Grief can alter our idea of existence and can reveal human experiences through our level of resilience. Amanda Lohrey’s vertigo is centralised around the theme of …show more content…
Bruce Dawe’s poem “homecoming” contrasts this idea and shows a lack of identity for the deceased soldiers. 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”, describe the actions of the body processors, creating irony. Those verbs imply life and vitality in contrast to the cold lifeless bodies they are handling each day. Dawe successfully establishes the futility of war in his poem. ‘He is speaking for those who have no means of speaking’ in the way he presents the hidden reality of war. There is a lack of identity for the soldiers being tagged as they have no names, they are simply identified by a tag. This shows the inhumane machine like processing of human …show more content…
The decision of Luke and Anna to make the big move into the country and endure hardships develops the theme of identity. The impact of this move is shown through the character of Anna in the following quote: “now she belongs in neither place, like some migratory bird that has lost its bearings”. Lohrey effectively shows the healing of Anna and Luke through symbols such as the ashes and the Christmas bbq party. The ash is a symbol of the memory and remains of the boy and the trees. When Luke walks around and witnesses the grey ash, the memory comes back to him and Lohrey effectively shows this with harrowing description. The idea is painted through the use of the Christmas celebrations as a symbol of new birth and new beginning. The experience of the bushfire portrayed through powerful images has allowed the protagonists to let go of the memory of their deceased