Lament Flashcards
Recall the 1st stanza of Lament
For the green turtle with her pulsing burden,
in search of the breeding ground.
For her eggs laid in their nest of sickness.
Recall the 2nd stanza of Lament
For the cormorant in his funeral silk,
the veil of iridescence on the sand,
the shadow on the sea.
Recall the 3rd stanza of Lament
For the ocean’s lap with its mortal stain.
For Ahmed at the closed border.
For the soldier with his uniform of fire.
Recall the 4th stanza of Lament
For the gunsmith and the armourer,
the boy fusilier who joined for the company,
the farmer’s sons, in it for the music.
Recall the 5th stanza of Lament
For the hook-beaked turtles,
the dugong and the dolphin,
the whale struck dumb by the missile’s thunder.
Recall the 6th stanza of Lament
For the tern, the gull and the restless wader,
the long migrations and the slow dying,
the veiled sun and the stink of anger.
Recall the 7th stanza of Lament
For the burnt earth and the sun put out,
the scalded ocean and the blazing well.
For vengeance, and the ashes of language.
What does lament/lamenting mean?
an expression of grief
Why do most of lines begin with ‘for’?
To commemorate things that are no longer here?
What war is the poem based on?
the Gulf War
What is the main message of the war?
War cant be waged without grave damage to every aspect of life
Describe the structure of the poem?
- seeven stanzas
- 3 line stanzas (tercet)
- one word title
Why may the writer not have included any rhyme in the poem?
To reflect the disruption caused by conflict
What does the ‘burden’ of a turtle and the ‘nest of sickness’ suggest in the first stanza?
Burden suggests the hardships of taking care of sick offspring during war and conflict
What is the effect of using the specific pronoun ‘him’ when describing a ‘cormorant’ (a bird)?
Could perhaps be talking about a soldier
