“Homecoming” by Bruce Dawe Essay Sample
“Homecoming” by Bruce Dawe Essay Sample

“Homecoming” by Bruce Dawe Essay Sample

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  • Pages: 2 (356 words)
  • Published: August 13, 2018
  • Type: Essay
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Bruce Dawe composed the poignant poem "Homecoming" which chronicles the arduous journey back home for the bodies of fallen soldiers. Though inspired by the Vietnam War, it can be relevant to any war, sending a universal message that war is destructive and fatal. Despite the title’s reference to reunion and happiness, the poem emphasizes the gravity of loss and grief.

Dawe employs irony by utilizing the term "homecoming" to represent the immense sorrow of deceased soldiers being transported back to their homeland. Throughout the poem, Dawe repeats the phrase "they're bringing them home" to emphasize that this moment was intended to be a time of celebration for loved ones, but instead it highlights their grief.

During "Homecoming," Dawe depicts war as a factory producing only death and sorrow. He achieves this with the help of various active verbs such as "bringing" and "pick

...

ing."

Bruce Dawe effectively employs imaginative language that evokes vivid sensory experiences in readers' minds. The poem conveys the sorrowful reality of soldiers being dehumanized through terms such as "zipping," "tagging," "giving," and "rolling." Furthermore, the use of impersonal pronouns like "them" strips the deceased of their individuality and reduces them to mere casualties of war.

The use of the simile "telegrams tremble like foliages from a wintering tree" highlights the abundance of wires that are being sent to the loved ones of soldiers who have died. This comparison to a wintering tree, which loses most of its foliage during this season, reflects the significant number of soldiers lost during war. Dawe's anger towards the senselessness of war is evident in the final line of the poem.

The deceased soldiers have arrived at their destination, bu

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it is a bittersweet occasion. They are late because they have already passed away and early because they were unable to fulfill their obligations and enjoy a full life.

Currently, the decision is that "Homecoming" portrays war from the perspective of fallen soldiers. The argument is that soldiers should not be used as mere tools in a war created by disagreements between governments. Life is valuable, and everyone deserves to live and fulfill their lives.

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