Poetry · Chapter
Lights Out explained
A poem from 1915 calling for an end to the darkness of war, symbolized by the extinguishing of lights on land and sea, and a return to peace, love, and human rights.
What happens
A poem from 1915 calling for an end to the darkness of war, symbolized by the extinguishing of lights on land and sea, and a return to peace, love, and human rights.
Themes in this chapter
Duty and Patriotism
The poem critiques the failure of duty and patriotism when war lords unleash destruction, and calls for a return to law and human rights.
Grief and Memory
The poem mourns the loss of peace and the innocent victims of war, invoking a sense of collective grief.
Faith and Doubt
The speaker expresses doubt in humanity's progress and faith in a divine intervention to end the madness.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The speaker who laments the war and calls for light.
Key passages
“Out with the tranquil lights, Out with the lights that burn For love and law and human rights!”
Extinguish the peaceful lights that symbolize love, justice, and human rights.
The poet calls for the removal of symbols of civilization as war overtakes the world.
“Set back the clock a thousand years: All they have gained now disappears, And the dark ages suddenly return.”
Time has regressed to a barbaric era; all progress is lost and darkness has returned.
The poem laments the reversal of human advancement due to war.
“God grant you draw no quiet breath, Until the madness you began Is ended, and long-suffering man, Set free from war lords, cries, “Let there be Light.””
May the Kaiser not find peace until the war he started is over and humanity is liberated, crying out for light.
A prayer for justice and the end of tyranny, invoking divine intervention.