The Australian poet Gwen Harwood wrote “Suburban Sonnet” during the peak of her career in the late 1960s. In this poem, the speaker describes a typical day in the life of a suburban housewife who fruitlessly chases her dreams of becoming a professional musician. Through this exploration of the woman’s internal conflict, the speaker delivers a subversive commentary about the psychological and emotional ramifications of modern motherhood. In doing so, the speaker illustrates the tension between the woman's mundane life and her innermost fantasies while also subverting the traditional sonnet form.

• Read the full text of “Suburban Sonnet”

• “Suburban Sonnet” Summary

• “Suburban Sonnet” Themes

  • 

    The Struggles of Suburban Motherhood

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-14

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Suburban Sonnet”

  • Lines 1-2

    She practises a ...
    ... well or not.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 3-5

    Beside her on ...
    ... to the stove

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 6-8

    too late, a ...
    ... as she scours

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 9-12

    the crusted milk. ...
    ... they seem afraid.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 13-14

    She comforts them; ...
    ... from stale bread.

    

    

    

    

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• “Suburban Sonnet” Symbols

  • 

    The Mouse

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 10-14: “The children caper / round a sprung mousetrap where a mouse lies dead. / When the soft corpse won't move they seem afraid. / She comforts them; and wraps it in a paper / featuring: Tasty dishes from stale bread.”
  • 

    Music

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-2: “She practises a fugue, though it can matter / to no one now if she plays well or not.”
    • Lines 6-7: “a wave of nausea overpowers / subject and counter-subject.”
    • Lines 9-10: “Once she played / for Rubinstein, who yawned.”

• “Suburban Sonnet” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • Metaphor

    

    

    

    

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    Where metaphor appears in the poem:

    • Lines 6-9: “a wave of nausea overpowers / subject and counter-subject. Zest and love / drain out with soapy water as she scours / the crusted milk.”

  • Alliteration

    

    

    

    

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    Where alliteration appears in the poem:

    • Line 3: “children chatter”
    • Line 8: “soapy,” “scours”
    • Line 9: “crusted”
    • Line 11: “mousetrap,” “mouse”
    • Line 12: “corpse”
    • Line 13: “comforts”

  • Allusion

    

    

    

    

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    Where allusion appears in the poem:

    • Lines 9-10: “Once she played / for Rubinstein, who yawned.”

  • Enjambment

    

    

    

    

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    Where enjambment appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-2: “matter / to no one”
    • Lines 4-5: “A pot / boils over.”
    • Lines 5-6: “stove / too late,”
    • Lines 6-7: “overpowers / subject”
    • Lines 7-8: “Zest and love / drain”
    • Lines 8-9: “scours / the”
    • Lines 9-10: “played / for”
    • Lines 10-11: “caper / round”
    • Lines 13-14: “paper / featuring:”

  • Caesura

    

    

    

    

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    Where caesura appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “fugue, though”
    • Line 4: “fight. She”
    • Line 5: “over. As”
    • Line 6: “late, a”
    • Line 7: “counter-subject. Zest”
    • Line 9: “milk. Her,” “ache. Once”
    • Line 10: “ Rubinstein, who yawned. The”
    • Line 13: “them; and”
    • Line 14: “featuring: Tasty”

  • Consonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where consonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 2: “no one now,” “not”
    • Line 3: “children chatter”
    • Line 4: “She hushes”
    • Line 5: “she rushes”
    • Line 7: “subject,” “counter-subject,” “Zest”
    • Line 8: “with soapy water,” “scours”
    • Line 9: “crusted milk,” “ache”
    • Lines 10-11: “children caper / round”
    • Line 11: “sprung mousetrap where,” “mouse”
    • Line 12: “soft corpse,” “move,” “seem”
    • Line 14: “Tasty,” “stale”

  • Parataxis

    

    

    

    

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    Where parataxis appears in the poem:

    • Lines 4-5: “She hushes them. A pot / boils over.”
    • Lines 9-10: “Her veins ache. Once she played / for Rubinstein, who yawned.”

• “Suburban Sonnet” Vocabulary

  Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • Fugue
  • Chatter
  • Subject
  • Counter-subject
  • Scours
  • Rubinstein
  • Caper
  • Stale
  • (Location in poem: Line 1: “She practises a fugue”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Suburban Sonnet”

  • Form

  • Meter

  • Rhyme Scheme

• “Suburban Sonnet” Speaker

• “Suburban Sonnet” Setting

• Literary and Historical Context of “Suburban Sonnet”

• More “Suburban Sonnet” Resources

  • External Resources

    • Gwen Harwood's Biography — An overview of Gwen Harwood's life and work.

    • Throughlines in Hardwood's Work — A discussion of themes, motifs, and ideas that are common in Harwood's poetry.

    • Gwen Harwood's Sonnets — An analysis of "Suburban Sonnet" in the context of two other sonnets written by Harwood.

    • The Women's Movement — A discussion of the women's movement in Australia, especially as it relates to second-wave feminism (which heavily influenced Harwood's poetry).

    • Texts in the City: Collected Poems of Gwen Harwood — A talk about Gwen Harwood's life and work. 

  • LitCharts on Other Poems by Gwen Harwood

    • Barn Owl

    • In The Park

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