In The Park

Introduction Paragraph:

The poem In The Park by Gwen Harwood reflects on a woman whos lost
in life, trying to adhere to societal values and conventions by taking care
of her children but without a true relationship with them. The poem is
written in a sonnet form; therefore, accentuating the lost love that she
once had in her life. Poetic techniques in the poem include, visual
imagery, personification, persona and diction which all point towards the
challenged gender stereotypes presented in the poem.The poem starts
off with the lines She sits in the park. Her clothes are out of date, which
comments on her mental and physical state as a mother of three children.
This line gives an insight of the tough and vigorous life she must be living,
which can also be related to the entire population of mothers. In The Park
also explicitly impacts the reader as they are given an insight of the
isolated, powerless and lonely nature of being a mother in the 1950s. The
lines Two children whine and bicker, tug her skirt, tells us that the
woman is not happy about the presence of her children a round her,
rather outlining the annoying, devilish behavior of her offsprings. The
theme of gender stereotypes is stated in the poem and can be envisaged
through the actions of the main character towards the people close to her.
It was a common ideology of the time, that women would be a loving
mother automatically as it was their duty, but Gwen Harwood challenges
this stereotype showing that a woman does not have to abide by those
conventions to live a happy life. Therefore, through reading the poem In
The Park, we are given a insight of the common expectations and moral
values of women had to live up to during the 1980s.

Main Body Paragraph 1: Imagery

Gwen Harwood extensive use of the poetic technique diction in In The

Park of challenges gender stereotypes presented on women of his time.
Through the use of diction, the reader is positioned to identify and
quantify the difficulties of being a mother and the responsibilities of being
a parent. The lines Flicking light, rehearsing the childrens names and
birthdays, the children remain nameless which reveals the dehumanizing
effects on the children as a result of the mothers inability to parent.
Therefore, the mothers hope of having a healthy relationship with her
children, is slowly diminishing which leads to the realization that the
mother will once again be alone. In the lines Her clothes are out of date
the woman is not given a name therefore making the character
anonymous, which suggests a lack of identity. This challenges gender and
social expectation as women use to make it a priority to dress up and look
presentable. Therefore this states that the mother has been stripped form
her freedom and therefore isolated because of her children. This
characterizes the mother with a loss of humanity and therefore is unable
to follow social conventions. Therefore through the use of diction Gwen
Harwood is bale to highlight the difficulties of being a mother and
following social conventions at the same time. The poem also shows the
rough side being a mother as your freedom and entire livelihood is
sacrificed for your children. An extremely important point presented in the
poem is the fact that not every woman aspires to be a mother and to be
dictated by the needs and wants of their offspring.