A DOCTOR'S JOURNAL ENTRY FOR AUGUST 6,1945(SUMMARY)

   A DOCTOR'S JOURNAL  ENTRY  FOR AUGUST 6,1945(SUMMARY)

   Vikram Seth's poem is a dramatic monologue which outlines the impact of the dropping of the atom
bomb on the city of Hiroshima,as seen through the eyes of a Japanese doctor that day.Obviously the
poem is anti-war and criticises such an inhuman attack that almost destroyed the city and took tens
of thosands of lives.War is a inhuman and brutal thing.It results in destruction and suffering.The
images created in the poem stir the feelings of the reader.

   A rather surprising thing is Vikram Seth's choice of the subject of his poem.This incident occured
much before his life time and thousand's of miles away from his homeland(India).But that Seth should
have chosen this incident proves that war and its impact is not limited to national boundaries.War is
and will always remain a universal disaster.

   The speaker is a Japanese doctor who is relaxing in his home on the morning of that fateful day.The
weather is bright and pleasant and he makes the most of it,sprawling out in vest and shorts,gazing upon
the flattering leaves in the sunlight.How ironic it is that such a beautiful day should end with such
a disaster.Suddenly he saw a strong flash in the sky and then another,and the old stone lantern lit
up brightly.He thought that someone was shooting magnesium flares through the sky.Even as he was
considering the matter,the roof adnd walls af of his home started collapsing.There was dust everywhere
even in the garden outside and strangely he noticed that his vest and shorts had vanished.The flares
and the heat of the explosion had burnt away his clothes.

   Looking upon himself he noticed that a splinter of wood was sticking out from his torn thigh.His
full right side was bleeding profusely.Pieces of glass were lodged in his cheek.When he called out
to his wife Yecko-San,the force of his effort caused his alredy damaged blood vessel in his throat
to burst and blood gushed out.In a state of total panic not knowing what had happened he yells out,
for his wife,and she emerges blood-strained and frightened.Here the reader realises that the impact
of the bomb was immediate and most certainly devastating.It left its victims with no time to think,
no time to run.

   As the man,the Doctor shows courage and tells his wife that they will be fine.He thought that
this explosion might be limited to the house alone and thus suggested that they get out quickly.But
even as they stumbled outside,they tripped over a man's head.His dead body was lying in the path
for he had been crushed by falling gate.On the street they stood in horror and watched a building
tilt and then crumble down before their eyes.The entire city was in the same state and no one had a
clue as to what was happening.Being a doctor he knows that they must get to the hospital as soon
as possible.He even thought that he might be of help to his staff.How he would do that he just
didn't know? Just like so many others the doctor felt his legs giving away and he sat down on the
ground.He was thirsty but there was no water around.He struggled to breathe.But in a few moments he
felt a little better and stood up agian.He looked upon his nakedness but felt no shame and found
this strange.A soldier then handed him a towel to cover himself.How could this doctor who is almost
dead now feels shame for something as pety as nakedness? He is in great pain and his world shatters
before him.His mind is troubled by greater things.Eventually he feels that he cannot go on as the
blood on his legs start congealing and it is impossible for him to walk.He manages to send Yecko-San
much against her will,to the hospital.Thus husband and wife are separated which tells us that there
might have been thousands of such separations that day.When she leaves he feels  desperate lonliness
within himself but he is too helpless to do anything.It is the most agonising thought to know that
one is about to die alone.

   As he sits by the roadside he sees groups of people,injured badly,and in a dazed condition walking
towards the hospital.The few who could make it painfully walked ahead.But,they all walked with their
arms out stretched before them and it took the speaker some time to realise that they did this to
avoid the exposed flesh of their arms rubbing against the flesh of their sides.The poet creates other
such images like this to bring out the people's sufferings.For instance he saw a mother and her little
child both naked in the street.His mind failing him now,he wondered why they were in this state.Only
when he sees another man,also naked,does he realise that some strange force had burnt away the clothes
from their bodies.

   The doctor's final moments before his death are extremely sad since he gets to look into the face
of a daed women,who might him must have collapsed.The expression on thier face showed the final agony
she had gone through but she just could not speak about it.Infact death became common to all of them,
silent death.The could feel the pain but were speechless.The streets of the city were scatterd with
thousands of silent bodies like the doctor.                                                                               

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