Professional Documents
Culture Documents
After Blenheim Synopsis and Important Questions
After Blenheim Synopsis and Important Questions
Synopsis
After Blenheim is an anti-war poem written by poet Robert Southey. The poem
describes the losses and after-effects of an epic war which was fought in 1704 for the
Spanish succession in Blenheim, South Germany.
Blenheim is the English name for the German village of Blindheim, situated on the left
bank of the Danube river in Bavaria in South Germany. The overwhelming Allied victory
ensured the safety of Vienna from the Franco-Bavarian army, thus preventing the
collapse of the Grand Alliance.
This poem was written in 1796 sharply criticising the destruction and death caused by
war. It is set at the site of the battle of Blenheim with questions of two small children
about the skull one of them has found. Their grandfather, an old man, tells them of burnt
homes, civilian casualties and rotting corpses while repeatedly calling it a famous
victory. The poem depicts the common man's ignorance of the motive of war.
Whenever a war is fought, it brings a lot of destruction and death along with it. Apart
from the loss of life, people also lose their homes and have to start again. Victory
cannot compensate for such losses. Thus, the poet has used a simple narrative of a
grandfather explaining to his two grandchildren his own suffering and the suffering of
many others who were the victims of the battle. The grandfather keeps on quoting that it
was a great victory but is unable to justify the gain of the war to mankind. People always
think about the victory but fail to realise the loss that mankind faces because of such
battles. Wars are evil and cost lives that are precious. We need to find solutions to solve
conflicts without it costing any life. Only then everyone will be at peace.
On one summer evening, an old man named Kaspar was sitting in front of his house
after finishing his daily chores. He was carefully observing his grandchildren playing in
the area near the rivulet in front of him. He had two grandchildren—a boy named
Peterkin and a girl named Wilhelmine. Wilhelmine saw that Peterkin had found
something smooth and round that looked like a ball near the rivulet. She went up to him
to see what he has found. Then their grandfather, Kaspar walks up to them and feels
sad. He sighs and explains that the smooth, large, round thing is actually a skull of
some fellow who died in the battle that was fought on this land years ago. He also
quoted that this fellow had sacrificed his life for a great victory.
The grandfather states that he has been finding many such remnants in the garden or in
the field during ploughing. There were a great number of people who fought this battle
and many were killed. Many people lost their lives in this great victory.
After hearing these facts, little Peterkin asked the reason for the battle. They wanted to
know everything about the battle. Wilhelmine was also curious and looked at her
grandfather waiting for an answer in anticipation.
Kaspar in reply said that the war was fought between the English and the French. The
English defeated the French. However, on being asked about the reason for the war, he
could not answer. He did not know for what the war was fought, but he quoted that it
was a great victory.
In continuation of the narration, Kaspar also told his grandchildren that his own father
lived at Blenheim. The soldiers burnt his father's house and he was forced to leave the
place with his wife and child. As a result of the war, he became homeless.
The fire of evil along with the swords destroyed everything. The war was terrible. There
were many pregnant women who lost their lives and newborn babies were also killed.
Kaspar ironically stated that such things take place at every battle that has a great
victory.
It was a shocking sight where lots of bodies were rotting under the sun. These bodies
belonged to the men who were killed in the battle. This battle was won because of these
people who sacrificed their lives. Kaspar mentions that such things happen in order to
achieve a great victory.
As stated above, the English had won the war. Their army was led by the Duke of
Marlborough and Prince Eugene. The commanders were greatly praised for the victory;
however, little Wilhelmine said that it was a wicked thing. In response to the exclamation
of his granddaughter, Kaspar again quoted that it was a famous victory.
The poem ends with old Kaspar mentioning that everybody praised the Duke. Peterkin
asked if there was any good that came out of the war. Kaspar said that he could not
answer this question as he did not know the answer but he could just say that it was a
famous victory.
The last paragraph leaves a question to the reader about the ruthlessness of war. No
motive, objective or reason can justify the loss of life. Innocent children are able to
understand this, but sensible men still fight battles in order to resolve conflicts. This is
the harsh reality of the world.
6. What is meant by ‘childing mother’? Why does the poet specifically mention the
death of childing mothers and newborn babies?
Ans. Childing mothers mean expectant or pregnant women. The poet
specifically mentions these to show the ruthless consequences of war which do
not spare the lives of newborn babies or pregnant women. The war is
heartless, miserable and brings suffering to innocent people.
10. What was Peterkin’s reaction after knowing about the battle?
Ans. Peterkin was listening about the war patiently; finally, he asked what good
came out of it when so many people lost their lives and homes with no positive
result. This question shows that he was anxious about the war (at the end of
the poem) and was unable to figure out why it was called a great victory when
nothing good actually came out of it. On the contrary, he understood that
people lost their lives and it was a dreadful thing.
5. What losses due to the consequences of war are discussed in the poem?
OR
How has the poet described the devastation of war?
Ans. Apart from the many losses that were caused, Kaspar has described
three scenarios that he witnessed after the battle of Blenheim. He told his
grandchildren that his father had a house at Blenheim near a small stream.
The enemy soldiers burnt it down and, as a result, his father was forced to run
away from that place to save his life. He took his child and wife to another
place and started again. After the war in which the French were defeated by
the English, there were thousands of soldiers who were killed and many more
people became homeless. The dead were not properly cremated and were left
under the sun to rot. Nobody was spared not even pregnant women and
newborn babies. These miserable things and suffering to humankind are
described as the consequences of a famous victory.
8. How has the poet used irony to portray the consequences of war?
Ans. The poem ‘After Blenheim’ is an anti-war poem which reflects on the
horrors of war like burned houses, civilian casualties (like those of pregnant
women and newborn babies) and rotting corpses. It is however ironical that the
poem glorifies the outcome of the war in the form of a great victory of a nation
at the cost of huge destruction of life and property. Old Kaspar is aware of the
damage caused by war and that too to his own family, yet he seems more
interested and aware of the victory achieved in the war than its purpose or
benefits. His gruesome descriptions followed by his casual sayings create an
effect of irony in the poem. Old Kaspar repeats the phrases ‘great victory’ and
‘famous victory’. It is also ironical that the masses are goaded by leaders into
believing the importance of victory in war rather than its purpose or benefits for
the common man. The irony exposes the readers to the pointlessness of war.