Terrible Angels - Abse

From within the poem Terrible Angles by Abse we see that the persona is recalling a previous event. The reference to 'One bedtime' proves that the persona is telling us about something in the past, it is looking back at a past event. The reference to 'pretty coloured ribbons' connotes the idea that the persona is recalling when they were a child, as a child is more likely to notice something like the 'coloured ribbons' on the medal. From the last part of this stanza we understand that one of the main themes of this poem is to do with death and war. There are 'meat-snatching birds' which connotes the idea that they are scavengers who are waiting for something to die so that they can feast on it. It is clear that Abse is suggesting they are waiting for soldiers to die which reinforces that this poem is to do with war. They also 'circle around and around like a carousel' which suggests something eternal and never ending. Through this Abse is conveying the idea that death and war are eternal things that happen in the world and that they are never going to stop, in a way he is suggesting that the past will be the same as the future and this links in well with one of the other Abse poems A Letter from Ogmore.

Within the second stanza we get the semantic field of war further conveyed through quotes such as 'silence of gas' and 'shrapnel striking helmets'. In a way these two quotes act as a contrast to one other. The silence of gas acts as a silent killer, whereas the shrapnel striking helmet suggests something loud, painful and dangerous. It seems as though Abse is trying to encompass every aspect of war and its effects on soldiers. We also get a further contrast within this stanza through 'soldiers prayers and soldiers screams'. Abse is connoting the idea that when soldiers are not on the front they are praying for their lives and when they are on the front they are screaming for their lives, it portrays this idea of the yearning to live and the realisation amongst the soldiers of how precious life itself is. We get the sense that angels themselves are turning into monsters when looking over this war. They are described as 'cold angels' suggesting that war can change anybody.

This idea of change is finally established within the small last stanza. The men are described as 'blood and bloodthirsty, true facsimiles of men'. This suggests that war has changed them for the worst and they have become a copy of something they did not used to be, almost a shadow of their former selves. Within the last line we get the devastating effects war has on people through the quote 'he knew more about angels than was healthy'. This gives the impression that he is no longer a healthy man. War has taken its toll on him and left him weak, like a fallen angel, unable to fly. Overall in this poem the thought that war turns even the most loveliest of people who are Angels into monsters . It breaks us and pulls us down from our prime connoting the idea that war gives no hope to anybody within the world.

This poem links to MCMXIV by Larkin through the comments about war and its effect on people in life.