Gwen Harwoods Father and Child is a two-part poem that depicts the relationship between a child and their

father. The poem discusses loss of innocence during childhood, the reality and shocking nature of mortality and the importance and role of Nature. The first section entitled Barn Owl, delves into the loss of innocence as one leaves childhood. This is seen through the killing of an owl and the ensuing emotional results. oth poems provide contrasting views on mortality and death. Barn Owl depicts death as a shocking and violent occurrence while the second poem, Nightfall, displays that death can be accepted and is ultimately peaceful. oth Barn Owl and Nightfall make numerous allusions to nature and its integral part in human life. !oss of innocence as one leaves childhood is a prominent theme in Harwoods "#ather and $hild.% This poem derives from Harwoods personal e&periences as a mother and as a child herself. 't displays that with the ac(uisition of knowledge, wisdom and maturity innocence is sacrificed. 'n stan)a one religious iconography and descriptive language are used to describe the child as "blessed% and "angel-mind,% these convey the purity of childhood. The loss of this innocence is prefigured in line three when, "Horny fiend% is *u&taposed with the description of "angel-mind.% 'n the fourth stan)a the innocence is lost when she shoots the owl, "a lonely + child who believed death clean + and final, not this obscene.% The contrasts of the words clean and obscene are used to highlight grotes(ueness of the image. The rhyming of these words adds greater emphasis to the childs awareness that death is violent and not gentle. The last stan)a depicts the childs commencement on the paths to maturity and the gaining of wisdom. The use of a short, sharp sentence that parallels the shot of a gun is used in the first sentence, "' fired.% This represents the childs newfound awareness about the violence and finality of death. Her remorse is conveyed through the use of the verb "wept% and her perception of her father changes from, "old no-sayer,% in the second stan)a to the role of comforter in the final stan)a. The irony of the poem lies in the fact that an own, a symbol of wisdom, is killed in order for the child to gain knowledge. Harwood e&plores the issue of mortality in both segments of Father and Child. Harwoods education in philosophy and religions comes to a forefront as she focuses on the image and imminence of death. Harwoods poem conveys the reality and shocking nature of death when the child is confronted with the conse(uences of firing the gun. 'n Nightfall, the persona is now ,- years older and has generated an acceptance of death as part of life. The principle techni(ue employed in Barn Owl is the use of violent imagery to portray the horrific nature of the owls death. .trong words such as "obscene% and "dribbled% create an image of the scene for the responder. The mental picture is utili)ed to evoke feelings of disgust in the responder and to make then reali)e the shocking nature of death. The point is e&emplified when imagery is again utili)ed to evoke an emotion response in the reader, "the wrecked thing that could + not bear the light nor hide + hobbled in its own blood.% This image of death is *u&taposed to the view presented in Nightfall. 'n the second poem, death is seen as a natural occurrence that can be a peaceful affair. Nature is seen as an integral fragment of a persons life in both Barn Owl and Nightfall. eing raised in the outer suburbs of risbane in a semi-rural area, Gwen Harwood was

constantly involved with nature. This is evident in her writings with great importance placed on the relationship between people and nature. Her love of /omantic poets who emphasi)ed the benefits of nature comes to the forefront in these poems. The titles of both poems refer to natural occurrences with Barn Owl being an interaction between people and nature. oth poems use night and day as symbols of the circle of life. arn 0wl contains a scene being played out at dawn resulting in the loss of innocence of a child. The setting of the sun in Nightfall parallels the fathers decline. .ibilance is utili)ed to emphasi)e the cycle of life, ".unset e&alts its known symbols of transience%. 'n Nightfall the author employs the metaphor of a season to describe the fathers impending death. His passing is referred to as the, "season that seemed 'ncredible.% 1llusion to nature is used to create imagery that emphasi)es the fathers frail body, "stick-thin comforter2we pick our last #ruits of the temporal.% The multiple techni(ues utili)ed in this poem effectively convey the importance of nature to humans lives. Father and Child by Gwen Harwood is a two-part poem that depicts the relationship between and child and their father. Barn Owl, delves into the loss of innocence as one leaves childhood. This is seen through the killing of an owl and the ensuing emotional conse(uences. Barn Owl depicts death as a shocking and violent occurrence while the second poem, Nightfall, displays that death can be accepted and is ultimately peaceful. oth Barn Owl and Nightfall make numerous allusions to nature and its integral part in human life.