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Aims: To study our second poem ‘The Horses’ by the Scottish poet Edwin Muir.
Relevant Background
Edwin Muir 1887-1959Edwin Muir was born on the remote Orkney Islands to the north of Scotland in 1887.
His father was a tenant farmer but he lost his land when Muir was fourteen.
Muir and his family moved to Glasgow in 1901, where he remained for 18 years. The family lived in a poor part of the city.
Relevant Background
Edwin Muir 1887-1959The poem ‘The Horses’ describes a future way of life that will be like the simple farming life of the past.
This way of life will take man back to the ways of the Garden of Eden. No technology, no industry and no pollution.
Man will be close to nature and animals
Relevant Background
Edwin Muir 1887-1959In Glasgow his father, mother and two brothers all died in the space of a few years.
This terrible experience and the poverty of the city led him to long for a more simple way of life.
Muir was born in Deerness, where his mother was also born, at Haco, remembered in his autobiography as "Haco". In 1901, when he was 14, his father lost his farm, and the family moved to Glasgow. In quick succession his father, two brothers, and his mother died within the space of a few years. His life as a young man was a depressing experience, and involved a raft of unpleasant jobs in factories and offices, including working in a factory that turned bones into charcoal."He suffered psychologically in a most destructive way, although perhaps the poet of later years benefitted from these experiences as much as from his Orkney 'Eden
‘The Horses’ addresses this longing within Muir to live in a more simple time. Muir fears the fact that the world has become overly reliant on technology and that it has lost its sense of community as a result.
For Muir, the Industrial Revolution left Scotland badly scarred. For him, the industrial powerhouse of Glasgow was the complete contrast to his Orcadian ideal.
‘The Horses’ must also be read with an acute awareness of the politics of the period.
Published in 1956, the poem came during the ideological conflict between east and west in the form of The Cold War.
Despite the apparent stand off between The Soviet Union and The USA, the threat of nuclear war was never far from people’s minds.
Muir’s poem attempts to address these fears and paints a harrowing portrait of a hypothetical post apocalyptic world.
The former leader of the USSR, Nikita Khrushchev once stated:
'In the next war the survivors will envy the dead.'
The following slides will take you through the poem and identify some of the key elements that you may wish to discuss in a critical essay.
Task 1:
From memory, annotate as much of the poem as you can remember. We will then go over it in a little more detail.
‘The Horses’ by Edwin Muir
Barely a twelvemonth after
The seven days war that put the world to sleep,
A year
A very short conflict. Just seven days. Reflects the creation story and the fact that it took God just seven days to create the world while it took man just seven days to destroy it. This is the beginning of religious imagery that is maintained throughout the poem.
A euphemism is used here to soften the reality of what is being said. This statement hides the fact that the world as we know it has been destroyed and that many millions of people have lost their lives.
Late in the evening the strange horses came.
By then we had made our covenant with silence,
The use of the word strange here shows that these horses are mysterious and unusual. It adds a slightly sinister side to them and it is unclear if they are to be feared or not.
A word which means ‘an agreement’. It is often used in a religious context to describe someone who has made an agreement or a promise with God.
But in the first few days it was so still
We listened to our breathing and were afraid.
This reflects the change in the world since the war. The once vibrant and active place has become ‘still’.
This is a very important line as it reveals how shaken the survivors of the war and just how vulnerable they have become. To be afraid of your own breathing is to be afraid of the most natural thing. It means to be afraid of life itself.
On the second dayThe radios failed; we turned the knobs; no answer.
On the third day a warship passed us, heading north,
Dead bodies piled on the deck. On the sixth day
A plane plunged over us into the sea. Thereafter
Again the structure here reflects the Bible and the story of Creation from the book of Genesis.
This entire section of the poem reveals further examples of how the world has changed and how technology has failed. The war ship piled with dead bodies reveals how vulnerable the survivors are. There is nobody left to protect them.
For the radios to fail is a significant event. Radios are the main source of communication and are famously used to declare war. This is the first example of the technology that the old world so relied on failing.
Nothing. The radios dumb;
And still they stand in corners of our kitchens,
And stand, perhaps, turned on, in a million rooms
All over the world. But now if they should speak,
Here Muir reveals that not only has technology such as the radio failed, but that it has now become a sinister and threatening presence. Muir uses Personification to reveal that they are now a threat to the survivors. A sinister presence in the corners, ready to come alive again.
If on a sudden they should speak again,
If on the stroke of noon a voice should speak,
We would not listen, we would not let it bring
Continued personification of the radios suggesting that they may come to life once again.
The repetition of ‘we would not’ reveals a defiant and determined tone from the survivors. They will not allow themselves to return to the way the world once was.
That old bad world that swallowed its children quick
At one great gulp. We would not have it again.
Sometimes we think of the nations lying asleep,
Personification of the world as a monster. The idea of it swallowing its children refers to the entire human race. We are all children of the world and here Muir implies that the old world treated us badly and damaged us all
The sense that the world will destroy us in ‘one great gulp’ reveals that it was merciless and like a monster attacking at us.
Curled blindly in impenetrable sorrow,
And then the thought confounds us with its strangeness.
The tractors lie about our fields; at evening
They look like dank sea-monsters couched and waiting.
We leave them where they are and let them rust:
The discussion of the tractors continues the theme of suspicion of technology and the sense that the technology that we have come to rely on is now something to fear. The simile ‘like dank sea monsters’ compares the tractors to huge threatening creatures and reveals a fear that now exists. The decision to ‘let them rust’ reflects the determination of the survivors to move on from the old world and its reliance on technology.
'They'll molder away and be like other loam.'
We make our oxen drag our rusty plows,
Long laid aside. We have gone back
Far past our fathers' land.
Here this determination to move on from the ways and values of the old world are reinforced by the decision of the survivors to return to more basic and manual tools.
By getting out the ‘rusty’ ploughs, it shows that they are leaving technology of the modern world behind. They are returning to the methods and values of previous generations.
And then, that evening
Late in the summer the strange horses came.
We heard a distant tapping on the road,
This is the major turning point of the poem as it is where the horses arrive and attempt to rescue the survivors and restore their faith and belief.
The line ‘late in the evening…’ is repeated from the first stanza and reflects the sense that the horses may be dangerous. This is also sound in the rather threatening sound of the ‘tapping on the road’.
That old bad world that swallowed its children quick
At one great gulp. We would not have it again.
Sometimes we think of the nations lying asleep,
Personification of the world as a monster. The idea of it swallowing its children refers to the entire human race. We are all children of the world and here Muir implies that the old world treated us badly and damaged us all
The sense that the world will destroy us in ‘one great gulp’ reveals that it was merciless and like a monster attacking at us.
Curled blindly in impenetrable sorrow,
And then the thought confounds us with its strangeness.
The tractors lie about our fields; at evening
They look like dank sea-monsters couched and waiting.
We leave them where they are and let them rust:
The use of the simile ‘like dank sea monsters’ sees Muir compare the tractors which the people once relied on being compared to dangerous sea creatures. Once again Muir reveals a sense that the technology of the world that people once relied on is being cast aside. By letting them rust he shows how the people now have a fear of the technology they once held in such high regard.
'They'll molder away and be like other loam.'
We make our oxen drag our rusty plows,
Long laid aside. We have gone back
Far past our fathers' land.
Here Muir explain that the survivors have been forced to turn their back on technology and use the technology that was once used by previous generations. This is a symbol of how the world is going back to the methods used in history in order to decure their own future.
And then, that evening
Late in the summer the strange horses came.
We heard a distant tapping on the road,
This section of the poem marks a clear turning point Here, Muir repeats the line used earlier in the poem ‘Late in the summer the strange horses came’ to move the poem forward to discuss the arrival of the horses.
It is unclear at this stage if the horses are a positive force or not. The words ‘distant tapping’ sounds almost threatening like an oncoming storm. The reader’s uncertain response is reflected by that of the survivors.
A deepening drumming; it stopped, went on again
And at the corner changed to hollow thunder.
Muir’s language continues to build the sense of threat and fear as the horses approach.
The alliteration of ‘distant drumming’ reflects the sound itself while the expression ‘hollow thunder’ suggests the force and the power of the horses as Muir compares the sound to a powerful weather event which is believed to be controlled by God. Thunder is often associated with anger.
We saw the heads
Like a wild wave charging and were afraid.
We had sold our horses in our fathers' time
To buy new tractors. Now they were strange to us
As fabulous steeds set on an ancient shield.
The simile ‘Like a wild wave charging’ helps to understand the force and power of the soldiers as they approach like a powerful wave.
Muir also reminds us that man had previously abandoned the horses in favour of the technology of the tractor. Because of this, the horses are now ‘strange’ to us and we no longer know how to use them to our advantage.
Or illustrations in a book of knights.
We did not dare go near them. Yet they waited,
Stubborn and shy, as if they had been sent
By an old command to find our whereabouts
Here Muir makes a clear connection between the arrival of the horses and God. The horses have been sent to help the survivors to rebuild. They have been sent by God to repair his broken world.
This section refers to the idea that the horses are there like the heroes of a fairy tale. In such stories the knight will arrive on a horse to save those in need. In the same way, the horses have arrived to save the survivors.
And that long-lost archaic companionship.
In the first moment we had never a thought
That they were creatures to be owned and used.
Here Muir shows how much man has changed because of the war. In the past the natural order of things would have shown clearly that the horses were there to save man. Now however, the survivors were not sure about this.
Among them were some half a dozen colts
Dropped in some wilderness of the broken world,
Yet new as if they had come from their own Eden.
By referring to the horses as coming from their own ‘Eden’, Muir returns to the religious imagery used earlier. Here he is suggesting that the horses have been sent by God to help the survivors. The use of the word Eden refers to the Garden of Eden often referred to as Paradise. The horses are here to help create a new Eden by helping to fix this broken world.
The expression ‘broken world’ is significant. The world has indeed suffered as a result of the war, but the word choice of ‘broken’ suggests that it could be fixed. It is not beyond repair and the world does have a future.
Since then they have pulled our plows and borne our loads
But that free servitude still can pierce our hearts.
Our life is changed; their coming our beginning.
Here there is a note of hope and optimism. The poet admits that life is now very different after the war, but he suggests that the arrival of the horses and the help they give has brought a new sense of meaning and life to the survivors. Their arrival marks a chance to start again and to build a better world. The survivors are defiant and will learn from their previous mistakes.
Here Muir reveals how the horses helped to improve the lives of the survivors of the war. They helped them to rebuild their lives and gave them a hope and a vision for their future.
Now what?
You must now put this knowledge into practice by looking at recent SQA essay questions as well as questions from the SQA Practice paper books.
When you look at these questions, you must consider the structure of your essay and what you intend to say.
Look at the question carefully. Can you answer it fully?
Here is an example question which we shall work through. I have deliberately picked a question that may not seem like an obvious choice.
Choose a poem which communicates the experiences of war.
By close analysis of the language and poetic techniques, show how this has been achieved.
Here is an example question which we shall work through. I have deliberately picked a question that may not seem like an obvious choice.
Choose a poem which communicates the experiences of war.
By close analysis of the language and poetic techniques, show how this has been achieved.
Choose a poem which communicates the experiences of war.
By close analysis of the language and poetic techniques, show how this has been achieved.
Now you need to consider how you will structure your response. Obviously you will be looking at the events of the ‘seven days war’ and the way that it has affected the world and those that have survived. However, you must consider how you are going to structure your response.
•The description of the war (religious imagery and euphemistic language)•The threat of the old world. (Personification of the radios/ tractors)•Defiance of the survivors. (will not allow the old bad world to return)•Turning point and the arrival of the horses. (sense of threat etc)•Hope for the future and a sense that a new world will be a better world.
You must consider how you will structure your introduction and summary paragraphs. Remember to use TART and ReBOOT to help you.
Introduction‘The Horses’ by Edwin Muir is a poem in which the poet communicates the experiences of war and how it impacts on the world. The poem describes the aftermath of hypothetical conflict in which the structures and values of the modern world are destroyed. Through his effective use of poetic techniques, Muir explains how the survivors learn to adapt to the circumstances of their new reality.
Choose a poem which communicates the experiences of war.
By close analysis of the language and poetic techniques, show how this has been achieved.
Choose a poem which communicates the experiences of war.
By close analysis of the language and poetic techniques, show how this has been achieved.
Now each of these areas could form the basis of a PCQE paragraph for your essay- however you must be clear in your mind how you would expand these. Take them one at a time and think about what you would say.
•The description of the war (religious imagery and euphemistic language)•The threat of the old world. (Personification of the radios/ tractors)•Defiance of the survivors. (will not allow the old bad world to return)•Turning point and the arrival of the horses. (sense of threat etc)•Hope for the future and a sense that a new world will be a better world.
Choose a poem which communicates the experiences of war.
By close analysis of the language and poetic techniques, show how this has been achieved.
1. The description of the warIn this opening section of your analysis you must identify what is revealed to the reader about the war and the language that Muir uses to describe it. The most important thing here is Muir’s use of religious imagery and the way in which he uses the story of creation (albeit in a very different way). Here Muir is trying to show that man got too powerful. Just as God created the world in seven days, the ‘sevendays war that put the world to sleep’ reveals that it took man just seven days to destroy it.
The language of ‘put the world to sleep’ is also very important as it is an example of euphemistic language and hides the true horror of the conflict and the true horror of what the statement actually means.
You could finish your analysis by looking at the fear of the survivors and the impact that the war seems to have had on them.
Choose a poem which communicates the experiences of war.
By close analysis of the language and poetic techniques, show how this has been achieved.
1. The description of the warQuotes to use for this section:
‘Barely a twelvemonth afterThe seven days war that put the world to sleep’
‘We listened to our breathing and were afraid.’
Choose a poem which communicates the experiences of war.
By close analysis of the language and poetic techniques, show how this has been achieved.
2. The threat of the old world.Here you will make a link to your earlier description of how the war has left the survivors afraid by explaining that the technology of the old world now seems frightening and dangerous. You must make it clear that (given your question), this fear has come as a result of the war!
You should begin by describing the personification of the radios and explaining that the technology that we once took for granted has become a threat in the lives of the survivors. The sense that they could come to life at any moment is chilling and Muir effectively reveals the survivors suspicion of this technology.
You could also look at the threat of the tractors and how Muir uses the simile ‘like dank sea monsters’ to describe them. This is another example of modern technology being abandoned and feared.
Choose a poem which communicates the experiences of war.
By close analysis of the language and poetic techniques, show how this has been achieved.
2. The threat of the old world.Quotes to use for this section:
On the second dayThe radios failed; we turned the knobs; no answer.
On the third day a warship passed us, heading north,Dead bodies piled on the deck. On the sixth dayA plane plunged over us into the sea.
And still they stand in corners of our kitchens,And stand, perhaps, turned on, in a million roomsAll over the world. But now if they should speak,If on a sudden they should speak again,If on the stroke of noon a voice should speak,
Choose a poem which communicates the experiences of war.
By close analysis of the language and poetic techniques, show how this has been achieved.
3. Defiance of the SurvivorsThis could be quite a brief section as you are attempting to show that the survivors refuse to allow themselves to fall in to the traps and failings of the old world again. You must explain the tone of defiance and their determination that they will not allow themselves to be brought back into the evils of the old world which led to the destructive war.
Quotes to use for this section
We would not listen, we would not let it bringThat old bad world that swallowed its children quickAt one great gulp. We would not have it again.
Choose a poem which communicates the experiences of war.
By close analysis of the language and poetic techniques, show how this has been achieved.
4. Turning Point and the arrival of the horses.Here you should comment on the structure of the poem and how the arrival of the horses themselves marks a clear turning point in the narrative structure of the poem
The significance of the arrival of the horses is the ambiguous nature of their intentions at this point. Muir’s language implies that the horses are to be feared and that they may represent a threat to the survivors. This reaction shows how much the war has destroyed to confidence and the instincts of the survivors and left them incredibly vulnerable and afraid.
Choose a poem which communicates the experiences of war.
By close analysis of the language and poetic techniques, show how this has been achieved.
3. Turning Point and the arrival of the horsesQuotes to use for this section:
And then, that eveningLate in the summer the strange horses came.We heard a distant tapping on the road,A deepening drumming; it stopped, went on againAnd at the corner changed to hollow thunder.We saw the headsLike a wild wave charging and were afraid.
We had sold our horses in our fathers' timeTo buy new tractors. Now they were strange to us
Choose a poem which communicates the experiences of war.
By close analysis of the language and poetic techniques, show how this has been achieved.
5. Hope for the future and the sense that the old world will be a better world. Here you should comment on the sense that the new world that has been brought about because of the war may in fact be a better world. The war is an opportunity for a fresh start for the world and a chance to learn from past mistakes.
In order to move forward however, the survivors must accept the service of the horses. It becomes clear that the horses have been sent by God in an attempt to recreate their own Eden. This is an opportunity to create a new world.
Comment on the idea that the horses have been sent to fix the broken world.
Choose a poem which communicates the experiences of war.
By close analysis of the language and poetic techniques, show how this has been achieved.
3. Turning Point and the arrival of the horsesQuotes to use for this section:
Stubborn and shy, as if they had been sentBy an old command to find our whereabouts
Dropped in some wilderness of the broken world,Yet new as if they had come from their own Eden.
Our life is changed; their coming our beginning.
Choose a poem in which the structure of the poem is essential to the effects created.
Explain the ways in which the structure of the poem has made it successful to you.
Choose a poem which explores ideas of loneliness or separation.
Show how the poet’s use of techniques helps to captivate your interest as he or she explores the ideas.
Choose a poem which communicates the experience of loss.
Show how the poet communicates the experience in a way you found meaningful
