Homecoming By Bruce Dawe
Conflict, bloodshed, death and pain are some of the words that people associate to war. These words are commonly used by war poets, such as Bruce Dawe to express their passionate opinions about the war. In the poem Homecoming, Bruce Dawe is referring specifically to the Vietnam war and the young men and women who lost their lives. Dawe feels pity for these young soldiers as he believes that they were unappreciated for their bravery while facing the horrors of war. Dawe expresses the poem in a negative tone and tries to convey the message that war is pointless and a waste of human life throughout the poem. The setting described is characteristically Australian but the issues and horrors of war are universal.
Dawe uses visual imagery to emphasise the deep suffering that families face when a loved one is lost in the war. …show more content…
Personification is also used to give the hills and landscape human qualities, while the soldiers are usually deprived of life and humanity. “Desert emptiness” refers to the vastness of the landscape and the emptiness of war. Using these techniques, Dawe establishes that war is pointless and that all the young men and women who died in battle will never see their homelands again.
The last line of the poem creates a paradox, emphasising the senseless loss of lives. “They’re bringing them home now, too late, too early”. It is too late because the soldiers are already dead and it is too late to save their lives. However, it is too early because the soldiers are young and still have an unfulfilled life. The paradox used helps to clarify the misconception that war is beneficial. Dawe feels pity for the soldiers that died during the Vietnam war because they didn't receive the same recognition as they would have been given at end of the
Conflict, bloodshed, death and pain are some of the words that people associate to war. These words are commonly used by war poets, such as Bruce Dawe to express their passionate opinions about the war. In the poem Homecoming, Bruce Dawe is referring specifically to the Vietnam war and the young men and women who lost their lives. Dawe feels pity for these young soldiers as he believes that they were unappreciated for their bravery while facing the horrors of war. Dawe expresses the poem in a negative tone and tries to convey the message that war is pointless and a waste of human life throughout the poem. The setting described is characteristically Australian but the issues and horrors of war are universal.
Dawe uses visual imagery to emphasise the deep suffering that families face when a loved one is lost in the war. …show more content…
Personification is also used to give the hills and landscape human qualities, while the soldiers are usually deprived of life and humanity. “Desert emptiness” refers to the vastness of the landscape and the emptiness of war. Using these techniques, Dawe establishes that war is pointless and that all the young men and women who died in battle will never see their homelands again.
The last line of the poem creates a paradox, emphasising the senseless loss of lives. “They’re bringing them home now, too late, too early”. It is too late because the soldiers are already dead and it is too late to save their lives. However, it is too early because the soldiers are young and still have an unfulfilled life. The paradox used helps to clarify the misconception that war is beneficial. Dawe feels pity for the soldiers that died during the Vietnam war because they didn't receive the same recognition as they would have been given at end of the