B 1

I agree that Mahon’s evocative imagery conveys thematic concerns that are haunted by suggestions of darkness and anxiety.

The poem that struck me as being particularly dark and evocative was ‘Day Trip to Donegal’. It may begin as a simple narrative describing a day trip to Donegal but the tone of the poem quickly turns to something quite nightmarish. The anxiety and darkness of the poem is foreshadowed by the ‘grave/ grey of the sea’. We are drawn to the alliterative ‘g’ sounds and think about the grey as a form of pathetic fallacy, suggesting some form of fear or anxiety. The imagery of the second stanza is evocative as it brings powerful images to mind as the anthropomorphic fish flop ‘in attitudes of agony and heartbreak’. Mahon is detailing a relationship between himself and the natural world, yet it is underpinned by dark images and suggestions of anxiety.

This deep sense of anxiety is clearly accentuated in the final two stanzas. Through his evocative imagery, Mahon invites us into a terrifying world of the subconscious. The ocean is described as eroding his mental defences as it might erode the wall of a harbour. The power of nature is seen as potent and harrowing. The lines are greatly aided by his constant use of alliteration and sibilance as the ‘slow sea washed’. These mental erosions eventually come ‘spilling into the skull’. The sibilant phrasing is jarring as we think of his mental defences crashing down in a painful rush of emotion. In the last stanza the seascape takes on a more frightening aspect. It now symbolises his sense of alienation. He feels lost and adrift on the ocean, ‘At dawn I was alone far out at sea’. There is no help to be found; he is alienated and alone. Mahon presents nature as a threatening force that can consume us. He is making a vivid and provocative parallel to our subconscious mind. We can be consumed by our own anxieties just as nature can consume and destroy. The poem is a clear illumination of his darkest fears and anxieties.

‘I am just going outside and may be some time’ were the famous last words uttered by Capt. Oates, Antarctic explorer, as he left his team, sacrificing himself to the elements so that the others may have a better chance of survival. In the poem ‘Antarctica’, Mahon adopts the persona of this tragic figure. To an older generation these words became a symbol of bravery. They were held up as examples to imperial school children, a paradigm of the stoic attitude they should all exhibit. Mahon, writing in a more cynical and modern era, recognises the sublime nature of the act but also sees the words as slightly ridiculous. In our world such acts of heroism are often rare and when they do occur, they are often suspect. Mahon’s evocative imagery is not only haunting but he deals with the provocative idea of self-sacrifice. He even risks ridicule by asking could it be viewed as a crime.

His imagery is haunting and dark. The hero ‘goading his ghost into the howling snow’ is aware that he is already dead. The alliterative ‘g’ sounds and the personified onomatopoeic ‘howling’ accentuate the strength and power of Mahon’s imagery. It is clear in our minds that this is an act of sacrifice. Their meagre defence against the weather, a tent, disappears beneath a ‘crust of rime’. The dark, haunting imagery bites home as the body gives in to vertigo and frostbite, a painful and cruel way to die. Mahon explores the haunting image of Oates’ decision in a provocative manner that accentuates our own anxieties and sense of horror.

Mahon develops his dark and haunting theme as he proceeds to acknowledge the selfless heroism of Oates’ deed. He is depicted nobly in images of suffering and endurance. He goes on to confirm that he is a ‘Solitary enzyme’, an unchanging, eternal example to all. He leaves the ‘earthly pantomime’ with dignity knowing that his sacrifice is just and worthy. The refrain asserts his heroic action as a tribute, negating the sense of the ridiculous. Oates’ deed is like a light or shining enzyme breaking through in a world of dark anxiety.

Another poem that contains haunting and evocative imagery that is indicative of darkness and anxiety is the dramatic monologue, ‘After the Titanic’. Mahon attempts to enter the mind of Ismay, chairman of the White Star Line and one of the few male survivors of the Titanic. Mahon presents Ismay as a victim of the disaster. Even though he survived the fatal night, he wants it to be known that a part of him died that night. What survived is now haunted by memory and the pointing figures of those who felt he should have died that night. The ‘They’ of the opening lines are those who would judge him for his actions. He was ‘humbled’ due to his desire to survive. I think this imagery is strong and evocative as most of us would see this as a normal human instinct. Mahon deals with the theme of survival instinct in a strong manner. It is also provocative as one is left thinking why should he feel guilt over his survival. There was no law saying he should die and this was evident as he was cleared at the inquiry, so we wonder why his life was delineated by fear, darkness and anxiety.

He claims that he experienced the same horror as everyone else. He, like the others, sat shivering in the dark water. The list of objects that floated by are powerful images, representative of all the people that died. ‘Prams’ remind us that children died, ‘pianos’ represent the dead musicians and the ‘sideboards’ and ‘winches’ represent the many staff that died. The word ‘pandemonium’ accentuates the chaos and terror of the event. After the event, he lives his life in shame and guilt. He isolates himself from the accusing glances of the rest of the world. The sea acts as a constant reminder of the fatal night. When the wind blows on the sea, he attempts to numb the pain with cocaine. But even the drug cannot prevent his psychological pain at the loss of those he doomed in the locked steerage of the boat (the poor). The poem is a collection of evocative metaphors detailing the despair and anguish of a tormented soul. He has been made to pay for his survival and the poem ends with the idea that those suffering pain and anxiety need understanding and compassion, not hatred and judgement.

Overall, many of Mahon’s poems present evocative imagery, which conveys thematic concerns that are haunted by suggestions of darkness and anxiety.