The cardinal subject of this verse form is centred around a difficult subject: the bombardment of London during War World II. Edith Sitwell presents a universe in demand of alteration. However, she deals with this subject from a Christian position. This point of view is portrayed in seven irregular stanzas and 30 five lines which are written in free-verse. This means that, despite being an organized piece of composing with a coherent rime, metre and beat, it does non follow traditional forms and these effects are used irregularly. The four concluding words in stanza 1 are an illustration of this: “ Rain ” , “ loss ” , “ nails ” , and “ Cross ” . While the first and 3rd signifier a half-rhyme, which is a common characteristic in free-verse verse forms, the 2nd and 4th signifier a perfect rime. Contrarily, the four lines in stanza 3 terminal with the words “ Tomb ” , “ rain ” , “ encephalon ” and “ Cain ” , organizing a perfect rime in the last three words, while the first 1 does non rime at all.
Furthermore, sometimes an internal rime can be detected in words such as “ Field ” and “ pess ” , both in line 11, following a form of vowel rhyme since they have the same vowel sounds. Most lines have different lengths and they lack an constituted form of stressed and unstressed syllables. Overall, both free poetry and these latter characteristics enable the writer to show her feelings more vividly, so that these emotions will be easy transmitted to the reader. Finally, all these effects provide the verse form with beauty, doing it more attractive for this reader.
The construction or line divisions besides create units of significance. The seven stanzas of this verse form may stand for the seven yearss of the hebdomad, typifying how the agony of Christ still persists. In the same manner, six of these seven stanzas begin with the same statement: “ Still Falls the Rain ” . This figure six can mention to humankind, which was born in the 6th twenty-four hours of creative activity in conformity with Genesis 1. Furthermore, the fact that Sitwell uses this sentence so many times emphasizes the continuance and badness of that minute, therefore conveying us closer to her emotions. Furthermore, the look “ He bears in His bosom all lesions ” ( line 20 ) strategically appears in stanza 5. This figure may mention to the five chief lesions of Christ ( two in his pess, two in his custodies, and one in his side ) . Nevertheless, all these effects contrast with the last stanza, which is finished with a hopeful message: “ ‘Still make I love, still shed my guiltless visible radiation, my Blood for thee ‘ ” . Sitwell uses these words as she wants to remind us that God loves us and He gave His life for us ; she trusts in God ‘s ability and willingness to move in a helter-skelter universe. Overall, this verse form shows the hurting in the universe, but go forthing a spread of hope at the terminal.
Since Sitwell has such steadfast spiritual career, scriptural allusions are widely present in this verse form. In line 3, for illustration, Sitwell refers to the rain as follows: “ Blind as the 19 hundred and forty nails ” . By calling those nails used upon Christ ‘s cross, she represents the twelvemonth of authorship of this verse form every bit good as the old ages elapsed from Christ ‘s birth. Similarly, other looks such as “ the Starved Man ” , which is repeated in lines 14 and 19, indicate the being of the Messiah, the Savior. It emphasizes the fact that wars merely convey approximately hurting and wickednesss which ordinary people could merely stand through their hope that this starved adult male will assist them. Furthermore, Sitwell sets her verse form in the “ Potter ‘s Field ” ( line 8 ) . Subsequently described as the “ Field of Blood ” in line 11, it describes a piece of land obtained by Judas Iscariot after bewraying Christ, which was and is really still used as a war graveyard. This field makes us believe about past relations who fought in the war, making empathy. Overall, these scriptural allusions particularly help Christians to associate the verse form to themselves and understand the effects of war. Finally, the transmittal of such deep emotions and contemplations besides helps to reason that the registry used in this verse form is every bit lyrical as it is spiritual.
The linguistic communication of poesy has the power to touch our emotions and impact our apprehension of ourselves and the universe. This means that linguistic communication can do the reader perceive the universe and the verse form with a higher definiton or, on the contrary, with ambiguity, supplying this verse form with different significances. Sitwell creates these effects through rhetorical characteristics such as imagination and simile. Imagery is the most popular device in this verse form. For illustration, the rain may be understood as normal rain every bit good as the raining down of bombs during the air foraies. This consequence is created through descriptive adjectives like “ dark ” and “ black ” in line 2, giving a drab temper to the verse form, and “ blind ” in line 3, stand foring the sightlessness of those people in war who do non retrieve Christ ‘s agony during His crucifixion.
The rain may besides typify the blood shed by Christ ‘s side, which is a symbol of salvation for all evildoers. Sitwell confirms this fact in line 19: “ Still falls the Blood from the Starved Man ‘s hurt Side ” . Christ shed His blood for everybody in the same manner people are unified in their communities during times of bombardment. Sitwell conveys that we all have a God to believe in, who will ever assist us without doing any differentiation between societal categories. Therefore, Sitwell makes a supplication for mildness in line 15 by mentioning to a parable about Honkytonks and Lazarus: “ Christ that each twenty-four hours, each dark, nails at that place, have mercy of us ” , go oning in line 16 as follows: “ On Honkytonks and on Lazarus ” . Dives represents the rich adult male who is unaware of the hapless adult male, the mendicant Lazarus. They may typify snake pit and heaven severally.
Several images of the verse form produce feelings of enduring in respects to the war. Thereby, “ the cock round ” in line 7 could be understood as an image of something which strongly beats this verse form, stressing its hardness. Other words such as “ Tomb ” in line 9 and “ that worm with the forehead of Cain ” in line 12 besides emphasis this agony. The latter refers to the grade made in Cain ‘s forehead after killing his brother Abel. Finally, Sitwell refers to the “ The lesions of the baited bear ” in line 23, depicting the weakness of an animate being in imprisonment towards its keepers and, at the same time, typifying the agony of all those people involved in the war.
More rhetorical characteristics are found in this verse form, such as the usage of the simile. As it has been explained before, the rain is invariably compared through adjectives which convey darkness and hopelessness in the universe such as those in line 2: “ Dark as the universe of adult male, black as our loss ” . Another characteristic is personification. This is demonstrated in lines 12 and 13, where Sitwell claims that “ the human encephalon Nurtures its greed ” . She provides the encephalon with the personal ability of fostering itself. Finally, initial rhyme on the consonant ‘s ‘ occurs in line 28: “ See, see where Christ ‘s blood streames in the celestial sphere ” , stand foring the sound of that fluxing blood. Overall, rhetorical characteristics force the reader to prosecute with his or her imaginativeness and ask for him or her to populate the experience of war.
Sitwell integrates all the old points in the verse form by utilizing the 3rd individual, since she is depicting what she feels and sees: the rain and the war. However, she sometimes changes this by straight mentioning to God. This happens, for illustration, in the last stanza:
“ Then sounds the voice of One who, like the bosom of adult male,
Was one time a kid who among animals has lain-
‘Still make I love, still shed my guiltless visible radiation, my Blood for thee ‘ ”
The fact that she is mentioning to God is portrayed through her usage of capital letters in some words, such as “ One ” . It is besides present when believing about the scriptural fable of Jesus holding been born in a stable among animate beings, as is explained in line 34. Hence, it may be understood that Sitwell is seeking to stand for God ‘s ain words in the last line. Furthermore, there is a alteration of individual in line 27, where the writer introduces her ain words as follows: “ -O Ile leape up to my God: who pulles me doune- ” . This is the lone clip she uses the first individual, and it is written between elans. While the elans normally appear as a stylistic device in the verse form, this clip they are used to present the writer ‘s ain voice in that line. This alteration of individual causes the reader to understand and experience the state of affairs from the writer ‘s ain position.
Finally, particular punctuation, such as enjambement, is used in order to fancify the verse form. It appears between lines 11 and 12, as the intermission does non co-occur at the terminal of the sentence:
“ In the field of Blood where the little hopes breed and the human encephalon
Nurtures its greed, that worm with the forehead of Cain ”
This verse form is a statement of the writer ‘s Catholicism, which is used to reflect the bing troubles in the universe, such as the connexion between the bombs and the dead in the land. In general, she deals with this subject from a hopeful point of position. In my sentiment, this verse form is excellently written. Sitwell employs a antic usage of vocabulary and literary devices which cause great tenseness when reading the verse form. This besides led to me being reminded of some ascendants who fought in the war whilst reading it. I liked how the poet smoothes the tenseness in the last stanza and gives us that promoting and optimistic message. Sitwell ‘s poesy reflects his epic stance to confront the panics of life with an firm strong belief that religion and poesy will finally prevail.
