Giuseppe by Roderick Ford — Analysis & Translation

Original Poem

Giuseppe My Uncle Giuseppe told me that in Sicily in World War Two, in the courtyard behind the aquarium, where the bougainvillea grows so well, the only captive mermaid in the world was butchered on the dry and dusty ground by a doctor, a fishmonger, and certain others. She, it, had never learned to speak because she was simple, or so they’d said, but the priest who held one of her hands while her throat was cut, said she was only a fish, and fish can’t speak. But she screamed like a woman in terrible fear. And when they took a ripe golden roe from her side, the doctor said this was proof she was just a fish and anyway an egg is not a child, but refused when some was offered to him. Then they put her head and her hands in a box for burial and someone tried to take her wedding ring, but the others stopped him, and the ring stayed put. The rest they cooked and fed to the troops. They said a large fish had been found on the beach. Starvation forgives men many things, my uncle, the aquarium keeper, said, but couldn’t look me in the eye, for which I thank God.

Translation (English)

My Uncle Giuseppe told me that during World War Two in Sicily, behind the aquarium in the courtyard, where the bougainvillea grows well, the only captive mermaid in the world was brutally killed on the dry ground by a doctor, a fish seller, and others. She never learned to speak because she was simple, they said, but the priest holding her hand while they cut her throat, said she was just a fish, and fish don't talk. But she screamed like a woman in great fear. When they took a ripe golden egg from her side, the doctor said this proved she was just a fish and an egg isn't a child, but he refused to eat it. They buried her head and hands in a box and someone tried to take her wedding ring, but others stopped him, and the ring stayed. They cooked the rest and fed it to the soldiers. They said they found a big fish on the beach. Starvation makes men do many things, my uncle, the aquarium keeper, said, but he couldn't look me in the eye, and I thank God for that.

About the Poet

Roderick Ford (Contemporary)

Roderick Ford is a contemporary poet known for his exploration of themes such as identity, history, and myth. His work often delves into the complexities of human nature and societal norms.

Historical Context

Literary Form: Narrative Poem
When Written: Contemporary era
Background: The poem 'Giuseppe' by Roderick Ford explores themes of guilt, humanity, and the moral complexities of war. It reflects on the dehumanization that occurs during wartime and the ethical dilemmas faced by individuals when survival is at stake.

Sources: https://poemanalysis.com/roderick-ford/giuseppe/, https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/roderick-ford/giuseppe

Detailed Explanation

The poem 'Giuseppe' by Roderick Ford is a haunting narrative that recounts a story told by the speaker's Uncle Giuseppe about a mermaid who was killed during World War II in Sicily. The mermaid, described as the only captive one in the world, is butchered by a group including a doctor and a fishmonger. The poem explores themes of dehumanization and moral ambiguity, highlighting how the mermaid is treated as less than human, justified by the claim that she is merely a fish. Despite this, her screams are described as those of a woman in fear, suggesting her humanity. The poem also touches on the desperation of wartime, as the mermaid's body is cooked and fed to soldiers under the guise of being a large fish found on the beach. The narrative is laced with guilt and shame, as evidenced by the uncle's inability to meet the speaker's eyes, reflecting the moral complexities and the loss of innocence during war. The poem uses vivid imagery and symbolism to convey the tragic and unsettling nature of the events, leaving the reader to ponder the ethical implications of survival at any cost.

Themes

Literary Devices

Word Dictionary

Word	Meaning	Translation	Transliteration
bougainvillea	a flowering plant	a tropical plant with bright flowers	boo-gain-vil-ee-a
captive	imprisoned	kept in confinement	kap-tiv
butchered	killed brutally	killed in a violent way	bu-cherd
fishmonger	fish seller	a person who sells fish	fish-muhng-er
roe	fish eggs	eggs of a fish	roh
troops	soldiers	military personnel	troo-ps
starvation	extreme hunger	lack of food	star-vay-shuhn
aquarium	a place with fish tanks	a building with tanks for aquatic animals	uh-kwair-ee-uhm
mermaid	mythical sea creature	a creature with a woman's upper body and a fish's tail	mur-mayd
wedding ring	marriage band	a ring symbolizing marriage	wed-ing ring
courtyard	open area	an open space surrounded by buildings	kort-yahrd
priest	religious leader	a person who performs religious ceremonies	preest
burial	act of burying	placing in the ground	ber-ee-uhl
forgives	excuses	pardons	for-givz
screamed	yelled loudly	cried out in fear	skreemd