ONLINE LESSON #9

1. “Guns / Long, steel guns / Pointed from the war ships” (lines 1-3). What type of
gun is Sandburg describing here?

Answer : Sandburg is describing battle guns, that were suitable for war battle, be it rifles, sub-machine guns, canons on ships. The guns were all suitable for war and are designed specially for battle .


2. “Laughing lithe jackies in white blouses, / Sitting on the guns singing war songs,
war chanties” (lines 8-9). Who are the “jackies” in these lines, and why would
they be singing “war chanties”?

Answer : The jackies in these lines are the war soldiers in the navy army . They sit on their guns, to have a sense of closeness to the guns, and they are proud of their guns for achieving victory in battle. The war chanties signify that they have won a war, and are celebrating after a tough fought battle .


3. “The shovel is brother to the gun” (line 16). Explain what Sandburg means by
this statement.

Answer : This statement means that war, is the harbinger and confirmation of death . The shovel signifies the instrument to dig graves, and bury the dead , hence it goes to symbolise death . Whereas the guns, which are used in war so frequently, are therefore associated with war, and battle. When Sandburg said that they are brothers, he means that war and death are inter-related , and there might be a cycle . If a country dominates another nation, and kills innocent lives, vengeance will take over , and war might spark again . And obviously, when there are more wars, there are more deaths .

4. What is the significance of the poem’s title, “And They Obey”?

Answer : It may be used to signify the power and control a war can possess to strike fear in one, until he succumbs to it, and obeys . The abolishment and destruction all strike fear in the nation, as this emphasises the perpetrator's superiority, and from there, they have no other choice but to obey and surrender .


5. What is the effect of the contrasting actions between stanzas 1 and 2 (smash/
build, knock/set up, break/put together)? What is the persona’s attitude toward
the soldiers and citizens in the poem?

Answer : This shows the persona's trust in the nation as a whole, that they possess the courage to stand back up of their feet, and rebuild themselves . He has absolute confidence the soldiers can win back the war, and the citizens can pull through this ordeal . By contrasting the two very different expressions, he tries to encourage the masses not to give up in an ordeal, as everything will be built/constructed back to normal .


6. In your view, is it harder to tear a society down, or to build it back up again? Use
examples from current events to support your answer.

Answer : I think it is much harder to built a society back up again. When Singapore survived through the Japanese Occupation during World War 2 in the 1940s , many suffered psychologically and physically . This includes torture to one, and one exposed to torture of his/her loved ones . The brutality and cruelty  had a significant effect on the innocent civilians . It took Singapore a few decades to gradually build her infrastructure and construction , while it took the Japanese a few years for a tumultuous occupation . Singapore, as a society , hung on till their last breath , and endured as one . Despite the occupation being history, many surviving war veterans today may be scarred of devastating images in their minds still, etched and persistent . There was a wound impossible to heal, a mental barrier , constantly internalizing trepidation in the minds of them . Physically , Singapore can regain her former infrastructure, but emotionally, it remains a wound too deep .


7. Explain the progression of onomatopoeia in the first stanza. What do you
imagine the sounds of the future wars represent?

Answer :
From the 'drum of hoofs' to the 'hum of motors' to the 'silent wheels' . From the words " drum, hum and silent ", there is a gradual progression from loud to soft, in the onomatopoeic expressions . And from 'beat of shod feet ' to 'tread of rubber tires' to whirr of rods' . The words " beat , tread, and whirr " , show a progression from loud to soft again . From these two expressions, the wars get from loud to soft . Thus I imagine the sounds of future war to be pretty soft, and that there will be many silent deaths . There will be little fight , but the advanced technology will provide various killing methods . One method I can think of is radiation and chemical bombs, which kill their victims over time . Such wars , known as chemical wars, or nuclear wars, must and should be avoided . These wars are soft, and are different from the loud sounds from bullets, or tanks .


8. “In the wars to come kings kicked under the dust” (line 9). Taking an example
from current events, discuss one “king” that has been “kicked under the dust” in
recent times.

Answer : One king that has been kicked under the dust, is the Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was forced to step down and leave the country earlier this year, where he laundered money and trafficked drugs .