Tabitha Williams
Due: 2/19/18
Dr. Martin Louis
HEN 103
Explication: “Before Their Tanks.” Tawfiq Zayyad.
A longing speaker recalls the time before the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Lines one and two contain imagery that begins to paint the scene the speaker is remembering. The words “my window sill” suggest, through first person point of view, the speaker will be discussing his/her home and how it has been effected. The focus on first person helps the reader feel a personal connection to the speaker. First person point of view also establishes personal ownership for the speaker throughout the poem. Separating “window” from “sill” shows the individual emphasis window has on the poem. “Window” is the object that introduces the speaker and establishes the beginning setting for the poem. A “window” suggests openness, freedom and no fear. The “window” can represent the speaker’s individual feelings about the time before the war where he/she felt free and unafraid of the outdoors. Through a “window” he/she was able to view his/her land and cherish the nature he/she loved so much.
The following words “rose petals bloomed” explain the time the speaker remembers vividly is that of spring. “Roses” are the essence of beauty and love. The connection the speaker has with these roses signifies he/she thinks his/her land is beautiful, sacred and should be cherished. The roses also highlights the intense love he/she has for his/her land. The word “petals” modifying the subject of “roses” accentuates just how fragile the rose is and how quickly a rose can bloom and/or die depending on how much damage comes to the “rose petals”. This idea can be related to the fragility of the speaker’s beloved land and how easily it can be destroyed. The beauty of a rose is based on the petals so then the beauty of the speaker’s land is based on the how well the land is taken care. This suggests the speaker lived on exquisite but vulnerable land and after the war, the lack of care and thoughtfulness destroyed the land.
Flowers “blooming” often proposes the start of life, therefore the idea of renewal, regeneration, the bringing about of a new phase of the life cycle. This reference of renewal could be that of the speaker’s old life he/she is leaving and the new life he/she is starting as a result of the war. Additionally, harmony and the essence of calm, collectiveness is connected with flowers blooming. The speaker felt calm and whole in his/her old life so having to start a new one from scratch, like rose buds do, requires effort and the proper tools. The war keeps the speaker from gaining these proper tools to rebuild a good, better life than before.
Combining lines one and two, “On my window sill/ rose petals bloomed” creates concept these rose are growing on a window sill so close to the speaker suggests the speaker’s inner and tight connection with nature and the land itself. There is no punctuation separating lines one and two and furthermore, line two does not begin with a capital letter, so these two lines are meant to be read as if they are one sentence, further establishing this “tightening” feel the reader is supposed to get from the speaker. The lack of capitalization and punctuation adds to the effect of flow, both showing a metaphorical sense and a physical sense of what the speaker is feeling (at peace) when he/she are watching his/her roses bloom on his/her window sill.
As a metaphor, the lack of punctuation is showing that peace is a nonstop flow from one happy thought to another. There are no sudden stops or anything different (no capital letters) within the sentence, making the continuation of the idea smooth and concise.
Physically, no punctuation gives the reader the sense of flow; they read the sentence as a complete thought that weaves itself into another complete thought. It creates a steady transition into the next line which is still describing the sense of peace the speaker feels which the reader can feel through the uninterrupted lines.
Combining lines three to four (cutting line four off at the comma), a more physical description of the houses surroundings is depicted. An “arbor” is a shady garden hollow space inside of something with two parallel walls and a roof formed by trees or climbing plants covering over a wooden framework, usually found at the beginnings of pathways. The “arbor” is the solid foundation for the grapevines to attach and grow onto. In relation to the speaker, the arbor represents the land being the speaker’s foundation of family, home and wholesomeness, further emphasizing the speaker’s connection to the land.
Through personification, the word “sprang” depicts the grapevine as an object that moved suddenly and forcefully onto the arbor. As well, “sprang” can be considered an onomatopoeia. As an onomatopoeia, “sprang” can be broken down into syllables that represent different actions and emotions the speaker felt as war was upon them. The beginning of “sprang” starts with a soft “sp” sound, as if something was dipping low to jump out at prey. The prey (the speaker) does not hear the “sp” sound the enemy makes, therefore, the speaker is unaware of the enemy (being Israel).
Then the hard “ra” sound resembles that of a surprised noise. The enemy (Israel) has jumped out from their hiding place and surprised the speaker.
Ending with “ng” parallel that of scream or a stunned person, showing the stunned and unprepared speaker. The relation of “sprang” to the speaker is the grapevines are the Israelis “springing” or attacking the Arabs in a sudden and forceful manner, completely engulfing the Arabs in the war.
The complete line four contains a caesura, which is when a comma cuts midway through a sentence. The caesura separating “an arbor” and “a green ladder” gives the effect that the speaker is taking his/her time to describe the arbor and how it looks. Also, the caesura cuts off the description of the grapevines on the arbor and makes the reader focus on the grapevine specifically and how it’s springing up from the arbor. The grapevine representing the Israelis and the arbor representing the Arabs, suggest how sudden the Israelis took control of the Arabs land. The grapevines curling themselves around the arbor is a symbol for the tight security the Israelis have in place on the Arabs. Arabs need permission to cross borders and their land is now controlled by the Israelis.
The words “green ladder” is a metaphor for the arbor’s appearance. It paints a clear image for the reader of the grapevines on the arbor and how the spiraling of the vines causes the arbor to look like a green ladder. Ladders are used to climb high to reach something; this metaphor could symbolize the idea of hope for the speaker and how, looking back on his/her land and his/her house, he/she can gain hope that one day he/she can return to this peace he/she once felt.
Also, the individual word “green” is symbolic in the sense that green is the color of life. The grass, trees, and plants are all green and growing organisms. The “green” in the grapevine ladder revisits the idea of hope and growth for both the speaker and the land since, even after cold weather or storms, plants still grow back. The color “green” shows another strong connection the speaker has to his/her land and its beauty. Simple ideas of harmony, freshness and safety are also associated with “green” things. The speaker could be alluding to a time when seeing green outside his/her window sill meant he/she felt safe and secure in his/her house and on his/her land.
Capitalizing “And”, without any punctuation coming before it, suggests to the reader to act as though it’s the beginning of a new sentence with a new subject. “And” separates “green ladder” from “my house…,” indicating a break in topic and a change in scenery. The reader is now directed from the interior of the house to the exterior of the house.
The word “leaned” personifying the house is used in line six to emphasis the relaxing feeling the speaker gets when describing how his/her house used to be. Being able to “lean” implies the speaker feels safe in his/her house. The speaker also assumes the house is secure enough to hold the weight being put on it. He/she has assumed his/her house would withstand the war’s effects but it had not, resulting in the speaker feeling nostalgia for the safety and security he/she once had with his/her house.
Combining lines six, seven and eight, the reader can easily imagine a soft shadow being created up against the speaker’s house when the sun shined on it. A “bundle” usually refers to a small group of something; pairing “bundle” with “sunrays” gives the reader the sense that these sunrays aren’t blinding but are more friendly and pleasant to the speaker. The sun’s light is gentle on the house, providing warmth and light for both the house and the speaker. This connection between the speaker and his/her land is seen again with him/her finding comfort in the sun’s rays.
Also, the usage of the word “against” pins the house, a heavy object, against sunrays, which are made out of sunlight creates this ironic situation. Sunrays cannot support the weight of a house, although, using the word “leaned”, implies the sunrays are welcomed by the house and and the speaker, showing the speaker enjoys the comfort the sunrays bring to the house
“Bathing or to bathe” is a tender action that submerges something inside something else. It is a metaphor for the house, describing how deeply the sunrays cover the house. When a person is bathing, they are naked and vulnerable to the outside environment. This is a direct reference to the vulnerability of the speaker’s house and his/her land. The land is “naked” and unprotected from outside sources, alluding to the intrusion the Israelis had on Arab land.
The emphasis on “That” in the last line is extremely important because it embodies the entire poem and everything described, the roses blooming, the grapevines, the speaker’s window sill and his/her house. The gentle details describing the roses, the arbor and the house are all what is being shown to the readers as the speaker’s memories.
“Before the tanks” indicates all the speaker is describing has now vanished. “Before” gives a time reference to the speaker and the events he/she is going through. He/she long for this time in the past when he/she felt safe and at peace. The word “their” puts a division between the speaker and the people he/she is talking about. The speaker is putting the blame of his/her destroyed land on this opposing group. Although, “their” is a vague description of the speaker’s opposing force, it can be implied through background context, the speaker is referencing the Israelis and their role in the war. The last word, “came” strikes fear into the speaker and reader’s mind because it stresses the reality of now. A war has erupted and now is affecting the speaker’s life and the land he/she owns and loves.
The “tanks” symbolize the essence of war and how hate is still occupying over the speaker’s land. This poem is a good representation of the conflicts between Israelis and Arabs and how their fight over land is a common theme throughout Hebrew and Arabic poetry (Alyssa).