This makes me feel the image of war is more real, the seriousness of war comes to life in this poem, that the people in wartime really do get hurt.
On lines seven and eight it talks about that the radios failed, and their was no answer, that means that everyone had been destroyed but notice that the poet left out the horrific images of the bombs dropping, the poet uses an euphemism, he doesn't say that the bombs have dropped but his use of language puts that forward.
The radio is an universal form of communication and when that is the bottom line of communication finished, then we all know that all the civilisation has been destroyed. There is no one there.
On line ten it talks about dead bodies piled on the ship, this is a symbol of destruction and this shows the view that all war is horrific, the author uses "piled on the deck" to give us the image of war straight. The boat symbolises technology and in this line it symbolises that the technology that man created to defend it was in fact the technology that destroyed it. Humans have a way of giving death dignity, if you say that dead bodies are "piled" on a deck that takes the dignity away from it, it takes dignity away from war, when it says that the bodies are piled on the deck it puts the image of a slaughter, that the death came quickly.
A plane plunged over the sea is one of the most important lines in the poem because this is one of the views of the poem, the plane represents more death, but not only that but the end of death on the 6th day, it also represents the death of civilisation and the end of technology, this now means that the technology is over.
On line 13 they talk about the radios that stand in our kitchens, this means that the death was sudden, that people would have been playing or doing normal things and had no idea about what was going to happen.
One the next line it talks about the radios turned on, perhaps, in a million rooms, but what will they be turned on for, that something might be said and if it does then they wouldn't listen, the people don't regard the radios as a symbol of hope anymore, the radio is technology and the people have turned their backs on technology now.
This is a good way to say that they have turned their backs on technology, I didn't get it at first but after I read it a few times I caught on.
The old bad world that swallowed its children quick, the bad is emphasised and when it talks about the children in one great gulp that is a mythological image, Kronos was jealous of the powers that his children had so he ate them. This puts the image of cruelty, the one great gulp emphasises the speed of the destruction and the emphasis of rejection. What the people are rejecting is the technology that is why as I have said before why the radio was referred to as it, the radio at this point changes to an image of what they are against.
On line 22 the author describes the world as a foetus, the phrase "curled blindly in impenetrable sorrow" shows the frailty and saying that it is a foetus implies that there is a birth. This transfers the hope away from technology and to the world that will be reborn.
A sustained image throughout this poem is that the world is a mother and humanity is the child.
When the poet talks about the tractors lying about the fields doing nothing, and at evening they look like dank sea monsters crouching and waiting, the tractors are another image of technology and the reason that the evening is in the poem is to emphasise that bad things happen in the evening.
What the people are doing is just letting the tractors rust, just leaving them there and hoping that they go away, leaving the dismantling of technology to nature. Letting nature take its course. The tractors will become life giving again.
On line 28 it talks about the oxen that will drag their rusty ploughs, this is biblical imagery, the people have went as far back as they could. The people have to discover the way of life.
At the start of the second stanza the author is building up the tension, it is around late summer/early autumn strange horses come in. The people think that they are strange because they are not used to horses. A Deepening drumming starts, the horses are making a grand entrance, and I believe that this is a good way to build the tension, this is auditory imagery but it changes to visual imagery. The horses come across as they have power, the poet uses thunder and the waves to build it up, also the thunder and waves come from nature. This is elemental imagery.
When they talk about that they sold their horses in their farmers time to buy new tractors, we imply that new means good or better, but sold has the opposite effect, sold means done or not worthy, they can be dispensed with.
The culture are now rejecting technology, the poet is being ironic. From depending on technology to destroying their own cultures and then rejecting technology, it took a catastrophic event for the people to change their ways.
On line 40 it talks about fabulous steeds on an ancient shield or illustrations in a book of knights, this gives the horses some kind of mystical power and honour.
The horses symbolise nature.
When on line 42 they talk about they would not go near them, they were unfamiliar, they are scared of a power that they have, they are not talking about the horses, they are talking about nature, they are not used to nature. The people are used to technology.
When on line 43 it talks about the people did not go near them, yet they waited, stubborn and shy, as if they had been send the poet means that nature will always wait for its child to come back onto the right path even though it made the mistake of technology. The people and nature have to get reacquainted.
The relationship between man and nature is not of ownership but of companionship, at first the people thought that they owned the horses and they sold the horses, if you sell a friend it becomes betrayal.
The biggest and most important theme of this poem is mans betrayal.
On line 50 it talks about Eden and how God made ruler of the world but also had the responsibility of looking after all the other animals. Man had betrayed that trust and he broke the companionship for technology.
The poet uses horses in this poem because they played a large part in our civilisations development, they helped us explore, they fed us etc.
And in the last 2 lines of the poem it talks about how nature forgived us with open arms again is clear, it still surprises humans and makes them sorry that they ever turned their backs on nature for technology.
I enjoyed reading this poem and the imagery used in this poem is good, only after some of it has been explained. This poem emphasises the fact that man will if it can find something newer, even if it isn't better just because it is new they think that is improved.
