O What Is That Sound

Stanza One
The use of the word 'thrills' creates stimulation and fear like a military band.
The word 'drumming' is repeated. This is common for the last word of line two
for each stanza producing alliteration. As well as this, the repeated 'drumming' is
onomatopoeic imitating the sound of the drums bringing the reader even closer to
the action.
The man as voice two is attempting to reassure the women. Auden makes clear
he is trying to calm her down from the use of alliteration on 'scarlet soldiers'
creating a whispering effect. Although the time period is vague, different
interpretations of the 'scarlet soldiers' can mean different things. In the 19th
century, soldiers commonly wore bright red (scarlet) uniforms so that if they were
shot and wounded, the enemy would not be able to tell if they were bleeding or
not. On the other hand, having the soldiers being 'scarlet' could also suggest that
are red in the face from the consequence of physical exertion. The second option
is more believable seeing that Auden does not want to pin down a time frame for
this poem.
The first stanza creates tension and drama for the arrival of the army.
Stanza Two
The parallel construction of of line two is clear with 'brightly' being repeated
at the end of the line two for stanza two. This gives a sense of inevitability of the
soldiers arriving and reminds us that the soldiers are continually marching closer
and closer to the couple.
Auden is deliberately vague when describing what weapons the soldiers have,
'weapons'. This generic makes the reader wonder what type of weapons the
soldiers have: it could be from a bow and arrow up to a 21st century machine gun
- we just don't know.
The second voice now describes the army as 'step[ing] lightly'. The marching
has now increased in pace providing more fear for the couple.
Stanza Three
The second voice reassures the first voice again describing that the army are
only doing 'their usual manoeuvres, dear'.
The second voice shows doubt for the first time of their safety, 'Or perhaps a
warning'. This provides an idea that the army might be foreign if the couple views
them as a threat.
Stanza Four
For the army to be 'wheeling, wheeling' makes clear that the army is big and
organised. This creates even more tension and juxtaposition between the power of
the army through it's description and sound to the helpless couple awaiting their
potentially devastating fate.
The second voice attempts to reassure again, 'Perhaps a change in their orders,
dear'. This is desperate reassurance seeing because he knows they are a threat but
he wants his wife to not know in protection of her. This suggests that the second
voice may know something about the army and their presence that the first voice
doesn't. Here are hints of the first betrayal.
Different interpretations of the 'Why are you kneeling?' line can be made. The
line itself is ambiguous because it doesn't make clear what she is kneeling for. She
could be kneeling to hide herself away from the army. However, she may be
kneeling also in a last ditch attempt to pray.
Stanza Five
The roles have reversed with this stanza with the first voice seeking for
reassurance with positive explanations for the behaviour of the army, 'haven't they
stopped for the doctor's care, / Haven't they reined their horses, their horses?' She
is clutching at straws.
The second voice has now turned doubtful towards the army fending off the
positive explanations the first voice said for the arm's behaviour, 'they are none of
them wounded, dear'. This removes the interpretation that the soldiers are injured
from them being 'scarlet' and injured/bleeding.
The rest of the poem features the second voice leaving the first voice and running
away. This makes clear the tension between the couple. The last stanza does not
feature any voices but is told in third person, 'O it's broken the lock and splintered the
door'. The aggression and power of the army is made clear how they pushed down the
door of the house. The poem finishes with 'Their boots are heavy on the floor / And
their eyes are burning'. The fate of the first voice is not told in the poem leaving the
reader to fill in the ending to this poem with their own imagination. With the tension
of the army increasing the further on into the poem, we assume that the army have
killed the first voice.
The ideology of the poem is that war is something that has always been with us
(the human race). It makes clear the universality of war that no matter what
time period, war stays the same.
The First Voice As The Man

Different interpretations have suggested that the voices are not the women as the first
voice but the man as the first voice and the women as the second voice. This provides
a different ideology to the poem. Let's retell the story with this change in voices:
The man asks what that 'drumming' sound is. The women replies telling him
its the soldiers.
He is showing concern for the army approaching. The women tries to reassure
him.
His paranoia for the army is made clearer the further on into the poem. The
women is surprisingly calm.
The man, when seeing them starting to turn their way, hides himself from the
army while the women is still in the open.
At the end, the women leaves the man to be killed by the army. It is clear the
army has come to hunt the man down. This illustrates to the reader how the
women has betrayed the man's trust, 'Were the vows you swore deceiving,
deceiving?'
Having the first voice as the man makes clear that the man is being hunted. The
women may have known this which is why she escapes leaving the fate of the man in
the hands of the army. However, it could simply be seen that she didn't want to suffer
the same predicted fate her husband was going to get. Therefore, she thought it was
better to run away and live than to show loyalty to her husband.
Summary
The poem is in the form of a ballad.
The syllabic structure has consistency although each line has erratic number of
syllables.
The rhyming pattern is quatrain being ABAB.
The rhythm such as the repeated phrase on line 2 provides anticipation for the
army. The rhythm is used to replicate the sound of the drums.
The voices can be viewed either way.
The time setting is deliberately archaic and vague to create a universal
ideology.
We are left to finish the poem's story off encouraging the reader to have
afterthought after reading the poem just like 'If I Could Tell You'.
The rhythm generally is used to imitate the marching soldiers. Therefore, the
longer the poem goes on, the longer the soldiers have been marching and the
closer they are to the characters creating panic.
There is four feet to every line with a tetrameter of alternating iambics and
anapaests.
The narrative is a conversation between the two characters but changes to 3rd
person at the end.

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O What Is That Sound

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Stanza One

only doing 'their usual manoeuvres, dear'.

The First Voice As The Man

its the soldiers.

women is surprisingly calm.

army while the women is still in the open.

The poem is in the form of a ballad.

The rhyming pattern is quatrain being ABAB.

army. The rhythm is used to replicate the sound of the drums.

The voices can be viewed either way.

The time setting is deliberately archaic and vague to create a universal

person at the end.

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