the falling leaves
TRANSCRIPT
How could these images be linked? Write a sentence to explain your ideas.
Dictionary work
• Thence
• Multitude
• Withering
• Slain
• Pestilence
• Strewed
• Flemish
The Falling Leaves – Margaret Postgate Cole
November 1915
Today, as I rode by,I saw the brown leaves dropping from their treeIn a still afternoon,When no wind whirled them whistling to the sky,But thickly, silently,They fell, like snowflakes wiping out the noon;And wandered slowly thenceFor thinking of a gallant multitudeWhich now all withering lay,Slain by no wind of age or pestilence,But in their beauty strewedLike snowflakes falling on the Flemish clay.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbGOmG912vI
Here the poet has compared the falling leaves to dying soldiers. Why do you think she has done this?
Think of as many reasons as you can!
This links to ‘Futility’, as Owen also uses natural
imagery – the sun.
November 1915
Today, as I rode by,I saw the brown leaves dropping from their tree
This person is a spectator observing the scene.The leaves could be a
metaphor for the soldiers dying. The
poem is set in November 1915, which is during World War I.
This links to ‘Mametz Wood’, as Sheers uses
alliteration.
In a still afternoon,When no wind whirled them whistling to the sky,
Alliteration. The repeated ‘w’ is a
soft, peaceful sound. This
contrasts the chaos of war. It
also sounds like ‘why?’ – why are
the soldiers dying?
The day is peaceful. Nothing is making the leaves fall off the tree. This suggests
there’s no reason for the soldiers’ deaths.
Similes are also used in ‘Bayonet Charge’.
But thickly, silently,They fell, like snowflakes wiping out the noon;
Noon is the middle of the day. This suggests the soldiers were being wiped out in the prime of their lives. Snowflakes are cold, which links to death. Also, snowflakes are unique; the soldiers each have their own
lives away from the war.
This links to ‘Futility’, as the poem is split into two
parts.
Today, as I rode by,I saw the brown leaves dropping from their treeIn a still afternoon,When no wind whirled them whistling to the sky,But thickly, silently,They fell, like snowflakes wiping out the noon;And wandered slowly thenceFor thinking of a gallant multitudeWhich now all withering lay,Slain by no wind of age or pestilence,But in their beauty strewedLike snowflakes falling on the Flemish clay.
Literal. What the
speaker sees.
What it makes them think
about.
The poem is split into two parts. They are separated by the semi-
colon. There is only one full stop at the end. This suggests that the
poem is one thought – the speaker stays focused on it throughout.
This links to ‘Futility’, as it is a sonnet with a
turning point.
Today, as I rode by,I saw the brown leaves dropping from their treeIn a still afternoon,When no wind whirled them whistling to the sky,But thickly, silently,They fell, like snowflakes wiping out the noon;And wandered slowly thenceFor thinking of a gallant multitudeWhich now all withering lay,Slain by no wind of age or pestilence,But in their beauty strewedLike snowflakes falling on the Flemish clay.
The poem has a volta (turning point). This is similar to a sonnet. However, this poem only has 12
lines. The rhyming couplet is missing. This could be because the
soldiers are dead; there is no resolution.
Rhyme scheme: abcabc defdef.Mirrors the two parts of
the poem.
This links to ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’, as the
soldiers are “noble”.
And wandered slowly thenceFor thinking of a gallant multitude
“thence” means from there
“gallant multitude” means lots of brave soldiers.
This links to ‘Futility’, as Owen also mentions “clay”.
Which now all withering lay,Slain by no wind of age or pestilence,But in their beauty strewedLike snowflakes falling on the Flemish clay.
“Flemish clay” is a reference to Flanders Fields. The snowflake
simile is repeated.
“withering” means dying.
The soldiers were not killed by
old age or disease. Their
deaths were
unnatural.