“An examination of her body after death”
“An examination of her body after death” is a poem written by Glen Colquhoun to show his grief at the death of a loved one. Colquhoun uses a lot of techniques in the poem “An examination…” Two of these are the continued use of negatives throughout the poem and the metaphors used in every verse. The main ideas in this poem are grief and denial.
One of the important ideas in this poem is denial. This is shown by the repeated use of negatives. An example of one of these negatives “You are not her face”, this is showing that the author cannot believe that the person is dead and her face was different when she was alive. The author repeats the phrase “You are not her…” at the start of every verse. This clearly expresses how the poet is in denial and disbelief.
Another important idea in this poem is grief which is shown by the use of metaphors. Colquhoun uses metaphors to show contrast between when the person was alive and now that she is dead. One of the metaphors used is “The sound of birds has gone away”. This is used to describe what her mouth and voice were once like. It is also saying that the women had a nice voice when she was alive. Colquhoun then likens the dead woman’s lips to “two fat worms now hungry for the dirt”. This is showing Colquhoun’s disbelief and grief at the woman’s death and how he can’t understand how she has become this cold, quiet body on an examination slab.
Two important ideas in the poem, “An examination…” are grief and denial. These are shown by the use of negatives and metaphors. The tone created by these ideas is that of disbelief and despair and is well portrayed by Glen Colquhoun.
By Jake
“An examination of her body after death” is a poem written by Glen Colquhoun to show his grief at the death of a loved one. Colquhoun uses a lot of techniques in the poem “An examination…” Two of these are the continued use of negatives throughout the poem and the metaphors used in every verse. The main ideas in this poem are grief and denial.
One of the important ideas in this poem is denial. This is shown by the repeated use of negatives. An example of one of these negatives “You are not her face”, this is showing that the author cannot believe that the person is dead and her face was different when she was alive. The author repeats the phrase “You are not her…” at the start of every verse. This clearly expresses how the poet is in denial and disbelief.
Another important idea in this poem is grief which is shown by the use of metaphors. Colquhoun uses metaphors to show contrast between when the person was alive and now that she is dead. One of the metaphors used is “The sound of birds has gone away”. This is used to describe what her mouth and voice were once like. It is also saying that the women had a nice voice when she was alive. Colquhoun then likens the dead woman’s lips to “two fat worms now hungry for the dirt”. This is showing Colquhoun’s disbelief and grief at the woman’s death and how he can’t understand how she has become this cold, quiet body on an examination slab.
Two important ideas in the poem, “An examination…” are grief and denial. These are shown by the use of negatives and metaphors. The tone created by these ideas is that of disbelief and despair and is well portrayed by Glen Colquhoun.
By Jake
“Tangi” by Hone Tuwhare
“Tangi” is a poem written by a New Zealand author called Hone Tuwhare about how he prefers to grieve. The main idea in this poem is how different cultures deal with grief. Tuwhare uses negatives and contrast between a European funeral and a Maori funeral or Tangi.
The main idea of how different cultures deal with death is portrayed with the use of negatives. Tuwhare uses negatives at the start when he is writing about a European funeral. We can tell that it’s a European funeral because of the lines “frolic of violets and carnations”, which are generally thought of as being very English flowers, and “…bordered path” which indicates a very formal European ceremony. Tuwhare uses words and phrases like, “I did not” and “nor” to show that although there is nothing wrong with the way other cultures grieve, he prefers the Maori way at a Tangi. An example of this is “I did not meet her on the bordered path” which is referring to death and how he did not feel comfortable at the European funeral. Later on in the poem, when he describes a Tangi, the words change and become more positive showing how the author is more comfortable. “But I heard her with the wind” is an example of the change in mood. The line, “Green-leaved anguish”, also shows this but it also shows that he is at a Tangi by referring to the wreath of leaves that people wear on their heads at a Tangi.
Another technique used to portray the main idea is the use of contrast between the European-like funeral and the Maori funeral or Tangi. Tuwhare shows this contrast by making the mood change halfway through the poem. At the start when he is describing the funeral, the mood was dark and uncomfortable; we can see this in lines like “death was not hiding in the cold rags of a broken dirge”. The mood changes and becomes brighter in the last verse when he starts to describe a Tangi. This is shown in lines like, “But I heard her in the wind crooning in the hung wires”. This helps the reader to understand how cultures deal with grief differently and how the author prefers the Maori way.
In “Tangi” hone Tuwhare used negatives and contrast between two different types of funerals to show how different cultures deal with grief. “Tangi was a good poem and Hone Tuwhare used language techniques well to portray the main idea.
By Jake
“Tangi” is a poem written by a New Zealand author called Hone Tuwhare about how he prefers to grieve. The main idea in this poem is how different cultures deal with grief. Tuwhare uses negatives and contrast between a European funeral and a Maori funeral or Tangi.
The main idea of how different cultures deal with death is portrayed with the use of negatives. Tuwhare uses negatives at the start when he is writing about a European funeral. We can tell that it’s a European funeral because of the lines “frolic of violets and carnations”, which are generally thought of as being very English flowers, and “…bordered path” which indicates a very formal European ceremony. Tuwhare uses words and phrases like, “I did not” and “nor” to show that although there is nothing wrong with the way other cultures grieve, he prefers the Maori way at a Tangi. An example of this is “I did not meet her on the bordered path” which is referring to death and how he did not feel comfortable at the European funeral. Later on in the poem, when he describes a Tangi, the words change and become more positive showing how the author is more comfortable. “But I heard her with the wind” is an example of the change in mood. The line, “Green-leaved anguish”, also shows this but it also shows that he is at a Tangi by referring to the wreath of leaves that people wear on their heads at a Tangi.
Another technique used to portray the main idea is the use of contrast between the European-like funeral and the Maori funeral or Tangi. Tuwhare shows this contrast by making the mood change halfway through the poem. At the start when he is describing the funeral, the mood was dark and uncomfortable; we can see this in lines like “death was not hiding in the cold rags of a broken dirge”. The mood changes and becomes brighter in the last verse when he starts to describe a Tangi. This is shown in lines like, “But I heard her in the wind crooning in the hung wires”. This helps the reader to understand how cultures deal with grief differently and how the author prefers the Maori way.
In “Tangi” hone Tuwhare used negatives and contrast between two different types of funerals to show how different cultures deal with grief. “Tangi was a good poem and Hone Tuwhare used language techniques well to portray the main idea.
By Jake
