Eavan Boland Quotes: The War Horse

The horse seems indifferent to the damage he is causing as the

“iron of his shoes” “stamps death” on delicate plants

This horse has been a minor disruption in her life and

“no great harm is done”

“__ __ ____” is almost like a sigh of relief and release of tension

“He is gone”

The language used to describe effect of the horse is similar to descriptions of the battlefield

A leaf has been “torn” and plants uprooted “like corpses, remote, crushed, mutilated”

The dead rose is “______” and is nothing more than a “__________”

“Expendable”, “Mere line of defence”

Boland moves to reflecting on the way we take refuge in our own safety and wonder

“why should we care”

Boland does not judge those who hide behind curtains and

“breathe relief”