After blenheim robert southey summary and analysis
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Old Kaspar sees his grandchildren Peterkin and Wilhelmine playing. Peterkin brings something large and round, seeing that, old Kaspar says that it was the skull of a warrior of the famous battle fought at Belheim. The reason for the battle is not known but according to Kaspar it was famous victory.
Kaspar says that he used to find many while ploughing and it was all great sacrifice. Peterkin and Wilhelmine get interested to know more about it and demands him to say it. Kaspar explains that the war was fought between the English and the French (Franco-Bravian war) and states that he doesn’t know the reason but it was a great victory.
Kaspar recollects how the French burnt his dwellings near the riverside and that how he and his parents had to fled from that place and had to wander because they were unable to settle in one place. In the next stanza he says about the horrors of the war. He states that “fire and Sword” the land was destroyed and many ladies who were pregnant and new-babies were burnt states the horrors of the war. He states the above information without any emotion because according to him it was a great war and in war this is all normal to happen.
In the next stanza he states that the war was won with lots of bodies lying there rotting states the horrendous nature of the war yet he praises the Duke of Marlbro and the Prince Eugene for succeeding in winning the French. When Wilhelmine states that it was “very wicked thing”, Kaspar immediately corrects her stating that it was a war which brought “famous-victory”.
He also states that everyone praised this war. But, when Peterkin asks, “What good came of it at last?”, Kaspar accepts that he doesn’t know and the only thing he knows was that “It was a famous Victory.”
The poet brings out the horrendous nature of war and by repeating the line “’t was a famous victory” the poet brings out the irony, though the battle was famous, it had taken lots of lives.
The poet uses Alliteration whenever he wanted to stress on the horrendous nature of war, “to promote the rhyme and euphony”. For example, “they say it was a shocking sight “, “with wonder –waiting eyes”. The rhyme scheme used here is “abcbdd” except for the last stanza. It is a ballad written in the form of iambic tetrameter and iambic trimester.
The poet uses the inversion technique in the stanza like, “which he beside the rivulet in playing there had found.”
Personification is also used: “ploughshare turns them out.”