Analysis of Homecoming by Bruce Dawe s1

http://www.literatureclassics.com/essays/408/

Analysis of "Homecoming" by Bruce Dawe

2. In “speaking for those who have no means of speaking”, Dawe has succeeded in writing poetry that has universal appeal.

In “Homecoming”, poet Bruce Dawe uses vivid visual and aural poetic techniques to construct his attitudes towards war. He creates a specifically Australian cultural context where soldiers have been fighting in a war in Vietnam, and the dead bodies flown home. However the poem has universal appeal in that the insensitivity and anonymity accorded to Precious lives reduced to body bags are common attitudes towards soldiers in all historical conflicts. Although Dawe makes several references to the Vietnam War, the sense of moral outrage at the futile, dehumanising aspects of war is a universal theme. He also speaks on behalf of the mute, dead soldiers who have no way of expressing their suffering and loss of hope. By “speaking for those who have no means of speaking”, Dawe ultimately exposes the brutal hopelessness of soldiers caught up in foreign conflicts and the shocking impact on families.

The title “Homecoming” is used effectively to contrast the traditional universal implications of the word with the shocking reality of dead soldiers flown home from Vietnam to grieving families. The word “homecoming” usually implies a celebration or Heroic reception for a great achievement, with a return to roots and family. It would further invoke a sense of anticipation for the return of a loved one whom has a real identity and a place in the hearts of those awaiting his arrival. However, the title operates ironically because the “homecoming” described in the poem is related to death, mourning and loss and the arrival of a nameless body is quite different from the heartfelt joy extended to a loved one. By establishing Irony through the globally understood ritual of homecoming celebration, Dawe generates universal appeal.
Through the use of Repetition, Dawe establishes the inhuman, machine-like processing of human bodies, a ghastly reality common to all conflicts that use innocent soldiers as cannon fodder. These soldiers will never have an opportunity to voice their protests or their sense of loss, hence Dawe offers a shocking expose of the futility of war and is able to voice his concerns of those who cannot articulate their views. Repeated use of the pronoun “they’re”, hints at the impersonal relationship between the bodies and their handlers. Repetition of the suffix
“-ing” in “bringing”, “zipping”, “picking”, “tagging”, and “giving”, describing the actions of the body processors, establishes irony. These verbs imply life and vitality, in stark contrast to the limp, lifeless, cold body that they handle each day. Repetition is used effectively to highlight the shocking brutality that has manifested in all wars throughout history.

Word choice in “Homecoming” further underpins the poem’s universal appeal where Dawe foregrounds the lack of identity and indiscriminate slaughter of young men in the Vietnam War. References to green bodies in “green plastic bags”, shows the lack of individuality. Soldiers are being categorised as “curly-heads, kinky-hairs, crew-cuts, balding non-coms”, a detached and anonymous image, establishing the idea that class, race or background is no favour in war, further reinforcing the loss of identity. It is shocking that “they’re giving them names” since a name is one of the few identifying features left on the plethora of otherwise anonymous, mutilated bodies, “the mash, the splendour”. The separation of soldiers and their identity is a worldwide concept, successfully illustrated through word choice.

Dawe uses vivid visual imagery to emphasise the emotional damage caused to friends a family through the loss of a loved one, a deep suffering that is often left unrecorded in the annals of history. “Telegrams tremble like leaves from a wintering tree” and “the spider swings in his bitter geometry”, exemplify the arbitrary grief that affects those who receive notices. Personification of the telegrams shows them as “trembling” under the burden of the news they must deliver, ending any hope for families wishing their loved ones shall return alive. The relation of telegrams to leaves falling from a “wintering tree” is a powerful image, providing the reader with some idea of the immense number of dead soldiers. Dawe further suggests that a “wide web” joins all countries, with none able to escape the “spider grief” associated with war. By exposing the destructive and dehumanising aspects of war, Dawe appeals to the masses, removing it from its falsely glorified position.

Through the further use of imagery, Dawe succeeds in writing poetry that has universal appeal by underscoring the savage nature of war. The Simile “whining like hounds” emphasizes the destructive characteristics of war, also depicting dogs as sympathetic feelers of human emotion. For these dead soldiers, there is no big parade and music, only “the howl of their homecoming”. The world famous twenty-one gun salute is also mocked, “mute salute”, further establishing the worldwide notion of dogs as mans best friend, who unfortunately cannot voice their grief in words. Although these men have made the ultimate sacrifice by giving up their lives, the fact that they get no recognition for this act except from their dogs, emphasizes the global concept of war as dehumanising.

The setting Dawe describes in “Homecoming” is characteristically Australian but the issues related to the horrors and futility of war are universal in their implication regardless of the cultural context. References to the “knuckled hills” and “desert emptiness” of the Australian landscape underscores the irony of the “homecoming” since soldiers are unable to appreciate or comprehend the unique beauty of their land. Personification further foregrounds the human qualities ascribed to hill and the landscape, whereas the soldiers are ironically devoid of all life and humanity. The “desert emptiness” not only refers to the vastness of the Australian interior, but also to the empty futility of war. With the aid of imagery, Dawe establishes the pointlessness of war, in that of all the men who have ever died in battles shall never see their homelands again.

The final line of the poem creates the idea of Paradox, further endorsing the notion of senseless life loss, a universal theme. “They’re bringing them home now, to late” because the chance to save their lives has now past. However, it is also “too early” since all these soldiers are too young, leaving behind an unfulfilled life. Unfortunately these soldiers will also never receive the true recognition they deserve for their efforts that would have been given at the end of the war. By using the technique of paradox, Dawe makes a final attempt at clarifying international misconception of war as beneficial.

Bruce Dawe successfully establishes the uselessness of war is his poem “Homecoming”. He can be said to be “speaking for those who have no means of speaking” in the way he presents the attitudes of the silent, dead soldiers being flown home from Vietnam. With the aid of aural and visual poetic techniques he arouses sympathy, carefully manipulating the audience to reflect upon his own views towards war. In this way, Dawe has created a poem that is uniquely Australian, presenting issues of global concern and generating universal appeal.

Bibliography

Dawe, B. (2000). Homecoming. In Bernard, V. (Ed.), Sometimes Gladness (p. 95). South Melbourne: Pearson Education Australia.
Smith, G. (1997). An appreciation of “Homecoming” by Bruce Dawe. [WWW document]. URL http://home.pacific.net.au/~greg.hub/lifecycle.html
Salmon, K. (2000). Poetry of Bruce Dawe. [WWW document]. URL http://www.ozseek.com.au/English2UGen/PracticePapers/00301a.shtml.

http://lardcave.net/hsc/english.2ug.dawe.weaponstraining.html

Weapons Training

And when I say eyes right I want to hear
those eyeballs click and the gentle pitter-patter
of falling dandruff you there what's the matter
why are you looking at me are you a queer?
look to your front if you had one more brain
it'd be lonely what are you laughing at
you in the back row with the unsightly fat
between your elephant ears open that drain
you call a mind and listen remember first
the cockpit drill when you go down be sure
the old crown-jewels are safely tucked away what could be more
distressing than to hold off with a burst
from your trusty weapon a mob of the little yellows
only to find back home because of your position
your chances of turning the key in the ignition
considerably reduced? allright now suppose
for the sake of argument you've got
a number-one blockage and a brand-new pack
of Charlies are coming at you you can smell their rotten
fish-sauce breath hot on the back
of your stupid neck allright now what
are you going to do about it? that's right grab and check
the magazine man it's not a woman's tit
worse luck or you'd be set too late you nit
they're on you and your tripes are round your neck
you've copped the bloody lot just like I said
and you know what you are? You're dead, dead, dead

Notes per line

· The poem starts in the middle of a sentence, giving the impression that we might have fallen asleep like one of the young recruits being shouted at. It serves to catch our attention.

· Note the use of spaces and pauses: these indicate a dramatic monologue, because they are natural spaces to take breath. Dramatic monologues give insight into the speaker, their situation, and the people around the speaker and their reactions.

· pitter-patter is generally a gentle sound, but in this context it is made to sound harsh.

· are you a queer? - this question reflects the tone of the whole poem: to be called a "queer" is obviously insulting to these men. Also is the start of a whole string of insults littered through the monologue, delivered in a blunt, confronting tone. The question mark is also the first use of punctuation, as the speaker pauses for impact - and breath.

· Eventually we get to the heart of the matter - the instructions the sergeant is giving: "Cockpit drill" where soldiers drop to the ground and return fire, and the weapon checks.

· The poem is full of crude sexual references: "Cockpit drill" and "crown jewels", for example.

· mob of the little yellows - the sergeant dehumanises the enemy by making a racist comment, thus making it easier for the soldiers to kill them (if they're not really people, it doesn't matter if they die).

· turning the key in the ignition, apart from being an obvious reference to sex, serves to give the soldiers hope by reminding them of coming back home.

· The sergeant has drifed slightly, with alright now he gets back on track, and throws a problem at the soldiers, to make them feel uncomfortable. They are conscript soldiers and unusued to the strict discipline of the Army; the sergeant must show his authority to impress into them the necessity of listening to him: it's the only hope they've got of staying alive.

· He drops back into dramatic monologue, using "you" all the way because in the end it will be up to the individual soldiers to determine what happens to them.

· a number-one blockage refers to a certain technical problem. The sargeant is teaching his soldiers to learn by terrorising them.

· Charlies is a racist name given to the Viet Cong. At every opportunity he degrades the enemy: rotten fish-sauce breath; they are ugly, etc.

· it's not a woman's tit - back to sex references, reinforced with worse luck - because in this case, it's bad luck it's not a woman!

· tripes is slang for "guts" (which I guess is slang for "stomach and intestines"!) Here Dawe shows how bloody war is - this is a vivid image that brings to mind images of battle.

· Like I said ... you're dead dead dead : the message of this poem; leaves us with a sense of foreboding, that most people in this group will end up "dead dead dead".

General Notes

· Dawe shows the realities of war: alive one moment, dead the next.
too late ... your tripes are round your neck ...
you know what you are? You're dead dead dead.
Here we see the explicit crudity of the sargeant, and the reptition of "dead" emphasises the message the officer wants to drill into his soldiers. They are taught to hate, fear, and listen to authority, so they won't just go out and die needlessly. The officer does this by asserting his authority and convincing them that war is real, not a game: they are sent out not only with a weapon, but as a weapon.

· The soldiers need to be numbed of all emotion when on the field. Crude, racist jargon is used so they will view the enemy as subhuman and feel no emotion for them.

· The officer is not malicious: he is doing his job, and he will do anything he has to to keep the boys alive.

· There is no clear structure and the rhyme scheme is unobtrusive, which emphasises the monologue form of the poem: despite the rhymes, the poem still sounds like human speech.

· The repetition of "T" and "I" sounds in words like "click" and "pitter-patter" are onomatopoeic and sound like weaponry. The soldiers are being turned into weapons themselves (so that their gun is merely an extension of themselves).

· This poem is not ironic; the use of voice is almost a parody of a sargeant, but the edge to the tone gives away his fear that these soldiers will just go and die.

Questions

· What initial impression do we get of the instructor?

· What is our attitude to him and what he represents?

· How do we know it is the voice of somebody who has power or control in this situation?

· Why does the instructor raise the issue of protecting the genetalia?