The Attitudes to the First World War in Poetry
Compare and contrast the attitudes to the First World War in the
poetry you have read. Focus in detail on four poems, two of which
should be by the same author.
When the war started the general feeling of the English was that the
war was great and would be over before Christmas. This is evident in
much of the early war poetry. As the war progressed, however, people
began to feel disillusioned and eventually had an overwhelming feeling
of futility in that so many lives were wasted for such little gain.
The people back home were left feeling bitter as they gained knowledge
about the suffering these young men had endured. The poetry I am going
to analyse ‘The Soldier’ by Rupert Brooke, ‘Cricket’ by Jessie Pope,
‘Dulce et Decorum est’ and ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ by Wilfred Owen
reflects these changing views.
Rupert Brooke was born in 1887. He joined the Navy at the start of the
war, but died in 1915 whilst going to take part in the Dardenelles
campaign. In 1914, Brooke composed his poem ‘The Soldier’ which is the
fifth poem in a collection of five which displays the glory of war.
As he saw little action in the Great War, Rupert Brooke was unaware of
the terrible conditions in the trenches. This was because he never
fought on the battlefields and due to this Brooke holds a much more
glorified view of war. Brooke describes his death in ‘The Soldier’. He
talks about how he is not scared of dying; describing the way in which
he will rest in peace “under an English heaven.” Rupert Brooke sees
England as idyllic and tranquil and talks about his love for his
motherland. Brooke feels by fighting for England he is giving
something back.
Brooke uses many language techniques to portray his feelings. He uses
repetition of the word “England” to show his patriotism. He refers to
the English country as a female; “Gave once, her flowers to love, her
ways to roam” This makes highly effective use of personification. It
shows Brooke's romantic view towards his country, making the reader
feel proud for his country as well. Religious overtones such as “evil
shed away”, “eternal mind”, “blessed” and “English heaven” are used
throughout ‘The Soldier’ to show purity and to portray the typical
views of a Christian country.
To make the poem calm and poetic, Brooke uses natural imagery such as
“air”, “river” and “flowers”. The effects of these words make the
reader feel happy and calm. Sibilance is used with; “Sights and
sound”. This soft sounding alliteration slows the pace which makes the
At age 18, Theodore Roosevelt entered Harvard University with the intent of becoming a naturalist. As a senior he began work on a book, “The Naval War of 1812.” He then graduated 21st in a class of 177 in 1880 and married Alice Hathaway Lee. After graduation, at the age of 22, Roosevelt joined New York City’s 21st District Republican Club and was elected to the New York Assembly. On February 1884, Theodore Roosevelt’s mother died of typhoid and later on his wife died of a kidney ailment while giving birth to their daughter, Alice. In 1886, he got married to Edith Kemit Carow, who bore for him five children. Political service to Benjamin Harrison won TR a seat on the Civil Service Commission in 1889. He gained national attention by staging a fight against favoritism; his position- jobs should go to the most qualified applicants. In 1895, Roosevelt took the post of NYC Police Commissioner and fought Democrats and Republicans to establish a merit system for appointments and promotions. TR was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy in 1897 and immediately began building the strength of the Navy.
Born August 1923 in Guide Rock, Nebraska. Enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps upon graduating from High School in June 1942.
William McKinley was born in Niles, Ohio on January 29, 1843. He fought on the union army during the civil war and after the war he started studying law. He opened an office in 1867 and he later became a congressman in 1876. In 1890 a tariff with his name was passed and he got rejected for reelection because of rising consumer prices. He then returned to Ohio and won the governor spot by a close margin in 1891. In 1896 he won the Republican presidential nomination with Mark Hanna, his main supporter.
joined the army in 1915 after a frustrating career in the post office. His mother died
Portrayal of War in the Pre 1900 Poetry Before 1900, war was always seen as a glorious thing. People truly believed in the words of the ancient writer Horace, "Dulce et decorum est, pro patria mori. " This phrase can be translated, as "It is a lovely and honourable thing; to die for one's country". Pre 1900 war poetry was strongly patriotic and glossed over the grim reality of death, preferring instead to display the heroic aspects of fighting. If death was mentioned, it was only in a noble and glorious context.
are not free in service, you do what you are told and this is the same
Journalist, writer. Alexander Murray Palmer Haley was born in Ithaca, New York, on August 11, 1921. He grew up in Henning, Tennessee, and graduated from high school at age 15. Haley studied at State Teachers College in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, for two years, and joined the Coast Guard in 1939. He started out as a mess attendant, Third Class, and in 1952 became the first to hold the title of Coast Guard Journalist.
on: April 10th 1864. He was born in 1809 and died at the age of 83 in
When he was in academy he was a captain for baseball and soccer team. Bush graduated from high school in 1942. At age eighteen, Bush became the youngest pilot in the Navy.... ... middle of paper ...
How Wilfred Owen Uses Language and Imagery in His Poetry to Communicate his Attitudes of War
Brashear joined the Navy in 1948 at the age of 17. The film follows his acceptance into dive school, his training in the Mark V gear, and the accident that could have ended his career. Brashear's struggle to convince the Naval Bureau of Medicine and Surgery to allow him to continue diving is an integral part of the story.
The next line expresses the way in which he has no grave stone, just a
Considered the leading English poet of the First World War, Owen is remembered for realistic poems depicting the horrors of war, which were inspired by his experiences at the Western Front in 1916 and 1917. Owen considered the true subject of his poems to be "the pity of war," and attempted to present the true horror and realities of battle and its effects on the human spirit. His unique voice, which is less passionate and idealistic than those of other war poets, is complemented by his unusual and experimental style of writing. He is recognized as the first English poet to successfully use pararhyme, in which the rhyme is made through altered vowel sounds. Owen’s distinct way of both writing and reading poems led to influence other poets in the 1920s and 1930s.
World War I impacted poetry profoundly. Poets who served in the war were using poetry to share their horrific stories about the hardships they faced. These poets became known as “war poets.” They wrote about the traumatic, life changing experiences that haunted them once the war was over. Intense poems started emerging that portrayed the mental and physical struggles soldiers faced. Two examples of the impact that World War I had on poetry is seen in the poems “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen and “Repression of War Experience” by Siegfried Sassoon.
He may have used this technique to make war seem if it had made men