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Propaganda in the 20th century war
A note on war poetry
Propaganda in the 20th century war
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How are differing attitudes to war expressed in the poetry of WWI
that you have read? You should compare England to her sons’ with
Dulce et Decorum Est.
How are differing attitudes to war expressed in the poetry of WWI that
you have read? You should compare ‘England to her sons’ with ‘Dulce et
Decorum Est’. You may refer to other poems. Remember to consider the
influence of historical contents on the poet’s viewpoints.
In this poem I am going to compare two poems from World
War I. The to poems that I will be comparing are ‘England to her sons’
and ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’. ‘England to her sons’ was written by W.N.
Hodgson in 1914, ‘Dulce et decorum est’ was written by Wilfred Owen in
1918. These two poems that I am going to study have very different
ideas towards the war.
In the poem ‘England to her sons’ the attitude towards the war is very
pro-war, however ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ is very anti-war. ‘England to
her sons’ is pro-war because it was written at the beginning of war in
1914 and was trying to get men to enlist for the army. ‘Dulce et
Decorum Est’ is anti-war because it was written during the war in 1918
and so the poet will have experienced the war and is trying to tell
the public what war is really like. ‘England to her sons’ uses a lot
of propaganda, for example, ‘Free in service’, when you are at war you
are not free in service, you do what you are told and this is the same
with any service, also this poem is telling us how to feel about war.
In ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ no propaganda is used because the poet is
trying to portray the real image of war.
Each poem has very different themes in ‘England to her sons’ one of
the themes is propaganda but in ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ there is a
theme of the lies of propaganda, ‘The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
pro patria mori.’ (Meaning ‘It is sweet and meet to die for your
country’) and it is saying that this is all a lie. In ‘England to her
sons’ another theme is men to enlist, ‘I hear you thrilling to the
trumpet call of war’, people are not thrilled at the news of war and
trumpets do not call. The poet is trying to make the start of war a
joyous occasion. Also in ‘England to her sons’ another theme is
responsibility and duty of war, ‘Steeled to suffer uncomplaining’ but
Over many centuries, Poetry and song has been a way for people to explore their feelings, thoughts and questions about War & Peace. Rupert Brooke's “The Soldier” and Cold Chisel’s “Khe Sanh” provide two different insights into the nature of war. . “The Soldier” conveys a message of bravery for soldiers to go into war and fight while “Khe sanh” conveys a message about post-traumatic stress and the horrible factors of coming back into civilization after war.
Although there were still poets who wrote of the glories of fighting, poets such as Wilfred Owen, who fought and in the end was killed during the First World War, began to write realistically, showing war in a true light, removing any romanticism. In the poems I am going to look at, we can see a clear divide between the poetry of the pre 1900's and that of the post 1900's. A good example of this pre 1900 approach to war is "Before Agincourt" from William Shakespeare's play "King Henry the Fifth. " This is a speech written in blank verse, which is appropriate for such a significant subject.
Owen, Wilfred. “Dulce Et Decorum Est.” World War I British Poets. Ed. Candace Ward. Dover Publications, Inc; New York, 1997.
In conclusion, depending on the position from which one views war, the standpoint may vary ranging from being supportive of the soldiers because those who die are dying for the country or they are completely unsupportive of war activities because it is a brutal and gruesome experience involving countless unnecessary injuries and deaths. Affected by a number of factors, the authors of the two poems have chosen opposing standpoints on the issue of war where Tennyson glorified it with the main message that it is an honour to die for one's country whereas the other, Owen suppresses the idea of war by illustrating all the horrid experiences of a soldier.
A Comparison Of Differing Views/Attitudes To War With Reference To Regeneration, Strange Meeting, Selected Poetry and A Journeys End
The next line expresses the way in which he has no grave stone, just a
Compare and contrast the poems Anthem for Doomed Youth by Wilfred Owen and The Soldier by Rupert Brooke. What are the poets' attitudes towards war and how do they convey these attitudes? Wilfred Owen's "Anthem for Doomed Youth" and Rupert Brooke's "The Soldier" express opposing views towards war and matters related to it.
What is Wilfred Owen’s attitude towards Worlds War 1 and how is this shown through his poetry?
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.
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.
How Wilfred Owen Uses Language and Imagery in His Poetry to Communicate his Attitudes of War
There are many things in this world that are impossible to understand without first hand experience.This can be especially irritating for people who have the knowledge, but see everyone else with the wrong idea. Philip Larkin and Wilfred Owen show this in their poems about the common misconception of war glorification. Through imagery and the use of similes, they explain what it's really like for a person to go into battle. To outsiders, fighting in war is a noble cause worthy of envy and praise, but from the inside perspective the only thing war does is take away the innocence of
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
War consumes the youth of young men and completely alters a person. From numerous poems, it is made clear that war exhausts the youth of young men, and has left their lives with no meaning. These poems are “Dulce Et Decorum Est” and “Mental Cases” written by Wilfred Owen. Similarly, they both employ the same techniques, such as similes and metaphors. However, a somewhat different perspective is projected through the poem “In Flanders Field” by John McCrae, which dissimilitudes yet intensifies the main message. Whether from a more emotional perspective or from a physical view, war has devastated the prime time of many young men in multitudinous ways.