Analysis of Marele Day’s Novel and Robert Frost’s Poem

Distinctive voices are created for different purposes. How is this shown in you prescribed text and at least one other text of your own choosing? NOTE: I ONLY DID TLACOHL AND THE ROAD NOT TAKEN Distinctive voices are created for different purposes in order to portray many varied messages to the reader. Distinctive voices are conveyed through texts in the exploration of human experiences, composers convey their ideas and shape meaning through language, relationships and characteristics of voices which are communicated through various texts.
The interpretation of different voices can be identified in The Life and Crimes of Harry Lavender by Marele Day and The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. In the crime fiction based novel The Life and Crimes of Harry Lavender, Day creates many distinctive voices through her use of language and characters. The hard-talking female private investigator, Claudia Valentine; the poetically spoken underworld figure Harry Lavender and the majestic, yet volatile personified city of Sydney, which forms the main voices of the novel.
These characters stand out through Days manipulation of language and structure to create particular meaning, including: tone, allusion and first-person narrative. In the early 20th century poem The Road Not Taken, Frost creates a distinctive voice through the use of language which portrays the importance of taking the right path in life. The author ultimately conveys many different messages and emotions which include a sense of regret, with a slight relief of triumph, through the use of first person narrative, tone and allusion.

In the novel The Life and Crimes of Harry Lavender, a sarcastic voice of Claudia allows Day to bring the reader attention to her concern about the impact that development has on Sydney. Claudia describes Darling Harbour as a place “where buildings with the eyes gouged out had been demolished to make way for ‘development’, for the mean of power to build monoliths to themselves”. The personification of the original buildings creates sympathy in the responder for history and the sarcastic tone suggests men are ruthless in their pursuit of power.
The use of both tone and personification portray two different meanings to the reader via the distinctive voice of Claudia. In Frost’s poem The Road Not Taken, the author recites the poem in a dull and poetic tone which draws the listener or reader in his journey of which road to take in life. The poetic tone reflects the author’s pain and regret for taking a road which appeared to be more appealing, but was rather a facade. The poetic tone is seen throughout the whole poem: “TWO roads diverged… And that has made all the difference”.
The poetic tone throughout the poem gives the reader a sense of empathy for the author, which further unifies the connection between the reader and the author. In both texts, the use of tone channels many different messages which influence the reader. These messages create a variety of messages which includes a sense of empathy and sympathy, and presents the sheer emotion and thoughts of many characters. In Days novel, The Life and Crimes of Harry Lavender, Day includes allusions to Australian culture in her narrative to familiarise her audience with the novel’s setting, but also to create a identification in her Australian readers.
This is evident when Claudia refers to her school friend Marilyn as lacking “the Colgate ring of confidence”, alluding to the most famous toothpaste in Australia. Another example, is when Harry Lavender uses allusions in his interludes in the narrative of Claudia Valentine. His allusion to ‘The Last Post’ in his first interlude creates a distinctly Australian voice for Lavender. In his recount of his dream funeral he tells the reader that “They will remember me. At the going down of the city’s son and the mourning they will remember”.
The pun on the words son/sun and mourning/morning would be considered by many Australian readers as a travesty, cementing Lavender as an antagonist. Thus use of allusion in this fiction novel helps Australian readers better understand ideas and form relationships with character. In the text, The Road Not Taken, Frost uses allusions to communicate the subjective emotions experienced whilst deciding which road to take in life which will ultimately change the outcome of life.
An example of an allusion includes “I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference”, which is commonly used to describe the thought process of taking the easiest path in life. However, this allusion, together with the voice of the author leaves the reader open in deciding if the author feels a sense of triumph or regret. In both texts, the use of allusions can be perceived in many different ways which helps the reader judge a character and thus influencing the reader.
Another language technique expressed in The Life and Crimes of Harry Lavender, is the use of first-person narrative. Day uses first-person narrative. Day uses first-person narrative to slowly reveal the character of Claudia Valentine. It is through the voice of Claudia that the reader actually learns about her and her job. From her first assessment of herself the responder is aware that she is any unconventional female narrator: “As long as I didn’t start haemorrhaging from the eyes things would be all right”.
This shows through the use of first person narrative, the reader can build a relationship with characters, in particularly Claudia as it explores her clinical thoughts and emotions. First- person narrative is also evident in the poem The Road Not Taken. The use of this language technique draws the reader into the same journey as the poet. As a result, the reader understands the conflicting emotions involved in deciding which path to take which includes turmoil, regret and a glimpse of triumph. In both texts, the use of first-person narrative allows the reader to build a relationship with the character.
This relationship can thereby allow the reader to be one with the character and share his/her emotions. To conclude, both texts, The Life and Crimes of Harry Lavender and The Road Not Taken, distinctive voices are presented for different purposes through the use of various language techniques such as allusion, tone, and first-person narrative. These language techniques help convey different messages which help shape meaning and build relationships and connection between the characters and the reader.