DISCORD IN CHILDHOOD by D. H. Lawrence: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
A child lies inside a house as a violent storm rages outside, while two adults—most likely his parents—engage in a fierce, ugly argument.
The poem
OUTSIDE the house an ash-tree hung its terrible whips, And at night when the wind arose, the lash of the tree Shrieked and slashed the wind, as a ship's Weird rigging in a storm shrieks hideously. Within the house two voices arose in anger, a slender lash Whistling delirious rage, and the dreadful sound Of a thick lash booming and bruising, until it drowned The other voice in a silence of blood, 'neath the noise of the ash.
A child lies inside a house as a violent storm rages outside, while two adults—most likely his parents—engage in a fierce, ugly argument. Lawrence uses the thrashing ash tree to reflect the turmoil indoors, merging the chaos of nature with the tension of domestic life into one frightening experience. By the end, one voice drowns out the other, leaving a silence that suggests something has been irreparably shattered.
Line-by-line
OUTSIDE the house an ash-tree hung its terrible whips, / And at night when the wind arose, the lash of the tree
Within the house two voices arose in anger, a slender lash / Whistling delirious rage, and the dreadful sound
Of a thick lash booming and bruising, until it drowned / The other voice in a silence of blood, 'neath the noise of the ash.
Tone & mood
The tone is filled with dread from start to finish. Lawrence maintains a distance from the speaker — we observe without editorializing — which adds to the chill. There's a sense of controlled horror present: the language is sharp and almost clinical, even while depicting something raw and terrifying. The poem remains silent; it simply observes.
Symbols & metaphors
- The ash tree — The ash tree forms the backbone of the poem. Its thrashing branches mirror the chaotic violence within the house, both visually and sonically. In folklore, ash trees are linked to fate and the underworld, adding to the sense of impending doom. They also bookend the poem — it's the first and last sound we encounter — implying that for the child, this violence is an ever-present part of home.
- The lash / whip — Lawrence employs "lash" and "whip" to describe both the tree and the two voices, blurring the line between physical and verbal violence. A lash serves as a tool for punishment, so by connecting it to sound, Lawrence suggests that the words in this house strike with the force of blows.
- The storm — The storm represents the household's emotional turmoil in a tangible way. It brings to life the chaos, intensity, and total absence of peace occurring within, indicating that for the child, there’s no refuge anywhere, whether inside or outside.
- Silence of blood — This is the poem's most intense image. Blood-silence doesn’t represent a peaceful quiet — it’s the silence that follows harm. It suggests injury (whether physical or emotional), defeat, and something that can’t be undone. It’s that moment when a child realizes that one force has overpowered another.
Historical context
D. H. Lawrence grew up in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, in a working-class mining family. His father, Arthur Lawrence, was a coal miner who struggled with heavy drinking and had a quick temper. His mother, Lydia, was educated and ambitious for her children, yet deeply unhappy in her marriage. The conflicts between his parents were a significant part of Lawrence's childhood and inspired much of his early writing, notably the novel *Sons and Lovers* (1913). "Discord in Childhood," included in his first collection *Love Poems and Others* (1913), is often seen as a straightforward autobiographical depiction of witnessing his parents' fights. Lawrence wrote during a time when English poetry was beginning to break away from Victorian norms, and the poem's raw themes and intense imagery reflect that change. Its two-stanza structure—first focusing on the outside, then the inside—captures Lawrence's enduring fascination with the connection between nature and human emotions.
FAQ
It's about a child caught in a violent argument between two adults in their home — likely Lawrence's own parents — as a storm rages outside. The poem links the thrashing ash tree to the clashing voices, implying that the child is stuck between two forms of violence with no way out.
Yes, definitely. Lawrence's parents had a famously rocky marriage. His father was a heavy-drinking miner, while his mother was a cultured, frustrated woman who channeled her ambitions into her kids. Lawrence explored this dynamic in detail in *Sons and Lovers*, and this poem serves as an earlier, condensed version of those themes.
It's one of Lawrence's most powerful phrases. It implies that the quieter voice hasn't just gone silent — it has been stifled by something akin to physical harm. "Blood" suggests injury, defeat, and something irreparable. It's the silence that follows a wound, not the calm of peace.
Because he wants us to experience words as if they were physical blows. A lash serves as a tool for punishment, and by using the same term for the tree's branches and human voices, Lawrence blurs the line between verbal and physical violence. Both inflict pain; both leave lasting marks.
The poem consists of two stanzas, each with four lines (an octave divided in half). The first stanza takes place outside, while the second shifts indoors. This transition from the outside to the inside reflects the child's experience as the violence tightens its grip — it begins as an external threat but ultimately invades the home. The ash tree appears at both ends of the poem, emphasizing the inescapability of the situation.
Lawrence doesn't specify who they are, but the "slender lash / whistling delirious rage" is commonly interpreted as his mother's voice — high-pitched and frantic — while the "thick lash booming and bruising" represents his father's — more forceful and physically imposing. The poem remains neutral; it simply captures the fear of being trapped between the two.
Ash trees hold a significant place in British and Norse mythology, symbolizing fate, the cosmos, and the connection between different realms. Lawrence might have been influenced by this mythology, but even apart from those stories, the ash tree's long, whip-like branches serve as a striking representation of the violence he's depicting. Plus, it’s a real tree that grew outside the Lawrence family home in Eastwood.
At its core, the poem delves into the fears of childhood and the harm caused by conflict at home. It also examines how nature interacts with human emotions—Lawrence doesn't allow the natural world to remain tranquil or disconnected from human aggression. Additionally, it addresses themes of power: one voice, one force, ultimately overpowering another.