Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Passages 25: Up Rising" by Robert Duncan is a fervent critique of American militarism and political ambition, conveyed through a dense tapestry of historical allusions and vivid imagery. Duncan positions Lyndon B. Johnson, the U.S. President during the Vietnam War, within a lineage of tyrannical figures like Hitler and Stalin, thereby framing his actions in terms of imperialistic aggression and moral decay. This poem is a scathing commentary on the dehumanizing effects of war and the manipulation of nationalistic fervor for personal and political gain.

The poem opens with a stark portrayal of Johnson ascending to join the "great simulacra of men," figures renowned not for their virtues but for their capacities for destruction and deceit. Duncan suggests that Johnson's fame is built on the suffering and manipulation of others, with "planes roaring out from Guam over Asia," symbolizing the relentless American military aggression during the Vietnam War. The phrase "all America become a sea of toiling men stirr'd at his will" underscores the idea of a nation mobilized for war, its efforts directed by the ambitions of a single leader.

Duncan's depiction of the military-industrial complex is particularly striking. He suggests that the military professionals thought they could control Johnson as they believed they could have controlled Hitler—a chilling reminder of the perilous underestimations that can lead to catastrophic outcomes. This comparison intensifies the poem's urgent warning about the dangers of unchecked power and the illusions of control.

The metaphor of the "Texas barbecue of Asia, Africa, and all the Americas" is a powerful and grotesque image that captures the destructive consumption and waste of war. Duncan accuses Johnson of treating foreign lands and peoples as mere commodities to be consumed in the pursuit of American interests, a theme that resonates with Duncan's broader critique of American imperialism.

The imagery intensifies as Duncan invokes D.H. Lawrence and William Blake, whose visions of America are fraught with violence and prophetic doom. The "ravening eagle of America" and the "figures of fire and blood raging" suggest a nation lost to its own destructive impulses, its actions marked by a profound disconnection from the value of life. The all-American boy in the cockpit, releasing napalm over the jungles, becomes a symbol of innocence corrupted, transformed into an agent of death and destruction.

Duncan's criticism extends beyond the immediate context of war to indict the broader American society and its foundational myths. He connects contemporary violence to historical atrocities, including the genocide of Native Americans and the exploitation of natural resources. This historical continuum suggests a nation haunted by its unresolved sins, its ethos permeated by a deep-seated hatred and fear of the other, whether that "other" is the lands of the old world or the potential paradise of the new world turned into a site of exploitation.

The poem concludes with a stark, apocalyptic vision of the "atomic stockpile" and the "vials of synthesized diseases," signifying the ultimate perversion of human ingenuity. In Duncan's view, these are not mere tools of war but manifestations of a deeper malaise—a collective hatred and fear that have been harnessed to create weapons too terrible for humanity to contemplate. The "black bile of old evils arisen anew" that now seems to animate Johnson reflects a broader societal and moral failure.

In "Passages 25: Up Rising," Duncan masterfully uses poetic language and historical reference to craft a powerful indictment of war, leadership, and the moral choices of a nation. His poem is a call to consciousness, urging readers to recognize and resist the forces of destruction and dehumanization that can arise even within the most democratic societies.

POEM TEXT: https://internationaltimes.it/uprising/

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