General Introduction
MCMXIV is one of the most famous poems composed by Philip Larkin. The poem appeared in a poetic collection known as The Whitsun Weddings in 1964. As evident from the title, the poem was written as a response to the chaotic destruction caused by the World War First (in England). The poem features soldiers, enlisting them to fight in the war without knowing its deadly consequences. Therefore, the prime subject of this poem is war.
Development of Situation
The poem begins on the poet focusing on a picture of soldiers who are enthusiastic to participate in war. Then time passes; shops are closed and children in mourning dress play. The countryside keeps growing its lush grass and fields with "restless silence". The poet, then pictures the horror of the war in the form of the deaths of husbands and garden workers. The poet cries out,
Never such innocence again!
Themes
The first notable theme of this poem is the simplicity of the soldiers' enthusiasm. But it was a blind one. Perhaps they had no idea what horror was in store for them. Almost 886,000 of them were killed in England alone. The war, as Sir Nasir puts it, had reached out to their homes, kitchens and wardrobes. Their blind enthusiasm resulted in many of their families fatherless, as is asserted here,
And dark-clothed children at play
The other theme of this poem is the loss of innocence once humanity had. Humanity had never seen aeroplanes dropping bombs, lands filled up with blistering mines, mortar shells and other chaotic accessories of the deadliest side of human nature. It had shaken the morality of the people. People could fight like animals for a piece of bread. The soldiers who were somehow saved from getting killed had either lost their senses or were addicted to alcohol. Before the war, the wheel of life was running with its own version of cynical innocence. But the atmosphere was much peaceful as compared to what turmoil people experienced after the war. Therefore, the poet indirectly asserts that the innocence had been lost in a pub.
Figurative Analysis
The poem contains a number of literary and figurative devices which beautify the internal meaning of the poem. "Uneven lines" is a metaphor used to describe the participants enlisting themselves for the war. While "the crown of hats" is an example of Synecdoche in which a part of the soldiers is used to describe the whole of them. The poet has also utilized juxtaposition. It is a technique in which two contrasting situations are weighed. For instance, the soldiers in the picture are happy to do something for their country but in reality, they are enlisting themselves for a cruel death. While "Never such innocence" is a refrain signifying that the people shall not be able to reclaim the level of innocence which was present before World War First.
Setting and Imagery
The poem takes place in the nomination area where soldiers are ready to participate in the war. In later stanzas, the setting transitions into a countryside and then the whole England. The images used in this poem are bleak and remind us of one of the catastrophic brutalities caused by humans against the humans. The images may include like, "long uneven lines", "The crowns of hats", "the shut shops", "dark-clothed children at play", "the pubs/Wide open all day", "With tiny rooms in huge houses" and "The dust behind limousines".
Structural Analysis
This poem is made of thirty-two lines. It is further divided into four stanzas of eight lines, thus forming four octaves (1 octave = 8 lines). There is no specific rhyme scheme. The diction of this poem is formal.
Conclusion
1914 is a poem that not only gives rather an indepth view on the motive behind people's participation in the war but also its sordid consequences which almost swept England away.
