Yan_Amelie_Poetry_Podcast

The podcast Native Sounds discusses the poem "Homecoming" by Australian poet Bruce Dool. The poem focuses on the bleak reality of life and society's problems, particularly the Vietnam War. It uses poetic devices such as repetition, lexical chains, and similes to create a somber and serious tone. The repetition emphasizes the deaths of the war, while the lexical chains and similes convey the suffering and sorrow of the soldiers. The poem portrays the soldiers as disempowered pawns in war and highlights their insignificance. It encourages listeners to learn more about the Australian Poetry Festival. Welcome to my podcast Native Sounds hosted today by Amelie. Today we will be analysing a poem called Homecoming by Bruce Dool. Dool was an influential Australian poet with many poetry awards named after him. He was known for writing in a colloquial style, utilising simple everyday language with ornate language. His many poems focused on the bleak reality of life and society's problems. Most of his poems are called Homecoming. The poem includes many references of the Vietnam War and with Dool joining the RAF in his early life, this poem may have derived from his experiences. Homecoming includes poetic devices such as repetition of vascular chains and similes, which we will discuss. The use of repetition in Homecoming puts emphasis on the deaths of the Vietnam War. The first six lines contain heavy repetition on their verb them up, the verb changing the five times it is repeated. The heavy use of this phrase puts emphasis on the meaning behind the word that referring to the dead bodies as a result of the war, zipping, bringing, picking, use, makes the audience feel uncomfortable reading about the body, but yet intrigued and also gives a solemn depressing mood to the poem. Another example is the phrase they're bringing them home used in the first, second, ninth and last line. The use of it relates to the title Homecoming. The phrase they're bringing them home now too late to early is written at the last line, its purpose to leave the poem with a melancholy vibe. The meaning is all the living soldiers come back at one time and before or after means they have perished. The phrase conveys a suffering realisation which also stretches to the reader, making the last lines emphasised and impactful. Homecoming is strongly celebratory but in this poem it is sorrowful disappearing the idea of war and people who join it. I think the connection to places disempowers the soldiers particularly, with the war ruining or ending their lives. Throughout Homecoming lexical chains are commonly used, specifically the ones related to the death of soldiers. Examples include green plastic bags, deep-freeze objects and the verbs used in the repetition, picking, bringing, zipping and more. But these sub-lexical chains add mood as without it the poem would not sound so sarcastic and serious. The use of these phrases make the audience wonder what the words are talking about and sets a joyless and reminiscent tone. The words are spread throughout the poem with most lines referring back to the bodies. There is also another lexical chain for transport and locations including tarmac, southeast and Tan Son Nhat which is a place in Vietnam used in the war. This connection to places disempowers the soldiers as individuals I believe as the location is used in relation to the bodies being rolled onto the tarmac at Tan Son Nhat. The effect on the reader is a gruesome thought of body bags and the battle of the war. The last poetic device is simile. Interestingly, the similes also relate to the lexical chain. For example, the first simile and a metaphor later are whining like hounds about the noble jets and howls their homecoming rises about the soldiers homecoming. These words are both related to dogs and the terrifying sound they make. The relation suddenly adds a mysterious concept into the poem's interconnection. Another example of a simile is surrounding them like their last moments. This simile I think is particularly sorrowful as the sorrow on the battlefield for a dead soldier is similar to the sorrow of their loved ones gathering once at home. Dual portrays the homecoming in a grand way. The whole town mourning losses, yet his view on war so low and pitiable. Yet the use of dogs in the similes is also a reference to the war. How the ferocious dogs were used to hunt, the tools of soldiers. They're utilized in these lines as an emotional being. Homecoming is an emotional poem about the bravery of the soldiers, their death and their memorial. The use of many poetic devices creates a somber and serious, even sarcastic turn to the poem. Dual presents the soldiers as a disempowered pawn in warscape, a mere pebble in their path. Their insignificance is emphasized in their repetition. Their bodies describe the lexical chains and the sorrows of similes. It is your responsibility to find out more, including the Australian Poetry Festival. Thanks for listening to Native Sound.