August 6, 1945

It's been a while since we went through this one, but your notes should be complete. Here's a reminder of the ideas YOU came up with!

The effect of nature imagery:

“Dry tune” reflects the hot, musty weather. Perhaps it makes the pilot dehydrated which is why his mouth is dry.

The colour of “apricot ice” evokes a sense of fire. Apricots also introduce the theme of opposites; take for instance the soft, sweet flesh and hard stone in the centre.

“Drizzle” is dreary but not powerful – This shows the insignificance of nature.

Connotations of “scarlet” are roses/romance, danger and blood.

“Mermaid’s tail”, “salamanders” and “lizards” prompt images of scaliness from both mythological and natural sources. The latter suggests that the victims’ skin has gone scaly or shiny from their stripped skin.

The use of “mother” suggests that Mother Nature is ‘late’ and powerless to stop the effects of the bomb.

The people of Hiroshima are seen as “ladybirds”, which reduces them to a small, helpless level. “Ladybirds” also describes how the victims are red with blood and raw skin, but dotted with black from the ash and dirt. It is a metaphor for their skin, which is an important theme in this poem. “Ladybirds” is indented as there is a sense of emptiness, loss and loneliness at the poem’s conclusion. The links to the nursery rhyme suggest that one one level, the pilot sees the bombing as a meaningless, trivial act, but reflects the ending, where his deed hits him – there are dark undertones to the rhyme (“your house is on fire and your children have gone”).

The character of the pilot:

“Whistling” suggests that the pilot is calm and laid back. However, the “dry tune” suggests that he is a serious person – perhaps he is whistling to calm himself?

“Laugh and tremble” creates a sense of mockery, suggesting that the pilot does not take the act seriously. 

“The whole blooming sky” is written in a colloquial style and refers to western imagery. This highlights how different and brash he is in comparison to the Japanese. “Blooming” links into the image of flowers – to him, this could be an attractive sight.

The releasing of the bomb is linked to the slightly suggestive (well, for the 1950s!) image of Marilyn Monroe flashing her knickers - Perhaps the pilot experiences some form of fulfilment and release that can be likened to sexual actions.

The final stanza suggests that the pilot cannot help but be haunted by his actions, thus showing that he is not entirely heartless and two-dimensional.

The writer’s view/attitude:

Western images such as “apricot ice” and “Marilyn” show that the pilot think that it is a good, or ‘sweet’ ending to the war – the Americans are imposing their culture upon Japan, almost as if they are ‘branding’ the bomb site with pride.

The term “forever” shows that the Americans’ actions are irreversible and has a serious tone; the pilot clearly is not taking this word seriously by matching it with trivial images of celebrity.

The writer builds a vivid picture of how horrific the effects of the bomb were and the idea of ‘living in fire’.

The word ‘mother’ could refer to the plane’s name or the mothers of the victim. The writer highlights the protective role of mothers, therefore showing the irony that the destructive plane was named ‘Enola Gay’.

Structure

The writer uses enjambement throughout, and does not use rhyme. This gives a slow, 'serious' feel to the poem, as heavy rhythms and rhyme are traditionally associated with 'jolly' and upbeat poetry. The poem is broken into stanzas of irregular lengths - each dealing with slightly different aspect of the event: The flight, Western imagery, nature, physical damage, the emotional burden, the legacy of the event ("dreams"). This irregularity could represent the rubble of Hiroshima, lacking in order and neatness. 

See above for notes on the indentation of 'ladybirds'.

I hope this makes sense - leave me a comment if anything confuses you!

Miss D :)