IB Eng Lit HL
In the poem 'No Ordinary Sun' by Hone Tuwhare, the primary idea of the poem is to demonstrate
the idea of a nuclear explosion, as well as the eects this would have on nature and the
community. In this essay, I will analyse Tuwhare's use of poetic devices to strengthen the idea as
mentioned above.
Throughout the poem 'No Ordinary Sun' by Hone Tuwhare, the poetic device apostrophe is used
on the tree. Apostrophe/personification is evident in lines such as 'Tree let your arms fall' and 'let
your arms lack toughness'. This personification of the tree was likely used by Tuwhare to not only
pay homage to the Maori belief of a tree being equal to a human or possessing its own soul/life
force and to link to the universal idea of trees symbolising life and humanity. The aforementioned
point of trees linking to the symbol of life and humanity also demonstrates Tuwhare's use of
religious connotation in his language (also seen later in the poem with 'enhaloed' and
'emanations'), as the 'Tree of Life/ is a powerful symbol in the Bible as it appears in the Garden of
Eden.
Imagery is a powerful technique used in this poem, especially when describing the nuclear
explosion. This use of imagery is especially apparent in the lines 'radiant sun', 'bright enhaloed
cloud' and 'monstrous sun'. These lines create the image of a blinding, ginormous mushroom
cloud destroying everything in its path. Another example of Tuwhare using imagery is when he
describes the tree at the end of the poem in the line 'Tree let your naked arms fall.' Not only is this
line use of repetition to the beginning line of the poem, but it also creates an image of a dying tree
unable to withstand the destruction caused by the bomb. The tree at the end of the poem is
vulnerable and stripped of any life, which is conveyed in the poem through the diction and
imagery.
Tuwhare u...
