SOTIquotes, themes + analysis

• fear - key idea - poem encourages us to question the source of human fear + how it's the unknown that frightens us the most 


  S I I A H N T W F 'strange it is a huge nothing that we fear'
• end of the poem - lang :'strange it is a huge nothing that we fear' 1

  • ''strange' - asking the reader too look at how this conflict between the C + P is normal to them it is strange .
  • juxtaposition of 'huge' + 'nothing' emphasizes the strangeness of the situation + how at the start the ppl were so confident w/ the prep they did to survive the storm. but their opposition is smth they cant feel or see which is even more terrifying + storm seems more menacing bc human cant prep for it as they don't know what exactly their up against. fear of a potential attack is scarier than an acc attack
• end of the poem lang: 'strange it is a huge nothing that we fear' 2

  • is the 'huge nothing' that ppl r scared of death? is Christianity the problem, used by the ppl scared of death to stop the fear and allow them to think God will save them from it.
  • moral lesson - there's nothing to be afraid of- C+ P believe in the basically the same thing but they still feel the need to hate each other bc of their diff history.
• end of the poem structure: 'strange it is a huge nothing that we fear' 3

  • ending 4 line longed stanza but others were 5 lines long - could be asking reader to write the ending to the poem - a solution to the conflict
  • doesn't end w/ a rhyming couplet but with a half rhyme - 'air + fear'. which gives us a feeling of unease as the conflict hasnt been not ended, no happy ending
• power of humans - key idea - poem is a reminder of human vulnerability + helplessness. man is presented as insignificant to nature

  1. W A P W B O H S 'we are prepared: we build our houses squat'
  2. Y M T T T S I C E C D O T C 'You might think that the sea is company. Exploding comfortably down on the cliffs'
• start - 'we are prepared: we build out houses squat'

  • begins with a strong statement emphasising confidence + (false) sense of security of the islanders. Caesura - reinforces this bc conveys the speaker's certainty + sense of safety
  • ironic - storm completely overpowers the islanders even tho they thought they were so confident. contrasting image of safety + nature emphasising the irony. he does this to show the powerlessness of man to nature
  • iambic pentameter creates a rhythm - regular beat creates a sense of solidity to match the solidity of the houses
• power of nature - key ideas - 1 cruelty of nature 2 newfound inhospitality of nature

  • W A B B T E A 'We are bombarded by the empty air'
  • S L A T C T S 'spits like a tame cat Turned savage'
• end :'We are bombarded by the empty air'

  • nature described thru a materialistic semantic field to emphasise the destructive power of nature + how relentless it is in its attack
  • military metaphor - 'bombarded' - suggesting how man's nature that has ruined the island is also ruining the ppls own lives
• 'Y M T T T S I C E C D O T C

  • contrasts 'sea' w/ 'company' bc it is huge and isolated. suggests how N.Ireland has become isolated from the rest of the world bc of the conflict + should change before the violence gets worse.
  • idea of us destroying our nature + how we were once in harmony with it but now we r not and now nature is trying to attack man for the damage they've done to it bc they undermined natures power
  • juxtaposition - 'comfortably' + 'exploding' - symbolic to the constant bombs that r happening in this war. tones of violence + aggression, military metaphor
• W I B T F S H T V W S L A T C T S

  • 'flung' - adjective - carelessness + lack of compassion the sea has to the ppl
  • simile - sea is now dangerous, contrast between 'tame' + 'savage' shows how quickly events change
  • compares nature to a cat which can be both domestic and wild, similarly he looks at the duality of nature + how it can be both kind + harsh.
  • contrast between the dental plosive alliteration of 'tame' 'turned' + sibilance of 'spits' 'savage' reinforces this. also cat's are owned by humans but this shows that ppl can never own nature it was always more powerful then them