Analysis Of 'The Fury Of Aerial Bombardment'

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Dinosaurs roamed the Earth for millions of years, growing and adapting to their environment, but when God saw them as a threat, he annihilated an entire race that merely acted upon their instincts and biology, and yet when humans cause similar destruction, God remains silent. “The Fury of Aerial Bombardment” by Richard Eberhart is a nonfiction poem about Eberhart’s sentiments concerning World War II (WWII), and how his belief in the Judeo-Christian God wanes as blood continues to shed in battle. The United States of America (U.S.) joined WWII in 1941, and had over 400,000 military and civilian casualties and 16 million American soldiers; Richard Eberhart included. As a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve, Eberhart trained hundreds of cadets and lost many as well in the fruit of battle. Taking into consideration of the time period, Eberhart’s particular diction and syntax towards God formulates a critical standpoint over his lack of involvement in human affairs and apathetic interest in similar past events.
To elaborate, Eberhart uses the comparisons in the poem to differentiate the past from the present by talking about both biblical and historical references. To illustrate, Eberhart starts his poem, “You would think the fury of aerial bombardment/ Would rouse God to relent; the infinite spaces/ Are still silent.” (1-2). Eberhart notes that with all the carnage and destruction caused by aerial bombs, one would think that God would stop the war, but his lack of

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