Victor

Explicit meaning: an individual is brought up according to a strict

moral/Christian code and then suffers infidelity at the hands of his wife
Implicit: a narrative about how early formative experiences shape our
future actions; Victor is indoctrinated as a child and this skews his
perspective of other people and morality

As I Walked Out

Explicit meaning: the speaker goes for a walk and hears a lover singing
promises of eternal love
Implicit: futility of hoping that anything can outstrip Time
Ballad form is ironic because there is no one authoritative voice; rather,
there are 3 voices contradicting each other
o Different language choices for different voices
Repetition of Time and how it can deceive
Sibilance of lovers voice shows naivety and contrasts the cacophony of
the clocks
Use of hyperbole and the fairy-tale imagery combine to mock the nave
promises or hopes of the lover.

O What Is That Sound

Explicit: two people having a conversation about a sound

Implicit: conflict can destroy relationships in an unstable time/place
Ballad form is ideal for the Q/A format, which makes the poem seem
simple upon first reading
However, the language and imagery get more sinister as we read on; we
learn more about what the danger is and start to focus on why
Voices are ironic because they appear light (dear and only) but they
indicate grave danger
The language further indicates the gravity of the situation as the soldiers
footsteps tread from lightly to heavy
The movement and energy of the poem change in the 7 th stanza: as the
soldiers footsteps become heavier the pace quickens and the danger
becomes more pronounced
Structurally, the narrative of the poem is divided into 3 sections (1 st casual
and confident; 2nd betrays the doubt perhaps and the 3rd shows the panic
and the abandonment of the
Lack of distance between reader and narrative voice as the poem
progresses
Language relates to military word, implying a threat or danger
The repetition of the word O suggests anxiety/worry
Final stanza the o becomes a lamenting sound

Musee des Beaux Arts

Explicit: the persona is viewing Old Masters paintings

Implicit: the indifference felt by people towards profound events and
suffering
Voice: 3rd person. Monotonous. The tone reflects the subject matter (i.e.
indifference/detachment)
o Tone is objective, rather than monotonous? Emotion is separated
from experience
o Emphasis is placed on the mundane nature of everyday life
Irregular rhyme scheme is ironic because it doesnt reflect the consistent
experience that the speaker is describing
The free verse is reflective of the dissonant nature of human experience
o metre is also inconsistent: begins with pentameter (traditional) but
soon unravels and becomes inconsistent
Auden positions the analysis before context
Language: anyhow accentuates the dismissive tone or detachment
The word innocent reflects the nature of ignorance and the fact that part
of human experience will always be cut off from one.
o Auden is again foregrounding the insignificant
Icarus as a symbol
Description of Icarus is monosyllabic attention drawn away from the
figure

James Honeyman

Explicit: story of a socially obscure figure who ends up dying from his own
creation
Implicit: the dangers of social isolation/alienation
Almost a cautionary tale to warn about isolation
Voice: detached, omniscient speaker (common to ballad form)
o However, objective voice gives us intimate details of Hs life
o Honeyman is contrary to the hero figure

Contrast between positive imagery and subject matter

Concluding wish shows emotion, which is absent elsewhere
Two contrasting voices at the end: cautionary
Conclusion as a desire to escape responsibility or culpability
Contrast between industry and rural/natural

1st September 1939

Explicit: description of a scene in a war when war breaks out

Implicit: the indifference of peoples attitudes contrasted to the poets

desire to use his voice to get involved