The most effective poems convey the poet’s idea and influence the Reader’s Response. This is certainly true when considering the poetry of John Foulcher is a contemporary Australian poet who writes about his observation of everyday life, people and places, as well as religious history. The poet’s voice is distinctive and he writes in a condensed style where each word and image is very important and has layers of meaning. He also often uses very harsh and violent imagery in his poems, which can be very shocking to the reader. Foulcher uses a range of techniques in his poems to communicate meaning, including similes, metaphors, personification and onomatopoeia. The poems that will be discussed in this essay are Martin and the Hand Grenade …show more content…

Foulcher uses objective and unemotional language to describe certain incidents to create the effect in the audience’s mind that he doesn’t particular care about any of the events outlaid in the poem.
The theme of our society depriving children of their innocence is evident throughout the 3rd stanza which has a description of the children playing outside from the poet’s perspective. When he says “the children stay outside, bruised with dirt” he uses the dirt in a metaphorical manner to translate the message to the audience that children in our society are exposed to material that mentally scars them and reprieves them of their innocence. Another metaphor that is used to convey the extent of the affect that modern society has on children is “pound out grudges as tight as steel”. The metaphor “as tight as steel” is used to show the strength of their grudges and how their hatred of society will never leave them and continue to haunt them for eternity.

John Foulcher writes poems that allow the reader to visualise the scenes and people he is describing. Through the use of poetic techniques such as similes, metaphors, personification and onomatopoeia, Foulcher influences the reader’s response. The reader can appreciate the ideas and emotions he is communicating through his