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Introduction

'Life-cycle' And 'Enter without so much as knocking' The poet's role is to challenge the world the see around them.' How far is this true for the poetry of Bruce Dawe? How (ie through what techniques) Does Dawe achieve this? Discuss a maximum of 2 poems. Bruce Dawe is one of the most inspirational and truthful poets of our time. Born in 1930, in Geelong, most of Dawe's poetry concerns the common person - his poems are a recollection on the world and issues around him. The statement 'The poet's role is to challenge the world they see around them.' Is very true for Bruce Dawe, as his main purpose in his poetry was to depict the unspoken social issues concerning the common Australian suburban resident. His genuine concern for these issues is evident through his mocking approach to the issues he presents in two of his longer poems, 'Enter without so much as Knocking' and 'Life-cycle'. Both poems have a similar theme - the cycle of life, the mass-production and lack of uniqueness. 'Enter without so much as Knocking' shows how consumerism has a negative impact on society. The poem depicts the life of a typical man, living in the suburbs. ...read more.

Middle

Use people, backstab, kick them when they're down - everything is justified as long as you end up on top. Bruce Dawe notices that a large percentage of the population live by these morals, and he is showing through the example of this man how futile such a materialistic life really is. An abrupt change in the dialog and we hear the words of the man thanking a woman, Clare, for a lovely evening. The readers hold their breath, thinking that maybe there still is some humanity left in this man who has just said such harsh words. But in the sixth stanza it is revealed that he was merely being two-faced and fake. He is in the car with his wife. There are no signs of affection, his wife is just like another possession to him. "I've had enough for one night, with that Clare Jessup," Here he reveals the truth - a total opposite of what he told Clare herself. Or perhaps this too is not the truth, and he is also lying to his wife in order to gain sympathy. At the end of the paragraph Dawe abruptly stops the man in mid sentence and leaves only a dash, showing how quickly and suddenly one can lose ones life. ...read more.

Conclusion

"having seen in the six-foot recruit from Eaglehawk their hope of salvation" Bruce Dawe purposefully makes the last word of the poem salvation. This word, generally associated with heaven, and the fact that living a good, Christian life will lead to our salvation and we will go to heaven, not hell. But it is not from God that these people gain their salvation - they see salvation in the recruit, the strong football player who has come to play for their team and could bring the team victory. With that Dawe makes obvious the skewed priorities of these people, and how futile and pointless their existence is. 'Carn, carn' they cry, from birth unto death, never knowing anything else, never living. We can see by Dawe's techniques and words in both of these poems that his main purpose was to open the public's eyes to the mishaps of society. He challenges society, pointing out all of the injustices and hardships that ordinary people face every day. He shows us how we can become selfish and materialistic, and how we can become so involved in something that we no longer recognise the beauties of life and nature. He makes these morals accessible to all people through his simple poetry, communicating his ideas and ethics accurately ...read more.

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