John Foulcher - Loch Ard Gorge, For the Fire and Summer Rain Essay
Jemma Dalitz
John Foulcher Essay
Within the core of every text lies a set of distinctive ideas. Well-known Australian poet, John Foulcher, composes poetry that explores the underlying violence he finds in all levels of nature. The reality of nature is beautiful yet at the same time has a cruel and savage underbelly. Foulcher’s poem ‘Loch Ard Gorge’ distinctly exposes ideas and images communicating the fragile balance between places and the natural world, as well as the passions that reside within us all. ‘For the Fire’ captures the same notion as well as the idea that life works as a cycle in which humans are involved, and similarly ‘Summer Rain’. The distinctive ideas found in the heart of all texts allow responders to gain insight and understanding of themselves, others and the wider world.
On the surface, nature may appear to be calm and peaceful, but beneath its exterior, nature is fierce and brutality lurks. In his poem ‘Loch Ard Gorge’, Foulcher examines this idea against a background of natural beauty. The persona in the poem contemplates the ocean, a shipwreck from centuries ago and the blissful ignorance of animals. Foulcher uses strong sexual overtones in his description of the powerful ocean, “tide thrust into the dark interior of the earth”, which illustrates the sheer force and strength of nature. Through the use of deliberate sexual connotations. Foulcher draws our awareness to the beginnings of life and the power of nature. Enjambment is used to highlight the line “hump the grass”, where the persona notices the gravestones of drowned sailors. Foulcher is introducing the idea of frail humanity in the face of nature. Weathering has eroded the words on the gravestones, and the persona notes, “You can just make out their names” this imagery allowing the reader to recognise the impersonal nature of death. Towards the end of the poem, Foulcher uses juxtaposition, “savage dark fish” and “water decked with light” to explain the idea of beautiful
John Foulcher Essay
Within the core of every text lies a set of distinctive ideas. Well-known Australian poet, John Foulcher, composes poetry that explores the underlying violence he finds in all levels of nature. The reality of nature is beautiful yet at the same time has a cruel and savage underbelly. Foulcher’s poem ‘Loch Ard Gorge’ distinctly exposes ideas and images communicating the fragile balance between places and the natural world, as well as the passions that reside within us all. ‘For the Fire’ captures the same notion as well as the idea that life works as a cycle in which humans are involved, and similarly ‘Summer Rain’. The distinctive ideas found in the heart of all texts allow responders to gain insight and understanding of themselves, others and the wider world.
On the surface, nature may appear to be calm and peaceful, but beneath its exterior, nature is fierce and brutality lurks. In his poem ‘Loch Ard Gorge’, Foulcher examines this idea against a background of natural beauty. The persona in the poem contemplates the ocean, a shipwreck from centuries ago and the blissful ignorance of animals. Foulcher uses strong sexual overtones in his description of the powerful ocean, “tide thrust into the dark interior of the earth”, which illustrates the sheer force and strength of nature. Through the use of deliberate sexual connotations. Foulcher draws our awareness to the beginnings of life and the power of nature. Enjambment is used to highlight the line “hump the grass”, where the persona notices the gravestones of drowned sailors. Foulcher is introducing the idea of frail humanity in the face of nature. Weathering has eroded the words on the gravestones, and the persona notes, “You can just make out their names” this imagery allowing the reader to recognise the impersonal nature of death. Towards the end of the poem, Foulcher uses juxtaposition, “savage dark fish” and “water decked with light” to explain the idea of beautiful