War poetry is a touchy subject. Whilst being one topic of poetry, it encompasses two very distinct and divided points of views: the glorification of war and the denouncement of anything to do with it. These are the two extremes, though there are war poems that illustrate greater subtlety they are few and far between. Theodore Percival Cameron Wilson’s France 1917 is one such poem. Wilson just tells his story as it is, dabbling in views from both sides; his admiration of the soldiers and his utter disgust of war, but neither fully on one or the other. Due to the length I have chosen to recite and analyse the last four stanzas of France 1917.
Theodore Percival Cameron Wilson was a talented English World War One poet and novelist. He joined
…show more content…
The careful consideration that went into this poem gives it order and harmonious flow. Another aspect of the form that assists in the flow of his writing and enhances the aural appreciation is its rhyme scheme. He chose an unusual yet interesting scheme of a-b-c-c-b-d-d. His decision to not have a corresponding rhyme for the first line gives the poem a sense of sophistication and refrainment.
The ramification of war is the subject matter of France 1917. Wilson describes the war ravaged land to which is the final resting place of the fallen soldiers. His poem delves into deeper meanings through the use of language and poetic devices.
The theme of this beautifully crafted piece of literature is gold. It is the courage and comradery shown by the soldiers as they live and die side by side fighting slim odds of survival for the protection of their country and people. Yet its more than that, it’s how even in death their ‘heart of gold’ remains. How not even death can silence their ‘challenge of gold’ for their character is too strong and pure to perish with them. It is the honour that is found from selflessness in the face of despair and darkness. The message in short is that like a lily growing from filth, honour, hope or anything good can rise from something vile, something that is
…show more content…
He commands excellent control over his vocabulary which has been well planned and executed as every word has a reason for belonging. Some words of note are: daintily, flamed, undaunted and insolent. His choices of words are not that complicated but they evoke wonderful visual imagery. Wilson also manipulates other aspects of figurative devices such as personification, similes and metaphors. His use of personification is exemplary: ‘finger of decay’, ‘thistle seeds danced daintily’, ‘a lark praised god’, ‘teeth of winter’. As well as expertly weaving personification into the poem, Wilson also incorporates similes. ‘old wire crept through the grass like a snake’, ‘cruel as lust’, ‘like a heart of gold’, ‘It reached up like a lily from filth and manure’ are some similes that Wilson included in his poem. He has managed to walk on the fine line between too little and too many similes. ‘The still land was a witch who held her breath’ is an excellent metaphor that Wilson incorporates into France 1917. The three devices that were mentioned before create a vivid mental image of the scene that he is setting. Wilson’s poem also has some repletion of flowers such as the dandelion, lily and crocus as well as gold. Aural appreciation is also aided by repetition of f in the first stanza and s in the last as these two consonant sounds are soft. The only use of first person in his poem is in the
First of alll, the poem is divided into nine stanzas, where each one has four lines. In addition to that, one can spot a few enjambements for instance (l.9-10). This stylistic device has the function to support the flow of the poem. Furthermore, it is crucial to take a look at the choice of words, when analysing the language.
Tim O’Brien states in his novel The Things They Carried, “The truths are contradictory. It can be argued, for instance, that war is grotesque. But in truth war is also beauty. For all its horror, you can’t help but gape at the awful majesty of combat” (77). This profound statement captures not only his perspective of war from his experience in Vietnam but a collective truth about war across the ages. It is not called the art of combat without reason: this truth transcends time and can be found in the art produced and poetry written during the years of World War I. George Trakl creates beautiful images of the war in his poem “Grodek” but juxtaposes them with the harsh realities of war. Paul Nash, a World War I artist, invokes similar images in his paintings We are Making a New World and The Ypres Salient at Night. Guilaume Apollinaire’s writes about the beautiful atrocity that is war in his poem “Gala.”
...ntation in 20th century war poetry undoubtedly shapes its type and purpose, be it for nationalistic propaganda or to prompt a global paradigm shift, the purpose can be seen to stem largely from the author’s involvement in combat or war life. Authors such as Owen Seaman, who have no first hand experience of the content of their poems, create patriotic propaganda in an attempt to keep young men enlisting, and others such as Rupert Brooke who exemplify blind optimism and nationalistic intentions in a romanticised view of what it would be to die.
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.
Have you ever thought about what it was like to live during World War 1, or what it was like to fight at war? At first glance of any war piece, you might think the author would try to portray the soldiers as mentally tough and have a smashing conscience. Many would think that fighting in a war shows how devoted you are to your country, however, that is not true. According to All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, the reality of a soldier's life is despondency, carnage and eradication at every bombardment. Living every day is not knowing if they will eat, see their families, or even if they will awaken the next day. Demeaning themselves from heroes to barely men without their military garment or identity. Remarque conveyed how
are not free in service, you do what you are told and this is the same
War and its ramifications for those who are unfortunately entangled in it, is an issue that has fueled both political discussion and literary exploration throughout the previous century. Underived, authentic accounts of the experience and effects of war, from those who have served in it, can be especially enlightening for the majority of society who have had the fortune of not being intimately familiar with war. Through the examination of poems and stories written by soldiers, who were inspired by their involvement in conflict, one can obtain a greater understanding of this gruesome aspect of life, without having to directly experience it. Similarly, soldier turned poet, Bruce Weigl, has contributed his perspective on war through his literary
World War One was a massive event. It affected millions of people from all walks of life, and inspired countless written pieces. Nevertheless, without being there, it is impossible to truly be able to tell what the war is like. Therefore the use of setting is very important in giving the reader an idea of the circumstance. This is not to say that everyone is in agreement over how the war should be displayed. Quite one the contrary, the two Poems “In Flanders Fields” and “Dulce et Decorum Est” use their settings to create two very contrasting images of human conflict.
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 one and two. Both these wars stole many young men’s lives from them. Stole sons from their mothers. Stole brothers from their sister but also stole many innocent lives in the process. An estimated 60 million lives lost and for what? For land, for power, wealth. War is brutal, gruesome, costly and pointless. What good could possibly come from a war? The truth is without these wars, the world of literature wouldn’t be the same. These wars bought rise to names such as Rupert Brooke, Wilfred Owen, and Edward Thomas. Among all that death, destruction, and calamity; somehow great poets were born.
War forces young soldiers to grow up quickly. In Stephen Crane’s Civil War novel, The Red Badge of Courage, Henry Fleming is no exception. He is faced with the hard reality of war and this forces him to readjust his romantic beliefs about war. Through the novel, the reader can trace the growth and development of Henry through these four stages: (1) romanticizing war and the heroic role each soldier plays, (2) facing the realities of war, (3) lying to himself to maintain his self-importance, and (4) realistic awareness of his abilities and place in life. Through Henry’s experiences in his path to self-discovery, he is strongly affected by events that help shape his ideology of war, death, courage, and manhood. The romantic ideologies will be replaced with a more realistic representation.
“In the first war I was hurt very badly. In the body, mind and spirit and also morally” when earnest Hemingway wrote this about WWI he really illustrated how brutal this world war was and how traumatic it was for the soldiers. WWI was a war that had an impact on the course of history forever. The war destroyed the mind of the soldiers, and the life of the countries, which were impacted by the war. This time period was tainted with the idea of imperialism, the countries who followed this idea, believed that this implied whoever had the largest empire had the strongest country. These imperialistic countries owned the strong trait of nationalism, with this pride in their country; they felt they had to protect their national sovereignty and superior
...is story, Hemingway brings the readers back the war and see what it caused to human as well as shows that how the war can change a man's life forever. We think that just people who have been exposed to the war can deeply understand the unfortunates, tolls, and devastates of the war. He also shared and deeply sympathized sorrows of who took part in the war; the soldiers because they were not only put aside the combat, the war also keeps them away from community; people hated them as known they are officers and often shouted " down with officers" as they passing. We have found any blue and mournful tone in this story but we feel something bitter, a bitter sarcasm. As the war passing, the soldiers would not themselves any more, they became another ones; hunting hawks, emotionless. They lost everything that a normal man can have in the life. the war rob all they have.
He may have used this technique to make war seem if it had made men
The poetic devices used in this classic poem are not great in variety, but indeed considerable in their repetition.