The Diameter of the Bomb

The bomb is given little description beyond its miniature size and the range of its effect. The poet does not specify the type of bomb, or the precise location where it was targeted. Instead, the poet leaves the technology of war as the sole fact of the bomb, without naming the specific type of bomb or the reason it was used. Amichai is demonstrating the detached, inhumane view of those who create such destructive weapons, as this technology is created with little thought for the suffering that it can create. The language of mathematics and science, particularly the word “diameter,” (Lines 1-2) is replaced when Amichai shifts his diction to the more symbolically rich and visual description of a “circle,” (Line 5). The shifting language allows Amichai to explore how the technology of war relies on the advancement of science. He is pointing out that the immense progress of human technology in the 20th century has not been wholly good, as it has also created a greater potential for the destruction of human life. The use of technical language in the first three lines of the poem emphasizes this perception of the bomb first as simply a scientific marvel, and then for what is truly is, which is a means of destroying human life.