Metho Drinker

When reading poetry, it is often vital to have an awareness of its context. Particularly in the works of Judith Wright, it is important to have a familiarity with her life and also some knowledge of Australian during her time. Without an understanding of the context, poems such as пÑ--Ð...Woman to ManпÑ--Ð... and пÑ--Ð...Bora RingпÑ--Ð... could be challenging when considering what they are reflecting on. However other poems such as пÑ--Ð...RainforestпÑ--Ð..., do not require such an in depth comprehension of the context to be appreciated.

пÑ--Ð...Woman to ManпÑ--Ð..., a poem comprising of four stanzas, each with four verses, was written by Judith Wright in nineteen forty-nine. This poem could quite easily be enjoyed as a poem that is chiefly concerned with nature. The first stanza opens with пÑ--Ð...The eyeless labourer in the night, the selfless, shapeless seed I hold,

builds for its resurrection dayпÑ--Ð... and for readers with little or no knowledge of Judith WrightпÑ--Ð...s life, it would be easy to accept this as a simple reference to nature as is quite common in WrightпÑ--Ð...s work, without looking for any deeper meaning. However, in order for the poemпÑ--Ð...s ideas to be understood completely, it is necessary to know that when this poem was written that Judith Wright was in fact pregnant. Upon acquiring this knowledge, the rest of the poem seems to quite fittingly explore pregnancy and female sexuality.

For complete appreciation with Judith WrightпÑ--Ð...s пÑ--Ð...Bora RingпÑ--Ð..., an awareness of Australian and particularly Aboriginal history. пÑ--Ð...Bora RingпÑ--Ð... is an entertaining poem that explores Aboriginal culture. The poem opens with the verses пÑ--Ð...The song is gone; the dance is secret with the dancers in the earthпÑ--Ð..., a simple representation of a lost dance. Devoid of any understanding of Australian

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