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Notes
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Third poem in the sequence.
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Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard quoted from this poem in the Federal Parliament on 19 October 2010. Gillard was speaking in the debate on Australia's involvement in the war in Afghanistan. Gillard used these lines from the poem's ninth stanza: '... I never shrank with fear / But fought the monsters of the lower world / Clearing a little space, and time, and light, / For men to live in peace...'
Some newspaper sources reporting on the speech, and quoting the reference to McAuley, gave the poem's title as 'The Ascent of Hades'.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Victory of Truth in a War of Words
2010
single work
column
— Appears in: The Daily Telegraph , 22 October 2010; (p. 46) The Mercury , 25 October 2010; (p. 17)Piers Akerman reports on Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's use of James McAuley's poem 'The Ascent of Heracles' in the Federal Parliament on 19 October 2010. Gillard was speaking in the debate on Australia's involvement in the war in Afghanistan and used these lines from the poem: '... I never shrank with fear / But fought the monsters of the lower world / Clearing a little space, and time, and light, / For men to live in peace...'
Akerman notes John Kinsella's disapproval of Gillard's use of poetry in the debate. In response, Akerman writes, Kinsella's 'views illustrate the preposterous belief held by the chattering classes that the Left alone has some bizarre sole right to determine which side of politics may use literary references, even when those references are clearly at odds with the Left agenda.'
[Note: Akerman gives the title of the poem as 'The Ascent of Hades'.]
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Leaders Scale Poetry's Register
2010
single work
column
— Appears in: The Australian , 20 October 2010; (p. 2)Luke Slattery reports on Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's use of James McAuley's poem 'The Ascent of Heracles' in the Federal Parliament on 19 October 2010. Gillard was speaking in the debate on Australia's involvement in the war in Afghanistan and used these lines from the poem: '... I never shrank with fear / But fought the monsters of the lower world / Clearing a little space, and time, and light, / For men to live in peace...'
Slattery notes comments from poet John Kinsella about the Prime Minister's 'use of poetry for that "heroic" purpose'. Kinsella disagreed with the poem's use, saying: 'Poetry certainly offers points of entry into a discussion in ways that no other text or speech can do. But it can also show the ironies of the position of him or her who quotes it, even if the text seems apt.'
[Note: Slattery gives the title of the poem as 'The Ascent of Hades'.]
-
Leaders Scale Poetry's Register
2010
single work
column
— Appears in: The Australian , 20 October 2010; (p. 2)Luke Slattery reports on Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's use of James McAuley's poem 'The Ascent of Heracles' in the Federal Parliament on 19 October 2010. Gillard was speaking in the debate on Australia's involvement in the war in Afghanistan and used these lines from the poem: '... I never shrank with fear / But fought the monsters of the lower world / Clearing a little space, and time, and light, / For men to live in peace...'
Slattery notes comments from poet John Kinsella about the Prime Minister's 'use of poetry for that "heroic" purpose'. Kinsella disagreed with the poem's use, saying: 'Poetry certainly offers points of entry into a discussion in ways that no other text or speech can do. But it can also show the ironies of the position of him or her who quotes it, even if the text seems apt.'
[Note: Slattery gives the title of the poem as 'The Ascent of Hades'.]
-
Victory of Truth in a War of Words
2010
single work
column
— Appears in: The Daily Telegraph , 22 October 2010; (p. 46) The Mercury , 25 October 2010; (p. 17)Piers Akerman reports on Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's use of James McAuley's poem 'The Ascent of Heracles' in the Federal Parliament on 19 October 2010. Gillard was speaking in the debate on Australia's involvement in the war in Afghanistan and used these lines from the poem: '... I never shrank with fear / But fought the monsters of the lower world / Clearing a little space, and time, and light, / For men to live in peace...'
Akerman notes John Kinsella's disapproval of Gillard's use of poetry in the debate. In response, Akerman writes, Kinsella's 'views illustrate the preposterous belief held by the chattering classes that the Left alone has some bizarre sole right to determine which side of politics may use literary references, even when those references are clearly at odds with the Left agenda.'
[Note: Akerman gives the title of the poem as 'The Ascent of Hades'.]