O What is That Sound Which So Thrills the Ear (1932)

“O what is that sound that thrills the ear” is best understood when placed in the context of
the turbulent 1930’s. It is only through looking outward that can grasp the true meaning of
the poem.

The statement, ‘” O what is that sound that thrills the ear” is best understood when placed
in the context of the turbulent 1930’s. It is only through looking outward that can grasp the
true meaning of the poem,’ is the one that rings most true with me. Auden’s poem,
published in 1932, explores a relationship between husband and wife against the backdrop
of an unspecified conflict. The aforementioned statement is true, because although the
poem entails imagery well resonated with the war, note of the date that the poem was
written in, 1932, allows further thorough understanding of the true meaning of the poem,
with contextual knowledge. In the first stanza of the poem, the wife questions, “O what is
that sound which so thrills the ear/ Down in the valley drumming, drumming?’ by which is
classified auditory imagery. If the poem was written with no light on the context of the
turbulent 1930’s, the reader would most likely assume that the poem entails the sound of
literal drums playing. In contrast however, with the knowledge that the poem is set during
the 1930’s, the auditory drumming entails an amplified suspenseful sound, symbolling guns
firing during the war. Knowledge of the context that the poem was written in, not only assist
the readers to connect the war with the written events, yet also the patriarchal values at the
time. Auden indirectly characterises the two characters in the poem, the wife and husband.
In the fourth stanza, the husband asks his wife, “why are you kneeling?” which highlights
the wife’s vulnerability, and inferiority. This is evident, as during the turbulent 1930’s the
patriarchy was highly valued, where men were viewed in higher superiority, to women of
inferiority. Thus, the readers are able to infer that the wife is kneeling below her husband,
as a gesture of weakness to voice the power, that she would have in the current world.
Therefore, ultimately, the statement well resonates with the Auden’s true meaning of the
poem, as views without knowledge of the poem’s context, limits deeper insights into what
Auden attempts to highlight, in relation to the events of war and the society values of the
time.