Being one of the most prominent poets from New Zealand, James K Baxter felt ambiguity between his religious doctrine and the disgust he saw in society. His well known poems, Ballad of Calvary Street and Tomcat convey his attitude towards the middle-class society in different ways. He uses religious symbolism and figurative language to show his critical attitude towards the central couple in the first poem. Contrastingly, an admiring attitude can be seen in the second poem, through the use of metaphors. Although contradicting in many ways, both of the poems clarify Baxter's perspective towards middle-class suburbia.
Having baptised to an intense Catholic, Baxter integrates extensive use of religious symbolism to reveal his critical attitude to the ugly, barren lives of the old couple. The first religious symbol is in the title. Calvary Hill was where Christ suffered and was put to death. In Calvary Street, children virtues of love and charity are meaningless and are put to death. So in the poem, the love between the old couple is being put to death. This idea is supported by the use of a simile in the first stanza; Calvary street has 'trellises where bright as blood the roses bloom'. This image symbolises the cross on which Christ was crucified. In fact, throughout the poem, there are numerous displays of the Catholic faith. The 'Tree of Life' in the fourth stanza is debased and mocked by the old man who compares it to a phallic-shaped parsnip. A potent symbol of vitality and resilience is turned in to an opportunity to make a vulgar joke. The woman feels like she bears 'the cross of woe', and stimulates us to feel pitious to her. However, she is such an unpleasant character that we are only able to think she brought this on herself. Throughout the use of wide range of religious symbols, Baxter portrays his critical attitude towards the old couple in Ballad of Calvary Street.
Baxter's satirical use of figurative language also helped the readers to comprehend his critical attitude to the lives of the old couple. When the old man walks out to the parsnip bed, 'a giant parsnip sparks his eye'. A personification is used to emphasise the distinguishment of a particular parsnip from the others. The parsnip is then said to be as 'majestic as the tree of life'. The use of metaphor tells us that the old man is making a sexual joke. The old couple also fight over trivial reasons under one house and are described with the personification as 'the love they kill won't let them rest', and consequently are visualised thorughout the use of metaphor as 'two birds that peck in one fouled nest'
Therefore, Baxter has been able to show his critical attitude to the readers throughout the use of figurative language.
Contrastingly in the second poem, James K Baxter's attitude is reversed to create an admiring tone through the use of metaphors. The tomcat does not conform to society' repression and 'cuts across zones of the respectable through fences, walls, following other routes, his own. He is also described as a speaker with a 'bagpipe shriek'. He is visualised throughout the use of metaphor as an angry one with an abrasive manner. But the tomcat also seems to be representative of Baxter himself. Therefore, the Tomcat has an inverse attitude to the Ballad of Calvary street and this is conveyed throughout the use of metaphors.
Although the poems are both written by James K Baxter, the poems are highly contradicting in attitudes. The Ballad of Calvary Street possess a critical attitude throughout the use of religious symbolism and figurative language. But the attitude in Tomcat has been identified as a admiring attitude with the use of metaphors. Therefore, Baxter's perspective towards the middle-class suburbia is comprehended.
