Hone Tuwhare Poetry

Hone Tuwhare is a distinguished NZ Maori poet. He predominantly writes in free verse, and uses strong colloquial language, originating from his working class background. Two of his more successful and well-known poems, ‘No Ordinary Sun’ and ‘Bus Journey, South’ are strong examples that exemplify the point that metaphor is at the heart of poetry.

The poem ‘No Ordinary Sun’ is a poem about Tuwhare’s disapproval of nuclear testing and bombing. He explains that if an atomic bomb were to strike, it would result in the end of humankind. The most obvious metaphor is the comparison between the sun and the

. . .
He finally cannot take it any longer and says “Where had all the Maori gone for chrissake?”.

As the poem progresses, Tuwhare becomes increasingly angry about his trip, and about the lack of Maori people he sees. The metaphors he uses help to create an atmosphere, and set a scene and tone for the poem. The sun is also referred to as the ‘radiant ball’. The trees are told ‘your magic emanations shall not make pure again these polluted skies’ (a reference to photosynthesis). He then explains that if he were to go and trap eels under a bridge, the mountains would appear, and to punish him. This produces another metaphor, where the mountains are compared to white Englishmen, looking down on him and watching his every movement. This is an extended metaphor that exists throughout the entire poem. A metaphor he uses is the comparison between his ego, and a Gulliver-size pebble. This poem has Tuwhare explaining his feelings as he travels on a bus, as it drives through the South Island. The reason that Tuwhare feels like this is because he feels that the mountains behind him are staring at him, and are suspicious of him. He explains to the reader that ‘this is no ordinary sun’ and resistance to it seems futile. (if I’m caught trapping eels long bridge the mountains will rush up to stone me”)

I think that Hone Tuwhare was extremely successful in producing two poems that hold fast to the saying that ‘Metaphor is at the heart of poetry’.

Common topics in this essay:
Ordinary Sun, South Island, Hone Tuwhare, NZ Maori, Journey South, , metaphor heart poetry, ordinary sun, hone tuwhare, metaphor heart, heart poetry, atomic bomb, eels bridge mountains, bus journey, eels bridge, bridge mountains, journey south, metaphor comparison, bus journey south,

Approximate Word count = 478
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

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