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GwenHardwood “In the park” highlights motherhood and identities in a way, as how being a mother is stressful and isn’t what t’s normalised as or idealised, making her lose her own identity through her experiences.

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In the first stanza Harwood mentions how her clothes are out of date as she has to provide for her children and does not take care of her own needs.

In the second stanza Harwood also personifies time through her dialogue, saying that it holes great surprises displaying how she has been surprised by motherhood over time. She utilises biblical illusion to compare motherhood to being a gift by the grace of God and how she must embrace it as God would have wanted her to.

The third stanza is more reflective than the las two as Harwood reflects on how her children have taken over her life as she embraces motherhood and is eaten alive.

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I also think she expresses the feeling of being overlooked as well as the shallow nature of her sacrifice. She notes things like the casual nod and memorising childrens names and birthidays which enforces the idea thats shes basically given her life away to commit to motherhood.

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divorce and sorrow as a theme

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I believe that in the park captures the consuming nature of motherhood, and the reality of her losing her individuality due to the sacrifices she makes for her children behind the often glorified perception of being a parent.

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i think the poem is about motherhood

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i think the poem is about a mother in the park and how she can not have a real conversation with an old friend due to making sacrifices for her kids

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There is a recurring motif of the passing of time

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the poem showed children ruined her life

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I belive the poem is about mother at a funeral, who is still coming to terms with life without her husband.

Themes I noticed:

motherhood

marriage

responsibility

single parenthood

companionship?

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The poem explores how motherhood can be consuming and highlights the sacrifices a person makes or feels pressured to make for their children.

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Gwen Harwood at the park with her kids, then an old lover passes when they have an inauthentic conversation, where believe she's slowly losing her identity!!!

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Personally, I think the poem is about the consuming nature of Motherhood and the sacrifices that an individual either feels forced or makes for their children.

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i think the poem is about motherhood