'Night and Dreams' by Harwood

[HungTran2009]

Are you confused too?

[spaciiey]

TBH I find the Lion's Bride worse, cause I don't know what to write about it. At first I found Night and Dreams a pain in the butt but it's grown on me. Night and Dreams isn't so bad. You just need to find things in it that you can link back to the other poems.

To me, it seems to be laced with regret -- Crab is a recurring dream -- cause she ate him sixty years ago and he still comes back. (or maybe nostalgia? when writing about part two and the 'lovely room... restoring, recomposing' etc...)

Harwood also makes a mention to the plight of animals, when she writes about how Crab died -- the hatpin, raging to red, etc, which is a theme that's carried in the Spelling Prize and The Secret Life of Frogs and so on, trying to get sympathy towards Crab, in a way, I spose...

I guess you could mention how structurally it's a contrast to her other poems, or something about the fact that it is so haywire as to mimick the structure (or lack thereof) in a dream...

maybe talk about domesticity in part 4, when she's talking about the sheep and the herbs to plant. i don't know what to make about the whole 'put my arm around your waist/put my armour round your waist' part, though...

oh, and his seaweed cloak and clothes in general: they're all intact and a source of pride (kind of) at the start but then in part two it's all shredded, which shows how his dignity has been taken away.

i had more but i can't really remember it off the top of my head... maybe tomorrow i might add to this, when i have the notes (and the actual poem!!) in front of me.

hope it's of some help.

[sarahmushy]

I loveee night and dreams. It's so surreal, and sad. The crab symbolises the cancer that she has later in life. Also i read that the 'night' symbolises the ending of her life, light/darkness such common theemes througohut Harwood (e.g. Father and Child) in which she reflects upon/is constantly tormented in dreams by the crab. As it's a dream it allows for a reversal of power, the crab taunting her, which i interpreted as the guilt coming through.

sorry i didn't see this last night haha, since Night and Dreams was ON the exam! BEST Harwood poems ever

Is anybody else fucking glad Estuary wasn't on the exam? Hate that one :@

[spaciiey]

Nooooo I wanted Estuary!! My ideal combination would have been Estuary, Iris and one of Night and Dreams. It's ironic as they were the poems I used to dread analysing but they are now my favourites. Either way, literature's over now. =)

[PringlePop]

I LOOOVE Estuary! It's one of my faves of all her poems

[sarahmushy]

Omg, the most confusing poem ever, with way too many light metaphor, ergh. HATE!

Night and dreams, Father and child <33333