Welcome, aspiring literary explorers, to a fascinating journey into the heart of Jo Shapcott’s powerful poem, “The Great Storm”. This remarkable piece of literature offers a vivid portrayal of nature’s raw power and the complex human emotions it can evoke. Prepare to delve into its depths, uncover its central ideas, and appreciate the masterful use of literary and poetic devices that make it such a compelling read.
We rode it all night. We were not ourselves then.
Through the window everything was horizontal.
In cars and ships and woods, folk died.
Small trees scattered like matchsticks
and a whole shed flew by, the world roared.
A branch broke into the kitchen,
strewed twigs into the banging cupboard,
filled broken crocks with leaves. I heard
a tricycle roll up and down the attic as
the firmament streamed through smashed tiles.I loved you, but I loved the wind more,
wanted to be as horizontal as the treetops,
to cling to the planet by my last fingernail,
singing into the rush, into the dark.
I didn’t know then I would watch
my beloveds peel off the earth.each side of me, flying among tiles, bins,
caravans, car doors, and chimney pots,
watch them turn themselves into flotsam
and disappear entirely as the pier did the next morning, a Friday, mid October.
Gone, split, vanished like the fifteen million trees.
Understanding “The Great Storm”: Summary and Central Idea
“The Great Storm” by Jo Shapcott, a distinguished English poet, first appeared in the 1980s and remains a profoundly reflective poem exploring the devastating impact of a natural calamity and its profound reshaping of human perception. The poem vividly recounts a terrifying storm and its aftermath, capturing the sheer force of nature and the chaotic destruction it leaves in its wake.
The speaker initially depicts the storm’s overwhelming power: everything appears flattened, lives are lost, and structures are reduced to fragments. The imagery is intense, conveying a sense of utter vulnerability at the mercy of nature. However, the poem takes an unexpected turn when the speaker confesses a strange, almost primal fascination with the storm, expressing a desire to surrender to its power and experience its raw energy. This complex emotional response highlights a deeper human inclination towards chaos.
The central idea of “The Great Storm” revolves around the dual nature of overwhelming power: its capacity for immense destruction and its unsettling allure. The poem explores themes of natural disasters, grief, and the darker, more primal aspects of human desire. It suggests that in the face of uncontrollable forces, human beings can experience a spectrum of emotions ranging from terror and loss to a strange, almost exhilarating connection with the destructive power itself. The storm serves as a powerful metaphor for life’s challenges and the unsettling realization that even amidst profound loss, there can be an unexpected, complex attraction to chaos.
In-Depth Analysis: Unpacking “The Great Storm”
Jo Shapcott’s “The Great Storm” is a masterclass in evocative poetry, guiding readers through a visceral experience of natural disaster and its psychological aftermath. The poem’s structure and language meticulously build a narrative that is both terrifying and deeply introspective.
The Terrifying Power of Nature
The opening stanza immediately plunges the reader into the heart of the storm, establishing its immense destructive force. The speaker’s initial statement, “We rode it all night. We were not ourselves then,” sets a tone of disorientation and a loss of individual identity in the face of overwhelming power. The storm transforms not only the landscape but also the people experiencing it.
The poem employs stark, impactful imagery to convey the storm’s physical devastation:
Through the window everything was horizontal.
In cars and ships and woods, folk died.
Small trees scattered like matchsticks
and a whole shed flew by, the world roared.
The image of “everything was horizontal” vividly illustrates the flattening force of the wind, while “folk died” delivers the brutal reality of the storm’s lethality with chilling directness. The simile “Small trees scattered like matchsticks” effectively conveys the fragility of nature against the storm’s might. The personification of “the world roared” gives the storm a monstrous, living quality, emphasizing its terrifying presence. The domestic sphere is not spared, as a “branch broke into the kitchen,” bringing the chaos directly into a place of supposed safety. The surreal detail of “a tricycle roll up and down the attic” further underscores the complete upheaval of the familiar world.
A Complex Emotional Landscape: Fascination Amidst Fear
The second stanza introduces a profound psychological shift, revealing the speaker’s unexpected and complex emotional response to the storm. Amidst the terror and destruction, a strange fascination emerges. The speaker confesses:
I loved you, but I loved the wind more,
wanted to be as horizontal as the treetops,
to cling to the planet by my last fingernail,
singing into the rush, into the dark.
This declaration is a moment of striking irony, juxtaposing human affection with a primal attraction to the destructive force of nature. The desire to be “as horizontal as the treetops” suggests a yearning to fully surrender to the storm’s power, to become one with its chaotic energy rather than resist it. The image of “singing into the rush, into the dark” evokes a sense of wild, almost ecstatic abandon, hinting at a deeper, perhaps subconscious, human connection to the untamed forces of the natural world. This emotional complexity is central to the poem’s exploration of human nature.
The Lingering Shadow of Loss
The final stanza shifts dramatically to the aftermath, revealing the devastating personal cost of the storm. The speaker’s earlier fascination gives way to a profound sense of grief and loss, foreshadowed by the line “I didn’t know then I would watch my beloveds peel off the earth.” This powerful metaphor conveys the sudden, violent separation and disappearance of loved ones, as if they were mere fragments detached from the world.
The imagery of debris emphasizes the scale of destruction and the indiscriminate nature of loss:
each side of me, flying among tiles, bins,
caravans, car doors, and chimney pots,
watch them turn themselves into flotsam
and disappear entirely as the pier did the next morning, a Friday, mid October.
Gone, split, vanished like the fifteen million trees.
The enumeration of common objects like “tiles, bins, caravans, car doors, and chimney pots” highlights how ordinary life is shattered and scattered. The transformation of beloved individuals into “flotsam” underscores their reduction to mere debris, stripped of their identity and agency. The comparison to the vanished pier and the “fifteen million trees” provides a stark, quantifiable measure of the immense, irreversible loss, grounding the personal tragedy within a larger ecological disaster. The finality of “Gone, split, vanished” resonates with the profound and permanent impact of the storm.
Literary Devices in “The Great Storm”
Jo Shapcott masterfully employs a range of literary devices to create a poem that is both visceral and emotionally resonant. These techniques enrich the poem’s meaning and enhance its impact on the reader, making “The Great Storm” a compelling study of language and emotion.
- Alliteration: The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words adds emphasis and creates a memorable effect. For instance, the repetition of the “b” sound in “A branch broke” mirrors the sudden and violent breaking of the branch itself, enhancing the auditory imagery of destruction.
- Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds adds musicality and emphasizes certain words or phrases. Observe the long “e” sound in “the firmament streamed through smashed tiles” (the ‘i’ here often pronounced as a long ‘e’ in some accents or for poetic effect), which can create a sense of flowing, relentless force. Another example is the short ‘i’ sound in “cling to the planet by my last fingernail, singing into the rush,” which creates a subtle connection between the speaker’s desperate hold and their primal expression.
- Consonance: The repetition of consonant sounds within words creates a sense of cohesion and often mimics the sounds or actions described. The frequent use of the “t” sound in “watch them turn themselves into flotsam” replicates the feeling of something being tossed and broken apart. Similarly, the “s” sound in “tiles, bins, caravans, car doors, and chimney pots” creates a sibilant, scattering effect, emphasizing the widespread debris.
- Enjambment: This is the continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line to the next without a pause, creating a sense of flow and urgency. Look at the lines “I didn’t know then I would watch
my beloveds peel off the earth,” where the thought flows seamlessly across the line break, mirroring the relentless and unstoppable nature of the storm and its consequences, and the sudden, shocking realization of loss. - Imagery: Shapcott’s poem is filled with vivid imagery that appeals to the reader’s senses, allowing for a deeply immersive experience. Phrases like “everything was horizontal,” “Small trees scattered like matchsticks,” and “my beloveds peel off the earth” create strong visual impacts, enabling readers to experience the storm’s devastation as if they were present. The auditory imagery of “the world roared” and “a tricycle roll up and down the attic” further enhances this sensory engagement.
- Irony: A subtle yet profound situational irony exists in the speaker’s declaration, “I loved you, but I loved the wind more.” This unexpected confession reveals a complex emotional state, a fascination with the storm’s raw, destructive power that seems to overshadow even affection for loved ones, highlighting the primal, almost contradictory, aspects of human response to overwhelming forces.
- Metaphor: The storm itself functions as an extended metaphor for the overwhelming, uncontrollable forces in life, those that can sweep away everything we hold dear, including relationships, safety, and even life itself. The line “my beloveds peel off the earth” is a powerful metaphor for the sudden and violent loss of loved ones, likening their departure to something being stripped away.
- Personification: Giving human qualities or actions to inanimate objects or abstract concepts adds to the poem’s emotional intensity and vividness. The line “the world roared” suggests a world actively expressing its power and fury, transforming the natural phenomenon into an active, menacing entity.
- Simile: This is used for comparing two different things using “like” or “as” to add clarity, imagery, and impact. The phrase “Small trees scattered like matchsticks” vividly illustrates the trees’ fragility and the storm’s brutal, effortless force, making the destruction immediately comprehensible. Similarly, “vanished like the fifteen million trees” emphasizes the scale and finality of the loss.
- Symbolism: The storm symbolizes not only a literal natural disaster but also the unpredictable and destructive forces that can impact human lives on a broader scale. It represents loss, grief, the fragility of existence, and the struggle to find meaning or even a strange connection in the face of chaos. The “flotsam” symbolizes the remnants of shattered lives and the indiscriminate nature of destruction.
Poetic Devices and Structure in “The Great Storm”
Beyond specific literary techniques, Shapcott utilizes several overarching poetic devices to enhance the artistic quality and structural impact of “The Great Storm.”
Diction: Crafting the Storm’s Language
The poem’s diction, or word choice, is carefully selected to create a powerful and memorable reading experience. Shapcott combines descriptive and evocative words to convey both the physical intensity of the storm and the speaker’s emotional turmoil. The use of strong verbs like “scattered,” “flew,” “roared,” “broke,” “strewed,” “streamed,” “peel off,” and “vanished” injects dynamism and violence into the narrative. Adjectives such as “horizontal,” “banging,” “broken,” and “smashed” paint a vivid picture of the storm’s destructive effects. This precise diction ensures that every word contributes to the poem’s visceral impact.
Free Verse: Unfettered Expression
“The Great Storm” is written in free verse, meaning it does not adhere to a strict rhyme scheme or regular meter. This deliberate choice allows Shapcott to create a natural, conversational, and unfiltered tone, reflecting the raw and immediate emotions of the speaker. The absence of a rigid structure mirrors the chaos and unpredictability of the storm itself, allowing thoughts and images to flow organically, much like the storm’s unrestrained force. This freedom in form enhances the poem’s authenticity and emotional resonance.
Stanzaic Progression: A Journey Through Chaos and Loss
The poem is thoughtfully divided into three distinct stanzas, each contributing to the overall narrative arc and emotional progression.
- The first stanza establishes the immediate, terrifying experience of the storm, detailing its physical impact and the initial disorientation of those caught within it. It grounds the reader in the chaotic reality of the event.
- The second stanza delves into the speaker’s complex and surprising emotional response, exploring the strange fascination and almost primal connection to the storm’s power. This stanza marks a psychological turning point, revealing the deeper, often contradictory, aspects of human nature.
- The third stanza reflects on the devastating aftermath and the profound sense of personal loss and grief. It brings the poem to a poignant conclusion, emphasizing the permanent changes wrought by the storm and the enduring impact on the speaker’s life.
This progression from immediate terror to complex emotion, and finally to the somber reality of loss, provides a structured journey through the storm’s multifaceted impact.
Conclusion
“The Great Storm” by Jo Shapcott stands as a powerful testament to the overwhelming force of nature and the intricate ways human beings respond to catastrophe. Through its vivid imagery, compelling narrative, and masterful use of literary and poetic devices, the poem invites readers to confront not only the physical devastation of a storm but also the profound psychological shifts it can induce. It is a poem that resonates deeply, exploring themes of loss, survival, and the unsettling allure of chaos, leaving an indelible impression on all who encounter its powerful verses.