The Dark Side Of Motherhood In In The Park By Gwen Hardwood

Gwen Hardwood’s poem “In the Park” exposes the darker side of motherhood and the role of women. It highlights the idea of changing identity through challenging concepts, beliefs and values generally held amongst mothers in today’s society. The theme of motherhood and change provide an insight into the life of a mother which demonstrate the burdens of her children. Similarly the poem, “Suburban Sonnet” emphasises the personal restrictions that associate motherly responsibilities along with the traditional role of a housewife. It is a representation of a patriarchal society for men to have authority over women, because of their supposedly inferior abilities. Harwood’s audacity to explore different gender personas, both female and male, display …show more content…
Harwood uses melancholy imagery to present visual elements to the mother’s clothing “her clothes are out of date”. The clothes become symbolic to the mother’s character in a poor socioeconomic position. It suggests both fragility and vulnerability in the face of emotional self-doubt “Someone she loved once passes by – too late”. The words ‘once’ and ‘too late’ represent the change over time and the use of past tense paint a striking portrait of the mother’s regret and unhappiness. Furthermore, the imagery of “From his neat head rises a small balloon…” satirises the persona’s reminisce for being able to read the thoughts of her former lover. The undesirable nature of the mother to raise her children has significantly left a toll on her once youthful exciting life. Harwood uses jargon to capture the natural qualities of the children “whine, bicker, tug her skirt…” It depicts the frailty of self-worth to convey the aimless patterns of her daily cycle. Harwood displays the loneliness of motherhood and how women of contemporary society have been …show more content…
The juxtaposition between her thoughts and the dialogue is a façade to hide behind her true character and voice. The hyperbole and metaphor of the last line “They have eaten me alive” creates a powerful image of misery combined with emotional and physical exhaustion that children can have on adults. Essentially, the mother has been figuratively eaten by society’s extreme expectations. Comparably, the poem “Suburban Sonnet” demonstrates the familiarity, dullness and monotony of the women’s household. “Tasty dishes from stale bread”, the closing line of the poem captures the stale home life of her suburban existence. It highlights the women’s lack of love and passion due to the dreary and lacklustre life. In both poems, Harwood uses third person to write about another woman’s experience, perhaps equivalent to her own. Harwood uses pseudonym to develop male personas under a variety of false names. This allows Harwood to comment and observe on aspects of motherhood and to create a deceptive identity which produces an authentic interpretation. Equally, the poems have fourteen lines, including rhyme, rhythm and metre to develop the concept of experimentation and poetic