Artefacts - “Mametz Wood”
The artefacts unearthed from “Mametz Wood” include, “A chit of bone, the china plate of a shoulder blade,/The relic of a finger, the blown and And broken bird’s egg of a skull-" The fragmented nature of the artefacts surmises that they have been subject to prolonged putrefaction. The exclusive remnants have surpassed corrosion due to their robustness.
“The Bird’s egg of a skull” - “Mametz Wood”
The skull is component of the artefacts that are discovered at “Mametz Wood.” The bird’s egg signifies the insubstantiality of a skull. The skull could break straightforwardly for it resembles a frail bird’s egg. The skull has partially been broken down due to ordinary decomposition.
Scattered grains - “The Hill Fort”
Owen Sheers concludes, “And what he meant by this but never said, was/“Look. Look over this land and see how long/The line is before you – how in these generations/We’re no more that scattered grains.” The father’s philosophical intention of taking his son to Hill Fort is to edify him about existence which is subjugated by past, present and future generations. The generations spread through various periods like scattered grains. No single generation cuts across all periods; hence, the expiry of one generation paves way for a fresher generation.
Steps - “The Hill Fort”
Owen Sheers writes, “That from here in this view, 9, 19, or 90 years/Are much the same;/That it isn’t the number of steps/That will matter, But the depth of their impression.” The series of years ,which the steps represent, cannot terminate. However, human life terminates. The steps are figurative of the years that an individual subsists. The steps’ materiality is contingent on depth and not the number. Therefore, the eminence of steps is principally qualitative.
