War Poems of WW1

By Laurie Collins

Introduction

In our presentation we will be discussing the use of poetic techniques by comparing the following poems:

The Soldier – Rupert Brooke

Dulce et decorum est – Wilfred Owen

We will be breaking the two poems apart and describing the tone, imagery, symbolism and emotion created by the poets.

The Soldier

If I should die, think only this of me:That there's some corner of a

foreign fieldThat is for ever England. There shall

beIn that rich earth a richer dust

concealed;A dust whom England bore, shaped,

made aware,Gave, once, her flowers to love, her

ways to roam,A body of England's, breathing

English air,Washed by the rivers, blest by suns

of home. 

And think, this heart, all evil shed away,

A pulse in the eternal mind, no lessGives somewhere back the thoughts

by England given;Her sights and sounds; dreams

happy as her day;And laughter, learnt of friends; and

gentleness,In hearts at peace, under an English

heaven.

If you have any questions, as to vocabulary or an overall question Theo, Greg and I will be happy to answer.

When the soldiers went to war each of them carried the spirit of England with them, so where and when they fell, England lives on there as their gravestone and England shall remember those who died for ‘Her.’

The SoldierIambic tone – upbeat, happy tone.

For example, ‘If I should die think only this of me.’ words that are underlined are stressed syllables

iambic pentameter, pentameter meaning there are five stresses in the line.

An example of a metaphor - ‘That there’s some corner of a foreign field That is forever England’ The death of the soldier has become more than just a tragic event. It has served to enrich the soil of another country and actually make it a part of England.

Personification is used to make England almost human, bringing the conception of Britannia to life – ‘A dust whom England bore…A body of England’s, breathing English air…England given Her thoughts and sounds, dreams as happy as her day…’

The SoldierOverall I believe that the tone of the poem is upbeat and shows how patriotic and brave the soldiers were during WW1. There is also a sense that there will be an idyllic place, with peace and serenity that can be achieved under an English heaven.

The poet, Rupert Brooke, has used poetic effects very well in creating a deep and descriptive poem, full of hidden meaning and underlying context.

‘Literature is the study of life’ the wise words of Mr. Foakes.

Dulce Et Decorum Est

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,

Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,

Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs

And towards our distant rest began to trudge.

Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots

But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;

Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots

Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.

Dulce Et Decorum EstGas! Gas! Quick, boys!---An ecstasy of fumbling,

Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;

But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,

And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime...

Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,

As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,

He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

Dulce Et Decorum Est

If in some smothering dreams you too could pace

Behind the wagon that we flung him in,

And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,

His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;

If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood

Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,

Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud

Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,---

Dulce Et Decorum EstMy friend, you would not tell with such high zest

To children ardent for some desperate glory,

The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est

Pro patria mori.

Dulce Et Decorum Est‘It Is sweet and proper…’

The title is certainly not a true reflection of the tone of the poem which ends with ‘…to die for one’s country.’ – ‘pro patria mori’

Trochaic metre – sad, downbeat and depressing.

The poem is a true depiction of the harsh, brutal reality of war.

Dulce et Decorum est Lots of use of similes – for example, ‘Like old beggars…like hags…’

Metaphors are also used – for example, ‘Haunting flares’ – sinister, ghost-like. ‘Drunk with fatigue…’ completely exhausted, inebriated.

Personification – ‘…Of tired outstripped Fives-Nines…’ – even the weapons are tired, given human qualities of exhaustion.

Conclusion

These poems look at war in two very different ways.

‘The Soldier’ outlines how brave and patriotic war is, where as ‘Dulce et decorum est’