The Foundry
By Frank Oliver Call
Two monsters,
Iron and Coal,
Sleep in the darkness.
A poisonous scarlet breath blows over them,
And they awake hissing and writhing,
And spew forth blood-red vomit
In streams like fiery serpents.
Then from the reeking pools
A monstrous brood is born,
Black, strong, beautiful.
But we turn away our tired eyes,
And try to find the sky above the smoke-clouds.
Poem Analysis:
Frank Oliver Call’s poem The Foundry is a vivid and intense depiction of industrialization, using strong imagery and personification to portray a scene of manufacturing and human detachment. Through the use of striking metaphors and symbolic language, Call explores themes of industrial power, destruction, and the tension between progress and human experience.
Themes
- Industrial Power and Transformation: The poem presents a foundry as a site of intense activity, where iron and coal—two fundamental elements of industrial progress—are awakened and transformed into something new. This suggests the power of industry to reshape raw materials into tools and structures that define modern civilization.
- Destruction and Creation: Call juxtaposes destruction and creation by depicting industrial processes as both violent and productive. The image of “blood-red vomit” suggests a violent birth of new materials, emphasizing that industry both consumes and produces, leaving behind a sense of exhaustion and sacrifice.
- Alienation and Environmental Impact: The final lines of the poem shift focus to the human perspective, where the observers turn away, unable to fully engage with the monstrous spectacle. The search for the sky beyond the “smoke-clouds” symbolizes a longing for nature or clarity amidst the overwhelming industrialization. This suggests the alienation of humans from both their natural environment and the machines that dominate their world.
Literary Devices
- Personification: Call personifies iron and coal as “monsters” that “sleep” in darkness. This gives the industrial process a life of its own, reinforcing the idea that industry is a powerful, almost uncontrollable force.
- Vivid Imagery and Metaphor: The poem is rich in intense, almost grotesque imagery. The description of molten metal as “blood-red vomit” and streams of fire as “fiery serpents” evokes a sense of violence and danger, emphasizing the raw power of the foundry.
- Symbolism: Iron and Coal - Represent industrialization, the building blocks of progress. Fire and Blood - Symbolize destruction and transformation. Smoke-Clouds - Represent environmental destruction and the obscuring of natural beauty by industrial progress.
Structure and Tone
The poem is brief yet impactful, using short, declarative sentences to maintain a sense of urgency and intensity. The tone shifts from one of awe and danger to a melancholic detachment in the final lines, reinforcing the theme of human estrangement from industrialization.
Frank Oliver Call’s The Foundry is a powerful meditation on the forces of industry and their impact on both nature and humanity. Through evocative imagery and strong personification, the poem captures the awe-inspiring yet terrifying aspects of industrialization, leaving readers to ponder the cost of progress and the loss of connection with the natural world.