Comparing and Contrasting the Portrayal and Warfare in Poetry

2866 Words6 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: World war i and women

Comparing and Contrasting the Portrayal and Warfare in Poetry

War poetry

A Comparattive Essay

Choose two poets that we have studied so far. Compare and contrast the

portrayal of warfare in four of the poems studied.

This essay will compare and contrast the portrayal and warfare in four

of the poems studied.

The first world war was portrayed as a glorious and credible cause,

fighting war for your country was deemed as the duty of any credible

man. Being able to represent your country on the battlefield was the

greatest honour a man could have. Men were engulfed with the idea of

being able to fight for their countries futures. Women would have to

do everything they could to stop their husbands and sons from risking

their lives by signing up for the war. At this time poetry was written

to encourage men to go and fight, poets like jessie pope who wrote war

poetry enforced this view.

JESSIE POPE WILFRED OWEN

WHO’S FOR THE DULCE ET DECORUM EST.

GAME?

THE CALL DISABLED

These poems were written about (and at the same time as), World War I,

between 1914 to 1918. In these barbaric four years->killing spree 7

million men and leaving 17 million men injured, (physically-the war

tactics resorted to the tortures of gas attacks, gun-shot wound, shell

shock, starvation and exposure, to name a few...), the rest were

scarred by memories never fading. World war one devastated lives and

souls, time and space. But citizens back home had no way of knowing

what war was capable of, without television or radio to communicate to

them, they were only left to imagine the true horrors men were

enduring. If people had reailsed the true extent and the horrors of

what was actually happening, morale would have been severely

detrimentally affected. These poems were created by the thoughts and

feelings expressed by soldiers at battle.

Propaganda was partially to blame for the young lives that were stolen

by the war, because it encouraged men to actively volunteer for the

dream of taking the empire to victory and in return recieve the pride

of serving their country. Propaganda was engineered to give citizens a

false impression/ illusion of positivity about the events that were

truely making history horrifically, and consistently sent a message of

fortitude and unity to the enemy. Men were driven by promised finicial

gain, status and the chance to travel, but under such pointless pain,

suffering and horror that awaited them, ready to engulf them all in

battle, in such conditions as; 48 hours bomboardment, being surrounded

by dead bodies, acheing (mentally, physically and emotionally), foul

infestation, and living in fear and horror was not worth the cost of a

Show More
Related

  • The Awful Majesty That Is War Analysis

    791 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.”

    Read More

  • Analysis Of ' The Soldier ' And Seaman 's ' Pro Patria '

    1113 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...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.

    Read More

  • Comparing War in the Poems, Dulce et Decorum est and Who’s for the Game?

    1537 Words  | 4 Pages

    The two poems, 'Dulce et decorum est' and 'Who's for the game?' are both very different war poems. Although they were both written about the First World War, they both had different purposes. The poems have aspects in which they are similar, but they also have very big differences.

    Read More

  • How are differing attitudes to war expressed in the poetry of WWI

    1250 Words  | 3 Pages

    are not free in service, you do what you are told and this is the same

    Read More

  • The Colonel Poem

    1334 Words  | 3 Pages

    Understanding the effects of war and the appalling experiences our soldiers have to endure while fighting for their country facilitates communicating effectively about literature and its function in the context of American and world history and culture (SLO2). The purpose of imagery is to help get the poet’s message across in a language that is strong and vivid.

    Read More

  • Song Of Napalm Analysis

    1183 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Comparision of 'Dulce Et Decorum Est' and 'War Photographer'

    2142 Words  | 5 Pages

    Although war is often seen as a waste of many lives, poets frequently focus on its effect on individuals. Choose two poems of this kind and show how the poets used individual situations to illustrate the impact of war.

    Read More

  • Compare Dulce Et Decorum Est And Suicide In The Trenches

    1211 Words  | 3 Pages

    ‘Poetry can challenge the reader to think about the world in new ways.’ It provokes the readers to consider events, issues and people with revised understanding and perspectives. The poems Dulce Et Decorum Est (Wilfred Owen, 1917) and Suicide in the Trenches (Siegfried Sassoon, 1917), were composed during World War One and represented the poets’ point of views in regards to the glorification of war and encouraged readers to challenge their perspectives and reflect upon the real consequences behind the fabrications of the glory and pride of fighting for one’s nation.

    Read More

  • Compare and contrast the poet's attitudes to and experiences of war in

    1486 Words  | 3 Pages

    The next line expresses the way in which he has no grave stone, just a

    Read More

  • WIlfred Owen, and His Ability to Express the Reality of War through Poetry

    2027 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Compare and Contrast the Way in Which Poets Present Ideas About Soldiers Leaving for War in Joining the Colours and The Send Off

    1016 Words  | 3 Pages

    The writers of 'Joining the Colours' and 'The Send Off' both use poetry to express their feelings about soldiers leaving for war. Each have similar attitudes about the subject, but use different approaches to try and get their message across. Both question the popular concept of war, including ideas such as heroism and glory. Katherine Hinkson, the poet who wrote 'Joining the Colours', shows the scene from two different perspectives, that of the audience watching the soldiers and also her own point of view. Wilfred Owen simply shares his thoughts by describing the soldiers leaving from a station, although the effect is no less powerful. As Hinkson is a woman, she focuses more on a mother or wives point of view, whereas Owen gives more of the soldiers perspective.

    Read More

  • Wilfred Owen Horror Of War Analysis

    637 Words  | 2 Pages

    This type of writing interests me because it was used as a tool to open people’s eyes to the brutality of war. In a way it protested and spoke up against this injustice and most importantly gave a voice to the people who became the biggest victims of war – the soldiers themselves.

    Read More

  • Different Attitudes to War in Post-1914 War Poetry

    2267 Words  | 5 Pages

    in that time was able to see and accept the realities of war, so his

    Read More

  • Dulce Et Decorum Est, And Wilfred Owen's Impact Of War On Poetry

    1089 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Historical Poetry Analysis

    1524 Words  | 4 Pages

    The poem entitled “On the Pulse of Morning” is a time-honored piece unrolling the film of time, and featuring humanity and its travel through time. This poem is a requirement for United States History, section 2111, to analyze the poem in your own words. In doing so, you must somehow relate to the poem, channel a moment or two of you past, and conform it to the poem. Accounts of students from various other backgrounds provide the poet with support from genuine evidence. History and evolution is compared with certain elements of nature, specifically the rock, river, and tree. I like the poem. This poem is really interesting, very imaginative, and very inventive. It makes you think a lot. But while reading at the poem you really gaze at the stanzas with such amazement. It is quite a historical piece, discussing how the world was before people arrived, and the great effort they had to put forth till they reached the very day that the author ultimately dawns on the reader. When I first got this assignment, it seemed a bit complicated. You have to think a lot about how you fit into this poem. Constantly contemplating, deep in thought, immersed in my past, I thought maybe I could discuss the time I first moved to the United States. But before I began to write the poem, I thought that I might not much to say, and while saying it just happen it to be more than necessary. Yet the greatest challenge that lay ahead, as with any paper, is making this introduction. While reading this poem, it brought back plenty of information that we may have reviewed in past history and evolutionary courses. The rock is the Earth itself, particularly America in relation to the poem. The river may be the passage between the eastern and wester...

    Read More

More about Comparing and Contrasting the Portrayal and Warfare in Poetry

Open Document