Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Redeployment," Howard Nemerov crafts a haunting reflection on the lingering horrors and psychological trauma of war, despite the official end of hostilities. Through visceral and unsettling imagery, Nemerov captures the pervasive and enduring impact of conflict on both the physical environment and the human psyche.

The poem opens with a stark declaration: "They say the war is over." This line sets the tone of disbelief and skepticism that permeates the poem, suggesting that the reality of post-war life contradicts the notion of peace. The image of "bloody water from the taps" immediately conveys a sense of ongoing violence and contamination, implying that the aftermath of war continues to seep into everyday life.

Nemerov introduces a disturbing scene involving a pet cat: "my pet cat / In his disorder vomits worms which crawl / Swiftly away." The cat's sickness and the sight of blood-flecked worms evoke a visceral reaction, symbolizing the physical and moral corruption left in the wake of war. The worms' rapid escape hints at an uncontrollable spread of decay and disorder, underscoring the idea that the remnants of war cannot be easily contained or eradicated.

The poem shifts to a grotesque memento kept by a man: "A soldier's dead blue eyeballs that he found / Somewhere—hard as chalk, and blue as slate." This macabre keepsake serves as a chilling reminder of the war's brutality. The man's habit of clicking the eyeballs in his pocket while he talks suggests a casual, almost indifferent attitude toward the horrors he has witnessed, highlighting the desensitization and psychological scars borne by survivors.

Nemerov then describes an infestation of cockroaches: "They get slightly drunk on DDT, / Are fast, hard, shifty—can be drowned but not / Without you hold them under quite some time." The cockroaches, resilient and pervasive, symbolize the persistent and hard-to-eradicate consequences of war. The reference to "Mexican kind can fly" adds an element of the exotic and unpredictable, suggesting that the repercussions of war can take unexpected and uncontrollable forms.

The speaker's personal reaction to the end of the war is marked by a sense of detachment and futile attempts at cleanliness: "I took it quietly / Enough. I tried to wash the dirt out of / My hair and from under my fingernails." These actions symbolize an effort to cleanse oneself of the war's grime and moral filth, yet the lingering dust "falling between the walls" implies that true purification is impossible. The speaker's attempt to return to normalcy by dressing in "clean white clothes" and going to bed underscores the contrast between the desire for peace and the persistent presence of war's aftermath.

"Redeployment" by Howard Nemerov powerfully conveys the idea that the end of war does not equate to the end of its effects. Through a series of vivid and unsettling images, the poem explores the ongoing physical and psychological contamination left behind. Nemerov's use of stark, sensory language and disturbing metaphors invites readers to reflect on the deep and lasting impact of conflict, challenging the notion that peace can be easily restored once the fighting stops. The poem captures the haunting reality that war's residues linger in both the environment and the minds of those who have lived through it, creating a world where the boundaries between peace and conflict remain blurred.

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