Lament Flashcards
Who is the poet
Gillian Clarke
Context from the poem / contextual points
Reflection of death from the gulf war (1991)
Particular focus on conflict on nature
Laments the devastating effect of physical conflict on all life
The poems structure is an elegy
“Fhelitnos”
“For her eggs laid in their nest of sickness”
For - anaphora at each stanza lists what is lost and grieved
Her - third person creates distance between humans and nature
Their next of sickness - metaphor juxtaposes the danger of what should be a safe place to support new life
“Ftcihfs,/tvoiots”
“For the cormorant in his funeral silk,/the veil of iridescence on the sand”
Cormorant - innocent sea bird shows human conflict damaging the natural world
Funeral silk - metaphor for black like funeral clothes which is actually because the cormorant is covered in oil. It’s going to die.
Silk - soft , luxurious- ironic as oil
Is sticky and deadly
Veil - warn for funerals. Veil covers face but it shows oil covering beach
Iridescence - looks beautiful (rainbow) actually very damaging to nature
“Twsdbtmt”
“The whale struck dumb by the missiles thunder”
Whale - strongest , biggest , most peaceful animal is affected by the conflict
Whale struck dumb - violent metaphor conveys the whale is unable to speak ( lost its echolocation)
Missiles thunder - connotations of destruction power and Zeus ( god like )
Thunder - one of the many consequences of war
“Tvsatsoa”
“The veiled sun and the stink of anger”
Veiled sun - oxymoron as sun is covered when it should be bright and bold. Suggests lost hope.
Veiled - death and destruction. No sun means no life.
Stink of anger - personification / senses. emphasises the emotion. Shows narrators feelings. The use of senses makes the reader think about the smells in the gulf war. Oil?
“Fvataol”
“For vengeance and the ashes of language”
vengeance - wrongdoings / revenge / punishment
Ashes - what it is like now / feels consequences. Ashes also
Suggest death , aftermath or remains.
Language - connotes the loss of truth in war / broken relationship
