Strange Meeting Workbook Solution : ISC Rhapsody & Prism

Lines 22-25

The dead soldier laments that he did not get enough time on earth to share the truth with his fellow men. He feels that the joy of his success in learning the truth would have meant more to him, had he been able to share it with his fellowmen. He says that such desires of his will remain unfulfilled now. He realises that with his death, the truth will never be declared-it will forever remain hidden. The poet expresses the view that it is pity, which is the most unfortunate part of war. The world in its misguided notion harbours dreams of rapid progress. Thus, the world is lured into false illusions of armed domination and sovereignty of state.

The “untold truth” is that war is neither heroic nor glorious: it is a “pity.” In fact, it is only pity that emerges as the essence of war, so that it is as powerful and intense as possible. This truth is untold because the soldier has taken it with him to his grave. The enemy soldier wants to communicate to the world what he, as a soldier, has learnt about war.

He notes, that his joy might have made other people happy and his sorrow, might have left “something” good and useful behind, but that “something” has died with him.

Line 26-29

Other people will be happy with the war because they think it was right or justified. Worse still they might be angry about the soldier’s death and use it as a justification for further violence and more deaths. The enemy soldier focuses on this option, imagining it in detail. He says men will lose their humanity and will become like a violent animal instinctively protecting one of its own. This points to the tribal, animalistic mentality-the “us” vs. “them” dynamic in a war that ignores the fact that soldiers on both sides of the battle are human beings.

The enemy soldier outlines another negative consequence of taking his death as a justification for further violence. No one will dare speak up against this violence because such acts of violence demand conformity. As a result people’s capacity to protest against their nations’ actions is diminished.

Lines 30-33

The enemy soldier continues to mourn what has been taken from him when he was killed in battle. While on earth, the dead soldier had the courage, determination and knowledge about the reality of war. He is convinced that the world’s salvation did not lie in empty dogmas (vain citadels) like military strength and superpower distinctions. The soldier was smart enough to object when he saw the world moving backward towards primitive violence. The world reeling under the war is as useless as soldiers attempting to lay siege on a fortified city without walls, i.e. war is useless.

Lines 34-36

The enemy soldier fantasises about how he would have repaired the damage that violence and war have done if he had lived long enough to do so. He would have washed the blood clogged chariot wheels with the truth. A chariot symbolises tools of war while the blood clogging it symbolises the destruction these instruments cause. He would use the truth untold about the pity of war’ to repair the damage caused by war and possibly prevent further wars and violence.

Lines 37-39

The enemy solider continues, that had he been living he would have given up everything including his soul to repair the damage caused by the war. He would do so without causing injury or paying the exorbitant cost of the war. If he were alive he would do everything to stop the primal violence because it causes physical and mental injuries to people.

Line 40-44

The enemy soldier implies that he and the speaker could be friends. They should have been friends but war has divided them. He recognises the speaker because the speaker “frowned” when he first saw the dead soldier in the tunnel as he had frowned when he had stabbed the dead soldier on the battlefield. Though the enemy soldier tried to escape the blow, he was unable to do so because his hands were too slow. The last line simply trails off. All the anguish of the soldier is lost and all he can do is to sleep in peace. Today they are both dead, together in Hell for the rest of eternity. An eternity where they will have nothing left to do except regretting how their life was wasted. And so they go back to their timeless sleep…