Question

How does the use of personification and imagery contribute to the poet’s tone? Use at least two pieces of evidence in your response.
The War Works Hard:

How magnificent the
war is!

How eager and
efficient!

Early in the morning
it wakes up the sirens
and dispatches ambulances
to various places
swings corpses through the air
rolls stretchers to the wounded
summons rain from the eyes of mothers.
It produces the most questions
in the minds of children
and urges families to emigrate.

The war continues working, day and night.

It inspires tyrants

to deliver long speeches

awards medals to generals

and themes to poets.

It contributes to the industry

of artificial limbs

provides food for flies

adds pages to the history books

achieves equality

between killer and killed

teaches lovers to write letters

accustoms young women to waiting

fills the newspapers

with articles and pictures

builds new houses

for the orphans

invigorates the coffin makers

gives grave diggers

a pat on the back

and paints a smile on the leader’s face

It work’s with unparalleled diligence!

Yet no one gives it

a word of praise.

Answer 1

The personification and imagery allows the poet to clearly describe the scene and (possibly) his thoughts on the war. It also can emphasise the poet’s irony. For example ‘swings corpses through the air’, no one would throw corpses through the air. But this clearly images the idea and ‘concept’ of what war does. Another piece of irony is ‘yet no one gives it a word of praise’ referring to no one praising war, it’s ironic because if this was a person, he/she would be treated differently. But since this is war, the concept of it is different, therefor different response. By using personification, this shows the contrast between living and dead/ solid etc.