For the Sunday Scribblings prompt "wicked," a short poem inspired by parallels of a 1929 treatise by T.E. Lawrence and present-day Iraq.
T.E. Lawrence (also known as Lawrence of Arabia) wrote the entry for "Guerilla" in the 14th edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Referring to Arab resistance to Turkish occupation in the 1914-18 war, he wrote of the insurgents, "...Suppose they were an influence, a thing invulnerable, intangible, without front or back, drifting about like a gas? Armies were like plants, immobile as a whole, firm-rooted, nourished through long stems to the heads. The Arabs might be a vapour..."
Something wicked this way comes*
it drifts like vapours
among the trees and beyond the rocks
it wafts through towns and villages
in hidden alleyways and narrow streets
it ducks behind cars and carts
hovers motionless behind a statue
and lurks among shadows
lying in wait
for its next victims
Using gas warfare as a metaphor for insurgency, Lawrence wrote that to control the land they occupied, the Turks "would have need of a fortified post every four square miles and a post could not be less than 20 men. The Turks would need 600,000 men to meet the combined ill wills of all the local Arab people. They had 100,000 men available."
"Rebellion must have an unassailable base ...in the minds of men converted to its creed. It must have a sophisticated alien enemy, in the form of a disciplined army of occupation too small to fulfill the doctrine of acreage: too few to adjust number to space, in order to dominate the whole area effectively from fortified posts.
"It must have a friendly population, not actively friendly, but sympathetic to the point of not betraying rebel movements to the enemy. Rebellions can be made by 2 per cent active in a striking force and 98 per cent passively sympathetic ... Granted mobility, security ... time, and doctrine ... victory will rest with the insurgents, for the algebraical factors are in the end decisive and against them perfections of means and spirit struggle quite in vain."
*"Something wicked this way comes" is a phrase originating in Act IV Scene I of William Shakespeare's play Macbeth. The speaker is the second witch: "By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes." By this point in the play, Macbeth has been revealed to be the wicked thing, as both a traitor and a murderer.
"Rebellions can be made by 2 per cent active in a striking force and 98 per cent passively sympathetic" ... interesting point that we still see today ... it takes few to rebel and create terror if the rest sit by passively and let it happen.
Posted by: JanePoe (aka Deborah) | 25 July 2007 at 17:01
Is that phrase not also used in one of the Harry Potter movies, I think it may be in the theme tune? I'm not really a fan so I don't remember exactly.
Great post as always.
Posted by: Kamsin | 23 July 2007 at 20:24
now this is wicked - and wickedly good -
xox - eb.
Posted by: eb | 23 July 2007 at 16:32
Alas, Typepad continues to block some readers' IP addresses as spam. This comment was sent via email:
Interesting correlation! History does repeat itself! Wonderful work as always.
Hugs Sherrie
www.HappyTiler.blogspot.com
Posted by: Paris Parfait | 23 July 2007 at 00:40
The poem...brilliant... The thought on the 2% striking force and the remainder passive....so profound..I will be thinking on it for quite some time.
What a gal you are!
Posted by: wendy | 22 July 2007 at 21:47
Marilyn stated that Bush has re-stated a new terrorist threat - I'm not familiar with this latest one. However it is interesting to note that whenever bad news is around for the Bush Administration, a raid on houses of suspected terrorists occurs: blocking the (real) bad news with some more FUD. Seems to me like 1984, all over again. Although swap the "Ministry of Truth" with Fox News!
Posted by: Derikic | 22 July 2007 at 11:40
Most interesting.
Posted by: Paul | 22 July 2007 at 07:17
Great take on the theme. Another thoughtful post from you.
Posted by: gautami | 22 July 2007 at 05:31
Absolutely brilliant post.
Your comparison is great.
onw wonders why we dont look to the past and learn something.
Thankyou for your insight.
Posted by: JUDY WILKENFELD | 22 July 2007 at 04:29
'By The Pricking of My Thumbs' is also the name of an Agatha Christie book. I like your take on the theme.
Posted by: chiefbiscuit | 22 July 2007 at 04:13
Very interesting stuff Tara. You are so good at bringing the past into the now. XXOO
Posted by: Tammy | 22 July 2007 at 02:29
mmmmm... I love the Shakespearian version. That was the first thing that sprang to mind.
By the way, Tom teased me when he saw my french subject line email that was sent back and forth (with the typo). I'm sure you were in "editor mode" with that too?
:)
Posted by: holli | 22 July 2007 at 02:21
What a pertinent and insightful take on the prompt, Tara. Reading this poem, in light of modern day events about that area of the world - though probably not the writer's intent, an image also comes to me of Lawrence's 'vapour:' as a metaphor for the radical'jihad-type' ideology - the ideas as intangible as a vapor, but nonetheless poisonous and deadly -- spreading throughout the middle east.
Posted by: tinker | 22 July 2007 at 00:48
Why does wickedness exist? Why is it that you can be in a good mood and when someone in a bad mood walks into the room it can poison the good mood? Sometimes wickedness might stem from mental health in balance, then gossip of inaccurate information, some from jealously and others from hunger.
Thanks for your note Tara. You brightened my day.
Posted by: rochambeau | 21 July 2007 at 21:37
Interesting insights, thanks
Posted by: Crafty Green Poet | 21 July 2007 at 19:58
I'm with rel on his last line and Tara, I have to say, I learned a lot here. Thanks for always keeping us informed.
Posted by: Regina Clare Jane | 21 July 2007 at 19:17
Tara...wow! I ..I love this! Very powerful and visual ! I really am at a loss for words after reading this!
Posted by: pam aries | 21 July 2007 at 18:58
Also Ray Bradbury used the phrase as the title for one of his books. That's called sharing. (?)
Posted by: pepektheassassin | 21 July 2007 at 17:58
You mean to say the Turks were not greeted as liberators either? Excellent take on the prompt, as always.
Posted by: Herb | 21 July 2007 at 17:07
Your blog posts are sometimes so deep and informative, like this one. What really galls me is when (like this past week) the Bushies feel like the tide's turning against them (re the war) so they pull out a 'new' terrorist threat. They're like 'the boy who cried wolf.' How will we ever know when there's a real threat, now that they've used the IDEA of a threat so many times to try to quell our resistance with fear? And on top of it, they still will not admit that their actions in Iraq have created the situation that's there--still won't acknowledge how much worse it is today than four years ago. Okay, stepping down off soapbox now... ;)
Posted by: Marilyn | 21 July 2007 at 16:53
Powerful descriptions, right there. I enjoyed reading this.
Posted by: bella | 21 July 2007 at 16:04
Tara -
Excellent bit of writing, as usual...
Lawrence's 'vapour' metaphor sounds like he's describing the situation in Iraq.
Posted by: Rob Kistner | 21 July 2007 at 15:26
great take on the prompt.. enjoyed reading through your blog this morning.. take care :)
Posted by: Shelby | 21 July 2007 at 14:40
Tara,
Wicked indeed! Guerrilla warriors alls win. Why we pretend differently is beyond me. For the first time in my life, I'd call this US administration wicked!
rel
Posted by: rel | 21 July 2007 at 12:49