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I need a detailed analysis of the poem "This is A Dark Time My Love " ASPA, post
- Thread starter Robin
- Start date
R
Renita
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In this short poem, the speaker is talking to a loved one about the painful events through which they are passing. You should read the poem once or twice as you find necessary and then concentrate on identifying and finding explanations to your satisfaction, of certain terms and phrases. These include 'dark time' (previously considered); 'brown beetles'; 'red flowers'; 'season of oppression'; 'dark metal'; 'festival of guns'; 'carnival of misery' and lines ten to twelve. At this point I want you to realise that this poem has no irrelevancies, the speaker does not 'beat around the bush' but attacks the situation head-on. The speaker does not hide anything but speaks his mind, after all, he is talking to some one he loves and in whom he, no doubt, has confidence. Every word is designed to create a picture of painful circumstances and fear and an attack on hope.
When you have clarified these words and images, (please explore all possible meanings) re-read the poem as many times as you need for a full understanding of it. Then put the poem in your own words-you may write them down if you like. Do not exclude any part but do your best with every line. Here is an idea of how to proceed. The speaker calls his love's attention to the dismal condition they are experiencing. Beetles, he says are crawling everywhere. What do you know about this particular insect? Yes.. that they have hard outer wings, are large and are a threat to some crops in Guyana as elsewhere. Think of the word 'crawling' in connection with the insect and you will see the implication of stealthy/secret but great damage which can be done by it or by any human so described. The next point he makes is about the pervasive darkness, the lack of any room for hope, which covers the land while elsewhere the sun shines brightly, signifying prosperity for others. Here, a man-made bleakness prevails and people cannot and do not feel that there is any possibility of success. Even nature sympathises with man's plight so that 'the red flowers bend their heads' in great grief. Consider the adjective used to describe the flowers. Words such as bright, beautiful and bold, come to mind in connection with red flowers but that word red is also the colour of blood which is associated with violence. There is a contrast, don't you think, between flowers that are red and the 'awful sorrow'? I urge you once again, to stop and think of those times at which we give and get red roses etc. and realise that they are not usually periods of grief-so there is something special happening here that even such flowers are mourning. The following line is a repetition of the first as the speaker emphasises the pervasive evil. He goes on to describe how harshly they are treated, of the use of the gun to keep them demoralised, and of their tears. Line seven is especially poignant-'It is the festival of guns, the carnival of misery'. We know and expect a festival/carnival to be a time of celebration. It is therefore frightening to realise that the speaker is telling his audience that violence is being celebrated. He could even be saying that the violence is planned for we know that carnivals/festivals do not just happen, they have to be arranged. Of course, this leads us to believe that the conflict, the 'celebration of violence', is motivated racially, or politically, or both. The following two lines deal with the emotions that are reflected on the faces of people across the country. They are living in fear, not knowing who will come to attack them under the cover of night's darkness. The question of whom the destroyer is, is answered in words that tell us of the strength, the confidence suggested in 'boot of steel tramps', as the fragile, those that are of no threat, pose no danger - 'slender grass' are destroyed. He is identified in lines eleven and twelve as a man who brings death and destroys their hopes and goals even as they lie helpless and unaware in their sleep.
When you have clarified these words and images, (please explore all possible meanings) re-read the poem as many times as you need for a full understanding of it. Then put the poem in your own words-you may write them down if you like. Do not exclude any part but do your best with every line. Here is an idea of how to proceed. The speaker calls his love's attention to the dismal condition they are experiencing. Beetles, he says are crawling everywhere. What do you know about this particular insect? Yes.. that they have hard outer wings, are large and are a threat to some crops in Guyana as elsewhere. Think of the word 'crawling' in connection with the insect and you will see the implication of stealthy/secret but great damage which can be done by it or by any human so described. The next point he makes is about the pervasive darkness, the lack of any room for hope, which covers the land while elsewhere the sun shines brightly, signifying prosperity for others. Here, a man-made bleakness prevails and people cannot and do not feel that there is any possibility of success. Even nature sympathises with man's plight so that 'the red flowers bend their heads' in great grief. Consider the adjective used to describe the flowers. Words such as bright, beautiful and bold, come to mind in connection with red flowers but that word red is also the colour of blood which is associated with violence. There is a contrast, don't you think, between flowers that are red and the 'awful sorrow'? I urge you once again, to stop and think of those times at which we give and get red roses etc. and realise that they are not usually periods of grief-so there is something special happening here that even such flowers are mourning. The following line is a repetition of the first as the speaker emphasises the pervasive evil. He goes on to describe how harshly they are treated, of the use of the gun to keep them demoralised, and of their tears. Line seven is especially poignant-'It is the festival of guns, the carnival of misery'. We know and expect a festival/carnival to be a time of celebration. It is therefore frightening to realise that the speaker is telling his audience that violence is being celebrated. He could even be saying that the violence is planned for we know that carnivals/festivals do not just happen, they have to be arranged. Of course, this leads us to believe that the conflict, the 'celebration of violence', is motivated racially, or politically, or both. The following two lines deal with the emotions that are reflected on the faces of people across the country. They are living in fear, not knowing who will come to attack them under the cover of night's darkness. The question of whom the destroyer is, is answered in words that tell us of the strength, the confidence suggested in 'boot of steel tramps', as the fragile, those that are of no threat, pose no danger - 'slender grass' are destroyed. He is identified in lines eleven and twelve as a man who brings death and destroys their hopes and goals even as they lie helpless and unaware in their sleep.