Notes on ‘Martin And The Hand Grenade’
Subject Matter
Martin is a young boy presenting a grenade to his classmates as part of a show and tell
segment of a history lesson. The classes’ reaction to the grenade is one of great
excitement. In contrast, the narrator, the classroom history teacher, is disgusted by the
weapon and the children’s excited reaction.
Themes
The main theme of the poem is the differing attitudes towards weapons which are
symbolic of war. From that stems three other key themes - the debate about the
inherent violence in the human spirit, the fascination with weapons versus the disgust
for weapons, and the dichotomy (a division or contrast between two things that are or
are represented as being opposed or entirely different) that exists between our heads
and our hearts. Foulcher also addresses other dichotomies - the past and the present,
boys and men, innocence and experience, and ofcourse, most obviously, the classroom
and the battlefield.
Foulcher puts forth a controversial topic for his adult audience to debate - the inherent
(existing in something as a permanent, essential, or characteristic attribute) violence in
the human spirit. He uses the pun ‘mind fields’, as opposed to ‘mine fields’, to convey
the violent and destructive fantasies gripping the children as they hold the grenade
above their heads. Foulcher is, in a sense, posing the theory that the grenade is
awakening the latent violence and propensity for destruction that exists just below the
surface in all of us. He begs the question, perhaps violent and destructive fantasies are
inherent in all humans, but by adulthood most of us have been conditioned to suppress
our fantasies in light of the devastating repercussions of acting upon them.
This debate closely ties in with the fascination with weapons versus the disgust for
weapons theme. In ‘Martin and the Hand Grenade’ the eager children are fascinated by
the adventure of war, unaware of the horrors involved. Children have no fear, hence
they are fascinated by the weapon because they can not comprehend the horror
involved in war. The teacher in the poem, however, is disgusted by the grenade,...
http://www.studymode.com
Notes on ‘Martin And The Hand Grenade’
Subject Matter
Martin is a young boy presenting a grenade to his classmates as part of a show and tell
segment of a history lesson. The classes’ reaction to the grenade is one of great
excitement. In contrast, the narrator, the classroom history teacher, is disgusted by the
weapon and the children’s excited reaction.
Themes
The main theme of the poem is the differing attitudes towards weapons which are
symbolic of war. From that stems three other key themes - the debate about the
inherent violence in the human spirit, the fascination with weapons versus the disgust
for weapons, and the dichotomy (a division or contrast between two things that are or
are represented as being opposed or entirely different) that exists between our heads
and our hearts. Foulcher also addresses other dichotomies - the past and the present,
boys and men, innocence and experience, and ofcourse, most obviously, the classroom
and the battlefield.
Foulcher puts forth a controversial topic for his adult audience to debate - the inherent
(existing in something as a permanent, essential, or characteristic attribute) violence in
the human spirit. He uses the pun ‘mind fields’, as opposed to ‘mine fields’, to convey
the violent and destructive fantasies gripping the children as they hold the grenade
above their heads. Foulcher is, in a sense, posing the theory that the grenade is
awakening the latent violence and propensity for destruction that exists just below the
surface in all of us. He begs the question, perhaps violent and destructive fantasies are
inherent in all humans, but by adulthood most of us have been conditioned to suppress
our fantasies in light of the devastating repercussions of acting upon them.
This debate closely ties in with the fascination with weapons versus the disgust for
weapons theme. In ‘Martin and the Hand Grenade’ the eager children are fascinated by
the adventure of war, unaware of the horrors involved. Children have no fear, hence
they are fascinated by the weapon because they can not comprehend the horror
involved in war. The teacher in the poem, however, is disgusted by the grenade,...
http://www.studymode.com
AUSTRALIAN POETRY
‘Australian poetry often considers what it is to be Australian.’
IDENTIFY
- the poet and title of each poem
DESCRIBE
- the subject matter and themes of each poem
- the voice/s or experiences each poem addresses
ANALYSE
- how the poetic language and structure used by the poets has worked to create the
voice/s or address the experiences found in each poem.
These are ideas of what to include in your paragraphs however, not
necessarily in this order.
1. What is the title of the poem?
2. Who composed (wrote) the poem?
3. What is the poem about? Where is the poem set?
4. What themes are represented in the poem?
5. What references to Australia are made? What understanding is
created?
6. Name a technique used in the poem.
7. Provide a quote where this technique has been used.
8. How does this technique engage (to keep the reader
interested)/inform (to give information about Australia) the
audience?
AUSTRALIAN POETRY
‘Australian poetry often considers what it is to be Australian.’
IDENTIFY
- the poet and title of each poem
DESCRIBE
- the subject matter and themes of each poem
- the voice/s or experiences each poem addresses
ANALYSE
- how the poetic language and structure used by the poets has worked to create the
voice/s or address the experiences found in each poem.
These are ideas of what to include in your paragraphs however, not
necessarily in this order.
1. What is the title of the poem?
2. Who composed (wrote) the poem?
3. What is the poem about? Where is the poem set?
4. What themes are represented in the poem?
5. What references to Australia are made? What understanding is
created?
6. Name a technique used in the poem.
7. Provide a quote where this technique has been used.
8. How does this technique engage (to keep the reader
interested)/inform (to give information about Australia) the
audience?
AUSTRALIAN POETRY
‘Australian poetry often considers what it is to be Australian.’
IDENTIFY
- the poet and title of each poem
DESCRIBE
- the subject matter and themes of each poem
- the voice/s or experiences each poem addresses
ANALYSE
- how the poetic language and structure used by the poets has worked to create the
voice/s or address the experiences found in each poem.
These are ideas of what to include in your paragraphs however, not
necessarily in this order.
9. What is the title of the poem?
1. Who composed (wrote) the poem?
2. What is the poem about? Where is the poem set?
3. What themes are represented in the poem?
4. What references to Australia are made? What understanding is
created?
5. Name a technique used in the poem.
6. Provide a quote where this technique has been used.
7. How does this technique engage (to keep the reader
interested)/inform (to give information about Australia) the
audience?
AUSTRALIAN POETRY
‘Australian poetry often considers what it is to be Australian.’
IDENTIFY
- the poet and title of each poem
DESCRIBE
- the subject matter and themes of each poem
- the voice/s or experiences each poem addresses
ANALYSE
- how the poetic language and structure used by the poets has worked to create the
voice/s or address the experiences found in each poem.
These are ideas of what to include in your paragraphs however, not
necessarily in this order.
1. What is the title of the poem?
2. Who composed (wrote) the poem?
3. What is the poem about? Where is the poem set?
4. What themes are represented in the poem?
5. What references to Australia are made? What understanding is
created?
6. Name a technique used in the poem.
7. Provide a quote where this technique has been used.
8. How does this technique engage (to keep the reader
interested)/inform (to give information about Australia) the
audience?
Martin displays the grenade, the class
pauses
for history. With his father's bleak
skill
Martin edges out the firing pin,
indicates
the chamber where the powder went; he
fingers
the serrations, bristles with the
shrapnel
possibilites. Questions. No-it had
limited
power: ten yards, then the spread
became too loose to catch a man's
mortality.
Around the class now. And each boy
holds
Specific
Quotes: meanings/definitions.
the small war, lifts it into the air
The first,
morethe
literaldesk
one means
the classthe
is stopping
above
trenches:
dead to listen to a history
class. The
second,
more
deeper
meaning,
is
one
weapon hurls
where the
class stops
experience the
past the heart
across
mindto fields,
tears
- The word 'bleak' in the sentence, 'his father's
ahead.
bleak skill' means somber or dull. It's also
a sign of negativity
- The use of '...he fingers the serrations...' suggests
a sensual, sexual mood. This is in reference to how
the boy is handling the grenade. It is like he is
being taken to another world
- The word 'bristles' in the phrase 'bristles
with shrapnel/possibilities', is an example of
a word which shows the anger of the narrator. He
talks about how the boy plays with an object which
can kill, or badly injure a person
- The line '...the spread/became too loose to catch a
man's mortality...', means after a certain distance
it is no longer powerful enough to kill someone. The
effect of this line is one of sarcasm, questioning
sarcastically, why it only kills people that far away
and not further