This poem dramatizes the conflict between a young man in the military and the ever approaching abyss of death. The speaker talks about a man named Arthur who died in combat. He argues that America is symbolized as all those who have died fighting for the country. The poem is most likely told from the point of view of a man who served in the military, and whose friend was brought back from combat in a coffin. Knowing that the author, John Ciardi, was a gunner in the U.S. Army Air Forces during WWII, this theory is very likely. No one knows if Arthur was a friend, brother, or simply a comrade, but it is known that Ciardi used Arthur to represent everyone who has ever died fighting for his country. Throughout the poem, the poet uses the
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The narrator stresses their fall by talking about “an urn maybe delivered by chariot.” He also speaks about the other countries involved in the war, and, just as he compared Arthur to all who died for the cause, he likens each country to one token returning from war. “You could bring Germany back on a shield once / And France in a plume. England, I suppose, / Kept coming back a long time as a letter.”
In the last line, the speaker mentions the oak leaves on Arthur’s casket. In the military, oak leaves are bestowed on holders of United States Army and Air Force decorations with each new awarding of that same decoration. This suggests that Arthur was a highly decorated officer, and most likely strongly mourned.
The poem is a closed poem because it has stanzas; however, there is no rhyme scheme, nor rhythm. The speaker’s tone is reflective, while also a bit melancholy. The poet seems a little bit distant, as though he is looking back, or “remembering” the day Arthur died.
The whole poem is one big metaphor. Arthur is compared to all of the United States, along with anyone who has ever died for The U.S.. Other countries, such as France, Germany, and England, are compared to an individual soldier, just like The United States of America are usually referred to as “Her”, or a single
The narrator stresses their fall by talking about “an urn maybe delivered by chariot.” He also speaks about the other countries involved in the war, and, just as he compared Arthur to all who died for the cause, he likens each country to one token returning from war. “You could bring Germany back on a shield once / And France in a plume. England, I suppose, / Kept coming back a long time as a letter.”
In the last line, the speaker mentions the oak leaves on Arthur’s casket. In the military, oak leaves are bestowed on holders of United States Army and Air Force decorations with each new awarding of that same decoration. This suggests that Arthur was a highly decorated officer, and most likely strongly mourned.
The poem is a closed poem because it has stanzas; however, there is no rhyme scheme, nor rhythm. The speaker’s tone is reflective, while also a bit melancholy. The poet seems a little bit distant, as though he is looking back, or “remembering” the day Arthur died.
The whole poem is one big metaphor. Arthur is compared to all of the United States, along with anyone who has ever died for The U.S.. Other countries, such as France, Germany, and England, are compared to an individual soldier, just like The United States of America are usually referred to as “Her”, or a single