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A DOCTOR’S JOURNAL ENTRY FOR
AUGUST 6, 1945
ANALYSIS
The poem, A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945 is penned
down in the form of an entry in a journal by a doctor for keeping
records. The entry gave the readers a vivid picture of how the people
were taken aback when atomic bombs were dropped on their city of
Hiroshima in 1945 during the Second World War.
Narrative Technique:
Vikram Seth’s poetic style has many features like the use of
prose-pattern, epithets, images, wit, humor and irony. The poem is in a
form of journal entry made by a Hibakusha (a Japanese word for a
bomb survivor) on August 6, 1945. The use of this journal form for
writing poetry is ingenious because this kind of poetry requires no
rhyme pattern or other poetic devices. The style is colloquial, clipped.
The poem has no rhyming scheme or stanzas, it is a continuous narration
of what happened on a particular day.
In the beginning of the poem, one can see the account of the
impact of the atomic bombs on the city. The poet also uses Hyperbole
(exaggeration) for highlighting the current situation.
“The roof, the walls, and, as it seemed the world
Collapsed in timber and debris, dust swirled
Around me.”
An atmosphere of horror, fear and panic too is created all around
the narrator and the narrator gives a dreadful account of it in the next
few lines.
“It took some time for me to understand
The friction on their burns caused so much pain
They feared to chafe flesh against flesh again
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Those who could, shuffled in blank parade.”
Vikram Seth has personified ‘loneliness’ to describe the
helplessness of the survivors in A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6,
1945.
“What choice had we? A dreadful loneliness
Came over me when she had gone. My mind
Ran at high speed, my body crept behind.”
Lyrical in Spirit:
Lyric Poetry deals with the poet’s own feelings, his state of
mind and perceptions. A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945 is
a poem about the poet’s own sorrows, feelings. The poem expresses
the personal torments and sufferings of the victims.
Symbolism:
The poem is highly symbolic. The bombs that tore away the
human beings of their clothes signifies that the whole of human race
who suffered. Note the symbolism in the following lines,-
“……..I saw, dismayed,
A woman with a child stand in my path-
Both naked. Had they come back from the bath?
…………………………..and now the thought arose
That some strange thing had stripped us of our clothes.”
The common thing between all these people was that they were
dumbfounded and silent. They were speechless. When someone is in
deep sorrow he loses the power of speech, he becomes numb. It
symbolizes that a powerful nation destroys the lives of the common
people, they still remain silent.
“My legs gave way, I sat down the ground.
Thirst seized me, but no water could be found.
My breath was short but bit by bit my strength
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Seemed to revive and I got up at length.”
The above line shows the indomitable spirit of the doctor, induced
with determination that he regains strength finally. This symbolizes
Japan, as one of the world leaders in today’s world.
Human Goodness:
Even during such a crisis and chaos the goodness in human
nature is not lost. There is still hope for care and concern in the minds
of the people. The doctor, though himself wounded, calls out for his
wife, and even thinks of helping out his staff in his hospital. A soldier
hands over a towel to the doctor to cover himself.
The main theme of A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6,
1945 is the destruction caused by the atomic bombs on Hiroshima.
The poem depicts both mental and physical agony. The poet has
described the gruesome reality of the first nuclear explosion and its
power to destroy the whole human race. This bombing wiped out
two cities and millions died. However, Japan endured the calamity,
rose up, (bit by bit my strength/Seemed to revive) and rebuilt their
shattered city and their world.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q1. Who is ‘Me”? Where is he at present? What time of the day
is it? What is the narrator enjoying as described immediately before
these lines?
“Me” in the extract is the narrator of the poem “A Doctor’s
Journal Entry for August 6, 1945” who experienced the atomic bombing.
He is at his home in a city (Hiroshima or Nagasaki) in Japan,
which was bombed on 6th August 1945 during the Second World War.
It was morning. The Narrator says that the day was peaceful
and beautiful, and it was a warm morning when the narrator, a doctor
by profession, got up and stretched himself and was relaxing at home.
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Q2. How is the natural scene, described before this extract,
significant in the context of the poem?
The natural scene described just before the extract is
significant as it shows how the beauty of nature was destroyed in a
moment by the man made culture of war and hatred and scientific
developments. The evil use of science is juxtaposed against the
beauty of nature.
Q3. What are the strong flashes mentioned in the extract? Why
does the narrator wonder whether those are magnesiumm flares?
The strong flashes mentioned in the extract are the atomic
bombing that happened in the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki during the Second World War on 6th August, 1945.
The narrator wonders whether they are magnesium flares as it
is war time and he thinks that it is probably the magnesium flares that
are usual during wars. He dcan not think that the city is bombed with
an atomic bomb.
Q4. What harm did the flashes cause to the building? Why did
the narrator exclaim that “the world collapsed”?
The flashes destroyed the buildings. The narrator exclaimed that
“the wrold collapsed” as wherever he would see all around him, he
could see nothing but destruction and decay.
Q5. What happened to the narrator’s body? What was the
reaction on seeing all this?
The narrator’s clothes were burnt. A splinter had protruded
into his thigh. Blood started sprikling from the right side. His cheek
was torn and he removed dispassionately a piece of glass from his
body.
Q6. Why is the narrator looking for his wife? What does his
attitude towards his wife indicate about his character?
The narrator is looking for his wife to figure out if she is safe.
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The narrrator’s attitude towards his wife indicates that he loves
his wife too much and is caring about her.
Q7. Describe the appearance of his wife. What has caused her
appearance to be so? What does he tell her? How does their
conversation indicate about human values?
The wife of the Doctor, Yecko San is being described as pale,
bloodstained and frightened, who was holding her elbow.
It is the atomic bombing and the shock of it which caused her
appearance to be so.
Their conversation shows two things about human values- (a)
the cruelty and inhumanity of the warmongers and (b) the goodness,
fighting spirit, helping nature of the people like doctor and his wife.
Q8. Agaisnt what do they trip up in the street? How do they feel
about it? What has caused that object to be there? What does he
think that they should do now?
They trip up in the street against a head. They felt strange about
it and said sorry later torealize that it was a dead man. A gate crashed
on him and cuased the death.
The doctor thinks that he should get to hospital as they needed
aid and he should help his staff in hospital.
Q9. What are your feelings for the narrator and his wife? Give
a reason to justify your feelings.
My feelings towards the narrator and his wife is that of sympathy
as they, like other citizens of the two Japanese cities, were suffering
because of the war mongers who decided to use atomic bombs on
these two cities.
Q10. How did fire spring up in the dust? Give two reasons that
made the narrator intend to go the hospital.
Fire narrator intended to go to the hospital as (a) he himself is
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wounded and would need medical attention, and (b) being a doctor, he
thought he should be in hospital to serve others in these trying times.
Q11. Later, in the poem, he sees a soldier. What does the soldier
do for him? Then what does he tell his wife? Why?
The soldier gives him a towel.
he then tells his wife to go ahead as he has no strength to carry
on. He asks his wife to do so as she should get medical aid even if he
cannot.
Q12. Describe of the sights which he sees later.
After that he sees “shadowy forms of people” silently walking
with their arms stretched straight out, dangling from their shoulders as
they cannot bear the friction of the burnt skins; and a woman and her
child both naked.
Q13. Why do you think, all do not feel ashamed of being naked?
They do not feel ashamed of being naked as (i) everyone’s
clothes are burnt and all are naked (ii) more shameful act was of the
people who decided to bomb the city (iii) they are so numb by the
experience that feeling ashamed does not matter to them.
Q14. By referring to any two examples, show how the poet gives
a detailed picture of what was happening.
The two examples are (a) shadowy forms of people” silently
walking with their arms stretched straight out, dangling from their
shoulders as they cannot bear the friction of the burnt skins and (b) a
woman and her child both naked as their clothes are all burnt with
bombing.
Q15. What are the “shadowy forms” referred to in the extract?
What do the words, ghosts, scarecrows and the dumb indicate?
The naked suffering people of the bombed city parading with
paid are referred to in the extract. The words “ghosts”, “scarecrows”,
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“dumb” indicate that the people of the city are suffering limitlessly
because of the atomic bombing.
Q16. What is the impact of his wife’s absence on him? What does
the impact indicate about their relationship?
“A dreadful lonelines” came over the doctor in the absence of
his wife. It shows that the doctor and his wife are too much in love
with each other and in their suffering they needed each other.
Q17. Which four people does the poet see on the way to the
hospital? What was common to all? Why?
The four people that the poet sees on the way to the hospital are
soldier, a naked woman with his naked child, a naked man, and an old
woman. All of them are naked and suffering from immense pain and
are dumb with pain and shock. They are so as the atomic bombing has
caused all these.
Q18. What/who do you think is responsible for causing so much
bloodshed? Does it prove that the tyrant is really powerful? Give
a reason to justify your opinion.
The war mongers are responsible for causing so much bloodshed
for no reason, but their own profit.
No, it does not prove that the tyrant is really powerful as the
fighting spirit and helping nature of people proves however inhuman
the war mongers may be, their cruelty and violence will be countered
by people’s faith in humanity.
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