Themes
Death and war are key themes of 'The Destruction of Sennacherib'
A number of unifying ideas or Central, unifying idea(s) that run through a text. run through the poem. Different readers may attach more or less significance to each of these themes, depending upon how they view the poem.
| Theme | Evidence | Analysis |
| Death: war always brings death and destruction. The planned Assyrian attack is halted by the death of the soldiers and their horses. | âAnd the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail.â | The effects of death are ongoing. In the Assyrian capital Ashur, the wives of the soldiers mourn the loss of their husbands. |
| Godâs power: God is shown to have the power to protect his chosen people at a specific time of need. His ongoing power is demonstrated through the references to nature. | âAnd the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword,/ Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord!â | The Assyrianâs aggressive might is nothing compared to Godâs power. God merely has to âglanceâ at the enemy to destroy them. âMelted like snowâ is used to highlight how easily this destruction is achieved. |
| Theme | Death: war always brings death and destruction. The planned Assyrian attack is halted by the death of the soldiers and their horses. |
|---|---|
| Evidence | âAnd the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail.â |
| Analysis | The effects of death are ongoing. In the Assyrian capital Ashur, the wives of the soldiers mourn the loss of their husbands. |
| Theme | Godâs power: God is shown to have the power to protect his chosen people at a specific time of need. His ongoing power is demonstrated through the references to nature. |
|---|---|
| Evidence | âAnd the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword,/ Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord!â |
| Analysis | The Assyrianâs aggressive might is nothing compared to Godâs power. God merely has to âglanceâ at the enemy to destroy them. âMelted like snowâ is used to highlight how easily this destruction is achieved. |
Question
How does Byron show the power of the miracle that occurs?
- At the start of the poem the might of the Assyrians is emphasised by them being compared to a predator attacking defenceless animals.
- God does not need weapons or vast armies to destroy them.
- The destruction is achieved as naturally and easily as summer turning to winter, or snow melting.
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