Overview: "The Enemies" by Elizabeth Jennings

Published: First collected in 1979
Written: In the 1950s
Theme: Postwar Europe, Cold War tensions
Setting: Divided cities like Berlin
Structure:

• Three stanzas: Six, six, and eight lines
• Iambic pentameter
• Varied rhyme schemes including full, half, and feminine rhymes

Core Themes and Analysis

Historical Context

• Postwar Europe: Reflections on the aftermath of WWII and emerging Cold War anxieties.
• Eastern Europe and Soviet Influence: Concerns over ideological infiltration.
• Atmosphere of Suspicion: Daily life marked by mistrust, surveillance, and loss of freedom.

Poem Narrative

• Imagined Invasion: A city experiences quiet occupation by an enemy force.
• Resignation and Hospitality: Women of the town prepare and even entertain the invaders, indicating acceptance.

Psychological Impact

• Internal Collapse: The city's destruction comes not from external forces but from internal distrust.
• Quiet Triumph of the Enemy: The enemy watches the city's self-destruction without using violence.

Structure and Rhythmic Techniques

• Metrical Variations: Use of inversions and substitutions highlights emotional disturbance.
• Rhyme Patterns: Shift in rhyme creates dissonance reflecting the psychological impact of the occupation.

Literary Devices

Contrast and Tone

• Town's Women vs. Men: Women show practical agency; men are passive and mistrustful.
• Flat, Monotonous Diction: Creates a subdued atmosphere reflecting calm acceptance and underlying dread.

Symbolism and Imagery

• Title's Ambiguity: "The Enemies" refers both to the external force and the internal mistrust among townspeople.
• River Crossing: Symbol of breached boundaries.
• Haunted City: Metaphor for internal fears replacing peace; ghosts symbolize lost trust and openness.

Metaphors and Irony

• Separated Minds: Psychological invasion depicted as minds previously walked now being occupied.
• Drawn Blinds: Irony in self-protection actually separating them further from community and friends.

Warnings and Messages

• Fear as a Tool of Control: Jennings illustrates that psychological warfare and internal divisions can be more destructive than physical attacks.
• Formality vs. Warmth: Ritualistic gestures replace genuine connections, symbolizing societal breakdown.

Conclusion: Jennings' poem serves as a meditation on how fear and mistrust can erode the social bonds that hold communities together, suggesting a deeper commentary on the insidious nature of psychological warfare.