can somone help me with the analysation of this poem like what does the title of the poem mean? or What does the peom reveal to you about being australian?..... PLEASE I NEED SOME HELP

Could you post the poem, please? I could not find a copy on the internet.

Les

SUmmer rain


At 4 o'clock cars
clutter on the highway like abacus beads.
No one dares overtake.
Sunlight scrawls
through the dust and the fumes,
and the shadows slap at the edge of the grass.

Somewhere ahead, there's been an accident.
One by one, the engines
stop, the cars slump into dusk.

You wrench yourself from the road,
sift the dark trees
for diversion.
Sub-division houses-teacups
of colour from telivison stes,

steam rising from ovens
and showers
like mist across a swampland. The cricket sound
of voices and cutlery.

Only the children
stay outside, brusied with dirt
and school, squeezing play
from the tattered edges of the afternoon.
In the darkness, they grow
to be heroes, clash in the park
like cars on a highway,
pound out grudges
tight as steel. At last they slacken
home forgetfully.

As the wreck is cleared, rain trembles
acress the cars
and the charred, unbroken road



Thats the poem and these are some of the questions--->

1Briefly outline what happens in the peom?
2 What does the title "Summer Rain ' suggest the peom is about?
3What is the effect of the use of personification " the cars slump into dusk"?
4 What impact is gained by using the second person "You" to being stanza 3?
5 What impressions are created about the sub divison houses? how was this done"
6 what does the peom reveal to you about being australian?
7 from houses we now veiw the children. what impression of the children do the following phrases create?
"brusied wiht dirt and school" "squeezing play from the tattered edges"
"pound out grudges tight as steel" " slacken home forgetfully"


THANKYOU FOR CARING ENOUGH TO HELP ME
THANKS MISSY

1Briefly outline what happens in the peom?

Traffic jam.

2 What does the title "Summer Rain ' suggest the peom is about?

Summer rain could be a soft rain, could be a monsoon. No help. If it rains in the summer, children cannot go out to play, and must find other things to do. More likely.

3What is the effect of the use of personification " the cars slump into dusk"?

They are dismayed at the delay.

4 What impact is gained by using the second person "You" to being stanza 3?

Puts the reader into the poem. Makes it more personal

5 What impressions are created about the sub divison houses? how was this done"

Those living there have already made it home. The observer, looking for diversions to pass the time, notices this especially.

6 what does the peom reveal to you about being australian?

They take life easier? Are not upset by minor annoyances?

7 from houses we now veiw the children. what impression of the children do the following phrases create?
"brusied wiht dirt and school" "squeezing play from the tattered edges"
"pound out grudges tight as steel" " slacken home forgetfully"

I will leave this one for you.

HELLO
i was wondering if you could please help me analyise this poem
with the issues raised, the theme, the construstion of the txt and the differences in ideology for the modern reader
thanks heaps sar

differences in ideology for the modern reader

As opposed to what, the ancient reader?

And what is meant by ideology?

"In social studies, an ideology is an idea that explains how the society should work and offers the basis for a certain group of people who pursue their interests. It is the body of doctrine, myth or symbol of a social movement, institution, class or large group with reference to some political and cultural plan"

"1 : visionary theorizing

2 a : a systematic body of concepts especially about human life or culture b : a manner or the content of thinking characteristic of an individual, group, or culture c : the integrated assertions, theories and aims that constitute a sociopolitical program"

"1. The body of ideas reflecting the social needs and aspirations of an individual, a group, a class, or a culture.
2. A set of doctrines or beliefs that form the basis of a political, economic, or other system."

Differenced in ideaology for the modern reader.: The modern ideology says that we are in control - of life, of cars, of our destiny -as opposed to older ideas of fate Greek and Roman gods etc. In the poem, outside forces (similar to the old ones of fate etc in that they are not the people) are in control - the people in the cars can't go anywhere, have to find ways to make waiting in the jam bearable, bide their time until the accident is cleared. So are we in control? - or are a lot of our freedoms and choices illusory. I think that's what the poem and the person asking about idealogy are getting at.

hope that helps

please help me find the techinques of the poem suimmer rain by explring the unique aspects as soon as possible
thank you so much

Marwa, click on "flat view" below this post and read the comments above yours.

Les

do you go to mullum high school?...if so what yr r u in...i go to a school in murbah and we gotta do a speech on some of john foulchers poem..and its soo hard...i like have n idea about his poem eaither..lol...well write bak

hi i'm sorry to bother you but i was wondering if you could tell me about the creative process of john foulcher's poems

No bother at all, but what's 'creative process'?

I have to relate the poem "summer rain" and "martin and the hand grenade" Things such as subject matter, themes etc both poeted by John foulcher. Would anyone please be able to help me or perhaps done it?
thanks, shaye

You will have to post it for me. I cannot find a (free) copy on the internet.

hello....
whats the themes/issues of summer rain?

Monika,

Click on Flat View and read the responses above- I think you'll get a good idea. Once that's done, feel free to ask more.

pam

thnx heaps! i was looking for that poem too.

Summer rains in my terms means a pleasant and relaxing period, which brings rain. However it could also mean a monsoonal rain. The description of summer can be directly related to the life of Australians in summer (in stereotypical terms) eg. going to the beach etc The summer time is also the time during school holidays which depicts a period of relaxation and the rain which implies a cool and refreshing motive. No matter where in Australia, rain is needed greatly, and when it rains, it brings relief to many Australians, whether it be concerned with drought or just for plain refreshment.

I was just wondering if anyone knows the concerns/issues reflecting his poetry? And What his influences are? Thanks...

Why does John Foulcher write poetry?

"To keep alive the voices of the inner life."

[essaycrawler.com]

Probably not for the big bucks and groupies.

pam

Martin and the Hand Grenades:
Narrator: Teacher
Scene: Class room (History lesson)
Meanings of - '..the class pauses/for history..' has two
Specific Quotes: meanings/definitions. The first, more literal one
means the class is stopping to listen to a history
class. The second, more deeper meaning, is one
where the class stops to experience the past
- The word 'bleak' in the sentence, 'his father's
bleak skill' means somber or dull. It's also
a sign of negetivity
- The use of '...he fingers the serations...' suggests
a sensual,sexual mood. This is in reference to how
the boy is handling the grenade. It is like he is
being taken to another world
- The word 'bristles' in the phrase 'bristles
with shrapnel/possibilities', is an example of
a word which shows the anger of the narrator. He
talks about how the boy plays with an object which
can kill, or badly injure a person
- The line '...the spread/became too loose to catch a
man's mortality...', means after a certain distance
it is no longer powerful enough to kill someone. The
effect of this line is one of sarcasm, questioning
sarcastically, why it only kills people that far away
and not futher
Additional Notes: The classroom is a battle zone due to the way each
student is 'wounded' every time they hold the
grenade. The classes reaction to the grenade is one
of great excitment. This is a contrast to the
narrators views, who is in fact disgraced. This can
be seen as the teacher describes the experience
using the words, 'tears the heart ahead'.
This shows how each student is getting more than
excitment from the grenade, but is actually being
mentally effected by it

Only 2 poems are anaylised here, although 6 poems from each Poet should be
studied. An enourmous IFF (243k - 2480x3300x1) has been included which
contains summaries of 6 of his poems broken down into Narrator, Structure,
Attitude and Tone, and Purpose (for the poems: Summer Rain, Harry Wood,
Martin and the hand grenade, Loch Ard Gorge, For the Fire, and Bradman's
Last Innings).

Plaz can u help me with a critical analysis on john foulchers poem "the crow that came for the chicken"

i need to know wat type of poem it is, wat it is about, its intended audience, its context and wat poetry techniques are used.

Thanx
boris

p.s. this is urgent so plz hurry

I have not read it and cannot find it online. Can you post it?

i need information about this poem because i have to do an essay on it, but i cant find anything about it.. it is called "the sea days" by johnny boy here so please help me!

i need information about this poem because i have to do an essay on it, but i cant find anything about it.. it is called "the sea days" by johnny boy here so please help me! (johnny boy= john foulcher)

Happy to help, but you will have to type it up and post it here.

i have an assesment tomoz and i have to write an essay on why john foulcher's poem 'summer rain' increases your understanding of what matters in life!
if anyone could put some input in on that it would be GREATLY appreciated!!!

gre. xx

its about a mans life, he gets caught up in a traffic jam and realizes its a car accident, at that moment he realises that his life is boring and everyone around him is enjoying life........... i have the poem if you need it i also have harry wood, loch ard gorge,martin and the hand grenade and bradman's last innings which are also foulcher's poems

i need loch ard gorge the poem. Does anyone have the poem to scan & to post on this forum ???



l8a Sanj

if u want to type type to this e-mail not the one above

i really need help.....i have a wide reading assignment due next week and its huge! the question:

'what matters is almost entirely determined by context. this context may be social historical, workplace, cultural or personal"- critically evaluate the validity of this statement in relationship to foulchers poems.

we have to pik 3 of his poems......wateva info u have on ne of his poems can u plz send to me!!! i need help

and i was reading the answers that ppl have sed on this site and summer rain is about uniformity and sameness......and metaphorically, this poem suggests that rain ( nature) cleans up after humans make a mess either on highways or in suburbs.
from k

can u please help me, i have to do an essay on 'For the fire' and 'bradmans last innings'. The question is; How has John Foulcher challenged you to see the experiences in his poems from a different perspective? I really need help my essay is due 2morrow.... please

Im currently trying to teach John Foulcher's poems to year 11. If any one has any in sight into his techniques or the poems meanings i would be very grateful.

For the Fire
Martin and the hand grenade
Bradman's last Innings
Loch Ard Gorge
Harry Wood
Summer Rain

Can you either post them, or provide links so we can read them? I see Summer Rain above, but the others are not familiar to me.

And regardless the poems, I think it might be a good idea to stimulate them doing the thinking. Don't come up with a plan in advance, and let them write a short interpretation on each poem, stressing that they can't be wrong, as long as they can explain why they think something. It might be very interesting to see what they come up with, and why and to see how they explain it to each other. More stimulating than if you have a "correct" interpretation you're steering towards in mind.

I dont have a "correct" interpretation, i dont have any ideas. I tried giving them the poems and them writing down their responses on anything the noticed from the poems. They had none. Some didnt understand some just didnt want to try and waited till others read their respones. It is close study of text so they have to be able to talk about some techniques. im trying to figure out a way to get them poems from disc to a site.

Ok. What about giving a list of poetic devices with their explanation, and tell them they have one hour to find them and you'll grade the responses?

HARRY WOOD

Harry Wood worked in the mines, digging his way
out of poverty, finding
in his twenties
an empty foreman’s place.

Once, he told us, he fired a man
for fooling with the ropes, and the union
went out for weeks. He held on, though, and they sank
back to the sleek coal caves
one man short,
breathing again the air invisible from rock.

And one time collapsing
the moment he started, the mine nearly took him,
he heard them say, “Wood’s gone”,
as the shovels rattled the earth.

Now he’s bought the farm,
and every year before the market
he herds the steers in by himself,
pricks at their tubs of meat with a current-charged bar
until they panic
and take the long unbroken slope
creaking into the truck.

Kangaroo bones
pocked with skin and maggot bubbles of flesh
edge the house and yard.

At night, he sits
and talks of the mines, stares at the dark window –
when he’s dead,
the farm will go to his grandchildren,
and they won’t be poor

as he was, and they’ll have time, he believes,
for something more than survival



BRADMAN’S LAST INNINGS

Bowled for a duck, you could have asked for better…
From the first, through the years
of Depression, so many came to see you, forgetting

the dole queues, the homes dull with a long
democracy, And then the War, women
waiting for their Saturday oval husbands.

And peace. Padded up again, you gave people
something the world lacked: rules
to play by, winners, clear white flannels

sharp against the green turf. But it never works out,
never – four runs short of that century
average, at the last, betrayed by your own game.



FOR THE FIRE

Outside, gathering kindling – a chopping sound
from the forest. Its singular, human thud.

No one is there, only the wind through sparse leaves
like clockwork. Then, above me, the sound drops,

chipped from a tall dead tree:
a kookaburra hacks with its axe-blade beak

tight about a lizard. I can see the reptile’s mouth
stunned open, pouting blood, its legs arched

and claws clutching at air. Even now, all of its bones
are smashed. Oblivious, the bird flays it still,

knocking down twigs. I pick up these twigs
and leave with them, the cold air congealing behind me.

Melissa, the key to understanding these and what must be crucial in teaching these poems is the themes used by Foulcher.

First of all it's important that you understand the poems. Ask yourself questions about the poems. The answers you derive will probably be the same ones the students will find. Guided discovery is the key to learning. What questions, which I haven't posed, seem relevant to the understanding of these poems?

Harry Wood:

What is the significance of the title? What would Harry do? What might he do?
What's the theme here? What significance is there in the fact that Wood works in a "coal" mine? What does it mean to "buy the farm"? What significance is there in the
last two lines of the poem?

Bradman's Last Innings:

Why the sports metaphor? In what age of civilization did Bradman live? Why does the author describe the times as "dull"? What is the significance of the title? Why the "last innings"?


For the Fire:

Why is the form so important in this poem? There is much repetition of sounds (alliteration) in the poem; is this significant? Why? Why the references to nature? Do they seem appropriate to the subject of the poem? Why?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, I hope this helps you get started Melissa. Approach the teaching of poetry as you might the exploration of a museum. Find out what it's about and what secrets it holds, then bring the students into the museum with you and let them discover for themselves the secrets you have found.


Les

Thanks for taking the time to type those up, Desperate. To do so perhaps violates the author's copyright, but I suspect he will have no problem with it, especially insofar as they are to be used in a learning experience.

They are all in 'free verse', which makes the technical analysis more difficult for the casual reader. One has no meter or rhymes to work with, that is. One must think of a poem's 'rhythm' instead. Read each of them out loud, and see if they have a pleasing 'flow' to your ear. If they do, the author has succeeded in his primary task.

With free verse, the author has limited himself to using only 'the line' to express himself. Ask yourself about his line breaks - are they well chosen? Experiment with switching his line breaks and see if his choices leave the reader anticipating what is to follow.

Outside, gathering kindling – a chopping sound
from the forest. Its singular, human thud.

For example,

Outside, gathering kindling – a chopping
sound from the forest ...

Is that better or worse? Worse, I would think. Ending with the 'sound' leaves one anticipating the next line to find out where the sound came from. Ending with 'chopping' makes the 'sound' in the next line confusing as to whether it is a noun or verb, forcing the reader to scan it again, from the beginning.
Do the same thing with his other choices.

The stanzas were apparently chosen for particular reasons. Some are of two lines each, some of three, some are mixed. Are these intended as paragraphs, with the individual thoughts grouped together. If they are separated, why did he do so? Was it again to add the pleasure of anticipation for the reader?

Look for similar sounds grouped together. Assonance and consonance, I mean.

the dole queues, the homes dull with a long

Note the 'D' sounds of dole and dull, and their 'L' sounds plus the L of long. Note the similar 'O' sounds of dole and homes, the 'Z' sounds of queues and homes. In fact they are almost all the same sounds, with that little 'i' of 'with' thrown in there. No hard 'A', no 'I', no 'E' ('the' is thuh?) types in the neighborhood. Do the same thing for all his choices, and see if they are well chosen.

Then, look for poetic devices such as similes, metaphors, personification, metonymy, synecdoche, and other such symbolism. Look at his imagery, and determine if you are right there with him in what he shows you:

a kookaburra hacks with its axe-blade beak

pocked with skin and maggot bubbles of flesh

I can see the reptile’s mouth
stunned open, pouting blood

Last, did you remember any of what the author showed you? Was the presentation memorable, that is. And what meaning(s) did you glean from the words? Did they leave you with a sense of satisfaction? If so, he was succesful; if not, failure.

I would add to Les's comments- have the students read out loud- poetry is meant to be heard, and understanding may come better from hearing rather than reading.

pam

i really appreciate all the help at least now i dont feel as lost and have good starting points. Sorry if ive broken copyright, the poems i had were in a little font with all the above poems on the same pge so i re-typed them for the students seprately.

wat duz it mean by "teacups of colour from television sets"???? help me plz!

You wrench yourself from the road,
sift the dark trees
for diversion.
Sub-division houses-teacups
of colour from televison sets,


Imagery & metaphor - look 'em up. The houses look like teacups, their windows flickering with colo(u)rs generated by the television programs people inside are watching. Do teacups have windows? Nope. Determine for yourself if this is a bad comparison, or a good one. Does it mean the time of day is tea time? Or are the people in the houses are eating meals & drinking tea in front of their sets?

can anyone help me with the poem "Lands End" im finding it really hard to understand wat foulcher is try to convey

i also need help with "Christ at Cana" if anyone can help me and send a copy of these poems i would be extremely greatful

love nick mwa

i need the poem

'Martin and the hand grenade'

Martin displays the hand grenade, the class pause
for history. With his father's bleak skill
Martin egdes out the firing pin, indicates
the chamber where the powder went: he fingers
the serrations, bristles with the shrapnel
possibilites. Questions. No-it had limited
power: ten yards, then the spread
became too loose to catch a man's mortality.
Around the class now. And each boy holds
the small war, lifts it into the air
above the desk trenches: the dead weapon hurls
across the mine fields, tears the heart apart.

plzzzzzzz help me im in year 10 and need help with the poem "for the fire" by john foulcher
all i need to know is what is the message behind the poem plzzzzzzzzzzz im doing an essay on it so plzzzzzzzzz help

thank you

omggggggggg im in year 11
we just started doing foulcher's poems and ur in year 10
poor girl
no wonder u have trouble with it
some one help herrrrrrrrrrrrrr

This may help: [ami-media.net] />

Les

Caution, do not cut and paste from the link above.


"Chosen for its simplicity. This comes from it's 6, 2 line stanzas. It is also seen from the fact one thought is used per stanza (.)

- Use of sentual words."


Tsk. What's a sentual word? One mailed to everybody? Also it's should be its and I personally would use 2-line stanza and write out six, omitting the comma.

And this from a "HSC 2 Unit General English Study Guide"?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/23/2005 12:02PM by Hugh Clary.

And there other errors where those came from, folks!

Hard to believe in a Study Guide, but sadly another sign of the deterioration of standards in English education in New South Wales.

omggggggg im so glad
thank you all for your help
you have saved mi life i really appreciate this
now i can passs yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
thank you again

luv ya all juliana

im doing the same question as juliana and would love it if u would just help me explain the question abit more in depth the information u gave her was handy but i would just need a bit more
plz plz
thankz

in the poem for the fire the poet is saying that though a thing like death (of the lizard) in general would seem terrible and the way the lizard died was terrible but the person just walked away after coolecting the sticks so even benefiting from the death so like other poems of foulchers the meaning is that people arent really passionate dont rteally care or might think thats just nature,but maybe it has made an impact enough cause the person did write a poem about it.

I found some probs in the aforelisted poem 'Martin and the hand grenade'

'Martin and the hand grenade'

Martin displays the grenade, the class pauses
for history. With his father's bleak skill
Martin edges out the firing pin, indicates

the chamber where the powder went; he fingers
the serrations, bristles with the shrapnel
possibilites. Questions. No-it had limited

power: ten yards, then the spread
became too loose to catch a man's mortality.
Around the class now. And each boy holds

the small war, lifts it into the air
above the desk trenches: the dead weapon hurls
across mind fields, tears the heart ahead.



There it is, word for word, letter for letter.

Josh, if your changes of 'pause' to 'pauses', and 'the mine' to 'mind', and 'apart' to 'ahead', and your insertions of stanza breaks, are corrections, well done.

The typo gremlin lurks however. Still need to correct the spelling of 'possibilities'.

Good luck with your studies.

Ian

im in year 10 and we're studying foulcher and its dam hard...
we need to find about him and his life and just about everything there needs to be known... any ideas?

Leah, learn how to use Google. Go here: [www.google.com] />
Les

hey
i need some help i am currently studying Foulcher and have choosen the poem 'For the fire'
can u please give me some pointers. i hav to find some themes in the poem. theres violence. would u be able to narrow violence down and suggest some other themes (the poem is printed above in the forum)
it would be much appreciated!

plz do nto use email above and send if you are to email me plz send it to libzy_babe@hotmail.com

Just putting the poem (copied from the earlier post) a little closer to your post.


FOR THE FIRE

Outside, gathering kindling – a chopping sound
from the forest. Its singular, human thud.

No one is there, only the wind through sparse leaves
like clockwork. Then, above me, the sound drops,

chipped from a tall dead tree:
a kookaburra hacks with its axe-blade beak

tight about a lizard. I can see the reptile’s mouth
stunned open, pouting blood, its legs arched

and claws clutching at air. Even now, all of its bones
are smashed. Oblivious, the bird flays it still,

knocking down twigs. I pick up these twigs
and leave with them, the cold air congealing behind me.

What made you choose this poem of Foulcher’s, Libzy? I hope not just because it was the shortest on offer. Maybe your answer to that question will reveal some other significant theme you see in the poem.

You have mentioned violence. That’s certainly present. Perhaps an inevitable part of survival in the wild. A kookaburra is a ruthless predator of snakes and lizards. What is the attitude of the narrator towards the violence?

The poem begins with the word ‘outside’, implying that the narrator has come from inside some shelter or habitation. Is there a thematic contrast between the intended fire of the title (interpreted as a symbol of civilised warmth) and the cold, loveless arena of the bush – ‘the cold air congealing behind me’ at the end? Possibly. Though an alternative interpretation of the title could be that it implies everything in that environment is destined to be burned.

I question whether a vignette poem as short as this necessarily has a theme, let alone more than one. But undoubtedly different people will focus on different aspects of the poem.

One of the main aims of a vignette poem is to evoke a scene or an incident.

In this poem the many k sounds, and hard c sounds, help to evoke the harsh texture of the bush, as if sticks were breaking underfoot: ‘kindling’ … ‘like clockwork’ … ‘kookaburra hacks’ … ‘axe-blade beak’ … ‘claws clutching’ … ‘knocking’ … ‘pick up’ … ‘cold air congealing’.

The many t and d sounds add to that: ‘outside’ … ‘chipped’ … ‘tall dead tree’ … ‘tight about a lizard’ … ‘reptile’s’ … ‘stunned’ … ‘pouting blood’ … ‘down twigs’ …

It’s not indicated what time of day the incident described takes place, except that it’s light enough to see details of the lizard. It’s as if time doesn’t matter in the bush.

There’s also no mention of light or of any colour. One of the features of the dense Australian bush (the ‘old growth’ forests) that disturbed the early settlers was the impression of unchanging monotone gloom, so unlike the manicured groves of Europe with their seasonal variations.

Ian

some themes in the poem

nature's cruelty (or just uncaring)
life/death (death for the lizard means life for the kookaburra)
speaker's reaction to the violence - horror? mild astonishment? ennui?

I see Ian and I crossposted. Nothing unusual in that, but I notice the times of the posts are in my time (USA Mountain Zone), whereas the server is actually in Atlanta, GA, where the time should be 10:45 am. Weird.

Hugh, if you are logged in, the website adjusts the times you read as local time. If you do not log in the times revert to those in Iceland.

Les

Hey
We're also studying these poems in yr 10 and the main theme in the ones we have studied;
For the fire, Martin and the hand grenade, Harry Wood

Mainly in these you see the underlying violence in nature and soiciety that is always present but also in For the fire and The Hand Grenade you are put in a neutral position by John because one of the things about these poems is that they are written as an observer that wasn't biased.

Hope this helps someone

Andew

How were the ideas about human nature represtented in tis poem?
How did he intend to represent these ideas?
for summer rain and fore the fire
can u please help thanx

Alana, read the second post from the top of this thread.

Les

i need help with my english assessment. i am studying foulcher. we have to compose a visual representation of one of foulcher's poems in form og a collage and also must examine the poem in detail showing how he uses linguistic techniques to convey his meaning to the audience just wondering what poem would be the easiest and if u could help me with it. thanks soooo much. due on monday the 21st so really need help fast

A collage? You are kidding, right? Still, if an instructor is muddleheaded enough to request students to examine a poem in detail to show how the author uses 'linguistic techniques', it should be possible to bullshit one's way through to a good grade.

Use lots of big words, for example, "Foulcher employs (not uses) a superfluity (not a lot) of nouns and verbs in his compositions (not poems), relegating (not putting) other parts of speech such as adjectives to a minor rôle" (make sure to use the circumflex for extra credit). Sentences like that will get an anal-retentive professor salivating right there on the spot. Any decent thesaurus will turn up plenty of multi-syllabic words that can be substituted for the smaller ones, such as:

[thesaurus.reference.com] />
For the collage, go with Martin and the hand grenads and simply scatter bits of colo(u)red paper over the page to illustrate the poem's gist. I envision at least a B+ using such methods!

Crystal, one idea about collages: Use large photos so you won't have to find as many of them. For instance you could print a few of these for Foulcher's Summer Rain, then cut and paste them together for your collage:
[66.102.7.104] />
Bob's might be what you need for your exploration of "poetic terms": [www.poeticbyway.com] />

Les

does anyone know any background information on John Foulcher or a place where i can get some.

it would be greatly appriaciated

There is some info. here: [www.google.com] />
Les

there is little info on john foulcher on google.com

there is little info on john foulcher on google.com

You're right, help. I've looked for info. to pass along, but there simply is a very limited amount on the web. In some cases the "Bored of Studies" website is helpful, but I found little there about Foulcher. [community.boredofstudies.org] />
My best advice would be to network with your classmates and fellow Australian students, if indeed you are Australian, to help you with this assignment.

[www.emule.com] />
Les

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/2006 08:15PM by lg.

there is little info on john foulcher on google.com

[tinyurl.com] />
766 hits!

Yeah, Hugh, but do any of those 766 give you any information about the man: [www.google.com] />
I searched the first 20 or so on the link above and was unable to find a decent biography of the man.


Les

Point taken. If one is not adverse to spending some bucks, see:

[tinyurl.com]

Photographs the Size of Poems

John Foulcher



In our family album, you are the lost city,

the spot marked with an x. Here in sepia

you’re nineteen, just out of the army, bent

to attention, as seamless as your uniform.

At your wedding, you’re a thick black

shadow on the velveteen curtains. Here,

later, the paunch you’d never develop

is settling above your belt. Your frown,

like a breeze ruffling the surface of water.

Perhaps the car was playing up, perhaps

you were thinking of money and bills

or something you hadn’t done at work,

everything in the photo is slightly blurred.

Christenings. Birthdays. Often, it seems,

you’ve dug up a smile and polished it clean

for the cameras, while Mum looks on

with a nervous, fluttering grin, as if she were

always warning Do be careful, love, won’t you.



You rarely went to church but believed,

I think, in manners, decency and facing up

to lies. Sometimes there were Sundays

like this one, where you’ve got us ready

for North Ryde Methodist, mainly to show

your pious relatives you could do the right

thing by us. The minister, your cousin,

welcomed us at the door, he was dappled

with appeasement but in the service noted

those he’d like to see here more often. After that,

you stayed away, but you said it was all right

for us to go back, if that was what we wanted.



Mum had lugged us kids up to Ryde Oval

to see you batting for the First Grade XI

on this ambling Saturday. It’s just on tea,

the scoreboard drums your unbeaten hundred

and you’ve hurried over to tell us about it.

But she’s had enough of mothering, and says

something about sport that all wives must

think. In the long shadows, you’re ready

to walk back out with your bundle of runs

while she’s wandered away for a cuppa

with the other women. Secretly, glancing

up at the game, she watches you take strike

for the final session. And she’d remember

how you charged out to the first delivery

and were bowled, and the whole game was lost.



There’s nothing here from the month you died,

and the year’s only snap in the album is a cool

Christmas Day at Auntie Dulce’s in Bankstown.

Though the gifts are all indoors, we three boys

sag before the tent Dulce and Henry had raised

for us, a thin windy house as frail as being alive.

The back yard is a smear of weather. Dressed

as if for church, each of us clutches the other’s

hand, you’d think we were holding each other up,

staring into the lens like stiff Catholic apostles.

The rain’s bucketing down. Mum’s somewhere else.



In my dream it’s snowing, the air’s like ash

and your breath looks like smoke. Wind

makes its artistry in the cold, daubing flakes

of ice all over the lens. I wipe them away

but they come back, they’re multiplying,

dividing, like cells under a microscope.

Your face is frozen to an oval miniature,

glistening, out of focus. The camera shakes

in my hands, the cold gets colder, and I call

into the waste between us Smile, Dad. Smile.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/01/2006 03:14PM by lg.

here's the info i've gathered so far on john foulcher

John Foulcher, a poet and a teacher. He graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours and a Diploma of Education. Currently Head of Drama at Bishop Druitt College in Coffs Harbour has been a teacher in NSW and the ACT. John Foulcher has been writing and publishing poetry for nearly thirty years and has published in newspapers and journals, including the Age, the Bulletin, Quadrant, Poetry Australia and Overland


Published seven books of poetry
The Learning Curve (Brandl & Schlesinger, 2002).
Convertible (Indigo, 2000),
The Honeymoon Snaps (Harper/Collins, 1996),
New and Selected Poems (Harper/Collins, 1993),
Paperweight (A & R, 1991),
Pictures from the War (A & R, 1987),
Light Pressure (Angus & Robertson, 1983),

plz add more if u find any but this is what i've found so far