‘August 6, 1945’ by Alison Fell
Alison Fell was born in Dumfries, Scotland in 1944.
During the end of World War II the United States bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki in
Japan, the first on August 6, 1945 and the second on August 9, 1945. The US wanted
the Japanese to surrender but they refused. Six days after the bomb on Nagasaki, on
August 15, Japan announced its surrender.
THE PLANE THAT DROPPED THE FIRST BOMB WAS CALLED ENOLA GAY, NAMED AFTER
THE MOTHER OF THE PILOT. THE BOMB WAS CALLED ‘LITTLE BOY’.
Within the first two to four months of the bombings, the acute effects killed 90,000–
166,000 people in Hiroshima and 60,000–80,000 in Nagasaki with roughly half of the
deaths in each city occurring on the first day. During the following months, large
numbers died from the effect of burns, radiation sickness, and other injuries,
compounded by illness.
Although many people were killed, this poem focuses on two individuals: the pilot and
female victim. Fell uses imagery, vocabulary and form to convey the sheer horror of the
attack.
Stanza 1
Stanza 2
Focuses on the pilot before the attack – present
The initial success of the attack is celebrated but hinting that
it has devastating consequences
Stanza 3
Focuses on summer’s day in Japan - present
Stanza 4
Painful and unpleasant description of the female victim’s injuries
Stanza 5
The narrator describes the victim’s new existence which contrasts
with stanza 3
Stanza 6
Cyclical structure evident as the narrator returns to the
pilot and the effect the mission has had on him
Structure
Third person narrative that is personalised by focusing on two individuals from opposite
sides: the pilot and the Japanese girl. The beginning and the end of the poem focuses
on the pilot. In the first stanza, we experience his nervousness as he ‘whistles a dry
tune’. In the next stanza we hear the excitement and amazement in his voice in the mild
expletive ‘blooming’. Initially the success of the operation is celebrated. The reference
to ‘apricot ice’ indicates the visual effect of the bomb and the success of the operation.
The poet’s emotions are juxtaposed in the phrase ‘laugh and tremble’, depicting his
initial relief and dawning aware of the catastrophic effects. This leads to the final stanza
where we are told the pilot is having nightmare, suggesting that he is also a victim of this
conflict.
The short stanza in the middle of the poem creates a visual image describing the beauty
of nature before the explosion. Unlike the ‘Enola Gray’, the bees are life giving as they
fly over the countryside.
The lack of punctuation and enjambement gives a sense of inevitability concerning the
outcome of the ‘impact’ and creates a feeling that the negative consequences are never
ending. There is only one full stop which is stanza 2; it is after the bomb has been
dropped and the success of the operation. This suggests that it is a momentous and
life-changing event.
Language
Colour imagery used to convey fire and destruction. Contrast in colour to represent
before and after the explosion.
Metaphorical language and descriptive language:
‘eye of his belly’ could represent the bottom of the plane where the bomb is stored.
‘Marilyn’s skirts’ refer to the iconic image of Marilyn Munroe. The dropping of the bomb
is iconic as the world will change forever.
‘bees drizzle’ suggests fullness of nature
‘hot, white rhododendrons’ – suggests peace and calm as well as the heat of the future
explosion.
The contrast of landscape between stanza 3 and 4 from natural beauty to ‘dust’.
The ‘scarlet girl’ is unnamed to represent all the Japanese victims and the description of
her ‘whole stripped skin’ gives a painful and unpleasant description, creating sympathy
from the reader. She also contrasts with the future US film star M Munroe.
Stanza 5 describes the new landscape created by the bomb with language such as
‘black ash’ and ‘blinded’ conveying death and destruction. The ongoing effects of the
radiation are represented in the description of the people being ‘lizards’ and
salamanders’.
Ladybirds refer to the rhyme ‘Ladybird, Ladybird fly away home, your house is on fire
and your children are gone’ suggesting that the pilot has been the cause of this grief and
destruction.
Stanza four contains a lot of sibilance (‘s’ sounds) – the hissing sound creates a sinister
tone
This is free verse with unpredictable rhythms and internal rhymes dotted about, eg. Gay/
Say, Sky/ Fly.
After the 2nd stanza, there is less rhyme, suggesting the chaos and unpredictability of the
bomb and radiation.
Essay title
Explain how Hardi presents vocabulary and verb tense to create an ominous
sense of the impending conflict.
Use evidence from the poem to support your answer.
Remember choose your quotations and textual references carefully so that you can
make comments that show insight and strong personal engagement with and
interpretation of the poem.