Americanized, a poem written by Bruce Dawe in the 1960s, explores the newly emerging idea of consumerism and cultural imperialism in America and it’s impact upon society. The poem follows a dark, satiric nature highlighting Dawe’s, and even societies newly emerging concerns regarding a shift amongst the American population to fit and follow the image of being one of consumerist nature. Dawe accurately portrays this notion of ‘consuming as many materialistic items’ through the use of figurative language, to portray and bring to light the extent of damage this form of thinking was inflicting upon society at the time.
Dawe begins his poem by the use of extended metaphor to separate mother and child. The metaphor categorizes the mother as America and the child as a developing nation that is constantly being ushered into the value of systems that the mother nation, in this case America holds. Through this seemingly harsh separation of the close natural bond of mother and child, Dawe begins to shed light on the unseen dangers of a consumers life; highlighting on how even the most basic and natural human relationship have become perverted and retarded through the introduction of a materialistic ideal and thinking.
Dawe immediately introduces this idea in the first line of his poem, ‘She loves him…’. Though this is at an outward glance a positive statement, the wording and punctuation used, abruptly creates a feeling of unease and highlights on an absence of warmth, which would naturally be present in a mother’s feelings towards her child. The use of ellipsis and notion that there is a further unfinished text creates this feeling of detachment, hinting that there was more to say that would provide the warmth and personalization to this line. However this remains undelivered, leaving the audience feeling bereft and accenting on the unsatisfying and cold nature of the consumer’s life.
The poem continues to state that the child must accept the ‘beneficence of that motherhood’, establishing that the child has to accept the nature of the relationship and the previous lack of warmth given hinting that this relationship would always be one where the mother would exert control over the weaker child. Dawe then utilizes language to accentuate the depth of this control through the word ‘beamed’. Generally, a word like beamed, would be taken as a positive connotation, however in reference to powerful sunlight, it can also be used to express the power of the dominant mother figure over the child, and thus the dominance of a life so filled by materiality that it suppresses the minor figure, being the child, symbolizing the population and the smaller country. This stanza concludes with a rhetorical question, (‘and what child could deny the beneficence of that motherhood beamed across the laminex breakfast-table-top each day?) implying and wondering aloud that no child could resist this mother figure.
Dawe then examines the nature of the maternal love. The second stanza discusses the way the mother comforts the child. (‘'Shoosh ... shoosh ... whenever a vague passing spasm of loss troubles him'.). It is here that the audience and the child are given some degree of warmth through the alliterated description ‘fat friendly features’. Along with this, Onomatopoeia of shosh, shosh is used here to comfort the child in replace of reason and logic. This act can be used to symbolise the outward suppression of pain that a materialistic life offers, teaching audiences that though it possesses ability to represses pain by hiding it behind wealth, it maintains an inability to deal with the root of the problem with reason and logic. In this world pain is repressed, emotions are mollified to create the outward appearance of a perfect world, without questioning the mother’s actions and the implications of them. The metaphor of a ‘vague passing spasm of loss troubles…’ further enhances this, and the idea that the loss of true happiness, free from materialism is troubling.
Dawe uses repetition to repeat the phrase, ‘she loves him..’, to highlight to audiences that the mother merely convinces her child of her love, without the action follow up to support it. The action of her ‘not allow him out’ is presented as protecting, however it is in a similar way that the consumer culture stifle reality. The mother then passes on her limited view of the world, portraying it as something to be feared, ‘full of nasty cars and men’, influencing the child to fear and outlaw anything beyond the mother’s scope. In this way Dawe forces readers to acknowledge the limited viewpoint of the world and how the belief that the general population cannot be happy without materiality. An idea forced into consumers by power figures advertisements, governments and media. She promulgates prejudice and paranoia, ironically making the child fear what he is to become.
The mother continues to accentuate her power as she places him ‘on the plastic pot’. The child is left unable to even complete the most basic tasks without the mother; in a way such that he is dependant upon her. He must conform to her desires, as such the population is conforming to the urge to develop and continue a consumerist life. Through this contrast and language accentuation, Dawe analyses the way consumer cultures impose their way of thinking upon those of a lesser power than them; revealing the strong motif of entrapment through the poem. The act of the child being trapped in the high chair, further symbolises how society is trapped by consumerism and capitalism.
Finally the child reaches the state of his indoctrination into the consumer culture, announced by the words, ‘Today, I'll let you play with Mummy's things'. Dawe’s careful selection of language, dialogue and wording of ‘things’, accentuates the impersonalised and unimportant ‘items’ that the child is now being given, however the mother offers it as a form of generosity. Dawe then states that she is ‘off to nurse an invalid called the world’. This act further highlights the sinister thinking of the powerful mother. She assumes the role of ‘nurse’, adopting the responsibility in a frame of mind that only she has strength and that she must nurse the ‘World’ to health through immersion into an American consumer culture. She presents the idea in a motherly manner, but fails to realise the controlling nature of it, even if she did realise, she thinks it to be for the best. It is this nature that Dawe expresses to his audience as the nature of a consumption, economically driven nation. Thus, Dawe utilises emotive language and metaphor to display the way the rest of the population is seen; sick and in need of help.
The poem then moves on to explain that nothing could compare to ‘Mummy’s things’, by sidelining the events of ‘'christening, birthday and Christmas.’ Dawe asserts that the lives of the public have become defined and consumed by these un-named ‘things’. The phrase ‘into a corner hurled’ further proves that the events have no meaning without the material aspect, which has become unsatisfying for long periods of time. The world portrayed seems absent of sentimentality, and an appreciation for anything besides these ‘things’. The use of the exclamation mark and question mark express the excitement and wander towards the ‘things’ and an inability to contemplate that something could be better.
A famous philosopher, Descartes, created a theory by the rule, ‘I think therefore I am’ and rule that soon became the fundamental element of western philosophy. In the poem, Dawe states 'I think young, think big, therefore I am', summarises the only demands on the consumer lifestyle; a need to want to stay young and continue the activities of youth, and an urge to think and want bigger and better. This is, an activity the mother wishes to continue, despite the notion that it may be headed towards extremes. For this reason, and to further enhance the idea of a continuing nature of this lifestyle Dawe lists, ‘chewing-gum, hot-dogs and electronic brains. Two things common in American society, and a promise of another enticing idea, that will lead the continuation of the present system. The use of the rhetorical question ‘what child of simple origins could want more?' Sarcastically states that this is all the modern person needs to thrive.
Dawe purposefully eliminates all emotive language in a need to withhold a feeling of warmth from his audience. He believes that it is only in this utilisation of language that he will become able to reflect the lack of emotion in the world depicted. He further adds a negative connotation be stating the child plays ‘alone’, in a state of alienation, left only to his materialistic thing. It is here the Dawe teaches his audience the negative outcomes of a material-driven lifestyle, the child is now alone and even contemplates running ‘Along the street’ to the nursery. Dawe brings to light the idea that the power-body, in this case the mother, will remain absent at the times when it most needed and will not provide the warm companionship needed in life. In such a way, the child not receiving satisfaction is a lesson that ultimately these things cannot provide certain necessities, and at those time the media, government and advertisers will also remain absent in suggesting a more satisfying outcome.
Suddenly the mother’s footsteps are ‘formidable’ and un-welcome. The metaphor of a ‘bat’s wings through the velvet room’, conveys the extent of the fear by contrasting a bat, a universal symbol for darkness, with velvet, ‘a soft cloth known to be gentle’. It is now that the child ‘tries to run’ but ‘'her large hands hold him fast', indicating that even when people realise he detrimental effects of their lifestyle, it is often too late. An idea able to contrast with people already having the responsibility to manage huge items like cars and houses, that suck dry both time and money from the consumer. It is here that Dawe again uses repetition in the phrase ‘She loves him…’, a phrase that even the child has realised to be false and covered with empty promise, such that her love has now become a ‘frightening fact’. The consumer has now realised that the power-body’s need for him will destroy his happiness. Through this revelation, Dawe utilises figurative language to discuss the repercussions on a consumerist culture.
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