{"id":71337,"date":"2024-10-09T11:38:53","date_gmt":"2024-10-09T11:38:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essays.homeworkacetutors.com\/bruce-dawes-enter-without-so-much-as-knocking-essay\/"},"modified":"2024-10-09T11:38:53","modified_gmt":"2024-10-09T11:38:53","slug":"bruce-dawes-enter-without-so-much-as-knocking-essay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/bruce-dawes-enter-without-so-much-as-knocking-essay\/","title":{"rendered":"Bruce Dawe\u2019s \u201cEnter Without So Much As Knocking\u201d Essay"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\u201cRemember, man, thou art but dust, and unto dust though shalt return.\u201d This is\u00a0a\u00a0translation of\u00a0the quotation which begins Dawe\u2019s poem, Enter Without So\u00a0Much As\u00a0Knocking. The quote reminds\u00a0us that life is\u00a0not forever; and that we\u00a0are all faced with mortality.<\/p>\n

Main Idea of the Poem<\/h3>\n

The poem itself is\u00a0discussing a\u00a0man\u2019s journey from birth to\u00a0death and how all around him life is\u00a0interpreted by\u00a0material possessions. At\u00a0the beginning of\u00a0the first stanza, the sentences have been made very short and simple, as\u00a0if\u00a0to\u00a0demonstrate the thoughts of\u00a0a\u00a0new born child.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

The first voice that the baby hears when he\u00a0is\u00a0born is\u00a0Bobby Dazzler, one of\u00a0Australia\u2019s first game shows. The very first thing that the baby hears is\u00a0not the voice of\u00a0his mother, nor the voice of\u00a0his father, but the voice of\u00a0materialism. This first stanza instantly creates the feeling of\u00a0a\u00a0home in\u00a0the 1950s, where television was something new.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

The ellipsis that connects the first and second stanzas demonstrates a\u00a0change in\u00a0time, in\u00a0this case, a\u00a0change of\u00a0a\u00a0couple of\u00a0years.<\/p>\n

The words used in\u00a0the second stanza, such as\u00a0\u201cwell-equipped\u201d and \u201ceconomy-size\u201d, are words that were constantly used in\u00a0commercials at\u00a0the time, as\u00a0if\u00a0life was being sold to\u00a0the child. This use of\u00a0a\u00a0commercial like structure is\u00a0also evident in\u00a0the way that the family is\u00a0depicted, each with its own stereotype: an\u00a0\u201cEconomy Sized Mum\u201d, a\u00a0sexist description typical to\u00a0the 50s; an\u00a0\u201cAnthony Squires\u00a0\u2014 Coolstream\u00a0\u2014 Summerweight Dad\u201d, Anthony Squires referring to\u00a0an\u00a0Australian brand of\u00a0suit; and \u201ctwo other kids straight off the Junior Department Rack\u201d, referring to\u00a0the baby\u2019s siblings, each free of\u00a0gender and age and recognised only by\u00a0the type of\u00a0clothing that they wear. From these two stanzas, Dawe is\u00a0able to\u00a0create not only a\u00a0vivid image of\u00a0the typical family in\u00a0the 1950s, but also give\u00a0us an\u00a0insight to\u00a0the\u00a0TV culture that they are living and what effect it\u00a0has on\u00a0the family.<\/p>\n

The thirds stanza discusses what happens when the Mum character wins the Luck\u2019s-A-Fortch Tricky-Tune Quiz. She takes the boy shopping. They set off in\u00a0the \u201cgood-as-new station-wagon\u201d, yet more advertising jargon which describes the family\u2019s second-hand car. The short phrases that follow are describing a\u00a0child\u2019s view of\u00a0a\u00a0road trip and the many rules that come with\u00a0it. The statements begin as\u00a0typical road warnings \u201cWALK. DON\u2019T WALK.\u201d and become more satirical as\u00a0they continue, for example \u201cNO\u00a0BREATHING EXCEPT BY\u00a0ORDER\u201d. These phrases represent the signs that a\u00a0child may recognise on\u00a0a\u00a0trip. After these, there are the sounds that are present on\u00a0a\u00a0car trip, as\u00a0well as\u00a0the sound of\u00a0Mum complaining.<\/p>\n

Meaning of the Second Half of the Poem<\/h3>\n

The numerous \u201cbeeps\u201d that are present may represent both the beeping of\u00a0a\u00a0car horn as\u00a0well as\u00a0censorship of\u00a0swear words, a\u00a0likely situation especially in\u00a0the last capitalised beep. This situation creates an\u00a0image or\u00a0a\u00a0race to\u00a0get somewhere. It\u00a0could be\u00a0seen as\u00a0Dawe\u2019s expression of\u00a0likening a\u00a0traffic jam in\u00a0the hurry to\u00a0get to\u00a0somewhere to\u00a0the race of\u00a0people to\u00a0get to\u00a0a\u00a0certain place in\u00a0their career or\u00a0in\u00a0their life. This entire stanza dictates fast and hectic circumstances, which change suddenly when arriving at\u00a0the fourth stanza.<\/p>\n

The first word in\u00a0the fourth stanza, however, followed by\u00a0a\u00a0comma, immediately slows the reader down by\u00a0forcing them to\u00a0pause. The stanza goes on\u00a0to\u00a0tell of\u00a0how although the boy is\u00a0surrounded by\u00a0so\u00a0much commercialism and fast-paced life, such as\u00a0the fifty-foot screen and the giant faces projected onto\u00a0it, he\u00a0is\u00a0able to\u00a0enjoy a\u00a0natural wonder of\u00a0the world, the stars. It\u00a0is\u00a0here that there is\u00a0the first mention of\u00a0the boy\u2019s emotions, where Dawe writes of\u00a0the boy enjoying something.<\/p>\n

When describing the way the starts are sprinkled over the sky, Dawe has used the word littered, which usually has negative connotations. This could be\u00a0because the stars had not yet been changed by\u00a0our world, and if\u00a0they were left as\u00a0they were, untouched, they were not as\u00a0good as\u00a0what we\u00a0had created on\u00a0our Earth. The stanza ends on\u00a0a\u00a0slightly low note because of\u00a0Dawe\u2019s metaphor of\u00a0the stars being like \u201ckids at\u00a0the circus\u201d Dawe is\u00a0trying to\u00a0show how the stars are close enough to\u00a0the Earth for the boy to\u00a0reach, and therefore, for the boy to\u00a0get \u201ckicked\u201d, or\u00a0hurt.<\/p>\n

As\u00a0in\u00a0the beginning of\u00a0the fourth stanza, the first word of\u00a0the stanza brings the reader back to\u00a0a\u00a0different part of\u00a0the boy\u2019s life and a\u00a0different event. This new event shows the character as\u00a0no\u00a0longer a\u00a0boy, representing innocence, but in\u00a0the company of\u00a0\u201cgodless money-hungry back-stabbing miserable so-and-sos\u201d. We\u00a0can tell from this that Dawe is\u00a0trying to\u00a0show that the boy has now grown up\u00a0and has been introduced to\u00a0the \u201creal world\u201d and is\u00a0now already a\u00a0middle-aged man. The phrase \u201cgoodbye stars\u201d relates back to\u00a0the fourth stanza. He\u00a0must also farewell the \u201csoft cry in\u00a0the corner\u201d; a\u00a0farewell to\u00a0any emotions. It\u00a0is\u00a0at\u00a0this point that Dawe includes the adult voice of\u00a0the boy.<\/p>\n

The character speaks the need to\u00a0care for yourself first and foremost, no\u00a0need to\u00a0think about the effect it\u00a0may have on\u00a0others, shown in\u00a0the statement \u201chit wherever you see a\u00a0head and kick whoever\u2019s down\u201d. This harsh change from innocent boy to\u00a0selfish man is\u00a0how Dawe is\u00a0creating the character. The adult man is\u00a0shaped by\u00a0his dialogue in\u00a0the poem. The character has grown up\u00a0and no\u00a0longer discusses his family, yet no\u00a0mention of\u00a0a\u00a0wife or\u00a0children is\u00a0present until the next stanza, and then only to\u00a0criticize. This fifth stanza is\u00a0the first one to\u00a0portray him as\u00a0an\u00a0adult, and Dawe has managed to\u00a0make the character seem harsh and unkind.<\/p>\n

End of the Poem and Conclusion<\/h3>\n

The sixth stanza introduces Alice, most probably the characters wife. The character also criticizes Clare Jessup, indicating his hypocritical nature. The sixth stanza is\u00a0very short, as\u00a0it\u00a0seems as\u00a0though it\u00a0was cut short because of\u00a0what happened next. Obviously the car is\u00a0involved in\u00a0an\u00a0accident, shown by\u00a0the last two words of\u00a0the stanza \u201cwatch\u00a0it\u201d followed by\u00a0a\u00a0dash, leaving the reader to\u00a0imagine the incident. The dash that ends the stanza shows how short the moment between life and death\u00a0is, and how it\u00a0happens in\u00a0the blink of\u00a0an\u00a0eye. Until this point, Dawe has been able to\u00a0create the entire persona of\u00a0the character, starting from birth and ending at\u00a0death. Dawe is\u00a0able to\u00a0show how through different events a\u00a0person is\u00a0moulded into the character which they become.<\/p>\n

As\u00a0the character has died, the narrator returns once more to\u00a0an\u00a0outsider, and observer. The reaction to\u00a0those who possibly attend his funeral where they see his body, is\u00a0strangely surreal; as\u00a0they focus not on\u00a0his life and personality, but on\u00a0what a\u00a0good job the morticians did on\u00a0giving him a\u00a0fake tan. The idea here is\u00a0that he\u2019s dead, but at\u00a0least he\u00a0looks good. The line \u201d the old automatic smile with nothing behind\u00a0it\u201d describes how much of\u00a0a\u00a0disguise he\u00a0had created for himself. No-one knew him for who he\u00a0was because he\u00a0had spent so\u00a0long trying to\u00a0conform to\u00a0society and kill his individualism. The last few lines of\u00a0the poem relate back to\u00a0his life. \u201cwinding the whole show\u00a0up\u201d refers to\u00a0the man\u2019s life as\u00a0if\u00a0it\u00a0were a\u00a0television show, now finished, as\u00a0well as\u00a0the ending of\u00a0the poem. The end of\u00a0the poem also states what the man has left, the parking tickets, taximeters and Bobby Dazzlers.<\/p>\n

These are all material things. There is\u00a0no\u00a0mention of\u00a0any loved one, such as\u00a0his wife; or\u00a0the rest of\u00a0his family that are spoken about earlier in\u00a0the poem. Instead, there is\u00a0talk of\u00a0him leaving the \u201cgrieving over halitosis, flat feet, shrinking gums and falling hair\u201d. The term grieving is\u00a0usually used to\u00a0describe the process after someone has passed\u00a0on, yet in\u00a0this case is\u00a0used to\u00a0show worry over such trivial matters. The second last line in\u00a0the poem, \u201csix feet down nobody interested\u201d shows how society regards the dead: he\u00a0doesn\u2019t affect people anymore, so\u00a0nobody cares. The last line links back to\u00a0the first. \u201cBlink, blink. CEMETERY. Silence\u201d. Just like he\u00a0came into this life, the man blinks into death and into silence, an\u00a0ending.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cRemember, man, thou art but dust, and unto dust though shalt return.\u201d This is\u00a0a\u00a0translation of\u00a0the quotation which begins Dawe\u2019s poem, Enter Without So\u00a0Much As\u00a0Knocking. The quote reminds\u00a0us that life is\u00a0not forever; and that we\u00a0are all faced with mortality. Main Idea of the Poem The poem itself is\u00a0discussing a\u00a0man\u2019s journey from birth to\u00a0death and how all […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6079],"tags":[5288,9590,9587,9588,5287,9591,9589],"class_list":["post-71337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-poetry","tag-ace-myhomework","tag-au-assessments","tag-cheap-essay-writing-services-online","tag-dissertation-writing-help-for-students","tag-homework-ace-tutors","tag-homework-tutors","tag-write-my-essay-fast-online"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71337"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71337\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}