Channel Firing

Thomas Hardy

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1914

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Symbols & Motifs

Imagery of Death

There are many examples of death imagery and symbols related to death throughout the text, including “coffins” (Line 2), “Judgment-day” (4), “mounds” (Line 8), and “red war yet redder” (14). The dead, who lie in their coffins unable to rest in peace, narrate the poem. The idea of Judgment Day, Hell, and the blowing of the trumpets all act as reminders of the inevitable fate of the living. The not-so-subtle imagery of death sets a bleak and dire tone for the poem, and emphasizes the gravity of war and the situation these nations face. Hardy’s inclusion of so many references to death underscores the terrifying reality of death and acts as a reminder to the living about how precious life is; however, the poem is under no illusion that such an idea will ever matter to nations at war.

Camelot and Stonehenge

The references and inclusion of the allusions to literature and history makes a very strong statement about the insidiousness of war. The final stanza demonstrates the ways in which the effects of war can be felt throughout all of history, fictional or real, ancient or modern: “And Camelot, and starlit Stonehenge” (Line 36). Camelot is a fictional castle and court ruled over by the legendary King Arthur, and represents a fantastical kingdom of knights and princesses. However, the blast of the guns reaching this mythical place represents the intensity of the explosions, and that escaping into a fantasy cannot protect someone from the ensuing chaos of war. The reference to a starlit Stonehenge demonstrates the way the blast of the guns also seems to reach back through history, working to define humanity by its many wars and conflicts, all while under the same stars as the people who built that ancient monolith. There is no escapism when it comes to the doom of war, neither through history nor fantasy.

Animals

In the beginning of the poem, the narrator notes the way that many creatures react to the thunderous noise of the guns. A mouse drops its crumb, hounds howl, worms dig deeper into the earth, and a cow drools in a field. These animals face an unjustified fate similar to innocent civilians amidst the chaos of war. Like the dead and the living, the animals too are bystanders and helpless to prevent or mitigate the destruction of war. Hardy ensures that readers understand that not even the little mouse sniffing for crumbs on the church floor can remain free from the effects of war. The poem’s inclusion of animals, and the fear with which they are described, helps convey the responsibility mankind bears for the wars in which it continues to engage. Not only are they threatening the lives of humans, they are—powered by ever-improving technology—threatening the existence of the natural world, too.