Gillian Clarke is obviously a poet of her locality - Wales, and she also writes in her poems of what it's like to be a woman. In this essay I intend to show whether or not her awareness of this affects the subject matter of her poetry.
Gillian Clarke being a woman might affect the subject matter of her poetry, because in the poem: Letter from a far country, Gillian Clarke undoubtedly uses the idea of what its like to be a woman to get her point across. She says in her poem that basically women do great things but these are not always appreciated my males, because men do not see these tasks as being great. Clarke for instance obviously believes that the tasks she does at home are extremely important. " I move in and of the hive all day, harvesting, ordering". Clarke obviously believes she brings order to a mess in her household, which is in her eyes a important task which is not always appreciated by men.
Gillian Clarke being a woman might not affect the subject matter of her poetry because in the majority of her other poems she does not mention the theme of women. Indeed, except for Letter from a far country, and a slight theme which I feel significant in East Moors, Gillian Clarke does not mention the theme of women. So therefore one could say that Clarke being a woman does not overly affect the subject matter of her poetry.
Gillian Clarke being Welsh may have a dramatic impact on the subject matter of her poetry. One example could basically be the title Miracle on St David's Day. Now I see this title as being significant because if Gillian Clarke was English she would not have written a poem entitled miracle on St David's Day. Also, Clarke's being Welsh might affect the subject matter of her poems because, in East Moors, she writes about how a steel works has shut down and how it has affected the community and how many people have lossed their jobs. For instance it is obvious that unemployment will be quite high, Clarke m
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