No Ordinary Sun Rain by Hone Tuwhare Essay - 746 Words

Essay Question: Discuss the ways in which symbols and figurative language (imagery) are used to develop themes in at least two poems you have studied. *No Ordinary Sun amp; Rain, by Hone Tuwhare* Hone Tuwhare uses symbols and figurative language to develop themes in his poetry. Tuwhare’s strength is his ability to use effective imagery and symbols to develop persistent ideas that, in the poetry I studied this year, relate to the purity and beauty of natural things. Rain, an apostrophe to a â€Å"rain god†, and No Ordinary Sun, another apostrophe to a tree and Tuwhare’s protest against nuclear weapons, reflect ideas about nature that are persistent in many of Tuwhare’s works. In No Ordinary Sun, a tree is a symbol for nature. The tree will†¦show more content†¦But most importantly, the tree is used as a symbol to develop the theme of the effects of nuclear weapons because the tree characterizes ideals such as strength and purity and by showing how the tree fails to fight the â€Å"the bright enhaloed cloud†, the effects are further emphasized. Tuwhare’s word choice is also significant in creating images that further develop the ideas of the beauty of nature and the troubling effects of nuclear disaster. For example, he describes natural forces that the tree had to endure as a â€Å"gallant monsoon’s flash† or a â€Å"dashing trade wind’s blast. Gallant and dashing are adjectives typically associated with noble men of society, thus the imagery signifies Tuwhare’s intention to further develop his themes. In the final stanza of the five-stanza poem, Tuwhare uses are barrage of adjectives to illustrate the final effects of the nuclear bomb. Tuwhare’s appeal to the tree, â€Å"O tree / in the shadowless mountains / the white plains and / the drab sea floor / your end at last is written†, create imagery of a lifeless earth, clouded by â€Å"polluted skies†, that develops his protest against nuclear warfare, and reiterates the notions of the purity of nature. In Rain, the theme of the purity of rain, a symbol for nature, is developed by linking sensuous imagery to the purity evoked by rain. Symbolism is not an important feature of Rain. Tuwhare is more simplistic in his