gwen harwood
...father and child over time. the poem has a gap of forty years between the parts of the poem. in 'barn owl' the child asserts themself in defiance of thier fathers authority, by experiencing death by thier own hand "the wrecked thing.. hibbled in its own blood" to be made to take responsibility when her "father reached my side... end what you have begun" in the second part of the poem 'nightfall' we learn forty years have passed. the child is now an adult and the father is now a "stick thin comfortor" 80 years old on his dying days, the two "walk for this hour as if death had no power". she is accepting the fact her father is dying she see's it as " his marvellour journy's done" and apreiciates her fathers teachings. we understand from this poem that experiences and time bring change that alters peoples attitudes. prize giving is one of gwen harwoods poems that relates to self change. the poem is about a night with professor eisentbart who is a vain man who thinks highly of himself. hw agrees to attend a prize giving at a girls highschool only after constant flattery. at the prize giving eisenbart feels hi...