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tuxidos
tuxidos
Student
High School - 9th Grade

What takes place in the poem, "This is the Dark Time, My Love" by Martin Carter?

What is the effect of the repeated reference to 'my love' in the poem?

 

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Posted by tuxidos on Monday November 2, 2009 at 8:53 PM and tagged with literature, poem, poetry, red flowers, war.

Answers:

  1. ophelious
    ophelious Teacher
    Vocational

    eNotes Editor

    Let's begin by taking the poem piece by piece in order to figure out what it means:

    "This is the Dark Time, My Love" --we can learn a lot by looking at the titles to poems.  "Dark Time" has the implication of danger, or trouble.  "My love" lets us know that the poem is addressing someone.

    This is the dark time, my love, 
    All round the land brown beetles crawl about 
    The shining sun is hidden in the sky 
    Red flowers bend their heads in awful sorrow 

    --Okay, the narrator is addressing someone he (or she) loves, letting that person know that times are difficult.  The images given are probably not meant to be taken literally.  Brown Beetles crawling about (could be a reference to crop eating bugs...symbolic of destruction) and the sun his hidden in the sky (the sun being a sign of light and hope, its being hidden can imply that evil or danger is at hand.)  Lastly, the red flowers bend their heads toward the ground (another sign of sadness, of despair.)

    This is the dark time, my love, 
    It is the season of oppression, dark metal, and tears. 
    It is the festival of guns, the carnival of misery 
    Everywhere the faces of men are strained and anxious

    --Here the phrase is repeated about "dark time, my love."  This is probably done for rhythmic appeal and to reinforce the idea that the narrator is speaking to someone in particular. The second line alludes to great hostility, with being "oppressed."  "Dark metal" probably is a reference to weaponry, and tears, well, you know what they are.  Line four contrasts "festival" with "guns" and "carnival" with "misery."  These comparisons are the opposite of what most people would think of when thinking about a carnival or festival.  That's what makes them stand out.  The last line shows the strain that the times are putting on people.

    Who comes walking in the dark night time? 
    Whose boot of steel tramps down the slender grass 
    It is the man of death, my love, the stranger invader 
    Watching you sleep and aiming at your dream.

    --These references seem to be military in nature...the idea that some invading army is approaching.  Steel boots could be a reference to armor, or steel reinforced ones.  Notice the way they trample the grass, another thing symbolic of (like the beetles) something natural and good being destroyed by something alien and unnatural.  "Watching you sleep and aiming at your dreams."  Again, another military-style image, as in taking aim with a weapon.  The narrator appears to be describing the way that the invader is destroying the person's chances at happiness and a normal life. Hope this helps!

     

    Sources:
    http://www.poemhunter.com/best-poems/martin-carter/this-i...

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    Posted by ophelious on Monday November 2, 2009 at 9:10 PM

  2. tuxidos
    tuxidos Student
    High School - 9th Grade

    i need the answer for the effect of repeat reference to my love in poem

     

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    Posted by tuxidos on Tuesday November 3, 2009 at 6:26 PM