The poem is in stanzaic form consisting of 10 stanzas each with four lines (Quatrain format). Each sentence is evenly distributed in line length. The rhyming scheme is written in ABAB format. The sentences formulated in the poem are not lengthy and are lacking in complexity of form. This helps the poet by placing his point fast and quickly. Also the use of enjambments helps keep the line length in check, making the poem more consistent in its structure. “The rebuff still stuns/ My blood”. The enjambment here places emphasis on “My blood” which reminds us of the connection between the speaker and his father.
The setting is created through descriptions of the author’s life and events that have stayed with him. Rather than describing the setting, which is probably the family home, scenarios are presented. The speaker shows his own life in the poem. His parent’s love which was that not of high soaring passion neither was it as soft and fragile love, it was described as a kind of love, as though their love was only an imitation “They were united in a kind of love/As daily as the Sydney morning herald/Rather than like the eagle or the dove”.
Throughout the text of the poem the tone received is that of a heavy and dense feel, perhaps due to the reflection being so thoughtful that it forces a person to start reflecting on himself. The tone does not vary much in the poem; it remains at a constant intensity, therefore keeping the feel of the poem constantly in the same pattern. However towards the end when the speaker contemplates death the tone becomes a little more melancholy: “Down to that central deadness: the despair
Older than any Hope I ever knew.”
During the judgement of the author’s parents we are given an insight into how the author has wisdom in his judgement. “How can I judge without ingratitude? /Judgement is simply trying to reject/ a part of what we are because it hurts”. The author also states that his parents ‘once’ had a place of great dignity in his life, meaning he had respected them greatly. “They cared for us and love us. Once they stood/ Tall in my child hood as the school, the steeple.” This is also a form of symbolism/simile as his parents were high as a steeple, showing the major authority they had over him, was as great as a church’s authority.
The poem is a great example of poetry. However a writer has to be careful that the implication is clear. The more abstract the words, the greater the risk the reader won’t see what the writer intended. However I believe James McAuley has made an excellent approach towards this scenario, and brings in the atmosphere with great delicacy; however the impact it creates is heavy. I find that the author is able to create a serious and gloomy atmosphere, evoking a tense mood. James McAuley very cleverly creates this mood of seriousness and density.