“The Horses”

1. “The Horses” Revision of Stanza One

2. General Outline Written in free verse Anti-war and anti-technology poem Vision of a future destroyed, but hope of renewal and balance is offered in the form of Nature Two mirror-image stanzas (Probably) inspired by the Cold War of the late 1940s

3. Lines 1 and 2 Archaic language “twelvemonth” – fitting with the theme Clear indication of time-frame for the narrative World created in “seven days” (Genesis) ironic, given that Man took seven days to destroy it Gentle and euphemistic language – odd, given the disturbing and grotesque detail which follows. “Sleep” suggests a re-awakening is possible – fitting with the theme of renewal

4. 3 Time frame given again Language and register of a saga Adjective “strange” - there is no other form of life, it has all been destroyed OR they are unused to them, having turned their backs on nature, horses are unfamiliar

5. 4 “We” – collective voice Register of saga continues “By then we had...” “covenant” – Biblical language – made a deal with silence, accepted the silence Silence – lack of buzz from technology OR result of being struck dumb by the horror/trauma they witnessed

6. 5 “But” – change of focus – looking back/reflecting on the horrors of the war “so still” alliteration/sibilance – repetition of ‘s’ sound – soft, gentle and draws attention to the silence

7. 6 and 7 “we” collective voice of the survivors again – they are united in their pain Whole line (6) reinforces the idea of silence and that it is a source of fear Language of Genesis –again, deeply ironic

8. 8 Technology represented by “radios” Use of punctuation ; , . Pace is reinforced through this – creates a number of short phrases and echoes the process itself – the action, the waiting and the silence The silence means there is no other life – their hopes being shattered adds to their isolation

9. 9 and 10 Genesis again “warship” (see extended notes on this) “north” connotations of cold and death

10. 11, 12 and 13 See extended notes on “plane plunged” “Nothing” suddenness, starkness, finality of the word emphasises the end of everything Note enjambment between 11 and 12 – dramatic pause to heighten the impact of the above point – no life, no noise “the radios dumb” – personification of radios – can’t speak, but they emit sound “dumb” – no broadcasts – dead Repetition of “stand” – like a person

11. 14 “a million rooms” – emphasises the enormity / scale of the effects of the nuclear war

12. 15-20 “If” conditional clause – builds up the level of terror “if” the radios were to come on again Repetition of “we would not” and climaxing in decisive statement “we would not have it again” – unified purpose of survivors is crystal clear – they have turned their backs on technology See extended notes on 19 and 20 – central grotesque image of the moment of devastation

13. 21-22 These lines suggest the image of a foetus in the womb – nations are “curled blindly” – idea of protection and helplessness “impenetrable sorrow” – a deep sadness. Very effective word choice which conveys the helplessness of the world

14. 24-25 See extended notes on “dank sea-monsters” ...

15. 28-30 Returned to a primitive, simple, rustic way of farming because everything has been destroyed