The Old Prison

Composers express the intricate nature of love and it's immense impact in society's and individuals through the influence of language. Judith Wright's poem, The Old Prison, explores the importance of love to individuals, elaborating how its absence has detrimental effects on ones emotional state. Alan Paton, the author of the short story The Wasteland, further amplifies the importance of love, expressing how when love is suppressed by greed, the results can be devastating to the growth of society. Both composers are portraying the necessity of love to individuals and society.

An individuals ability to achieve happiness is diminished when there is an absence of love and intimate connections to others. This concept is explored through Judith

The importance of love is emphasised through the poets use of imagery in " The row of cells are unroofed...who comes with a breath of ice..." exhibits the harsh environment, and explores the difficulties faced by the inmates as they became increasingly lonely. Wright is elucidating how that due to an absence of love, feelings of elation are dulled and continue to over time. The absence of love is evident in the personification Wright utilised in "cries as the wind now cries" highlights that even the environment is in desolation, emulating the feeling of the inmates. Wright is portraying how a lack of intimate connections leads to isolation, and ultimately the deterioration of love and happiness. This isolation is also seen in the enjambment in "The wind and the sea say their cold nest is broken and they are blown away" through this, Wright conveys the feelings of the prisoners who endured extreme hardship and loss. The poet is emphasising how if an environment is lacking love, an individuals emotional happiness is diminished. Wright's use of rhyme in "They did not breed nor love each in his cell alone cried as the wind now cries through this flute of stone." emphasises the lack of intimate relationships experienced by

Through the setting of a lawless society in South Africa, Alan Paton in his short story, The Wasteland explores the idea of a society devoid of love and empathy, when humanity has lost its morality. The utilisation of metaphor in "Island of safety in a sea of perils" exhibits how a feeling of unease in the civilisation is experienced. Through this metaphor, Paton emphasises how the greed of individuals overpowers feelings of love, which leads to the deterioration of society and moral values. Paton's utilisation of irony in "His wife could be made a widow, his children made fatherless, and nothing counted against that." portrays greeds destructive nature, as the son’s greed caused his sense of morals to be destroyed, leading to a confusion in which the father kills his son. Paton is emphasising how an individuals greed can make them do the unthinkable, as their sense of morality has been overridden by a love for self gain. The death of the son, Freddy, is symbolic of greeds inherent nature to tear apart families and civilisation, as due to his greed Freddy commits an act that leads to his death, literally tearing his family apart. This idea is further exemplified in Paton's utilisation of another metaphor in the title of his story. "The Wasteland", alluding to waste of life and destruction of morality through an individuals act of greed. He's emphasising how an individuals