Literary analysis on September 1, 1939 by W.H. Auden

by jasongwong (student)

English Literature Higher

29th January 2012

September 1, 1939 is a criticism of the neutrality of the United States in WWII and an examination of the melancholic nature of wars. Alluding to circumstances at the time, the poem reflects on selfishness as a prominent aspect of the human condition. Through the use of literary and structural devices, the poet's attitude towards US isolationism and wars as a method of resolution is made explicit. Despite the sense of despondency and disapproval towards humanity throughout the poem, it ends on a note of optimism.

The poem begins with a palpable tone of despair in the first stanza, creating a gloomy atmosphere as “clever hopes expire” and “waves of anger and fear circulate over the bright and darkened lands of the earth”. The address of “Fifty-second Street” reveals at once the poet is in the United States when writing the poem. From the vantage point of the “dive”, the poet observes the anger, fear and uncertainty as people’s private lives are intruded. The personification of these feelings “circulating” the earth and covering both “bright and darkened lands” shows how overwhelming and all-encompassing the negative emotions were. Meanwhile, the word “dishonest” seems to insinuate the egotism and incompetence of politicians as being one of the causes of the war. A sense of conspiracy directed at behind-the-scene politics is also expressed by the use of “unmentionable”, as the olfactory imagery of “odor of death” underscores the danger of the time. First person narration, as indicated by the use of “I” and “our”, allows readers to better relate to the poet’s sentiments, personally as a reader and collectively as part of the human race.

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Departing from the dark and mysterious mood of the first stanza, the second stanza attempts to explain the current situation by exploring German history from Reformation to Nazism. The poem alludes to figures such as Martin Luther and Adolf Hitler, where the latter is referenced to by “Linz”, the place of education of the German leader. The metaphor “a psychopathic god” further portrays Hitler to be a powerful and terrifying dictator. The fact that both Luther and Hitler were advocates of anti-Semitism suggests how such zealotry “has driven a culture mad” and turned Hitler into an idealized, godlike figure— an “imago”. The allusion to the Treaty of Versailles, as “those to whom evil is done; do evil in return”, shows how the Treaty is an object of humiliation to Germany and the reason for her retaliatory aggression. The phrase “I and the public” proves that this sense of vengeance is deeply rooted on both personal and societal levels.

The previous pessimistic tone is resumed in stanza three and culminates in stanza four. In the third stanza, the poet alludes to the Greek historian Thucydides, as they seem to share a skeptical view towards democracy under which citizens are “submissive” and “apathetic”. The dictators' promises are also satirized as “elderly rubbish”. The injurious impact of dictatorship is poignantly captured as “enlightenment driven away/ the habit forming pain/ mismanagement and grief”. The last line “we must suffer them all over again” seems to portent that history will repeat itself and men will suffer again. The word “habit-forming” further signifies the inescapable and cyclical nature of conflicts and the resulting pain. The use of colon in the last line breaks the flow of the sentence and makes it stand out. “: We must suffer them all again”. The use of enjambment reflects the poet’s natural flow of thought about “The elderly rubbish they talk/ to an apathetic grave;” while the lack of a perfect rhyme gives readers a sense of fracture, representing how war has torn the world apart.

Having conveyed the momentum of the horror dictators induces, the poem comments on the position of the United States in the war. The country’ neutrality is immediately made known through “this neutral air”. The poet’s criticism of her hypocrisy is unmistakable. On one hand, she is a superpower of the world and is known to be the embodiment of democracy and liberty, as symbolized by the “full height” of “skyscrapers”. On the other hand, she chooses to remain neutral and not to participate in the war against the dictatorial regimes. The poet suggests that this neutrality is transitory, as “no one can live for long; in an euphoric dream”, where the breaking of the “euphoric dream” represents the end of people’s false hope that they can remain neutral forever. Imperialism or military aggression is also condemned as morally “wrong” with the potential to cause serious detriments.

A conflicting tone of scorn and sympathy is detected as the poet describes the helplessness of the fearful people. They would “cling to their average day” and “conventions” and pretend that nothing is wrong, however unhappy they are. The choice of diction, such as “home” and “fort”, indicates the discrepancy between people's dream for peace and cruel reality. Light and music, representing earthly pleasures, is used by people to distract their attention from the atrocities taking place. Reluctance to realize that they are “lost in a haunted wood” is common, where “lost” refers not only to a loss of moral compass but also the ability to take action, and “haunted wood” symbolizes danger and uncertainty. The said conflicting tone is made even clearer as the word “conspire” seems to suggest that people are not blinded and unmotivated to seek change by coincidence, but are instead “conspire(ed)” against by those in power to avoid warfare.

Human selfishness is examined as a fundamental characteristic in man that might account for American neutrality and the outbreak of the war. This is expressed in Nijinsky’s quote about Diaghilev—“not universal love/ but to be loved alone”. Selfishness also seems to be “true of the normal heart” and “bred in the bone of each woman and man”. While the description of the “error” being bred in the “bone” indicates the innate nature of this human flaw, “bred” signifies its capacity for growth. The belief that selfishness is common in all man, as suggested by the repetitive use of “each”, in fact contradicts the advocacy for racial superiority at the time. This shows the poet's ideological disagreement with his society and generation.

A change in tone from pessimism to hope is apparent in the final two stanzas. The poet admits that he has only “a voice”, yet he trusts its ability to “undo the fold lies”, where “fold lies” refer to the public’s hopeful fantasy and the untruthfulness of the “Authority”. Despite the use of negative diction such as “hunger”, “no choice” and “die”, the last line of the stanza—“we must love each other or die”— sends a strong message of hope. The only condition for the hope—that we must all “love each other”—is poignant yet sincere. The poet believes that no party can be exempted from the war, as “there is no such thing as the State/ and no one exists alone”. This might also express the poet’s hope that, as a super power, America will not “exist alone” and will join the war.

Amidst all the gloom and despair, hope can be found at the end of the poem. While the world may be “defenseless under the night”, “points of light” are “dotted everywhere”—“wherever the Just/ exchange their messages”. The capitalization of the word “Just” seems to highlight the eventual triumph of moral righteousness. The poet expresses the wish to be among the righteous, to demonstrate an “affirming flame” amid “negation and despair”. The poem culminates with this fire imagery, symbolizing optimism, the poet's fervent desire to spread hope and positivity, and possibility ultimate victory.