Peter Howard’s A Poppy shows an image of the war, where
control is assumed by multicoloured flowers and surrealist effect. Each moment that takes place during the attack is symbolised by a kind of flower. If the attack is violent and full of action, it will be illustrated with more coloured flowers, like the carnation or with the meaning itself of each flower. There are other scenes that are symbolised by more delicate flowers like the bluebells that reflect joy, hope and music. In each one of the flowers named we see the situation of the war that is taking place. The poem begins with the violets, that represent purity, referring that the city where the attack takes place has been will be deprived of purity. The image of the saphire that take place in the second line represents the hardness of the weapons and bullets that are involved in the battle. The next reference to flowers are the geraniums, that symbolise the love to the land, love and harmony. Geraniums are related to people, that in this desperate situation run out looking for  hope. In this agitation there are some moments of quietness, and honesty illustrated by chrysanthemum. The situation of children in this war is expressed by the bluebells, related to hope not only for this moment but also for the future. Elder people can only resign themselves, and this is expressed by the ivy, as they can not do much in this scene. All those who were not able to fight against all this with egoism chose the respect of tulips and the suspicion expressed by the cyclamen. Then they hear of a buttercup in breaking out in the hospital, flower that symbolises innocence of injured in the war. When we rush to the scene we are overcome by the instability and disorder expressed by the dahlia and the death and mourning symbolised by the lilac. But in this scene of pain anger and death the author can only ask “Is there no myrtle?”, flower that means love and fraternity. He asks himself if there is no love in the world to stop this massacre. He even questions if this hawthorn will rule the human being, meaning anger and fight that is causing all this pain. And the answer is quite pessimistic, as the author claims that there is nothing we can do except for crying with affliction and nostalgia, properties of the willow. But at the end of the day the result of this war is hundreds of people covered with blood, image based on the expression “bed of roses”, and the generals awarding themselves with petals or said in another words with medals, contrasting death and pain of some with exaltation of others.
 

If you want to visit a Spanish page with the symbology of flowers click here!