Lesser
Shadows – Robert Priest
The
link for the text of the poem is given below:
ANALYSIS
The
poem is a reflection of the assassination of the 35th
U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1963. An assassin is a
murderer of an important person in a surprise attack for political or
religious reasons. The poem is a description of how the assassins
operate and kill. Their actions are being described along with the
surrounding environment to create the ambiance of stealth, suspense
and terror. These assassins are like robotic killer machines, devoid
of all emotions. 'The buildings wait for the assassins' is a
transferred epithet, giving the impression that buildings are
personified. The feeling being generated through words is that
something insidious is about to take place, there is a sinister
feeling about the way the assassins position themselves. The very
first line of the poem is a foreshadowing of what is about to happen,
it sets the mood of the poem. Imagery is very visual and graphic in
nature, it helps to create intensity. Something is about to happen
which will have a long-lasting effect. Mystery and suspicion continue
to grow as the poem progresses. The questions that arise in the mind
of the reader are that who is the one preparing the shadows for this
task? Who wants someone killed?
The
movement of the assassins is described in terms of fluidity and
stealth, comparing them to dark sheets that flow soundlessly and
easily. The number of assassins is not given definitively but the
word 'many' is used repeatedly to create the sense of a large number
of men with rifles. This also reveals that the person set as the
target is a high-profile, influential person since a great number of
assassins are sent to make sure the job is done properly. The
magnitude of the task is exaggerated through the description of the
numerous hideouts of the assassins. They are everywhere. 'There are
assassins crouched/in the shadows of assassins.'
They
are all tensed as this is not an ordinary killing. They
are motivated
by some sort of personal or political agenda. The
plan for the killing has been laid out carefully. These men have lost
all scruples to such an extend that they border sociopathic
behaviour. They jostle around and push one another because each of
them wants to be the one who lodges the first bullet in the target's
body. The word assassin itself is an example of sibilance and creates
a snake-like sound, generating the image of a deadly snake slithering
the way the assassins move in the shadows undetected. They are no
different than Satan who came as a serpent. These men plot, scheme
and manipulate like Satan against mankind. It is also important to
note that the great numerical value of the assassins makes it harder
to tell who is friend or foe of the target. Are the men his
bodyguards or killers for hire? It's hard to tell.
The
climax of the poem comes where the 'triggers click' and the president
dies. Not only the profession of the target is revealed (who turns
out to be the most powerful man of any country), but the way he is
killed is given a wildly grotesque shape. 'A thousand bullets meet/
inside a single head/ the skull explodes'. The president is a man who
holds the most important office. He is the “head of the state”,
and he is the brain of the country. The act of his head exploding is
a metaphor for the dual meaning of the word head. Those who witness
the killing are dazed by the sight and they run with their mouths
hanging open from sheer shock of the sight. What has happened is
unbelievable.
The
shadows that are the assassins file out as quietly as they came. Like
dark sheets slipping underneath doors they slip away unnoticed. They
have no identity and no definite form, it is almost as if they melt
into one another. They cannot be distinguished from one another. They
are all the same. They leave the place as soon as the job is done.
The country America itself is being accused of being the murderer.
Those assassins came from America herself. They are not outsiders but
one of our own. They belong to this same country. All the blame is
shifted to the country and its people in general. The tone of the
author becomes accusatory and angry.
The
title of the poem 'Lesser Shadows' is relevant since the time chosen
by the assassins was that between day and night. At sunset shadows
become hardly discernible. Shadows become distorted and lacking in
proper form or outline. This is how the assassins are described. The
title creates the sense of mystery, suspense and insidious intent.
The imagery in the poem is emotionless, detached and grotesque. All
in all, the poet seems to blame and mock the people of the country.
In the game of politics and power no one is innocent of despicable
crimes and evil plots.
-Credit: Muneeza Rafiq
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