Loss is universal. An inevitable condition of life; you cannot have one without the other. Whether it is the loss of innocence of an unborn child in “Prayer Before Birth” by Louis MacNeice, a mother’s loss of her young child to poverty and starvation in “A Mother in a Refugee Camp” by Chinua Achebe or a poet’s loss of his father by death in old age in “Do not go gentle into that good night” by Dylan Thomas.
Although the three poems address the same central theme, they are dealt with in very different ways including contrasts in structure, use of language, imagery, symbolism and the general feeling towards loss whether it be anger, fear or regret. Most of the circumstances include an undertone of desperation due to the inevitability of the situation whether this is a sudden loss such as the loss of the child’s brother in “Mid-term Break” by Seamus Heaney or a gradual impending loss such as that explored in “A Mother in a Refugee Camp”.
I will examine in detail how the writers achieve their specific impact on the reader by discussing, comparing and contrasting the three main poems with reference to three others that will be covered in less detail. All of the poems deal with death as a form of loss. However the attitudes towards death vary quite significantly due to the circumstances in which the death takes place. “Prayer Before Birth” is the plea of an un-born child who seeks forgiveness for the evil deeds he is sure to commit once out of his mother’s womb.
The child sees death as preferable to a life of torment, however if the world is not as terrible as portrayed then he would chose to live, “Otherwise kill me”. “Otherwise” suggesting that there is a possibility that society is not as corrupt as he believes. Therefore death is seen as a possibility of escape rather than an impending horror. The structure of this poem is in the form of a prayer with a different wish at the start of every stanza, after the constant repetition of “I am not yet born”. This further underlines the desperation of the child for a society in which he can grow up safely.
The poet has chosen to use a caesura after the word “born” in the first line of every stanza. This puts emphasis on the second part of the line which are his pleas; “console me”, “forgive me” “rehearse me”. “Do not go gentle into that good night “is the only other poem that explores death as being a positive in some senses. Dylan Thomas is describing his emotions concerning his dying father, whom of course he does not want to die but he has realised that in old age death is in fact a “good night” compared to the tragic deaths of children in refugee camps or those whose life is cut short by a car accident.
“Good night” has strong connotations with a heavenly place of gentle nature in which those, whose time is right to die, will be happy. However despite this realisation the poet still does not want his father to leave him and thinks that people in old age should “rage rage against the dying of the light”. This creates a paradoxical feel to the poetry as Thomas knows that death is the best thing for his father yet still, understandably, does not want him to go.
This feeling is emphasised by the repetition, four times, of the line “Do not go gentle into that good night”, this alongside the uses of the words “light”, “right” and “bright” at the end of the lines, gives a cadence to the poem Furthermore he wants his father to fight against death, it creates the image of a war hero whose family is told they “died valiantly”, this is the wish of all humanity. People would not want to hear that their loved ones merely gave up and died passively. This poem in itself is a celebration of life, the poem is not only about death but it is an affirmation of life.
To further emphasise the points being made Dylan Thomas utilises a wide range of literary devices. Parallelism is used from lines seven to fifteen to juxtapose the different attitudes of the so called “genres” of men at their death. This is used to outline that if you continuously lead one set type of lifestyle whether it is as a “wild man”, a “grave man” or a “good man” you will not be satisfied when your time comes to die. The only true way to be satisfied is to live a life of balance; only with a good contrast can you be at peace.
The general attitude towards loss in “Death Of A Son” is the complete opposite. Whereas Thomas reverently encourages the continuation of life, or at least to fight against death, in “Death of a Son” death is an escape and as a release, it is therefore seen as a relief. The life of this boy has only been a cause of suffering; suffering for his parents having to watch with no hope day after day and also suffering for himself. This is shown as he “neither sang nor laughed” “but rather, like a house in mourning kept the eye turned in to watch the silence”.
The word “mourning” here creates a sense of foreboding due to the connection with the idea that he is already dead. Therefore death is seen as a release rather than a dreaded horror. Despite this, an overwhelming sadness is still felt at the end of the poem due to the contrast between the on-going metaphor of the boy being a house and the descriptive writing that is coupled with it, and then the simplicity and shock of the fact that “he died”. “Poem at Thirty-Nine” approaches death as a form of loss as well; however this is a memory of a loss rather than the reactions to an immediate or pre-empted loss.
Walker describes some of the simple day to day actions that remind her of her father such as “writing deposit slips and checks”. Death is dealt with very simply as she has had time to come to terms with this loss and is honest as she exclaims “how I miss my father” in the first line of the poem. The free-verse structure creates a more relaxed feel while the enjambment reflects the spontaneous thought pattern. However when she writes more philosophically and emotionally punctuation is used to show the deeper thought, “He would have grown to admire the woman I’ve become: cooking, writing, chopping wood, staring into the fire.
” The use of the word “would” subtly gives the impression that her relationship with her father was not very strong and that “many of” her “truths must have grieved him before the end”. This changes what would have been an affirmation of his life into something more poignant, concerning potential conflict. In “A Mother in a Refugee Camp” there is a sense of false hope due to the inevitability of the child’s death. All the other mothers in the refugee camp had “long ceased to care” as a result of the conditions, “but not this one.
” The use of the word “one” outlines the fact that she is unique in her “care” and it emphasises her loyal and loving nature demonstrated by her unfaltering hope. Lack of food is vividly portrayed by descriptions of “unwashed children with washed out ribs”. This is a clever use of language as the repetition helps create the image in the reader’s mind of a filthy skeletal like form. This pain, weakness and lack of hope is further outlined by the fact that they moved “waddling in laboured step”.
The use of the word “waddling” suggests an animalistic type of movement while “laboured” gives a heavy image very different from the stereotypical image of a child, full of energy and excited. Throughout the poem the reader gains a sense that the isolation and harsh conditions have led to not only a loss of hope but a lack of emotion. The mothers “had long ceased to care” for their children. This truly emphasised the condition they must have been living in. It would have been so awful that even the bond between mother and child, one of nature’s strongest bonds, can be broken, giving the idea of an un-natural environment.
Symbolism is used to convey atmosphere. In “A Mother in a Refugee Camp” all the actions in the present are linked to the inevitability of death due to the camps conditions. The mother even sees combing her son’s hair “like putting flowers on a tiny grave”. This simile associating the two acts emphasises the poignant impending death of her child. The mother’s compassion is shown as despite the inevitable, slow, progressive death of her son she still nurtures her child as she combs “The rust coloured hair left on his skull”.
The use of the word “skull” portrays vivid ideas of death whilst “rust” has strong connotations with slow decay. This clearly shows the lifelessness this boy has experienced in the camp and provokes ideas concerning the contrast between his life and that of a normal child. The reader gets the impression that, although the mother obviously loves her child, she can no longer be passionate in her acts of love because she is also starving and diseased, therefore it seems as if she may be carrying out these actions that were once “a daily act of no consequence” in a state of trance.
She is so unable to believe her situation so she is numb in the face of it. Symbolism is also very apparent in “Death Of A Son” and “Prayer Before Birth”. Both poets use stone to symbolise lifelessness and lack of individuality. Jon Silkin uses the simile of a house to describe the child as “dumb as stone”. This gives the impression that the young boy is not only unable to speak but is empty and emotionless, a mere shell.
The use of stones to create an image in the readers mind is used again in the last line of the poem as just before the child dies when “two great tears rolled, like stones” down his cheek. The whole poem builds up to the moment in which he dies is where he is more alive than he has ever been. His “eye stopped looking inwards” and his “silence rose and became still”, therefore death is seen as a release rather than a dreaded horror. His impending death is like a burning candle that flickers brightest just before the flame goes out forever.
Similarly Louis MacNeice uses the idea of stones as the moulded face of society, where people no longer think for themselves, susceptible to manipulation are seen as “stones”. He also uses the metaphor of “a cog in a machine” to describe how, if he was to live, he would not be himself, society would remove his individuality and make him into something that just plays a part. He is to “rehearse” and act in order to deal with the injustice of life. Actions taken against him will force him to destroy his own personality and uniqueness; he must become someone else, as an actor does.
