Woman to Child by Judith Wright is a lyrical poem where the mother's emotions
concerning pregnancy and maternity are beautifully expressed. Although pregnancy
is often viewed as distressing and difficult, the author depicts it as a life-changing,
pleasant, and wonderful experience. These feelings about the experience of
pregnancy and motherhood are rendered using figurative language and the writing
structure. Judith Wright's use of a four-stanza structure traces the path of maternity
from conception to the birth of the new-born, and the use of figurative language
helps to portray these different phases in an artistic way. As a result of the use of
these two elements, the theme of maternal love is expressed in an alluring style.
In the poem Woman to Child written by Judith Wright, the use of a four-stanza
structure is obvious, and Wright’s purpose of the four-stanza structure was to
clearly illustrate the chronological, distinct stages of motherhood for a new mother,
from the conception to the child’s birth. In the first stanza, it discusses the initial
stage- conception, which is made obvious in the line, “where out of the darkness
rose the seed”. In the second stanza, it addresses the beginning of pregnancy and
the preliminary bonding between the mother and the life inside her womb. The third
stanza forefronts the more developed connection between the mother and the child,
this is evident in the line, “O node and focus of the world; I hold you deep within that
well”. In the last stanza, it powerfully describes the ending stages of pregnancy and
childbirth. Each stanza has its own unique yet astonishing meaning; it also allows the
reader to connect with the author and understand the breath-taking journey of
motherhood.
In Judith Wright’s poem Woman to Child, the first stanza is describing the act of
fertilisation, and this is made evident in the line, "where out of the darkness rose the
seed". In this context, “darkness” figuratively signifies the mother’s womb and the
“seed” symbolises the unborn child. With figurative language, the speaker is
suggesting that she has created life, and the reader can sense that she takes great
gratification in her ability. The speaker clearly sees her being a female is a blessing
and trusts her ability to give birth is incredible. These feelings are metaphorically
expressed through the line, "Then all a world I made in me". The woman sees her
unborn child as her world and her life. Through figurative language, Wright has
foregrounded the idea of conception being a marvellous thing.
In the poem Woman to Child, the next stanza describes the beginning of pregnancy
when the mother and child are in the first stages of their relationship. The speaker
feels a great sense of power in her new relationship, and she compares her creation
to God's creation of the earth: "There moved the multitudinous stars, and the
coloured birds and fishes moved". Although she cares for the child she is carrying,
the relationship is not fully developed because she still feels detached from the
unborn child. The fact that she feels the baby is still a stranger to her is expressed in
the line, "and love that knew not its beloved". She is disclosing that she still loves
her unborn child, however, their relationship has not yet reached a personal level.
With figurative language, the author enables the reader to comprehend the
somewhat distant yet much-loved relationship the speaker feels with her child.
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In Wright’s poem Woman to Child, the third stanza opens a more developed
relationship between the mother and her unborn child, or the end of the pregnancy.
In this stanza she makes it obvious that her child has become the centre of her world
and she also feels she is the centre of the baby’s world: "O node and focus of the
world". The very next line of the poem, "I hold you deep within that well", can be
interpreted in two different ways. The first suggests that the speaker encloses the
baby in her womb and therefore reinforces the fact that she feels she is the focus of
the child's world. A second interpretation refers to a more emotional aspect of their
relationship, in which the mother feels that she will forever shelter her child within
her own soul. Although these interpretations are quite different, they both offer a
form of protection to the unborn child, one being physical and the other, emotional.
In this stanza the speaker also says the child "shall escape and not escape," which
further enforces the idea that there is a physical relationship as well as an emotional
one. While the child will physically escape from the mother's body, it will emotionally
remain a part of her forever. This also reinforces the idea that once the baby is born,
it shall never escape the nurturing love of the mother. Different interpretations of the
third stanza and the growing development of the mother and child’s relationship are
being constructed through figurative language.
In the poem Woman to Child by Judith Wright, the last stanza is extremely powerful
and emotive, as it describes the act of labour and childbirth: "I wither and you break
from me". The speaker once again enforces the idea that she is a creator when she
states, "I am the earth, I am the root, I am the stem that fed the fruit". This can be
interpreted as another biblical illusion, as God would imaginably say this to his own
creation, whom He likes to call His children; in a similar way, the mother is saying
this to her awaited child. This can also be seen as the mother’s pain while enduring
childbirth, as compared to the previous stanzas, this is more evocative and moving.
Through different illusions and metaphorical language, the author successfully
conveys the eloquent meaning of the last stanza of the beautiful yet painful journey
of labour and the first physical encounter of the mother and the child.
Judith Wright's poem Woman to Child uses figurative language and structure to
bring positive light to what may be considered a negative experience. As a result,
pregnancy and motherhood are portrayed as enviable rather than pitiable. The poem
expresses a theme of maternal love, which is perhaps the strongest love that can be
felt for an individual. Wright exemplifies the complexity of the relationship between a
woman and her child.
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