Comparing and Contrasting the Portrayal and Warfare in Poetry

Robert Browning, through his poem, suggests that he was "burgled" in the metaphorical sense. During the war he was viewed and treated as a hero and patriot. "Alack, it was I who leaped at the sun". He fought the war for his country "To give it my loving friends to keep", keeping it safe and protecting it for his friends and people of his country. During that time war was glorified and men who went to fight for "Queen and country" were greatly respected heroes and thought highly of and the men who fed these images of how they would be viewed as heroes through propaganda.

Owen is saying that everyone deserves a funeral especially all these war heroes that have given up their life. There is no dignity here even in death. In the long and tedious four years that the Great War lasted, 1914-1918, the world saw some very extreme poetry. There were three main aspects of poetry; recruitment poems for example Jessie Popes who's for the game and some very heroic poetry such as brooks 'peace' and along with reality poems, such as exposure and disabled by Wilfred Owen. The Great War affected many people's families and lives, and to me this seems that all the Great War poets found this to convey their feelings and emotions to the world.

During his time in war he wrote many powerful poems; the conditions they lived in and how futile it was. During war propagandists publicised war as daring and heroic, encouraging families to send their sons to join the army. The glorification of war is reflected in the Latin notion; ‘Dulce et decorum est propatria mori’ meaning it is sweet and noble to die for ones country. Owen illustrates this by labelling it as the ‘old lie’. Men were tricked into war considering that after war, they may have a chance of having possessions such as fame and riches.

In Paul’s life, his school master Kantorek, glorified the war by withholding war realities by perching to his students that fighting for their country would result in heroism. This inspired Paul and many of his classmates to enlist, but still some were not convinced by Kantorek’s rhetoric. In fear of being ostracized, many obliged to participate in the war. Of course, these glorification where shattered by realty as soon as Paul and classmates ... ... middle of paper ... ...horrific war, the men do not believe they will have psychological and physical power to continue on with life outside of the war. The purpose of older men’s declaration of war is to ultimately fight for what one thinks is rightfully theirs.

He also points out the importance of generosity on the part of those who will inevitably be drawn to battle, saying: "And a young prince must be prudent like that, so that afterward in an age when fighting starts steadfast companions will stand by him and hold the line" (Norton 20). Notice that he does not say "if fighting starts," but rather "when fighting starts." This tone suggests that war is to be expected and is an unavoidable aspect of life. The fact that success in warfare is an important factor in becoming a great leader is illustrated in the first few lines of the poem. Here, the author equates courage and greatness with the qualities of men, such as Shield Sheafson, who prove themselves powerful in battle.

To many people America was seen has having a “simple self-image” but since the war America was thought to be under constant threat and need to be fixed, a job for the manliest of men. Through vigorous campaigning in the films, a young man would be seen as foolish to not join the war immediately. ... ... middle of paper ... ...h the many advertisements the war was the only option for America to stand up and continue to be the best nation at the time. Propaganda heavily influences a civilization in every way. The attitudes of the civilians change and sway in whatever way the Government is hoping for to make big and powerful decisions.

In contrast Owen's poem attacks the idealistic and romantic view put forward by Brooke. He argues against the ideals of heroism and self-sacrifice. He is more concerned with all the men going into war thinking that it is heroic and glorious when actually it is horrible and that millions of men die every day. The poem which I prefer between Rupert Brooke's The Soldier and Wilfred Owen's Dulce Et Decorum Est is Wilfred Owen's Dulce Et Decorum because it describes the war as I believe it is and it is very descriptive on how the gas attack happened and how all the men felt. So I like Wilfred Owen's Dulce Et Decorum overall

I am going to compare one of Jessie Pope's recruitment poems with some of Owen and Sassoon's poems. The recruitment poems portrayed images that indicated that war was a fun game and that anyone that fought would make their families proud. Some poems make people feel guilty for not signing up and would make men ashamed if they did not join up to defend their country. Owen and Sassoon had a different approach to the images their poems had, as they were fighting in the war. They wrote about the truth of the war; the terrible trench conditions and death.

German propaganda spread throughout Germany like wildfire. The glory and enthusiasm of going to war to fight for your country aims and ideals was the mood set. Everyone wanted to be a hero, and if you did not want to fight than you would be thought of as a coward,.. “ because at the time even one’s parents were ready with the word ‘Coward’..” (Remarque p.11). The elders glorified war by writing and talking about it, expressing that duty to one’s country is the greatest thing. The soldiers saw the hideous wounds and dying men and distinguishing the false from the true, realizing that there is nothing of their world left.

Robert Brooke lived during the First World War. He is one of the war poets who became famous with his sonnet ‘‘The Soldier’’. The war, as the main motif of this historic period, inspired majority of artists who gave effort to depict their reality. In that historic period poets were writing about either patriotism or the horror of the war. Brooke was a man of traditional beliefs, therefore he firmly believed that his country has more value than his life and it is an honourable act to die for it.