This poem gives a grim account of a soldier being dragged from slumber to take watch duty in the trenches of the front line of active duty during World War 1. The soldier, un-named is reluctant and there are no signs of pride to serve his country.
Diction shows his oblivion such as, “numbed” which could imply more than his sleepy state but his numbness about the war in general. The tone of the poem is matter of fact as if war weary the soldier has given up the fight psychologically and is devoid of passion or emotion. Further word usage and diction such as “blunder” and “mirk” show his awkwardness and his dismal state of mind and the fact that the trenches are the worst place on this earth, a living hell which he manages to register even in his stupor. There is imagery of darkness which is contrasted with the “dark’s a glare” as they are attacked with bombs. Sassoon tries to depict both confusion, “rumbling and bumping” and dreadfulness with “horror” and fear and dread with “stiff and chilled”. What is clear is that the crouching men are only briefly aware of the events around them and are literally and figuratively kept in the dark which adds to the ominous tone and confusion. Again, they are fighting an enemy in the dark and they do not know why.
Siegfried made a public outcry against the war and his poetry reflects this theme. This is highlighted in upon hearing a soldier has been killed the response is, “why did he do it?” This implies the senselessness of a war that the soldiers do not understand. Why did this young soldier put himself in the line of fire and give up his life for a war that serves no purpose. This is further reiterated with the mention of stars in the sky which could be firings interspersed with the celestial beings of the sky. The metaphor “blank stars” means that while we associate a star lit sky as peaceful and romantic, here the stars are anything but that. They offer no light and beauty and do not twinkle in the sky like fairy dust. It is as if on this night in the trenches the stars real or otherwise have lost their sparkle and luster or sheen. They are devoid of all of these and are a blank empty vessel, much like the soldiers themselves who are now former shadows of their former selves. With their spirit broken they have lost their spark and the will to go on. They too like the stars are drained and empty, robbed of the exuberance and vigor of youth.
The final line shows that the noise and bone chilling fear has woken the soldier from his sleepy state. And yet, his matter of fact realization and declaration. “and some chap’s dead” brings home the reality of war. Soldiers can no longer care or show emotion, they are shell shocked into submission. They know the war is lost as there are never any real winners in war.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Escape
The World War 1 poem by Robert Graves, a soldier in the Royal Welch Fusiliers, describes his own near death experience where he was wrongly assumed and declared dead before being discovered as alive and injured. He gives a graphic and frighteningly morbid account of the horrifying experience that haunts him
Graves uses AABB rhyming and skillfully uses diction, metaphors and imagery and allusions to describe his ordeal. The poem is aptly named “Escape’ as he narrowly escapes being buried alive, before being discovered as still breathing. Graves himself once said, “ ..nine tenths of what passes as English poetry is the product of either careerism, or keeping one’s hand in ;a choice between vulgarity and banality”. Graves falls in the one tenth of English poets that writes from his soul as he shares his personal experiences and sends a message about the futility of a senseless war. He uses one stanza so as not to break up the fast paced rhythm which adds to the excitement and matches his erratic thoughts and heart beat and fear.
The poem opens with Graves already ‘dead’ an hour awakens as he is being carried to his funeral for burial. Here he uses powerful imagery and a reference to the allusion of Cerberus in Greek mythology who was a giant hound which guarded the gates of Hades (the underworld where the dead were taken),and was posted to prevent ghosts of the dead from leaving the underworld. It is interesting that Graves uses imagery of hell instead of heaven as perhaps to denote himself as a sinner who has killed innocents and does not deserve salvation or forgiveness, as he cannot forgive himself. He uses the diction “Lethe” which is a river in Greek Mythology and the Goddess of oblivion (reference to his oblivious state of mind, “I felt the vapours of forgetfulness”). The dead were taken to the river where they were to drink its waters before entering the underworld of many realms. In his delirium as he awakens he sees various metaphors “ A cross” which has religious significance, ‘a rose in bloom’ signifying life and his awakening and “ cage with bars” showing he has not yet escaped his prison. He also sees “new stars” as he is reborn and the sky will have stars that are new for him but are “subterrene” alluding to his underworld status. He also mentions a “Barbed arrow feathered in fine stars” signifying weaponry and death.
As he is discovered as breathing he continues with the Greek allusion and describes his savior as “Lady Proserpine”, who in the dark place of Hades was the Queen and for “ Henna’s sake “ or joy saves him from death. As he scrambles for life he gives the imagery of the evils of the underworld trying to prevent his escape with the diction “ demons, heroes and policeman-ghosts”. He fights for the keyword “Life, Life” which is repeated for importance and describes the aforementioned Cerberus who was known to have three heads and a serpent tail adding to the horrific imagery, “ lion, lynx and sow”. In his head his soldiers instincts wants to grab his revolver but he realizes this is missing but realizes he has some morphine and places this in the hounds moth disguised with biscuit and jam to put to sleep his tormentor in graphic fast paced gripping detail. Graves describes his brain wave as “luminous” which serves to remind us that he is escaping the darkness into the light. He continues this lightness theme signifying escape from the hand of death with hope in the final sentence where the sun brings daylight, life warmth and happiness, “O Life ! O Sun.”
Graves uses AABB rhyming and skillfully uses diction, metaphors and imagery and allusions to describe his ordeal. The poem is aptly named “Escape’ as he narrowly escapes being buried alive, before being discovered as still breathing. Graves himself once said, “ ..nine tenths of what passes as English poetry is the product of either careerism, or keeping one’s hand in ;a choice between vulgarity and banality”. Graves falls in the one tenth of English poets that writes from his soul as he shares his personal experiences and sends a message about the futility of a senseless war. He uses one stanza so as not to break up the fast paced rhythm which adds to the excitement and matches his erratic thoughts and heart beat and fear.
The poem opens with Graves already ‘dead’ an hour awakens as he is being carried to his funeral for burial. Here he uses powerful imagery and a reference to the allusion of Cerberus in Greek mythology who was a giant hound which guarded the gates of Hades (the underworld where the dead were taken),and was posted to prevent ghosts of the dead from leaving the underworld. It is interesting that Graves uses imagery of hell instead of heaven as perhaps to denote himself as a sinner who has killed innocents and does not deserve salvation or forgiveness, as he cannot forgive himself. He uses the diction “Lethe” which is a river in Greek Mythology and the Goddess of oblivion (reference to his oblivious state of mind, “I felt the vapours of forgetfulness”). The dead were taken to the river where they were to drink its waters before entering the underworld of many realms. In his delirium as he awakens he sees various metaphors “ A cross” which has religious significance, ‘a rose in bloom’ signifying life and his awakening and “ cage with bars” showing he has not yet escaped his prison. He also sees “new stars” as he is reborn and the sky will have stars that are new for him but are “subterrene” alluding to his underworld status. He also mentions a “Barbed arrow feathered in fine stars” signifying weaponry and death.
As he is discovered as breathing he continues with the Greek allusion and describes his savior as “Lady Proserpine”, who in the dark place of Hades was the Queen and for “ Henna’s sake “ or joy saves him from death. As he scrambles for life he gives the imagery of the evils of the underworld trying to prevent his escape with the diction “ demons, heroes and policeman-ghosts”. He fights for the keyword “Life, Life” which is repeated for importance and describes the aforementioned Cerberus who was known to have three heads and a serpent tail adding to the horrific imagery, “ lion, lynx and sow”. In his head his soldiers instincts wants to grab his revolver but he realizes this is missing but realizes he has some morphine and places this in the hounds moth disguised with biscuit and jam to put to sleep his tormentor in graphic fast paced gripping detail. Graves describes his brain wave as “luminous” which serves to remind us that he is escaping the darkness into the light. He continues this lightness theme signifying escape from the hand of death with hope in the final sentence where the sun brings daylight, life warmth and happiness, “O Life ! O Sun.”
Monday, November 14, 2011
Greater Love
Greater Love by Wilfred Owen is a hard hitting and bitter critique of the war. The poem has four stanzas and is written in AABBAb rhyming style. The poem appears to be an ironic comparison between the romantic love of a man and woman which is diminished against the monumental love of a soldier’s patriotism for his country or perhaps to some extent the love and loyalty he feels for his brother in arms, his comrades who fight along side him. The image portrayed is that of a woman in mourning standing at the grave side of her dead lover while the narrator (poet) compares the two loves in a scathing and disparaging attack albeit in a tone which lacks much passion or emotion, rather in quiet acceptance.
The poem begins with “Red lips are not so red As the stained stones kissed by the English dead.” (1) The red lips are a cliché to how women at that period fashionably wore dark red lipstick and mirrors love poetry and general images of woman hood. This ‘red lips” is in direct juxtaposition of the morbidity of the words that follow signifying death. Lips are generally painted red to attract men to kiss them romantically but in comparison the grave stones are stained with red blood figuratively kissed by the dead soldier who lies within cold. Romance and passion is compared with the finality of death. This comparison continues in the same vein with continuance of diction of romance and courtship with “wooed” and “wooer”, but here we have the soldier being wooed by the lure and heroic romance that war offers on the offset. The chivalry and morality and duty in fighting for the freedom of your country. The poem in fact may also be interpreted as the war or country which is given always a female gender may play the role of a woman in seducing the soldier to sign up and join the army. The soldier has little knowledge that war is not a romantic escapade of story books and fairytales of honor and bravery but brutal and cruel. Whether the female be a woman or war or country the poet states that her eyes have lost their lure in comparison to the dead soldiers eyes blinded in the field of duty.
The female softness of form continues with “slender attitude” in the second stanza and again this is compared with a rather morbid description of a dead soldier cleavered to death with fatal blows and yet this picture is depicted as “exquisite” in comparison to the female. There is now powerful imagery “rolling and rolling there” of miles of grave stones in the distance and the religious sentiment that “God seems not to care’. God, who they prayed to before entering the war to keep them safe did not live up to his promises and now as they lie dead has abandoned them. And yet the poet goes on to claim that the soldiers “fierce love” for their country now instead of enveloping them like a comfort blanket is now in a stranglehold “cramps them in death”. Again the theme of the poem that their initial romantic notion of war has been destroyed without apology to “decripitude”. Strong diction of the soft feminine in comparison to the violent and morbid are startling and powerful.
The third stanza taunts the female that her singing voice cannot compare to the voices of the dead soldiers who “none now hear” due to their untimely demise due to a senseless war.
The fourth and final stanza brings great poignancy. The female’s heart is given lower value and reverence than the soldier’s heart that has been shot, as the soldier has sacrificed his life so that others can live in freedom and that giving gives a sense of pride which in literary terms gives a fullness due to the selfless act. Further, while the female hand is pale due to mourning it cannot be paler than the soldier who now lies dead and drained of color. The line “your cross through flame and hail,” sounds almost like an accusation to the female of the figurative cross (urden and religious symbolism) and the conditions they have to endure , such as “flame” signifying heat and “ hail” denoting bitter cold. And the final taunt that the female may weep for her loss of lover, or the country or war itself may weep for their demise but at last the soldiers rest and no mortal pain can ever touch them again.
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Wilfred Owens’s satirical” Greater Love, utilizes romantic diction, sarcastic tone and personification of the war as a woman who has lost her lure to depict his vocal condemnation of an useless war that no longer holds his appeal.
(1) – Notice Red Lips – image of female – Red Lips Stick….attractive, seductive, sexual, romantic.
(1) – Lips not so red – Sarcastic tone, not a romantic ode to female
(2) – Not as Red as Stained Stones –contrasting image of female lips to graveyard, death – Stained stones metaphor for grave stones. Lips not as red as blood stained graves, kiss of death
(2) – English Dead – Owen English
(3) – Wooed and Wooer – Alliteration – Wooer=war - female, wooed=soldiers lured to war
(4) – Shame to Love Pure – Soldiers pride and love for war contaminated, shame to solider
(5) – O, Love, your eyes lose lure – Speaks to War, females fluttering eyes losses lure
(6) – I behold eyes blinded – Contrast of female eyes to dead eyes of soldiers. Alive soldiers blinded by reality by female (war’s reach for pride and glory)
(7) Slender Attitude – female seductive curved body...movement and attitude…sexual..Sarsactic
(8) – Trembles Not Limbs Knife Skewered – Romantic diction of female trembling and her slender legs, contrast knife trembling due to nerve reaction
(9) – Rolling and Rolling – Body rolling in excruciating pain, dying
(10) – God Seems not Care – Religious Allusion – God abonanded soilders dropping dead….God watches sight of war from above with no care.
(11) – Love they bear – country, pride for war, religious. Owen had strong religious sentiments prior to war
(12) – Cramps them in death’s extreme decrepitude – Love kills soilders. No pride and honour in death, not welcomed by god. Soilders are murders…go to hell. God abandones soilders…anger at them…murders
(13) – Voice sings Not soft – Sarcastic tone – females sweet confronting voice – war proganda luring him
(14) – not so soft anymore like the murmering wind...losts its lure
…….
(17) – Whom none hear – Contrasts by soilders voice who can no longer hear - dead
(18) – Now Earth stopped their piteous mouths that coughed – Mother Nature pities soldiers, why suffer with illness, kills them. Personification
(19) Heart, you were never hot – 1st 2 stanzas NOT – while 4th NEVER – building up anger
Female never has heart, didn’t lose it – never had it – War never cared for soldiers. Not Hot – not warm, passionate.
(20) – Nor full like hearts made great with shot – contrast to soldiers heart….dead soilders were HOT and warm…war (female) NEVER was
(21) – Though Hand be Pale – wwI era pale hands considered beautiful – female
(22) – Pale are all which Trail – Trail – soldiers follow attractive female. Soliders palier by death
(23) – Cross through Flame and Hail – Religious Allusion – Soldiers bearing the Cross to their death. Flame and Hail – hell/ war dragging on for seasons
(24) – Weep you may weep, for you Touch them not – Touch them not – Romantic – All admirers of war (female) left with disgust – death. Cant’ touch them, and lure them to war as soldiers all dead. Female weeps as all her admirers are dead
Background Research - Greater Love by Wilfred Owen
The poem begins with “Red lips are not so red As the stained stones kissed by the English dead.” (1) The red lips are a cliché to how women at that period fashionably wore dark red lipstick and mirrors love poetry and general images of woman hood. This ‘red lips” is in direct juxtaposition of the morbidity of the words that follow signifying death. Lips are generally painted red to attract men to kiss them romantically but in comparison the grave stones are stained with red blood figuratively kissed by the dead soldier who lies within cold. Romance and passion is compared with the finality of death. This comparison continues in the same vein with continuance of diction of romance and courtship with “wooed” and “wooer”, but here we have the soldier being wooed by the lure and heroic romance that war offers on the offset. The chivalry and morality and duty in fighting for the freedom of your country. The poem in fact may also be interpreted as the war or country which is given always a female gender may play the role of a woman in seducing the soldier to sign up and join the army. The soldier has little knowledge that war is not a romantic escapade of story books and fairytales of honor and bravery but brutal and cruel. Whether the female be a woman or war or country the poet states that her eyes have lost their lure in comparison to the dead soldiers eyes blinded in the field of duty.
The female softness of form continues with “slender attitude” in the second stanza and again this is compared with a rather morbid description of a dead soldier cleavered to death with fatal blows and yet this picture is depicted as “exquisite” in comparison to the female. There is now powerful imagery “rolling and rolling there” of miles of grave stones in the distance and the religious sentiment that “God seems not to care’. God, who they prayed to before entering the war to keep them safe did not live up to his promises and now as they lie dead has abandoned them. And yet the poet goes on to claim that the soldiers “fierce love” for their country now instead of enveloping them like a comfort blanket is now in a stranglehold “cramps them in death”. Again the theme of the poem that their initial romantic notion of war has been destroyed without apology to “decripitude”. Strong diction of the soft feminine in comparison to the violent and morbid are startling and powerful.
The third stanza taunts the female that her singing voice cannot compare to the voices of the dead soldiers who “none now hear” due to their untimely demise due to a senseless war.
The fourth and final stanza brings great poignancy. The female’s heart is given lower value and reverence than the soldier’s heart that has been shot, as the soldier has sacrificed his life so that others can live in freedom and that giving gives a sense of pride which in literary terms gives a fullness due to the selfless act. Further, while the female hand is pale due to mourning it cannot be paler than the soldier who now lies dead and drained of color. The line “your cross through flame and hail,” sounds almost like an accusation to the female of the figurative cross (urden and religious symbolism) and the conditions they have to endure , such as “flame” signifying heat and “ hail” denoting bitter cold. And the final taunt that the female may weep for her loss of lover, or the country or war itself may weep for their demise but at last the soldiers rest and no mortal pain can ever touch them again.
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Wilfred Owens’s satirical” Greater Love, utilizes romantic diction, sarcastic tone and personification of the war as a woman who has lost her lure to depict his vocal condemnation of an useless war that no longer holds his appeal.
(1) – Notice Red Lips – image of female – Red Lips Stick….attractive, seductive, sexual, romantic.
(1) – Lips not so red – Sarcastic tone, not a romantic ode to female
(2) – Not as Red as Stained Stones –contrasting image of female lips to graveyard, death – Stained stones metaphor for grave stones. Lips not as red as blood stained graves, kiss of death
(2) – English Dead – Owen English
(3) – Wooed and Wooer – Alliteration – Wooer=war - female, wooed=soldiers lured to war
(4) – Shame to Love Pure – Soldiers pride and love for war contaminated, shame to solider
(5) – O, Love, your eyes lose lure – Speaks to War, females fluttering eyes losses lure
(6) – I behold eyes blinded – Contrast of female eyes to dead eyes of soldiers. Alive soldiers blinded by reality by female (war’s reach for pride and glory)
(7) Slender Attitude – female seductive curved body...movement and attitude…sexual..Sarsactic
(8) – Trembles Not Limbs Knife Skewered – Romantic diction of female trembling and her slender legs, contrast knife trembling due to nerve reaction
(9) – Rolling and Rolling – Body rolling in excruciating pain, dying
(10) – God Seems not Care – Religious Allusion – God abonanded soilders dropping dead….God watches sight of war from above with no care.
(11) – Love they bear – country, pride for war, religious. Owen had strong religious sentiments prior to war
(12) – Cramps them in death’s extreme decrepitude – Love kills soilders. No pride and honour in death, not welcomed by god. Soilders are murders…go to hell. God abandones soilders…anger at them…murders
(13) – Voice sings Not soft – Sarcastic tone – females sweet confronting voice – war proganda luring him
(14) – not so soft anymore like the murmering wind...losts its lure
…….
(17) – Whom none hear – Contrasts by soilders voice who can no longer hear - dead
(18) – Now Earth stopped their piteous mouths that coughed – Mother Nature pities soldiers, why suffer with illness, kills them. Personification
(19) Heart, you were never hot – 1st 2 stanzas NOT – while 4th NEVER – building up anger
Female never has heart, didn’t lose it – never had it – War never cared for soldiers. Not Hot – not warm, passionate.
(20) – Nor full like hearts made great with shot – contrast to soldiers heart….dead soilders were HOT and warm…war (female) NEVER was
(21) – Though Hand be Pale – wwI era pale hands considered beautiful – female
(22) – Pale are all which Trail – Trail – soldiers follow attractive female. Soliders palier by death
(23) – Cross through Flame and Hail – Religious Allusion – Soldiers bearing the Cross to their death. Flame and Hail – hell/ war dragging on for seasons
(24) – Weep you may weep, for you Touch them not – Touch them not – Romantic – All admirers of war (female) left with disgust – death. Cant’ touch them, and lure them to war as soldiers all dead. Female weeps as all her admirers are dead
Background Research - Greater Love by Wilfred Owen
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Deafening Silence - Repression of War Experience
The poem Repression of War Experience by Siegfried Sassoon reflects his personal feelings of open condemnation of WW1 which he was once a part of. Sassoon describes a soldier written in first person that we can assume is the poet himself. The male may well be a soldier returned from war and is traumatized from the experience. It is known that many soldiers suffered from post traumatic stress syndrome which left them on the brink of insanity as they cannot come to terms with the cruelty and brutality of war. The soldiers are always young men who leave the comforts of home to fight a battle they may not understand. They witness their friends and colleagues being killed in agonizing pain and may themselves if they live to tell the tale suffer physical and emotional scars. They are often in denial and become reclusive or social outcasts.
The poem starts with a young soldier alone at home. The use of a metaphor, the moth having its wings singed represents a soldier being hurt or killed in war. The lighting of the candles that burns the hapless and naive moth has religiousness symbolism. It is ideals and glory that lead the self righteous to war little realizing the lost cause or the sacrifice they will make. They are drawn to war like a moth to a flame little knowing of the price to pay. “Liquid flame” is a misnomer as fire is not a liquid state but could be used to describe drowning.
The soldier tries not to think of his war experience “gagged all day come back to scare you,” (5) but fails. This enforces the title where the soldier tries to repress his war experience but to no avail as it still taunts and haunts him at night. He tries to reassure himself that to think about his negative experiences as long as you don’t “lose control of your ugly thoughts,” (7) but the truth is he is afraid that he may be on the brink. In order to reinforce this thought and to prove himself he is still sane he tells himself to light a pipe with a steady hand that will show no nerves and take a deep breath, count and rid himself of all bad thoughts. He uses the term “right as rain” to signify himself to be ok, but this only leads him to a train of thought on rain. Clearly, the soldier is giving himself self help therapy as he battles with his demons.
He wishes it would rain hard to figuratively cut out the darkness and silence which would comfort him, relieve him of his loneliness and be a welcome distraction, “water to sluice the dark” (14). Darkness and night is always a difficult time for anyone as it is eerie. His mind now wanders to the books on the shelf as he ponders their usefulness of company to wile away the time, and the knowledge they impart. Instead he is unable to focus on reading despite his own advice and instead bites his nails which is a habit borne of nervousness and insecurity, which matches the criteria of his jittery state. He describes “listens to the silence” which is a juxtaposition as no one can hear silence but again shows his fragile mental state akin to a mental patient in a cell. He is of course a prisoner of his own mind and his own demons. The personification of the garden, “waits for something that delays,” (27) mirrors him waiting for daybreak with sunlight and comfort which never seems to come as the night drags on.
He sees shadows as ghosts or spirits of old men who must have had natural slow deaths after living a full perhaps sinful life, “old men with ugly souls, who wore their bodies out with nasty sins” (31). This is in contrast to the deaths at war in France who cannot be lurking outside, and who were denied a full life due to their lives being abruptly and violently short. This brings up contrasting imagery that glorifies the selfless soldier and his sacrifice.
At the end of the poem there is signs of guilt of why he has survived and is “simmering safe at home” (33). He again mentions the peace and silence which is in contrast with the deafening noise of battle in far away France. The soldier, however then contradicts himself when he tells the audience he can hear the endless guns of battle that disturbs his peace and solitude, and even wants reassurance that we the reader hear them too. This shows classic case of insanity as the soldier is mentally traumatized. However at the end the soldier gives up his denial and surrenders himself to his disturbed state of mind. The repression has stopped and now perhaps the healing can start…
The poem starts with a young soldier alone at home. The use of a metaphor, the moth having its wings singed represents a soldier being hurt or killed in war. The lighting of the candles that burns the hapless and naive moth has religiousness symbolism. It is ideals and glory that lead the self righteous to war little realizing the lost cause or the sacrifice they will make. They are drawn to war like a moth to a flame little knowing of the price to pay. “Liquid flame” is a misnomer as fire is not a liquid state but could be used to describe drowning.
The soldier tries not to think of his war experience “gagged all day come back to scare you,” (5) but fails. This enforces the title where the soldier tries to repress his war experience but to no avail as it still taunts and haunts him at night. He tries to reassure himself that to think about his negative experiences as long as you don’t “lose control of your ugly thoughts,” (7) but the truth is he is afraid that he may be on the brink. In order to reinforce this thought and to prove himself he is still sane he tells himself to light a pipe with a steady hand that will show no nerves and take a deep breath, count and rid himself of all bad thoughts. He uses the term “right as rain” to signify himself to be ok, but this only leads him to a train of thought on rain. Clearly, the soldier is giving himself self help therapy as he battles with his demons.
He wishes it would rain hard to figuratively cut out the darkness and silence which would comfort him, relieve him of his loneliness and be a welcome distraction, “water to sluice the dark” (14). Darkness and night is always a difficult time for anyone as it is eerie. His mind now wanders to the books on the shelf as he ponders their usefulness of company to wile away the time, and the knowledge they impart. Instead he is unable to focus on reading despite his own advice and instead bites his nails which is a habit borne of nervousness and insecurity, which matches the criteria of his jittery state. He describes “listens to the silence” which is a juxtaposition as no one can hear silence but again shows his fragile mental state akin to a mental patient in a cell. He is of course a prisoner of his own mind and his own demons. The personification of the garden, “waits for something that delays,” (27) mirrors him waiting for daybreak with sunlight and comfort which never seems to come as the night drags on.
He sees shadows as ghosts or spirits of old men who must have had natural slow deaths after living a full perhaps sinful life, “old men with ugly souls, who wore their bodies out with nasty sins” (31). This is in contrast to the deaths at war in France who cannot be lurking outside, and who were denied a full life due to their lives being abruptly and violently short. This brings up contrasting imagery that glorifies the selfless soldier and his sacrifice.
At the end of the poem there is signs of guilt of why he has survived and is “simmering safe at home” (33). He again mentions the peace and silence which is in contrast with the deafening noise of battle in far away France. The soldier, however then contradicts himself when he tells the audience he can hear the endless guns of battle that disturbs his peace and solitude, and even wants reassurance that we the reader hear them too. This shows classic case of insanity as the soldier is mentally traumatized. However at the end the soldier gives up his denial and surrenders himself to his disturbed state of mind. The repression has stopped and now perhaps the healing can start…
The Bough of Nonsense
Robert Grave’s poem, The Bough of Nonsense is a hard hitting satire that condemns a senseless war that sends young men to their graves. Graves, as a member of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, participated in some of the most brutal battles of the war, including the Battle of Loos, in which his friend Charles Sorley was killed, in the brutality of trench warfare. Graves, found it hard to come to terms with the war experience that left him battered both physically and mentally, and it was this battle with his own demons that lasted some twenty years that reflects in his poetic style.
Graves uses rhyming ABABCC and various literary devices such as allusions, diction, religious symbolism and imagery and metaphors to bring his real life experiences and feelings to life. The poem is an idyll, which is a short poem of rustic life or pastoral scene. Graves, uses R and S to denote the dialogue between two soldiers returning home from the battle of Somme two Fusiliers, in France. R may be Robert himself and his fellow elder soldier, S could be, Sorley.
The poem starts with the diction “Limped painfully home,” (2) which instantly allows the reader to know that the duo are battle weary. This is further enforced with “I’ve lived three thousand years,” (3) showing that the soldier figuratively feels that he has been on this earth that long despite his young age as he has seen things that take many lifetimes to see and his weariness makes him feel very, very old. The soldier though thankfully alive from a bitter battle rather than being grateful feels like he is the walking dead and in a zombie life state. The use of the metaphor, “nine parts dead,” (4) may come from the simple comparison of a cat who has lost all nine lives but also could be from the Egyptian belief that a soul has 9 parts not all of which die allowing him to reach immortality. The soldier thinks there is no part of him living and has given up on life and can find no joy in his homecoming. The “bough” (6) which is literally the main branch of a tree may be a clever metaphor for a branch of a religion they worship that is war. Ironically, a tree ,signifies life and hope which is the opposite of war.
The second stanza uses the diction “nonsense,” which may be an euphemism for war which Graves feels is nonsensical. This is repeated in the title and again in stanza 3, 4 and 5. Graves may be trying to show that Christianity condemns killing as a sin, as the Bible says, “ thou shalt not kill,” but the new age leaders of that time are going against this principle and creating a religion that glorifies and rewards killing with medals. This stanza uses diction to show the birth of this new religion on the bough which gives birth on a “nest,” (7) made of skulls and flowers. Birth should bring life but in this case we are reminded of a funeral in its imagery. The “Hatching three eggs” (10) may be a religious symbol for the Holy Trinity, (the father, the son and the holy ghost), which is the basis of Christianity, and “Foaled thirteen squamous young” refers to Jesus and the 12 disciples. However, in this case instead of love and purity the diction “squamous” means scales which gives an imagery of the devil controlled snakes in the garden of Eden. It is interesting that this new God is referred to she who now rids his country of the old religion. The diction, “drink, melancholy, and psalms” (12) has religious symbolism and connotations of holy communion.
The third stanza, has the soldiers wishing to compose a new hymn to hang on the tree for this new religion, but in doing so they use diction of an exotic nature that gives an imagery of a lush jungle with “ monkey tails” (15), and “ banana trees” (17), when in fact they are in France going to Britain. This could show that the new religion has no discipline and is jungle like or animalistic where human values have been forgone. It was known as depicted by Hemingway that post WW1 people often abandoned their morals for a more care free life leading to the term, ‘ the lost generation’.
The fourth stanza pleads to abandon this new religion, “nonsense” (19). Here strong diction are used with religious undertones where they lament that people are hardened and bitter, with “old quince and lime,” (20) which are tart fruit again borne of a tree, have lost old fashioned values. The metaphor of building a “temple with no floor,” (21) and “disappears from sight and leaves no trace,” shows that people now worship war and lose their code and honor and morality and die literally without a trace (death on the battle field of the unknown, un-named soldier) or the death of decency figuratively.
The fifth stanza, uses the allusion of the “Galatians built a fane” which again expands on temple building and refers to the 9th book of the New Testament and the 4 letters of the disciple Paul who pleads to accept Christianity as the new faith. During World War 1 people are not listening to the preaching of Paul and have rejected Christianity, which crumbles in “Autumn rain”, ( 26) diction for the time period that precedes death or end, that is Winter). The “ roof fell in and crushed them flat” shows death of the Church because though the logic of Christianity is positive it cannot survive if the “ nonsense is foundation for the walls,” (30) uses metaphors that show the war or nonsense is more powerful than religion and has caused its destruction to rubble.
The last stanza, uses metaphors, “ phantom creatures with green scales” (33) which conjures up the imagery of evil snakes slithering among the trees where the new religion was born. A phantom is a ghost like un human being which again this reinforces a loss of values which has given vent to sin and life going on where the soul is dead. Graves continues to remind us of the newly composed hymn which sings in the tree above them giving religious symbolism. The last line “bright pink birds, flapping their wings” (36) on this bough is difficult to interpret. Bright pink birds are usually flamingoes or crossbills that give an exotic heavenly image of paradise. This could signify that the soldiers are the snakes in a living hell who have fallen from grace and are unable to reach up to heaven that eludes them. Perhaps in their weary state they feel abandoned by God himself.
Graves cuts a graphic image of the spoils of war and gives a powerful hard hitting message that war is nonsense and we need to return to our values that war has robbed us of.
Graves uses rhyming ABABCC and various literary devices such as allusions, diction, religious symbolism and imagery and metaphors to bring his real life experiences and feelings to life. The poem is an idyll, which is a short poem of rustic life or pastoral scene. Graves, uses R and S to denote the dialogue between two soldiers returning home from the battle of Somme two Fusiliers, in France. R may be Robert himself and his fellow elder soldier, S could be, Sorley.
The poem starts with the diction “Limped painfully home,” (2) which instantly allows the reader to know that the duo are battle weary. This is further enforced with “I’ve lived three thousand years,” (3) showing that the soldier figuratively feels that he has been on this earth that long despite his young age as he has seen things that take many lifetimes to see and his weariness makes him feel very, very old. The soldier though thankfully alive from a bitter battle rather than being grateful feels like he is the walking dead and in a zombie life state. The use of the metaphor, “nine parts dead,” (4) may come from the simple comparison of a cat who has lost all nine lives but also could be from the Egyptian belief that a soul has 9 parts not all of which die allowing him to reach immortality. The soldier thinks there is no part of him living and has given up on life and can find no joy in his homecoming. The “bough” (6) which is literally the main branch of a tree may be a clever metaphor for a branch of a religion they worship that is war. Ironically, a tree ,signifies life and hope which is the opposite of war.
The second stanza uses the diction “nonsense,” which may be an euphemism for war which Graves feels is nonsensical. This is repeated in the title and again in stanza 3, 4 and 5. Graves may be trying to show that Christianity condemns killing as a sin, as the Bible says, “ thou shalt not kill,” but the new age leaders of that time are going against this principle and creating a religion that glorifies and rewards killing with medals. This stanza uses diction to show the birth of this new religion on the bough which gives birth on a “nest,” (7) made of skulls and flowers. Birth should bring life but in this case we are reminded of a funeral in its imagery. The “Hatching three eggs” (10) may be a religious symbol for the Holy Trinity, (the father, the son and the holy ghost), which is the basis of Christianity, and “Foaled thirteen squamous young” refers to Jesus and the 12 disciples. However, in this case instead of love and purity the diction “squamous” means scales which gives an imagery of the devil controlled snakes in the garden of Eden. It is interesting that this new God is referred to she who now rids his country of the old religion. The diction, “drink, melancholy, and psalms” (12) has religious symbolism and connotations of holy communion.
The third stanza, has the soldiers wishing to compose a new hymn to hang on the tree for this new religion, but in doing so they use diction of an exotic nature that gives an imagery of a lush jungle with “ monkey tails” (15), and “ banana trees” (17), when in fact they are in France going to Britain. This could show that the new religion has no discipline and is jungle like or animalistic where human values have been forgone. It was known as depicted by Hemingway that post WW1 people often abandoned their morals for a more care free life leading to the term, ‘ the lost generation’.
The fourth stanza pleads to abandon this new religion, “nonsense” (19). Here strong diction are used with religious undertones where they lament that people are hardened and bitter, with “old quince and lime,” (20) which are tart fruit again borne of a tree, have lost old fashioned values. The metaphor of building a “temple with no floor,” (21) and “disappears from sight and leaves no trace,” shows that people now worship war and lose their code and honor and morality and die literally without a trace (death on the battle field of the unknown, un-named soldier) or the death of decency figuratively.
The fifth stanza, uses the allusion of the “Galatians built a fane” which again expands on temple building and refers to the 9th book of the New Testament and the 4 letters of the disciple Paul who pleads to accept Christianity as the new faith. During World War 1 people are not listening to the preaching of Paul and have rejected Christianity, which crumbles in “Autumn rain”, ( 26) diction for the time period that precedes death or end, that is Winter). The “ roof fell in and crushed them flat” shows death of the Church because though the logic of Christianity is positive it cannot survive if the “ nonsense is foundation for the walls,” (30) uses metaphors that show the war or nonsense is more powerful than religion and has caused its destruction to rubble.
The last stanza, uses metaphors, “ phantom creatures with green scales” (33) which conjures up the imagery of evil snakes slithering among the trees where the new religion was born. A phantom is a ghost like un human being which again this reinforces a loss of values which has given vent to sin and life going on where the soul is dead. Graves continues to remind us of the newly composed hymn which sings in the tree above them giving religious symbolism. The last line “bright pink birds, flapping their wings” (36) on this bough is difficult to interpret. Bright pink birds are usually flamingoes or crossbills that give an exotic heavenly image of paradise. This could signify that the soldiers are the snakes in a living hell who have fallen from grace and are unable to reach up to heaven that eludes them. Perhaps in their weary state they feel abandoned by God himself.
Graves cuts a graphic image of the spoils of war and gives a powerful hard hitting message that war is nonsense and we need to return to our values that war has robbed us of.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Bull Market
Hemingway uses the symbolism of bullfighting in The Sun Also Rises, to epitomize life in general and his character’s (almost always men) personality. Bullfighting is considered to be a highly man’s sport but consists of bulls (strong man) and the steers (weaker, emasculated man). Hemingway was fascinated by all things Spanish and the fiesta with the running of the bulls and the formal bullfights (analogy) are important both to the plot and as literary devices in this novel. To the people of Spain, bulls are traditionally representative of symbols of strengths and weakness and they are equally revered and feared. During the fiesta, the running of the bulls is lead by the steers who run ahead of the bulls and face occasional attacks by the bulls as they lead the bulls to the
Bull ring for their encounter with the matador. The steers represent the emasculated characters in the novel while the bulls represent the macho characters in the novel. The novel interchanges between the bulls and steers and the emotionally deranged characters ride out their turbulent relationships, which in the same way a bull fight has a beginning and end, ends with the demise of their relationship with one another. This is a novel about sexual and emotional conquests played out in a bull fight situation.
The matador, is the hero both brave and strong who will eventually with great skill and grace under fire (almost ballet like but not in any way effeminate), lead to the death of the bull as he taunts and teases the bull. He risks being gored and loss of his own life but thrives on the cheers of the eager audience and relishes the attention as he teases the bull with his red (fiery passion) cape.
The protagonist of the novel is the war injured Jake who is rendered emasculated by his impotency. Though he is often portrayed with macho interests such as bullfighting, drinking and fishing he acts like a puppy dog to his lost love Brett. He is often depicted as the observer, but sometimes reacts when getting involved in his friends’ problems and acting as the advice giving agony aunt. He is the passive peacemaker who is frustrated and disillusioned with life due to the mental and physical scars he carries due to the war. Overall, his personality is weak and can be considered as the injured steer in the novel.
Brett though alluring and feminine to men is a mentally strong character though she feigns weakness as a means to an end in enticing her legion of admirers. Though being a woman, she depicts masculine qualities with her short hair and is not easily rattled and has a very confident demeanor like a bull first entering the ring. Further, her insatiable desire for sexual encounters is similar to the bull charging towards the cape with unbridled passion, despite the consequences of emotional heartache. However, she often switches places with the matador as she entices men with her figurative cape using sex and her cutting words to bring her victims down. The power she has is equivalent to the bull fight itself.
Robert Cohn, interchanges from bull to steer. He is obsessed with Brett and often makes a fool of himself as he openly pines and follows her. He shows signs of paranoid behavior that no one in the group likes him. He also uses his Jewishness as an excuse for their often hostile (anti -semitic) behavior towards him. Jake tries to convince him that he is liked, though the group often finds him distasteful. In these qualities he behaves like the steer. However, while in Princeton he became a boxer to protect himself against anti-semitism and struggles for his own survival in his heart break over unrequited love for Brett like the bull thrown in the ring. Brett acting like the matador taunts and teases the bull Cohn who struggles for his life until the bitter end as Cohn almost willingly puts himself into a position of imminent death (suicide) like the bull in the ring. He keeps coming back for more knowing his chances of winning are slim. Brett breaks the spirit of the bull Cohn and finally finishes him off not with the sharpness of her blade but her words that send him off as he exits the plot in the novel.
Mike, also serves the purpose of the steer has the hapless fiancé who stands in the sidelines watching the sexual infidelity of his intended Brett who shows him no respect. He is the proverbial punching bag and has become emasculated due to his bankruptcy.
Pedro, the matador in reality also acts as the matador and cape when he breaks down the defenses of Brett who falls for his charm. Though, it may be argued that he also is a victim to her using and dumping men and in this effect acts like a steer to her bull. He also stands up to Cohn and keeps on taking a bashing from him like a bull.
Therefore, the characters interchange from bull, steer and even matador with cape as the novel progresses to its climax.
Bull ring for their encounter with the matador. The steers represent the emasculated characters in the novel while the bulls represent the macho characters in the novel. The novel interchanges between the bulls and steers and the emotionally deranged characters ride out their turbulent relationships, which in the same way a bull fight has a beginning and end, ends with the demise of their relationship with one another. This is a novel about sexual and emotional conquests played out in a bull fight situation.
The matador, is the hero both brave and strong who will eventually with great skill and grace under fire (almost ballet like but not in any way effeminate), lead to the death of the bull as he taunts and teases the bull. He risks being gored and loss of his own life but thrives on the cheers of the eager audience and relishes the attention as he teases the bull with his red (fiery passion) cape.
The protagonist of the novel is the war injured Jake who is rendered emasculated by his impotency. Though he is often portrayed with macho interests such as bullfighting, drinking and fishing he acts like a puppy dog to his lost love Brett. He is often depicted as the observer, but sometimes reacts when getting involved in his friends’ problems and acting as the advice giving agony aunt. He is the passive peacemaker who is frustrated and disillusioned with life due to the mental and physical scars he carries due to the war. Overall, his personality is weak and can be considered as the injured steer in the novel.
Brett though alluring and feminine to men is a mentally strong character though she feigns weakness as a means to an end in enticing her legion of admirers. Though being a woman, she depicts masculine qualities with her short hair and is not easily rattled and has a very confident demeanor like a bull first entering the ring. Further, her insatiable desire for sexual encounters is similar to the bull charging towards the cape with unbridled passion, despite the consequences of emotional heartache. However, she often switches places with the matador as she entices men with her figurative cape using sex and her cutting words to bring her victims down. The power she has is equivalent to the bull fight itself.
Robert Cohn, interchanges from bull to steer. He is obsessed with Brett and often makes a fool of himself as he openly pines and follows her. He shows signs of paranoid behavior that no one in the group likes him. He also uses his Jewishness as an excuse for their often hostile (anti -semitic) behavior towards him. Jake tries to convince him that he is liked, though the group often finds him distasteful. In these qualities he behaves like the steer. However, while in Princeton he became a boxer to protect himself against anti-semitism and struggles for his own survival in his heart break over unrequited love for Brett like the bull thrown in the ring. Brett acting like the matador taunts and teases the bull Cohn who struggles for his life until the bitter end as Cohn almost willingly puts himself into a position of imminent death (suicide) like the bull in the ring. He keeps coming back for more knowing his chances of winning are slim. Brett breaks the spirit of the bull Cohn and finally finishes him off not with the sharpness of her blade but her words that send him off as he exits the plot in the novel.
Mike, also serves the purpose of the steer has the hapless fiancé who stands in the sidelines watching the sexual infidelity of his intended Brett who shows him no respect. He is the proverbial punching bag and has become emasculated due to his bankruptcy.
Pedro, the matador in reality also acts as the matador and cape when he breaks down the defenses of Brett who falls for his charm. Though, it may be argued that he also is a victim to her using and dumping men and in this effect acts like a steer to her bull. He also stands up to Cohn and keeps on taking a bashing from him like a bull.
Therefore, the characters interchange from bull, steer and even matador with cape as the novel progresses to its climax.
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