A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945

Summary & Analysis

Vikram Seth’s poem “A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945” though not an original entry, adopts the form of a documentary to depict the impact of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. It offers to portray the events through the doctor's perspective on the human suffering caused by the devastating event.

The poem begins with a tranquil and beautiful warm morning, showing a doctor lying naked on the ground. The narrator observes the gentleness of the warm sunlight and the shaking of leaves, creating a serene atmosphere. Suddenly this tranquility is distracted by a strong flash. Obstructed by the view, the doctor’s gaze settles towards a familiar object, the old stone now found in an unnaturally bright glow in stark contrast to the peaceful, warm morning.

Of shimmering leaves and shadows. Suddenly
A strong flash, then another, startled me.
I saw the old stone lantern brightly lit.

In the poem, a sudden violence unfolds. The speaker is taken aback by a string of brilliant flashes mistaken for magnesium flares. He finds the roofs and walls of the buildings collapsed. The world surrounding him disintegrates into dust and debris, resulting in chaos for the speaker. He eventually finds himself thrown into a garden curiously realising his disappearance of drawers and undershirt.

The doctor says that a splinter pierces through his thighs causing bleeding on his right side and cheek torn out from a shard of glass. This scene creates a picture of injury and confusion. Despite all the pain and chaos, the doctor tries to maintain a determined focus on figuring out what might have happened.

Amidst all the chaos, the doctor seeks to call his wife Yecko-San. He called her name by revealing his injured artery in the neck and was sure he would die soon. Despite all the fear, confusion, and pain, he comforts his wife, showing his love and kindness.

The artery in my neck? Scared for my life,
I called out, panic-stricken, to my wife.
Pale, bloodstained, frightened, Yecko-san emerged,
Holding her elbow. ‘We’ll be fine,’ I urged

The doctor describes that his wife appeared very weak and panicked, holding her elbow. So the doctor and his wife wanted to escape to the hospital, eventually but were disrupted by something they tripped over as soon as they entered the street.

He reveals later that they stumbled over a severed head that was crushed to death by a fallen gate. This gruesome discovery adds an act of horror to the situation. They are again shaken with fear as they witness the house collapse, engulfed in flames before their eyes. This scene makes them realize that they need medical care, prompting them to go to the hospital for help. Despite his being injured, he wanted to aid his employees as well but did not know how to proceed. This shows his sense of duty and how well he maintains clarity and composed nature in this distressing situation.

The doctor's legs were injured and couldn't stand for long. This caused him to get exhausted and thirsty. Despite having no water in the vicinity, he ultimately regained strength and stood up again.

In the next stanza, the doctor says that despite him being naked, he felt no embarrassment. A soldier offered him a towel to wipe his wounds. His legs were stiffened by the dried blood; still, he urged Yecko-San to go and get medical help. As she left, he was overwhelmed by the fear of loneliness. Unfortunately, that was his only option left.

In the next lines, the doctor describes the silent, suffering individuals who are described as pale ghosts and scarecrows, hinting at their weakened state. He then observes a woman and a child naked and wonders if they had recently bathed. The woman never tried to cover herself up, which made the doctor think something unusual had happened to lose their clothes. He sees another naked man followed by the woman, making him ponder over the above fact.

The poem then depicts an old woman lying on the ground, uttering no words and looking very distressed.

Silence was common to us all. I heard
No cries of anguish, or a single word.

The poet concludes by stating that quiet silence was the common thread among the suffering individuals who neither cried nor even said anything. The 'silence' represents a profound and haunting absence of normalcy and communication that follows the catastrophic explosion. This silence is not merely the lack of sound but embodies the overwhelming stillness that pervades the aftermath of such a devastating event. It signifies the disorientation and shock of survivors, who are rendered speechless by the sheer magnitude of the destruction.

Now let us take a look at some of the literary devices used in the story.

Imagery:

Imagery is used by the writer to bring a scene to life.

Visual imagery has been shown to display the catastrophic effects of the bombing more evocatively and vividly. Some examples from the poem are:

• The “Strong flash” and “Magnesium flares” symbolize the intensity of the explosion.

• The collapsing roof and walls represent the destruction of structures.

• The presence of severed body parts, such as the head, illustrates the random and horrifying nature of the disaster.

Metaphor:

A metaphor helps to explain something or make a comparison though not literally. Here is an example from this poem. The survivors here are compared to the ghosts and scarecrows.

I saw the shadowy forms of people, some
Were ghosts, some scarecrows, all were wordless dumb

Personification:

Personification is assigning inanimate objects or non-living things a human quality. They help writers to express themselves better. Here is an example from the poem:

“The morning stretched calm.” Here, the morning is personified.

These literary techniques emphasize more on the emotional impact of bringing out the suffering of the individuals affected by the atomic bombing.

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