The Portrayal of War in On the Idle Hill and The Destruction of Sennacherib
The structure of these 2 poems are similar but comparisons can be made
between "On the idle hill" and "The destruction of Sennacherib"
Although the content is similar the title, tone, language, devices,
structure and punctuation are very different.
In the early 1800's when Byron wrote "The destruction of Sennacherib"
a large war campaign was occurring; The Napoleonic Wars. The wars
surrounding him would effect his view on war. In the late 1800's when
Housman wrote "On the idle hill", no major battle was occurring.
However, ironically within 20 years of this poem more "lads" were
being sent to the slaughter in World War One.
The titles of the two poems are very different. "On the idle hill"
portrays a very passive image, whereas "Destruction of Sennacherib" is
very active. Byron's poem is a stereotype of war. The title shows
action and it brings a sense of all encompassing. Whereas "On the idle
hill" shows laziness as "idle" personifies the hill making the start
of the poem peaceful and natural. This image contradicts war, which is
very ironic.
The two poems by Byron and Housman portray war. "On the idle hill" is
a very natural affair. "The Destruction of Sennacherib" is a very
violent and graphic event. Both of the poems show the beginning and
the end of the battle and misses out the actual war. This firstly
leaves the battle to the readers imagination so it can be interpreted
differently, and secondly it makes the reader concentrate of the
consequences. Although Byron's poem doesn't show the battle it has a
brutal and horrific image of the aftermath, "the foam of his gasping
lay white on the turf." This makes the battle s...
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...ay. "On the Idle hill"
finishes with two war instruments calling back from the battle. This
may be reflecting back to the initial dreamy state. When it says,
'woman bore me, I will rise' it can be read in many different ways. It
can be read into as a warning that war may rise again because it is
inevitable. Or it can alternatively be read as there being a female
influence in nature that will rise up. Altogether it is a positive
ending that shows Humanity versus evil. "The Destruction of
Sennacherib" has a very religious ending. It ends with the all the
soldiers dead. God killed the Assyrians because they killed the holy
people. There is a strong reference to nature that may be a reference
to God, 'Hath melted like snow'.
Both of the poems are ended extremely differently, "On the idle hill"
is optimistic and "Destruction of Sennacherib" is pessimistic.
Many soldiers who come back from the war need to express how they feel. Many do it in the way of writing. Many soldiers die in war, but the ones who come back are just as “dead.” Many cadets come back with shell shock, amputated arms and legs, and sometimes even their friends aren’t there with them. So during World War I, there was a burst of new art and writings come from the soldiers. Many express in the way of books, poems, short stories and art itself. Most soldiers are just trying to escape. A lot of these soldiers are trying to show what war is really like, and people respond. They finally might think war might not be the answer. This is why writers use imagery, irony and structure to protest war.
All quiet On the Western Front, a book written by Erich Maria Remarque tells of the harrowing experiences of the First World War as seen through the eyes of a young German soldier. I think that this novel is a classic anti-war novel that provides an extremely realistic portrayal of war. The novel focuses on a group of German soldier and follows their experiences.
Robert leaves from London to Waterloo where he rides by train and reaches a town called Magdalene Wood. It is here when he realizes that he has been separated with his bag. Robert is now left without rations, clean clothing, and his gun. Magdalene Wood lies about 12 miles from Bailleul. Robert decides he wants to make it before sunrise so he must walk the remainder of the way. Soon Robert joined two horsemen and rode the remainder of the way.
My thoughts after reading this book are that war can really take a toll on someone and war can bring out the worst in everyone. Works Cited:.. Caputo, Philip. The. A Rumor of War.
The Vietnam War has become a focal point of the Sixties. Known as the first televised war, American citizens quickly became consumed with every aspect of the war. In a sense, they could not simply “turn off” the war. A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo is a firsthand account of this horrific war that tore our nation apart. Throughout this autobiography, there were several sections that grabbed my attention. I found Caputo’s use of stark comparisons and vivid imagery, particularly captivating in that, those scenes forced me to reflect on my own feelings about the war. These scenes also caused me to look at the Vietnam War from the perspective of a soldier, which is not a perspective I had previously considered. In particular, Caputo’s account of
The Comradeship of War in All Quiet on the Western Front War can destroy a young man, mentally and physically. One might say that nothing good comes out of war, but in Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front, there is one positive characteristic: comradeship. Paul and his friends give Himmelstoss a beating, which he deserves due to his training tactics. This starts the brotherhood of this tiny group. As explosions and gunfire sound off, a young recruit in his first battle is gun-shy and seeks reassurance in Paul's chest and arms, and Paul gently tells him that he will get used to it.
Erich Maria Remarque’s classic novel All Quiet on the Western Front is based on World War I; it portrays themes involving suffering, comradeship, chance and dehumanization. The novel is narrated by Paul, a young soldier in the German military, who fights on the western front during The Great War. Like many German soldiers, Paul and his fellow friends join the war after listening to the patriotic language of the older generation and particularly Kantorek, a high school history teacher. After being exposed to unbelievable scenes on the front, Paul and his fellow friends realize that war is not as glorifying and heroic as the older generation has made it sound. Paul and his co-soldiers continuously see horrors of war leading them to become hardened, robot-like objects with one goal: the will to survive.
The two classic war novels ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ by Erich Maria Remarque and ‘Catch 22’ by Joseph Heller both provide a graphic insight into the life of soldiers serving their country in the historic world wars. One distinct theme of interest found in both books, is the way in which war has physically and mentally re-shaped the characters. Remarque creates the character Paul Baümer, a young soldier who exposes anxiety and PTSD (commonly known as Shellshock) through his accounts of WW1’s German army. ‘Catch 22’ however, is written in the third person and omnisciently explores insanity and bureaucracy in an American Bombardier Squadron through its utter lack of logic. The two novels use their structure, characters, symbolism and setting to make a spectacle of the way war re-shapes the soldiers.
stress and fear by the men at the front in the First World War. In
its own we will see a slight change in history’s value of warfare and hardship as war turns into a
Throughout their lives, people must deal with the horrific and violent side of humanity. The side of humanity is shown through the act of war. This is shown in Erich Remarque’s novel, “All Quiet on the Western Front”. War is by far the most horrible thing that the human race has to go through. The participants in the war suffer irreversible damage by the atrocities they witness and the things they go through.
Throughout the times war has effected people immensely both physically and mentally. All people deal with their circumstances differently to help cope with what they dealing with. Whether it’s a fatality in the family, or post traumatic stress disorder most people find a way to heal from injury or emotional damage. In Brian Turners poem, “Phantom Noise,” he writes about the constant ringing he hears from the war he served in. The poem expresses that Turner seems to deal with his emotional damage by writing poetry about what he feels, hears, and sees during the time he spent in war and in civilian life. Even though Turner is no longer in war it still effects him greatly each day. The overall tone of the poem is very solemn and makes the reader
Tolstoy's War and Peace Summary War and Peace tells the story of the Rostovs, an upper-class family in Russia, and several people associated with them. It follows the characters through fifteen years during the Napoleonic Wars, from 1805 to 1820. It gives a fictional description of the events in the life of the Rostov family as well as some of the historical events of the time. Analysis Tolstoy is regarded by some as the greatest writer of war (Bayley 16). He includes details on the military scenes of War and Peace.
...firm Kaplan’s argument though, war as an unavoidable outcome to his premonition is almost certain in that as long as the stretched limo continues to ride their will be conflicts over scarcity and cultural differences.
War has been around for centuries. From the time modern civilizations began, war has played an integral part in human history. It shaped the world into the modern world we live in. War has been said to be a great motivator, for example, the Great Wall of China was built to fend off the attackers from the north. However, the negative aspects of war far outweighs any positive effects it might have. The destruction of civilizations, cities and countries, mass killings of men, woman and children alike, the disastrous effect it has on economy and the after effects of war can last for centuries.