O What is That Sound Flashcards
Body 1: what is highlighted?
representation of societal decay of the individual and political oppression
Body 1: what style incorporates male and female perspectives ?
antiphonal style
Body 1: what does the antiphonal style provide?
provides insight in the patriarchal societies in the 20th century
Body 1: repetition of single syllable?
“O” in each stanza
Body 1: what does the “O” stress?
the fear and desperation of the unknown
Body 1: what is the effect of “O” reminscent of?
of the marching soldiers providing the poem with a constant omnipresent rhythm
Body 1: what does the male narrator’s reply to “O what is that sound…” use?
sibilance for a whispering, calming effect, “Only the scarlet soldiers, dear”.
Body 1: why is reassurance of what the sound is trivialising and questionable?
as the audience and inherently both narrators knows that the soldiers approach is not peaceful.
Body 1: what may the “scarlet” Connote?
the redcoats of English soldiers or the blood and fragility of human bond in the face of danger
Body 1: what does the poem represent?
he constant threat of militarism during the 20th century as well a representation of people amongst the maneuvering of heavy political mistrust
Body 1: what does such representation allow the audience to discover?
discover the importance of these issues
Body 2: what does it explore?
the dark fear of society faced by war, destruction and oppression which represents the portrayal of people and politics in poetry of W.H. Auden
Body 2: ambiguous religious allusion?
“Why are you kneeling?”
Body 2: what does The ambiguous religious allusion reinforce?
the anxieties and fear of the coming soldiers, but also the realization that the soldiers are coming for them, for their possible political dissent
Body 2: referencing of specific societal roles such as ?
“parson”, “doctor” and “farmer”
