The+Old+Place

Describes loss of a way of life. The poem is describing a run-down house that nobody wants to go visit, portraying the idea that the people are leaving these run-down places in hope for a better in life in cities etc. The wind is used to represent ancestors, who are very significant in the maori culture, showing that the people all leave are off the recent generation while, 'no one except the wind saw the old place'. This shows the loss of the old maori cultural way of life? -Izzy

That's what I thought too, except maybethe feeling of lonliness and the fact that eveyone had left shows a conscious decision to leave, symbolising the abandonment of the culture - which would lead to a loss of culture. - Abby

The poem is lamenting the migration from country to city, and the loss of one’s traditional roots is elegiac (like elegy) in tone, resigned but full of sadness and regret. The central metaphor is the image of a house that once held life and is still alive in the speaker's memory, finally disintegrating and collapsing to the ground, observed by no one except the wind. In the line "to the wind's slap and scream" I get the image of someone trying to wake you up in desperation, it is as if the wind and nature is the only thing that cares about "The Old Place". - Theon

The Old Place is a memory from the poet that is described as a place left behind exposed to nature. I agree with Theon that the poem shows the migration from country to city. This is also shown by the lines:"for no one will ever leave/ the golden city on the fussy train". Humans hunt after wealth and material belongings and stay wherever they are able to gain these things. This is possible in the city which is indicated by the use of the adjective "golden" to describe the city symbolizing wealth. After the place was left behind by humans, nature take over the place. This is shown when he describes the natural process of rusting: "and in no protesting sense did iron and barbed wire ease to the rust's invasion". Even though the tone of the poem is full of regret, I also think that the poet valued the positive things that come up due to no presence of human. "Protesting" is a human feature that does not occur in nature and because the place is now isolated form society the natural cycle of life is able to take over the place again. -Lorenz

This poem is a representation of the Maori transition into a western society. Over the years Maori people have lost their tradition, heritage and ancestors. In this poem the only thing that remains in "the old place" is what seems to be the past tenants or ancestors of the place "no one except the wind saw the old place make her final curtsy to the sky and the earth..." Tuwhare again in this poem makes reference to specific symbols of meaning in Maori culture such as the moon and the earth. - Lu'isa

In a literal sense, the poem describes the abandonment of an old building as people instead move to a new area in a city. The poem was written in 1964 (I think, not sure), and most Maori by that time were exposed to the European way of life. Most had forgotten their origins and ways and instead migrated to towns or cities, living an urban life. This is fact is further supported by the fact that in the late 1960's protests emerged to promote Maori culture. The old building (clearly old with hints such as "drunken fence-posts and the gate white with moss", which shows the effects of time), is a representation of the old Maori ways. The new location, described as the 'golden city', is the representation of urban life. Thus the poem aim to highlight the abandonment of Maori culture as the Maori race advances over time. The line "No one except the wind saw the old place make her final curtsy to the sky and earth" outlines that firstly the old place is so abandoned that no creature even approaches it, secondly the wind is actually a representation of Maori ancestors. The line "nor twang more tautly to the wind's slap and scream" shows that Maori of the next generation have forgotten the history and accomplishments of their predecessors (wind's slap and scream). The "wind's slap and scream" can also be interpreted as the attempts of Maori that have kept their culture in reminding or educating their following generations. The 'sky' and 'earth' are also significant figures in Maori culture, once again hinting that the old place signifies old Maori ways.-Winstan

This poem talks about the abandonment of the old and embracing the new. The house is used to represent old culture and traditions possibly with reference to the maori culture and traditions as they are now embracing the European style of life. the sound devices in the poem is used to give the house a more pained feeling with the rust on it which gives the house a "twang and tautly" sound when the wind is screaming. This scream by the wind could also possibly emphasize the pained feeling that the house has and also represent what the elders of the maori culture are feeling with the migration of culture to a more western tradition - Davvvvvvvvvid ... (\_/) . ..(-_-) <=( 0 )=> .. (").|.(")

There are vivid sound devices used in the quote Winstan has used above "nor twang more tautly to the wind's slap and scream" - look at the alliteration of the 't' and 's' sounds. They contribute to the violent imagery and help to communicate that the fences have not been able to stand up to the corrosive forces of nature. Why do you think the fourth stanza is in italics?

I see 'the old place' as a old rusty house in a literal sense. It might have been a summer home that the author went to when he was young and has forgotten about, was not been to or does not have the time for this place. I agree with the other students that there is a movement from the country into the city because of personal experiences, when we fit into our new home in the city and far away from the past we tend to forget about where we spent our childhood and focus and on the present. It is as if everyone who ever went to the 'old place' has moved on from the rusty place and this place is now breaking down, ' where the __old shed falters__'. Going back to what I said about the Maori culture feeling everything around them, I feel that Hone feels this place and can sense it dying, which is referring to the quote above. - Sahib

Continuing the idea of the loss of a way of life, the lorry, van and train make a connection between the 'old' and the 'new'. Where the first stanzas emphasis is placed on the bushes and springs, the final stanza ends with cars and trains. The transition between old and new is made in stanza 3. It describes how the place was completely deserted, and 'only the wind' was there when the 'old place' made its final transition. As a final point, the poem both starts with 'No one comes', and ends with 'No one comes any more', which again form a link from the start to the end. -Jacob

=A Quick Look=
 * 1) Okay, so upon first reading this poem I immediately made the link between this poem and No Ordinaty Sun... both are talking about the loss of life, though in this poem it is the old ways giving way to the new ways of life. I also thought that this poem was quite similar to the short stories by Patricia Grace which talk about the loss of Maori culture as they jump on the "Pakeha Bandwagon" of "The golden city... the fussy train". This made me think that "the old place" referred to is in fact an old Marae or Maori settlement. I also liked the line "drunken fence-posts" which is literally talking about the fence-posts which are crooked/not straight but once again this could be a reference to the problem of Alcoholism in New Zealand that was introduced by the Brtitish. Then again, I may be going about analysing this in the wrong way.
 * 2) // From a more literal point of view I would say that the poem talks about the demise of an old "place" probably a building surrounded by fences "iron and barbed wire" with some sort of iron structure e.g. roofing. It has been abandonned for some time and is no longer in use. It is evident that people used to live there as the "cream-lorry" and "morning paper van" used to visit the "old place". //


 * James Gardner**

The poem is about the effects of industrialisation on people who were used to a rural lifestyle. The 'old place' refers to an old country house which is off the beaten track (can tell this by 'doughy track' and 'past the hidden spring') has been abandoned and left to become dilapidated. The fact that the cream-lorry and morning paper van don't come to the house also indicate that there is no one living there. The reason for this is that they have left to live in the city, which is described as 'golden' as it is a place where work can be found, money made etc. The house itself symbolises the countryside as a whole, along with the idyllic rural way of living. Tuwhare sorrowfully looks back on how without maintenance and care these houses fall to ruin; implying that without maintenance and care the countryside and the rural life will cease to survive against the inevitability of time (shown in the line: 'in no protesting sense did iron and barbed wire ease to the rust's invasion...to the wind's slap and scream). - Mike

I think this is definitely Tuwhare, in an almost sad way, describing the fear he feels in the inevitable happening-the countryside eventually falling to pieces. The city is described as 'golden', links to royal thoughts or being at the top? Gold is for winners. And this carries with the idea of winning as you move to the city because you are making money etc. I find this whole poem is written in the mood of nostalgia-a man craving what he knows, yet knowing the old way isn't going to last much longer. Chelsea