Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"V-J Day" by John Ciardi is a profound and evocative poem that captures the complex emotions surrounding Victory over Japan Day, marking the end of World War II in the Pacific. Through vivid imagery and technical language, Ciardi explores themes of memory, loss, redemption, and the inescapable continuity of life despite monumental historical events. The poem navigates the juxtaposition of celebration and mourning, reflecting on the cost of victory and the presence of the dead even in moments of triumph.

The opening lines, "On the tallest day in time the dead came back," immediately establish the poem's somber tone, suggesting that the end of the war brings with it a reckoning with the past and the lives lost. The imagery of clouds meeting "us in the pastures past a world" evokes a sense of crossing into a different realm, where the boundary between the living and the dead blurs in the aftermath of conflict.

Ciardi's use of technical and military language, such as "short wave," "jettisoned," and "interphone," roots the poem in the specificities of the wartime experience, conveying the mechanical and strategic aspects of the conflict. The metaphor of bombs being dropped "like tears and tears like bombs" poignantly captures the duality of relief and sorrow, underscoring the emotional release and the destructive impact of these actions.

The poem's central image of a "frolic fountain" springing "daintily / Out of the blue metallic seas of doom" juxtaposes the beauty and horror of war, highlighting the strange and surreal nature of violence. This imagery, combined with the absence of "fire-shot cloud" pursuing the planes on their return, suggests a momentary suspension of violence, a brief interlude in the cycle of destruction.

The notion of a "blank millennium" changing the crew "alive, and left us still the same" reflects on the transformative yet paradoxically static effect of the war's end. This line speaks to the profound changes wrought by the conflict, even as the fundamental aspects of human nature and societal structures remain unchanged.

As the poem progresses, the communication between the planes and the ground becomes a dialogue with history and the future, with callsigns like "Dreamboat three-one to Yearsend" and "Magellan to Balboa" suggesting a bridging of time and space. The interplay of technical jargon and mythical references creates a sense of transcending the immediate context of the war, engaging with broader themes of exploration, discovery, and the human condition.

The concluding lines, "Fading and out. And all the dead were homing," capture the return of the dead to the living world, not as ghosts but as memories and legacies that persist. The imagery of the planes, "Wheels jammed and flaming on a metal sea," evokes a final, apocalyptic vision of war's end, where victory and loss are entwined.

"V-J Day" is a meditation on the aftermath of war, the collective and individual processes of coming to terms with the past, and the ongoing presence of those who were lost. Ciardi masterfully navigates the emotional landscape of this historical moment, offering a reflection on the cost of peace and the enduring impact of war on the human psyche.

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