The marching of the boots upon the mud of the war zone, bullets flying left and right, the sound of victory is the ultimate goal. Looking through history, there are clearly different stages of war. At first war can be seen as a glorified act of patriotism in which transforms into the harsh reality of the downfall of soldiers. The institutional idea that glories the beautiful act of nationalism was created through “The Soldier”, by Rupert Brooke, and “the Gettysburg Address” read by Abraham Lincoln, greatly contrasts the brutal reality shown in “They” written by Siegfried Sassoon. Although all three works are similar in viewing war as transformative, they all vary in the stages in which it will affect the people involved.
First off,
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He states that no matter where he falls “there shall be in that rich earth a richer dust concealed” , meaning that this certain piece of land will greatly be increased in value because a piece of England, his home country, is now included (4). The idea behind this poem includes the comparison of life and death, two of the most powerful things that induce emotions in people. The speaker creates an image of a brave, powerful man, who would sacrifice his life for his country. In the first stanza the speaker mainly talks about his love for his country and expresses his deep admiration for his great land. By line 9, the speaker states “and think, his heart, all evil shed away”, where he shifts and considers to address himself and to think if he has shed away all evil from his life. Lines 10-11 “A pulse in the eternal mind, no less gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given” , the speaker seems to be saying that, when the soldier goes to heaven, he will become part of that larger, unending being and perhaps re-experience, in the form of a "pulse," all the thoughts "by England given." The words of the speaker continue to express an extremely strong connotation when he …show more content…
This poem takes a strong cynical turn, or some might say, realistic. In contrast with the glorified version, Sassoon describes the violent and horrific reality of war and its impact on the men themselves. Starting off with this poem, the Bishop begins to try to comfort and optimistically point out that the war will “change” the soldiers fighting in. Like the other pieces, this one also brings religion and word about god into its writing. The Bishop continues to state that the soldiers will have “challenged Death”, “fought in a just cause” and “lead the last attack on the Antichrist”( 1-4). When using the word “Death” it is capitalized as if it is a name or a person. He is then of course giving “Death” a identity. The bishop in this poem represents the government and the church, they continue to show ideas in which war would make the men feel pride and better their lives all together. With the lines stating that they will be fighting the “last attack” suggests that war shows how brave and noble the men are. In the first stanza of the poem, it continues to give promises of honor and suggests the idea that war keeps everyone safe. However in contrast the second stanza shows the jarring reality. Differing from the other writing, it focuses severely on a few men and how the war had affected them individually. This poem
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.
He wakes up from a sleepless night and speaks of a scene taking place in a hospital tent. He speaks of three dead soldiers he saw in the tent that were unattended , one old, one young, and one nor old or young. He goes into slight detail about each of the soldiers physical characteristics which gives the reader insight on the different ages of the men. The narrator correlates the last soldier to jesus christ and states that he think he knows him and that is face is that of christ himself. The short poem ends on the line “Dead and Divine and brother of all, and here again he
In the books All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque and The Wars by Timothy Findley, there is clear evidence of the nature of war. With all the efforts of preparation, discipline, and anticipation, false hopes were created for the young individuals, who leave the battlefields with numerous emotional and physical scars. The propaganda and disciplinary training to convince naïve young men to go to battle to fight for their country, the death of their comrades, and the physical breakdown are all part of twentieth century warfare.
In All Quiet on the Western Front, it becomes very apparent that some of the soldiers do not feel as if World War I was their fight, when comrades begin discussing the origin of war. One comrade, Albert states that a war is initiated by “one country badly offending the other” (204). This lead to a discussion over why the soldiers are fighting when truly it is one person or a small group of people that are directly offended by an opposing group in a similar position of power. Therefore, why must they discover the true horrors of war while simultaneously putting their lives on the line, when the ones who began the predicament, propelled false advertisement with propagandas that romanticized and glorified war don’t have to live as if the next second may be their
As can be seen, Paul Boyer, Tim O’Brien, and Kenneth W. Bagby, convey the notion that war affects the one’s self the most. Through the use of literary devices: tone, mood, pathos, and imagery, these 3 authors portray that war affects a person’s self most of all. War is not only a battle between two opposing sides, but it can also be a mental conflict created within a person. Although war is able to have an effect on physical relationships between family, friends, or even society, conflict within oneself is the most inevitable battle one must face during war times.
For the great lesson which history imprints on the mind…is the tragic certainty that all wars gain their ultimate ends, whether great or petty, by the violation of personality, by the destruction of homes, by the paralysis of art and industry and letters…even wars entered on from high motives must rouse greed, cupidity, and blind hatred; that even in defensive warfare a people can defend its rights only by inflicting new wrongs; and that chivalrous no less than self-seeking war entails relentless destruction.
War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, written by the talented author Chris Hedges, gives us provoking thoughts that are somewhat painful to read but at the same time are quite personal confessions. Chris Hedges, a talented journalist to say the least, brings nearly 15 years of being a foreign correspondent to this book and subjectively concludes how all of his world experiences tie together. Throughout his book, he unifies themes present in all wars he experienced first hand. The most important themes I was able to draw from this book were, war skews reality, dominates culture, seduces society with its heroic attributes, distorts memory, and supports a cause, and allures us by a constant battle between death and love.
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
Through reading this poem several times I decided that the message from the poem is that war is full of horror and there is little or no glory. Methods which I found most effective were Full rhyme and metaphor.
The three incredible works of literature by Owen, OBrien, and Sassoon give a true sense of what fighting for ones country was really like. The battles, soldiers, and wars that most of the public see is glorified tremendously through movies and books mainly. These writers wanted a change and they went about this by giving the true and honest facts of what happened. War should be thought of as a tough obstacle that no one should ever have to go through, a sad occurrence, or a horrible burden, but not as a glorious victory. In order to reach that victory, the road is anything but sweet.
Both poems used different techniques to stimulate the readers’ evaluation and realisation of the adverse outcomes of war, especially its effects on the soldiers. Sassoon’s poem title gave the reader an immediate conclusion about the contents of the poem of the hardship that the soldier faced, which brought upon his suicide. Whereas Owen’s gave the opposite impression at first, as the Latin saying translates into “it is fitting and honourable to die for your country.”
..., the content and form has self-deconstructed, resulting in a meaningless reduction/manifestation of repetition. The primary focus of the poem on the death and memory of a man has been sacrificed, leaving only the skeletal membrane of any sort of focus in the poem. The “Dirge” which initially was meant to reflect on the life of the individual has been completely abstracted. The “Dirge” the reader is left with at the end of the poem is one meant for anyone and no one. Just as the internal contradictions in Kenneth Fearing’s poem have eliminated the substantial significance of each isolated concern, the reader is left without not only a resolution, but any particular tangible meaning at all. The form and content of this poem have quite effectively established a powerful modernist statement, ironically contingent on the absence and not the presence of meaning in life.
He then goes on in the second stanza by saying that children see the way Blake does "in every infant cry of fear", and that they have not. yet accepted that they have no choice but to live in London. He stresses this by later saying "The mind-forg'd manacles I hear". saying that man has imprisoned himself in the town and that they believe that there is no way in which they can leave. In the third stanza he stresses that people do not want to be in London by giving reasons.
In the final line of the poem, Brooke hints to a delightful afterlife with the phrase “English heaven” (14). By implying that the soldiers who die on the battlefield will go to heaven, he glorifies the casualties of war, making them seem similar to blessings.
In stanza one and two, the speaker asks the citizens to stand up for England because now is not a time for happiness. This is shown when, ‘Thou peace-maker, fight/Stand, England, for honor.’ (Line 2-3); meaning that the speaker is wanting the citizens of England to fight, either physically in the war or supporting it. As stated in stanza two, the enemy is dangerous and is advancing, so the English must not be idle; ‘Thy cavil’ and play; the foe is upon thee.’ The word “foe” is used to represent the opponent of England. The English need to be more alert and take initiative.