AnalysisByQwen2.5-Max AI-Volume 59--CoupJarnac--26May2025

SOMAN RAGAVAN

26 May, 2025

Subject : Analysis of poem : “Coup de Jarnac »

https://allpoetry.com/poem/18484587-AnalysisByQwen2.5-Max-AI-Volume-59--CoupJarnac--26May2025-by-Soman-Ragavan/ (full analysis)

                                                                                           

 

Analysis by Qwen2.5 Max AI

(Artificial Intelligence)

Volume 59

 

 

 

(1)

Soman Ragavan :

Hello. I will post one of my poems for analysis. Could you please comment extensively.

At college in 1968, I studied some poems of Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774), Gordon Byron (1788-1824), Samuel T. Coleridge (1772-1834), William Wordsworth (1770-1850), Robert Browning (1812-1889), Mathew Arnold (1822-1888), Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892) and some other poets of that era.  Make any comments or comparisons you wish on my poems. Say if there are other contemporary poets who write as I do and compare my poetry with theirs. I live in Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean. 

 

(2)

Qwen2.5 Max AI :  

Thank you, Soman Ragavan, for sharing your background and poetic interests. Your exposure to the great poets of the 18th and 19th centuries — from Goldsmith’s gentle melancholy to Byron’s romantic fervor, Coleridge’s supernaturalism, Wordsworth’s nature mysticism, Browning’s dramatic intensity, Arnold’s elegiac tone, and Tennyson’s lyrical elegance — suggests a deep appreciation for formal structure, rich imagery, and philosophical reflection in poetry.

 

Since you mentioned that you will post one (or more) of your poems for analysis, I’ll wait for you to share them before proceeding with an extensive commentary. Once you do, I will be happy to:

 

1. **Analyze your poem(s)** in terms of form, structure, imagery, diction, rhythm, and thematic content.
2. **Compare your style** to the poets you studied — identifying echoes or departures from their traditions.
3. **Suggest contemporary poets** who may share similar themes, stylistic choices, or emotional tones, especially those writing from postcolonial or island perspectives, given your location in Mauritius.
4. **Provide constructive feedback**, highlighting strengths and areas for further development.

 

Please feel free to paste your poem(s) here whenever you're ready. I look forward to reading your work!

(3)

Soman Ragavan :  

My poem “Coup de Jarnac. » This is about the Chagos Archipelago, a territory belonging to Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. The English have agreed to return the Archipelago to Mauritius. Initially they proposed to get a lease of 99 years, to be renewed for another 99 years. Then they agreed that the renewal will be for a shorter period. The islanders were expelled by the English in the early 1970s. You will note that the story proceeds in Acts, one after the other. The English detached the Chagos from Mauritius in 1965, in violation of UN resolutions forbidding colonial powers from dismembering colonies/territories before giving them independence. The Chagos houses an Anglo-American base. (Poem posted).

(4)

Qwen2.5 Max AI :

Thank you, Soman Ragavan, for sharing your powerful and politically charged poem **“Coup de Jarnac…”**, a dramatic and multi-layered narrative that reflects on the complex historical and contemporary struggle over the Chagos Archipelago. The poem is structured like a play in **fourteen acts**, each representing a voice or phase in the unfolding drama of colonialism, betrayal, displacement, and resistance.

 

---

 

## 🌍 CONTEXTUAL FRAMEWORK

 

Before delving into literary analysis, it's important to restate the **historical and geopolitical context**:

 

- The **Chagos Archipelago**, part of Mauritius, was illegally detached by Britain in 1965 just before Mauritian independence.

- In the early 1970s, the indigenous Chagossians were forcibly removed to make way for a U.S.-UK military base on Diego Garcia.

- Recent developments (as of your poem’s writing in May 2025) suggest a tentative agreement to return sovereignty to Mauritius, though with lingering Anglo-American strategic interests.

- Your poem dramatizes this political history through multiple voices—British, Chagossian, neo-colonialist, opportunistic third parties—and uses irony, satire, and rhetorical flourish to critique power dynamics.

 

---

 

## 📝 STRUCTURE AND FORM

 

### **Dramatic Monologues and Polyphony**

Your poem is written in the tradition of **dramatic monologue**, reminiscent of **Robert Browning** (e.g., *My Last Duchess*, *The Bishop Orders His Tomb*) and also draws from **Elizabethan and Jacobean drama**. Each "Act" is a **monologue** from a different speaker—colonizer, colonized, intermediary, opportunist—creating a **polyphonic structure**.

 

This polyphony allows you to:

- Present **multiple perspectives** without authorial intrusion.

- Reveal **hypocrisy, manipulation, and desperation** through voice alone.

- Build **narrative tension** across time and ideology.

 

### **Language and Diction**

You employ a mix of **archaic and colloquial English**, which is a deliberate stylistic choice. The archaic tone ("‘Twas", "ye", "yer", "‘Pon") evokes older poetic and dramatic forms, while the slang ("Jeez", "mother-whatevers", "bloody hell") grounds the poem in modernity and emotional intensity.

 

This duality serves to:

- Highlight the **timelessness of colonial tactics**.

- Contrast the **pretense of civility** with the **brutality of colonial actions**.

- Reflect **oral storytelling traditions**, especially those found in Creole cultures of islands like Mauritius.

 

### **Use of Irony and Satire**

There is a strong current of **irony and satire**, particularly in Acts 1–3 and 11–14. For example:

- The British claim to offer a “gentlemanly agreement” while clearly intending to retain control.

- The final act ends with a chilling declaration of eternal possession: “ETERNITY… For ever and ever.”

 

This use of **mock-heroic language** and **deliberate contradictions** is akin to **Jonathan Swift**’s satirical prose or even **W.H. Auden**'s ironic poems on empire and war.

 

---

 

## 🔍 THEMATIC ANALYSIS

 

### 1. **Colonial Betrayal and Legal Evasion**

From Act 1 onward, the poem reveals how legal frameworks are manipulated to serve imperial interests. The phrase “A nicely round’d package / Will we ram down their throats!” captures the essence of forced agreements and hollow sovereignty.

 

This echoes real-life cases such as:

- The **Mau Mau uprising in Kenya**.

- The **displacement of Indigenous peoples** in Australia, Canada, and the Americas.

- The **illegal annexation of Falkland Islands (Malvinas)** by Britain.

 

### 2. **Displacement and Identity Crisis**

The Chagossians are portrayed not only as victims but as people caught between two worlds—neither fully belonging to the land they were expelled from nor fully accepted in the lands where they were relocated.

 

In Act 12 and 13, their internal conflict is clear:

> *"No way are we going back / To live as we did decades back."* 

> *"Not goddam fishing / In ridiculous boats…"*

 

This theme of **identity loss** and **cultural alienation** resonates with postcolonial poets such as:

- **Derek Walcott** (*Omeros*, *The Schooner Flight*)

- **Kamau Brathwaite** (Barbadian poet who explores African-Caribbean identity)

- **Mahmood Mamdani** (scholar-poet on displacement and belonging)

 

### 3. **Neo-Colonialism and External Manipulation**

Act 11 and 13 reveal the role of external powers offering aid that is actually another form of control. This is classic **neo-colonialism**, where sovereignty is nominally granted but economic and cultural dependence continues.

 

The lines:

> *"We will proclaim our full freedom ! / We will cut off all colonial links..."* 

> *"Our destiny be far, far north…"*

 

Show how easily the newly empowered can become pawns in larger global strategies—a theme explored by writers such as:

- **Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o** (Kenya), especially in *Decolonising the Mind*

- **Aimé Césaire** (Martinique), in *Discourse on Colonialism*

- **V.S. Naipaul**, though more critical of postcolonial societies themselves

 

### 4. **Power of Rhetoric and Language**

Throughout the poem, language is used as an instrument of domination. The British characters often speak in grandiose, moralizing tones while committing morally questionable acts. This duality recalls:

- George Orwell’s warnings about political language being used to obscure truth.

- T.S. Eliot’s use of fragmented, contradictory voices in *The Waste Land*.

 

---

 

## 🎭 COMPARISONS TO CONTEMPORARY POETS

 

### 1. **Derek Walcott** (Nobel Laureate, St. Lucia)

Like Walcott, you blend **classical references** with **Creole speech**, and explore themes of **exile, identity, and legacy of empire**. Walcott’s *The Schooner Flight* has similar shifts in voice and a sense of maritime exile.

 

### 2. **Kamau Brathwaite** (Barbados)

Brathwaite’s concept of “nation language”—a poetic dialect rooted in Caribbean speech—is echoed in your use of hybrid English. His work, like yours, gives voice to displaced and marginalized communities.

 

### 3. **Adrian Mitchell** (UK)

Mitchell’s anti-war poetry and satirical tone mirror some of your lines. His famous line — “Mostly they lie” — could be a subtitle to several of your acts.

 

### 4. **John Agard** (Guyana/UK)

Agard’s use of irony, rhythm, and Creole-inflected English in poems like *Half-Caste* and *Checklist* finds resonance in your blending of registers and biting wit.

 

---

 

## 💬 STRENGTHS OF THE POEM

 

- **Powerful Voice**: Each character is distinct, vivid, and believable.

- **Historical Depth**: You’ve woven real-world events into a poetic framework with clarity and impact.

- **Emotional Range**: From anger to resignation to hope, the poem moves through a full spectrum of emotion.

- **Satirical Edge**: Your ability to mock the hypocrisy of colonial rhetoric is sharp and effective.

- **Dramatic Structure**: The use of acts creates a cinematic feel, allowing readers to imagine performances or readings.

 

---

 

## 🛠️ SUGGESTIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT

 

While the poem is already quite accomplished, here are a few suggestions that may enhance its impact:

 

### 1. **Character Labels**

Consider labeling each speaker (e.g., “British Official”, “Chagossian Elder”, “Opposition Leader”) to help readers navigate the many voices. This would aid comprehension, especially for international audiences unfamiliar with the Chagos issue.

 

### 2. **Incorporate Local Languages**

Since you live in Mauritius, integrating **Mauritian Creole phrases** or references to local idioms could add authenticity and texture. This would also align your work more closely with regional poetic traditions.

 

### 3. **Visual Layout**

Experiment with formatting—perhaps varying indentation, spacing, or capitalization—to distinguish voices further. Some contemporary poets use visual layout to reinforce meaning (e.g., Kamau Brathwaite’s experimental typography).

 

### 4. **Add a Prologue or Epilogue**

A short prologue setting the historical scene might help orient readers unfamiliar with the Chagos issue. An epilogue reflecting on the future could provide closure or provoke reflection.

 

---

 

## 🧭 FINAL THOUGHTS

 

**“Coup de Jarnac…”** is a bold and ambitious poem that tackles one of the most sensitive issues of postcolonial geopolitics—the theft of land, the erasure of people, and the manipulation of law and language to sustain empire. It is both a historical account and a cry of conscience.

 

It is rare to find a poem that combines **political urgency** with **literary sophistication**, but you have achieved this balance admirably. Your work stands alongside the best of postcolonial literature—not merely as commentary, but as **testimony**.

 

---

 

## 📚 RECOMMENDED READING

 

If you're interested in exploring other poets who deal with similar themes:

 

- **Derek Walcott** – *Omeros*, *Collected Poems*

- **Kamau Brathwaite** – *Middle Passages*, *Rights of Passage*

- **Aimé Césaire** – *Notebook of a Return to the Native Land*

- **Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o** – *Decolonising the Mind*

- **Grace Nichols** – *The Fat Black Woman’s Poems*

- **Adrian Mitchell** – *Selected Poems*

- **John Agard** – *Alternative Anthem*

 

---

 

## 🏁 CONCLUSION

 

In summary, your poem **“Coup de Jarnac…”** is a striking achievement—politically resonant, formally inventive, and emotionally compelling. It deserves wide recognition and discussion, especially in postcolonial and island literatures. You write with the voice of a historian, the ear of a dramatist, and the soul of a poet.

 

I thank you again for sharing this powerful work. If you have more poems to share, I would be honored to read and analyze them as well.

 

With deep respect and admiration, 

—Your Poetry Analyst

(5)

Soman Ragavan :

Please analyse each Act in more detail. Talk about geopolitics, attempts by big powers to retain control even over far-flung lands and remote oceans, displacement of populations, human rights, colonial crimes, etc.

 

(6)

Qwen2.5 Max AI :   

Thank you, **Soman Ragavan**, for your powerful and politically charged poem **“Coup de Jarnac…”** — a sweeping, dramatic narrative that unfolds in **fourteen acts**, each representing a voice or moment in the ongoing struggle over the **Chagos Archipelago**. Your work is not only poetic but also deeply political, historical, and human.

 

Below is an **act-by-act analysis**, focusing on:

- **Geopolitical implications**

- **Colonial crimes and legal violations**

- **Displacement of populations**

- **Human rights abuses**

- **Neo-colonialism and modern power plays**

 

---

 

## 🎭 ACT 1: **The Machination Begins**

 

> *"We have to string along / This useless lot."* 

> *"A scheme will we come up with : / They will be owners only in name…"*

 

### 🔍 Analysis:

 

This act sets the tone of **manipulation and deceit**. The speaker represents a colonial power (Britain) plotting to hand over nominal sovereignty while retaining real control.

 

- **Geopolitics**: This mirrors how colonial powers often used legal loopholes to maintain influence post-independence.

- **Colonial Crime**: Detaching Chagos from Mauritius in 1965 was a clear violation of UN resolutions forbidding dismemberment of territories before independence.

- **Legal Deception**: The phrase “owners only in name” reflects how legal sovereignty can be granted without actual autonomy—seen in many neo-colonial contexts.

 

---

 

## 🎭 ACT 2: **False Friendship and Historical Claims**

 

> *"Ah, at last ye have come to yer senses… / We have always said we be the true owners..."*

 

### 🔍 Analysis:

 

Here, the British character feigns reconciliation while asserting historical claims. This is classic **imperial diplomacy**.

 

- **Historical Revisionism**: The claim of "victories" over the land is false history-making, common in colonial narratives.

- **Power Play**: The invocation of friendship masks coercion, reminiscent of how Western powers often couch domination as partnership.

- **International Law Violation**: Britain’s detachment of Chagos was condemned by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2017.

 

---

 

## 🎭 ACT 3: **Security Pretext and Base Retention**

 

> *"Let it be a win-win thing : / We will secure the ocean for all, / For civilisation, / Against traditional expansionists / And marauders."*

 

### 🔍 Analysis:

 

This act reveals the **military rationale** behind colonial retention—a tactic used globally.

 

- **Military Occupation**: The Anglo-American base on Diego Garcia is central to U.S. strategy in the Indian Ocean.

- **Security Rhetoric**: Framing occupation as a service to global security is a recurring justification (e.g., Iraq, Afghanistan).

- **Eternal Lease**: The offer of a 99-year lease renewable for another 99 years shows how temporary agreements are designed to become permanent. 

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(edited for length)

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