Sunday 22 May 2011

O What Is That Sound?

This poem was written in 1936 - 3 years before WW2 began. Interestingly, the approach of the soldiers could reflect the approach of war. However, this could go deeper; at this point, Jews were already being persecuted by the Nazi party, and there are definite parallels between the couple being specifically pursued by the soldiers and the 'witch-hunt' for Jews during the Nazi rule.


The significance of the word "Sound" is important in the poem. Not only the sound of the "drumming, drumming" which creates a rythm throughout the poem and conveys the sense of a funeral march or a dirge. This slow and steady rhythm picks up pace and reflects a heart beating faster and faster as the soldiers draw nearer and nearer, "and now they are running". 
The wife's repeated, anxious questioning also conveys the idea that nobody is listening to Auden who in his poem is fore-shadowing the events of the Holocaust, particularly the round up of Jews who were often in hiding. The poem conveys the danger and paranoia at this time. The negative mood is furthered, "Only the sun on their weapons". The pathetic fallacy shows that the weapons only have some hope and prospect, not the millions of Jews. 

Of course, the 'Sound' also refers to the noise made by the Nazis - have you seen footage of their rallies or of Hitler's speeches?


Can you find quotes for the three points about the writer's ideas and attitudes?
  • Auden suggests that in times of war, when death is threatened, the need for self-preservation is stronger than personal loyalties.
  • He suggests that war makes people corrupt, and breaks even the strongest bonds (ie, marriage) - Indeed, it seems that the husband is keeping the wife calm and in place so that she can be captured but he can escape.
  • He suggests that people who create war or pursue the capture of others are evil/immoral.
The most immediately striking thing about the poem is the repetition. Combined with the strong, almost singsong metre, it gives the poem a 'nursery rhyme' effect strongly at odds with the increasingly chilling imagery, in a manner that merely reinforces the unsettling atmosphere. Extreme care that has to be taken over word choice when it comes to repetition. This is also true for the rhymed words, which are thrown into emphasis by the structure of the poem.


  • The soldiers are referred to as "scarlet" - what are the connotations of this?
  • Why does the speaker note that their "eyes are burning"? Perhaps this is something that only the speaker/Auden can see?
I hope this makes more sense!
Miss D :)

3 comments:

  1. Oh Thank you sooooo much miss this was soo helpful, and easy to find all i typed was classhes and collisions blog and this came up wow Miss this site is DON like, This was perfect. Thanks for the time and effort put in for our class:)

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  2. The soldiers are referred to as "scarlet" - what are the connotations of this?

    the connetations of this is that it is a colour and the colour is a very red one and this could sybolise that it is blood and that there is problems coming. or has been.

    Why does the speaker note that their "eyes are burning"? Perhaps this is something that only the speaker/Auden can see?

    the speaker says there eyes are burning this shows that the idea of hell is being used and that the soldiers are coming from hell also as the poem is about nazis it could be the burning of the books or the jew which could be stuck i the way of there vision.

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  3. Very good points, Matt! Think deeper about the connotations of 'burning' - just like the burning of the books as you mentioned, flames are destructive and so perhaps, all the soldiers can see is destruction which they have caused or wish to cause?

    It has just been pointed out to me that 'eyes are burning' is originally a term to describe someone who is feverish. Bringing it up to date, it is now linked to someone who is focused and intense much beyond rationality. Could we argue that this is reflecting the intensity of the Nazi regime and the irrationality of it?

    Also, a fab point about 'scarlet', Matt - blood is indeed what we expect to be shed at the end of the poem. Could 'scarlet' also act as a warning to the first speaker? Think about stop signs and warning signals, which are always red. This is no coincidence, surely? Red could also connote passion, which is what the soldiers are burnt up with...

    Thanks for the comments, keep them coming! :)

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