critically appreciate the poem O what is that sound in paragraph
Answers
Explanation:
What Is That Sound by W.H. Auden
O What Is That Sound by W.H Auden is a tragic poem reminiscing the trauma that many individuals endure during times of war. O What Is That Sound captures the reader in style and through the use of rhyme scheme and imagery creates a fearful environment, allowing the reader to live in the shoes of those hiding out helplessly in fear when their Country is at war. O What Is That Sound also exposes a deeper message, which is the weak nature of humankind through the relationship of the two voices referred to in the poem. The poem is in the ballad form and expresses the point of view of two voices which are more than likely a husband and wife hiding out in their house at a time of war. W.H Auden discusses how two people can be so great to each other but when imminent danger is near it is literally every man for themselves. A third theme derived from O What Is That Sound is that things may not be what they seem. The poem is in ballad form and consists of seven stanzas.
O What Is That Sound Analysis
First Stanza
The first quartet reveals that the poem consists of two individuals conversing with each other. The first voice inquires about a sound that is ‘drumming, drumming’ and the second voice replies very casually that it is just the soldiers. The fact that the reply is very casual tells us that these individuals have been in a state of war for quite some time and it is now the norm for them. However, hearing the soldiers ‘drumming, drumming’ is a rather new phenomenon. Auden uses the repetition of the word drumming to craft an image of marching soldiers. The soldiers are described as scarlet. This could be a direct reference to their faces, flushed with the task of marching for long periods, or rather it could refer to the uniform that the soldiers carry.
Second and Third Stanza
The second quartet is another question posed by the first voice, this time it becomes clear that the second voice is trying to calm the first voice by taking the situation very easily. The second voice says that what it sees are just the weapons of the soldiers reflecting sunlight as they tread lightly. It is clear from the first stanza that the soldiers are not treading lightly, they are marching loudly. This stanza brings to light the fearful state the two individuals are in. The third stanza supports this as the first voice is growing desperate, inquiring what they are doing this morning. The second voice remains persistently hopeful, stating that perhaps they are just giving us a warning of attack as if to say surely they are not actually going to launch a real attack
Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Stanza
In the fourth stanza, the first voice realizes that the soldiers are indeed heading towards their area. The first voice kneels down as if to protect themselves. However, the second voice still remains in denial, inquiring why are you kneeling? As if there is no fear of harm at all. The next two stanzas consist of the second individual going through a storm of panic and rapidly questioning the partner. The questions are Auden’s creative way of keeping us informed of the whereabouts of the soldier and they definitely create an air of anxiety and panic, as the soldiers are coming closer; passing the doctor, the Parson and the Farmer.
Seventh and Eighth Stanza
The final two stanzas are truly tragic as they reveal that it was indeed a couple that was hiding out in their house. The second voice inquires as to why the first voice is leaving her and running out of the house. The second voice questions about the vows that the first voice had made to love them forever. These vows are most likely referring to the vows made during wedding ceremonies. The role of the voices is still unclear, which one is the husband and which one is the wife, but looking at how the poem was written in the 1900’s, women were not very bold and were known for being timid so we can assume the first voice is the wife and the second voice, the voice that has now left is the voice of the husband. The last stanza reveals that the soldiers have broken into their house and that she can now see in their eyes, how they are burning.
Throughout the entire poem, Auden uses the repetition of words to create a feeling of fear and anxiety.
What are they doing this morning this morning?
Over the distance brightly, brightly?