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the conversation - Coggle Diagram
the conversation
- "His old fist like a knotted branch"
- simile: demonstrates the old man's permanent interconnection with the world, knotted branch suggest the dignity that comes with old age
- trees are a symbol of wisdom and knowledge
- 'knotted" indicates the intertwinning of things, symbolising that all aspects of life are connected but also needed for resilience and strength to survive this process of intertwinning
- the notion of age here is significant as it establishes the gap between the older persona and the younger persona - the imperativity of age in understanding life
- sense of complete accord between the younger persona and older persona; abscene of miscommunication
- the first person singular pronoun 'I' adds an autobiographical context to the poem, however, as a comparative of personas within a shared human experience, the use of the pronoun could just as easily be 'us', the readers, as we image ourselves in moments we have shared
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- The wind will comb and spin
That fleece of mist to thread of cloud
- linked in terms of appreciation of nature
- imagery builds on initial observations of the man and demonstrates a sense of continutity - wisdom of old man will be followed by new and further wisdom
- collective human experience of nature and connection is part of the thread that connects us all exhibited by the extended metaphor of fleece being spun
- fullness of valley connotes the satiation of desire for connection
- extended metaphor of 'thread' reflects the shared relationship with nature and subsequent linkage of humanity
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the excellent old madman
wordless and wise, and I.
- oxymoronic statement to juxtapose elderly wisdom with madness (authority)
- commentary on the capacity of simple observations to define who we are and our values in the world
- tricolon to unite the pair - perpetual space
- caesura separates the persona from the older persona - connected but disconnected as the persona still has youthful naievity and has not gained wisdom
- allows communication across all social schisms of age/gender.
- archaism of the old man depicts buried memories - experienced life
- paradoxes of language - criticising verbality and promoting silence through nature to strengthen intergenerational connections
- "He punched into his cap"
- subverts the association of his fist with violence - instead of a violent gesture this is a gesture of communication and welcome; symbolises old man's enthusiasm and spirit.
- "Meaning, ‘This is a morning! –"
- exclamation conntioting deep joy and serenity that arises from our connection and profound awareness of the present moment
- "The mist like white scoured wool"
- simile of mist compared to wool
- gothic atmosphere - wool is soft whereas mist hinders your perspective of the world
- scoured = cleaning wool and removing impurities; memories are a force for editing and interpreting our world and constructing a narrative which provides us with lasting meaning
- the self as a story - identity is a narrative which we are continually editing and constructing, reconstructing, a dynamic process (identity is fluid)
- the lyrical description of the landscape reflects a further simile, comparing the 'mist' to 'wool' inferring the older persona is a man of the land, hardworking, laconic and iconic as he stands and shares the Australian landscape
- "The valleys’ bales are full."
- optimistic, agricultural imagery, joyous, lyrical celebration of the pleasures of the natural world
- the pathetic fallacy of a mist filled valley being rich and full, like bales of wool sustains the imagery and tone of peacefulness in the early hours of the day
- the experience of the persona, most likely an old man of the land, resonates; the wool metaphorically represents his life and experiences and the fullness of the mist resonates this with a life that has been full.
- "Seeming to say, ‘At noonday"
- noonday = the symbol of the middle of our lives
- the imagery in the childs explanation is fanciful, and reveals not only continuance of the day, but a realisation that knowledge of nature has been shared previously. The child persona understands how the mist will shift and move across the day
as I was quick to know
- rhyme sequences indicative of childhood/youth
- inclusive pronouns emphasise their connection
As silent as two fence posts
Years, years ago we stood
- simile depcits the demacration between youth/adulthood
- epizeuxis (related word) to add emphasis
- permanence of interpersonal relationships = foundational point of reflection
- disconnection between past/present
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