Lament by Gillian Clarke Flashcards
What are the key themes of Lament?
Themes:
-Loss, grief, and the destruction caused by human activity, particularly war and its environmental impact.
-External conflict as it is a response to a physical war.
What is the key context of Lament?
Key context:
- “Lament” is often read as a response to the Gulf War of 1991. It captures the ecological and human cost of warfare.
-During the Gulf War, Saddam Hussein dumped tonnes of oil into the Kuwaiti coast line as a protest against American invasion on their shores.
- The poet, Gillian Clarke, is known for her focus on nature and the intersection of human life and the natural world, which is evident in this poem.
Summary of Lament
-The poem is a lament, which is a form of expression of sorrow or grief. It mourns various forms of life and aspects of nature that have been harmed or destroyed due to human actions, especially war.
-Clarke gives a voice to both nature and human sufferers of war, mentioning animals affected by oil spills and human victims at the borders.
-Warning against those whose desire for war, is greater than their desire to protect nature
-Promotes the need for animals to have peace and harmony
“For the green turtle with her pulsing burden, / in search of the breeding ground.”
-Imagery is used here to depict the struggle of a turtle affected by the war’s impact on the environment.
-The word ‘burden’ shows that the turtle is carrying around
-Shows everywhere is ruined that the turtle has to search for its breeding ground
“For the cormorant in his funeral silk, / the veil of iridescence on the sand,” -
-Metaphor and imagery describe the oil-coated bird, with “funeral silk” suggesting death and “iridescence” hinting at the unnatural sheen of oil.
-Describes the effect of human conflict on nature
‘soldier with his uniform of fire.”
These lines use personalization and metaphor, with “uniform of fire” symbolically showing the violence and danger soldiers face.
‘mortal stain’
which is related to the huge oil leak.
‘Boy fusilier’ …. In it for the ‘music’
-Shows how young boys were encouraged to sign up to do the terrible things for devotion.
‘burnt earth’
‘scalded earth, and the blazing well’
The shocking and almost painful adjectives ‘scalded’, ‘blazing’ and ‘burnt’ show clearly how painful this oil attack has been on nature and the destruction that the oil spill has had.
‘for vengeance, and the ashes of language’ (vengeance is revenge)
- The final line shows the speaker’s anger that all these animals have been destroyed by the war and the oil that was dumped into the ocean simply as a** result of human desire for revenge** and the lack of communication(Saddam Hussein).
“the whale struck dumb by the missile’s thunder.”
- Personification and onomatopoeia are present here, giving the whale human-like qualities and using “thunder” to mimic the sound of war that affects the silent, suffering animal.
