Ask AI: In the poem Request To A Year how does Judith Wright express her feelings towards memory and past

In her poem "Request To A Year," Judith Wright employs vivid imagery and metaphor to express her feelings towards memory and past. She seems to view memory as a powerful and possibly painful part of human experience. The poem is filled with an atmosphere of nostalgia and longing, suggesting a deep emotional connection to the past. Wright uses a number of metaphors that indicate her feelings towards memory. For instance, she describes it as a ‘country’ that cannot be invaded or occupied permanently, indicating her belief that the past is a place we can only visit fleetingly and cannot ever truly reclaim or return to. It is something we, as humans, can only experience from a distance. Further, she talks about locked gates around these memories, indicating the inner turmoil and the complexity of human emotions linked to certain memories. She feels that sometimes our past and memories can be overwhelming and are locked away to minimize the pain or discomfort they might cause. The intense emotions associated with memory are depicted through the metaphor of the 'river of death.' The poet suggests that delving too deeply into the past can lead to a kind of emotional or existential death, or the loss of one's present identity. Wright seems to be requesting the year (or time) to allow her to retain not the entire year's memories, but parts that she can handle, parts that perhaps bring her joy or have shaped her in some way. This could also imply hope and awareness of human limitations in comprehending every occurrence that time brings. Overall, Judith Wright's feelings towards memory and past in "Request To A Year" are complex, reflecting both longing and caution, and encapsulating the beauty and pain of retrospection.