Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Denise Levertov's poem "Watching 'Dark Circle'" draws a stark and harrowing parallel between the inhumanity of scientific experiments and the concept of hell, as seen through the lens of a documentary on nuclear testing. The poem critiques the moral and ethical blindness of those who perform such experiments, underscoring the real and profound suffering inflicted on living beings.

The poem opens with a quote from Marlowe’s *Dr. Faustus*: "Why, this is hell, nor am I out of it." This epigraph sets the tone for the poem, framing the ensuing description of the experiments as a manifestation of hell on Earth. The reference to *Dr. Faustus* also invokes themes of ambition, hubris, and the dire consequences of overreaching human endeavor.

Levertov describes the gruesome scene where "Men are willing to observe the writhing, the bubbling flesh and swift but protracted charring of bone." The use of vivid and graphic imagery forces the reader to confront the brutal reality of the experiments. The pigs, subjected to this horrific treatment, "don't pass out but continue to scream as they turn to cinder." This line emphasizes the prolonged and conscious suffering of the animals, heightening the sense of cruelty.

The poem sharply critiques the rationale behind these experiments: "The Pentagon wants to know something a child could tell it: it hurts to burn, and even a match can make you scream, pigs or people, even the smallest common flame can kill you." Levertov points out the absurdity of needing such extreme measures to understand the obvious pain caused by burning. This critique highlights the moral disconnect and the lack of empathy in the pursuit of scientific knowledge.

Levertov underscores the reality of the suffering: "This plutonic calefaction is redundant. / Men are willing / to call the roasting of live pigs a simulation of certain conditions. It is / not a simulation." By stating that the experiment is "not a simulation," she emphasizes the actual, tangible suffering inflicted. The pigs, known for their intelligence and "uncanny precognition of disaster," are very much real, as is their agony. The imagery of the "foul miasma" that is "irremovable from the nostrils" further immerses the reader in the sensory horror of the scene.

The poem culminates in a damning indictment of the experimenters: "the simulation of hell these men have carefully set up is hell itself, and they in it, dead in their lives, and what can redeem them? What can redeem them?" Levertov suggests that by creating and participating in these hellish conditions, the men are spiritually and morally dead. The repetition of the question "What can redeem them?" underscores the gravity of their actions and the seeming impossibility of atonement for such profound cruelty.

"Watching 'Dark Circle'" is a powerful condemnation of the dehumanizing effects of scientific and military endeavors that inflict unnecessary suffering. Levertov's vivid and unflinching language forces the reader to confront the ethical implications of such actions, questioning the humanity of those who perpetrate them and the possibility of redemption in the face of such profound moral failure.

Copyright (c) 2025 PoetryExplorer

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...