Partition W.H. Auden

This blog task given by Dilip Bard sir. This Thinking Activity of  I.A. Richard figurative Language of poem 

Partition - W.H. Auden 

Unbiased at least he was when he arrived on his mission,

Having never set eyes on the land he was called to partition

Between two peoples fanatically at odds,

With their different diets and incompatible gods.

"Time," they had briefed him in London, "is short. It's too late

For mutual reconciliation or rational debate:

The only solution now lies in separation.

The Viceroy thinks, as you will see from his letter,

That the less you are seen in his company the better,

So we've arranged to provide you with other accommodation.

We can give you four judges, two Moslem and two Hindu,

To consult with, but the final decision must rest with you."

Shut up in a lonely mansion, with police night and day

Patrolling the gardens to keep the assassins away,

He got down to work, to the task of settling the fate

Of millions. The maps at his disposal were out of date

And the Census Returns almost certainly incorrect,

But there was no time to check them, no time to inspect

Contested areas. The weather was frightfully hot,

And a bout of dysentery kept him constantly on the trot,

But in seven weeks it was done, the frontiers decided,

A continent for better or worse divided.

The next day he sailed for England, where he could quickly forget

The case, as a good lawyer must. Return he would not,

Afraid, as he told his Club, that he might get shot.

Summary of poem:

At any rate, Cyril Radcliffe was certainly impartial when he first started his task, seeing as he'd never even been to the region it was his job to divvy up (India) between two cultures (that is, Hindu and Muslim) in the midst of an intense conflict, who ate different food and followed opposing religions. Back in London, the government had told him that time was of the essence; there was no hope of the two sides coming to some kind of understanding or even participating in a reasonable discussion. They'd decided that the only thing to do would be to divide India into two separate countries. The governor believed it'd be best not to be seen with Radcliffe, so they found him somewhere else to stay. They said they'd provide him with two Muslim judges and two Hindu judges to offer some advice, but ultimately he would be the one to decide things.

Locked away in a huge, secluded house under constant guard to protect him from those who might try to kill him, he settled into his task of deciding the future for millions of people. The maps of the region he'd been given were old and there was no way the census records were accurate, but he didn't have enough time to double-check the numbers or examine the places under dispute. The weather was much hotter than he was used to, and a spell of diarrhea kept him running back and forth from the toilet. Still, he completed his project in seven weeks: the boundaries between India and Pakistan were chosen, splitting up a continent.

As soon as he finished he boarded a ship for England and, like any good lawyer, was able to put the whole ordeal out of his mind. He would never go back to the region since he was scared, he told the others in his club, that he'd be killed if he did.

Analys poem : 

W.H. Auden's poem "Partition" critiques the hasty and careless partitioning of India and Pakistan in 1947 by British official Cyril Radcliffe. Auden highlights the indifference and ignorance of colonial powers, emphasizing the devastating consequences for millions of people. The poem uses irony and understatement to criticize the detachment of Radcliffe and others involved, contrasting their privilege with the suffering caused by their actions. It underscores themes of power, irresponsibility, and the human cost of arbitrary political decisions.

Metaphor of poem :

In W.H. Auden's "Partition," the act of dividing India and Pakistan serves as a metaphor for the reckless and impersonal nature of colonial power. The poem highlights how decisions made in detachment, without understanding or empathy, can fracture societies and lives. The partition itself symbolizes the deep scars and divisions imposed on people by distant, indifferent authorities.

Doubt of poem :

encouraging reflection and growth. It highlights doubt's role in keeping the mind curious and questioning, rather than blindly confident.