MacNeice Visual Media
Charon
Christina
Christina
'The underworld of Greek mythology serves as the basis for MacNeice's 'Charon.' Since obols were an ancient Greek form of money used to pay the Charon, that name is utilised. You would be granted entry into the underworld in exchange. This poem depicts the events that take place in London on the voyage to the underworld. I intended for this drawing to convey the melancholy, anxiety, and ambiguity surrounding death. I capitalise on the eerie and ghostly image of Charon by utilising watercolour as my medium. I wanted to convey the atmosphere of the poem into my illustration, by using dark, despondent colours to relate to death and the Greek underworld. The primary colours I used were green, blue, yellow, and brown. Still, I wanted the sea to be sufficiently light to photograph Big Ben. In reference to the phrase 'eternity gave itself airs in revolving light,' In the center of London is the River Thames. It was known for bodies and skeletons washing up on the shore, earning it the nickname 'River of Bones.' This is related to the skulls that are scattered throughout the image; additionally, the skulls stand for the destruction that is predicted. This is demonstrated in the poem through the quote 'rumours of war,' which is related to a biblical illusion and alludes to Matthew 24:6-7 and other passages. The skulls I've used are related to Jesus' prophecy of devastation, starvation, and pestilence found in Matthew 24, which is also commonly recognised as his prophecy that the Jerusalem temple will be destroyed. I intentionally created a murky, dark, and sunless water to capture the atmosphere of the poem. I wanted to point out that Charon is sailing through London to pick up his passengers, since Big Ben is located on the Thames River. The 'dissolving map' is indicated by the background being left uncluttered, which illustrates the sense of travelling into the unknown.' - Eve Whitfield
Christina
Christina
Christina
'Christina, by MacNeice, explores themes of innocence and the loss and passage of time, with notable nostalgic reminiscences from childhood which can be symbolised within the poem by the act of building and knocking down brick houses. In my opinion, the doll that the poem presented signifies much more than this; rather, it is a vessel for childhood innocence and happiness. The tone of the poem, however, shifts when the doll, Christina, is broken, which can be interpreted through the loss of innocence, and this is what I decided to focus on in my illustration. The doll, who once was sweet and innocent, after breaking becomes hollow and lifeless, making a connection to the broken doll being an interpretation for personal or emotional loss experienced by the speaker- MacNeice. I chose to interpret this poem and its play on the passage of time, as interpreting the woman who is briefly mentioned as the doll itself, with Christina, within the illustration, having a haunting yet familiar presence, to embrace the impact of brokenness and human experience, memory and nostalgia. ' - Jessica Pardoe
Mayfly
Christina
Prayer Before Birth
'The first imagery that came to mind as I started reading the poem ‘Mayfly’ was spring time, a pond, mayflies and sunlight. Upon second reading, I felt like I definitely needed to visually showcase the romantic air of the poem that surfaces towards the latter half of the poem. Overall, I felt encouraged to highlight the parallel thoughts reflected in the lines alongside the short lived nature of the mayflies. To me, the poem was about the celebration of nature, springtime, love, and life. Therefore, I wanted that to be depicted in the artwork. As I have shown the mayflies to be translucent due to their short-lived nature, I imagined the same short-lived nature to be mirrored by the human characters who seem to be in love. Lastly, after reading the poem and responding to it visually, I happened to introspect and think about how universally, everyone should acknowledge that life is too short to not treat everyone with love and appreciation.' - Deandra D'Cunha
Prayer Before Birth
Prayer Before Birth
Prayer Before Birth
'For such a powerful poem, I believe this illustration is an injustice to 'Prayer Before Birth'. In short, this poem is about the inevitable evil in the world and repenting in advance for all the sins that the unborn child will commit. Furthermore, it also asks for the world not to influence or indoctrinate this unborn child into evil or becoming an immoral cog in a greater machine. This poem was written in 1944 and I begin to imagine MacNeice's perspective of life, living through both World Wars. The subjects I chose are specific and they are supposed to symbolise certain meanings. The pregnant beagle represents the mother and unborn child. The mother witnessing the cruelty of the world and surrounded by smoke, not by choice, but at the hands of a man, in this specific case, a soldier. Furthermore, in light of current affairs, beagles have been used for many drug trials (tobacco, pharmaceutical drugs, etc). The crow represents intellect and cruelty among nature, it is considered a predator, prompting the populations of certain species to reach perilously low levels. However, this crow also can be interpreted as Odin/God (Norse Mythology), protecting the pregnant mother from the 'rats' of the world. Now, as for the damaged rat…I believe that is quite self explanatory.' - Elson Syla
Snow
Prayer Before Birth
Star-Gazer
'Snow, can be interpreted as a vivid exploration of the complexity of the world, using specific imagery of snowfall and roses to convey deeper meanings of perception and reality. This is a theme which I wanted to convey within my imagery for this poem. I focused on how this idea of perception and reality could be played upon, and used a more ‘realist’ based approach of illustration to convey this confusion and juxtaposition for the viewer. Snow begins with a sudden transformation of the room, specifying a bay window, which I wanted to address within my illustration, alongside images of pink roses. This unpredictability within the poem, reflects in the similar imagery which the illustration portrays, with familiar scenes with no knowledge of where you may recognise it from. The illustration hones the understanding of the intoxicating realisation of the human abundance for existing, and tells the story of snow within an encased room. The feeling of being shut in by a curtain, reflected in 'Snow', represents itself inside this room, with snow and roses.' - Jessica Pardoe
Star-Gazer
Prayer Before Birth
Star-Gazer
Star-Gazer is an illustration by Harry Carley, a description is coming soon!
Sunday Morning
Sunday Morning
Sunday Morning
'When I first read MacNeice's 'Sunday Morning', the imagery of the scene was calm and lighthearted, like spectating a simulation of town dwellers going by their usual routines. As the poem goes on, the tranquil pacing seemingly sped up, as if time was suddenly going by so rapidly you lost grip of what's happening already. The final stanza portrayed an eerie setting moving skulls in silence, where I pictured them engulfing reality slowly but surely. There were a few aspects I wanted to capture in the drawing: the unawareness of time passing; the helplessness of the undeniable fact of time-passing; and the appreciation of the present. The person playing the piano has no idea of the inevitable loss of time, as the notes they played continue to 'feed' into the skulls. However, despite the overwhelming truth, it is also comforting in a way to see the piano player play on, enjoying and living in the moment.' - Cyrus Ho
The Suicide
Sunday Morning
Sunday Morning
'After reading the poem 'The Suicide,' I had a sudden and intense impulse to make this artwork. I tried to capture the scene's atmosphere as well as I could. I was able to create a soft, gloomy atmosphere with the aid of digital art. The artwork is made up of numerous layers, each of which I added a layer of colour or shade to gradually construct a scene. Thorough research was the most crucial step in the creation process. I began my journey by learning about the emotions that are connected to suicide and the death of a loved one. Our minds are disturbed by emptiness. After losing someone, we must restructure our lives and come to terms with upcoming changes. To visualise these feelings, I designed a scene that is gloomy and full of emptiness, complete with a pile of old documents, unfinished business, and letters that will never be replied to. An ashtray filled to the brim with ash and cigarette butts represents the writer's recent arrival. When we leave the desk, it seems as disorganised as the rest of the world. After we leave this world, our loved ones' world is in disarray, but the soft light coming through the window keeps everything serenely lit. The somber color scheme accentuates the ominous mood, while the gentle light filtering through the curtain inspires optimism for a brighter tomorrow. That demonstrates that, in general, nothing remains when we are gone. At last, a vacant chair, this place no longer belongs to us. All we can do is watch this show called Life. Simply observe it as a shadow of our past. Knowing what the loss is in this poetry can help you grasp it. How to handle the suffering that comes with change. It is not something we can alter now. Most of the time, change is necessary and natural. The consistency of the past will no longer exist. The only way to deal with it is to accept our current state.' - Agata Lis