Abstract

Preceded by an introduction giving background information on the factual context of this work, my own background in Christianity and ethics, and the methodology behind the poetry, this thesis contains sixteen original poems on the subject of torture and the history of torture in the contexts of war and martyrdom. A selected bibliography of sources from books, newspapers and videos follows the text and provides evidence of the veracity of my poeticized accounts where applicable.
Christian martyrdom affords a context for the glorification of human cruelty as much as jihad has been used for this purpose in the Muslim world. Conceptual doctrines such as the “war on terror” seek to justify the use of torture. The perceived necessity of achieving victory at any cost to the long-established, globally agreed rules of engagement – let alone guarantees of human rights which preclude allowing torture – is witnessed to and exposed as obscene. This thesis recalls episodes from ancient myth, iconography and classical history, as well as from wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Nigeria, blending them into a continuum of violence and destructive ideology that must be resisted by every individual and through them, government, if the cycle of war is ever to be ended or even diminished. It is the ambition of this thesis to challenge the reader to look from the poems to themselves, to consider their impact, and so to become a part of the witness against these atrocities, unreservedly and without caveat.