image but he then says that the cat "looks female, Turkish-trousered" referring to a type of pants worn by women. He admires the way in which the cat can seem masculine one moment and feminine the next, not caring about the conventions of 'sticking to one gender' that society presents. The cat's "snake head" shows its rough and rugged appearance, showing its way of life in its gaunt, weathered look. The cat has evidently spent its life in action, fighting, running and otherwise living a life on the run. This unconventional lifestyle is seen by Baxter as the purer form of life when compared to the Calvary Street couple.
The poet further extends this admiration through his use of exclamatory statements. Punctuated with an exclamation mark, they provide a short respite among the chaos of "Tomcat." First he exclaims "He has no dignity, thank God!" which comes as somewhat of a surprise to the first-time reader, as conventionally a lack of dignity is perceived as a negative quality. However Baxter sees it as another part of the cat's free way of life. Later he says the cat's head is "seamed on top with rough scars: Old Samurai!" The tomcat is likened to a battle-worn, veteran samurai, its years of experience showing on its head. These exclamatory statements are like small outbursts of though from the poet, commentaries not completely related to the poem. They represent Baxter's personal opinion on the tomcat as the poem unfolds. Through these short insights into his mind we clearly see the admiration he feels for the cat.
Baxter shows a disdain and disregard for organised society and religion in 'The Ballad Of Calvary Street' while simultaneously showing immense admiration for the animal in "Tomcat", that lives by its own rules and does everything for a purpose rather than out of duty. The poet's disdain for New Zealand average middle class society is shown through the ironic use of religious symbolism and figurative language in 'The Ballad Of Calvary Street,' while his praise and admiration of the tomcat is shown through metaphor and exclamatory statements in 'Tomcat.' These two poems work well together in showing us the way Baxter thought, and are both representations of the free spirit the poet was.
Baxter ironically uses religious symbolism in 'The Ballad Of Calvary Street' to show his critical attitude towards the religiously hypocritical society he saw. He was raised in an Anglican family and so spent the first part of his life believing in organised religion, however he looked at the Catholic Church and saw a group of people following the faith out of duty rather than belief, in his eyes removing the spiritual meaning from organised religion. The poem is set in "Calvary Street", which shares a name with the hill on which Jesus Christ was crucified. This is an ironic comparison between the tribulations of Christ, which symbolise his love and devotion to his followers, and the meaningless lives devoid of love or devotion he sees around him. He makes another allusion to to the crucifixion of Christ, saying there are "trellises where bright as blood the roses bloom." The criss-crossing trellises represent Jesus' cross while the roses represent his blood. He then addresses the unconvincing devotion of the couple, and remarks that every Saturday,
"Mum takes down the family files and cover to cover she thumbs them through," making it sound like a chore. This also refers to the Bible, suggesting that the family looks through their holy text in a similar, dutiful manner rather than gleaming any actual knowledge from the pages. Later on the poet ironically quips that "women bear the cross of woe," meaning that they create problems for themselves by bottling up their emotions and resorting to passive-aggressive actions such as making sure the husband "will get no sugar in his tea." Baxter finds this lifestyle to be petty and tired, summing up the poem with "Why hammer nails?" referring again to Christ's crucifixion. He wonders whether the society he saw was what Jesus had envisioned, begging the question, was his death really worth the lifestyle he saw?
Additionally, Baxter uses figurative language to further the critical attitude he shows in the poem. He uses personification, metaphor and simile to show aspects of his couple's lifestyle which he dislikes. He uses simile, saying that "gnomes like pagan fetishes hang their hats on an empty tomb", referring to garden gnomes, the ultimate in kitsch suburban decor, comparing them to "pagan fetishes" in the way that they are so common in suburban back gardens that it seems as if all of suburbia has a fetish for them. The poet then personifies the gnomes, saying that they "hang their hats on an empty tomb." The empty tomb is a symbol of hope for Catholics and the fact that gnomes are using the tomb as a hatstand debases it to the point of mockery, showing again the faithless worship of the couple. Later on the husband finds a large parsnip in the garden which has a "flange"-like protrusion and shows it to his wife. She sees no humour and Baxter says "when both were young she would have laughed, a goddess in her tartan skirt," showing a common pattern he sees in which previously happy and joyous relationships are strained over the course of marriage by the deadening sterility of suburbia, causing lovelessness in the household. Part of the strain is the aforementioned passive-aggressive behaviour of the women, which is further explored through personification as the wife's "polished oven spits with rage," showing that she imbues this object with all of her anger instead of actually confronting her husband about any disagreements they may have. The poem finishes with a metaphor, Baxter saying that "Yin and Yang won't ever meet," referring to a Chinese symbol of unity as a metaphor for the couple. He suggests that their relationship is lost and they will never love each other as their lives have become too devoid of meaning.
Contrastingly, Baxter shows an admiring viewpoint towards the eponymous feline in his poem "Tomcat", using metaphor to show this. He sees the cat as a representation of himself, or at least his idealised self-image, in that it rejects the rules and conventions of modern society, cutting "across zones of the respectable" and living by its own rules rather than somebody else's. In this way Baxter perceives the cat's life as having meaning as everything it does has a purpose, in contrast to the lives of the couple in 'The Ballad Of Calvary Street.' He notes that the cat's coat has "flowers like round stars, badges of bouts and fights." The wound marks are seen by the poet as admirable in that the cat is sticking up for its own and defending its territory. This is a very masculine image but he then says that the cat "looks female, Turkish-trousered" referring to a type of pants worn by women. He admires the way in which the cat can seem masculine one moment and feminine the next, not caring about the conventions of 'sticking to one gender' that society presents. The cat's "snake head" shows its rough and rugged appearance, showing its way of life in its gaunt, weathered look. The cat has evidently spent its life in action, fighting, running and otherwise living a life on the run. This unconventional lifestyle is seen by Baxter as the purer form of life when compared to the Calvary Street couple.
The poet further extends this admiration through his use of exclamatory statements. Punctuated with an exclamation mark, they provide a short respite among the chaos of "Tomcat." First he exclaims "He has no dignity, thank God!" which comes as somewhat of a surprise to the first-time reader, as conventionally a lack of dignity is perceived as a negative quality. However Baxter sees it as another part of the cat's free way of life. Later he says the cat's head is "seamed on top with rough scars: Old Samurai!" The tomcat is likened to a battle-worn, veteran samurai, its years of experience showing on its head. These exclamatory statements are like small outbursts of though from the poet, commentaries not completely related to the poem. They represent Baxter's personal opinion on the tomcat as the poem unfolds. Through these short insights into his mind we clearly see the admiration he feels for the cat.
Baxter shows a disdain and disregard for organised society and religion in 'The Ballad Of Calvary Street' while simultaneously showing immense admiration for the animal in "Tomcat", that lives by its own rules and does everything for a purpose rather than out of duty. The poet's disdain for New Zealand average middle class society is shown through the ironic use of religious symbolism and figurative language in 'The Ballad Of Calvary Street,' while his praise and admiration of the tomcat is shown through metaphor and exclamatory statements in 'Tomcat.' These two poems work well together in showing us the way Baxter thought, and are both representations of the free spirit the poet was.
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