Bruce_Dawe_Poetry_and_Its_Textual_Integrity

In your view, how have poetic techniques been used to reveal memorable ideas in Bruce Dawe’s poetry' The poetic techniques of Bruce Dawe have effectively communicated the memorable ideas of the typical person he commonly depicts and the way in which they respond to the world they live. Dawe explores their dependency on material possessions, the rituals one develops and follows in order to create meaning from existence and the pressures placed on individuals and communities to conform to social expectations. These ideas are especially evident in the poems ‘Life-cycle’, ‘Enter Without So Much as Knocking’ and ‘Homo Suburbiensis’ where Dawe provides insight into the life and psyche of the average man. In each poem, the techniques used, highlight the issues Dawe believes relevant to the 1960s society in which he wrote. His main concerns were for the consequences of the growth of commercialism and the fascination with achieving an idealistic lifestyle in the post-war period. Bruce Dawe explores the growing trend of humankind’s excessive obsession for material matters. He illustrates how the average man, whom he largely portrays, can become so dependent on such fixations in order to establish an identity within a community, as this may be the only happiness they experience. The poem ‘Life-cycle’ demonstrates the effect an obsession with football can have on a person from birth to death. It highlights the extent of the fanaticism of people, not only relevant in the poem’s Australian context of the 1960s but the effect can also be seen in present times. The supporters dependency on the result of a game is highlighted in the line “And the tides of life will be the tides of the home-team’s fortunes” where the repetition of ‘tides’ creates a comparison between a man’s state of emotion and the outcome of a sporting match. This evokes a sympathetic response from the reader as they understand how these material obsessions can in fact have a deeper meaningful and significant impact to some within a community. Through his poetry, Bruce Dawe has emphasised an increasing interest in material items and subsequently a diminishing acknowledgement for moral values. This is heavily influenced by the post-war context of the poem where there was a period of great technological advancement and an increase in commercialism. ‘Enter Without So Much as Knocking’ demonstrates a growing separation from the natural, real world to one dominated by material possessions. The main character is subject to these pressures yet the only sense of bliss experienced by him is an interaction with the natural world. He describes the night sky as “a pure unadulterated fringe”, personifying the sky whilst creating a complete contrast to the world in which he lives. The black humour of Dawe becomes evident as he conveys the message that the sad world he has created is in fact that of the reader. ‘Enter Without So Much as Knocking’ highlights the scarcity of unaltered items in the world and how this is a product of our fascination with an ideal, materialistic lifestyle. The poet Bruce Dawe communicates the memorable idea that although we are developing into a society that is dependent on material possessions, there will always be an element of ourselves that will remain unaltered by the movement. He explores how even the average man can separate himself from commercialism by connecting with his “one constant in a world of variables”. The poem ‘Homo Suburbiensis’ assesses the life of a typical, suburban man. His act of disassociating himself from suburban lifestyle offers him the opportunity to connect with the metaphysical world, allowing entry into a state of revaluation. The man is portrayed as “lost in a green confusion”. This is a metaphor for the way in which he is lost temporarily from domestic responsibility and confused as he contemplates his life. The audience is positioned to respond positively to the disconnection because it encourages a focus on the spiritual state. However the poem emphasises the control material values have on an individual, as he is not yet prepared to exit the “back fence” and further his enlightenment As expressed in the poetry of Bruce Dawe, a person develops unique habits and rituals through their interactions with others. Many of these characteristics have been adapted in early life as a child and can last a lifetime. Sport is commonly referred to as a religion and this concept is explored in the poem ‘Life-cycle’. Football is portrayed to have its own practices comparable to that of a religious tradition, with a wide following of supporters who will partake in these rituals from birth until death. The comparison between the “Carn, they cry, Carn….. feebly at first” of the child with the “Carn… Carn…(if feeble)” of the elderly emphasises the cyclical nature of these obsessive customs and how age is not a deferent form participating in these traditions. The onomatopoeia of ‘Carn’ identifies an Australian football team hence why the capital has been used. The audience being a typically Australian one, can themselves relate to the sporting atmosphere, appreciating and understanding the ritualistic behaviour of fanatics. In his poetry, Bruce Dawe communicates the concept that as a human collective we adapt rituals as a way of coping with our existence. Routines are evident across many aspects of a person’s life and can be applied to a family situation where the ideal of the 1960s was there to be a mother, father and siblings. 1960s expectations of living are explored in the poem ‘Enter Without So Much as Knocking’ where the character is repeatedly influenced so that eventually they must succumb to this artificial lifestyle. The narrator of the poem recognises the false qualities of the child’s life, describing the family as a ‘household’ rather than a home. He portrays the family as decisively average “with two kids straight off the Junior Department rack”. The metaphor of the children being so typical and standard someone could purchase them at a store, emphasises the impact routines can have on our lives, allowing less variety and independent thought but giving humans a way to identify their existence with others. In an effort to establish meaning and understanding from our existence, humans develop rituals. Bruce Dawe, through the characterisation of a typical man, portrays the message that these rituals can be a beneficial process in connecting to the metaphysical world. ‘Homo Suburbiensis’ depicts a man whom gains pleasure and satisfaction through his basic ritual. His routine enables him the chance to connect with his spiritual self and forget his suburban existence. The poem challenges the concept that suburban lifestyle is mundane, instead providing the image where comfort and reassurance of one’s place within the world can be realised. The man’s evening journey to his vegetable patch where there are “all the things he takes down with him there” symbolises not only the tools and equipment he will need but the thoughts and issues he will contemplate. The reader is positioned to respond acceptingly to the ritual as Dawe creates the understanding that these physical routines are necessary in order to appreciate a spiritual self. Through his portrayal of ordinary Australians, Bruce Dawe recognises that to identify oneself within a community, is to subject oneself to the pressures to conform. The expectation to observe a standard of behaviour can be applied in varying contexts including that of parents and the pressures they place on their children to become what the parents’ desire. ‘Life-cycle’ illustrates the expected attitude of fanatics and the influence of the atmosphere to be apart of the community. The desire of parents for their child to support a chosen team is compared with how a parent might expect their child to believe in their religious faith. The parents portrayed in ‘Life-cycle’ actively coax their child to support their team, crooning, “Ah, he’s a little Tiger!”, the pun highlighting the hope that the child will support the team referred to, whilst seeming to be an affectionate playful term. The audience response is one of disapproval as these expectations are supportive of a conformist society, are much too high for a young child and they discourage individualism and diversity. In the post-war period, there was a pressure to comply with the social conventions one was constantly exposed to. Bruce Dawe highlights that with the growth in media influences and technological advancements especially of television, there was a movement towards a commercialised society, one in which he did not agree. ‘Enter Without So Much as Knocking’ expresses Dawe’s fear of the consequences related to this development. He depicts a typical man exposed to the mass media and the expectations of the society for him to accept the conformist lifestyle. The infant after being exposed to the media is described as being “lucky because it didn’t mean a thing to him then” foreshadowing underling that the media will one day influence the innocent child and the consequence will be of a loss of independent thought. The audience is positioned to reject social pressures as they discourage a person’s right to decide for themselves, diminishing a man’s life as one of a mere show behind a commercialised mask. Throughout his poetry, Bruce Dawe portrays how the media and other influences continually pressure their audiences. Social and cultural values of the 1960s supported the view of a suburban lifestyle with the focus on a physical lifestyle dominated by work and family rather than one including the equally important spiritual elements. ‘Homo Suburbiensis’ portrays a suburban man whom defies these pressures momentarily by interacting within his own private world, both within him and marked out by the boundaries of his fence. He recognises that although his lifestyle is interpreted as trivial it is “as much as any man can offer”. His almost religious ritual allows him to escape, highlighted in the subdued sounds he hears of “a fair whisper of traffic”. The personification of the traffic amplifies Dawe’s message that it is a worthwhile action to defy pressures even if temporarily. The reader is positioned positively to such rituals but also recognises that although the man does defy social boundaries, he has confined to do so only in the world he is created shown by the symbolism of the fence. The memorable ideas portrayed in the poetry of Bruce Dawe have great textual integrity as they expose the reader, through the use of poetic techniques, an insight into the persona of the typical man. The poems ‘Life-cycle’, ‘Enter Without So Much as Knocking’ and ‘Homo Suburbiensis’ consider the consequences of the issues of a trend towards a dependency on material possessions, the routines an individual adapts in order to associate meaning within their existence and the pressures to conform to social values. Dawe writing in the post-war period effectively communicates his concerns through his use of poetic techniques, allowing the reader to interpret them to their contemporary setting where these concepts remain clearly evident. Ultimately, Dawe expresses his ideas compellingly to the audience in his excellent portrayal of the average man.