Analysis of 'Red Balloon' by Dannie Abse.
Summary.
Abse uses the 'Red Balloon' as a symbolism of his Judaism and at the beginning we see the balloon going through some sort of journey of its own, drifting from place to place: "It sailed across the startled town, over chapels, over chimney-pots, wind-blown above a block of flats". Abse then goes onto to writing about he came across this balloon that had been drifting all around and suddenly it just happened to land where Abse was standing. However, in this poem we are also introduced to the people who ridicule his faith and those are the same people who are wanting to burst this fragile red balloon which actually plays a significant part in bringing together he meaning of not just the poem, but also Abse's struggles in life being a Jew. Abse shows that this poem is personal to him as he writes in first person but also he uses his childhood experiences is key because it is all pretty personal when someone talks about their childhood in such detail in the way that Abse does in this poem. The poem ends with the balloon staying as it was when it was first found and it doesn't burst despite the boys trying to purposefully burst it which is also symbolic and something to consider and look into in depth.
Key themes: Pride and prejudice, isolation, identity and religion.
Significant quotes.
"it was my shame, it was my joy. it brought me notoriety".
Here, Abse uses possessive pronouns so the red balloon has a sense of belonging and some sort of identity of its own. Abse then continues this repetition of the use of the possessive pronouns: "my balloon, my red balloon". Abse uses the red balloon as symbol of his "shame", "joy" and "notoriety" that it brings to him. However, as a whole, the red balloon symbolizes Abse's faith and it embodies how being a Jew in that society, brought prejudice towards him but also pride and happiness. The red balloon also seems to be the only thing through out the whole poem that is bright and vivid as Abse depicts the balloon standing out from everyone in the poem because of the colour red. Red of course could symbolize many things but to me the colour red symbolizes strength, boldness, blood and confidence - the blood being the blood of a Jew.
"soared higher like a happiness towards the dark blue sky".
One of the obvious themes that Abse explores in this poem is pride and prejudice. In this quote, Abse uses a simile to reflect how he feel having found the red balloon. Here Abse is also saying that his faith in Judaism is what brings him that pride and happiness that everyone aspires to have.
"some unsheathed their dirty knives; some lunged, some clawed at my balloon, but still it would not burst".
A group of boys during Abse'd childhood, try to take that pride away however as we see them trying to burst the balloon in a brutal way despite only being just kids. It may well be said that the children's behaviour in this particular section of the poem is rather savage-like. However, the fact that such a fragile object doesn't burst at all represents Abse's strong belief in faith and so here, Abse's faith is seen as something that not only built his identity, but something that can make him feel secure and give him a sense of belonging. Also, because the balloon doesn't burst, could maybe show that actually Abse was protecting his precious and fragile red balloon.
"That I'm a Jew is true...that cannot be denied".
This just simply shows Abse standing up for his beliefs. This is said by Abse with such strong confidence and assurance that it makes him feel like the bigger person in the situation. The fact that Abse is not denying the fact that he is a Jew shows that he is proud of who he has grown up to be. Also, the language used by Abse here is defensive towards the comments that the boys make.
"Your red balloon's a Jew's balloon, let's get it circumcised".
This is obviously a comment that the group of boys make and I do have that this is rather degrading and vulgar. The group of boys here are referring to the tradition of Judaism where a boy is circumcised and when it is said by the boys it is mocking that tradition. Isolation is also portrayed in this quotation. The fact that a Jew has hold of the red balloon seems to suddenly set them apart in a negative way, but also the balloon is seen as an object that is looked down on and cursed at just because it is a "Jew's balloon". The theme of isolation is also portrayed when Abse writes about one of the boys stating the red balloon was "stained with our dear Lord's blood". Now, what one of the boys is really saying here is that Judaism only seems to be an imitation of Christianity and that for the boys seems insulting but he could also be speaking on behalf of other Christians from that time in society where Judaism was looked down o by many.When the boys says "our dear Lord's blood", he is referring to Christianity and not Judaism and so he is seen as isolating Jews from Christians and making them seem like religions that conflict with each other.
"some unsheathed their dirty knives; some lunged, some clawed at my balloon, but still it would not burst".
A group of boys during Abse'd childhood, try to take that pride away however as we see them trying to burst the balloon in a brutal way despite only being just kids. It may well be said that the children's behaviour in this particular section of the poem is rather savage-like. However, the fact that such a fragile object doesn't burst at all represents Abse's strong belief in faith and so here, Abse's faith is seen as something that not only built his identity, but something that can make him feel secure and give him a sense of belonging. Also, because the balloon doesn't burst, could maybe show that actually Abse was protecting his precious and fragile red balloon.
"That I'm a Jew is true...that cannot be denied".
This just simply shows Abse standing up for his beliefs. This is said by Abse with such strong confidence and assurance that it makes him feel like the bigger person in the situation. The fact that Abse is not denying the fact that he is a Jew shows that he is proud of who he has grown up to be. Also, the language used by Abse here is defensive towards the comments that the boys make.
"Your red balloon's a Jew's balloon, let's get it circumcised".
Thanks! Very helpful, did you find anything about the structure?
ReplyDeleteThe structure of the poem is continuous (four lines per stanza) and the fact that the poem is structured this way through out is symbolic of the prejudice that Abse will always have in his life - it is never ending. Also, from the very first stanza in the poem to the last one, we almost see Abse's typical day as a young boy being described and it conveys the idea of the journey of life. You could also say that the structure of the poem is very repetitive and dull, which is very unlike Abse because personally I view Abse as a dynamic and diverse poet and juxtaposes between the past and present in most of his poems in this volume.
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