Friend by Hone Tuwhare Poem Notes PDF

Friend by Hone Tuwhare Do you remember that wild stretch of land with the lone tree guarding the point from the sharp-tongued s...

Friend by Hone Tuwhare Do you remember that wild stretch of land with the lone tree guarding the point from the sharp-tongued sea? The fort we built out of branches wrenched from the tree is dead wood now. The air that was thick with the whirring of toetoe spear succumbs at last to the grey gull’s wheel. Oyster studded roots of the mangrove yield no finer feast of silver-bellied eels, and sea-snails cooked in a rusty can. Allow me to mend the broken ends of shared days: but I wanted to say that the tree we climbed that gave food and drink to youthful dreams, is no more. Pursed to the lips her fine-edged leaves made whistle - now stamp no silken tracery on the cracked clay floor. Friend, in this drear dreamless time I clasp your hand if only to reassure that all our jewelled fantasies were real and wore splendid rags. Perhaps the tree will strike fresh roots again: give soothing shade to a hurt and troubled world. Poem Structure - Key Terms Free verse -> No rhythm, no fixed/strict rhyme scheme but may have some unpredictable rhyming pattern -> Effect: to mimic the kind of natural speech and conversation the persona is trying to have with the friend Rhythm vs. Rhyme -> Rhythm has a musical effect -> Rhyme: you eat lead, end up dead Caesura -> Pause signified by punctuation, e.g. commas, dashes Ellipses -> dot dot dot … Enjambment -> Continuation beyond the lines Structure Form ->Narrative, lyrical poetry, free verse; Stanza Structure -> 6 stanzas (irregular length) -> Each focused on one point/thought Rhythm & Meter -> Some rhythmical lines but no rhyme scheme (note the difference between rhyme and rhythm) ->Imitates natural speech to create conversational tone Line Structure -> 33 lines -> Irregular line length Punctuation -> Use of caesura & enjambment -> Mimic natural speech or draw attention to keywords and phrases Language - Diction Connotative language is used to depict setting or emotion: ”wild stretch” uncontrolled, free, expansive ”Guarding” a sense of protection, protecting the boys from the “sharp-tongued sea” (which indicates a sense of danger) ”wrenched” rip forcefully, without care or concern ”Drear dreamless” hopeless, lonely, in stark contrast to memory ”clasp” hold strongly, desperately Rmb in literature, always ask why does the writer/poet use this word instead of that? What mood is created? Language - Sound Effects 1. Onomatopoeia -> “wrenched from the tree” = replicates a ripping sound. Negative connotation -> “The air that was thick with the whirr of toetoe spear” = replicates the sound of the long grass moving through the wind -> “leaves made whistle” = the sounds that is made by blowing on the leaf 2. Sibilance (repeated “s” sound to emphasize the hissing sound) -> ”spear succumbs at last” = creates rhythm and draws out the words, negative connotation, things are getting hopeless -> “silver-bellied eels, and sea-snails” = slow movement of them, calm atmosphere is created when everything is at rest and he gets to spend time with his friend, melodic rhythm -> “soothing shade” = gentle, flowing rhythm, calming effect 3. Alliteration -> “grey gull’s wheel” = hard “G” sound - could reflect the harsh world as he sees it now, the world is not friendly to the persona now compared to the one he was in with his friend as children -> “finer feast” = soft “F” sound - smooth, flowing sounds, creating a peaceful atmosphere -> “cracked clay floor” = hard “C” sound - the broken, harsh world now -> “drear dreamless” = “DR” - droning, monotonous, lack of enthusiasm & hope Language - Figurative Language 1. Personification -> “lone tree guarding the point” = the tree (hence their friendship) protects them from that world -> “sharp-tongued sea” = a critical, harsh world out there -> “jewelled fantasies were// real and wore splendid rags” = being adorned with jewellery and being called splendid shows how although the fantasies weren’t real and the rags seem to have no value, they were important to them. 2. Metaphor -> “gave food and drink to youthful dreams” = the tree gave sustenance to and fueled their hopes, dreams, aspirations and ambitions (compares nourishment to dreams?) -> “strike fresh roots again” = starting anew/again (actual root growth vs. personal growth) 3. Oxymoron -> “fantasies were// real” = although the fantasies were fake, the fact they had them was real -> “splendid rags” = although the clothes were likely hand-me-downs/not in the best condition, they were still splendid Language - Tone 1. Melancholic (feeling or expressing pensive sadness) -> “toetoe spear succumbs at last to the grey gull’s wheel” 2. Wistful (having or showing a feeling of vague or regretful longing) -> “Do you remember”: asking if the “friend” still remembers the times they spent together as children -> “in this drear// dreamless time I clasp”: depicting how depressingly dull and bleak the present world is 3. Mournful (feeling, expressing, or inducing sadness, regret, or grief) -> “that the tree we climbed… is no more” (drawn out “o” - assonance) 4. Optimistic (hopeful and confident about the future) -> “Perhaps the tree// will strike fresh roots again”: a sign of hope that things will possibly grow and loop up again Imagery Quote: A “wild stretch of land// with the lone tree guarding the point// from the sharp-tongued sea” Explanation: This description of the setting suggests a private place of the speaker’s, and his “Friend” but also since it was a long time ago but is still remembered vividly means that it is still of great personal importance. Quote: ”Oyster-studded roots// of the mangrove yield no finer feast// of silver-bellied eels, and sea-snails// cooked in a rusty can.” Explanation: This image of them cooking a meal shows their absolute happiness. They were satisfied with what they had and asked for nothing more. Themes 1. The hopes/dreams of youth, how they can disappear as we get older (people grow apart, life gets more complicated, etc.) The tree which gives “food and drink” (third stanza) to the younger speaker’s dreams, seems to instill a sort of confidence and clarity, which the older speaker seems to conspicuously be lacking - his fort “is dead wood now”, the tree “is no more” and now he has been exposed to the hurt and troubled world. Thus accounting for his lament. 2. Sense of disillusion (disappointment resulting from realizing that something is not as good as one believed it to be) ”Friend,// in this drear// dreamless time I clasp// your hand if only to reassure// that all our jewelled fantasies were// real and wore splendid rags.” As a mature person, he seems aware that those fantasies were only fantasies after all. What he needs is not reassurement. He has memories. Dreams are beautiful precisely because they are childlike dreams. The fantasies wore splendid rags - they were a beautiful illusion, but nevertheless an illusion. What he needs is comfort, because time and bitterness have taken their toll. 3. The key to happiness (both for individuals and for society) is by living in peace with nature The tree metaphorically represents the “shade” of which guards the speaker from the “hurt and troubled world” - as he describes as a “fort”. The protection is soothing, evidenced in the imagery - “lips” and “whistle” compared to a “sharp-tongued sea”. 4. Sense of hope ”Perhaps the tree// will strike fresh roots again:// give soothing shade to a hurt and// troubled world.” Nature is seemingly destroyed, but it has an immense power of regeneration. However, the speaker does not sound very reassured by this. This hope is not very strong. But it has to persist, in the name of love. Stanza 1: Do you remember that wild stretch of land with the lone tree guarding the point from the sharp-tongued sea? “you” - a use of pronoun, the implied audience might be his friend or the readers “Do you remember” -> Begins with a question to ask his friend if he still remembers the setting of their childhood Nature is described as… “wild stretch” ”lone tree guarding” ”sharp-tongued sea” Nature is powerful and unyielding ”with the lone tree guarding the point” -> The “lone tree” serves as a protector protecting the boys from the “sharp-tongued sea” -> They spent years of their childhood at the tree -> Tree is a metaphor for friendship (it was once strong but it changes in later stanzas) Stanza 2: The fort we built out of branches wrenched from the tree is dead wood now. The air that was thick with the whirring of toetoe spear succumbs at last to the grey gull’s wheel. Definitions Wrenched: Whirr: Succumbs: Wrenched has a negative connotation, meaning a violent pull ”built”, “is”// “was”, “succumbs” -> The poet uses a mix of past and present tense -> This stanza begins the contrast between their memory and now. The tree that was alive and used in their activities is now dead “Is dead wood now.” -> Suggests that their relationship is also dead ”toetoe spear succumbs at last to the grey gull’s wheel.” -> The air that used to be filled with the sounds of their playing, has been replaced by a lone bird flying (contrast, took a turn for the worse)  toetoe, a plant from NZ Stanza 3: Oyster studded roots of the mangrove yield no finer feast of silver-bellied eels, and sea-snails cooked in a rusty can. The whole stanza is italicized -> Positive images of nature from the past -> More recollections of the speaker’s childhood The whole stanza is a fond memory. Even though life was simple back then, they found pleasure in the little, simple things. Playing in the mangroves Hunting for eels The eels and sea snails felt like a “feast” to them at the time Why is this part italicized? What effect does it have? The whole stanza is framed as a kind of flashback, like the speaker just stopped right in the middle of his “letter” to look back to his childhood (a fond memory, associated with positive feelings) This stanza reflects the joy they had in their simple and almost wholesome life. Do NOT write that it evokes a feeling of nostalgia in the exam. Nostalgia has a sense of sadness associated with it. Stanza 4: Allow me to mend the broken ends of shared days: but I wanted to say that the tree we climbed that gave food and drink to youthful dreams, is no more. Pursed to the lips her fine-edged leaves made whistle - now stamp no silken tracery on the cracked clay floor. The longest stanza in the poem What does the speaker want to do with their friendship? “Allow me to mend the broken ends” It seems that he wishes to focus on how he wants to fix their friendship. But then he goes back to… “but…” contrasting the memories to the present “but” is a sudden change back to remembering their childhood “leaves made whistle - now stamp” -> “whistle” creates a very pleasant image of a soft & gentle sound -> Use of dash indicates the abrupt change, creating contrast in images - those leaves which used to bring so much pleasure are gone, leaving not even a faint impression on the ground “No silken tracery on the cracked // clay floor.” -> “cracked clay floor” indicates the ground is dried up and nothing can grow there -> “trees” and “fine-edged leaves” are long-dead/gone -> Alliteration is used, what mood does it evoke? “the tree we climbed// that gave food and drink// to youthful dreams, is no more.” On the literal level… -> The tree provided the speaker with 1. Nourishment - “food” & “drink” 2. Entertainment - “climbed” 3. Adventure - for them to explore their surroundings, the tree acts like a stimulus On the metaphorical level… -> Now it is clear that the tree (as a metaphor for their friendship) is dead and also is their friendship -> There’s no trace of the tree anymore, just as their friendship had completely dissolved Before we assume that the tree is representing something else, let’s first consider the following… 1. Destructive imagery throughout the poem -> The land has been changed completely (how?) 2. Direct address (i.e. the use of pronoun “you”) -> Written like a letter/conversation -> It is not some outside “friend” the poet is addressing, but the readers directly who’re forced to make a connection/bond with the author as he seeks “reassurance” in the comfort of human contact 3. The close communion with nature that nurtured their friendship is broken (what did the tree provide the speaker and his friend with?) -> The tree provided not only food & protection to the speaker and his friend but entertainment, a setting where they were able to explore and enjoy their life as children -> It’s not just a tree, it’s the memories that were attached to the tree that’s important -> The poet is trying to remember the experiences worth cherishing for the rest of his life The Tree -> This implies something richer, more complex, and more interesting than the “tree=friendship” association -> The tree (and nature in general) was what allowed them to grow as friends, giving them nourishment of both mind (youthful dreams) and body (food, drink, shelter) -> The loss of nature (dead wood) = a loss of hope ->The last bit of hope for this friendship to be rekindled dies with nature The way the persona describes nature is how he sees it and his mood while he’s describing the setting. Stanza 5: Friend, in this drear dreamless time I clasp your hand if only to reassure that all our jewelled fantasies were real and wore splendid rags. “Friend,” -> Direct address to the “friend”, on its own line to emphasize who he is talking to ”drear// dreamless” -> Alliteration is used -> “drear” is short for dreary, which means depressingly dull -> “dreamless” means the present How does the speaker feel about the world today? He feels desperate and hopeless about the world today (“this drear// dreamless time”) because of his and his friend’s broken friendship and that there is no way to fix it. “I clasp// your hand” ”clasp” means to hold tightly, the speaker is desperate What does the speaker want from his friend? -> The speaker is hoping that his friend would clasp his hand -> he wants from reassurance from his friend that all the “fantasies” of his youth were real -> It was so long ago, he sometimes wonders if it was real or just a dream he made up -> The destruction of their natural environment makes him question whether or not it was ever real (so much change has been going on) The speaker is searching for something to hold on to so that he can cope with this troubled world. “that all our jeweled fantasies were// real and wore splendid rags.” -> Splendid means beautiful; rags mean old and dirty clothes -> Oxymoron is used -> “splendid rags” symbolizes the beauty found in simplicity, highlighting the value of resilience in the face of hardship -> Resonating with stanza 3 where the “feast” was actually canned foods, contrast with during childhood where he saw rags as beautiful, going back to a simpler time Stanza 6 Perhaps the tree will strike fresh roots again: give soothing shade to a hurt and troubled world. What does “perhaps” suggest? ”perhaps” expresses possibility; A sign of hope and optimism that things will improve/look up again. What does “strike fresh roots” imply? “strike fresh roots” could mean that things can grow and become more positive again. What might the restoration of nature bring to the troubled world? Peace or comfort (“soothing shade”).