Antarctica
Derek Mahon
Analysis
This poem once again focuses on a
historical figure.
The person the poem is about is
Lawrence Edward Grace Oates.
Nicknamed ‘Titus’ Oates.
What do we think ‘Titus’ did based
on your reading of the poem?
Terra nova
The poem follows Oates on his expedition to Antarctica named
the Terra Nova Expedition.
The expedition was headed by R.F Scott who was aiming to reach
the south pole.
The expedition reached their goal 30 days behind their
Norwegian competitors and all five members of the expedition
perished on their return journey.
Oates has been immortalised by his self sacrifice and final words
which are repeated in the poem.
Analysis
1. ‘He is just going out and
may be some time.’
2. ‘Pretend not to know’
3. ‘Some sort of crime’
4. ‘He is just going outside’
5. ‘He takes leave of the
earthly pantomime’
Ridiculous
● Why is this repeated so often?
● Ridiculous to say you are going outside
and intend to return.
● Ridiculous situation, no anticipation
for the harsher conditions
● Ridiculous that they would accept
without protest.
● The fact that they made it into a race
Sublime - of very great excellence or
beauty
● Why is this repeated so often?
● The setting in itself is sublime. Great
beauty
● Extraordinary act of bravery.
● The quiet and dignified demeanor of
Oates throughout the ordeal.
Themes
● Isolation- group of people on the ice on their own. When oates
goes out to sacrifice he has both isolated himself and further
isolated the rest of the crew.
○ Solitary enzyme- oates gets used up in the pursuit of
something greater. Not necessarily an act of bravery but
instead reflective of his more reclusive and isolated
association with his social class.
● Sacrifice- leaves the tent to sacrifice himself and save the lives
of the others.
● Bravery- he takes a weight off of the other members of the
team and takes the enormous burden himself.
Themes
● Isolation- We see oates leave his only companions to
brave the bitter cold in isolation. ‘Solitary enzyme’
● Compassion- there is a compassionate theme to the poem
as a whole as we empathise with Oates as he walks to his
doom.
● Bravery- The bravery associated with his actions is clear
to see. Mahon describes his demeanor ‘Quietly, knowing it
is time to go’
Tone
● Regretful tone- oates is regretful for his actions leaving
the tent. The regret is shaped by allowing oates to go.
● Grief- the crew is grieving the loss
● Reverent tone(deep respect)- the crew accepts their fate
and respects the decision throughout the whole poem.
Tone
● Regretful tone throughout. The crew
seems to express regret. Reference to
crime suggests they are doing
something wrong by not stopping him.
● Uneasy tone. The crew mates dwelling
on the final words as they silently
accept his sacrifice creates an uneasy
feeling throughout the poem.
Anaphora
● Repetition of a word or a phrase at the beginning of
successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses
especially for rhetorical or poetic effect.
Techniques in the poem.
● Rhetorical question-Need we consider it some sort of crime,
This numb self-sacrifice of the weakest?- It asks the question
to increase the gravity of their supposed crime/lack of
action.
● Repetition- emphasises the importance of that quote.
Relating to sacrifice.
● Metaphor- solitary enzyme. An enzyme is a catalyst that
speeds up a reaction with the use of another biological
element. The solitary nature of this enzyme implies that
no progress or change is being made.
Techniques in the poem.
● Alliteration-the repetition of the S sound in stanza four.
The S sounds work to draw readers attention to the
particular words the poet uses. Some sort of Crime… SelfSacrifice.
● He acknowledges that this is not right. But he doesn't
want his mind to wander in this direction. The S sound
hastens the rhythm of this stanza as wants to escape this
thought as quickly as he discovered it.
Techniques in the poem.
● Repetition- the poet uses repetition of the same line
throughout the Villanelle. It is used to hammer home the
weight of Oates’ last words on these men.
● Metaphor- Likening Oates to an Enzyme. What does this do?
○ Enzymes are a biological catalyst. Oates is aiding the
recovery and rescue of the other crew members while
being frozen and left behind.