The Union of History, Politics And Poetry In Tom Paulin's Volume (The Invasion Handbook)

The aim of this paper is to show how Paulin weaves historical events and political treaties and occurrences in a poetic fabric. It also seeks to trace the origins of the Second World War and how the poet articulates his message and material. Finally, it presents the main features of Paulin's style and technique in this challenging volume.
            Tom Paulin stresses the necessity of living in history, recording the events leading up to the Second World War, at a time when they are disappearing from living memory. He probes into the causes of the Second War, deciphering the personal, political or intellectual flaws that led western leaders to create the conditions for Nazism and Fascism. The flagrant corruption of Europe's leaders is contrasted with the pain and heroism of ordinary soldiers and civilians caught up in the war. Paulin's main theme could be the inevitability of establishing balanced relationships between nations. He sees the Locarno peace treaty as "two pails of water / balanced …on a plank". The poet who writes about historical events must beware of altering too much, as things can have a different significance in the future. Paulin is longing for a future characterized by peace, justice and balance. He is frustrated with history because evil and aggressive attitudes still govern the world. He is a partisan poet, sympathizing with the poor, the republicans,and the socialists . He is also concerned with the connection between momentous historical events and flawed, mortal individuals.